Departing Again

Last Sunday began, as I’m sure you can imagine, with an 8 a.m. wake-up alarm. Why 8 a.m. when our flights weren’t scheduled to take off until early evening? Dhobi Wallah wanted to get some laundry done, of course. Personally, I think it was her way of punishing me for not getting out of bed before 10 a.m. the previous day.

That or she just needed to get her clothes cleaned. You’ll have to ask her which analysis is most accurate.

As you read in my post from the same day, the whole lot of us (except for Mr. I Packed Last Week Because I’m Ever So Organized) were all rather slow off the mark that day. Cartoons and E! News (aka Teletubbies) were far more enticing than actually getting ready for any flights out of town.

That said, by the time the taxi arrived (a half-hour early, thank you) we were all ready to go. Except of course for a nameless blogger who wanted to watch the end of “Notting Hill” before we left. It was that final and incredibly sweet montage of scenes set to the song “She” that was keeping me. Anyone who has seen the movie can sympathize I’m sure.

The ride to the airport was surprisingly short despite the fact that our van seemed unable to go faster than 50 km/h. We drove through town past the Panari Sky Hotel where Dhobi Wallah had very generously and kindly sprung for dinner at the Pampa Grill the night before. (If memory serves, she gave it high marks calling the food “400 times better than Carnivore.”)

By the time we finally arrived at the airport, I was surprisingly melancholy. My lovely three-week interlude of guests was at an end and I was about to be on my own again. I have little doubt that I drove Dhobi Wallah and Her Friend quite batty during their stay, and that they were privately celebrating seeing the backs of Nairobi and me. (Feel free to dispute these claims, ladies.) I think; however, that the lot of us had quite a bit of fun during their stay. (Sometimes even without alcohol.) I know I certainly did.

I boarded my Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa that evening grinning at the dancing Amharic alphabet beneath the airline’s logo and I realized suddenly that I was glad that I was off to somewhere new rather than just sitting along back at home. Three weeks of guests may have been exhausting but it also exhilarated me and I had no desire to return to an empty apartment: especially one with numerous loads of laundry waiting to be done.

I hope that DW and Her Friend had a good time in Nairobi and left with many happy memories. And I hope that they come back soon. Although maybe not for a few weeks yet. Hubby and I officially need a week of “us” time between guests from now on. The parking lot at Sheldrick Orphanage just isn’t as romantic as a cozy apartment. Maybe we’ll find some time to talk on the plane on the way to Addis… Hopefully...