So it begins

Last bush camp

Published Date : December 1, 2004

We left Luxor early this morning in a convoy back to Hurghada.  We stopped on a deserted beach for our last bus lunch.  By now, I’m completely over stale bread, cucumber and tomatoes, and we ran out of peanut butter so there was no hope.  I made do with a couple of oranges to tide me over to until we reached Hurghada.

We had two hours in Hurghada waiting for the next convoy and I made the most of it.  The last time we were here, I had noticed a Chinese restaurant and I wasted no time getting there.  I had a simple meal of chicken fried rice with kimchi (yeah I know kimchi is Korean, but they were serving it!) and it was divine.  I have nothing bad to say about Egyptian food.  In fact, I think it’s my favourite so far on this trip. I was seriously in need of some variety though and Chinese food absolutely hit the spot!

Back on the bus, we joined the convoy north.  Turning inland, we left the convoy for our final bush camp.  Pulling off the road, we parked in the middle of the eastern desert behind a dune and that was our camp for the night.  It was extermely windy, but warm at 19C.  Our last meal was hamburgers – yummy!

The end of Part

Published Date : December 2, 2004

Our last morning of packing up tents, a quick breakfast, and far too long spent trying to take group photos at St Paul’s Monastery, then we were on the road back to Cairo.  It was short drive today, only about 3 hours.  Back to Bostan Hotel and the same rooms as last time.

Back at the hotel, I went through an hour long odyssey trying to get my souvenirs back from Left Luggage.  Then it was off to the GPO to mail them all to Greg’s sister in Australia.  That was a two-hour odyssey accomplished in a mixture of German, French and tiny bit of English.  Several repacks later, as I explained over and over that I wanted it all sent in one package, not in three and they were on their way.  In the end it cost me 350LE (~$60) for a 4-day insured courier service.  Hopefully it all makes it!

Next on the agenda was to get a photo CD burned.  The shop I had used last time was closed, so I had to visit two more until I found one that could do it.  I’ve discovered that the downside to using digital outside the developed world is finding photo shops that are capable of dealing with it!  In the end it cost me 25LE and they all turned out great.

The last errand of the afternoon was to go toiletry shopping.  I ran out of shampoo and body wash today and I figured it would be better to stock up here than in Nairobi.  I can’t believe how quickly the last 6 weeks have gone by.  Two days from now I’ll be in Kenya!!

We finished off the day with one last group dinner.  The tour officially ended as soon as we got back to Cairo, but it’s Wayne’s birthday tomorrow, so we decided to do one last group event.  Ruth organised a birthday cake and Wayne declared that dinner had to be at Pizza Hut.  It was a fun night out and a great way to end this leg of my journey.

No man's land

Published Date : December 3, 2004

Those of us continuing on to Cape Town were up early today and off to the airport.  Somewhere between the hotel and the airport four of our tickets managed to vanish, so Mel spent her last hours as tour leader organising police reports and replacement tickets for the 4 English lads.  We made it through customs and to the gate with 10 minutes to spare.

In all the bustle I “lost” US$50 at the duty free shop.  I had put the $50 bill in my wallet for the Kenyan visa and when I handed over the last of my Egyptian money, I didn’t notice when I accidently handed over the $50 with it.  And of course the clerk didn’t say a word and pocketed the cash.  I didn’t realise until we were boarding the plane and by then it was too late.  Ah well…my own fault.

The flight to Khartoum, Sudan was about two hours and uneventful, with a great meal and free booze on Ethiopian Airlines.  As we sat on the runway for 45 minutes in 30C heat to change passengers, I looked wistfully out the window.  I had so been looking forward to travelling through Sudan and Ethiopia on this trip.  It was disappointing enough to learn that they had been pulled from the itinerary when I booked the trip back in London, but to now be sitting in Khartoum and not even leave the plane, it was beyond frustrating!

Once the new passengers had all boarded, we continued on to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  We were served another meal, a cold one this time, and more free drinks before we landed at the airport.  We arrived at about 10pm with a 4-hour layover until the final leg of our journey.  Into the transit lounge, I managed to grab a little bit of sleep on the cold floor and took advantage of the courtesy meal provided.

African Time

Published Date : December 4, 2004

We boarded our last flight at 2am, very glad to leave the surprisingly cold Addis Ababa Airport.  It wasn’t cold due to air conditioning; it was cold due to air temperature, only 14C.  That wouldn’t have been too bad if we hadn’t just left 25C Egypt and 30C Sudan.  The flight saw us provided with another hot meal, more free drinks and yet another movie.  Arriving in Nairobi at 5am, we made it easily through customs, US$50 poorer.  No troubles with the luggage, and our car was waiting for us.  Excellent.

After 6 weeks in the desert, the humidity that greeted us was a welcome change.  The drive across town to Nairobi Park Services Campsite took about 45 minutes.  If I needed confirmation that I was indeed in Africa, the abundance of acacia trees and lush green vegetation would have convinced me.  Driving through the outskirts of central Nairobi was an experience.  Apart from the inevitable poverty, I had no expectations for Africa.  I was a blank canvas soaking it all in.  Most of the roads were paved and traffic was generally orderly yet chaotic at the same time.  Pedestrians and cyclists far outnumbered the cars as they wove in and out of traffic. 

Leaving the city behind, we followed Langata Road around the edge of Nairobi National Park.  I was delighted to find that our campsite was directly across the road from the park.  It seems strange for this wild space to be so close to a major city.

There was a bit of confusion on arrival over our accommodation.  We were all expecting the room costs to be covered by Phoenix Expeditions, but found out that we had to pay for it ourselves.  It was only US$6 each per night for a dorm bed, so not the end of the world.  I was hoping to get my own room for a couple of nights, but I just couldn’t justify the extra cost.

Most of the group went straight to bed, but I was too excited to sleep.  Instead I took some time to explore the facilities.  The campground is simple, but it’s well looked after and has everything you need, including a bar with satellite TV!  After 24 hours of travel, I enjoyed a much needed shower and managed to still my thoughts enough to catch a couple of hours of sleep. 

As eager as I am to get out and explore, after 6 weeks on the go, I was happy to enjoy a relaxing day around the campsite.  Marika and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood later in the afternoon.  This suburb of Nairobi seems to be a bit more well off than some others we had seen on our drive in from the airport. 

The rest of the evening I spent in the bar, enjoying some great food and the novelty of watching television.