Kenyan Kiss

This past weekend, I raced down a half-paved African highway in a max-capacity mini-bus headed for Nairobi, Kenya, my backpack stuffed between my knees. Inside the packed shuttle, I watched people fall asleep on each others shoulders, nearly suffocate from the heat, and get bent out of shape about the brown and red dust flying in cracked-open windows. Outside my window, meanwhile, I gazed at Maasai men climbing over road rubble, children playing soccer matches, and the sun set over the African plains. It took us 9.5 flaming-hot hours to cross the border and arrive at our final destination (a Friday night street corner in downtown Nairobi)... but that's part of the adventure, isn't it?

After four days of trekking, I can now say that I have, among other things:

1. Survived immigration and acquired a new visa on an African border,
2. Slept top-bunk in an African hostel
3. Eaten ostrich, crocodile, and camel (all in one meal)
4. Been driven through Africa's largest slums (Kibera)
5. Gotten Swahili "shang" (or "slang") lessons from an Kenyan cab driver
6. Watched baby elephant orphans drink out of giant sized bottles (while a lion chased gazelles in the background)
7. Strolled through Nairobi's answer to Central Park & the Boston Commons (Uhuru Park)
8. Pretended I was Karen Blixen at her house in the 'burbs
9. Sipped a latte in uptown Nairobi (and gotten accosted at a local Maasai market)
10. Observed Kenyan runners sprint down the highway with ridiculous awe, and
11. Kissed a Rothschild giraffe square on the mouth. (When in Africa!)

Many thanks to Lucetta, my terrific travel partner and endless source of inspiration and laughs; Milimani Backpackers, who lovingly housed and put up with the both of us; Paul the Cab Driver, who not only drove us all over Nairobi, but also protected and educated us along the way; Gentry, the avid traveler who provided us with an evening of happy company and ample quotes; our Riverside Bus Driver coming back from Kenya, who navigated Lucetta across the border when she neglected to bring her Yellow Card; Neal and Alex, the tremendous good-sports (and Kings of Wine and Ice Cream) from Cali who hopped on the bus and followed us back to Moshi; and -- last, but certainly not least -- Scooby the Hostel Dog, who chewed up all the rogue water bottles and made things feel exponentially more homey.


P.S. Did you know that the giraffe's saliva is a natural antiseptic? Yeah. It protects their lips from all the thorny tree branches off which they eat. Also, it protects my lips when we kiss. That happened.