These are our personal thoughts written during the trip itself.
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Mark's EntryDecember 30 - "Due to the unrest on our country..."Time to leave the Serengeti. We took a small game drive to the airstrip and saw a pair of lions guarding their kill. They were just sitting right next to the road, which was very cool. We got to the airstrip about an hour and a half early, had lunch, and waited for our 1:00pm plane. And waited. And waited. At 1:30 we started to get worried. Our connection was a short one as is. I figured that as long as we took off by 2:00, we might still be able to make our next flight. At 1:45 a plane landed, but it wasn’t ours. At 1:55 another plane landed and this one was ours. The pilot got off and started to casually greet everyone, chatted with a few guides, slowly loaded our bags in the hold and then walked away very slowly to use the lou. We finally took off at 2:10. Our connection was to leave Kilimanjaro Airport at 3:40. Based on our previous flight I figured this one would take an hour, but the pilot said it would be 45 minutes. I turned out to be right. At 3:07 we touched-down at Kilimanjaro Airport, taxied to one end of the terminal, deplaned, waited to get our luggage, waited for airport officials to check the passenger manifest, were escorted to the other end of the airport, passed through the domestic terminal, actually exited the front of the building, walked to the international terminal at the other end of the building, paid a bribe, went through security, checked our baggage, were told that our carry-ons were too heavy, rearranged them and checked one more bag, got our boarding passes, filled out exit cards, went through passport control, stood in line to enter the tarmac, boarded the plane, taxied to the runway, and took off at 3:36 (29 minutes after we touched down). We were already hot from sitting at the airstrip for 2 ½ hours, the little plane was hot, rushing through the airport made us even hotter and sweatier, and this plane had no air conditioning. I estimate that it was in the low 90s on the plane. Ann took a diet coke can and kept rubbing it across her face to cool down. I sat and worried about our luggage. Did it even make it on the plane? But mostly I worried whether that one piece of hand luggage would arrive without being pilfered. I didn’t have a third lock to put on it and it was checked through to Johannesburg, which meant it would be sitting for 4 hours in Nairobi Airport, the one airport I’ve heard the most about luggage problems. I trued to do an inventory of what was in that bag: Jacob’s DVD player (probably gone), our meds (probably gone), Ann’s giraffe face that she bought at the lodge (probably ok). We arrived in Nairobi after about 50 excruciating minutes on this hot plane, entered the terminal and had to stand in a rather long line to get our boarding passed for our flight to Johannesburg. Fortunately we had time. Unfortunately we had too much time. The airport was also not air conditioned, and being located close to the equator, it was rather warm. It also didn’t offer nearly enough chairs, so we and just about everyone else sat on the floor. Ann was upset at this point. She was really worried about our meds. She passed up and down the terminal. After about an hour she returned and mentioned how she saw a television showing NTV news and that it was describing some local’s reaction to an apparently fixed election result. There apparently was some violence involved. We sat for another hour or so; waiting to find out which gate we should go to (they don’t tell us until it is time to board). Finally at about 7:15 they announced a gate and we went to check in. East African airports are different from most others in that you need to pass through security twice; once when you enter the airport, and once when you are about to board the plane. Once you pass through that second security station, you are held in a small room (with seats, yea!) until you board your plane. But there is nothing in this room but seats, not even access to a bathroom. And still no air conditioning. This particular holding tank did have one other thing. It had a window into another room that had a TV. On the TV was news reports and video of the violence going on in parts of the city. Even though we couldn’t hear anything, we could see what was going on. They showed video of a woman in the street crying as her house burned down, they showed gangs of people marching the streets, they showed police in riot gear breaking into houses and arresting people. It was not pretty. Most of the airport staff was in that other room watching very intently. It didn’t appear to be affecting flights as we could still hear them taking off outside. We were glad we would be leaving very soon. Then we heard the 7 most dreaded words that any traveler wants to hear, “Normally we would begin boarding now, however…” I was wrong. I thought those were the 7 most dreaded words. Until I heard the next 7. “Normally we would begin boarding now, however due to the unrest in our country…” A small wave of panic hit both Ann and me. If we are stuck here that would be really bad. What would we do? We wouldn’t be able to go to a hotel. It is likely unsafe out there. We would have to remain in this hot airport for who knows how long until they can get us out of here by any means. At this point any plane to any other country would be better than staying here. It turned out that because of the riots and street closures, several crewmembers weren’t able to get to the airport. They were calling the backup crewmembers now, but they might experience the same problem. The plane was supposed to leave at 8:30. It was now 9:20. Finally after sever other delay announcements, they pulled a crew from a later flight and put them on ours and we were allowed to board. We took a bus to the plane, got on, it was hot again in here as well, found our very small seats, and we took off in a hurry. Fortunately the pilot made up some time in the air but the 3 hour 45 minute flight still arrived in Jo’burg a half hour late. It was 12:30am local time, (1:30am our time). We passed through passport control rather quickly. No landing cards, YEA! We got our two big pieces of luggage quickly, and waited for the third checked handbag. And waited. It finally showed up. We checked it and were greatly surprised and relieved to see that everything was still in there. We finally relaxed a bit. We passed though customs and walked to the airport hotel, hoping they hadn’t given away our room. It was passed midnight after all. Ahh, the hotel. This was a nice place. The only word I could think of at the moment was “civilization”. This hotel rivaled some of the best in America. They had to turn on their reservation system for us, but otherwise everything went smoothly. We got our room and found nice comfortable beds. It was amazing how quickly things had gone from good to bad, and then even more quickly gone from bad to good. Just after 2:00am we fell asleep comfortable, but knowing we would have to get up early the next morning. |
Ann's EntryThe Lion Eats TonightSerengeti National Park – 30 Dec 2007 – morning We leave our hotel at about 09:00. We go out for about two hours on a game drive looking for anything else we might be able to see before our departure. Prior to today, the only lions we saw were female. However, today we find a male (in full plop position.) It is impressive to see such a majestic animal that close up. Then, we notice half of a zebra on the ground next to him. Mmm…tasty! Nightmare in NairobiNairobi Airport – 30 Dec 2007 – ordeal beginning at about 12:00 Mr. Makundi drives us back to the Seronera Airstrip for our 13:00 flight out of the Serengeti. We eat our box lunch and scan the skies for our mini-plane to arrive. We patiently wait, watching the warthogs off in the distance. Soon we notice that there is a slight problem. It is now 14:00, and still no plane. We are scheduled to leave Kilimanjaro Airport at 15:40. It is a short flight from Seronera to Kilimanjaro, less than an hour. We figure that as long as the plane comes soon, we should still be alright. It will be a hustle, be we can do it. I can’t tell you what time the plane finally arrives. I can tell you that I am ticked off by the pilot’s attitude. Hakuna Matata (no worries) doesn’t cut it when you have another plane to catch. He wants to shake our hands and greet all 7 of us (another family is with us.) The pilot, in his own time (argh!), eventually takes off. I lose count of all the Snickers bars he eats while flying. The plane is even smaller than the one that brought us into the Serengeti. Mark can’t even sit up straight! We arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport with a total of 13 minutes to go through immigration, customs, and security. Our plane taxis up right next to the plane we need to get on. So close, yet so far… As we check in, we have a problem with our luggage. Now they are telling us that our carry-on bags weigh too much. Weigh too much?? We have less stuff than we did when we went into the Serengeti. How can this be? Mark quickly grabs his laptop and camera from two of the bags and surrenders everything else as checked luggage to Johannesburg (our final destination of the day.) Now, I do not know her name, but a representative from the waiting airline grabs a radio and starts giving orders to hold that plane. I am running across the airport again. She whizzes us straight through customs, shoves us to the front of the line at the immigration counter, and quickly puts us through security. All the while, this nice airline representative is giving updates to the waiting plane as to our progress. Lord only knows if our bags make the transfer. We are the last ones to board the plane, with 3 minutes to spare. To the nice lady - I say, “Asante!” (Thank-you in Kiswahili) Upon arrival in Nairobi, we head for the transfer desk to get boarding passes for our next flight. Evidentally, in Nairobi, no one has heard of forming a line. People cut in front of us, forming a herd. We don’t worry about this because we have 4 hours until our next flight. We do worry about our carry-on bags that we had to surrender back in Kilimanjaro. In the mad rush, we checked our medications and Jacob’s DVD player, all in an unlocked bag. These items bring a high price on the black market – something Nairobi Airport is noted for. For four hours, we sit in the Nairobi Airport – on the floor. There is little to no seating anywhere. I walk the length of the airport, looking in all the shops just to occupy myself. During my stroll, I notice that many shopkeepers are tuned into NTV to watch the update on Kenya’s presidential elections earlier in the week. Evidentally, the elections did not go smoothly, and some people are getting violent about the results. I tell Mark about this and make an off-hand remark about how they could shut down the airport due to the disturbance. Finally, they announce our flight. We take what we have and head for the gate. And there we sit, and sit, and sit some more. At least we have chairs this time. The wait should be less than a half-hour, but this is not so. The first half-hour delay is because the plane is being cleaned. A Kenya Airways representative comes to proudly announce this service to us. Shortly thereafter, another Kenya Airways representative comes to announce that there will be another short delay due to (gasp!) “unrest in the country.” My earlier joke is not so funny anymore. Two crew members are not able to report to work due to the street violence. Other off-duty crew are called. We must wait for their arrival before we can board the plane and depart. It is now well past 20:00. The three of us are tired, cranky, and losing patience. Jacob is very fidgety (with no DVD player to occupy him.) Mark is stressed out. I am really annoyed at all the people who can’t figure out to empty their pockets and place their bags on the conveyor belt prior to stepping through the metal detector. The loud beep of that machine is going off constantly and grating on my nerves. All told, the plane leaves an hour late. I am very frustrated with Kenya Airways (the same airline that gave us ticket hassles in Entebbe.) Although, it is difficult to be angry at any of the employees. Each and every crew member I encountered was polite, courteous, and carried out their job responsibilities exactly as they should. We arrive at Johannesburg Airport totally exhausted. It is now 00:30 the next day (31 Dec.) We pass through immigration without difficulty. It is a very speedy process. Joyfully, we collect our belongings from the baggage claim area, and are relieved to discover that nothing is missing. We walk to our hotel for the night. It is a short stay, because we have to be back in the airport by 09:30 for our next flight to Victoria Falls. By the time we check-in and the staff delivers a roll-away bed for Jacob, it is 2:00. I say, “The first one to fall asleep is the winner.” I don’t know who won. |
| next day: December 31 | ||