Day 18: This is Africa

​Today we had our second very early start at 4am to say our goodbyes to Suubi House and make our way to Kenya! It was a mixed bag of emotions having to leave Juliet and her incredible friendship and cooking skills, but we were also so keen to live a few days in relaxation without the threat of another surprise work day. We left the house at around 4:30am and unsuccessfully tried to get a little more sleep on the way to Entebbe all the while being bounced around on rocky Ugandan ‘roads’.

​Our tiredness was soon overridden by papa Joh stressing everyone out at the airport as we hustled to check-in on time, but hey, this is Africa – when is anyone on time? We made our way through various security scanners and one too many declaration forms before boarding our plane just in time. On the flight I had the pleasure of sitting next to Kendall who chuckled away for an hour while watching Big Mama’s House as I tried to contain my travel sickness in the most casual way possible.
 
We arrived in Kenya and most of us agreed it already felt more like a holiday destination with the roads being actual roads and buildings actually built. The real adventures of the day however began in our 5 hour drive to the resort. We stopped for some lunch at Tusky’s and loaded up on snacks to tide us through until we could be amongst the familiarity of Australian food in a couple of days. We also stopped at a touristy souvenir shop where I made multiple cries for help as the shop owners desperately tried to make a sale, or should I say rip us off completely.
 
Other than that it was smooth sailing for the first hour or so until the van that myself, Sarah, Kasey, Katie, Ingrid and Bryony were in conked out and steam proceeded to fill the car. As we scrambled to get out, I don’t know if I was more scared of a potential car explosion or of Ingrid after she was woken from her nap. Our stopover on the side of the road lasted about 45 minutes however spirits were kept high as we entertained ourselves by singing High School Musical songs, finding a fence for Katie to pee behind and getting beeped at least 4 times per minute by passing traffic. Little did we know at this same time the leaders van was also undergoing some technical difficulties – a snapped off side mirror which was so professionally repaired by a roll of duct tape.
 
Once all of the troubles were averted we got back on the road and drove to Sweetwater Conservatory at Ol Pejeta in the late afternoon. As soon as we arrived we went on safari and it was indescribable, although I’m aware my job in writing this is to describe our day so I’ll give it my best shot. Basically we popped the tops off of our vans and stood out the roof as the wind blew through our hair and the dust into our eyes, making gasps and shrieks of excitement every time an animal appeared.
 
We got back to our rooms for the next two nights and enjoyed showers which were actually warm and had pressure and a 3-course buffet dinner. Overall, a top day in Kenya!
 
New South Wales #1 (aka Chloe) signing out, see ya soon Aus!