Monday, June 16, 2008

Stuck In Nairobi--Time for a Plan B

At the begining of this week, I was back in the U.S. and Sudan was one of the furthest things from my mind. Today is my third day in Nairobi. I left the U.S. a few days ago on my way to Sudan via the sweet Atlanta to Lagos, Nigeria air route. Problem is, my luggage was apparently n0t notified of the transfer at Lagos and may be wandering around somewhere in West Africa. Which is cool. Except that I'm now stuck in Nairobi until I can get this sorted out.

Luckily I still have my carry-on bag, which not so luckily only contains a video camera with no batteries, a pair of socks but no shoes, and a few hygene supplies. I missed my flight to Pagak, Sudan but have had a few days to catch up with myself after a crazy few months and a 21 hour flight that at one point had me rushing around the Lagos airport with a Nigerian soldier while airport staff played Elvis's "Love Me Tender" on repeat for two hours over the PA system.

I filed a lost baggage report with Kenya Airways, although unfortunately they have no record of receiving my baggage. Delta conveniently only has an e-mail contact address for questions and concerns, so it seems incumbent upon me to start working up a contingency plan for getting to Pagak with all the needed supplies.

I figured 'Contingency Plan' is an appropriate name for this blog. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to have to go with the flow for the next few months while I am in East Africa. Lesson 1: Plans are great, but need to be flexible. Super flexible. Having a bit of extra cash is helpful too.

Hopefully, the next time I post I will have more positive news. One way or another, I'll keep you updated. Welcome to Africa.

3 comments:

Luke said...

Feeling your pain there, Bret. I was denied entry in China earlier tonight. Marooned in Hong Kong, no idea what tomorrow will bring. Luckily in HK you can buy tall boys of Tsingtao from 7-11 for $1 and crack 'em open on the street. That should keep me going. What're you doing for clothes?

--Luke

Unknown said...

Ha ha, they lost your luggage and you smell!

Anonymous said...

'Love Me Tender'? Could've been worse. You know what I mean, COTTON EYED JOE. Hang in there, B-Doggy Dog.
JBird