Did I say 2 hours?

SIX hours later after first being told - the plane is coming from Harare – you must go down to the gate ... go through security, take your shoes off ... sit and wait ... they bring cool drinks. “It’s coming” ... “There’s a technical problem, no, the President of Zimbabwe has delayed the plane ... it’s 10 minutes away, we are in constant touch with them ... no, it’s not coming – go back upstairs.

We waited in the bar area because it was the only place to get power for the laptop and iPod. The guys in the bar drank beer and had a good time. I met a very nice Rwandese called Sam Kanyarukiga who used to be DG of CIPEX in MINECOFIN and now works for COMESA in Lusaka. Spent some happy time gossiping about people we both knew in Kigali.

They brought food – a bad sign, and bad food – we couldn’t eat it. The airport was hot and humid. The guys in the bar drank more beer and got very loud and annoying. The sky darkened and the rain came and I was reminded how much I love the sound of a deluge on a tin roof – the guys in the bar drank more beer and got louder. An Ethiopian Airlines plane had to abort a take-off because of the weather – very scary to watch. “The plane can’t come now because of the rain!”

Eventually, we go downstairs again – through security, take your shoes off – no sign of the plane. We wait again. We finally took off at 19.00 and landed at 22.00 – I was hoping that the driver sent from the hotel to meet me would still be there. My bags came through first – and joy – they had not been tampered with! I cleared the airport at 23.00 – and joy again – the driver was there! I was very grateful. Moving to the hotel would have been easier by boat – the rain had come so hard and so quickly that the floods were knee height. And it’s scary driving in Nairobi at night because no one stops at the robots for fear of being car-jacked .... eish!

Finally got to bed at midnight ... a little bit weary.