We enjoyed a final breakfast with Big Heiko and Heiko Small in Heron Court hotel. I had risen at 07:00 to do my laundry, my body clock is still set on earlys, which suits me just fine.
After breakfast we played bao to kill some time while waiting for a laundry lady to take my washing to be dried but she never showed so Ian and I wandered aimlessly around the complex in search of people to spend some final moments with before they departed for the airport.
Heiko Small was the first to leave, although technically it was Paul and Georgie who departed at 05:00, then Jos and Connie who left before breakfast. After Heiko Small was Kim, which was very touch and go as he was a standby passenger who had the okay an hour before the plane was due to take off and had to cross Nariobi in that time too! It was so rushed he forgot to say goodbye so we abandoned what we were doing, I was thrashing Big Heiko at bao, and ran out after Kim to bid him farewell. 'I don't want to see you again!' I told him, meant in the nicest possible way.
After an interesting meal for Tracey and Terry-Lynn whereby we watched them eat, listening to the horrendous tales of airline procedures, finally the next seven made their leave, following a long wait. It was painful waiting for them to leave. We all gathered outside for some final 'finish off the film' photographs before bidding them fond farewells and recalling some of the funny events of the overland tour. We bundled six of them in to one cab and all the luggage and Big Heiko, who looked like Hannibal Lecter, in to another cab, which sounded awfully unroadworthy, and waved them off for the last time.
This left Ian, Rolf, Paula and I to a final dinner before retiring early for the night. It was much of an anticlimax.
Copyright 2002 Helen Fuller. All rights reserved.