Yesterday Beth and I left Meru for Nairobi so we could catch a 4AM flight to Cairo. We said our goodbyes to the rest of the AFK volunteers and to our fearless leaders, Wayne and Emily, and were on our way after much picture taking.
We passed through much of the same scenery that we had seen on the way to Meru, but after a while, we changed routes and so we saw new things, like rice fields. Working in those fields did not look like a pleasant way to earn a living. Wet and back-breaking.
Once we arrived in Nairobi, we met up with Jimmy and Faith. We had met them earlier in our trip but this time we got to spend one-on-one time with them and got to know each of them better. Jimmy is super friendly and very animated -- a lot of fun. His wife is quieter, but very nice. They seem like a great couple.
After a drive through downtown Nairobi and through a wealthy part of the city full of beautiful old mansions mostly made of stucco or stone with red-tiled roofs, we passed by the US Embassy, a lot of UN buildings and eventually arrived at a mall, which was located behind a big wall with a gate and guards. Once inside, we headed for the food court, which turned out to be jammed packed with people eating, drinking and watching the World Cup (Germany vs Argentina). Given the neighborhood, the place was full of people from all over the world. Beth Faith and I ordered Thai food; Jimmy had a pizza.
Over dinner, Jimmy and Faith talked about what it's like to live in Nairobi, where people do not walk around at night and avoid certain neighborhoods entirely for fear of being robbed, kidnapped or killed. They also told us about the 2007 post-election violence in Nairobi and how Jimmy was in the city at their home with little to eat for a couple weeks, while Faith and their young boy remained at her mother's home in the country where it was safer. They also told us about how Kenyans believe that all Americans get married and divorced almost right away and they laughed with amazement when we told them about Petsmart and Petco, that Americans take their animals to a special doctor and that some people dress up their pets and even sleep with them. In Kenya, dogs and cats are considered nuisances and certainly not part of the family.
Once we finished eating, we headed for the airport where Beth and I said our goodbyes to Jimmy, Faith and our driver, Francis. Then we settled in for a long wait until we could check in for our flight to Cairo -- four long hours to be exact, sitting on two of the four hard plastic chairs available. There was no where to purchase food or water and we got quite cold as the evening wore on because our seats were near an open window. Finally, at about 1:30AM, we were allowed to check in, after which we found a coffee shop and hung out there for several more hours. It was a popular place because there were comfortable places to sleep, TVs and good coffee.
Our 4:30 flight left a half hour late and we arrived in Cairo, bleary-eyed, at 10AM. We called Mohamed from the airport who sent a driver to pick us up and take us back to the Luna. Once we checked in, unpacked a bit and washed some clothes, we caught a cab to Maadi and met Mohamed for lunch at a tiny restaurant with wonderful food -- moist grilled chicken and lamb kofta, a salad of cut up ripe tomatoes, onion, sweet cucumbers, cilantro and serrano peppers, hummus, and bread. The food tasted especially delicious after the boring and generally bad food we ate in Kenya.
After lunch we went to Mohamed's brother's flat, where Mohamed lives, and watched TV with him and his sister-in-law, who is due to have her first baby in September. She plied us with all sorts of drinks -- cold apple juice, a hot mixture of lemon and honey to help alleviate my congestion (thanks to the dust and dirt of Kenya and Egypt), and hot sugary tea. Mohamed also ordered Umm Ali for Beth and me, our favorite Egyptian desert. It's a hot baked dish of flaky pastry, coconut, pistachios, yellow raisins and milk, all mixed together.
Later Mohamed left and when he returned he announced that he had a surprise for us. It turned out to be our friend Sandy, the young woman who went to Siwa with us and who works for Mohamed's brother. It was great to see her again and to tell her all about our experiences in Kenya. Both she and Mohamed were fascinated by our photos and asked us a lot of questions about Kenya.
After Sandy left, we had dinner. Beth and I were not at all hungry after just having had a huge lunch four hours before, but we had to eat at least a little food -- chicken, a tomato and cucumber salad, and delicious eggplant or aubergine as the Egyptians call it.
Once we finished our meal, Mohamed drove us back to the Luna. He is not the most confident driver in Cairo traffic, especially at night and downtown where the traffic is especially crazy, but despite a few wrong turns, we made our way back to our hotel where we said goodbye and see you next year to our "brother" Mohamed. Beth and I were very sad to leave him.
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