Goodbye to Africa

After a long day of travelling behind us, and an even longer one looming up before us, it is time once again to bid a fond farewell to Africa. This goodbye feels different than the first, if only because I'm fairly certain I will be back again.

Our travels through Kenya were adventures both big and small, and will have seperate posts dedicated to them. In short, Masai Mara was as grand and amazing as I remembered, and Mombasa was beautiful, but very touristy and not quite what I expected.

This entire trip has been a very interesting packing experience, as we've never had to pack for a safari, a beach vacation, and a week in Europe in the fall in one fell swoop. Also take into consideration six weeks of work supplies, and it's a grand understatement to say that our luggage situation is out of control. With two checked bags apiece as well as two carry-ons, we've had no small amount of trouble figuring out how, exactly we will be transporting ourselves and all of our stuff from Heathrow to City Center tomorrow. Our Nairobi hotel room tonight looked like a war zone as we literally upacked and then repacked every piece of luggage.

Regardless of the minor annoyances and hazy details of actually travelling, I still do love to travel. I am very much looking forward to the second half of our vacation. I think it is well deserved for both of us, assuming we make it to London with ourselves, our luggage, and our sanity intact.

Despite the anticipation of another week of leisure, I am still reticent to leave Kenya. It has once again been an experience full of triumphs and tragedies, happiness and heartbreak, beauty and sorrow, life and death. I am quite sure that the shock of returning to Western culture will be much greater than when I arrived, as I found when I returned home the first time. It is just so difficult to remember why all the things that matter actually do, after seeing the struggle for basic survival in a developing nation.

I hope I will have a greater opportunity to reflect on and report more of my experiences from this, my second trip to Africa.