How after much lead up Colin and Deb get on a plane and depart

Sept. 29th

After a morning of dotting our "i"s and crossing our t we had a nice brunch with Robert, Sarah Jane and Frank at the Modern Times. Deb confessed to Darrah, the owner/manager that we were moving to Kenya and taking our last meal at her café. We will miss the punk rock breakfasts of Mpls. Then we got on a plane and sat.

Sept. 30
We flew ahead in time and landed just before sunrise in Amsterdam. There was some time to kill and we hadn’t really slept on the first flight so we walked the swanky airport and took in the land of design. We lounged a bit in what was the airport library with square, modern brightly colored chairs. We met Deb’s new boss and she talked about some things we might experience in Eldoret and “talked shop” with Deb. Then we were herded onto the plane (The Dutch had created an elegant looking airport, but the gate was crazy cramped). We then got on the plane and sat. There was a bit of strange airline sleep on this flight and a solid landing that passengers laughed away their nervous energy when it was apparent we were safely on the ground. It was very helpful to have Deb’s boss along as she guided us to cash machines and through the crush of cab drivers waiting with signs. We piled into a cab, with the luggage Deb and I brought barely fitting into this small sedan and drove through the dusty night in Nairobi. We arrived at the elegant Fairview hotel to crash in comfort.

Oct. 1st
I slept hard for a few hours and then my confused body and mind woke me. My thoughts were speeding all over the place, seeming matching the miles I which I had just traveled. I read some of the novel I started and wrote a bit, before falling asleep again as light came through the window. We woke for good at 9:30, just in time to catch the best complimentary breakfast one could imagine. Deb did a bit of working-out in the small fitness room to help adjust to the new time and I relaxed, reading. Later we sat near the pool until it was time to catch our taxi for the next flight. The sun shone brightly onto the lush garden at the hotel. I can’t remember ever being in such a luxurious atmosphere. I am sure I will have many more thoughts about wealth each and every day in our time here. My mind is not yet sharp and it feels as if a bit is still back there somewhere, left along the way. The drive through Nairobi was much more interesting and bit more chaotic during the day. We saw Uhuru Park, a tree full of great storks, large hulking buildings, cars and vans crammed with passengers, people walking along this busy highway- waving down vans, driving a few cows or goats, attending to thrown up shops with goods laid out, some posh places for companies like Monsanto, and more.

The flight to Eldoret was short and sweet, only about 40 minutes of air time and it was mostly cloudy. The sun was just about setting as we dropped down to see that this area was more green and lush than what we had left in Nairobi. The air seemed a bit more humid with a chill that reminded us our our elevation: somewhere around 7000 feet above sea level. Again we piled into a taxi and with bad hiphop playing on the stereo we drove into this town where we will make our new home.