Less than 2 days and counting…A little fear…A lot of excitement…


Everything I own, except six pairs of shoes in a smaller bag, to be sucked into the Space bags.
A pile of clothes I’m offering to Lisa, owner of the house.  If they don’t fit or she doesn’t want them, perhaps she’ll give them to someone else.  It no longer bothers me to get rid of my stuff.  Bye, stuff!

A flutter of excitement began to waft over me this morning, as I ran from room to room, gathering, sorting, and planning. We’re on the move. In less than two days we’ll be out the door on three travel days to Africa, in itself a daunting task.

As a young girl I dreamed of Africa and now as a grown woman in my “golden years” I finally have the opportunity to fulfill that dream. Yes, it is wrought with some degree of fear. It’s all a part of the excitement.

Without a doubt, the flies will be chasing me longing for a morsel of my flesh, the mosquitos will be dining on our blood and, a wide array of dangerous and not-so-dangerous insects at times will run past our feet or across the bed at night. I read somewhere to pull down the sheets at night to inspect the bottom sheet for crawling things before climbing into bed. I’ve done that every night here in Tuscany.

The heat will be unbearable (we’ll be in Africa during their spring and summer), especially with no air conditioning, the dripping humidity, and rampant storms at times unpredictable.

We have no delusions. We go with our eyes wide open. In reality, living in the bug-infested, hot, humid mountains of Tuscany without air conditioning, without screens, and without overhead fans in the midst of summer was good practice. Adapting with modifications. Coins hanging in plastic bags over doorways. A floor fan. Keeping doors closed when a flying thing is buzzing inside. We figured it out.

For now, our thoughts center around safely arriving at our new home in Diani Beach, Kenya, where the hardships may or may not be considerably less than when three months later we head to Marloth Park, Kruger Park, South Africa, far from civilization, among the wildlife we so much anticipate.

We’re no worse for the wear. In our old lives, we turned on the AC in late May, never turning it off until September.  We rationalized it as hay fever prevention, mosquito reduction, and better for health, to be comfortable, to be cool.   

Little did we realize how willing, we both were for a change! Sure, we whined, mostly here to our readers, but less to one another, determined to maintain an air of acceptance and contentment between us. It’s worked.

In only a few days, we’ll have a four-hour layover between flights in Istanbul, Turkey, next door to Syria. Watching the news by the hour, we’re hopeful, if there is US involvement, it will wait until we safely reach our new home in Kenya. 

A few days ago, when Tom mentioned that our flight path from Istanbul will be in the flight path of military planes and missiles, making their way to intervene, I immediately brought up Google Maps to see the proximity to Istanbul, cringing at the result.

It was only three months ago that we were concerned about going out and about in Istanbul, ending up safely taking an excursion to Ephesus to see the ruins.  And now, once again we feel a bit of angst heading onto a four-hour layover and subsequent six-hour flight that passes through Turkey, so close to the war zone.

Trying to put such thoughts out of our minds is not possible. It helps to keep us on our toes, staying observant for possible risks, holding close our belongings, hanging close together, checking most of our bags. Once we’re settled, we’ll be at ease.

The packing continues, bit by bit.  My piles of clothing are neatly arranged, the vitamins packed out of sight, and nothing that would raise inquiry is in our carry on bags. Tom will pack today. Learning lessons from past experiences, we travel lighter, with no items drawing any attention to us in any way.  How we’ve learned! 

Thanks to Lisa and Luca, a very special couple, who’ve worked so hard to ensure our stay in their 300-year-old stone house a memorable experience who both focused on making our comfort and convenience their utmost concern.

Sunday morning, September 1st,  we’ll leave early for the half-day drive to Venice.  Once we arrive, we’ll post our arrival and any photos we’ve managed to take along the way. 

Monday morning, September 2nd, we’ll board the plane for the first of three flights to Kenya, arriving at 3:00 am on Tuesday. You won’t hear from us again, other than Sunday from Venice, until after we’re settled at our new home, late in the day on Tuesday. Most likely we’ll try to sleep for a few hours upon arrival. 

The time difference from Kenya to Minnesota, USA is eight hours, to Los Angeles, ten hours, to Boston, seven hours. 

Thus, we’ll be back on Sunday, in your inbox, or available by our link before midday.  See you then!

P.S.  Tom watched the Viking game this morning at 7:00 am. Now, the commercials are back in with the black screen during the time slot. The last box of the prescriptions did not arrive and we’ll notify the online pharmacy later today. We were able to keep the rental car for the duration. Santina is here as I write this, for the last time. It will be sad to say goodbye to this lovely woman. We agreed upon a generous, well-deserved tip.  Grazie, Santina!

Comments and responses Less than 2 days and counting…A little fear…A lot of excitement…

  1. Anonymous Reply

    I have pictures of when i was in Ephesus. That use to be greece. The turks took the land during their battles with greece. My pictures are posted on facebook. Happy journey.

  2. Jessica Reply

    Would love to see your photos of Ephesus! Could you send the link to your Facebook page? Without it or your name, we have no way to find it.

    Thanks for writing!

    Warmest regards,
    Jess & Tom

  3. Anonymous Reply

    It doesn't seem possible that you are leaving Tuscany. Dan and I have thoroughly enjoyed all your postings and especially the pictures. We will be thinking of you during your long trip and praying for your safety. It is always sad when I check your blog and you have not posted anything. I have really become attached to your blog. You are doing a fantastic job and we can't wait to hear about Africa. Try not to worry because it will only make you sick and things usually have a way of working out. I remember when you were concerned about how you would get to your lodgings in Diani Beach Kenya since you arrive in the wee hours of the morning. And then you heard that the owners were going to pick you up at the airport, so all your worrying was for naught! We will be anxiously awaiting to hear from you after Sunday.
    Your Epic Friend,
    Pat

  4. Jessica Reply

    Pat, as it turns out the owner isn't picking us up but he has arranged for an air conditioned private shuttle. Much to our surprise, he paid for our transportation! Of course, we will reimburse him when we arrive..

    Also, you'll hear from me tonight when we arrive at the hotel in Venice. I will be posting any photos we've managed to take on the road (not many) and how our move worked out. We ran into a few obstacles but I'll write about them later today.

    We're out the door in about 45 minutes and on our way to Venice. Stay tuned for more later today.

    Thanks as always for your kind words and well wishes. It means so much to us both.
    Warmest regards,
    Jess & Tom

  5. Anonymous Reply

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  6. Jessica Reply

    Thank you so much for commenting on our blog. I can tell your words have been translated to English and I love the way it translated into the kindest words. I looked at your website. Your dresses are lovely. I wish you well in your endeavors.

    Warmest regards,
    Jess & Tom

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