It’s 1:30am, so I guess that counts as being Friday. I made it to Nairobi safe and sound. The entertainment system worked as advertised, so I did get a movie or two in. The flight was much longer than I thought. It was 8 hours, not 5. I guess it makes sense, but in all honesty, it doesn’t matter if it makes sense. Regardless, it was 8 hours. European Comfort was very nice. It was (at least) the equivalent of economy comfort on US flights with Delta. I actually think the seats my be a bit wider, too. Anyway, here I am.
Good news! No more messages! I should say, no more lessons to be learned. Since I’ve landed, it’s all been good. The airport construction that’s been going on for years is almost done. The place was immaculate. Passing through immigration went faster than I expected based on the lines that were present. Even better news is that customs went even MORE smoothly. Rather than taking your declaration page and paying a 50% tax on everything you bring in as gifts, they put the bags through an x-ray machine and send you on your way. I had the form just in case, but they never even asked. It was only 10:30pm, so I don’t think people were anxious to get home – I know for a fact that there are other flights that arrive at 11:30! I left smiling. As I loaded my bags onto the conveyor, I (along with everyone around me) noticed Isaac banging on the glass with a wide smile. That wouldn’t happen in the states, but here it must be quite common. Once I waved back with the same smile, everyone lost interest.
I met Isaac outside with a great big hug. They rearranged the outside kiosks, too, so I didn’t have to walk far to get new sim cards for my phone and modem. They expire if there is no activity after 3 months, and I missed that opportunity a long time ago. I could get them both reactivated, but that takes a long wait at the larger Safaricom office in Nairobi, and a subsequent 3 day wait period. No thanks, the new sim card was $1. Worth every penny. The guy laughed out loud as we went through the process of activating the new cards. They’ve tightened up security everywhere, so now when you get a new sim card, that take your passport number and take a photo. My head was above a wide window frame forcing me to squat lower so that he could snap the pic. He thought it was hilarious. I’ll be here all week.
Then we got another good sign. As we left the parking area, someone never took their ticket, so we got to park for free! Everything’s comin up roses, now. Isaac had two very funny moments as we drove to the Royale in Karen. There was nobody on the road. There was nobody on the road. Nobody. I’ve never seen it so quiet. Isaac said, “If we put a flag on the hood, people would thing we were politicians.” He was pretty proud of that line and let out a good belly laugh to prove it. I joined in as well. I’m drawing a blank on the other one. It was significantly funnier, but I’m out of gas and my minds not firing on all cylinders. I know that I’m already making at least one person unhappy that I’m still awake… it might be two. We’re having breakfast at 7am so that we can be on the road to Narok by 7:30, which means breakfast at 7, which means I need to get up in 4 hours to get all my gear together. Yes, there’s room for a shower in there, too.
I’ll guess I’ll have to save that story for tomorrow. That will be included in Part 2.
Lala salama
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