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ochre of the earth . It would be our host for the night and our step into the unknown territory of the Maasai Steppe .
This is the kingdom of the Masai shepherds who , with their herds would accompany us along for most of the journey . Elegant and harmonious , the brightly coloured shukas moved in harmony with the long sticks of the Masai . These blankets that wrap the Masai , are derived from the bright designs and colours of the British Highlander soldiers of a bygone era . The Masai culture is linked to the land and the livestock and despite the dress coming from a far-off land it still has a level of sophistication and profound content that is often expressed in song and dance where everything , even the bright colours of the bracelets , has a meaning .
Leaving behind the profile of
Kilimanjaro we continued toward the open spaces , only crossed by the single track which , straight as a spindle , took us to the village of Longido , no more than twenty-five kilometres from the border with Kenya .
The silhouette of the Gelai volcano functioned as a reference point in the background , yet here , just a little further on , rose the peak of Ol Doinyo Lengai , the volcano that the
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