Back from Kenya - initial musings
We're back! The first overseas trip for me since the '90's, Jeff since the 70's, and John since he was born. It was quite special to travel that far, and that long, as a family, and to spend time with more of Jeff's family when we got there (his mother, aunt and uncle).
The most vivid takeaways for me personally were (and will expand on all of these in later posts):
- How much fun going on a safari was, as I didn't know exactly what to expect:
- Most people walk everywhere in Kenya, which is so different than in the States. You could not look out a car window without seeing dozens of people walking along highways, roads, across fields to get where they needed to go.
- Kenyan roads are incredibly bumpy and rugged almost everywhere we went.
- It was only the second time in my life that I clearly felt that I was in the minority.
-The people were warm and welcoming.
- There is a very visible trash problem in the country, and I know other challenges that are not quite as in your face visible.
- There are lots of guards, fences, barbed wire, etc. but I did not feel unsafe.
- Airport security leaving the country is the most stringent I have ever experienced.
- The weather in December was gorgeous, although the area was going into drought.
- Going to a part of the world with a 9 hour time difference definitely took a lot of time to fully adjust. Although not an option for us on this trip, I would want to travel 3-4 weeks in country to do that time of a time switch full justice.
Since I am still processing the experience, I'll write about something a little more trivial - my packing list.
SUPERSTARS
- Kindle Paperwhite E-reader: Oh, how the Paperwhite was so useful in ways I could not have imagined beyond reading on the long flights. As I woke up almost every night around 2 a.m. almost the entire trip, it kept me company until a sleeping pill or Benadryl kicked in. Then, a few days into the trip in our safari tent/hotel room, in the middle of the night I had to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't find my headlamp. Then I tried to feel my way in the total blackness, and almost killed myself. But, the Paperwhite was on the corner of the table by my bed. I opened it up, and I suddenly had a flashlight! Which I used that way the rest of the trip, having loaned my headlamp to Jeff so he could read his non-paperwhite Kindle. It also held a good charge and needed boosting only about once a week. The one caveat is that I didn't download all the books I was interested in reading. I got a stern warning from Amazon about how I would have to pay per page if I tried to download out of the country, so I could only use what was already downloaded at the time. I tortured myself by reading many samples of books that I couldn't continue until I was back in the U.S. A minor quibble.
- Uniqlo Ultra Light Down vest. It kept me warm but not too warm. It packs down to nothing. It turned my coat into a parka when needed. And, stuffed into the front of this neck roll, I have finally found out after 12 years of airplane travel how to be able to sleep sitting up, with your neck supported, and your mouth not hanging open for drool to come out. Hack of the decade for me:
WINNERS
- Lush Shampoo Bar: This dry block of soap had a great scent and was a triple threat: shampoo, soap and detergent for hand-washing my clothes. Got a little goopy at times but if you let it dry out it seems like it would last for several months.
- Hat: A cute hat covers up any bad hair day and is good sun protection.
- Toms: I wore my Toms every day. They were light and easy, and I didn't mind them getting dusty or dirty. I left them behind for another person to use - they were 'too worn out' for my tastes by the end of the trip, but honestly had plenty of life left in them. I bought these originally with my mom several years ago, so saying goodbye to them was bittersweet.
- Packing cubes: Dang, these things rock. They are like clown cars for your clothing. I could have packed (but maybe not physically carried) much more.
- Sleeping mask: I always thought people who wore these looked silly. Now I know those people were smarter than me:
These work for: sleeping on airplanes/sleeping when your husband is reading using a headlamp/taking a nap in the middle of the day. Jeff ordered me a simple yet contoured pair on Amazon that don't smush eyelashes and I sometimes slept all night with them on. Or, some nights they ended up as a strange headband.
- Hearos earplugs. These super-cheap ear protection can be found at any Walgreens. I used them for masking airplane hum (and way less expensive than noise-cancelling headphones), screaming babies on the airplane, noisy crowds, and to provide almost silent sleeping time.
- Jeans: took 2 days to dry, but worth it for a non-hiking look.
- Honorable mention: clip on collapsible water bottle.
WHAT I (MOSTLY) REGRETTED BRINGING:
- Hiking boots: My Keen hiking boots, while super comfortable, turned out to be strangely hot all on the bottom of my foot. Wearing them out hiking in 20 degrees in Wisconsin that is nice. In 80 degrees Kenya, not so much. Additionally, I wore them on the airplanes and they were hot and bulky. And I felt so touristy and not cool. There are much lower-profile shoes out there that are comfortable but look much better in an urban environment. There were exactly 4 hours total on this trip when I was grateful for the hiking boots: our hike around Crater Lake; and the 2 hours we traipsed around London's dodgy sidewalks and walking through Hyde Park. And I could have done both of those things in alternate footwear.
- Sun Hoodie: Didn't use it at all. I think I had one too many casual tops on this trip.
FINALLY, WHAT I WISH I HAD
- Hair dryer: Oh boy. I thought I was wash and wear. After 2 days I was sick of my non-fluffy hair. By the time we had plans to go out to a social gathering, my M-I-L took pity on me and kindly let me use her dryer and roller brush. And I felt like 'me' for the first time in 5 days. (I learned later that my little pink dryer was compatible for converting the voltage.) So, I will now be carrying a hair dryer with me on future trips, because as a cosmetics company once said, I'm worth it.
- Nice top/s: I was advised that it is extremely casual in Kenya and to not bring any fancy clothes. Which I interpreted very literally and brought all that sexy type of hiking clothing you find at REI. Well. We had two house parties that we went to and the dining hall on safari was also casual but appropriate to be more festive. A dressier black top and a couple of necklaces would have been lovely to pull out and feel pretty.
- 3rd pair of shoes. Echoing the above, a slightly nicer pair of flats would have been good to have in the evening or going out to dinner.
- More sleeping pills. We ran out of Excedrin PM halfway through the trip. That was a bummer.
- Contacts: having a small bottle of solution and a couple of pairs would have been nice to have too.
GOOD TO KNOW:
- Take breaks: When I got to day 10 and almost had a meltdown due to getting overheated and having very little downtime, Jeff kindly encouraged me to take the following day off. I begged off of a hike and a boat trip, and ended up sleeping, reading, and being dive bombed by a bat while lounging on the front porch of our guesthouse. Half a day off and I was good as new. We've experienced this phenomenon before (Disney), and it was a good reminder that taking every 3rd or 4th day during a major trip is important for one's mental health. The fear of missing out on something special is very real, but if you don't take it, you'll miss out on something else eventually because you just. can't. take. it. anymore.
- The Tortuga backpack suitcase worked really well. Jeff and I ended up with a system where he would lift the backpack onto one shoulder and I would get it all cinched in. I definitely could have built up more strength, but his chivalry was much appreciated. AND after I bought a painting that wouldn't fit into our big roller suitcase, I carried my painting all the way home strapped to the side of the backpack, with the end fitting perfectly into a side pocket for reinforcement. Quite a suitcase hack, also courtesy of Jeff.
- Sunscreen and bug spray: Strangely we used very little of both. Which is interesting because I was super vigilant in planning about being free of bugs. We were at pretty high elevation most of the trip or shaded so we didn't use much either way.
- Malaria Pills - we got our shots up to date and carried our malaria meds with us, but once we arrived in the country all the locals we met advised that it was not necessary to take them because either the altitude or very little evidence of the disease. Then we visited a chemist who provided a kit for a blood test if we came down with symptoms, and medicine to take if needed at that point, which I had never heard about. I was completely fine with it until I came back to the US and started freaking out about not being careful enough. However, we seem to have passed the symptomatic window and I think we are fine this time around. I heard that it would be very important to take if going to Mombasa, which we didn't this trip.
- Jeff voted for a sink stopper for future consideration for hand washing clothes in sinks that don't have stoppers, and I agree, although I tended to bring dirty clothes into the shower to multi-task.
And for a wonderful moment of Zen:
 |
| Carolyn, Cherry, John, Jeff and Vance at Crater Lake. Check out the beam coming down on Jeff's head...! |
- How much fun going on a safari was, as I didn't know exactly what to expect:
 |
| Did not expect to be THIS CLOSE to leopards! |
- Kenyan roads are incredibly bumpy and rugged almost everywhere we went.
- It was only the second time in my life that I clearly felt that I was in the minority.
-The people were warm and welcoming.
- There is a very visible trash problem in the country, and I know other challenges that are not quite as in your face visible.
- There are lots of guards, fences, barbed wire, etc. but I did not feel unsafe.
- Airport security leaving the country is the most stringent I have ever experienced.
- The weather in December was gorgeous, although the area was going into drought.
- Going to a part of the world with a 9 hour time difference definitely took a lot of time to fully adjust. Although not an option for us on this trip, I would want to travel 3-4 weeks in country to do that time of a time switch full justice.
Since I am still processing the experience, I'll write about something a little more trivial - my packing list.
SUPERSTARS
- Kindle Paperwhite E-reader: Oh, how the Paperwhite was so useful in ways I could not have imagined beyond reading on the long flights. As I woke up almost every night around 2 a.m. almost the entire trip, it kept me company until a sleeping pill or Benadryl kicked in. Then, a few days into the trip in our safari tent/hotel room, in the middle of the night I had to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't find my headlamp. Then I tried to feel my way in the total blackness, and almost killed myself. But, the Paperwhite was on the corner of the table by my bed. I opened it up, and I suddenly had a flashlight! Which I used that way the rest of the trip, having loaned my headlamp to Jeff so he could read his non-paperwhite Kindle. It also held a good charge and needed boosting only about once a week. The one caveat is that I didn't download all the books I was interested in reading. I got a stern warning from Amazon about how I would have to pay per page if I tried to download out of the country, so I could only use what was already downloaded at the time. I tortured myself by reading many samples of books that I couldn't continue until I was back in the U.S. A minor quibble.
- Uniqlo Ultra Light Down vest. It kept me warm but not too warm. It packs down to nothing. It turned my coat into a parka when needed. And, stuffed into the front of this neck roll, I have finally found out after 12 years of airplane travel how to be able to sleep sitting up, with your neck supported, and your mouth not hanging open for drool to come out. Hack of the decade for me:
 |
| Put the snap at the back of your head, and jam your jaw shut on the front of the neck roll with the vest. Note this is a memory foam type of neckroll. It works like a dream! No more drooling. |
WINNERS
- Lush Shampoo Bar: This dry block of soap had a great scent and was a triple threat: shampoo, soap and detergent for hand-washing my clothes. Got a little goopy at times but if you let it dry out it seems like it would last for several months.
- Hat: A cute hat covers up any bad hair day and is good sun protection.
 |
| Chillin at Brackenhurst |
 |
| Goodbye to my favorite shoes - thanks for all the adventures! |
- Sleeping mask: I always thought people who wore these looked silly. Now I know those people were smarter than me:
 |
| This boy can sleep anywhere and really doesn't need the mask. |
- Hearos earplugs. These super-cheap ear protection can be found at any Walgreens. I used them for masking airplane hum (and way less expensive than noise-cancelling headphones), screaming babies on the airplane, noisy crowds, and to provide almost silent sleeping time.
- Jeans: took 2 days to dry, but worth it for a non-hiking look.
- Honorable mention: clip on collapsible water bottle.
WHAT I (MOSTLY) REGRETTED BRINGING:
- Hiking boots: My Keen hiking boots, while super comfortable, turned out to be strangely hot all on the bottom of my foot. Wearing them out hiking in 20 degrees in Wisconsin that is nice. In 80 degrees Kenya, not so much. Additionally, I wore them on the airplanes and they were hot and bulky. And I felt so touristy and not cool. There are much lower-profile shoes out there that are comfortable but look much better in an urban environment. There were exactly 4 hours total on this trip when I was grateful for the hiking boots: our hike around Crater Lake; and the 2 hours we traipsed around London's dodgy sidewalks and walking through Hyde Park. And I could have done both of those things in alternate footwear.
- Sun Hoodie: Didn't use it at all. I think I had one too many casual tops on this trip.
FINALLY, WHAT I WISH I HAD
- Hair dryer: Oh boy. I thought I was wash and wear. After 2 days I was sick of my non-fluffy hair. By the time we had plans to go out to a social gathering, my M-I-L took pity on me and kindly let me use her dryer and roller brush. And I felt like 'me' for the first time in 5 days. (I learned later that my little pink dryer was compatible for converting the voltage.) So, I will now be carrying a hair dryer with me on future trips, because as a cosmetics company once said, I'm worth it.
- Nice top/s: I was advised that it is extremely casual in Kenya and to not bring any fancy clothes. Which I interpreted very literally and brought all that sexy type of hiking clothing you find at REI. Well. We had two house parties that we went to and the dining hall on safari was also casual but appropriate to be more festive. A dressier black top and a couple of necklaces would have been lovely to pull out and feel pretty.
- 3rd pair of shoes. Echoing the above, a slightly nicer pair of flats would have been good to have in the evening or going out to dinner.
- More sleeping pills. We ran out of Excedrin PM halfway through the trip. That was a bummer.
- Contacts: having a small bottle of solution and a couple of pairs would have been nice to have too.
GOOD TO KNOW:
- Take breaks: When I got to day 10 and almost had a meltdown due to getting overheated and having very little downtime, Jeff kindly encouraged me to take the following day off. I begged off of a hike and a boat trip, and ended up sleeping, reading, and being dive bombed by a bat while lounging on the front porch of our guesthouse. Half a day off and I was good as new. We've experienced this phenomenon before (Disney), and it was a good reminder that taking every 3rd or 4th day during a major trip is important for one's mental health. The fear of missing out on something special is very real, but if you don't take it, you'll miss out on something else eventually because you just. can't. take. it. anymore.
- The Tortuga backpack suitcase worked really well. Jeff and I ended up with a system where he would lift the backpack onto one shoulder and I would get it all cinched in. I definitely could have built up more strength, but his chivalry was much appreciated. AND after I bought a painting that wouldn't fit into our big roller suitcase, I carried my painting all the way home strapped to the side of the backpack, with the end fitting perfectly into a side pocket for reinforcement. Quite a suitcase hack, also courtesy of Jeff.
 |
| Okay, not in Kenya but see my roll of artwork?! |
- Malaria Pills - we got our shots up to date and carried our malaria meds with us, but once we arrived in the country all the locals we met advised that it was not necessary to take them because either the altitude or very little evidence of the disease. Then we visited a chemist who provided a kit for a blood test if we came down with symptoms, and medicine to take if needed at that point, which I had never heard about. I was completely fine with it until I came back to the US and started freaking out about not being careful enough. However, we seem to have passed the symptomatic window and I think we are fine this time around. I heard that it would be very important to take if going to Mombasa, which we didn't this trip.
- Jeff voted for a sink stopper for future consideration for hand washing clothes in sinks that don't have stoppers, and I agree, although I tended to bring dirty clothes into the shower to multi-task.
And for a wonderful moment of Zen:
 |
| One of my favorite images from the Masai Mara. |
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