27/09/2024
For our final evening in the bush, we decided to surprise our guests with a walking safari to a stunning ‘sundowner’ spot for a “safari reception” and wedding send-off. We made a grand entrance on Cottar’s vintage 1920s Rolls Royce, cleverly rebuilt on a Landcruiser chassis and affectionately called ‘Ndugu Ndugu.’
We wanted to honor our families along the way. To celebrate Val’s parents, who had a “champagne tower” at their wedding but filled with beer instead, we created a ‘Tusker Tower’ using Kenya’s beloved beer, Tusker. We gave a toast and it was a playful tribute to their love story and 47 years of marriage.
Then our wonderful Masai guides, who have become close friends over the years, surprised us with beautiful gifts from the Olderkesi community: a Masai spear for Brian to protect his family and a beaded wedding necklace. We stood around the bonfire, shot bow and arrows, learned how to start a fire with only sticks and zebra dung, and savored our last sunset together on safari.
After the “reception,” we all hopped into Landcruisers for a night drive back to camp, which turned into a rowdy night drive and spontaneous dance party! With headlamps doubling as strobe lights, we sang and danced under the stars all the way to the dining tent, where the bar was raucous and a candlelit dinner awaited. It was a highlight of the whole trip for all of us.
The next morning, we were encouraged to write notes in Cottar’s guest book, where our dear friend Alana surprised us with a beautiful drawing of us arriving in ‘Ndugu Ndugu,’ surrounded by heartfelt notes from guests. It was such a touching way to wrap up the adventure. We gave big hugs to Cottar’s incredible staff, loaded up in Landcruisers, made our way to the airstrip and took off for the wedding weekend in Lamu, feeling so inspired and settled into our safari family.
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