BACK TO AFRICA, PART 1

The good news is that Paul and I leave for Kenya today, the bad news is that with three different flights and layovers it will take us around twenty-two hours to get there. Ugh.

As we wait to board our KC flight to Atlanta, we strike up a conversation with two couples that are going to Costa Rica. I had commented on their unique footwear which led to a pleasant visit as we waited for the boarding call. Having a conversation with fellow passengers before boarding is unusual anymore so this was a pleasant surprise. Paul had surveyed the crowd prior to our visit with these friendly folks and found only eight people who weren’t glued to their phones!

As usual we are in the last group to board the plane but luckily, we find room for our luggage in the overhead bin, no check through luggage for us. About 40 minutes into our flight the attendants make an announcement to ask if there are any medical doctors on board. Two men answer the call and begin attending to someone a few rows behind us. There is a lot of hustling up and down the aisle by the flight attendants, at one point they ask if anyone has a glucose monitor but, in the end, decide it isn’t needed. At one-point Paul can see that the patient is laying in the aisle and they are administering an IV.

I keep expecting to hear that our flight will be diverted to a nearby airport but this doesn’t happen. Eventually the man is able to sit back in his seat. When we are preparing to land in Atlanta an announcement is made asking us all to stay seated and allow medical personnel to board and take the sick person off first. It is good to see the man is able to walk off under his own power albeit he is gripping the shoulder of the medic in front of him for stability. His wife is following behind and we are dismayed to recognize her as part of the group we were visiting with in KC. Oddly we happen to see her after we leave the plane. She tells us that her husband is dehydrated and that this has happened to him before. He didn’t want to go to the hospital but the medics insisted so they will be delayed in getting to Costa Rica. We feel so bad for them but are thankful that he will be okay.

We have a reasonable layover in Atlanta before we have to board for our overnight flight to Amsterdam. Thankfully Paul and I manage to sleep a few hours on the long flight to Europe. Once in Amsterdam we have a long layover, (this airport is quite cold by the way). We strike up a conversation with a mother and daughter that are on their way to Kenya too. Eventually the duo lay down on the bench-like seats and fall asleep. When the call to board comes Paul and I get in the queue but Paul realizes the two women we had visited with are still sleeping. Paul goes back, wakes them up and informs them our flight is boarding. We have settled into our seats as other passengers continue to file on board. Suddenly we hear someone in the far aisle call out “Thank you Kansas for waking us up, we would have slept right through the boarding of the plane”! We laugh and wave at them.

After what seems to be endless hours of flying, eight or nine but who is counting, we finally touch down in Nairobi. At this airport you have to walk across the tarmac to the terminal building and Paul and I by walking fast, manage to overtake a lot of the people who got off the plane ahead of us. We have no problem in getting through immigration and then we join the line for people with E-visas, (it took Paul hours to get our visas on line). This line is much longer than the line for people who are getting their visas on arrival but fortunately we don’t have many people in front of us. Once we hand over our visa to the official and get our passports stamped, we head for the exit. We have to put our suitcases through a screener one last time, hand over our customs form and then we walk out into the Nairobi night. There are two people holding up Crown Plaza signs and I sigh with relief at the sight of them.

Norah from Crown Plaza leads us to the parking lot and says the hotel van will be here in ten minutes. Norah then looks us over and asks us where our big suitcases are. We explain that we don’t have any and she literally takes a step back and gives us a skeptical look. We explain that we don’t need that much as the camps we stay in do laundry. I am not sure she really believes us. The van arrives and within a few minutes we have arrived at Crown Plaza Hotel. The security people stationed at the gate inspect our vehicle and then open the iron gates and allow us to enter the premises.

We enter the really nice hotel and get in line behind a flight crew who are also checking in. The friendly woman who helps us seems to be having some trouble and calls the manager over. After conferring, the young lady informs us that this is our lucky day because we are being upgraded to a Club Room. Great. As we finish all the paper work the woman than asks us how we want to pay for our room. We look at her blankly for a minute and then Paul informs her that it should already be paid for. She asks us if we have a reservation number. No, we don’t but we get out our itinerary and point out that our tour company, The Wild Source, arranged and paid for this room. There are a couple of numbers for emergency contact with the contract company here in Nairobi but no one answers. The woman and the manager scroll through their computer and somehow find a booking number by the included breakfast on our reservation. Whew.

By now it is very late and we are happy to get to the spacious room. A shower is a must after our marathon travel and then we collapse into bed shortly before midnight.

Paul and I are up at six o’clock as we are being picked up at eight by a Safari Trails driver. We go down to the breakfast buffet and it is quite a sight. About everything you could want for breakfast is set out on the various buffet bars. You can also step out on the patio of the dining room and have a chef make you a made to order omelet or eggs. Paul goes for an omelet but I gorge myself on all the goodies on the buffet.

We return to our room to brush our teeth and gather our luggage. It is early but Paul prefers to sit in the lobby to await our driver. We have no more than settled into the comfortable chairs when one of the hotel staff approaches us and asks if we are the Millers. We affirm that we are and the young man informs us our driver is waiting for us. Great. We are escorted to the safari vehicle where we meet Carlos our driver. He tells us that he is glad we are ready to leave as today the body of ex-president Moi is being flown from Wilson airport, (where we fly out of), to his small village for burial. Carlos explains that he expects traffic to be even more congested than normal. Well our flight doesn’t leave until 10:20 so we should be fine.

The traffic moves along at a slow crawl most of the time, occasionally becoming gridlocked. I am amazed how polite all the drivers are for the most part! We see people walking through the stalled traffic plying anything from snacks and drinks, racks of ties, and one enterprising man is trying to sell a bright blue hall tree!

Carlos is a very affable and interesting man. He talks about many topics, including the late Moi, the new president, identifies the occasional bird (I like this man!). one of the most interesting topics to me is when Carlos points out the beautiful braided hair styles most of the women are sporting. He tells us his wife has her hair done in this style. Carlos says that several stylists will work on one woman and that it takes a few hours to finish the job! He tells us that it is a good deal though as the cost of this popular hairstyle is thirty dollars but the hairdo will last for thirty days.

We arrive at Wilson airport an hour and half after we left the hotel. I think we were only ten miles from the airport so that gives you an idea of how slow our journey was. Carlos makes sure all our paperwork is in order and then says goodbye. We enter the small airport and check in at the desk where we are given an orange wooden slat which is our boarding pass. Other people are getting green slats which designates a different flight. Hey whatever works.

The fumes from an idling plane are filling the building and it is not pleasant but there is no escaping it. We watch as a helicopter lands and a group of people prepare to board. They are surrounded by media people filming them and we assume this is part of Moi’s family. This delays our flight by thirty minutes but soon we are airborne over Nairobi. Forty-five minutes later we have landed on a dirt strip in the Mara. We gather our luggage and step off the small plane where John, Sarah and a young Maasai man are waiting for us. They grab our luggage and head for the truck.

We are driving on the edge of community property so see herds of cattle being attended to by a Maasai. The roads are rough and rutted due to the excessive rain Kenya has received lately. In many places the ruts are filled with water. Paul and I can’t believe how tall the grass is, standing five or six feet tall. We find it absolutely beautiful but unfortunately the grazers don’t like this lush grass at all as a predator can easily hide from them. We still see plenty of wildlife, they are just thinly scattered over this huge expanse of a park. There are Topi, Impala, Thompson gazelles, several groups of elephants, giraffe, ostrich, wart hogs and of course lots of birds.

When we reach Enaidura camp there are three young women, Happy, Gladys, and Lillian, waiting to greet us. As we climb out of the vehicle, we hear in the distance the singing of Maasai. A group of Maasai appear and dance and sing up to us and then dance in a circle around us, one of them emitting that deep guttural sound that sends shivers down your spine. The young men stop and take turns springing into the air which always amazes me.

Once the show is over, we are shown around the camp which is situated by a river. A couple of hippos are residents in that river but the bank is so steep that they can’t get into camp. Our tent is really nice and spacious. We are told that we are the only guests which makes me feel bad. Once we are settled, we return to the dining tent for lunch which is delicious. Chicken with a nice sauce, fries, avocado/tomato salad and zucchini.

We left on a game drive at 4:30, it is so warm Paul and I are in t-shirts. We find the same variety of animals as when we drove into camp except, we did see Hartebeest and Southern Ground Hornbills. Paul and I marvel over the lushness of the landscape and I can’t help but think how much hay this grass would yield.

We showered on return to camp then went down to eat again! Anthony the chef had butternut soup which is Paul and I’s favorite African soup, though they are all good. The main dish was lamb and though I am not partial to lamb this was tasty. The dinner rolls are excellent.

Paul realizes when we get back to our tent that his coat is missing. We know we had it on the plane from Nairobi to the Mara. He had fastened it to the back of his pack so it must have come loose after we got off the plane and is lying somewhere on the “airstrip” Hopefully a person will find the coat that is embossed with the “certified Angus Beef” logo and not some hyena who will try and eat it! Nancy