Maasai Mara

Enjoyed a slightly later start this morning.  Off on our game drive at 08:00.  Saw a fairly large pride of Lions with the dominant male in charge of the meat. Male and female pair tucked away in a private spot.  More Giraffes, Bucks and Elephants.  One interesting antelope was called a Topi I think.  Blue coloring on the hind flank.  The male presents an impressive pose atop a termite mound to attract females.  Looks like a sculpture.  We have covered a large part of the Mara Triangle, which is bounded on three sides by the Mara River, the border with Tanzania and the Oolololo escarpment

After that, we visited a Maasai village for a cultural presentation and more curio shopping.  The cultural presentation was interesting.  Learned quite a bit about the patoralist lifestlyles of these people who maintain their ancient ways.  Presentation included info on male rights of passage from childhood through adolescene and becoming a Warrior (after circumcision).  Sent away into the bush to learn the means of survival.  No mention of the female side of the story.  Also learned that the culture is polygamist.  I asked why there are so many more women than men to allow for each man to have several wives, no explanation for this.  Also asked about the two missing bottom front teeth.  The original reason for this was due to lock jaw caused by Tetanus.  This was to administer medicine to afflicted people, and has become a fashion statement to go along with the ear lobes.  Very colorful clothing and decorative jewelry.  We toured the village and inside of one of the mud huts where there was a pot of cows blood over open coals.  Saw a fire starter demonstration as well.  

Then on to meet the women.  Even in this village, the cost of simple handicrafts seemed very high.  We have found the prices for everything in Kenya to be quite high, in spite of the apparent simple and minimalist lifestyles.  I hesitate to call the people impoverished as they seem to be busy and happy, hauling goods on scooters or indeed in ass drawn carts.  Marketing there produce on road side racks.  The curio shops have been absolutely crammed with products which has made me wonder how fast this stuff turns over.  The retail value of the inventory seems astronomical.