At the time I bought my ticket, a non stop round trip ticket to Nairobi cost $6,000.  For the very cheap price of $1,849 you can leave at 6:00pm on Friday 8/08/08 fly 5 hours to London stop for 3 and then fly for 7 more to arrive in Nairobi, Saturday night at 9pm. (made even more taxing if your daughter is in London but couldn’t see you because the whole stop over is done within the bowels of the Heathrow Air Port terminal).

Kenya is not yet a tourist attraction.  Had it  not been for my friend, guide and body guard, Agnes Ndetei I might never have returned; mainly because I would never have gone there in the first place.

Do you have any idea of what a third world country is like?  I didn’t.  9 months before this trip I didn’t even  know where Kenya was and I thought Africa was a HUGE safari park (by the way did you know that safari actually means trip or journey? And that people there will actually ask you  “Habari za safari?”  Which means How was your trip? Habari za safari?  I thought that was the coolest thing as I tried to learn Swahili before my trip. I went around to everyone saying “Habari za safari?”.  “Habari za safari?” (some how they were not as taken with the “coolness” of the term as I had been, I received mostly grins and head shakes).

Gratefully, Agnes was waiting for me at the baggage claim.  She looked very weary, (more than I did and I was the one who just traveled for 2 days).  I was concerned but having learned that worrying about someone really means that you can find more reasons why, in this case, she will not heal than reasons that she will.  So I didn’t worry.  I hugged her generously because I love her and all she stands for. And I was genuinely grateful for her hospitable offer to have me visit and show me around.

After a long wait, I retrieved my bags and got the first VIP treatment (took the Fast Track out of the airport) due to Agnes’ “Honorable” status as a past Parliamentarian of Kenya.

Nairobi was dark but not too chilly, it is winter in Kenya in August, it was about 65f.  Agnes and her sister Grace (more about Grace later) were bundled up tight (accept for their hearts).