Oh Well , Thanks Kenya it's been a blast and now for the longest day !!
First up is breakfast in the hotel , but it's a very light one as we also have lunch in the hotel later. We head down at about 7ish, and it seems as if we have hit the tail end of some rather large groups of tourists heading off for safari, the buffet is pretty much laid bare , and I'm annoyed to see that these annoying tourist types have taken ALL of the pineapple. I settle for a light fry up and a cup of coffee, and then it's back to the room to finalise everything that needs to be done , packing and double checking all of our paperwork. We then lounge for a little and take in a little of what has been going on in the world over the last 14 and in particular last 5 days, and it's heart-breaking !!
We switch from the news channels fairly quickly to get us to 11.30 when we head down to the bar for a quick drink before lunch, and we also do our last check-out and leave our bags at reception . The hotel runs a Sunday special with a BBQ, access to the swimming pool and some general children's entertainment, so it's a mixed bunch as we settle in for drinks and then ultimately lunch, lots of Kenyan families mixed in with the tourists. The lunch offer is either a buffet or a fixed menu, given our travel arrangements the last thing I want is a bout of indigestion and so fixed menu it is with a light Thai curry , followed by a small but delicious Jack Daniels pudding. We pay in cash, and as I am keen to spend the last of my Kenya schillings, and leave a health tip and trip advisor review for our excellent server Evelyn.
Our flight isn't until just after midnight , so only about 10 hours to go , and next up for us and a bit of a last minute addition to the itinerary is a trip to the Nairobi National Park , a safari park within the confines of the city. Our driver is early at 1.45 but we are ready. The same driver is taking us to the airport and so we load everything up and it's a quick 15 minute drive to the park entrance. Our only request is, if at possible we want to see Rhino , we accept that it's mid-afternoon and baking hot so we probably won't see much. Surprisingly our driver guarantees us that we will see Rhino, we have been to Amboseli and the Masai Mara and not seen them but here at the national park in Nairobi ??
Bit of a faf to get in , we need to disinfect and then take a temperature check, but we are soon moving and my god , within 10 minutes we have 4 rhinos including a super young calf. We could have saved a fortune and just done this every day . I love Rhino's and their poaching is just another example of the worst in the humans, to see such magnificent beasts driven to extinction is just heart breaking
It is the middle of the day , and so we don't see a huge amount of wildlife but the park is a fair size and certainly enough there to entertain us for 4 hours. At about 5 o'clock we spot a couple of lions low in the grass asleep , and decide we will just wait it out to see if they will get onto their feet and begin hunting before we need to leave at 6 , which is when the park shuts. Eventually the lions get quite a crows , but we are in prime position, and although they don't go into hunt mode we do get a few pictures of them against the city skyline .
Then all too soon , it's time to leave. Twice in two days the reps from the safari company have mentioned a nice meal before we leave for the airport but we figured we would just do bag-drop and then head to the lounge. I wish we had taken their advice !! We tell our guide to drop us off at the airport and after a couple of security checks we are into the international airport , a full 5 hours before our departure. And then the fun starts , check-in doesn't open for another 2 hours so we can't drop the bags off , and there is nothing at the airport on the land side. There isn't even a vending machine, and no air-con despite the intense heat. It's torture for 1 1/2 hours and then the BA desk opens
Hooray , or so we thought, we then find out that although we have both completed the required passenger locator form and have the evidence to say so , we will not be allowed to fly without a downloaded copy to show the check-in staff . And guess what the airport has the worst wi-fi ever . We are originally told that we would not be able to travel, I manage to download mine but Julie cannot , her tablet simply won't attach to the pathetic Wi-Fi to allow her to download the attachment of the form from the email we have received telling us we have completed the form. Julie is almost in tears and I ask about transferring the flights until tomorrow and we will simply go to an hotel and use their Wi-Fi. Check-in chick really isn't much use at all . But fortunately one of her colleagues has a brain, and decided to let us use the corporate wi-fi and hey presto, 1 hour of horrible pressure relieved in 10 seconds . Not impressed
Hooray , or so we thought, we then find out that although we have both completed the required passenger locator form and have the evidence to say so , we will not be allowed to fly without a downloaded copy to show the check-in staff . And guess what the airport has the worst wi-fi ever . We are originally told that we would not be able to travel, I manage to download mine but Julie cannot , her tablet simply won't attach to the pathetic Wi-Fi to allow her to download the attachment of the form from the email we have received telling us we have completed the form. Julie is almost in tears and I ask about transferring the flights until tomorrow and we will simply go to an hotel and use their Wi-Fi. Check-in chick really isn't much use at all . But fortunately one of her colleagues has a brain, and decided to let us use the corporate wi-fi and hey presto, 1 hour of horrible pressure relieved in 10 seconds . Not impressed
We then have another 3 levels of security to negotiate before we are finally through and into the airport proper. Given the time we thought we had then the plan was to do a bit of souvenir shopping, but at 3 hours till take off, it's a case of sod that and we go to enquire if we can get into the world's smallest airport lounge. There are 2 spaces free staring directly at a wall and sat against a shelf but we need wine , so $30 each and we are in. Food and drink are good and we watch the Chelsea Liverpool cup final , before we head to the gate , which is as chaotic as the rest of the airport, with further security checks and no air-con , it's horrible sitting with a mask on in this heat.
Eventually we are on the plane , and although we are in premium economy the misery of the journey home continues , they run out of sauvignon blanc before they even get to us , this is after a boarding drink of OJ or water , what happened to champers. I go to sleep miserable, I do sleep for quite a chunk of the journey , and pretty soon the lights come on and it's time for breakfast. BA really are a mess, we are in Premium Economy and they run out of breakfasts , all they have left is the veggie option, how I don't know as you order veggie by exception. So unless all of a sudden 10 vegetarians suddenly fancied a full English after pre-ordering a veggie one, then it all an almighty screw up.
So this British Airways flight gets 1 star from me , we land at about 6am and our flight to Newcastle - which was as bad an experience !! Isn't until 2.30, but delayed till 3.30pm. We had booked a day room at Heathrow Sofitel , which is only a 15 minute walk from Terminal 5 , and so we head there for a shower , some sleep and food , however the food is £30 for a breakfast - no thanks !!
Anyhow we are home now and best to look at the photos and remember an excellent time, rather than fret about a long and painful journey home