Wow! Even with the limitations and monotony imposed by a global pandemic, 2021 is flying by! Masks, curfews, social distancing, quarantines all over the planet for more than a year now. It almost feels normal at this point…
I am fortunate to live in Uganda where we so far have evaded the level of spreading that so many nations are experiencing. But I am also unable to visit my family in Canada. If I elected to go home right now I would have to choose between seeing my daughter or my parents, because interprovincial travel is a no-no. And that’s after paying for 2 weeks in quarantine. So I wait and hope.
I have a trip planned for my upcoming birthday, so I figure its about time I post something about my Christmas trip to Nairobi. I didn’t really do much touristy but I still have a tale or two to share.
I went to Nairobi with my guy, Maina, who is Kenyan, so I traveled a little differently than when I am a solo female.
First difference, we went by bus not plane. In non-pandemic times several busses run between Nairobi and Kampala and much of the travel time is at night. But these are pandemic, lockdown, curfew times so no night busses.
We got up just before the crack of dawn to be out catching a bodaboda in time to make the bus at 7am on Saturday morning. We naively assumed that would be easy. Not the case for us. At 6:30ish we were walking Bukasa Road with our backpacks wondering if we would make it!! Obviously we did, but it was a mildly stressful start to the day.
The bus got out of Kampala late, closer to 8:30am instead of the scheduled 7:30. Kenya curfew was 10pm at the time, so schedule mattered!
We were socially distanced on the bus…. 1 person per 2 seat side, so 2 per row. That was nice. I was determined to keep my mask on the entire 13-15 hour journey. I confess that after about 7 hours the combination of non-functioning air conditioning and nobody else keeping a mask on (except my guy, a true mask trooper) I was airing my face out regularly.
A significant difference between the bus here vs at home is these ones have no toilets. So you pee when the bus stops. Period. Bus bathrooms are usually disgusting, but in a pinch they can save you. And, let’s face it, bus depot and service station toilets are also disgusting.
Does anyone else limit their water intake while traveling to minimize their water output?
The border was uneventful for me. I showed my negative covid test results and my work permit and through I went. No need to pay for a visa because I am a resident of East Africa:)
Maina had a wee bit of excitement. Because of travel bans he did not have the exit and reentry stamps he was required to have in July (every 6 months) Easily explainable, and with a small recognition to the border officer he was also through.
The ride was hot (see air-conditioning comment above), scenic, and uneventful until it became questionable if we would make it to Nairobi before curfew. Then my stressed out inner worrier emerged in full force. As we left Nakuru after 7pm, in unrelenting traffic, panic started to set in. What would happen if we got to Nairobi after curfew! Please understand that I have been responsible for trip planning ever since I got married the first time. I had no idea what we would do.
I needn’t have worried at all because of my travel partner. He grew up in the village but lived in Nairobi for more than 25 years, so he was not concerned. BUT he could see my panic rising, so he acted. He called a friend in the police force who assured him we should have no trouble but if we did, just call the friend back and he would send a car from the nearest detachment to deliver us to our Airbnb. My stress instantly subsided. There are so many ways to say I love you without saying the words. Calling an old friend for a favour just to ease the worry of your lady is definitely one of those ways.
This post is long already, but our late dark arrival in Nairobi is too funny not to include.
There is a crazy amount of construction on the roads approaching and in Nairobi. Like summer in Canada, where they shove 12 months of repairs into 5 months of work time.
Well, our bus drivers got lost! Yes, it is literally their job to know how to get to from the station in Kampala to the one in Nairobi, but nope. The changes were beyond their knowledge. It ended up with Maina and another passenger sitting up front trying to direct the driver.
When he realized that we were very close to the location of our Airbnb, at approximately 10:30 pm so 30 minutes past curfew, Maina asked me to trust him and get off the bus there. we were at a well lit round-about with a large service station. I said sure and we disembarked.
This service station was well populated, vehicles refueling, shoppers in the store and even the food counter was still manned despite being past curfew. We got food, beer and a taxi without any difficulty. Curfew in Nairobi was quite different than Kampala at that time!
The Airbnb was perfect. We settled in, had some beer, snacks and laughs and our vacation was underway. * we had some minor excitement mid-bus ride concerning the Airbnb but it all worked out.
A Travelling Accountant 