Making myself popular

This week I took the family to the new mud bath. It was less muddy and more drinkable and we spent ages just drinking and cooling down. Mum was pretty pleased with me and says I can wander off more often if this is what I find.

The men were still there making bricks as usual and I see that the buildings are growing. There were also some tents and some new people who sat and watched us through binoculars as we drank. We stayed quite a while. I’m going to be pretty popular after this.

Making Mud Baths!

Been away for a few weeks, moving with the family around the park, so when I retuned to the ‘site’ (as I now call it) I couldn’t believe the activity – and the building. There are 4 brick-making machines now and thousands of bricks. That oven-thing wasn’t enough – there are lots more and they’re making bricks nineteen to the dozen.

But most important - I could smell water. I followed the scent, straight into a massive mud bath where I rolled around for a bit. It was fun and I’ll be back with my friends for more. There’s nothing like a good mud bath. While I was there the activity stopped and they all watched me. I pretended not to notice, but I’ll definitely be back!

Things are moving!

It was another week before I went back to visit the building site and things were moving. These guys don’t hang around. There’s a big green structure with water tanks on top – looks like a sort of HQ with people going in and out all the time. Word around the bush is that they’re building something for tourists, but I can’t see tourists sleeping in this thing – not posh enough.

In fact, as I got closer I noticed outlines in the soil, all curves and big spaces, under the acacias and all staring straight at Kilimanjaro. Something tells me this is the real thing. After all, if I were a tourist I would want to wake up to that great mountain.

I see it all the time of course, but I never tire of it. It’s the second biggest attraction in Amboseli, after the elephants of course. Most people come to see us with Kili in the background – makes great photos.

While I hung around a big meeting took place with lots of people including the local Masai. I’m told that the Masai get involved with tourism these days, earning rent from the land and from every tourist who visits. That’s good news – not only for them but for us too – now we can all live in peace.

Meanwhile the construction goes on and that brick making machine is working overtime.

Making bricks from mud!

Being only 11 I’m not so used to wandering off alone. In fact I’ve only just started. My mum lets me because she knows that in a few years I will have to leave her and my younger brothers and sisters to make a new life for myself. It’s scary but exciting at the same time. But I’ve got to get used to it. So I go off for the day and find my way back to Mum later. Seeing these strange men made me realise that I still have a lot to learn. I decided to go and fetch Mum and see what she made of it.

I was amazed at the activity when Mum and I got there the next day (with a few others in tow). There were men digging trenches and others making bricks. As we got closer they noticed us and stopped to look, but not for long. One thing really caught my attention – a metal machine which the men filled with soil from the ground and then pulled one part on top of the other. When they opened it out popped this

perfect little mud brick which the men laid on the ground in a neat row along with others that they had already made. Then they took each brick and shovelled it into what looked like a chimney with a fire at the front. Mum said that was how they made the bricks hard so they could be using for building.

So that was it! These men were building something.

 I can’t wait to find out what.