There's no place like home!

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Geo: 38.6276, -90.199

DAY SIXTEEN (Saturday, September 19, 2009)

There's no place like home.

At the risk of sounding like my sister's blog (see Day 9), I am delighted to return to:

- My Golden Retrievers

· Tab soda

· My own bed and pillow

· Air conditioning

· No need for DEET or mosquito netting

My computer (with my travel diary and 3700 photos) crashed on the return trip which gave me that heart-stopping moment I had been cautioned about. (My computer guy eventually recovered it all, BTW.)

I had planned to begin my digital scrapbook but couldn't; so I watched four movies (in descending order of likeability):

· Duplicity

· Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

· My Life in Ruins

· The Hangover

From the time we left our hotel lobby at Mara Safari Club until the time I plopped on my own bed, it was 40 hours. The travel was exhausting. Despite taking Ambien to help me readjust my body clock, it was Thursday morning (5 days after our return) before I actually readjusted to Central Daylight Time.

HIGHLIGHTS:

· The animals, the animals, the animals

· Life-changing experience: awareness of Africa's water crisis and the extreme living conditions in Third World countries … need to adopt charities

· Best hotels: Mt. Kenya, Mara Safari Club and Amboseli

· Best food: Amboseli

· Best animals: the big cats

· Best memories: hot air balloon and Maasai village visit

· Wide variety of inexpensive gifts



LOWLIGHTS:

· Roads … did I mention they were awful?

· Miserable beds, except at the Fairmont properties

· Mosquito nets, DEET

· No A/C

· Stench from carcasses and some public bathrooms

· Ice … rather, the lack thereof

PACKING HINTS:

Clothing:

Recommend khaki-colored light-weight safari-type clothing (zip off pant/shorts conversion) that wash/dry easily

· Casual only … most folks showered after last drive of the day, put on clean clothes for dinner, then wore the same thing next day for the drives. I packed two nice lightweight sweaters that I wore for the dress up dinners (welcome night, dining at Mount Kenya) but it wasn't necessary. It was, however, refreshing to wear something non-khaki for a change.

· Earth-toned colors … khaki, sage, brown, etc. Bright colors can scare off the animals, dark colors attract tsetse flies, and khaki shows the dust the least.

· Lightweight clothes for bush plane flights (30 lb. max)

· Convertible pants/shorts… Ex-Officio, TravelSmith, Magellan, Columbia all have variations

o Cool at dark but hot during the day so the easy conversion from pants to shorts and back to pants with zippered legs was helpful to many

o Washable and dry quickly

o Many are treated with insect repellent (BuzzOff)

o Many have sunscreen built in

· Personally, I wore capris, a nice compromise between slacks and shorts; I would repeat

· Closed-toed shoes for dark and for walking in dung in local villages

· Fleece jacket (I didn't take but ended up buying because it was very cool at night) – I actually bought a wonderful Tanzania fleece with antelope-embroidered logo in the first hotel gift shop, am sure I will use a lot at home

· Gloves – it is cool in the dark, esp. on balloon ride

· Hat to give protection from sun and the balloon burners

· Rain gear … coat/jacket, umbrella

· Sports bra … the roads, the potholes and the ruts are incredible

· Swimsuit … most hotels have a very nice pool area to enjoy during afternoon downtime

· Socks

· Turtleneck or other long-sleeve cotton shirts to protect from sun and bugs (watch "Out of Africa)

· Vest (easy to add and take off like the convertible pants)

Other packing tips:

· Currency: bring along $100-200 in fresh new singles

o Best prices are in hotel gift shops where they take credit cards and US currency but will usually give you change in shillings

o Many opportunities to buy from the locals who will take US $ but only if not damaged and they don't give change

· Binoculars

· Camera with a long lens to get photos of those animals just out of reach (highly suggest digital because of the photo sharing aspect), multiple digital cards (I shot 3500+ photos); something to back up your digital photos on; I bought my laptop and wish I had brought blank CDs to burn photos for others; many folks bought CDs in the gift shop at Amboseli ($2 each) and I burned them 300 photos each; thumb drive was handy too

· Camera back-up (you would hate to break it the first day and have nothing to show from your photo safari); batteries and more batteries and charger; lens cleaner (you cannot begin to imagine the dust that can make a camera run afoul) and dust remover

· Converter – our hotels required British plug but bring them all just in case; suggest you purchase a power surge protector for the converter kit (office supply stores sell them) since the power surges everywhere

· Detergent/Woolite – lots of washing out in the sink, although see notes below about laundry service; I also bought some Ex-Officio underwear that dries in a few hours which proved VERY handy

· Dust has been a problem for those with allergies and those who get headaches … bring along a bandana or mask, allergy meds and headache relievers

· Ear plugs … there are a lot of things that go bump in the night

· Eyes drops and nose drops (Ocean saline nasal spray, a Fleming product, of course) … it's exceptionally dry here and you'll find you need liquidating

· Flashlight … for dark hotel paths, to watch for wildlife and to help with the somewhat regular power outages. I bought an incredibly bright halogen light with bulbs that don't burn out. It uses AAA batteries. $6 at Walgreen's.

· Flat sink stopper like you might use in your kitchen at home … to fill your sink to wash out your clothing

· Food: individual servings of prunes, Crystal Light, instant coffee/tea, breakfast bars … meals don't always come when you want them, and you drink more water than anything so flavorings break up the monotony

· Gifts: pens, note pads, books, shoes

· iPod and ear phones

· Liquid soap from REI or other to use for hair, body, clothing

· Medicine: all the things your doctor suggested you bring … visit your local health clinic and spend time with a travel expert; we brought our own prescription drugs, vitamins, antibiotics, Malaron (anti-malaria), allergy, aspirin, Aleve, triple antibiotic pain killing topical … in addition to the many pre-trip shots required or recommended by people a lot brighter than me on the subject … Hepatitis A&B, typhoid, yellow fever, polio, influenza, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT), meningitis, and maybe even rabies, although we opted out on that

· Night clothes: summer weight and winter weight needed or maybe silk; some nights we suffered in the heat, other nights the temperature dropped dramatically … you're in the desert and the air isn't conditioned

· Pillow to sit on in the safari vehicles. The drive is rough. Probably the best bet is one of those inflatable rings which would be easy to pack.

· Rubber bands … a fistful of the big ones to use to hold things together

· Sleeping pills ... we always use Ambien to sleep on the plane over the ocean and arrive fresh in Europe; but the many additional hours to Africa really throws your body clock off, so additional pills to get you adjusted or help you through the animal noises is advisable

· Stomach issues: almost everyone experienced some discomfort but it varied; some were constipated, while others had the reverse problem; bring along Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, etc.

· Sun protection: 30+ sun lotion applied twice daily, hat, safari shirt for outwear (when lids are off vehicles, that sun really beats down)

· Hot water bottle … to cool you off or keep you warm; some hotels provided these

· Anti-bacterial wipes … we went through many as most bathrooms did have soap and paper towels, many didn't even have toilet paper … also helpful with all the dust

· Insect/mosquito bite prevention, bring:

o Insect repellent: DEET (NOT 100%!a(MISSING)s it can make you sick) … we brought a new OFF product that has DEET and Avon's Skintastic in it so it helped with dryness, did the bug repellent trick and smelled far better than most alternatives; but WE RAN OUT!

o Other approved repellents: picaridin (KBR 3023), Oil of Lemon, Eucalyptus /PMD, or IR3535]

o After-Bite or other product with benadryl

o Fly swatter

o Lightweight long-sleeved shirts, long pants

o Flying-insect spray to help clear rooms of mosquitoes. These were provided in all hotel rooms, but take along when in doubt. The product should contain a pyrethroid insecticide; these insecticides quickly kill flying insects, including mosquitoes

o Bed nets treated with permethrin, if you will not be sleeping in an air-conditioned or well-screened room and will be in malaria-risk areas; again, these were provided in all our hotels rooms but take along when in doubt



AFRICAN FOOD

A word about the food on our safari adventure: For the most part, and this varied by hotel, the food on the trip was good, but not great. Perhaps 6.5 on a scale of 1-to-10. I made an effort to try new things and I succeeded, although I wasn't always happy with my choices.

Breakfast was a hearty European style, with a big buffet of choices:

· Extensive selection of breads, rolls, Danish

· Fresh fruit, including melon, orange slices, banana, pineapple and local tropical fruit (sometimes guava, mango, pawpaw, passion, tree fruit, etc.)

· Juices: OJ, pineapple, mango, tomato, passion, grapefruit, even avocado (love fresh avocado, wasn't wild about the juice)

· Variety of cold cereals and usually one hot cereal

· Omelet and egg station, where they would also prepare a sort of crepe/pancake (yummy)

· Dairy selection: yogurts, milks, cheeses

· Hot steam trays with bacon, sausage, potatoes, vegetables

· Additionally there was usually a selection of vegetarian dishes with rice and curry; we discussed this aspect and wondered about the offering because their clientele didn't appear to be Asian. We came to the conclusion it was because the Serena Hotel chain is owned by the Aga Khan Development Network. A search of the internet shows a Pakistani version of all their printed materials.

· Beverages included coffee, tea, decaffeinated beverages and always large cold, sealed bottles of water. We usually drank one with each meal and took one with us for consumption over the next few hours.

· NOTE: Even breakfast in the wild after our balloon ride followed the above pattern, although with fewer choices but the addition of champagne.

Lunch varied only slightly, again with a big buffet of choices:

· Nothing offered of what we might typically have for lunch … no sandwiches, no entrée salads, pizza, etc.

· Salad bar … we all ate the lettuce, tomatoes, etc. but mostly the choices were pre-made salads like slaw and other items pre-dressed … usually some fresh fruit as well

· Some 4-5 hot entrees, usually 2 vegetarian, served in steam trays

· Warm side dishes, including rice, potatoes, veggies

· Selection of cheese and crackers

· Dessert bar, with items like mousse (consistency was more like silly putty so was not a favorite), cheesecake, something chocolate, cakes were usually much dryer than Americans are used to

· Beverages similar to breakfast, but with the additional of soft drinks. Alcoholic beverages could be ordered and charged to your account.

· Again, the surprise lunch in the bush followed the above pattern.

Dinner was similar to lunch, and it was served at 7:30 or 8 pm … to allow for post-sundown game drive return, followed by a shower. Many folks met in the lobby a half-hour before dinner to order (and pay for) a cocktail or two.

· Salad bar … similar to lunch … often with luscious fresh ripe avocado

· Chips and dips … the chips were typically much larger than we are accustomed to and usually had a kick to them, with 4-5 sauces that included guacamole

· Many evenings there was fresh grill … beef, chicken, lamb, sausage, cooked on outdoor grills, sometimes to order … along with wonderful fresh roasted vegetables

· Choice of other hot entrees, often fish and vegetarian, served in steam trays

· Warm side dishes, including rice, potatoes, veggies

· Selection of cheese and crackers

· Dessert bar … word usually spread early about which were the tastiest, so there was a run on dessert mid-dinner ;-)

· Beverages choice similar to lunch. Again, we drank water and took water with us.

· Our rooms were supplied with bottled water daily but it was room temperature. And with as dry as it was, that water didn't suffice to quench your thirst so the additional water taken away from meals was essential.

Food at the Serena Amboseli and at the two Fairmont properties was superior to the rest. The items in steam trays tended to be overcooked, where the fish and other items at the better properties was quite fresh and cooked just right. I sampled a lot of African and Indonesian dishes and enjoyed them, but they had unusual names which I can't remember, nor could I identify many of the ingredients. Several times I opted for the lentil offering and it was always quite tasty.

I ate a lot during our two weeks, including heartier and more fattening breakfasts than I am used to. I ate dessert at lunch and dinner. I didn't overeat but I had no real way to count calories (or WW points). I was fearful I had put on weight but returned to find I had actually lost a pound. Patrick lost 5 pounds, which is probably attributable to his lack of enthusiasm for his food choices AND the stomach problems he encountered.

I don't want to dwell on this, but most folks had problems with either loose or tight bowels (or both) at one time or another … not because of the bottled water or fresh produce, rather because of being so far away, with different ingredients and spices, eating at unusual hours, and frankly consuming more than our share of dust each day. Very few people actually resorted to using Cipro, although some did. But many downed Pepto-Bismol and Imodium on occasion.

SHOPPING IN EAST AFRICA

Currency in Africa:

· Kenyan shillings are different than Tanzanian shillings.

o 10,000 Tanzanian Shillings = 7.68 US$ as of 9/23/2009 … i.e., divide the price stated in Tanzanian shillings by 1300 to get the price in US$

o 10,000 Kenyan Shillings = 133.8 US$ as of 9/23/2009 … i.e., divide the price stated in Kenyan shillings by 75 to get the price in US$

· You can use shillings, of course, but every place we went took US dollars, so there is no real need to get currency before or when you arrive.

· NOTE: Take lots of small US bills … perhaps $200 in new singles, because you will be buying things from people who make them and they can't or won't give you change in US$, so you end up with small bills and coins that are fairly worthless. Toss them in the airlines' charity basket on your return flight ("Change for Good"😉 or leave as a tip for housekeepers at your lodging.

What to shop for:

· NOT Tanzanite: you would think you could find it in Tanzania but it's hard to come by. It was nowhere to be found in places we shopped; you would have had to take a shuttle to a fine jeweler and even then I'm told it's not a deal here; it is mostly mined for export.

· Hand-made items:

o Maasai beaded items … bracelets, belts, headbands, key chains, ornaments, wedding necklaces

o Wooden carvings … animals, masks, wall hangings, walking sticks

o Baskets … straw or sisal, some trimmed with beading

o Jewelry … wooden, beaded, paper

o Shukas … brightly colored fabrics (mostly red in stripes and plaids), made in Tanzania but sometimes imported from India, worn by Maasai warriors … we bought a red-and-gold striped one to use as a beach table cloth at our home in Florida; buy new, not used

o Books … on the animals, birds, people of Africa … although I'm sure most are available on Amazon

o Tee shirts … embroidered with safari animals

· Additionally, we bought a few miscellaneous items:

o Zippered fleece jacket with “Tanzania” and an antelope head embroidered on it

o Logoed golf ball from Mount Kenya Club

o Coffee mug with the “Big Five” on it (5 most important animals to see on safari)

· Warning: don't buy products made of ebony or animal parts (e.g., tusks, ostrich eggs, etc.) as you can't bring them back to the U.S. Rings, bracelets and hair combs made of cow horn are an exception.

Where to shop:

· Our Tauck tour director suggested that items in the hotels were usually the best quality and the best value, and for the most part, that proved to be true.

· When you get away from the hotel gift shops, bargaining is a way of life. If you're not good at it, you may end up paying too much, but truthfully, most things are inexpensive anyway. We purchased 24 items in all, only 3 of which were more than $25 each.

· Another thought about bargaining: who really cares if you don't get the best deal when you are buying directly from the hand-crafters? These people have walked miles in their bare feet to sell you things. Who needs the extra $10 more … you or them? It's kind of like bidding at a charity auction … who cares if you overpaid when it's for a good cause?

· Worst value: Olduvai Gorge … interesting selection but overpriced on almost every item

· There were several other places we shopped:

o Spinners and weavers … they make rugs, shawls right on premises … very nice work, not a bargain but the money goes directly to the women who create the items

o Maasai village … try to save some of your purchases for here … about 40-50 families bring their wares … again, who cares if you overpay as you can see they need so much

o Art gallery and gift shops at Mount Kenya … higher end pieces … paintings, carvings, etc.

o A spontaneous market that appeared while we were eating breakfast in the wild after our balloon ride (30-40 sellers walked miles to sell us things when they saw the balloons descend)

o Two “curio” (Swahili for “junk”😉 shops where we stopped to relieve ourselves on long road trips (“restroom” is really too nice a term). Major hustling and major bargaining goes on but a wide variety of merchandise is available. I purchased a 36” carved wall hanging that started out at $250 and I ended up paying $80 as they shoved it in the window of the van as we pulled away. Still don't know if I got a decent price, but I liked it.

o Gift shop in the Nairobi Serena Hotel … higher end and more variety … many of us bought carved wooden animals in rosewood for $15 each

o Duty-free shops at the airport … last-ditch effort to sell you souvenirs … some shops even bargain

How to get what you bought back:

· Most items (baskets, jewelry) are small enough and light weight enough not to worry about.

· I always pack a packable suitcase in my main suitcase. It is made out of parachute material and packs like a silk nightgown. It ends up being a 24x15x10” bag that I stuff dirty clothes in and check as an additional piece of return luggage. This creates space for purchases in the sturdier bigger piece of luggage I checked originally.

· When we reached the Nairobi Serena hotel, Rachel (our Tauck tour director) took me to a bellman who wrapped my wall hanging to protect it in case I have to check it separately. There was no charge but I tipped him $5. Turns out it fit in Patrick's long wheeled duffle bag but the packaging kept the airlines' gorilla from destroying the item.

Thanks to all who have followed us on our journey. Happy travels. God speed.

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Comments

[Herb]

The Coriolis effect is a function of latitude and is zero at the equator. The demonstrations are skillful frauds.Although rhinos have tusks it is usually their horns that people seek.

[Terri]

Wow, lots of helpful info. Thanks for sharing and having such a great sense of humor.

[Tom J]

Thank you for a great piece of work! I am taking the trip on 9/18 and your comments were most helpful.

[spoonball]

I'm so jealous. Wish I were just starting the trip! Try not to tell others about the luxury lunch in the bush. The Tauck TDs hate that I spoiled their surprise! Enjoy!