DAY 1: NAIROBI

I was fairly certain that because I arrived in Nairobi at 8pm last night, I would fall right to sleep after a long shower and dinner, thereby avoiding jetlag in one fell swoop. No such luck. Although I was out cold by 10pm, torrential rains woke me at 2:30 a.m. And I mean, torrential. The rain was loud and fierce, as if the angels were dumping all the bathwater in heaven. All I could think about was what would I do if it rains like that while I was camping, instead of while I was cozy and warm and dry in my very clean, but simple hotel bed? And what about snakes? Don’t all the animals come out en masse just after the rain? It also didn’t help that I finished reading the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver while the rain was carrying on – a novel about a 1960’s missionary family in the Congo and all the hardship Mother Nature rained down on them, including (but not limited to), death by mamba snake, the most dangerous in the world, and fire ants, which attack whole villages by invading in columns 300 feet long and 10 feet wide and devouring everything in their path, whether plant, animal or human. I finally fell asleep at 5a.m.

But this morning at 10 a.m. ( 10 am!!) I awoke to a bright blue, warm sky. Perfect for exploring Nairobi.

First stop was the Giraffe refuge – actually a mini zoo with giraffes in the wild, while we, their fans, were behind the wires. A perfect place to practice shooting animals (see the photos at the above link)

Next stop was the Karen Blixen museum, formerly her house. One of Blixen’s four pen names was Isek Dineson, the author of Out of Africa. She used male aliases because female authors were having a very hard time getting published at the time. A Dane with a tragic story, Blixen lived (and hunted) in Africa in the early 1900’s.

Kenyans speak three languages: Their respective native tribal language, Swahili and English. Their English is musical, a Colonial English - British accent superimposed over the native African mother tongue. Its sounds educated and well articulated, with the gentlest of lilt that completely removes all scent of pretention.

I met the group of 20 with whom I will be traveling for the next 2 weeks. Most are Australians, Kiwi’s (New Zealanders), or British. There are 3 Scandinavians, 1 Dutchman and 3 Americans (SF, Chicago and me). And, no, I am not the oldest one here (thank God). There is one woman who is older than me (at least she looks older than me). The rest range in age from 20-50.

Tomorrow at 7 am we leave Nairobi, traveling north and west as we head toward Uganda. Got to get some rest now.

Landed!

It was quite a grueling flight - but, 18 hours later, I'm here. I think I was the only American on the plane. There were 4-5 Kenyans and the rest were Europeans - mostly Swiss, German, Italian and French.

The flight from Zurich was almost totally over nothing. once we crossed the Mediterranean, there was only sand in every direction, undulating sand, as we followed it from Egypt and Libya across the Sudan and Ethiopia, landing finally in Nairobi (or, as I learned on the plane, also known as "Nairobbery")

Its hot - but not stifling - actually quite comfortable (but then again, its 8pm). The air is sparkling clean. the ride in from the airport was uneventful and little could be seen out the windows other than dark people walking in the darkness - walking along highways and roadways, and sidewalks. It seems to be a typical 3rd world city - drab concrete buildings, but lots of traffic and even traffic lights. I'll know more tomorrow when I venture out to see the sights before meeting up with the group tomorrow evening.

English is the official language, (as is Swahili - a close relative of arabic), so I can talk to everyone.


I'm beat - time to check out the dinner menu and then collapse.

Will I Make It?

Leaving today for my flight to Nairobi. I am once again obsessing about the weight of my rolling backpack - 3 pairs of washable pants and 5 shirts. Can't forget the hiking boots or waterproof sandals, 6 pairs of underwear and rain poncho (with hood). How much more can I minimize? Eliminate the mosquito netting? Too risky. what about the Aveeda shampoo? (I could use the packets of Tide laundry detergent . . . NO!!! I will not surrender small dignities.) And . . . my mind keeps wandering and wondering: will I make it? 45 days overland, throughout eastern African, CAMPING, and carrying my (very lightly packed) stuff and my (very heavily packed) photography gear. The last time I did this was 41 years ago when I hitched-hiked my way through Europe - But that was Europe - and this is Africa, . . . and I was 17 then!

Am I too old for this?
Am I too weak for this?
Am I too attached to my mani-pedi's for this?

I guess I'll find out soon enough.