A Photo Worth a Thousand Dollars

On the third day, after waking up, we packed our belongings into our suitcases. It was time to check out of the hotel and head toward the Maasai Mara to see the animals.

After that, we went downstairs for breakfast. It was an amazing experience. For the first time, I was surrounded by local African people. They were kind, warm, and beautiful.

Leili and I tried fresh coconut. A waiter came over with a knife, cut the top of the coconut, placed a straw inside it, and said with a smile, “Drink well.”

At the end of breakfast, Meshak joined us. He was short and slim, wearing traditional Maasai clothing. His outfit was red with beautiful patterns, and a sword hung from his waist.

After breakfast and getting to know Meshak, we went to see his car. It was an excellent safari vehicle—a Toyota, specially designed for game drives. I decided to take a photo with the car. I took off my purse, placed it on the hood, and took a picture.

When we all got into the car, we set off toward the Maasai Mara. The city was fascinating; people drive on the left side of the road, just like in England.

On the way, Meshak decided to stop at the nearest gas station, and we got out to take some photos. That was when I realized I had left my wallet on the car’s hood. It must have fallen off somewhere along the road and was lost.

Suddenly, I had no money and no passports for my family. I had never paid more than $1,000 for a photo before.

At first, I was very upset. I had two choices: go back to Nairobi, visit the embassy, and miss seeing the animals, or continue the journey without knowing what would happen next.

I chose the second option, and we continued our journey toward the Maasai Mara.

I was upset for a while, but eventually I accepted what had happened, and it slowly turned into a funny joke for the rest of the trip.