soest to nairobi

we have now arrived in nairobi safely with all our luggage intact and accounted for. after being set up for possible failure i was quite happy when we got our 3 month visas with no problem and got our boxes of medications and supplies through customs with almost no hassle. but perhaps i should start from the beginning, or if not the beginning then at least where we left off last time.

after our quick tour of friesland we headed to soest near amersfoort where we stayed 2 nights with our friend arjan's parents, rob and esther.

we had a great time visiting with them and enjoying their hospitality. rob picked us up off the street when we were wandering around soest after getting off at the wrong train stop and i had some serious deja vu. at one point i mentioned to rob that i was looking for computer speakers and 15 min later he came to me with the results of his internet searchs and a couple flyers and a tip about a discount computer retailer in the area. that is not all though, he also ferried us around in our search for both speakers and chocolate chips. we have learned that chocolate chips are very difficult to find in holland b/c nobody bakes. most people like cookies but they are always storebought. i did however buy some more dark chocolate to add to my stash.

we also had some great talks with esther over meals and in the evenings. she is a night owl like me.
those of you who where friends with arjan at UofL will be happy to know that he is doing well. we visited his flat which was tastefully decorated in an international theme with pieces of art from yemen and from his year in israel working in a home for handicapped children. canadians will be gratified to know that a haida painting and a haida paddle were central pieces in his collection. we had a great time looking at pictures and hearing stories of his travels through the middleast. he is still commuting 1 hour each way to rotterdam, but can handle it b/c of his swanky new renault. see anything missing in this picture?


wait for it...


wait for it...

that's right, no ignition... just a funky little black card for sliding into a little plastic invagination. it also unlocks the doors if you walk within 10 feet of the car.

we would have loved to stay much longer but our schedule was tight so rob drove us to the train station and off we went to schipol to reclaim our lost luggage, pack our bags and head to nairobi. everything proceeded quite smoothly and soon we found ourselves exiting the airport through customs.

when the customs agent found out that our big white boxes were full of medications she gave me a stern look and said something like "i am sorry sir, but only physicians are allowed to bring medications into the country." with a grin i produced my licentiate of the medical council of canada card, impressively embossed with an authoritative gold coat of arms and fancy signatures and the like. i remember thinking when i got it in the mail, "that's a waste of money, what will i ever do with a fancy card that says i'm a doctor?" when the agent called her superior over i produced the rest of our paperwork and we were ushered through the gate with nary a search and not a piece of luggage unpacked. we were met at the airport by a driver from SP, which made things a lot easier than the last time we were in africa and even easier than navigating the public transport of holland.

now we are safely in nairobi and will hop on a plane tomorrow morning to take us to eldoret where we will drive the last leg of our journey to kapsowar. yesterday we went with the medical director of kapsowar hospital to purchase a cell phone and modem and other supplies for our move. we had a good intro to africa while waiting over 3 hours to get our modem's card activated. we now have internet access wherever we can get cell phone reception. it is slow and expensive and apparently unreliable but still pretty amazing. maybe when we get to kapsowar i will try posting to our blog from the top of a mountain.

today we had a leisurely walk around nairobi picking up some last minute items. here are some local signs that exemplify truth in advertising, kenya style:

everything in africa is late, at least these guys are honest.

truth in advertising gone too far?


and finally my personal favourite (note the volvo wagon!); perhaps they are such good mechanics that they render themselves unnecessary?