Massai Mara Game Park

As a year end treat, NOPE took all of its employees to Massai Mara for a team building retreat and Christmas vacation. I was told that Massai Mara is the best game reserve in the world. After visiting it, I would have to agree with that statement. There were animals everywhere!We all piled into 3 safari vans on Thursday morning and of course in true Kenyan style we left late. My co-workers surprised me as they came with tuskers in hand ready for the long 6-hour drive to the Mara. What a drive! I have never had so much fun road trip, my colleagues are a blast. We drank tusker and whiskey and laughed the entire ride there. The road to Massai Mara is without a doubt, the worst road I have ever been on. In most cases it was better to just get off the "road" and drive down the side or through the dirt. After a bumpy journey, we pulled up to Kekorock Lodge to find a spectacular hotel. It has attracted guests such as Prince Charles, Pope John Paul II and several other celebrities and politicians. My favorite part about the hotel was the boardwalk in the back, it is suspended about 20' above the ground so that you can safely look down at the hippos in the pond underneath. At the end of the boardwalk is a bar that looks down into the hippo pond.
During our stay we went on 3 game drives on all of which we were able to see lions, a treat not shared amongst all Mara visitors. We pulled right up to them while they were chomping down some zebra butt. It was incredible!We also saw countless other animals such as elephants, wildebeest, buffalo, impalas, waterbuck, and a rhino. The list goes on and on.The lodge was a bit strict when it came to noise. As a posh place they want to cater to their rich guests. My colleagues are not usually ones to keep silent either so they were itching for a place to let loose and party. our guides were staying in the staff quarters, just outside the lodge and told us they could take us to the bar there where we could have some real fun at a reasonable expense. For some reason it reminded me of that scene from dirty dancing, only without the scandalousness. We had a ball, my colleagues are absolutely nuts! I now know why Canadians are considered to be quite reserved. Because Kenyans definitely are not, they know how to have a real good time.This trip was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget.