We left Rwanda last Friday. We showed up for one last morning report and then headed over the Serena for a workout and swim. At noon over to Karibu for lunch and then home to the apartment for some last minute packing. As usual we were ready about an hour early.
It was then that Mary looked at her itinerary and discovered that she was on a different flight from me and should have been at the airport one and a half hour earlier. Obviously a mistake, no travel agent would put husband and wife on different flights and somewhere I remember that I had originally had an afternoon flight.
Our driver was supposed to arrive at 1500 but by 1515 no one had showed up, so we phoned again and someone else showed up at 1530 which was actually when we wanted to go (we are beginning to understand African time). To the airport where we discovered sure enough Mary should have already been on the way to Nairobi. Fortunately for $75 and $150 to be ungraded to the only available seat in business class, Mary was able to accompany us. In all the confusion I forgot to ask for an aisle seat so I got a middle seat.
We sat quietly in the departure lounge. It had for many reasons become a draining day. To top things off our flight was an hour late and so we finally boarded, several hours after arriving at the airport. As I mentioned I had a middle seat. As I found the window seat was occupied by a man wearing a "Live strong" hat with matching bracelet. I know I may be generalizing but I have yet to meet someone dressed in Live Strong apparel who is not, well you know. Live Strong did not disappoint. He became bearing two steamer trunks worth of cabin baggage. He made everybody else move their stuff out of the overhead compartment so one of his steamer trunks could go there and sat with the other between his legs. It appeared some of his cabin baggage was expensive video equipment so he could have been a journalist, however I suspect he was just a poseur with expensive equipment.
Arriving in Nairobi we proceeded to immigration. Kenya requires the purchase of visa which is ordinarily just a cash grab. We had in hand the yellow card given us on the plane. It was apparent that the line was not moving and that the people at the front of the line were not at all happy. Soon a message was passed back stating that in addition to the yellow card, we also needed to fill out a white piece of paper. Fortunately there were three of us so one went back and picked up three white pieces of paper. The white piece of paper had exactly the same information on it as the yellow card. As we got further towards the counter, a message was passed back that we also needed a blue card which we also obtained. It had exactly the same information as on the yellow card and the white paper. By this time people who had been sent back to get one of the white or blue cards were arriving at the front and butting in. Finally we actually got to an agent, who scanned out passports (getting electronically the same information on the yellow, white and blue cards) and asked us how long we were staying. We said 8 days. The agent as if he was doing us a favour told us he was giving us 30 days. Oh yes, they also took my picture. It was nice however to watch them make the Americans get fingerprinted.
Our luggage was ready after this ordeal, after an all too hasty farewell to Brady, we found our driver quickly and after negotiating a massive parking lot traffic jam, we were in our beds at the Norfolk just after midnight.
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