Sept 30 – Short and Sweet, Bittersweet

     Today’s post will be short and sweet – bittersweet, actually.

 Monday morning, Sept 30, Denise and I packed our bags to head home. We took a quick trip to one of the malls to pick up a few last minute things. As we were on the highway riding there in an Uber, we were slowed down by a herd of cattle being herded through a tunnel. I’ll never stop being amazed by the things I see every time I’m in Kenya.

 We got back to the house, to wait for our ride to the airport. Took what we thought would be the last picture of our gracious hostess Marta.

 Just before we had to leave, Izzo returned home from his safari camp. We were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to say good-bye before we had to leave.

 On the drive to the airport, we were reminded again of the good, the bad  . . .

 And the ugly. But isn’t it the same thing every where in the world. No place is perfect and every place needs some work.

 Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has had a lot of improvements since I first started coming there in 2006, but still can use some work.

 The Zurich airport in Switzerland doesn’t need any improvements with views of the Alps on all sides. 

 But, anyway, on the journey home, through the crazy roads of Nairobi one last time, the Nairobi airport with its dark narrow corridors, the Zurich airport with its wide-open spaces and finally, O’Hare in Chicago. Through that long day way over 24 hours long, one thing became very clear to me.

 On all my other trips to Africa, I came home telling myself that this was my last trip, that I’m getting too old for these travels. This time, however, no matter how old I get, or how rough it will be to keep going some days, when I am tired and hungry and achy, I know that I’ll return to Kenya