The flight to Kilimanjaro was pretty smooth. I took Ethiopian Air from DC to Addis Ababa (13 hrs) and had a 2 hour layover and then connected to a 2 hr flight to Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, all passengers are stopped and photographed by a man in a white coat and rubber gloves as part of the country’s Ebola check. There is a poster with illustrations of the symptoms: a man covered in rashes, a man vomiting, and a man squatting with diarrhea. I am not sure if the photo they took also scanned me for these symptoms or whether the man in the white coat and rubber gloves taking the photo was a medical expert with the ability to spot fevers, rashes under clothing, shitty underpants, and nausea – but the check took all of 2 seconds. Thank goodness I passed.

I am happy to report that the Addis Ababa airport has been renovated since I was here last in 2013. It is more modern and clean. No longer does it smell like a dirty gymnasium or look like a throwback to a 70s basement. There are quite a few new shops, sitting areas, reclining chairs to stretch out, and a few eateries. My 2 hrs passed quickly.

The flight to Kilimanjaro was on time. There is a medical check upon entry. This time they wanted to check vaccination cards. I suppose for Yellow Fever, which is required. This check is new or at least I do not remember doing this 2 years ago. After this painless check of my card, I was off to buy my visa upon arrival, which was quite easy to buy at the airport. It costs US$100 and no need to bring photos. They take your picture on the spot and then print the visa with photo and paste it in your passport. I was the first person in line and it took all of 10 minutes.

The airport is tiny and by the time I cleared immigration, my bags were waiting at baggage claim. An attendant put them on a cart for me to roll out where I was met by my driver. His name was Willie and he is studying to become a park ranger. He told me that they have been getting a lot of cancellations due to the Ebola scare. Perhaps I am crazy, but the outbreaks were in West Africa not east.

The weather is very warm and sunny and they have not had much rain – not good for calving season. The wildebeest drop the calves after the rain when the grasses are high. Hope they will drop them in the dust because that is what I came to see.

Last time I stayed at Legendary Lodge. This time I am staying at Arusha Coffee Lodge. It is equally as nice, but the view of Mt. Meru at Legendary was better. At this lodge, there are more cottages and more dining areas. There is a lovely garden to sit in and have drinks and snacks. I had a few Moscow Mules and French fries with garlic aioli while I read the book A Free Life by Ha Jin (thanks Masood for the suggestion). There was a lovely breeze and I sat in the garden until the sun went down. It was quite dark when I left. Anyone who knows me is already aware of my terrible sense of direction and today was no different. I felt like my dog Chompers who suffered from dementia and used to get lost in a corner. I would find him standing completely still, nose in a corner, and no idea how to get out. I would gently touch his back and lead him out. Thank goodness the hotel workers did the same for me and lead me back to my cottage. They asked if they should come back to get me for dinner. I had the sense to take a menu with me so I could order from my room if I felt hungry later.

By the way, this blog title should be sung to the tune Going Back to Indiana by the Jackson 5.

Well tomorrow I am off at 7am to fly into the bush…let the birthing begin….