Eyes Wide Open

Wednesday was a near perfect shoot day.  Flexibility meant going an additional night without access to our "things".  We'd been told to pack a day/overnight bag as we were supposed to be heading back to the city after shooting on Wednesday but as things shaped up, the plans changed. That's right.  This city girl was forced to wear the same outfit twice. Not sure if I mentioned how dusty/dirty we got on shoot day.  But, I sucked it up. Look at me!  Roughing it!

Thursday morning, we were up early to grab breakfast and head back through Nairobi to pick up our things before heading to Kajiado - home of the Masaai people.  The original "plan" was to head out to our lodging, unpack and then do some location scouting.  Our producer, Flora (who is honestly one of the most on-the-ball producers I have EVER worked with) had some locations in mind.  We were looking for a Masaai manyatta.  And, preferably one with some cows.  

We checked in at the Masai Eco Lodge and, while it may be highly unlikely that many people I know have plans to head to Kenya anytime soon, if you ever find yourself going on safari - talk to me. This place was amazing in every way - and a lot less expensive than the Sweetwaters Tented Camp I mentioned before. I feel would likely be a truly more authentic experience.  The owner was so sweet, as were the people that worked there. It was a little oasis in the middle of the bush.  The rooms were very nice and very safe. And, they can accommodate large groups.  The view was spectacular.  Below is a pic of Derek snapping some pictures of the view (and I will share some others later).

Once settled in - it was time to scout our location.  We spoke with the owner of the lodge to see if he had suggestions other than the ones we knew about.  He mentioned that there was a manyatta up the (dirt) road that we could check out and warned us that the man (AKA Peter) we'd be negotiating with would be "difficult".  He made a call and Peter showed up on a boda boda with a friend and hopped in our car to lead the way to his home. Side note: Thankfully, we were in SUVs with 4WD because to say the ride was "bumpy" would be a severe understatement. 

Ironically, the team assumed that Mary Kate and I wouldn't go along to scout the manyatta but, after Wednesday, we thought we'd better be there.  Should our great luck strike again and we turn a scouting trip into the shoot.  And, it did.

Peter was definitely a tough negotiator but, then again so is our producer and my new hero.  

But, before I jump into that...this city girl who is out of the country for the very first time has to say something.  My visit to Africa has been amazingly eye opening in so many ways, but none moreso than my visit to this particular village.  This specific experience gave the term "1st world problems" new meaning. Their way of life is so different than ours. I stress out at the thought of no wifi for a few nights.  These people live in huts that they've crafted themselves and tradition isn't a suggestion but a way of life for them. Yes, I've read about different tribes and have seen them on/in National Geographic but to see them with my own eyes live and in person is a different story.  Incredible.  And, don't get me wrong - what I felt wasn't pity.  What I felt was their happiness and their love for their way of life. Their traditions.  Very eye opening when I am sitting here thinking that I want to see videos of my child and chat with him via FaceTime each night, let alone the shows on TV that I am DVR-ing while I am gone.  Judge if you must.  But, admit it, you're starting to think about how much it would suck to miss the next episode of "Breaking Bad" or checking in at the next location at Facebook.  Nothing wrong with that. It's what we know. 

Anyway, the children were so amazing - smiling uncontrollably - some of them flirting even, with their sweet eyes and smiles.  Clearly, none of their faces buried in Nintendo DS's, iPads or laptops.  And the women - the grandmother and her daughters - the other mothers within this particular family - were absolutely striking.  Most of which were wearing traditional garb (as seen in the Masaai people link I shared above) with amazing beading and ear piercings.  And, they were just as fierce at negotiating.  Once we'd decided we'd be shooting there (and then) we started taking some casual pictures.  The grandmother immediately said "No!" and waved her hand in front of the camera.  "One shilling!" she said, "one shilling!". That's right.  You want a picture, you pay for it.  I didn't necessarily "pay" for this one.  

So, the shot was blocked off and everything was set up.  Derek, very carefully setting up the CARE box at just the right angle...

And, so the shoot took place.  Different circumstances than the water pump.  Very sunny. Very hot.  Very little shade.  And, yes, my new Columbia safari style hat made an appearance (notice there's no picture?) and while I felt like the dork I probably looked like, my head, my ears and the back of my neck remained unscathed.  Uh huh. That's right.

The manyatta is where the cows, sheep and goats are kept and it was right there.  So, there were a LOT of flies.  It was very dry and very dusty.  What's amazing is that the space where they keep the cows is surrounded by woven sticks and twigs (no barbed wire like we see everywhere else).  Below is a panoramic shot I took - to the right, you can see where they keep the cows (which were out to pasture at the time).  Further, you can see all of their huts and some more of the beautiful women to the left.  

Throughout the day, the children were so playful and kept asking us to take their pictures so they could see themselves afterwards.  I must have taken ten pictures of these two sweet girls over the course of the day.  

All in all, another successful shoot.  We wrapped, got everything sorted, got the cars packed and headed back to the lodge where they had a lovely dinner prepared.  We cleaned up, met in a beautiful stone common area for some Tuskers and then sat down in the dining room for dinner.  Chicken, rice, cabbage and greens - all organic and all grown on site.  Once dinner was done, we retired to the outdoor fire pit for some conversation and an amazing view of the stars.  

Who needs wifi when you have that?

Before I am done with Thursday, I wanted to share a few more random notes from the highways/roads of Kenya:

• I had mentioned the crazy drivers in an earlier post.  During our trip to Kajiado from Nairobi, we ended up playing at least two games of chicken.  And this wasn't from our passing other people.  This was from them passing on their end and being in our lane until the VERY LAST MINUTE.
• My Fitbit had me clocked at 200 flights of stairs climbed in a 24 hour period.  I didn't climb nearly that amount.  It was taking the bumps we'd hit in the car and counting them as steps.  Let's do the math.  Roughly 12 steps in a flight of stairs x 200 flights = 2400 stairs.  Or, major bumps in the road.  
• Kenya has the best coffee.  Truly delicious.  There's a chain here called "Dorman's" which is great - their store-made pastries are fantastic.
• "hujambo" = "hello" in Swahili.  You don't really hear the "hu" so, it really just sounds like "jambo".
• You don't drink the water here - every place you go has bottled water - flat and/or sparkling
• DelMonte has a huge presence in Kenya - the pineapple fields at the plant are massive.  The pineapples tend to be less sweet and a bit more sour than the ones we enjoy in the states.
• It is dangerous to be on the roads at night.  You probably put that together after reading about the crazy driving.  For more reasons than one, you stay off the roads at night.  It's really an issue of hitting other people/pedestrians or for fear that they may hit you.  
• Speaking of safety - several places we went had guards like these outside their gates. This made me feel both more secure and more scared at the same time.  And no, your eyes are NOT deceiving you.  Check out that machine gun.  Side note: See the guy in the side view mirror?  Meet George.  Our driver and so much more.  Love you, George!

• KFC delivers in Nairobi.  Yes.  Like, to your house.  It's heavily advertised.  That said, I made the revelation that I have yet to see a McDonald's in Kenya.  Wow!
• When you're driving on the highway you will inevitably see a lot of buildings under construction.  Some of them look new.  Some look just unfinished.  All of them use "sticks" like these rather than what we're used to seeing which is 2x4's.  I am sure the sticks are strong but, it amazes me to see a bunch of these basically supporting a LOT of concrete/cement blocks.  Here's a big pile of them spotted at a construction site.