Deep Thoughts Over Dinner and Masai Dancers

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

After the tea tour, it was back to the camp for another excellent dinner made by Pete, the man who works miracles over charcoal ---adding rosemary to the sausages and orange zest to the chili. This is not "camping" food. It's fantastic.

Before we ate, about half of us pulled up our campstools and had a discussion, led by Simon, about the problems and challenges of Africa, and what the world was doing to help Africa.

Soon our conversation was covering Eastern versus Western mindsets and lifestyles, the Buddhist philosophy of tolerance, and other weighty subjects.

"Whoa, this is heavy", grinned Wayne, listening in. "We usually don't get into religious/political discussions until well past the third day...."

Some Masai men clad in red blankets quietly approached Wayne during our meal-time to ask him if we would like to see them dance. So after the dinner dishes are washed, the lot of us troop over to the hotel to see the performance.

It is a very surreal feeling to be sitting in the living-room of an elegant old hotel while a troupe of Masai dancers jump and dance and whoop on the wooden floor against a back-drop of floral wall-paper and heavy dark furniture.

Their performance was really rather gripping--during their dances they often would leap several feet straight up into the air. They used strange rhythmic vocalizations as their music instead of instruments. They clapped and stomped and twirled.

It was an energetic show and the hotel staff peeking around the doorway into our room appeared to enjoy it too.

And look at me in that last photo, these Masai fellows are all a head or more taller than me!