Il Ngwesi
on Erin in Kenya (Kenya), 12/May/2010 02:21, 34 days ago
I thought my free high-end vacations were over when Amanda quit her job with the luxury real estate magazine but I’ve managed to eke out one more. One of the volunteers is placed at a Masai lodge helping them with a website and marketing. The lodge is owned by the Masai people and proceeds benefit their local community. Money goes to conservation, water projects, education, small business development, etc. Soyou can really feel good about staying at this place...except that it is a bit too spendy for me so when Carter invited some volunteers to stay the weekend at a super VSO price I was thrilled.The lodge is located on Lewa Conservancy near Mount Kenya. The weekend started with the 4-hour drive from Nanyuki to the lodge, 2 hours of which was through the conservancy so we saw tons of animals. One of our first spots was some cheetahs eating a zebra. I don’t know why I’m so macabre on safari but Stephen refers to this type of sighting as “sports action” and he’s absolutely right. It’s quite exciting to see wild animals in action.When we arrived at the lodge we were greeted by some singing and dancing by the staff. The Masai have done an amazing job of maintaining their unique culture and they still wear traditional clothes, carry spears, and live in traditional huts. While they value their culture they are also keen to be a part of the ever changing world they live in and seem to have struck that almost unachievable balance between tradition and progress. This is the only reason an experience like Il Ngwesi is even possible. I don’t know about most people but if I know people are performing for me I feel a bit of a voyeur. But at Il Ngwesi you know that when these people go home they are wearing the same clothing and dancing and singing to welcome visitors into their own homes. The scenery, wildlife and accommodations wereincredible but for me the best part of the experience was the opportunity to share in the Masai culture rather than just observing it as an outsider.I think the Masai are a true inspiration to cultures everywhere and they prove that quality of life can be improved through progress without abandoning culture.  I was happy to see a couple of women on staff and although they were a definite minority I think their mere presence shows the Masai are open to new ideas and a new definition of human rights. I suppose what I admire most is the Masai’s ability to distinguish between the parts of their culture that need to be changed because they were discriminating against certain members of the tribe and parts of the culture that aren’t harming anyone and can be maintained. I like their flexibility.But back to the lodge. It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever stayed (and keep in mind Amanda has taken me to some incredible destinations so my bar is sky high). The lodge is set on the side of a mountain and you can’t see another light even with binos. There are very few walls so there is a thatched roof over your head at all times but even sitting on the toilet there might be nothing between you and the incredible view. And the views are fantastic. From my bedroom and my outdoor shower I could view an idyllic elephant watering hole. Unfortunately no elephants showed up during my stay but plenty of giant birds made their appearance. My bedroom was another work of art.  I got to stay in the bed that Prince William stayed in when he visited.  I wish Stacey could have been with me :) At night the bed rolled out onto the terrace and I could sleep under the thousands of stars littering the sky.The weekend was too much fun and I felt extremely spoiled the whole time. We went on a bush walk, splashed about in the infinity pool, and ate delicious food. The staff completely spoiled us and slaughtered a goat for us the last night and baked us a cake.  That night there was also some amazing singing and dancing. Each person has a different sound and they blend together to sound like actual musical instruments. I could swear there were drums somewhere if I couldn’t see with my own eyes that no one had any instruments. And the dancing! I could really get into that kind of dancing. It mostly consisted of very pogo stick style jumping but it was quite graceful. I’m not sure if it’s because we were friends of their volunteer and they felt more comfortableor they do it this way with all their guests but they seemed to be having a blast. They would stop mid-song and crack up laughing and challenge each other to the jumping dance teasing the manager as he was obviously not quite as fit as some of the others.This is the view from the toilet. The ride out was another mini-safari and we saw herds of baboons, ostrich, elephants, giraffe, warthog, dik diks, and others. If you find yourself in Kenya and can afford the stay I would highly recommend Il Ngewsi as the perfect way to experience the natural beauty of Kenya and the unique culture of the Masai.http://ilngwesi.com/