Maasai

The Massai are pretty cool!!  They are an ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and Northern Tanzania.  They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa.  They speak a language called Maa and are also educated in the official languages of Tanzania... Swahili and English.   The Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have continued their age-old customs.   Recently, Oxfam has claimed that the lifestyle of the Maasai should be embraced as a response to climate change because of their ability to farm in deserts and scrublands.  Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their village to experience their culture, traditions, and lifestyle.

This women has been in regular dress for 3 weeks and works in a senior role at the hotel.  I did not know she was Massai until tonight when she came today to show us her traditional Massai dress.  Reason... it was the weekend and she was Massai. Amazing... that beautiful color against her skin... I asked her out on the lawn for a photo of her feet.  The rest of the young people on the staff also were complementing her.

Maasi  are also of real interest to our team .. some did a visit to a Maasi village while the rest of us did the Zanzibar trip last weekend.  Another group are going Sunday... I'll have to decide  based on work volume.





Love the feet!!

This fellow was at the beach we visited on Zanzibar... typical Shaun... making friends everywhere with that big smile and Aussie friendship.  The other two fellows were across from a restaurant we were at and I love the fact I caught 2 young guys with back packs in the foreground 

Given the amount of time stuck in the Board Room of the Arc Hotel I thought I would pop in a couple of photos of home!!  

Dinner tonight.. pretty typical evening break when we finish up at about 7... eat ... then often try and get
 band width to blog a bit heading into the mosquito net for the night!!