OnlyMeOirish

Well it's almost two weeks since we returned from Africa and as promised I said I would start my trip report this weekend. I'm afraid I have to warn you though... IT IS SERIOUSLY LONG AND DETAILED and I'm afraid I will never make a writer but I promise I will give it my best shot so here goes:


<b>Background:</b>
Our first and only trip to Africa was in September 2002 for our honeymoon. We spent 17 days in total splitting our time between Victoria Falls Zimbabwe, Sun City SA, Honeyguide Tented Safari Camp SA and Capetown SA. The initial thoughts of Africa came about quite by accident this time. Declan (who will be referred to as Deck or Hubby hereafter) changed jobs in January. This changeover was in the pipeline for a few months prior and I was itching to get some sort of holiday planned for 2006 but couldn’t as we really hadn’t a clue how much holiday time he could take or indeed when he could take it. In January I started to try to pin him down to a time and place, which wasn’t easy. We normally go on holidays in September for two reasons, firstly, Deck isn’t too keen on too much heat and places tend to be a bit cooler at that time of year and secondly, I like to have September to look forward to when most people are back from their holidays we still have ours to look forward to and it breaks us that long cold winter until Christmas. Also, our anniversary is in September so it’s nice to be somewhere ‘nice’ for that too. Anyways, September wasn’t going to be a goer this time as hubby is a golf fanatic and the Ryder Cup is being played here in Ireland this year so of course nothing could come between a man possessed and his sport! Early in the year would be too soon after changing jobs and late in the year wouldn’t suit either, as the push to meet targets would be at its greatest. Between one thing and another, it was narrowed down to the month of July.
Now where to go? Originally I was ‘told’ that we would only have a week away! We initially looked at a cruise out of San Juan but soon decided against that as we would lose too much time travelling and a week wouldn’t be enough. Next a European cruise was considered but because of the temperatures in July as well as the crazy price and also the fact that we’re not really ‘in to’ Europe, that was ruled out. Next Canada was looked at and I discovered Polar Bears could be seen in Churchill… but only in November and hubby couldn’t go that late. Where oh where should we go??? Of course I had thought about Africa but there was no way Deck would go for that… or would he?? … The trick, as most women know, with these decisions, is to let the other half think it’s their idea So without ever saying ‘Deck, will we go to Africa’, the ever so subtle hints were dropped until one evening after seeing a travel programme on TV about some part of Africa Deck turned to me and said those three little words I’d been hoping to hear….‘ What about Africa??’ And so the wheels were in motion.

<b>Planning:</b>
Well it was internet research time. Where in Africa were we going to go? We knew it had to be somewhere not too hot and not TOO far away. South Africa was ruled out right away as it is the longest flight from Ireland and we had already been there. Egypt would be too hot and I personally don’t really consider Egypt to be an African holiday. We took out the map of Africa and looked to see where was the shortest flight – Kenya or Tanzania. Well now we had half a plan. So the research began! It wasn’t long before I learnt about the great wildebeest migration and those spectacular crossings that begin in July. By pure chance I discovered something very exciting, something I never, in my wildest dreams imagined a tourist could do… it popped right out of the screen at me… Gorilla Trekking in Uganda!!!!! I remember literally dancing in to the sitting room to Deck after discovering that fact and saying: that’s it, we just have to go to do this! I was like a child at Christmas time. I read on and discovered Gorilla trekking was possible in Rwanda too. Well now we knew it was either the Maasai Mara or the Serengeti and Rwanda or Uganda. We had to fit all this in to just 10 days AND it had to be lodges and not tented camps (hubby’s condition on going to Africa – the infamous ‘bug thing’!). I found Fodors at this stage and had read as much as I possibly could about these destinations. Sunny-days trip report on his Rwanda Gorilla trekking and this, together with other articles about it being an easier trek than in Bwindi and it being less humid AND the selling point of Kigali airport being only a couple of hours from PNV sold me Rwanda. I then had trouble narrowing down where we should go in Kenya / Tanzania. The places that stuck out were the Maasai Mara or the Serengeti, one of which was a definite and either Lake Nakuru or Samburu with Sweetwaters somewhere in there in the mix. I knew I needed help with the planning and what better place than here on Fodors so in early February, the very first of my many many questions here was ‘Maasai Mara or Serengeti in July?’. I got many fantastic replies to get me set. I contacted some TA’s and got some quotes for the Kenyan portion of our trip. No-one could get us all 4 nights at the Mara Serena which we had decided we wanted due to its location and recommendations here. I e-mailed Serena directly myself on the off chance that there might be availability but I didn’t hold out much hope but lo and behold, Serena came back with availability for ALL 4 nights and so it was set that this trip would be booked independently. Finally it was decided; we would leave Ireland July 20th and return July 30th. We would do 3 nights Rwanda, 4 nights Maasai Mara and 2 nights Nairobi (remember those Cheetah petting discussions!), flying between locations so all was set and flights were booked. Then, just as we were settling to do the final little bit of tweaking of our itinerary we decided that 3 nights in Rwanda was the ‘wrong’ amount of time – we either needed another night to do ‘something else’ there or we would be hanging around on our last day. Lake Nakuru was always in the back of my mind and I had never properly let it go so when the discussion about cutting a day from Rwanda began in around June 22nd, only a month before our departure :-0 Lake Nakuru was a definite maybe! With a LOT of changing we finally ended up with the following itinerary:

July 20th Shannon Ireland – LHR – NBO (overnight flight arriving July 21st)
July 21st NBO – Kigali Rwanda arriving at 10.05am. Spend day in Kigali and drive to
Gorillas Nest that evening. Overnight Gorillas Nest.
July 22nd Gorilla trek PNV. Drive back to Kigali. Overnight Hotel Des Mille Collines.
July 23rd Kigali – NBO arrive at 9.05am. Kennedy drive us to Lake Nakuru.
Overnight Sarova Lion Hill Lodge.
July 24th Drive back to Lake Navisha. Leave Kennedy to take extra luggage back to
Nairobi and fly from Navisha at 3.10 on SafariLink to Mara Serena arriving
at 3.50pm.
July 25th Mara Serena
July 26th Mara Serena
July 27th Mara Serena
July 28th Fly Mara Serena to Wilson arrive 12.15pm. 1/2 day with Kennedy in Nairobi. Overnight
Nairobi Serena.
July 29th Day around Nairobi. Overnight Nairobi Serena.
July 30th Early morning flight home.

<b>Our Trip:

<font color="Purple"><b>The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often go Awry!</b></font>

<b>July 20th – The ‘Adventure’ Begins:</b>
Well the day had finally dawned when we were returning to Africa! After 6 whole months of planning we were just hours away from the trip of a lifetime (for a second time!). But first Deck had to ‘drop in ‘ to work on the way. No problem we’re on our way to Africa after all. We drove the hour or so to the office and Deck did what he had to do while I attempted to complete my book about Africa – about a guy in the Maasai Mara doing research on Baboons – quite a good read. It wasn’t long before we were on our way to the airport, a short jaunt of about 2 hours from the office. We arrived in plenty of time with our underweight (!) bags – just 15kgs each but with a backpack carryon of over 10kg containing my span spanking new FZ30, Epson P2000 and 2 sets of binoculars as well as all our meds (just in case). Check in was a easy peasy. Having said goodbye to our two checked bags we headed for the restaurant for a little late lunch. Our flight wasn’t due to leave until just after 5pm so we had lots of time. Lunch eaten we sat in the bar where Deck got his last ‘fix’ of golf. While we were sitting there we see that our flight is delayed until 5.30, then its delayed until 5.45. We’re crossing our fingers it won’t be delayed further otherwise we won’t make the connection in Heathrow. Thankfully, the finger crossing worked and it’s not delayed any more but now it means we will only have an hour and a half to make our connection in Heathrow – it will be a rush as we would have to change terminals but we should make it.
Our flight from Shannon to Heathrow is uneventful. We got off the plane as quickly as possible and literally ‘legged’ it for the train to Terminal 4. Now, we had done this terminal change on a few occasions but had forgotten how confusing the changeover is. Firstly, the lifts to the trains aren’t labelled very well and in our panic we end up going up and down to the wrong levels. Eventually we get off on the correct level where we try to figure out the platforms. This isn’t as easy as it sounds as there is a sign pointing straight ahead for trains to Terminal 4 and left for trains to Terminals 1, 2 &amp; 3 BUT there is an A4 laminated sheet at the entrance to trains for Terminals 1, 2 &amp; 3 with ‘Terminal 4’ written on it. And when you go to that platform it says ‘Terminals 1, 2 &amp; 3’ only. Confusion, confusion and we’re in a big rush. Eventually, together with a couple of people with the same dilemma, we find someone who tells us which platform we need to be on – it’s the one that says Terminals 1, 2 &amp; 3!!! Well we wait and wait and eventually the train comes and we get on. By now it is getting late and we’re getting a little worried that we are going to miss our flight. The train doesn’t take long and we’re soon off and practically running to get to departures. We go through the scanners and thankfully no ‘beeps’ but it’s still a long way to the boarding gate. We keep up the pace and eventually arrive at the gate. Thankfully they’re not even boarding yet. Deck heads off for a longed for cigarette while I wait at the boarding gate. There is an announcement - our flight is delayed by a whopping 1.5 hours. This is good AND bad we decide. At least now our bags will make it between flights BUT now there is a big chance we will miss our Rwandair flight from Nairobi to Kigali. We were due to land in Nairobi at 7.25am and the Rwandair flight departs at 9.45am. I go to the BA desk and tell them our predicament. The guy at the desk tells us to go to the Kenya Airways desk (as the flight was booked through their website and Rwandair are the carriers) so off we go. The girl at the desk is very nice and tells us she has reserved our seats but we still need to check in in Nairobi. She tells us not to worry as BA may make up time in the air and Nairobi airport is pretty small so there is still a chance we will make the flight. I ask if there is availability on the next flight to Kigali in the event we don’t make the 9.45am one, YES the next flight at 11am isn’t full…- this makes us feel more at ease. So we go back to the gate to wait hoping that the flight won’t be delayed further. We discuss phoning Joyce, the girl who is to meet us in Kigali with our transport but decide against it as we might yet make the flight and as her English isn’t the best we don’t want to confuse her.
The time passes quickly and it’s not long before we are on the BA767 in our pre-reserved seats. It turns out to be a good flight. The seats we have chosen (23J &amp;K) are excellent (as excellent as it gets in economy!), there are no seats behind us and we can recline without disturbing anyone. We also took some sleeping tablets and both of us sleep for about 5 hours - BRILLIANT!! We arrive in Nairobi at around 8.50am - we might actually make the connection!!! We disembark and attempt to find the Kenya Airways desk in order to get our tickets. We also need to collect our bags as they haven’t been checked through. We had actually asked on board the flight if it could be arranged for our bags to be transferred without us having to collect them and check them through but they told us this couldn’t be done. Well eventually we find someone who is from KA and he tells us where the KA desk is to get our tickets and check in. He tells us that there is no need for us to collect our bags as KA will retrieve them and transfer then to our Rwandair flight - FANTASTIC! So we go to the KA desk to get our tickets and boarding passes -h boy!!! There they told us that, no they wouldn’t transfer our bags between flights, that we had to collect them and re-check them. We decided that I would stay at the desk to get the tickets sorted and Deck headed to retrieve our luggage. I told the guy at the desk we needed to collect our tickets and check in and handed him the print out of the confirmation. I don’t know what he was doing but after about 10 minutes he asked me for our tickets!! I told him that I was there to collect our tickets. Well off he took and I knew we were definitely in Africa as it was pole pole. The guy at the desk was gone for at least 20 minutes and there’s no sign of Deck and it’s now about 9.30am!! Well next thing the guy at the next desk takes a phone call. He asks me if I am Imelda and when I say yes he asks me if ‘do you have your visa’ I try to explain that I don’t need a visa as I am in transit. After a few minutes I figured out the guy was looking for my Visa CARD. Well Deck STILL hadn’t returned from the baggage area and it was his card the flights were booked with. I asked if they could take my credit card but they couldn’t so off I headed to find Deck and his credit card. Half way down the hall I thought to check the rucksack that I was carrying, just in case it was in there with the other documents… found it! Back to the desk I went. At this stage the KA desks were manic with LOTS of people panicking because their flights were due to depart and they hadn’t yet checked in. It didn’t help that it was a general check in and not separate desks for each flight. I went back to the deck which I had been at which was now empty, explaining to the people in the queue that I wasn’t skipping the queue. I try to see where the guy who asked me for my visa went but neither he nor the first guy are anywhere in sight. After a few minutes I attempt to ask the girl at the next desk to phone the first guy for me. Eventually another girl phoned him and after a few minutes he came back. He gave me back our passports and took the visa card and he was off again. A few minutes later Deck arrived … you’ll never guess what?…. They ‘think’ our bags didn’t make it - both of them!! The guy at baggage told Deck to check with the BA desk to make sure they definitely didn’t make it. At this stage we know we are not going to make the flight to Kigali as it is now somewhere around 9.40am and the guy still hasn’t returned with our boarding passes . We begin to look at what we actually have with us. Deck is wearing runners, a tracksuit bottom, a tee shirt and a fleece jumper. I have slip on shoes, light combat style trousers, a vest top under a short-sleeved shirt and a jumper and I also have my rainproof hooded lightweight jacket. We have all our medicines and camera gear in the rucksack - we’re not TOO bad we decide. Deck says, it’s OK; we’ll just pick up some stuff in Kigali as I try to explain that it won’t exactly be that easy as there are no shops per say. He doesn’t quite get his head around this and I decide not to push the issue and just let him ‘see’ when we get there. We decide what will be will be, we’re not going to let a little thing like having no bags interfere with our happiness at being in Africa and we have a little giggle as we resign ourselves to the fact. The guy returns with our boarding passes at 9.53am. We ask him to change them to the 11am flight and he does. We eventually leave the desk and head for the BA desk at the far end of the airport. We ask if the bags are definitely missing… Yes. We want to register them as missing … No you can’t do that here, you have to do it in Kigali as it’s your final destination. But we didn’t book the Kigali section through BA, we want to register them missing with BA… No you have to do it in Kigali with Kenya Airways. OK, OK, we’ll register them in Kigali. By now it’s coming very near boarding time for the KA flight and we still haven’t let Joyce know we are on the next flight. I turn on my mobile. It shows coverage but I can’t phone Kigali for some reason. We go in search of a phone and eventually find one of the shops who will let us pay to phone. We try and try and try to get Joyce but there is no answer, now what? Next door I spot computers, hopefully she won’t have left yet and she will check her e-mails before she leaves for the airport. I log on and type the quickest e-mail ever but it is sllooowww sending it. It eventually goes through. Now we rush off to the boarding gate. It’s around 10.40am and I certainly don’t want to miss this flight too.
Well we get through the security and enter the boarding area. I look for a toilet but there isn’t one. All the toilets are outside and I’m afraid to go out in case boarding is called and I will have to get back in through security again. Well we wait… and wait… and wait and there’s no sign of the flight being called. I go to the lady at security, when is the Kigali flight boarding… Soon. I decide to risk it and go through security to the toilets. When I get back the queue at security is enormous but I sneak in the side (I have nothing with me other than the boarding pass so I don’t feel too bad about skipping and there is NO WAY I’m taking a chance of missing this flight). Back inside we wait…. and wait….. and wait some more. We listen for announcements but there aren’t any. We’re getting a little worried now but suddenly we hear it… boarding for KA…… We head through the gate and down the steps to the tarmacadam. There, there are about 5 planes. We ask the guy at the bottom for the Kigali plane and he motions us to what looks like the last plane. We board and find two seats. Our boarding passes have assigned seat numbers but the hostesses tell us it’s open seating. The plane eventually took off at 12.30pm. Deck was a little anxious as he thought he heard someone saying something about somewhere other than Kigali, Accra he thinks. I tell him that the people for the Accra flight entered security through the same gate as us and that this had to be the Kigali flight. He wasn’t content with that so when I spot a hostess nearby I ask her if the plane is stopping anywhere other than Kigali. She says ‘Nairobi’. OK Deck, we’re on the right plane and it returns to Nairobi – it’s not stopping anywhere else! After about an hour the plane lands, we pack up and disembark. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Joyce has gotten my e-mail and is there to meet us. Well we walk back along the tarmac and enter the building. There we ask a guy where is lost luggage and he tells us it’s outside in the arrival hall. WE pick up our visa forms and start filling them out. Deck makes a comment about the heading but I don’t really take too much notice and just tell him ‘it’s Rwanda, it mightn’t be exactly as it should’. We fill out the visas and go to the desk to pay. The guy asks for $40 for both of us, I thought it was going to be $100, now how did I get that wrong? I don’t dwell on it and we head through customs where they ask to see our vaccination certs and then it’s out into a sea of people. We look around but there is no one there that looks like it might be Joyce. She didn’t get the e-mail after all. We have a good look around and then Deck decides he really NEEDS a cigarette so I stay inside with the rucksack while he feeds his addiction. When he comes back we go to the information desk and ask where is lost luggage. The girl at the desk tells us it’s inside where we came from! We decide we’d better try to phone Joyce first and then go back in to report our bags missing. We go to a ‘shop’ and ask to use the telephone. I dial the number but it’s not ringing. I show the number to the girl behind the counter.. ‘you need the code’… ‘this is the code’ I say, ‘no, the international code’….’ This is a Kigali number’..’ yes you need the international code’…. ‘but this is Rwanda’ … then I hear the words that wash colour from my cheeks ‘No this is BURUNDI’!!!!!!
</b>

OnlyMeOirish

Sorry guys, I tried and tried to turn off the bold but for some reason my computer had a mind of its own tonight and with it being almost 2am I decided to just 'let it go'. Sorry if it's hard to read.
Imelda

matnikstym

<b>EXCELLENT IMELDA!!!</b> Keep it coming! Why'd you have to stop there? I'm on the edge of my seat! Please don't drag this one out for weeks!

Marija

Bold is better than too timid to post. Thanks! I'm waiting for the rest.

wildebeestus

Why please, this is no better than a very B-A-D commercial. Let the story continue...

kimburu

Imelda...This is a classic! What an adventure. And a cliffhanger too... yes, please don't leave us in suspense too long.

wildebeestus

What I mean by B-A-D commercial is ULTIMATE SUSPENSE --- as a storyteller, you have us at the edge of our seats...

OnlyMeOirish

Thank you all so much for your kind comments.
Hee, hee, I knew I was being very 'bold' by leaving it at that last night but I just couldn't resist! And it was after 2am after all.
I promise I won't leave you hanging on for too long, I'm hoping to have the next installment up this evening although I'm not going to wait up until 2am to post it... work tomorrow!

Wildebeestus, I like your analogy.. it certainly was 'like a BAD commercial'!!

Imelda

Imelda

Kavey

Oh my god, I'm leaning RIGHT forward in my seat... come on, don't leave us in suspense any longer!

cynstalker

Imelda:

Your post was at the top when I signed in this morning, and I got <b>SUCH</b> a big smile - I knew this was going to be a fun read!!! And you did not dissappoint! Off to check my map to see where you were <b>supposed</b> to be as opposed to where you ended up.

Don't make us wait too long!

<font color="green">Cyn</font>

OnlyMeOirish

Glad you're having a giggle Cyn and I'll save you the trip to find that map... it was a whole <b>500 miles</b> from where we were supposed to be AND in a country that is no way as hospitable as Rwanda!!!

Kavey, all good things come to those who wait!! I'm just starting on the next 'episode'!

Imelda

Femi

Ooooh, this is going to be good!

LyndaS

OHMIGOSH Imelda - this is fabulous! I have only read the first little bit - I am going to save it for a bit until I finish some of the others I have printed (that way there will be mnore for me to read too...)- but it looks great!!! So detailed, I LOVE it!

Patty

OMG!!!! Please don't keep us in suspense much longer!

OnlyMeOirish

Next instalment coming up:

OH MY GOD!!!! I can feel my face dropping to my toes and I just know I’ve gone as white as a sheet. I feel sick, and at this point, I could actually have cried! What is happening to my trip of a lifetime?! What have I done for it go <u>THIS</u> wrong? I don’t even KNOW where Burundi is!! But I don’t cry, my mind races as I just blurt - ‘But we’re supposed to be in Rwanda!’ The lovely girl behind the desk just points back towards the doors we came through – arrivals. I don’t ask questions and I’m afraid I don’t have the presence of mind to even say Thank You, I just run. I don’t exactly know why I’m running, maybe we can get back on the plane and it will take us back to Nairobi is one of my thoughts but there are so many things whirling in my head. We fight our way through the throng of people beside the doors. We enter the doors not even explaining properly to the security guy what has happened, he doesn’t bother to question us. I suppose the look of blind panic on my face says don’t ask! We run through the security gates and then I just stop, I look around, now what?- Who can help us? There’s a guy with either a uniform or a suit (I can’t remember which – I wasn’t in the frame of mind for registering details!!!!!!) and he is talking to two people. He turns around and just takes one look at me, I must have looked like a woman possessed and I just say ‘we’re supposed to be in Rwanda!!!’ He turns towards the glass at the front of the building and motions to a plane on the runway, it’s the plane we just came off... I think! I don’t ask any questions I just run. Deck is behind me, we haven’t actually spoken since the ‘bombshell was dropped’ but we just know what each other is thinking...Get to that plane!! We get out on to the tarmac but there’s a long way to go to the plane and they can’t actually see us coming as there’s a high wooden barrier hiding us from their view. Oh My God, they’re going to go without us! Deck at this point is saying ‘Calm down, calm down’. How he thinks I can actually calm down is beyond comprehension!!! I am running for all my legs are worth and Deck is behind me. It is all going in slow motion in front of my eyes. I have a 10kg backpack on my back trying to run for this plane. The backpack is bouncing up and down on my back and I’m going nowhere fast. I go as fast as I can but it seems to take forever. I have visions of watching the plane taxi down the runway and leave without us. Finally, we’re past the barrier and we can see the plane, it’s still there. I’m not sure if they can see us yet and I keep running. At long last my heart can start beating again, we reach the steps to the plane...’Can I see your boarding passes’ the guy at the bottom asks! He MUST be joking - I haven’t a CLUE where they are - does he actually think my brain is functioning?!!! We explain that we were already on the plane and we’re supposed to be in Rwanda NOT Burundi – or rather Deck explains while I rummage frantically for the boarding passes. I don’t find them and I’m still rummaging frantically when the hostess at the top of the stairs says ‘its OK, come up’. Thank GOD! We’re back on the plane. With sweat literally dripping from me and my heart pounding inside my head I explain we’re supposed to be in Rwanda. The hostess tells me that the plane made a stop in Burundi and is continuing to Kigali!!! Thank GOD! Up until this point we didn’t even know for definite where the plane was going – Rwanda or back to Nairobi! The hostess asked ‘did you not hear the announcement?’.. ‘What announcement?’, apparently there was an announcement saying that passengers for Kigali should not disembark! BUT, what I failed to mention in my previous post, was, on the plane our seats were right in the middle of a group of young ‘lads’. A soccer team we guessed. These guys were quite rowdy with one of them sitting behind us singing at the top of his voice, there was no way we could have heard an announcement! As it turns out, we weren’t the only ones who made the error getting off BUT we WERE the only ones who made it through customs and out onto Burundi soil!!!!
Well we found two seats and sat down we looked at each other, whew, that was a close one and with that the giggles took over, we just laughed and laughed and laughed, we couldn’t stop! Each time we looked at each other we would start off again. You couldn’t even write this let alone believe it could actually happen to someone!!… First our flight is delayed, we rush for our connection and our second flight is delayed, we arrive in Africa no luggage to be found, we miss our next flight and get on a flight that is delayed to find ourselves in the wrong country – 500 miles from where we’re supposed to be!!! If someone told me this I would think they were making it up! (I swear I’m not by the way, my imagination isn’t that fertile!) I actually thought about how my trip report here would go.... We just decided to visit another country on our way to Rwanda so that Deck could have a cigarette!!! We even have the visa stamps to prove it! It turned out that the thing that Deck was saying to me in the airport on arrival was ‘it says Burundi on the visa forms’. I had actually heard what he had said but with the hostess telling us that the plane was only stopping in Kigali and then Nairobi I dismissed it as ‘just being Africa’ – I promise Declan, I will NEVER EVER dismiss anything like that again! We laughed all the way to Rwanda!

cynstalker

Oh Imelda - absolutely <font color="blue">priceless</font>!!! I can just see the 2 of you giggling away like maniacs - so glad you <u>both</u> immediatly saw the humor in your predicament!!! <b><u>L O L </u></b>

Can't wait to see what happens next!

<font color="green">Cyn</font>

Patty

I was laughing right along with you. Can't wait for more!

matnikstym

<b>HILARIOUS!</b> How funny! Glad it all worked out or we'd be reading a trip report from Burundi! Skip work tomorrow and keep writing!

sandi

Tears rolling down as I'm reading this. My goodness! Aren't you glad that you weren't the only ones to get off the plane? I would have pounced on that soccer team and asked they haul your bags to make up for your grief.

Nyamera

I was actually looking forward to a Burundi trip report. Though I think this will be interesting anyway.