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Jambo! Habari! We are in Afrika.
I will start at the beginning:
After 2 long flights and a night in Jeddah airport (Saudi Arabia), we arrived at the burned down, but very civilized, Nairobi airport, Kenya. We were slightly taken aback by the lack of hassle in general in Nairobi and the almost western-style business-like dull city. It is also winter here and the aeroplane blanket is now mum's dearest possession. Despite the unexpected cold temperature, the welcome was warm. What beautiful smiling faces Africans have! In Swahili "hello" and "how are you?" are the same word ("Habari") and so every conversation or question begins with a query of well being. Strangers will invite you into their tiny houses and proudly show you pictures of their parents- who in too many cases have died- and enquire about your family and their health. One lady, Irene, a young woman trying to make it in marketing, walked us about 30 minutes out of her way to help us find a bus, and then thanked us for our company! Yes, many people ask for money, but the genuine warmth from others is undeniable. And the questions of "How many cows for your daughter?" have just got to make you smile.
Our 5 day safari was incredible: The majesty of the elephants and male lions twinned with the hilarity of the warthogs and the wildebeest. The feel good factor of the giraffes and zebras and the excitement and awe of the cheetahs. We were lucky enough to experience the wildebeest migration and the miracle of the little lost zebra that didn't get eaten by the crocodile. And we stayed in a beautiful camp in a Masai village. Our dear guide, Joanes, found all the best spots and it felt like an honour to be there. It is something I will never forget.
After a lot of deliberation over whether we should get a night bus to avoid accommodation costs and missing days or a day bus to avoid potential bandits and road accidents, we went for the safer option of the day bus, only for it to morph into a 16 hour bus ride, so we arrived at night anyway. But we had arrived in Kampala, the busiest city I've ever seen, and the capital of beautiful Uganda. A place I loved at first sight.
Ps. If anyone wants to do a safari in the Masai Mara at any point, I highly recommend Banis and her company Kivumbi Safaris kivumbisafaris.blogspot.com
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