I've officially broken my record for the longest travel to reach a destination. I left Austin on June 21 at 4 p.m. (which meant that I left my house around 1:30 p.m.), caught a flight in Houston to Istanbul that departed at 8:30 p.m., spent 11 hours in the air then another 9 hours at the airport before boarding my second overnight flight in a row from Istanbul to Nairobi that had a 7 hour airtime. It was intense.
I somehow managed to get really lucky though - on my flight from Houston to Istanbul I was upgraded to the comfort class with Turkish air, which is roughly equivalent to business class on other airlines. I had so much space, could recline deeply and had a foot stand, and enjoyed great service and amenities (for the time I was awake.. I managed to sleep for 9 hours!). When I landed in Istanbul I was really tempted to go out into the city for a couple of hours before catching my layover, but the visa lady said that it wasn't enough time, and since I landed at 5 p.m. I was pushing it with the darkness - which is not OK when travelling alone. Instead, I made a measured investment and checked into the Prime Class lounge for about $35 to spend my 8-9 hour layover. The lounge had wifi, dinner, an espresso machine and a bar, and was much more spacious than the terminals. I probably ended up spending the same amount there as I would have on all of the services seperately in the terminal. I was shocked by how many people commuted through the Istanbul airport - at times I was almost claustrophobic because of the constant stream of densely packed people moving passed me and the force of the current of people moving with me. The lounge ended up being a great saving grace for me, and I was able to get all of my readings for Bain done in the layover, which was surprisingly productive.
My flight to Nairobi wasn't nearly as comfortable. I was fooled into thinking I might have been lucky enough to get another upgrade because my seat was 05A, but unfortunately the plane was a normal domestic size and I was placed behind the bulkhead instead. Because I had slept so well on my way to Istanbul I could hardly sleep a wink to Nairobi, even though we were flying from 1 a.m. till 7:30 a.m. Instead I watched three movies, two of which featured Africa. The movies were great and made me excited for my adventure.
My time in Nairobi has been incredibly smooth. I was able to obtain a visa upon arrival almost immediately, and because I am staying in Kenya for under 3 days I only had to pay $20. My transfer was at the airport waiting, and the hotel and tour group so far has been great. Traffic in Nairobi is INSANE. It literally took us an hour and a half to travel 15 km. Yet, amidst all of this traffic is a bustling culture of advertising and sales. Women walked through the lanes of traffic selling different towels or newspapers, and men on roller blades went from car to car handing out flyers. There are tons of people who walk alongside the road, which I found was familiar to India and Pakistan, but so different from home. It was fascinating.
The biggest shock of my trip, however, has been how COLD it is here! It's 64 degrees F, and we are located just on the equator! It's Africa's winter - which means I am in for some cool nights ahead. Thank goodness my mom made me pack my sleeping bag liner as well as my sleeping bag - I was really obstinate because I had the misconception that it was always hot in Africa... I am so off, and a little embarrassed by my naivety.
I have stayed at the hotel all day after making an agreement with my parents that I would stay low in Nairobi because of the recent upheaval. I wish I could have gone out to explore and meet up with people - I was introduced to a local through a friend I met whitewater rafting in Slovenia and would have loved to catch a yoga class at the Africa Yoga Project, which was recommended by a friend I met while in Pakistan. Yet, taking a day of rest has been very rewarding, especially since we start a long and arduous journey tomorrow. I'm pretty sure we'll be in the bus 10 hours to travel the 300 km from Nairobi to Arusha, Tanzania, with an expected 2-4 hours at the border for immigration. Kenya and Nairobi have been great, and everyone I have met has been so kind. I hope that the Kenyan tourism industry can turn around - it affects so many people here when the U.S. and other countries issue travel advisories. I fully understand the need to remain safe and secure, and appreciate all efforts that work towards that. Yet, the security is so heightened here currently that I think a traveller could feel very confident. It's been interesting to read the local newspaper discussing the internal debates about how to handle keeping forces in Somalia after these attacks. I will be intrigued to follow the situation further after I leave. The one thing that I learn repeatedly in my travels is that the greatest fear to have is that of the unknown. The moment I board a plane to a new and unfamiliar place my heart beats so heavily and I am always extremely nervous. Yet, as soon as I am in a car on the way to my destination after landing I always feel so at ease and excited by the culture. I'm still cautious, but I often find that most of my fears were unfounded or heightened. It's this type of introspection and personal challenge that makes travel so intoxicating for me. In overcoming my fears I get closer and closer to understanding just how similar and connected we all are across the world.
I will have VERY limited access to wifi over the next three weeks as we will be camping almost every night. I should have some periodic access in the big cities in Tanzania, and will see if I can get some photos up then. If I don't get a post up soon, don't worry - I'm safe! I'll just be out in the wild.
Until then....
Holland
