School's Out!

It is the end of our 5 week sojourn across half the world,and it was a ‘trip’ in the truest sense of the word. Living out of a suitcase is not my idea of fun, but the fun we were having along the way made it all OK. And I will continue to chip away at my 50 lbs of laundry as I get back into the swing of teaching….

The trip to the USA was a bonus and so worth the thrill of seeing all the kids, holding new Teddy, and seeing Meghan in her new self, something only a child can re-create in 3 months. We visited both Cairo and Nairobi as starting places for our travels in each country, and I did not much care about either city: crowded, dusty, paralyzing traffic. But good hotels in both cities made each stop an oasis in the midst of urban chaos. The Uniworld riverboat on the Nile was a huge surprise: huge cabins with fabulous baths. The visit to pleasant Luxor offered many temples and tombs that really gave us the Egyptian flavor. On to both Aswan dams and lots of current history were a good contrast to tombs and temples which were all before Christ by some measure. Finishing in Abu Simbel nearly finished us off, as it was 108 degrees. I applauded the planning of the Egypt trip as we were up very early and home to our ship before it got too hot. We had the benefit of a great guide and only 8 very simpatico people in our group. The spewing volcano left one of the couples in Cairo for an additional 9 days before they could return to London…we were off to Nairobi as planned.

It was a nostalgic trip as we stayed at the Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi, where my parents always enjoyed staying, though I had never been. It is still wonderful. Our safari guide and Micato Safaris made sure that we were greeted at 4am at the Nairobi airport and whisked off to our hotel and in bed by 5am…..that is service in a city like Nairobi. We flew between a tent camp in Amboseli, Tortilis; a lodge in Laikipia, Loisaba; and a tent camp in Maasai Mara, Fairmont Mara Tent Camp. Game drives, walks in the wild (I doubted my sanity but with an armed man and a tracker we made it), service that never quit, fine food, and good weather made the time in Kenya quite extraordinary. Our guide was not only knowledgeable but charming and a joy to travel with. Returning to rural Kenya was an adjustment, as we stopped in the nearest big city, Kisumu, before coming back to Kakamega. We ‘did’ the town by introducing Dick to the box store Nakumatt, the best hotel in town, the Golf Hotel, and seeing my abode and roommate Shanon. Dick came to school 2 days before he left from Kisumu for the USA…..we both will be taking the vapors for the week. It was the way to spend the school holiday and see lots of Africa…..ask Dick for his impressions as well!