To the Masai Mara: The road, if you can call it that, was horrendous. Supposedly it was far worse than usual due to the effects of El Nino. I think if it had been any worse, it would not have been usable. We stopped at a Maasai manyatta (village), took pictures, bought a few things under very high pressure, watched the women line up and sing, and got a tour of one of their dung huts with a very educated young Maasai woman who called herself "Diana."

I had a strange feeling about this village . . that it was perhaps for tourists only. (That feeling was reinforced when I visited a more authentic feeling village in Tanzania later.) The Maasai here seemed very angry and competitive with each other for our American dollars. The items they were attempting to sell were pulled out of plastic shopping bags and laid on the ground before them. There was little that didn't look identical to things we'd seen many times. It all looked "manufactured." One Maasai woman kicked a kitten out of the way when it got near her "wares" she was pushing at me. When I said I would not look until she brought me the kitten, it was retrieved and I held it for awhile. The same thing happened to a puppy nearby.

For these Maasai, a dog is simply to assist in herding cattle. A cat is to keep down the rodent population. They are not pets. They are not loved.

The Mara Sopa Lodge was a very enjoyable experience. Along with Sweetwaters and Mt. Kenya Safari Club, it was my favorite.

I woke up at 4 a.m. to prepare for my "balloon safari." It was cool and dark. We were picked up in "The Beast," like a giant Hummer that had much difficulty starting. We journeyed over a rough road to our take-off point. The basket lay on its side - - a 16-person object divided into 4 compartments, with padded bench seats, padded headrest and "security handles" for landings. Nine of us made the flight. When the balloon was filled and the basket stood upright, I climbed in.

Soon we lifted off, floating through the air silently except for the occasional bursts from the hot air burners as we lifted higher. Life was good at that moment, drifting over the Masai Mara and even viewing part of the Serengeti at the same time. But photographic efforts were hampered by one passenger who persistently moved around clumsily, shaking the basket and blurring any photos for those with telephoto lenses who pressed the shutter at those moments.

The pilot had informed us of three types of landings. After about an hour and a half in the air, he announced we would be making a "Number Two" landing. We were to pack our cameras away, sit down, fasten our seat belt if we desired (I don't think anyone did), plant our feet on the floor of the basket, put the back of our heads firmly against the padding of the basket, and hold on tight.

The basket landed with a light touch, but the wind tumbled it over backwards and I was flat on my back, feeling the vibration of the ground moving beneath me as we skidded some distance before coming to a gentle stop. Our "airstrip" had no obstacles. (NOTE: A "Number Three" landing would be the kind where you bounce hard, tumble over, the basket gets dragged and doesn't stop until it hits a big termite mound!)

When we came to a halt, I crawled out. Our pilot led us, on foot across the Masai Mara, to our champagne bush breakfast. Afterward, we were awarded our very attractive certificates to commemorate our balloon safari.

The afternoon game run was superb. I photographed lions, cheetah, wildebeest, zebra and more.

The morning we left the Masai Mara was a long one. We drove the rough road out to the Keekorok Lodge for a pre-flight "pit stop" and shopping, then went to the adjacent airstrip to await the Air Kenya plane (48 passenger) that would fly us to Nairobi.Once aboard, most people dozed slightly. Upon arrival in Nairobi we were taken to the African Heritage Museum and had lunch at the adjoining Rainforest Restaurant, which lived up to its name with a warm and humid atmosphere.

Then began the uncomfortable journey to the Tanzania border.