I'M IN: Arusha, Tanzania having spent the night in Nairobi, Kenya
NEXT UP: hopefully volunteering around Arusha before safariing with my Dad and Stepmom
Well, after a surprisingly pleasant day at the airport in Cairo, I arrived in Nairobi yesterday morning. While I was waiting for my luggage, I discovered that my WiFi phone was working and went about checking voicemails. Most were ones I had heard online from weeks gone by (my phone hasn't worked in, like, forever) but there was one voicemail from my friend Alice alerting me to the fact that Kenya was experiencing some violence. Hmm... I was v. nervous about visiting Nairobi to begin with and this did not sound good at all. I got to the hotel at 7 a.m. and promptly went to sleep (one has to remember ones priorities after all). At 1 p.m. I roused myself to check the internet for updates and there were very few people in the streets and almost no cars at all. There were many policemen (I counted 5 or 6 different kinds). After a few minutes on the web, the power for the entire block was cut (for the rest of the night, it would turn out) but the news that I was able to procure was enough for me to go ahead a book a bus to Tanzania for first thing this morning. I arrived safe and sound here in Arusha this afternoon and was immediately befriended by a super nice Korean couple. Since I have a week before my Dad and Stepmom arrive to start our safari adventure, I have been looking around for some volunteer opportunities and hopefully something will pan out. So things are good.
Even though I've been here less than 48 hours, my prediction is that I'm going to love East Africa. For one thing, it's WARM! Yessssss. My sweater is where it should be (packed away) and I am v. pleased. For another the people here are certainly friendly and helpful, but they do not hassle you constantly and forever. This is a most welcome break. Also, it is absolutely beautiful - here in Arusha Mt. Kilimanjaro looms majestically and then there are plains in all directions. And we saw a herd of zebras from the bus!
I am so sorry to any and everyone for any worry caused. My brother claims I leave a trail of mayhem in my wake (Myanmar protests, plane crash in Thailand, etc.) - apparently my powers of chaos creation have strengthened to the point that I can now wreak havoc in advance of my arrival. Will try to harness this energy for good since we all know that with great power comes great responsibility.
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