Noisy night…Packing for a safari…Two days until safari…

The noises at night are rather entertaining, sounds we’ve never heard in our lives, hard to pinpoint, persistent, and seemingly unwieldy. They’re not gentle sounds. 

One sound is eerie that I mentioned in a past post. It sounds like the music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Click here for the scene from the movie with the five-note sound.

We don’t hear it every night, only two or three times a week. No one knows what it is nor do they question it. When I first heard it the second night here, I couldn’t help but wonder what it was. It continued until dawn. 

It began last night it began at dusk, finally stopping when I awoke at 6:00 am. Oddly, at this point, I almost welcome the peculiar familiarity of this sound among the many other sounds of the night.  

Perhaps, these sounds are in preparation for the new (to us) sounds that we’ll be hearing outside our tent beginning on Saturday night.  How exciting!

The packing has begun for our safari. Most would think, throw some khaki pants, shirts and boots in a duffel bag and we’ve got it covered. Not so quick!

There’s more to it for us.  Here’s our list:

  • Epipens for possible bee sting
  • Tylenol PM (just in case)
  • Malaria pills
  • Business cards
  • BugsAway pants, shirt, hats
  • Underwear & tee shirts
  • Pills cases for everyday pills
  • Bug lotion
  • Boots
  • Socks
  • Shoes to wear when not on safari (boots too heavy)
  • Sunglasses
  • 2 cameras + cords
  • 2 laptops
  • Chargers: laptops, cameras, phone, MiFi, Hotspot
  • MiFi and Hotspot
  • Smartphones (for books to read)
  • Toiletries (bare minimum)
  • Clothes to change into at night if dining in the dining room during bad weather.  If dining in the bush, we’ll wear BugsAway clothing
  • Plugs and adapters for 220 (which we use everyday)
  • Binoculars
  • Waterproof parkas
  • Passports, Kenya visa, ID

There isn’t one item on the above list that we can exclude. Plus, it won’t be as if we’re at a hotel where we can buy supplies in the gift shop. We’ll be in a tent with a nearby lodge.

All the above does not fit in our one duffel bag. We’ve added two cloth bags for overflow We were instructed not to bring any suitcase-shaped bags, even if soft sided. In the small plane there’s no overhead compartments and everything needs to be neatly tucked away.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a photo of our packed bags to share here. Hesborn will return our dry laundry tomorrow with a few items to top off the bags. 

At this point, we haven’t decided if we’re going out today or even out to dinner tonight. We have produce to use before we go (waste not, want not) and plenty of steaks on hand if we decide to dine in. I have accounting work to update today and will be content to sit in our outdoor living room, ice tea in hand, my guy only steps away and something exciting to anticipate.

The power just went out again. I’d better hurry and post this or my laptop will run out of juice. That’s life in Kenya.

Comments and responses Noisy night…Packing for a safari…Two days until safari…

  1. Carrie Reply

    Hi Jess – I have a friend that returned from a safari about 10 days ago and said she & her husband missed the great migration which happened early this year. Don't know if you heard that or not. They both thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and were sure you two will enjoy it. What an experience! I would love to be there doing the same thing!
    Have fun…..Carrie

  2. Jessica Reply

    Carrie, do we know which Carrie you are? We have several readers with your name. Please do tell.

    Yes, we are prepared to have missed the Great Migration. We've been following their path online. However, they are always on the move so maybe we'll get lucky and see a few stragglers. Most certainly, we'll see lots of wildlife which will make this a worthwhile experience. Gee..we're excited to sit by the pool when not on game drive or watching the hippos in the river in front of our tent. We love it all and can't wait to share our photos as we go.

    Thanks for reading our posts and of course, for writing to us. It means so much!
    Warmest regards,
    Jess & Tom

  3. Jessica Reply

    Carrie, your comment didn't show your email address as you surmised. Nice to hear from you! How are you? Please email and say hello!

    Warmest regards,
    Jes

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