Return travels

Home sweet home. Made it back to Memphis on Saturday evening, though my bags haven't yet. No worries! Losing bags on the way back is much, much better than on the way there, isn't it?!? I hear the bags are in Atlanta, and I'm happy that they are so close. I had my doubts when Kenya Airways handwrote my bag tags, including the city codes. Hmm. Maybe they should consider a computer to print the bag tags.

My route back was Kigali (Rwanda), Nairobi (Kenya), London, New York, Memphis. Had a nice drive on Thursday from Kibogora to Kigali with Sheila. Tea stop in Kibuye by Lake Kivo, and lots of time to talk. We had a lovely & delicious dinner outdoors at the Novotel (hotel) in Kigali, with a little live band playing quietly in the background. Friday was Sheila's birthday, and she treated me to breakfast at the luxurious Serena Hotel in Kigali. It's every bit as nice a hotel as I've seen anywhere in the world, and I told her that I was glad to see the other extreme of income in Rwanda. Then I tagged along while she did some shopping on "Indian Street" (so named for the Indian shopkeepers) in Kigali. Kigali driving is pretty civilized by our western standards, meaning that there are traffic lights and traffic laws are observed, including driving between the lines (though Sheila did all of the driving). Indian Street was pretty chaotic though. Best to keep an eye on your valuables there. While I was standing by the car waiting for Sheila to finish purchasing something, someone opened a car door on the other side, presumably to see what he could grab. After that, I kept the car locked and kept a sharp eye on people milling about.

38 hours to travel back, between driving, flying & waiting for flights. Long layovers in busy international airports provide some exceptional people watching opportunities, though! I had uploaded several books on my Kindle (btw, love the Kindle for traveling!) for the return trip, but I didn't read quite as much as I had planned because of watching people and talking to strangers. In the Kigali airport, I met a retired couple from Chicago who were coming back from a long safari through several countries in East Africa. They had taken their children and grandchildren along as a gift. The safari was just for their little group, and it was the kind of safari with your own large stand-up-inside tent containing a (camp) shower and WC (latrine type). Meals are cooked for you by the staff - forget about open-fire weenies, marshmallows & bad coffee - with one-on-one attention from the Africa team the entire time. Now that is my kind of camping! The safari leader was still with them in the Kigali airport, ensuring that their return travel went smoothly. The whole thing must have been incredibly expensive! I got the safari guide's card as he seemed to have done a wonderful job, but I imagine I will have to save for a long time before I can afford him, if ever! (George Mavroudis, gmsafaris.com)

In the Nairobi airport, I saw several mission trip groups with matching shirts - usually brightly colored - I presume so that they can keep up with each other. Spent quite a bit of time talking with an Assembly of God team from Omaha which had been building a chapel for a school in Kenya. They buy the materials pre-fabbed and get them shipped to Kenya in advance, then the team arrives and bolts everything together in a few days. Their church does this every other year. Sounds like a good concept - very organized. Their pastor was from North Carolina, and we ended up comparing barbecue. NC style uses pork too, but with a vinegar sauce. Neither of us understood why Texans use beef, but I guess they just have way more cows there than they know what to do with. ;)

Long layover in NYC, and met some Australians coming to Memphis for 4 days as part of a US holiday. The Memphis portion of their trip is just to visit Graceland! Then they are also going to New York, Disney-Florida, and Las Vegas. They are staying at the Heartbreak Hotel on E. Presley Blvd. And they won't have a car, just a shuttle bus to get around. So they're pretty much limited to that area. Yikes, I hope they are okay there and don't have a bad experience! Perhaps EP Enterprises and/or the City will help to upgrade the area around Graceland - that's what I hear is planned. It's a little embarrassing to think about those visitors walking around EP & Brooks Road. I hope the dad doesn't get propositioned by a lady of the evening.

Eric met me at the Memphis airport and offered to take me to dinner anywhere I wanted to go. I chose Huey's and really enjoyed having a good ol' American burger and fries! Hooray, I'm home in the land of high cholesterol, high calorie meals again!

Thanks Em for handling my mail & bills while I was gone, and even getting my car tags renewed! (above & beyond what a sister should be asked to do) Thanks Eric for keeping my house & yard in great order and fixing up the scary basement! Eric even put up "welcome home" decorations at my house including balloons! It's nice to be home, though I had a great experience in Africa and will miss some things & people there as well. I'm going to try hard to keep the lessons I learned there fresh in my mind, and Sheila has invited me back to Kibogora in the future, probably for a shorter trip next time. I would like to go back. Back to work tomorrow - time to catch up with developments at work and start earning some income again!