Journey to Mother Africa!

Wings over Greenland, & headed for Africa

Can barely believe I'm going on a safari in Kenya and Tanzania. I have to get there first though, and therein lies the rub. I'm traveling with my long time travel buddy, Ila, and while she took an aisle seat on the opposite side of  the ten seat row, I'm at a window. Not sure that choosing a window seat isn't a tactical error on my part, but I'll see. 

Paris airport, all done up for the holidays

After my trip last year, though the gawdawful Amsterdam airport, for this trip both Ila and I did not hesitate to pull the 'old lady card' and opt for wheelchair assistance. Hate to do it, but if we hadn't used it on this trip, 2 weeks from now we'd still be roaming the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, trying to find the right damned gate. And we were tired, as the flight from Seatac (Seattle) was a 9 hour flight - our pilot managed to trim a full hour off the flight - good tail winds I suspect. 

The flight down to Nairobi, Kenya would also take 9  hours. The cabin of the massive jet was dark. When I got up to hit the restroom, I was startled to see it was not dark outside the jet. The French jet had windows without shades, but that could go electronically go from clear to dark blue, simulating nighttime. The dark navy windows certainly fooled me.

desert sands

Having checked with the in-flight views on my seat's movie screen, looking out the clear jet porthole, I knew the jet was soaring over the Sahara Desert; white as Greenland's snow, but as frigid as snow? Uh... not so much. 

Three movies, a landing and a long distance taxing of the KLM jet,I stood just outside the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi Kenya. I was dazed and tired with a numb butt and my constriction socks were ready to drop. Exiting the airport there were dozens upon dozens of signs held up, showing company and customer names. We stood by our luggage and eventually someone from Gate 1 representative found Ila and myself. 

The Nairobi Airport

After a 40 minute drive we arrived at the Sankara Nairobi Autograph Collection - the unusual name of the hotel we would spend one night at before heading 'out to the bush'. 

Blinds, when closed, visually separated a the
sleeping area from the lush bathroom

The following morning we got up, repacked our luggage, then headed off to breakfast on the 2nd floor. Our meals are inclusive for the trip. This hotel offered what I've grown used to on the past few travels - a buffet breakfast. The offerings ran from basic, like fresh fruits, bread & butter pudding, Bircher Museli (whatever that is), smoothies, beetroot & cranberry detox drink, raw honeycomb(?) and a tower of breakfast bakery items.

Raw Honeycomb

Tower o' baked stuff

My breakfast, complete with African grown Arabica Coffee

Following breakfast, the entire group - ten total, plus 2 guides - met up with our Kenyan Gate 1 tour leaders. It was the first time we were all meeting each other. Our guide, and his assistant welcomed us all to our tour. Everyone introduced themselves. The only non-married couples were Ila and myself. Most of the group had previously traveled before with the Gate 1 company. 

Ila and I were the first ones to arrive, other than a guide

We were told what to expect all around, from road conditions (rough), to specific rules, that we should never, ever, ever photograph military facilities or persons, least we get carted away to a holding cell.

Looking up from our seating area - an atrium of hotel rooms

Finally, we were given free thingies for our trip. Our largess included each of us receiving our name tag lanyards, a metal water bottle with Gate 1 logo on it, and a rugged Gate 1 safari hat.  My favorite item, and contrarily Ila's least favorite item was a small bolt of Masai style tartan cloth, called 'Shuka'. I. Was. Thrilled to get it!  So v. Happy! 

Pile of the goodies that were distributed among us.

Masai Lady

Viking Lady

Ila was not tickled with her Shuka cloth, feeling it was too much to expect people to have to pack and carry around the small bolt of cloth for the next 2 weeks. So, generous me, I did Ila 'a favor' by taking her Shuka. Now I have both of the tartans that were given out. True that as yet, I have no clue what to do with my Shukas. But, I am so enchanted with them, able to bring home a bit of the Masai culture. It is rather a dream come true. I've long admired the Masai people. How lucky am I? I wish I'd been this lucky in Norway last winter because then I'd have come home with 2 Lady Viking's dresses.

Now all of us in possession of instructions and goodies, it was time to load ourselves into the 2 vans we were to journey in, and head off to Lake Nakuru National Park. The journey begins!

The Gate 1 vans await