Nairobi

Made it here after the longest non-stop flying trip I have ever made...with no sleep. Hit Nairobi at 8 p.m. and my first impressions were of overwhelming chaos, unwashed body smells, and an overwhelming cacaphony of competing languages. Truly an international city.

While my seat mate on the plane was a tad upset, I didn't find landing on the airstrip in complete darkness too upsetting. The runway was NOT lit. And Rachel was trying to ease me into the traffic and insanity on the roadway, and I told her it was nothing compared to driving in Honduras. She doesn't drive here because of the craziness...looked sane to me. They have marked lanes. Traffic does drive straight at you against the traffic. There are street lights, which they don't obey, but hey, they didn't in Honduras even when there were lights! So, eager to see what Nairobi craziness looks like in the daytime.

Took more than an hour to get my bags and immigration was the most laid back of any country I have visited. Cleared everything in less than one minute...after the lengthy bag wait. The first bag received was the clothing/supplies for the orphanage and then I impatiently (I know, what is new!) waited 45 more minutes to see if I would get MY bag of work clothing.

Rachel, my contact here, was waiting for me, thankfully and we went to the Hilton, which is NOT a normal Hilton with their exacting standards for cleanliness etc. However, all of the staff, and there are hundreds hanging around, are all helpful and very pleasant.

I finally went to bed at 11 p.m. and though wakeful during the night, was able to get to rest til 8:30 a.m. which, for me, is a record.

Breakfast buffet...hmmm, a rehash of last night's dinner buffet. Same cheese and meats. I had pawpaw and passion fruit for breakfast which was lovely. Great coffee which I heard I would not have...so a happy camper. Going to go to the gym and then venture out on the street to see what I can see nearby.

Am safe and eager to get to work. Hugs and stay in touch.