July 15, 2007 – In transit from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi

It was drizzling when we awoke this morning. All the trees were dripping and the smell of fresh farm soil was magnificent. We ate a hardy farmhouse breakfast, with real sausage and real coffee, which made Charly very happy.

After one last piece of toast and one last sip of juice, Alex and I went back to our room to grab the luggage. We were at once assailed by three staff members who all wanted to relieve us of our bags. You have to be very sneaky to escape them because they will even try to whisk your suitcase straight from your hand. But with a few Capoeira moves, we managed to dodge them.

Today, we took it easy. Our flight wasn’t until around 3PM, we were starting at 9:30AM, and Kilimanjaro airport was only 2.5 hours away. We used our extra time to stop at various gift shops along the way.

It was still raining outside as we rolled out of the Farmhouse gates. The road was paved and smooth, but our windshield wipers were broken. Mbisi did his best to avoid the larger blurry blobs (trucks) on the right-hand side and the smaller blurry blobs (humans) on the left, (while we all held our breaths).

Our first stop was a T-shirt factory where Charly bought a shirt to replace one that went missing in the laundry last week. When we came back to the car, we were all relieved to see that the sun had come out again. Mbisi gave the windshield one quick wipe with a towel, and we were on our way.

After stopping at one more gift shop and eating lunch, we began to feel a bit of time pressure to get to the airport. Happily for the environment but unhappily for anxious travelers, Mbisi drives to maximize fuel efficiency. Though he made attempts to pass the dalla dalla buses ahead of us, he very reluctantly accelerated and made Charly *almost* wish for my lead foot.

Our plane was actually delayed by half an hour, so we arrived at the airport just in time. Alex bought two bottles of Amarula and some postcards to get rid of our remaining Tanzanian shillings. And we boarded a small, two-propeller plane.

The flight from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi is short. By the time you reach steady altitude, it is nearly time to come down again.

We arrived in Nairobi in late afternoon and took a taxi straight to the Palacina Hotel. In our room, we bagged up our dusty safari clothes and organized the laundry lists. Alex and I hopped over to the gym while Charly did some reading. Then the three of us went for dinner at the Palacina restaurant, where we shared three yummy salads and Charly ate an ostrich steak!

The evening was free for reading, internet, and relaxation. I worked on the computers in the lobby of the hotel, but it wasn’t until midnight that the lobby attendant turned down the smooth jazz to a background hum. It was so nice to work – the lobby was abandoned and quiet, and the internet was free.

When I finally glanced at my watch, it was 2AM, so I packed up. The lobby attendant unlocked the door and I walked through the silent car lot over to the apartment building. Crunch, crunch, crunch (the gravel under my feet). I walked rather quickly, not wanting to be in Nairobi by myself at 2 in the morning.

The armed parking lot attendant reminded me, “It’s already morning,” and I hurried on. At our building, the gate was locked and the security man opened his window with drowsy eyes. He silently unlocked the door and I walked past. The flickering light of his TV followed me up the stairs until I was safely tucked away inside our room. I locked the door, turned off the light, and fumbled my way to bed. I was about to get in when I hit the bednet. A battle with the bednet ensued, but I finally made it through and under the covers.