So I leave a little hideout on the north point of Zanzibar called Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel and fly to Nairobi. I was disappointed about leaving paradise and the chance to swim with more dolphins, but the most anticipated days of the Africa adventure are coming up in Rwanda and Uganda visiting with the highland gorillas so the disappointment wasn’t too long-lasting. I fly Precision Air which is a subsidiary of Kenya Airways. My bag doesn’t arrive in Nairobi. “Please call Zanzibar and just confirm that it is on the delayed flight” which went from earlier than my flight to much later, I requested. “Person that can call is not here”, they reply. “You’ll deliver it to my hotel when it arrives?”, I ask yet assume to be true. “Security risks prevent that”, the reply. “We will call you this evening and here are three numbers you can reach us” including their mobile. “And you WILL deliver it first thing in the morning - I fly to Kigali leaving the hotel at 7 AM and then I go into the Rwanda mountains on safari Tuesday AM.” “We will call.” I tried to forget the enormity and timing of my lost backpack. I had to cancel my dinner at Carnivore because I hakuna matata’d (no problemo) it by flying in flip-flops, shorts and t-shirt. It’s just a 75 minute flight. As the night went on all I could think about was that Zanzibar Airport is chaos with lacking security and one can imagine many opportunities for a stolen bag once you start dwelling on it. At 9:30 PM, no call has come through meaning to me that it did not make the following flight. I call mobile… mailbox full! No answer at other two numbers. Of course! So by time I realize that I have no anti-malarial pills, clothes, chargers, extra memory and batteries for cameras, there is no sleep to be had. I will have time in Kigali on Monday, but I was just told that Kigali is about 20 years behind Kampala and I know Kampala would be an absolute struggle to recover the must-haves like clothes, shoes and anti-malarial. Plus they speak French and Kinyarwandan. I of course fall asleep around 5 AM only to have the hotel forget the wakeup at 6 AM. Since I have no clothes, toiletries or other stuff, waking at 6:20 is OK. Right as I am walking out the door, the phone rings. “We have found your bag and it will be at your hotel in 20 minutes.” “It came in last night and you forgot to call”, I testily replied even though I was totally elated to get this call. No reply…
[read on]
