Tuesday Travel back to Nairobi and more, never a dull moment

 We breakfasted and were on the road by 7am in our two vehicles, a Toyota van and a Land Cruiser.  We left early for a 4 hour or so drive because of all the things that could happen and usually do.  Everything from traffic jams to getting behind slow trucks in hilly areas or mechanical problems.  Today, it was mostly the latter choice.  About 100 miles outside of town, Simon felt there was something not right with the right rear tire.  We pulled into a gas station, and while everyone was getting a restroom break, he had it topped off with air.  Not too far down the road, it went flat.  He carries two spares, since on these distant safari trips anything can and does happen.  Our drivers in our van helped him and inside of 15 minutes we were back on the road, practically a NASCAR pit stop!  

Our plan was to stop by the airport for a rapid covid test for the team, but Catherine called and said she had a nurse and doctor at Little Daughters lined up. We were doing pretty well until only about 10 minutes from Little Daughters, which is when the spare tire went flat as well.  We packed everybody into the Land Cruiser so we could get tested for our flights, the first of which is leaving Nairobi at 10:25pm.  The team all passed their test with one exception, the team leader, me.  I paid for a second test, since the doctor said a negative really is a negative but that there are false positives in a fair number of cases.  No such luck, I am writing this from a room at Little Daughters.  Catherine will move me to a nice hotel with good wifi tomorrow so that I'll at least be able to work from here.  I guess a lot of my pictures will get edited and my email Inbox will get a cleanup!

I don't feel bad right now, I was a little down for the last two days, but I thought it was allergies due to all the dust and smoke in the park or maybe a chest cold.  My reaction to the third Pfizer shot was worse than this.  I didn't lose my sense of smell or taste and my head wasn't plugged up.  I bid farewell to the team in an N95 mask at a distance.  I feel bad that I probably exposed some of them to this, I have a feeling I picked it up during the clinic, given the large number of people we dealt with, most of whom were unmasked.  For the most part, we stayed masked all week, but it only takes one slip-up.  Would I do everything the same again?  Probably so except I would be more cautious once I felt sick and would have found a way to get a Covid test.  By then, though, the team would already have been exposed, but we would have known sooner about it. Thankfully, they'll all get home on time. 

The team went out to dinner with Henry and Catherine and then headed to the airport.  I spent more than an hour online trying to contact Lufthansa and finally gave up.  I called the American number for United Airlines, through whom I booked the trip.  An automated phone call offered to have a text message exchange with me.  After half an hour, the system put me in touch with a live agent and when she realized that it was international travel, the text said they were transferring me to the international team within United.  Half an hour later, I got a live agent who cancelled my flights and told me how to rebook them at no charge.  She also said I needed to stay in Nairobi for 10 days.  That's not going to happen, I know for a fact that I'll be allowed to fly the minute I get a negative test result and a doctor's note.  My next test will be Friday, with any luck I'll be able to start my journey Friday night and get back to Houston Saturday afternoon.  That would be great except I don't have a vehicle there, 5 of us rode together from Austin.  I hate to think I'll have to deal with renting a car and driving home after about 30 hours of travel.  It'll be another one of my funny stories someday, but not while I'm living it.

That's it for now.  Please pray for a full and swift recovery so I can get back to my regular life and into my own bed after what seems like a lifetime at this point.  Thanks everybody and may the Lord bless your day!