Revenge of the Flip-flops

Well, that last post was a bit premature. Today's meetings in Nairobi wound up being rather hectic, though still productive. The main issues were that I had barely enough money in my pocket for my bus ticket back to Arusha and definitely not enough time for all the errands that I had to run. I was a bit relieved when one of my appointments texted to say that he was sick, which made my day a bit less rushed. But still, I was even rationing my matatu rides because I didn't want to find myself short of cash for the bus ticket. Of course, I was still going around in my flip-flops. Turns out they're not as durable as I had imagined.

By 9:30 AM, the center part of the band (the one between the big toe and the rest) had come loose from the base and gradually became unattached over the course of the day. I was basically stumbling down the street trying to run around Nairobi while keeping my flip-flop from falling off (I wasn't always successful). I was so frustrated that I decided that I was entitled to a treat, so I indulged myself with a pineapple wedge for 10 shillings. As I sat down to count the money in my pocket, I discovered that I was 10 shillings short on bus fare. But I didn't have time to think about that, since I still had 3 more stops before heading to the bus station.

On my way to that third stop (the other two stops added significantly to the amount of weight I was carrying), I passed a shoe store and decided that I probably wouldn't get to the bus station in time in my flip-flops anyway and I was already late for my meeting. I stopped in and grabbed the first pair of flip-flops that fit (with a cheerful tropical theme to boot) and with new-found energy, made it to my final meeting (I was late, but I would have been on time if he hadn't pushed the meeting back from our original appointment). The meeting ran a bit long and I had to fight my way through Nairobi traffic, but got there just in time for the bus. I found some Tanzanian money in my pocket and they agreed to let me pay in a combination of Kenyan and Tanzanian shillings (but gave me lousy exchange rates to raise the price of the ticket). Fortunately, the bus was half-empty and the ride was peaceful.

And I just wanted to post a small rant. I was sleeping in a room last night with 5 sets of bunk beds. At 2 in the morning, a phone rang noisily in the adjacent bunk. The gentleman had a loud 5 minute conversation in bed (couldn't take the call outside, I guess). Sounded like he fell right back to sleep. And it only took me another hour.

However, I want to say that it was a relaxing bus ride and I'm glad to be back home.