The first year of living outside the US felt like a long
time, but each passing year has felt progressively shorter. No surprise there,
that’s how life works. Sometimes, though, you get a flash of perspective that
makes you realize how the time has passed. This recently happened when my good
friend Sarah executed on a trip to Kenya that we’d been talking about for a
long time. Sarah also visited me in Zambia, 3 years ago, which is hard
to believe.
Cruising the Zambezi, June 2012
We only saw each other once or twice in the intervening time, so it
really felt like it had been a while. It was wonderful to have her back again,
albeit it in a very different location. It was also great to meet her good
friend Josie; they’d been traveling the world since finishing law
school, and Kenya was their last stop together.
Just like last time, her visit was the impetus for a multi-day
vacation to see more of the country I live in. They came all the way out to
Bungoma, which is a hike from Nairobi. I’m really happy they did, because they
were able to see my home and daily environs, hang out with Emily, meet some
friends, and see a bit of One Acre Fund’s work.
Before Bungoma, we spent a night at Rondo Retreat in the
Kakamega rain forest, a nice place to relax after their long flight and do some
catching up. After our time in Western province, we embarked on an ambitious
car ride down to the Maasai Mara- the Kenyan side of the famous Serengeti park
in Tanzania. We stayed at Sentinel Camp, an eco-camp with no permanent
structures, only tents. “Tents” is a misleading description though, because
safari tents are huge and quite comfortable. The owners were nice enough to
extend resident rates to all three of us, so it felt like a great deal.
We only
stayed two nights, but in the Mara that’s apparently all you need to see an
overwhelming assortment of animals. In the first drive alone we saw multiple
sets of cheetahs, and on our second afternoon we were incredibly lucky to see
one of the few remaining groups of wildebeest cross the river as part of the
end of their great migration to Tanzania. It was surreal: this was one of the
first images of Africa I was ever exposed to as a kid, and it felt pretty
special to witness it in-person.
Sarah and Josie were both wonderful guests and traveling
companions, and it was sad to see them go so soon. I don’t know where I’ll be
in another 3 years, but wherever it is I hope I’ll have recently had the
pleasure of another Bartle visit. At this point, though, it’s probably my turn
to come to her…
