Back home almost 48 hours now and finally able to sign into the blog. So many memories I would have shared along the way but will try over the next days/weeks to publish some of them on this blog. Not being able to sign in and keep you up to date was one of the disappointing parts of this trip but in the end I decided not to stress over it. Just uploaded almost 1000 photos on my camera's memory card and Peggy probably took 2000. So, we have a lot of pictures to go through to pick out the very best.

Leaving for the airport shortly. I haven't really slept well the last few nights because Porter has been sick. Maybe that is a good thing....not sleeping...and I'll catch up on the flight to Amsterdam. Porter is due for a second chest x-ray tomorrow and vet will email me. Eric has so many emergency numbers he should be able to get some sound advice. I guess, as my friends say, it is what it is.

Two days from now we should be airborne to Amsterdam where we make our connection to Nairobi. Still playing with this blog which, as I said before, has been more work than planning the entire trip. I am thinking that you have to have a gmail account to sign in. We'll see. At least Peggy is added as a contributor ???

Three days to go. It's been an anxious past week as a major fire destroyed the international terminal at the airport in Nairobi. Flights were cancelled, immigration equipment destroyed. The next day they had put up tents and begun using the domestic terminal but we read it was pretty confusing. Fortunately for us KLM which we are taking from Amsterdam began flying into the airport a few days later. Our Kenyan guide Makau kept us posted and as of today things are returning to normal. This is Kenya' s peak season and the economic impact on the tourist industry would be immeasurable if tourists couldn't get there. It is also the major hub for all of East Africa.

Jambo (swahili for hello)

Two weeks from yesterday we should be flying from Amsterdam to Nairobi if my memory serves me correctly.  I am still playing with this blog as some of my posts are under comments. What can I say.

I need to repack and rethink what I am taking today.  The small planes we will be taking from Kenya to Tanzania and from Arusha (that capital city) to the Serengeti have a severe weight restrictions.  We want to take school supplies for the classroom/school we are visiting on our last day but school supplies tend not to be light.  I did buy pens and pencil cases yesterday.  Just happens to be tax free weekend here.  I am actually thinking about buying an extra seat on that first flight for extra baggage.  Not sure until I repack today. We are told we can leave things once we are in Arusha as we will be returning there before our flight home.

A wonderful thing has happened as we are now in email communication with our Kenyan guide, James Makau.  Our guide and friend Paul from Uganda was able to get that information for us.  I asked what he would like us to bring from Charleston and he selflessly said anything for his 8 year old daughter.

Any cash we take has to be bills dated 2006 and later  No damaged bills, crisp is better.  I haven't done well getting the latter but did get all 2006 and up.

Have made copies of my passport, birth certificate and passport photos to leave here for Eric in case the need arises.  I will also give copies to Peggy.  Additionally, I will register us with the state department so they know our whereabout and dates of arrival and departure.

Also need to notify the companies of the credit cards we will be taking that we will be out of the country.

Well, hopefully Peggy will be able to blog soon as an author.  If not, I will create a new continuation of this one.

I am trying to add Peggy as an author, so stand by.  I promise, she is going !

Count down

7.5 weeks, 52.6 days and 1261.7 hours until we leave for Kenya.  Started to get excited and plan to start packing in July.  Have to take a lot less items this time because when we fly the small plane from Kenya to Tanzani I'm told we can only take 38 lbs.  Hopefully they'll let us pay for any extra baggage weight because 38 lbs, away for 2 weeks, I don't see that happening.

Setting up this blog has been more of a challenge than putting together our itinerary.  Open to suggestions to improve the format.

Thinking about a new "bucket list"

From Elaine:

After an amazing trip to Uganda and Rwanda in Feb. 2011 my bucket list of 40 years was now completed.  I'd traveled to Alaska for two weeks rafted the Colorado River for a week and looked into the eyes of a mountain gorilla on my 70th birthday.   I set out to compile a new list...maybe not quite a "bucket" this time but more of a smaller "pail."  With a whole world out there  not one place was particularly calling to me.  After watching the  Disney movie "African Cats" the answer came......I wanted to see the Great Migration in Kenya and Tanzania when millions and millions of wildebeast, zebras, etc migrate to new grazing territories such as the Serengeti.  While that is a pretty amazing idea I thought, how does one person set about doing just that?  I poured over itineraries of many safari companies and in the end turned back to Journey's International (the company we used in 2011) and merged together the highlights of their safari's to both countries.
Let me stop right now and clarify that when I say "we" I am talking about my friend Peggy LeVeen.  While I wanted her to make this trip with me I wasn't sure for awhile she would agree.  Prepared to venture out alone I was relieved when she agreed to join me.  I must admit sleeping alone in a tent made me a little uncomfortable.  Rooming with a stranger...even more so.  But if need be my desire to return to Africa was so great I would have done so.
In January and Feb. I worked on compiling a list of the places to include on this adventure and approached several tour companies which used guides actually living in Africa.  In the end, Journey's was able to put this trip together at a cost lower than other agencies.
In Feb and March the trip was tweeked a bit here and there based on advice from the local guides. The initial deposit was sent, air flights scheduled and paid for, travel insurance to think about and finally purchase, appointment at the travel clinic to see what immunizations we might need for entrance into these two countries.  It turned out that the ones we needed for Uganda and Rwanda would suffice for this trip.  I got my prescriptions for the malaria preventive medication and Cipro in case of traveler's diarrhea.
Downloaded an app to my phone that counts down to our trip in days, weeks and even minutes.  Started putting together a box of "things for African trip."  Little by little over the months it is really filling up..  Still have lots of the basics from our last trip so the cost this time will be less.  Needed a roll on duffel bag as a carryon.  Last time I didn't have one on wheels and I thought Peggy would kill me because she had to carry both mine and hers through the airport.  Our plan is to take less with us this time because there is a 40lb weight limit on the small plane we will take from Kenya to Tanzania.  We plan on wearing our same clothes and turn them inside out  when they get dirty.  Note to self:  bring extra deodorant.
It will be winter in Africa when we leave August 16th but their winter is like our spring.  No heavy coats needed.  Women there wear long skirts, rarely pants.  Last time we took skirts but this time we will stick with pants.  I have several convertible pairs of pants.  The legs have zippers above the knee and you can remove the lower leg portion to make them into shorts.  Oh and let me mention that I found taking scrubs to sleep in worked out well.  Comfortable and you are all dressed in case you need to go somewhere during the night time.  Like when an animal bursts into your tent and you start to run.......kidding !
We took so many photos on our last trip that I'm not sure I will do that this time.  In fact, the camera on my phone takes such good pictures I might just take that and eliminate some weight at the same time.  This still needs some thought.
So, there you have the steps I followed and thoughts about the trip I wanted to initially share.......just in case you want to put a similar trip together.
More to come...............