Day 13, The Ordeal Leaving Tanzania, Arriving The Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi
March 23, 2009, Monday
Our wake up call came at 5:15 am. It stormed all night, so we were not real thrilled to get back into the truck. Nicole had all the safari she could handle, so she stayed in bed. Since this was our last morning for the Grumeti Reserve, Steve and I did not want to waste our last game drive. After a snack of coffee and quiche, we headed off through the water and mud. As with all camps, we have a champagne toast on our last morning. The animals were tired of the rain too, and slept in!
After breakfast, we went back and packed. Getting all our equipment back into the bags was a real challenge. We had bags spread out all over the living room. What a great house we got to stay in. We said goodbye to our hosts, took photos, and left of the Singita airstrip. Our rangers and trackers usually stay and wave goodbye to us as we fly off. Sitoti did not. When you spend a week in one camp, you build up a trust and closeness. I guess he could not say ‘goodbye.’
The Regional Air is a commuter airplane between camps and the aiport at Kilimanjaro. Just dump your carry-on at the back of the airplane and get a seat on the back row. There is NO ROOM for anything but your body, and that is tight. Small seats, little leg room, and no standing up! Going in and out of Kilimanjaro is a real pain. Collect the bags on arrival and head to the departure door. Fill out another departure card. I should keep my bag stuffed with departure cards! They love the paperwork! The Sasaskwa chef had prepared a basket lunch for us, but we were not allowed to take our cans of Coke through security. We got hasseled through security, just like the USA! No liquids, shoes off, and laptops out. I spoke with the Swiss handling company that handled our bags. I was convinced that our bags were secure when they were not picked up. We ate our lunch with no Coke, but the lunch baskets were nice.
We boarded our flight to Nairobi, along with a huge tour group making their first trip to Africa. What a pain. We finally got to Wilson Airport with no jet way. Only Cape Town and Johnannesburg have airports big enough for a jetway. We had to walk down the stairs across the hot tarmac to a small cement building. We had to fill out another ARRIVAL CARD and VISA APPLICATION. The bored faces of the officials did not improve the hot, dusty air. The luggage was brought to the litter strewn alley behind the building in a large hand drawn cart. The porters were whipping the bags off so fast for the tour group that they grabbed our bags! Steve jumped in and pulled our bags right out of the departing vans! It was just another day in Africa. TIA. We accounted for all the bags, and found our driver to the Fairmount Norfolk Hotel. The traffic was horrible. At least the air conditioner worked on the mini van.
When we arrived at the Norfolk, I did not recognize that once colonial entrance! The bearded man in a white tunic and turban was replaced by a clean shaven man in a black suit and shiney shoes. The once grand bar was totally replaced with a seating area. The whole place got a redodel except for the center courtyard. We were shown to our king suite, The Mary Leaky Suite! It had a kingsize bed, full marble bathroom, full living room and powder room. Nicole’s suite was just like ours, next door.
We went directly to lunch. Nicole was still sick. Lunch was in a big outdoor patio on the front of the hotel. The general manager stopped by to say hello. He bought us a round of drinks, plus had wine, fruit, and cheese platter delivered to our room. After lunch, Nicole and I went to bed. Afterwards, I sorted through things and got ready for dinner at The Carnivore.
The restaurant has really gone downhill since we were last there. The only different food was ostrich meatballs! The rest of the beef, pork, lamb, and chicken was dried out and tough. For $20.00 you get a small salad, soup, meat, a baked potato, and desert. We were seated upstairs near a large group. What a bad idea, as large goups and largely LOUD! Ask to be seated downstairs. I guess the first time is always the best. We will not be going back for a very long time. We went back to the hotel and a soft bed. I was exhausted.
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Tags: Africa, cameras, clothes, First time safari, Grumeti Reserve, Kilimanjaro, Lense On! camera and lense stabilizer, light aircraft, lost bags, luggage, Nairobi, Precision Airways, safari, Sasakwa Lodge, Serengeti, Singita, Tanzania