Hello everyone,
After reflection, I said to myself that it would be nice to create a "blog" in order to share with you my anecdotes, my adventures, my story. I also did a poll on instagram and the idea seemed to interest you, so here we go.
For this first article, I will tell you about Geff and me.
Who am I ?
If you have read my presentation on my site, you already know a lot about me.
I am Alexia, I am 27 years old (it is moreover in Kenya, that I spent the first days of my 27th year) and I live in Dordogne.
Animals have been part of my life since childhood. I have always loved to travel (the USA, Sri Lanka, Iceland...) and I had a list of countries to do as long as my arm, but the countries of Africa were not on this list. Why ? No explanation for that! Then in 2019, my step dad pushed us to go to Namibia with my dear mom (who passed on her love for animals to me). It was therefore in September 2019 that I set foot in Africa for the first time .. and there is no denying that I fell in love with this continent. In 2020, the covid is going through it, it becomes difficult to have travel plans. In 2021, we miss Africa and we start talking about going to South Africa. Unfortunately, the country is classified red and our plans are in jeopardy. So, I have the idea to find out about Kenya, without much conviction, this country seems so inaccessible to me... 3 weeks later here we are on the plane in the direction of Nairobi for a wonderful 2-week trip. We return, charmed by this country and the population. In July, we decide to go back there, but this time we will spend 11 days in the Maasai Mara hoping to witness the great migration. This is where we meet Geff...
Who is Geff?
Geff is a bit of a "man in the shadows", but without him nothing would be possible. He is a young Maasai of 27 years old. He grew up and has always lived next to the Maasai Mara reserve. He has been a guide for 8 years and also practices photography. He is passionate about his job and it shows. He considers having the most beautiful office in the world ... he's not wrong, what better than to work surrounded by this wonderful nature and animals? He speaks English, Swahili, Maasai and even French. Geff is particularly fond of "big cats". A good day for Geff is a day with “cats”: lions, leopards, cheetahs, servals, you name it, but he needs cats, which has earned him the nickname “mister cats”.
We ?
So it was on July 4, 2021 that I met Geff, on Musiara's airstrip. We were quickly conquered by his quality of guide and his kindness. Because finding the animals isn't everything. He is always concerned about the well-being of his safari travelers, but also and above all he respects nature and animals and that is so important to me. The 11 days have passed at breakneck speed and it is with heavy hearts, tears on our cheeks that we leave and say goodbye to Geff. At this time, we have no idea when we will be back, but we are sure of one thing: we want to come back.
On the plane back, I secretly make a promise to myself: to come back very soon (I made the same promise to myself in January 2021 and now I make this promise to myself every time). On my return, I continue to discuss with Geff and then the idea of continuing to work together comes very naturally to us.
After 6 long months of waiting, my feet brush against the dusty tracks of the Maasai Mara again. The objective this time: to discover the Masai Mara to 4 safaris who want nature, animals and authenticity.
The adventure continues, we will welcome 3 new safaris in June + 1 (my dear mom).
In January 2021, when I first set foot in Kenya, I had no idea how much this country would change my life. Me who had not planned to set foot in Africa ... here I am totally addicted to Kenya, but more precisely to the Masai Mara. I fell in love with this nature, these animals, but also the Maasai, a people that fascinates me more and more. By the way, speaking of Maasai .. I said at the beginning of the article that I had blown my 27th candle in Kenya, I had the chance to immortalize a Maasai wedding on the very day of my birthday, it will be the subject of my next article...
I hope you enjoyed knowing a little more about us.
