Week 25 - Lebanon and Kenya
The weekend was rainy and we mostly relaxed and enjoyed family time. Our neighborhood was without internet for a couple hours on Sunday because of a problem obtaining fuel for the generator for the internet provider. In general, however, life in Beirut was not difficult for us at all.
Monday was a pretty day, though cool, and we went to get our PCR tests done. After that, we stopped for pastries and walked down to the sea and the famous Roche rocks.
Tuesday was a packing day, but when we finished up Sean got to go to the park one last time.
Collin had other plans.
We got one last yummy Lebanese meal from a restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area, but we brought it back home because it was chilly.
Home was cozy though!
Wednesday morning we left for Kenya. I admit I had some tears in the taxi on the way to the airport. Time with my aunt and uncle has always been special for me, and ever since I was a little girl I always cried when it had to end. On top of that, I love the middle east and have a soft spot for Beirut, a city that has been through so much and just keeps on being special. It was overcast, but as we approached the airport a ray of sun shown down on the mountains, and I chose to see that as a symbol of hope for the country. If anyone reading this is contemplating travel, please, please don't skip the middle east! It's safe, especially compared to random crime in the US, in that political tension is easier to avoid by staying in calm areas. It's beautiful, the history is incredible, and you'll never meet kinder people. It's more affordable than Europe, and you can feel good about supporting the local economy.
I was sad to leave, but being a mom means you don't have time to be sad for long, because soon we were at the airport and in for a long day.
It really went quite well, we just covered a lot of miles that day. The first flight was Beirut to Doha, Qatar, which is almost three hours, then a quick change with next to no wait time, and a five hour flight to Nairobi. Our first two surprises about Kenya came towards the end of the flight. In accordance with Kenyan law, the flight attendants sprayed the entire cabin with insecticide just before landing, they then announced that plastic bags are prohibited and that anyone trying to take a plastic bag into the country could be fined. Well, I still had my little bottles of hand sanitizer, lotion, etc. that I keep in my carry-on in plastic bags, since that's how the security stations in Europe and the US want them. I also had a Ziploc full of spare cloth masks. So those bags got ditched and things got repacked. We weren't sure what was going to happen to the plastic bags in our checked bags since we use them for packing shampoo bottles and things like that. They all were still there, and so far no fines. I've always thought plastic bans were a good idea, but I'm kind of bummed about not having a Ziploc for the spare masks. Funny how difficult it can be to live one's values when it comes to changing small habits. We arrived in Nairobi a little after midnight and crashed at the Hilton Garden Inn right by the airport. It was a convenient and comfortable choice, which we'll repeat on our way out of Kenya in February.
Poor little guy was so tired, but after a travel day he really needed a shower, then didn't want to get his pillow wet. He eventually made it into the bed though.
Thursday we had time for a relaxed breakfast at the hotel, then went back to the airport to fly to Mombasa. That's when we finally really started getting to see Kenya. We drove from Mombasa to Diani Beach, we saw open-air markets, cows roaming neighborhoods, and got to take a ferry ride.
Our house is lovely. It's a traditional-looking thatched roof house in a tropical paradise with a garden and pool.
Our German hosts are very helpful and there is a staff of helpers to take care of the property and guests. We were met with cool cloths and fruit drinks. Our beds were decorated with flowers, our bags were taken in, and we just stood gaping unused to anything like it. The head cook and housekeeper made me a grocery list and sent me off in a Tuk Tuk to get what we needed, while Jay watched the boys in the pool.
Since it was late and time for the staff to leave, I cooked that first night, but the next day I had a lot to get used to. I made breakfast, but the dirty dishes kept disappearing. I asked where the washing machine was and the clothes were taken from my hands. I went looking for a broom to clean up after the kids ate, and the mess was gone. To be honest, I'm having trouble feeling ok about all the service, I could never ask someone to clean up after me or my kids, but they just manage to do things almost before I realize they need to be done.
We have two bedrooms downstairs, plus an upstairs and no big C, so I set up the school room there. It's amazingly cool up there, especially considering it's 90 degrees and no AC.
Once lessons and unpacking were done the kids wanted back in the pool. That's one good thing about having help with the housework, I have time to watch them swim when they want. I'm glad for this, because I can work on swimming with S which is a big goal right now since he had to stop his lessons almost two years ago because of COVID.
We do like trying local food, so I was happy to have some dishes prepared while I watched, so I can replicate them at home. Dinner was fish coconut stew for J and little C, rice, and a delicious local green called sukuma. We then got busy planning our next destinations, which have been up in the air because S wants to go to Madagascar but it's been a challenge finding flights due to COVID. We settled on Mauritius next, then Reunion, and it looks like from there we should be able to get to Madagascar in March.
Today, Saturday, we went to the beach and checked out the Indian Ocean for the first time. J is delighted, it's like a warm bath, but the intense sun is a bit much for me. I liked the North Atlantic in Ireland and the rocky Mediterranean just fine, though I have to admit the North Sea was too cold. But fair enough, It's his turn to roast while I search for shade. The next few months should be really interesting.