Two Sides To Kenya Travel

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I had the most interesting experience flying home from the Mara to Nairobi. I sat beside a woman from the UK who was with 7 other family members. They were having a hellish experience and were vowing never to visit Kenya again. I kept thinking how tragic and so not my experience. The family group had made their own arrangements to charter a plane and stay at a lodge in the Mara. All expenses were pre-paid. They were in Kenya for 7 days. All started out smoothly - they had a fantastic time at the lodge and enjoyed the safari. Getting out was when things started to fall apart. First of all they were getting mixed messages from the charter plane company about when the plane would be there to pick them up. First it was 10:30, then it was 11:30, then it was 12:30…nothing. And they had to be out of their rooms by 11 am - and there was no more room at the inn as it were. On the phone for five hours steady - and no resolution. They then worked the resort angle - who washed their hands completely - saying it wasn’t there problem and they had no room for them. The finally got through to a manager type who offered to send a plane and pilot for some ridiculous amount of cash - remember they had already prepaid. They were at an impasseand seemed to be caught in the middle. Next option was to try to fly out commercially…but this is peak season and both Kenya Air and Safari link were booked…so they ended up spending the night in a meeting room with their luggage - can you believe it. They were able to get out on my Kenya Air flight - got the last 8 seats. And man - I felt her pain and frustration. I also kept thinking that you have to make sure you know who you are dealing with - anywhere really - but especially in Africa. Now the encouraging thing is that when we arrived in Nairobi - the Kenya Air people greeted them and seemed to be a bit more helpful. The family was hoping to get to Mombassa for a day or so at the beach. I said my farewells and wished them luck.

In the mean time, I had been thinking about the best way to get to the Jomo Kenyatta Airport - right across town from the Wilson Airport, to catch my flight to Kisumu. I was hoping there would be a city shuttle and if not, would ask to get some guidance on cab fare - Chica rule - always negotiate cab fare up front! I was a little concerned and unsure…but knew I would figure it out. Well to my wonderful surprise, Frederick, the shuttle driver from the Nairobi Serena Hotel was waiting for me. He had remembered that I was returning Monday morning and made sure he was there to get me to where I needed to go. Amazing really and I couldn’t help think what a different and wonderful travel experience I was having.

Hope all is well back home and that you’ve enjoyed your last days of a lazy hazy summer. It’s always summer here - lol - ok that was cruel! Cheers, Jan

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