Arrival in Kenya

HUJAMBO!

I am officially in Kenya, as of Monday July 11th, 2011. I got in this morning at 7:30am, and we were on our way to KBC (Kilimanjaro Bush Camp) by 10:00am. It is crazy the time change, my computer still has west coast time and it says it is 10:43am right now, but here in Kenya it is 8:43pm. I am totally jet lagged. I have never been more exhausted and excited in my life. This place is even more beautiful than I imagined, and the people have more character than I thought possible.

We had a day layover in London. My friends Kalea, Charolette and I all frolicked around London, and got completely lost. We ended up in the small town of Hammersmith. It was awesome though because there were no tourists there whatsoever. We walked around, had lunch, and visited a few places before our last stop at a local pub some guy recommended at the place we ate at earlier. The whole experience in Hammersmith was awesome, but getting back to the airport on public transit was a NIGHTMARE. First off, part of the tube was down that we needed to take to get back to the airport, so our only option was bus transport. However, none of the buses we saw said they were going to Heathrow. So, we asked one of the bus drivers if he would drop us off somewhere that we could hop on another bus to Heathrow, and he told us he would. 30 minutes into the bus ride we are stuck in major traffic for a concert for a band that is extremely popular in London. So naturally, it took us over an hour to get through part of the outskirts of the city. Then about another 45 min later we start to worry that this bus driver totally forgot about us, and granted he did. He denied that we ever asked him to drop us off at a station that connects with a bus going to the airport, and claims that he has no idea what buses or stops we need to take. SO that set us back a good additional hour. By this time it is around 6:30, and our plane was scheduled to board at 7:45. We freaked out. Luckily we met some very nice people on the bus that helped us find out way to the airport with just enough time to spare!

10 hours later (longest plane ride...ugh!) we arrive in NAIROBI!!! The city is so industrial, I would have never imagined it like it is. We met some directors for SFS outside of our terminal, who helped us get through customs/get our visas. He collected all the money from each of us and paid altogether, however the other people working the visa entrance did not get that message. So when I walk up to the man at the counter and give him my passport he looks and asks for my money, and I told him that my study abroad manager paid in total at the other desk. He basically screamed and said "ONLY COME TO ME WHEN YOU HAVE MONEY TO PAY" I almost peed my pants. It was weird because all the other people at the desks were letting my other classmates through. Only naturally I would get the one guy to give me a hard time! But after a few minutes, everything was settled and we were through customs. Thank goodness.

We then get all our baggage and lug it up into the "rhino" or the huge jeep thing. We made a couple stops on the way to KBC, including a gas station that had the most interesting snacks and a curino (I think that's how you spell it) which had some awesome sculptures and artwork. We are also stopping there on the way back so I will be sure to buy some knick knacks then.

As for tomorrow, we have orientation and we will also be going to a local market. I am excited to see more of the rural/tribal areas. Should be very interesting.

On a final note, the base camp is absolutely beautiful. You can see Mt. Kilimanjaro from our bombas and the scenery is so breathtaking. We also have some interesting baboons roaming around our site, basically claiming their territory. I guess some pass students have had some bad encounters with them getting into the bombas in the middle of the night. I would freak out if I woke up to that thing staring at me... Also, we have 24-hr electricity and wi-fi now, which is awesome! AND WE HAVE WARM SHOWERS WOOOO!!! So excited!

Anyways, I should hit my mosquito netted bed because I have breakfast crew at 6:30am tomorrow. Awesome.

I will try to keep you all updated frequently, but I can't make any promises. Have a great rest of your day!