Sunday – September 5, 2010 –

Goodbye to Nairobi

My brother Jeff and I woke up at the painfully early hour of 4:30 a.m. Such is the sacrifice for traveling to east Africa. We left Stanley Sarova Hotel in downtown Nairobi at 5 a.m. for Jomo Kenyata International airport. We had arranged our transfer for the night before.

Upon arrival at Nairobi’s airport, we went through security and then shopped. I bought Mom a Masai blanket, my boss Linda a small Masai painting and me a large elephant painting before boarding our 7:30 a.m. flight to Joburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.

Flying over Lake Malawi

We had breakfast on our South African Airways flight and enjoyed views of the endless plains we had previously traveled. Along the way we saw Mount Meru, Mount Kilimanjaro and beautiful Lake Malawi. We arrived in Joburg around noon.

Upon arriving in Joburg, we grabbed lunch at Nandos and placed our bags at left luggage. We inquired about going to the Apartheid Museum, but it was going to cost a lot of money so we decided to visit the Emperors Palace to gamble and play games before our return flight. I played slots and video poker and lost about 160 Rand while Jeff pretty much won it all back.

After taking the transfer back to the airport we claimed our bags, checked in and went through security. Jeff and I then went shopping where I bought a decorated Ostrich egg, belt and several gifts for others. I think Joburg’s remodeled airport might be the nicest in the world with an amazing mall and shops! Then we were felt down, bags searched and questioned amongst even more stiff security.

Our Delta flight left OR Tambo at 20:40 p.m. We flew over Gaborone, Botswana and Windhoek, Namibia on the way out to the South Atlantic. After a 16.5-hour flight we arrived in Atlanta at 6:00 a.m., about 30 minutes early. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip and epic journey. I am so fortunate to have been able to explore Africa with brother.