I cannot believe that our flight from Ethiopia was only 2 hours, it feels like we traveled all day long! Everyone got their bags! Except for me. I filed a missing bags application with Ethiopian Airlines, which involved talking to a lot of Kenyans, but they assured me "we will assist you" and have promised me that my bags will arrive on the 1am flight from Ethiopia tonight. This delayed us a bit, but we have finally checked into the Kahama International Hotel. I learned that while we were driving here, Open Arms staff in Eldoret talked to the President of Ethiopian Airlines and insisted that they deliver my luggage to the hotel tonight, instead of me going to pick it up. However it works out, I will just be happy if I get my bags before our 8am flight to Eldoret tomorrow!
The hotel is nice, though it looks a bit run down from the outside. There are enough rooms, but not enough beds, so some of us are sharing a bed. We're keeping the same roommates from Ethiopia. We met the U.K team and had dinner, and then everyone was ready to go to bed. Julianne and I stayed up talking for a little while. We were both sound asleep when the phone rang at 1am on Julianne's side of the bed. She said Taxi George was downstairs with my luggage! I threw on a coat and ran downstairs - only to find Taxi George, no bags. He was ready to take me to the airport to look for them. I ran back upstairs and dressed, and we left for the airport. I have to say, it felt really strange to be alone in Nairobi with a taxi driver I barely know, speeding toward the airport in the middle of the night. George very nonchalantly informed me that if you must drive in Nairobi at night:
1) Never stop at a stoplight. That is just asking to be robbed or mugged.
2) Do not drive near any other vehicles, and make sure you are not being followed.
3) It is generally best just to go as fast as you possibly can.
I didn't think these rules really varied much from day time driving, although we were able to go much faster with no traffic. We made it to the airport and George took me to a tiny security office where I traded my passport for a badge to get me through security. From then on, I was on my own, George had to wait outside. I went through security and found baggage claim, and started looking through the piles of luggage scattered around everywhere. My bags were dead center in the middle of the room with bright red tags that read "Rush to Rachel Gulden, Nairobi". I quickly started dragging them towards the exit, where I was stopped by a customs officer, who asked me for my passport. I explained that I didn't have it and showed him my security badge. He asked why I was in the country and I said I was a tourist. He let me go without checking my luggage or asking for a bribe. I found the security office again, retrieved my passport, and left to find George! The whole thing went so smoothly, I was absolutely elated. Luckily, Julianne had not gone back to sleep after I left, so I had someone to talk to while I rode my adrenaline high until morning. Now, on to Eldoret!
Above is the team boarding our plane to Eldoret! It is a short flight, only about 35 minutes. They were unable to fit all of our luggage (even though more than half of it is already being brought by a truck), so only a few of us got our bags once we landed - me being one of them! How is that for ironic? The bus picked us up from the airport and drove us about 10 minutes to the village. The village has changed so much in one year! The description I wrote in my journal is "absolutely knock-your-socks-off amazing"! Four children's homes are completely finished, with the 5th one and a baby home under construction. Two guest homes are completely finished and a third is under construction. The guest homes are amazing! We had been told that electricity and internet were not yet available, and there were a few concerns about water, so most of us had imagined that we would be "roughing it." Check out these photos and see how surprised we were!
The sitting area - which we saw when we first walked in, everyone was shocked!
Our room! (and our lovely mosquito nets!)
