5 hours in Dubai is giving me the time I need to catch up on my blog. It was hard saying goodbye to my friends today and I am realising that this trip is full of rich friendships from all over the world that inevitably end in goodbye, very few who I will see again. You get very close, very quickly and begin trusting people who are complete strangers. Everybody shares everything they have, whether it's snacks, bug spray, medications, or even clothing. It is the way of the traveller.
There is an acronym we use here  in Africa: TIA (this is Africa). It explains away anything and is always said with a big smile. 

Nairobi (Maasai meaning: "place of cool waters")
I arrived safely after an uneventful journey from Addis to Nairobi. I got here around mid afternoon so had plenty of time to get settled and found myself beside the pool as it was a hot and humid day. The swim was glorious. I met the group at 6pm and then had a beer and dinner with Stephani from NYC (a replica of Carrie from Sex in the City.....really) and Liz from Yorkshire. These girls are going to be a lot of fun! There are 14 people including people from London, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany and NYC. The guides, drivers and cook are Kenyan. So far, it seems like a good group.
The vehicle is massive and capable of taking us on very rough roads. It will carry everything we need for the safari including dishes, tents, sleeping mats and food and water. We each have our own locker which has to fit all our belongings - i am so glad i have learned to pack light. I'm really looking forward to doing some proper camping and we are told that the bush camps in the Serengeti are located amidst the animals whom are free to roam where they will. It is not unusual to have hyenas, warthogs and even elephants visit your campsite in the night! First stop was overlooking the Rift Valley which was incredible! The thorny Acacia trees, so quintessentially African, stand out against the serene landscape.
We continued to travel through the tea-growing highlands going west towards the Tanzania border. It is quite hot, high 30's and I am enjoying the warmth and sunshine. This is the ancient homeland of the Massai, tall, graceful tribesmen dressed in distinctive scarlet robes, tending their prized herds of cattle. Children stand by the side of the road, their bright smiles  so beautiful, waving up at us as we pass by. The countryside is lush and green and the donkeys look healthy and strong, unlike the ones in Morocco who were skinny and carrying too much weight.
We stopped in the hilltop town of Kisii where we stocked up on all the supplies as we head out into the African wilderness to begin our safari on the Serengeti. 8 hours on a very rough road. Tonight we are staying just outside of Kisii, in dormitories  with hot showers, flush toilets, and beds with bedding,  the last luxury before the upcoming bush camps with cold showers and stand toilets.