We flew a tiny plane into the Mara Valley…it was scary.
The Pumbas were everywhere. Unfortunately, it’s uncommon to see Warthogs traveling with Meerkats.
The photos weren’t captured through the means of large telephoto lenses…we just got really close!
Cobra Killers…
Antelope squaring off…you should have heard the crack of their horns.
Coming to understand more about the Maasai tribe of Kenya causes even more confusion. Women do all the work. Women build the homes. Women dominate this tribe, yet the men seem to think they do. Around age 13 to 15, boys are circumsized in front of the entire village. They are tied to a tree and the less they flinch, or show pain, the more they are rewarded. If they cry…they are given a dog. If they show no sign of trauma, they get a cow. They drink blood from animals. Often.
Topi
The Water Buffalo, one of the two most dangerous animals in Africa.
The other is the Hippo. These guys are responsible for killing more people than any other animals.
Baby Giraffes nursing are responsible for killing thousands with cuteness.
Some people don’t mind an audience…
Let’s play “Find the Eagle”…
Male Water Buck
What an incredible place that was. Something we’ll never, ever forget.
gorgeous…
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Absolutely beautiful pictures.
Thank you for sharing.
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Incredible photos! A nice way to start my day.
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Too bad there aren’t more photos of the women who run the joint :\
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Amazing picture, Ryan! Thanks for sharing!
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Wow! ALL of these photos are phenomenal….one of my dreams is to go there and take photos!
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Incredible photos! I’ve done a great deal of traveling but that area is one I have not gotten to visit yet – but it is definitely on my “bucket list”. Thanks for blogging about your trip, I have really enjoyed reading about it.
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those are some amazing images, ryan…
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Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing some of the nicer things about your trip. Glad your home.
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Amazing! It’s all I can say.
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Amazing! It’s so strange to see those animals just out in the wild. We are so used to seeing them at zoos.
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Welcome back! We’re looking forward to watching you unpack!
~kristin and chris ann
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Beautiful pictures.
The male ideas are common throughout all Maasai tribe. And they might not have told you but young girls are often still circumcised; if you saw the Maasai in the Maasai Mara then probably not there, as they are much more open and understand more about why they shouldn’t. But certainly where I’ve been almost all the Maasai girls were circumcised. And they aren’t allowed to cry either lest they bring shame on their whole family and are then unable to be married off.
Jen
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Stacy says:
March 12th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
@Jen, I was going to state the same thing. Spent a little bit of time with the Maasai, not much, not nearly enough . . . I prayed and talked with girls facing this . . . if I’m not mistaken they are preteen/early teens when this happens. And, as far as I was aware, they only drink the blood of cows mixed with milk . . . nutritious, eh? :0)
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Wow. Just Wow. I can’t imagine that experience. Such beauty, and your photos are wonderful.
I would have been terrified in that little plane.
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I have enjoyed reading your posts about your trip. These photos are INCREDIBLE! Thanks for sharing it all!
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i was surprised by these and the first photos at how white and straight their teeth are.
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I absolutely love these amazing photos. Makes me want to go there.
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The little photographer in me is bouncing with joy. (She’s crazy!) You are truly blessed to experience these treasures and I look forward to each post. Keep up the AWESOME work dude!
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As usual, Ryan, stunning photos. Hope you guys are recuperating nicely from the trip.
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OH WOW WOW WOW! I felt like I was RIGHT there!
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WOW Ryan. These pictures are absolutely amazing. Your posts from the trip are causing me to consider soliciting a small side job that can provide the funds with which to sponsor children. Will keep you posted….
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Hi Ryan. Found you through Pioneer Woman and have very much enjoyed reading about your trip. I’ve also been keeping up with a number of the other Compassion bloggers and I really wanted to thank you for your perspective. I enjoyed the splashes of humor infused into some tough situations. And also that you refrained from overly romanticizing everything. You saw a lot of beautiful things. And a lot of horrible things. Thanks for acknowledging the trauma and just letting it stand as such without trying to make every situation noble and beautiful. Oh — and great pictures!!
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These photos are alright but I was really hoping to see one of a monkey standing on a cliff holding a baby lion.
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vickie johnson says:
March 12th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
@TheDan, hahaha!
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Beautiful photos!
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p.s. I also found you through Pioneer Woman =D
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Gorgeous photos, Ryan! You are truly a talented photographer!
Side note: I was not sure which caption “Let’s play find the Eagle” when with… bwah hah ha hah ha!!
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Wow Ryan – awesome pictures! I had tears in my eyes reading about your travels this week. It confirmed my belief in Compassion though. I’ve sponsored 1 child for about 5 years and I sponsored 2 more in the last two years. They do amazing work. I love getting letters from my “kids” and some day I would love to go visit all of them. If not here on earth, then I can’t wait to meet them in Heaven.
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absolutely stunning. And isn’t it amazing how many people (Americans) have NO clue other people are living this way right NOW. I am so humbled by these posts and so embarassed by what I have.. which is not a lot, but a whole lot more than some. I’m thinking of sponsoring a child – one born on my birthday so I’ll never forget *grin*.
thanks for sharing these posts. May God bless you all even more abundantly. Amen
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Yes, after the second picture I had the Lion King theme humming along… Great pictures and welcome home.
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Well if the women do all the work, build the houses and run everything but the men get the credit – no wonder they do a public circumsision ceremony!
Beautiful pics.
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TheDan says:
March 14th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
@Lori McKenna,
bahahaha, that’s just wrong
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Beautiful photos!
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These photos are incredible. I have to tell you, your whole trip has been such an inspiration to me.
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Wow. Amazing photos. That picture in the plane gave me the heebee jeebees
Not sure which would have surfaced first: my fear of flying or claustrophobia (maybe both). You all did an amazing job. I enjoyed reading your blog and thank you for teaching us a whole lot about Kenya.
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Beautiful, beautiful pictures. I enjoyed reading all of your posts throughout your journey. Your life will never be the same after this, and the lives you’ve touched will be forever changed. God Bless You.
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I have been loving your photos from Kenya… and will probably come back to look at them again and again.
It has made me decide to start saving and take my kids there – I was born and lived in Tanzania for my first 8 years (and Africa gets into your blood) and I want them to experience it too.
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Ryan, the pictures are amazing throughout your whole trip. Thanks for messing up my life like that. We have sponsored a child in Kenya. It was very hard for me to choose, I felt like a judge; this child gets my help and this one doesn’t. Who am I to judge? They are all deserving of help. My life got messed even further. Thanks!
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can I have my photo>?
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MY EMAIL IS
hdolloff@roadrunner.com
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Absolutely amazing.
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As usual, I love all the photographs you posted. I especially like the one of the owl in the tree. Crazy! Happy to hear your trip was rewarding & that you are home safe!
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So what do they call female water bucks? Thanks for taking us along! Lee
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This has been such an inspiration to me; I have just read your posts from the last week or so. It is things like this that make me feel both hopeless and hopeful. I am only 24, and have not started a ‘real’ job yet but sponsoring one or two children has always been part of my goal. Reading what you have wrote and seeing your pictures has just solidified in my mind how necessary this is for me to do. 40$ is about what one cheap dinner out for two would cost, and when you see what that bit of money can do for others… Your pictures and witness are priceless.
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Hi,
My first visit here from the direction of Mckmama’s blog who was in Kenya with you. Great photos by the way! Beautiful!
I was visiting earlier this morning before getting the kids up for school. So, I walked away from this visit to get my 6 yr old up for school.
After she rolled out of bed we walked into the kitchen and the first thing she said to me was this: “Across the ocean there’s a castle and lots of people wear old clothes.” I had to slightly disturb her, which I did not want to do, to jot down what she had just said to me. I was amazed. She’s said things like this before out of the blue, but never so early at the start of a morning, which she does not like to be a part of most days.
After I wrote down what she had said I wanted to hear the rest of her story, so I was asking her questions to which she answered, “Lots of princesses girls and boys I’m telling you its very far away.”
I can’t right now finish the rest of my comment because of being emotionally overwhelmed, but yeah I’m 4 miles from Surfside Beach, SC, and my uncle lives a block from Surfside Beach, SC.
I will continue the rest of my post later so you can hear the rest of the story about my thoughts before I woke my daughter as I was visiting here.
That’s all I can say right now, except Blessings to you,
amanda
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Wow, what incredible pictures! You truly were blessed to be able to go on this once in a lifetime trip.
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Ryan I am truely amazed at these beautiful photographs!!!I am speechless at the sheer beauty of it all!!
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