Oct 26, 2010 – Not sure when this will get posted. Some of you may have seen me by the time you read this.
It’s 9:40pm, Tuesday. Joyce and I are in the airport waiting for our first flight that ends Wednesday about 9:30pm in Portland. that sounds like just 24 hours, but with the time gain, maybe it is a loss, it’s actually 34 hours. Counting the time leaving our place in Nairobi, it will be closer to 36 hours. If you go from Mbita, well then you start counting in days, about 5 and a half.
By the way, the flight takes off about 2 hours later than we usually go to bed and later than I think we have been up since we hit Mbita.
The exit has been leisurely. Left Mbita Sat morning, with Joe driving us to Kisumu via the ferry. Made good time and got to spend 2 nights with Morgan in Kisumu. Did a little last minute shopping, one more run to the great ice cream place (make that two for me) for a last couple scoops of deliciousness. Dinner at Rachelle’s. All in all a good time.
Took the 8 am Easy Coach bus from Kisumu to Nairobi on Monday morning. Quick ride, but the suspension on Kenyan buses is a little stiff. Even when the road looked mostly smooth, it was a bumpity bump bump ride.
Oh – flash back time. Vicki arrives in Kisumu and we are traveling down the road. Many little stalls lining the way, with wares of all different sorts. She spots some rope looking things and asks – “What are those rope like things hanging on the stalls?” “Ropes” we answer and have a good laugh.
A day or so later, we are walking in Downtown Kisumu. We’ve just had a snack, or maybe a soda and Vicki has a little piece of trash to dispose of. She turns to Joyce and I and asks, in all seriousness “where do they throw their trash here?” as she is looking around the trash pit street we are walking along for a receptacle. Joyce replies, quite sarcastically, “have you looked around?”
Guess those items were funnier if you were there.
in Zurich Switzerland now. It’s 8:38 the next day I think. That’s am not pm. The flight was marginal. A little cramped and for some reason the seat seemed really uncomfortable, sort of like a matatu. It’s was about zero degrees outside when we landed. Whether that is Celsius or Fahrenheit doesn’t really matter when you’ve come from 3 months where it seldom dipped below 70, even at night. And you have only your summer clothes. I don’t think we are going to go sight seeing.
We have about 6 hours here in the airport. Not much to look at. At least in the wing that we are in. In fact, the shops have not even opened yet. and we have more than 5 hours until our next flight.
The next flight is to San Francisco and scheduled for 12 + hours in the air. Yeah. This one could be a killer. With the time change we get in 3 hours later, about 4:30pm. This will be 2:30 am for us, then we get to wait for a few hours before the last leg. Hope we don’t fall asleep at the gate and sleep through the boarding.
It’s going to be interesting on the 12 hours to SF. Hoping after the first meal to pop an Ambian and sleep the middle part of the trip away. But it will be day light the whole way. We have the seats A and B. Hoping that it’s only 2 seats on the side like the last plan, even though it is a different model.
The airport is waking up – shops opening, gates getting ready for passengers and customer service reps in place.
I did get a little excited when I noticed a selection of about a dozen magazines at the various gates. That is until I went to pick one and found that they ALL where in some gibberish language that I could not comprehend.
Noq about 11 am on the 28th. Made it home. Slept most of the long flight away – at least 7 hours of it, with the help of 3 drinks and an Ambian.
My feet are cold. But can’t bring myself to put on socks, much less shoes. I’m wearing a sweatshirt for the first time in like 4 months. Still have to remember it is okay to drink the tap water. All the luggage made it. Don’t think I slept last night, if I did it was not for more than an hour. I got out of bed at 5am this morning and started to unpack the clothes we had packed away – I needed to find something I hadn’t worn in 4 months. I’m really sick of the clothes i had along – most of them are the same ones as last trip. Thought about burning them. Actually thought about burning all my clothes and start fresh – but I think I’ll need to get a job before I pursue that thought. The shower was great last night, the bed was wonderful. I don’t think I ever mentioned how bad beds are in Kenya, particularly Mbita. Need to catch up on Survivor. The house seems to be in great shape. Not sure what time my body thinks it is. I think I am a little brain dead right now, thoughts are starting and just stop part way through. The car started – yeah.
Signing off from home,
Paul
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