Nairobi, Kenya
It's our last day in Kenya before we head to Tanzania, but rather than drive ninety minutes to the border for the reportedly chaotic and time-consuming land crossing (as the Aussies in our party are doing) we are heading back to Nairobi for some chill-out time at the beautiful Safari Park Hotel and flying into the country early tomorrow.
However the wisdom of this recommendation by our tour company seems somewhat questionable when faced with the long drive back to the capital, especially as Coman has been unwell with a chest infection for the past 48 hours. It's the result, we think, of all the dust in Lake Nakuru and the antibiotics the doctor in Amboseli has prescribed are incredibly strong, meaning he is now completely wiped out.
Nevertheless we clamber back into the jeep and arrive into Nairobi about 12.30, passing the Kenyan Parliament and Supreme Courts of Justice, plus the modern Roman Catholic Cathedral, before dropping the Chens off first at the Sarova Stanley hotel, right in the centre of the city.
Fortunately next door to their hotel is a chemist. By now Coman is in a lot of pain and the 3-day course of antibiotics shows no sign of shifting the infection yet. We manage to get a repeat prescription, plus lozenges, painkillers and a bottle of expectorant cough mixture for the princely sum of US$16 whilst the pharmacist's radio blares out Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Queen and the Rolling Stones. It makes a change from the solitary Christmas playlist all the Sopa lodges seem to share.
We leave the bustling heart of the city ahead of its infamous rush hour traffic, and arrive at the Safari Park Hotel in time for a late lunch. The afternoon is spent relaxing by the gorgeous pools and unwinding after the non-stop travelling of the past week, before dinner at the hotel's Nyoma Choma restaurant; a combined barbecue and cabaret-lover's paradise.
Having recently decided to embrace vegetarianism, and been true to our commitment for the entire trip so far, the unending stream of barbecued meats that keeps being proffered, including the likes of crocodile and camel, is somewhat of a challenge. However the entertainment is fun - a 45-minute show courtesy of the Safari Cats dance troupe.
Less fun, sadly, is the 4am wake-up call to get across the city to the airport... and the disasters that then befall us trying to get to Tanzania. Let's just say the next 24 hours are an unexpected, and at times pretty stressful adventure.
It was all going so well!!
