The Floor-ed Rift Valley

The wild is my sanctuary. It’s where I feel the most at peace, where my mind winds down to a perfect harmony and clarity; where I can stand or seat still for hours and only be concerned that there wasn’t enough time to take it all in. It’s the expanse, the diversity of flora and fauna, the beauty, the seeming miniature nature of our existence in perspective, the contrasted savagery and yet unity, the resilience, the ingenuity… All of it, that somehow resonates deeply with my core.

After a long 2014, I was fortunate enough to spend two days recharging in the 1,510 squared kilometre Maasai Mara: one of Kenya’s… correction… the world’s, most astonishing game reserves. There is certainly something prehistoric and reverend about the spotted grassland with a staggering per capita concentration of wildlife. The warmth of the people, simultaneously, makes you feel like you are exactly where you belong.

 

Unlike most other game reserves or national parks run by the Kenya Wildlife Service, this is rather under the stewardship of the local communities in the form of the Narok County Council, the Trans-Mara County Council and the Group Ranch Trust. On paper this is a brilliant idea: allow the locals to not only participate in the managing, maintenance and running of this illustrious natural resource where they inhabit, but as a result allow them to benefit more from their spoils!

The execution, sigh, leaves a lot to be desired: incredibly porous and painstakingly long park entrance; lax policing of drivers to make sure they do not drive off-road in an attempt to get up close and personal to the animals, thereby trampling over juvenile shoots and disrupting the animals’ normal way of life; refusing to construct toilets on Look Out hill which should offer priceless panoramic views of the vast savannah, but now is littered with toilet paper and refuse, stinking like the worst back street you can imagine; and more could always be done with regards to preventing poaching and encroaching farmlands…

 

Similarly, I was disappointed by the “execution” of the wine list at the establishment we stayed at. Initially, intrigued by the diversity it boasted in writing, it turned out they only had about 40% of the wines in stock. What use is a list that shows more of what you don’t have than what you do?

Reduced stock holdings could be a response to the depressing implosion of tourism, while reprinting wine lists can be a substantial financial undertaking. Regardless, beverage managers could at least put the effort to ensure the wine lists are as up to date as can humanly be possible, even if it means printing them on cheap A4 paper before service. In the case of a wine running out before printing is possible; all the staff should be immediately informed to pass on the message to clients accordingly, before they read through the list. However, if “unexpected” sell outs keep occurring more often than not, he/she might want to look into their stock management system as there is clearly a perpetuated lack of foresight.

I believe an accurate, balanced, well organised and reasonably diverse wine list gives consumers more confidence to try new wines instead of opting for beers, as they know their time and effort spent attempting to make sense of the list and actually order something, shall not be in vain.