If the first travel days were a journey, these days were a ****** epic saga with a full hero’s journey and epilogue. Staring out, we were up even earlier than normal to get completely packed and disassemble our camping gear. For me, the early start occurred far before it should have; despite having set my alarm for 5:30 am, I was wide awake a
t 3:00 am. The culprit, as has so often been the case, was my overactive brain that refuses to shut off after receiving even the slightest bit of input. The scenario this time was that I’d had an idea for a mini-campaign I wanted to run in the horror TTRPG Candela Obscura, and I simply could not stop thinking of plans for the nascent game. Eventually, I gave up on going to sleep and just started preparing for the day.
An auspicious start, no? Well, it gets better. I was packed quite quickly since I had started the night before, though I did need some assistance in dismantling my tent (special thanks to Makenna). We had a pitiful breakfast of dregs since most of us were late to the buffet line due to packing, then hit the road at around 7:00 am, right on schedule (or at least close). Everything was going well, which of course meant the universe felt the need to swing a giant hammer at one of our vehicles and cause it to be unable to utilize gas. What this ended up looking like was stopping every ten minutes for about an hour as our drivers manually pumped diesel through the filter/tried to fix the issue. Despite a pit stop at the mechanics, we never resolved the problem. The trouble continued for basically the rest of the trip in those cars, and became especially pronounced when going uphill, where we slowed to an absolute snail’s crawl.
Our incredible lunch!
Our glacial place set us back by about an hour. For us, this meant we were late to getting our boxed lunches from the Lilac Café, which made them all the sweeter when we finally opened those goldmines and discovered roasted chicken, jam sandwiches, a slice of pizza, mango juice, a banana, pound cake, a boiled egg, and a piece of chocolate. That’s right: if there’s one thing Tanzanians get right, it’s lunch.
The curry of doom.
Back on the road, we settled in for the rest of our 12-hour drive. At least, we thought it would be 12 hours. All told, the trip ended up taking 14 hours, which is a pretty absurd when you think about it. That’s even longer than our flight across the Atlantic! Arriving at the hotel in Nairobi felt like such a blessing. They even had a restaurant still open, which was fortunate since none of us had eaten since lunch. I had some yummy chicken curry, then went to bed.
Limo taxi go brrrrr.
You may be asking, “Vivian, why would you eat curry if you know you get nauseous easily before flights? Wouldn’t something simpler for your stomach be better?” And to that, I say, you’re so right and I’m an idiot. I woke up at 3:00 AM to prepare for departure and immediately felt truly awful. The ride to the airport left me puking my guts out, and the feeling was so terrible that I couldn’t even make it through the door before sprinting for a bathroom. Through the help of Professor Solomon, I made it to our gate, but it was a close thing.
I had to buy it, I swear.
The Hagia Sophia, a stunning sight.
As for the flight, it passed uneventfully (thank god). Landing in Istanbul, I was ready to take on the city! We checked into a seriously bougie hotel, complete with a spa floor that I unfortunately never got to use, then headed out into the streets. After a quick bite of delicious pastry from a café nearby, we walked, talked, and subwayed ourselves to the Grand Bazaar. The shopping, as one could expect, was magical. I ended up buying about $30 worth of Turkish delight, but in my defense, where else would you get better, more authentic delights than in Turkey? Once shopping was done, we travelled to the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque for additional sightseeing. Ending the night with a delicious dinner (that I unfortunately had no appetite for) and a ride home on a taxi that
This is a food blog now.
was absurd for many reasons I won’t get into left us ready to crash. I got back to my luxurious room and passed out for the next nine hours.
I got up early enough for a Turkish breakfast at the hotel’s free buffet, and then it was off again! Istanbul’s airport should be commended for its excellent security, but we certainly weren’t feeling that way after three hours spent marching from line to line. Thankfully, our flight was delayed for two hours, giving us the opportunity to take a breather and have
Not an official Turkish breakfast, but I’ll take it.
some lunch before leaving. I enjoyed a schnitzel sandwich and a mango smoothie while chatting away the time.
Actually one of the best things I ate on the trip…
I won’t bore anyone with the details of our last flight together. Just know that I have officially given up on ever trying to sleep in a vehicle again; nothing good ever comes of it. Arriving in Houston, the humidity greeted us with a slap in the face and a general atmosphere almost inhospitable to life. Though it was sad to say goodbye to my classmates, I was definitely ready to get the heck out of there and sleep. Thankfully, my wish was granted, and I finished the long hours of travel with a good night’s rest.
