Frequent Flyer

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…