Stop-over in the Near East

Thursday, August 02, 2018

Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Time plays tricks. The Boeing 777 is big, but for someone my length, six hours of shoulder to shoulder and knees against the seat in front of me, becomes a little tight. So I am happy we land in Abu Dhabi. It is 06:55, and the sun already fills the desert with a powerful glare.

Airports all over the world are somehow all the same. We snake through endless security lines, and I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable in a country ruled by a despot. If anything happens, the world will simply stand by, and diplomats will cautiously condemn.

I go to the bathroom where I brush my teeth, and cut myself badly while shaving. New blade, and a mere 35 years experience...

And then, happily, an essential part of this trip, already conceived months ago, falls into place. Suddenly our son, nicknamed Chruus stands in front of me! He and Les (our daughter in law) have flown in from the Philippines. We are together again.

We board again, and for another five or six hours we fly over Africa. We cross the Horn, we cross the equator, and then we are already about to land in Nairobi .

My 'dada' after arriving in her house.

We disembark onto the tarmac, and for the first time in my life, i put my feet on African soil. It's a significant moment for me.

After some delays with visas, we leave the building, and walk in the bright sunshine to the place where we are to be picked up by a van that will drive us across south Kenya to Arusha in Tanzania .

It's all an organization built on trust: I am in touch with a lady in Tanzania, who has found this transportation. Since I never met her in person, and never even contacted the driver who is supposed to pick us up, I do feel rather helpless.

After half an hour, I feel quite helpless but through airport WiFi I get in touch with my contact in Tanzania who tells me the van is on the way. Another two hours later, it arrives we are on our way, in the company of an Italian couple - while the van has been paid by us...

The trip continues into the night. We pass through Masai country. Around us the yellow savanna stretches to the horizon. Along the road we see the Masai in their traditional bright red and orange clothing.

Masai villages along the highway

I cannot help but wonder how they keep them so clean, while they live in tiny one-room houses with a dirt floor.

Shepherds with flocks of sheep cross the road. Under a tree a group of some thirty people holds a meeting: local government discusses local policies.

We stop at a small souvenir place. All kinds of Masai decorations. We only use the bathroom. No other visitors. And we wait: traffic jam at the border. Better to wait here. A local teaches me some Kishwahili.

Then we continue and reach the border. Stamps, visas, first Kenya, then Tanzania. Forms, payments for the two of us who need to get a visa, several counters, every civil servant has his own role in the process to get us across into Tanzania.

And then in the darkness of the African night, with bright stars above me, I walk into Tanzania to find an ATM to get some cash. I feel a little unsettled by the stare of so many black faces, who follow my every move. Most are barefoot or in cheap slippers. But we succeed and return with 400.000 Tanzania shilling!

Into the night we follow the road - which is really very good, by the way - warned for the possibility of crossing elephants or giraffe. But unfortunately we haven't see any by the time we enter Arusha.

We stop to drop off the Italians, and then continue onto progressively worse roads to our meeting point. The asphalt stops, and a tiny road with deep ruts, surrounded by crowded slums leads us past people who stare at us white people.

An then suddenly I see a black woman in colorful clothing wave at us. A loud laughing.

'Dada?' (Sister?)

'You are here! You found it!'

Through the open car window we make a high five. Then she scurries off into the night. A car starts, and I am somewhat comforted it looks like a 4-wheel drive, in this slum area. We follow.

The road gets even worse, and through deep holes and ruts our van has a hard time pulling us steeply uphill. Will we sleep in one of these triplex slums tonight?

Fewer houses and more banana trees, our van just fits between the trees. Then, unexpectedly, between the trees, a gate mechanically slides open, and a majestic mansion comes into view. Beautifully surrounded by terraced gardens, three floors high, it looks amazing.

Inside, the luxury continues: high ceilings, marble tiles on the floor, large bedrooms, and a long table full of freshly cooked food from her own gardens. What a welcome!

I really have a sister here. She rents out many cars to many visitors, but it turns out we are the first foreigners she ever invited into her house. How did we deserve this?

After a full meal and after 36 hours of traveling, we lie down in our gigantic bed, and fall into a wonderful sleep.