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Published: September 14th 2015
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Why is it when I have an early morning flight I don't sleep well, or at all, the night before? The alarm chimed at 5 am after only 2 hours of sleep. (Bonus- while I was awake I did get to watch the final episode of Breaking Bad). We headed to the airport at 6 am. Kevin, Habitat Wake's CEO and my traveling companion for this trip, met at RDU. Despite the early hour, we were cheerful and excited.
Our itinerary: Raleigh - New York- Johannesburg, South Africa - Lilongwe, Malawi. Estimated travel time - 25 hours. Long, but we were prepared.
Minor delays on our flight to JFK continued to build. 'Luckily', we were able to get on a different flight so we could make our tight connection in NY. After a hold on the Tarmac, a trip back to the gate for more fuel, a rebalancing of weight due to a single passenger's exit from the plane, and a longer than usual flight time, we arrived at JFK, after our flight left for South Africa. (Aside - we got in almost 45 minutes after the original flight we were booked on arrived)
After 3 hours of
phone calls, line waiting, terminal transferring, etc., we had our next best option: JFK - London - Nairobi, Kenya - Lilongwe, Malawi. Total estimated travel time 50 hours. As rough as this sounds, better than the Rwanda Air option they offered. My checked bag is taking some other unidentified route. Update coming later.
The week before my trip, my laptop died. I bought a new one, just before I left. My iPad has been sketchy for a while now and my cell phone since leaving home is not holding a charge. I am feeling electronically challenged. I write to you now during our layover in London.
Our layover in Nairobi is 16 hours, overnight. We opted to get a hotel. Sounds simple. . . Good thing both Kevin and I got our yellow fever vaccinations, because a yellow fever certificate is required for entry to Kenya. So is a visa, which we don't have. Hopefully we can get one upon arrival.
Entry and overnight in Kenya went smoothly. A couple of hours in a bed makes a world of difference. My impression. . . Many cities in the developing world look the same. Congestion, lots of traffic,
dirty and way too much advertising. A lot of visual security in place, but I am not sure how effective it is.
Our flight to Malawi was UNEVENTFUL. The good news, we are here. The bad news, my luggage is not. Our hotel is surprisingly nice. Odd, in that it is a Chinese hotel in the middle of Africa.
I am proud of Kevin & I. With all our delays, we have maintained our calm. Our sense of humor is intact and we are grateful to be safe and secure. Understanding where we are headed and about what we are to witness keeps things in perspective. Our trials during our travels are minor in comparison to the daily struggles many in our host country experience on a daily basis. Ours were first world problems en-route to the third world.
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Don Young
non-member comment
Go Get 'Em
Reading you adventures with great anticipation. Glad to hear that you have arrived with nothing worse than annoyances. Stay happy and focussed. Can't wait to learn more about what's actually happening and how you are doing. Keep the updates coming. We're becoming a little bit of your travels along the way. Don.