In this wild and unpredictable year of 2020, our travels have been upended over and over again. It is a year where one really shouldn’t make plans, and yet here we are — poised to go on another adventure. And not unlike our previous trip to French Polynesia, we are venturing to places that might not otherwise be on our radar. Due to the rapidly changing nature of entry requirements, and the very limited amount of countries that are allowing Americans within their borders, our plans have changed quite a few times.
Furthermore, the timing of our trip is not merely a matter of convenience. It is only natural that the stress of covid, forest fires, and civil unrest would also fall on an election year. While we in California avoid the brunt of the presidential tv ads, we are not spared from the “Vote YES on Prop 20 if you want to protect your children from pedophiles!,” but also “Vote NO on Prop 20 if you don’t want your uncle’s dialysis clinic to be shut down!” It’s been a year. And that’s why we are consciously trying to be away for this election season. We’ve both already voted, and intend on being away from the chaos and drama of the lead up to and the aftermath of this election. In the end, we could be away for nearly a month — by far our longest trip ever. But if there was ever a time to take an extended vacation from America, it is now.
We departed LAX for Amsterdam, and ultimately Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania for some 20 + hours of flying. As Americans, we are allowed into Schipol as long as we are transiting and stay inside the airport terminal. And yet, the gate agents at LAX insisted that we needed to buy a confirmed ticket for $1200 per person for the leg from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro. The gate agent initially was using the argument of, “What if your flight to Kilimanjaro cancels?” To which I said, “A confirmed seat does not help us if the flight cancels.” It all didn’t sound right to either of us, especially considering the planes are virtually empty — basically guaranteeing us seats out of Amsterdam. Luckily, after some frantic calls to KLM, who confirmed to the agents that we were allowed to continue as standbys, we received our tickets and luckily saved ourselves thousands of dollars.
Despite feeling that we had accomplished the great feat of a 10-hour flight in economy, we had another 8 hour flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro. We did a bit of head bobbing on the way there. Nicole kept falling asleep watching episodes of Hey Dude. We landed in Tanzania just after 8pm and it was completely pitch black. We then had a multi-step process of turning in health forms, getting temperatures checked, applying for a visa, paying for a visa (separate line), getting a receipt for the visa (separate line), and finally going through customs. After exiting the airport, we then got in a van for an hour’s drive to Arusha and our hotel.
We stink. We are exhausted. Despite having removed my mask, I still feel its presence — phantom mask syndrome if you will. Tomorrow we begin our nearly weeklong trek into the bush with a breakfast beginning at 7am. Sometimes Nicole has difficulty unwinding after a long travel day, but I bet if I just put on some Hey Dude, she’ll be out in a minute.
passports & pepto bismol 