I'm drafting this post on the patio of my tent in the Amboseli Sentrim. It is a lodge set just outside of Amboseli National Park. It is very rustic, and incredibly peaceful. We're about ten miles from Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located in Tanzania.
Side note - This is the first time since I left home, just shy of 18 years old, that I had such a symphony of sounds to fall asleep to. There were the call of bugs and critters in constant communication. In spite of the noise, or maybe because of it, the setting was serene, and the sleep, sweet.
There are about a dozen tents scattered throughout the lodge. Some single, some for families. I was supposed to be rooming with someone, but begged off once we arrived, and I've had the pleasure of peace and solitude of being alone.
Allow me to back up for a minute.
The flight was scheduled to leave Dubai at 2:30 on the 30th. Thank God, we departed on time and arrived on time, but the experience at the gate was colorful.
Side note 2 - As big and beautiful as Dubai's airport is, it has very little seating at the gates. The way they do things here is, you go through security, passport check, and another security check, then you go to your gate area. You can't get inside the gate area until about an hour prior to boarding. So, you have to find a seat in the very limited seating areas outside the gates. Often you're on the floor.
Side note 3 - Back to Amboseli - There's a guy, I'm guessing about 40 years old, who is in a small clearing near my tent, flying a tiny remote-controlled plane. The noise sounds like mosquitos buzzing. Do guys ever grow up?
Now back to the gate -
It was surprising to see the gate agents had put, what looked like a large bathroom scale, at the gate entrance. Everyone entering had to weigh their carry-ons. This was different, but OK, whatever. Mine was overweight because I put my computer, and all of my other gadgets in it so that I could roll the bag instead of carrying it on my shoulder. So, I had to take my computer out and check the bag. No biggie. Saved me the hassle of dealing with it on the plane.
As more and more people showed up at the gate, it was crystal clear why they had the scale. Folks were showing up with a carry-on bag, plus three or four additional plastic bags stuffed with all kinds of things. Everything was weighed, and everything overweight had to be checked. Some arguments ensued with the gate agents, but mostly everyone was cool.
Side note 4 - Boy, was this experience in complete contrast to my Prague flight. We went from very pale crowds to a sea of deep, rich brown. There were about a dozen white folks in the area, and quite frankly, they looked a bit frightened. I thought that was kind of funny since they were headed to a land full of colored folks just like these.
Anyway, the flight was great. As I said, we left on time and arrived on time. We had a completely black air crew. That was pretty extraordinary in my world of travel.
Once we arrived at the airport, getting the visas was an arduous ordeal that took TWO hours! When I finally made it to the counter, the guy looked at my passport and said I couldn't enter because I only had two blank pages for the visa stamps in my passport, and you must have three. Thank God a supervisor OK'd it. When I asked why, the answer was, just cause. So, before I take another trip, I must visit an American Embassy to get pages added to my passport. I'm hoping to take care of that in Nairobi.
Then, it was off to a caravan of five vans, taking us the four hours south to Amboseli. I was traveling with an East Indian family who lives in Dubai. Two couples, each with a daughter with them. One of the girls was ten, the other fourteen. They made great traveling partners. Our driver was especially kind, friendly , and very informative. As tired as we all were, having traveled five hours to get to Nairobi, and then an additional four hours to Amboseli, the time went by fast.
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| Jomo Kenyatta International Airport |
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| Tony, our driver |
Side note - This is the first time since I left home, just shy of 18 years old, that I had such a symphony of sounds to fall asleep to. There were the call of bugs and critters in constant communication. In spite of the noise, or maybe because of it, the setting was serene, and the sleep, sweet.
There are about a dozen tents scattered throughout the lodge. Some single, some for families. I was supposed to be rooming with someone, but begged off once we arrived, and I've had the pleasure of peace and solitude of being alone.
Allow me to back up for a minute.
The flight was scheduled to leave Dubai at 2:30 on the 30th. Thank God, we departed on time and arrived on time, but the experience at the gate was colorful.
Side note 2 - As big and beautiful as Dubai's airport is, it has very little seating at the gates. The way they do things here is, you go through security, passport check, and another security check, then you go to your gate area. You can't get inside the gate area until about an hour prior to boarding. So, you have to find a seat in the very limited seating areas outside the gates. Often you're on the floor.
Side note 3 - Back to Amboseli - There's a guy, I'm guessing about 40 years old, who is in a small clearing near my tent, flying a tiny remote-controlled plane. The noise sounds like mosquitos buzzing. Do guys ever grow up?
Now back to the gate -
It was surprising to see the gate agents had put, what looked like a large bathroom scale, at the gate entrance. Everyone entering had to weigh their carry-ons. This was different, but OK, whatever. Mine was overweight because I put my computer, and all of my other gadgets in it so that I could roll the bag instead of carrying it on my shoulder. So, I had to take my computer out and check the bag. No biggie. Saved me the hassle of dealing with it on the plane.
As more and more people showed up at the gate, it was crystal clear why they had the scale. Folks were showing up with a carry-on bag, plus three or four additional plastic bags stuffed with all kinds of things. Everything was weighed, and everything overweight had to be checked. Some arguments ensued with the gate agents, but mostly everyone was cool.
Side note 4 - Boy, was this experience in complete contrast to my Prague flight. We went from very pale crowds to a sea of deep, rich brown. There were about a dozen white folks in the area, and quite frankly, they looked a bit frightened. I thought that was kind of funny since they were headed to a land full of colored folks just like these.
Anyway, the flight was great. As I said, we left on time and arrived on time. We had a completely black air crew. That was pretty extraordinary in my world of travel.
Once we arrived at the airport, getting the visas was an arduous ordeal that took TWO hours! When I finally made it to the counter, the guy looked at my passport and said I couldn't enter because I only had two blank pages for the visa stamps in my passport, and you must have three. Thank God a supervisor OK'd it. When I asked why, the answer was, just cause. So, before I take another trip, I must visit an American Embassy to get pages added to my passport. I'm hoping to take care of that in Nairobi.
Then, it was off to a caravan of five vans, taking us the four hours south to Amboseli. I was traveling with an East Indian family who lives in Dubai. Two couples, each with a daughter with them. One of the girls was ten, the other fourteen. They made great traveling partners. Our driver was especially kind, friendly , and very informative. As tired as we all were, having traveled five hours to get to Nairobi, and then an additional four hours to Amboseli, the time went by fast.
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| We're arriving at the lodge |
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| This is my tent |
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| The path leading to my tent |
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| Comfy Bed |
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| Sitting Area |
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| View outside |
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| Sitting area outside at the back of tent |
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