I awoke on my last morning in Tanzania to the sweet words of Kamden as he said, “Rise and shine maggots.” We all held our noses as we packed away our camping gear, and then we got into the Land Cruisers one last time.
The first several hours were the last of the dirt roads. We were really cruisin for a bruisin, and Crispin said it was an African massage free of charge. We had some care troubles, but our drivers Crispin and Mohammed were such troupers and got us through it all. I am so grateful for their patience and positive attitudes on this trip. They really went above and beyond.
Smoke coming out of your Land Cruiser? No worries! Crispin and Mohammed are here to save the day!
After some snacks, a nap, and a glorious switch to paved roads, we stopped at Arusha to transfer into one large bus. When we got to the Kenya-Tanzania border, we had to line up our bags in a long row for the goodest of good dogs to sniff them. There was a bit of a hold-up when they required yellow books for border crossing because not all of us had them. However, we may have been let in on a little bribing scheme, as those who were not vaccinated for yellow fever just paid $50 to a border patrol agent for a forged yellow book and no actual vaccines. Rad!
Drug dog
While driving to Nairobi, I suddenly realized that my field notebook was gone. I panicked and started to look all around me, but I just could not find it. I was so disappointed in myself and upset to have lost my long and tedious documentation of this entire trip. I had just entered the fourth stage of grief when I saw it with my mind’s eye. I was deeply thinking about where my notebook could’ve been in the bus, and then I clearly and suddenly visualized it being wedged spine-down between the cushions of a folded-up seat across the aisle from me. Filled with excited disbelief, I reached my hand into the cushions and then precisely confirmed my mental image. It was truly meant to be. Not to sound crazy but I’m pretty sure the universe granted me a vision.
We got to the hotel in Nairobi very late, but nothing could stop me from taking a long-awaited hot shower. After less than 4 hours of sleep, it was time to head to the airport! We landed in Istanbul for our 24-hour layover in the early afternoon, which meant that we had the rest of the day to explore the city! I could not stop singing the song Istanbul (Not Constantinople), but it just felt right. After checking in to Wishmore Hotel, we hit the town. We went to the Grand Bazaar, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and a beautiful kebab restaurant.
The Grand Bazaar
Grelfie (group selfie) in front of the Hagia Sophia
Marlo and I both watched Kedi last semester. It’s a short documentary about the culture of Istanbul street cats. We loved the film and immediately fell in love with the idea of free-living community cats. When it was announced that the class would be having a longer-than-expected layover in Istanbul, I was so happy to get the chance to meet so many kitties! And my expectations were not disappointed. We saw so many of the coolest cats in town, and they were extremely friendly and adorable. Many of them climbed up onto our laps when we squatted down to pet them, and most of them were very well-fed and taken care of. I really admire Istanbul’s view of cats as an integral part of the city.
I love petting street cats
All 14 of us squashed into a single taxi on our way back to the hotel. I was exhausted, so sleep came very easily, and I dreamt about cats. In the morning, we were treated to a fantastic complimentary hotel breakfast, and Marlo, Enoch, and I wandered around the area for a bit letting the cats guide our way. After a couple hours of flight delays, we finally boarded our last flight home! I wasn’t able to get much sleep on the plane, but I did watch four movies to help the 12 hours go by faster.
We landed in Houston after sunset and got back to Rice late in the night on the last day of June. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone. We couldn’t have had a better group, and we all were so glad to have Scott and Manuel as our instructors. There was a vendor at the bazaar who thought we were all siblings and that Scott was our dad. As funny as the mistake was, it genuinely encapsulated how much they both looked out for all of us on this trip. On top of lectures and course-relevant information, they gave us advice, storytime, peace of mind, and never-ending support and encouragement. The course wouldn’t have been the same without our dedicated alpha leaders.
I’m not sure how I’m supposed to live any other way after the wonders this trip has exposed me to. I guess I’ll just have to start planning my next adventure.
Tanzania, I’m fallin for ya, and I’ve been caught by the unscratchable itch to travel.
