Well I can safely say I'm not at all in the same literary league as some here, but I am interested in some light reading, other than guidebooks, that are set in Kenya or Tanzania. Throw in a bit of a love story and I'd be very happy! :)

Any suggestions?

Windowless,
Today while talking with colleagues about the incredible winds last night, it reminded me that I should have told you to bring ear plugs (the white wax ones are far superior to foam) and Advil PM.

I originally brought the Advil PM and Ear Plugs for the overnight international flights as they really help block out the noise and the Advil PM of course helps you sleep. What I didn't realize is that the ear plugs and Advil PM would be most useful at Porini Rhino camp as it was so incredibly windy that when you were trying to sleep it sounded and felt like the tents were going to blow away. The wind and flapping noises from the tents was extremely loud. The next morning almost everyone in camp complained about how tired they were as they'd had a challange sleeping, that is except for me as I put in my ear plugs and took one Advil PM (only take one as you don't want to be groggy for the early AM game drive) and it helped relax me so I could go to sleep and not worry about the tent blowing away and exposing me to the Lions waiting outside my tent (or so I imagined). Kidding aside, there actually were Lions in camp at both Rhino and Lion camp but the wind blocked out most of the roaring at Rhino Camp although at Lion camp they were quite loud both nights. The staff said we had 3 wanderng thru camp at Rhino camp and 5 in camp on my last night at Lion camp.

Don't be worried about the Lions, although I must admit this did concern me before I went on my safari as I'd read that you could sometimes hear the Lions, although they are not usually as close as they sound, and of course they don't bother you in your tent. It is a truly interesting experience to try to fall asleep with their loud roars which sounds like they're right outside your tent (which they're not). On my last night at Porini Lion I heard not only the Lions, but Baboons, Hyennas (they make the most unusual sounds) and one Elephant, very surreal and not nearly as scary as I would think. Although I didn't personally see the roaring Lions in camp, I did however see a Spotted Hyenna about 50 feet from my tent as I was on my way to the main tent for Breakfast, but that is another story. You'll soon have many of your own to share!

KathBC, I'm afraid I can't think of anything off the top of my head that fits your criteria, but I'll reiterate the recommendation for <i>West with the Night</i>, which I thought was excellent. To be honest, probably my favorite (fictional) book set in Africa is Barbara Kingsolver's <i>The Poisonwood Bible</i>, but it's certainly not "light" reading (and anyhow, that's set in the Congo). There are a lot of really interesting choices out there, though, depending on your mood.

nycjv, thanks for the earplugs tip. I have foam ones that I tend to use on the Metro and/or most plane trips, but I'll keep an eye out for the wax ones between now and when I depart.

Your story about the lions actually put a huge smile on my face, too. I think that's exactly the sort of thing that gives my mom the shivers ... but it's also exactly the sort of thing that I'm most eager to experience. I know the animals aren't tame, but I also know that they're generally not known to attack tourists so I'm looking forward to being situations like that.

I know there's way to guarantee a "perfect" vacation, but I feel like choosing this place and getting all of your great advice has given me the best opportunity to experience something extraordinary. And it's finally coming up; it's getting so close I can almost taste it!

E N J O Y !

((@))

Your questions have been answered, but I will offer this advice:
We have found, in our conversations with the Masai, that they are very family oriented, and that the conversation often turns to family, so we have learned to travel with pictures of our family. I also carry a small map of the world, so that I can show them where we are from and how we travelled to East Africa. Coming from Canada, we bring photos of our winters - our children tobogganing, me shovelling the driveway, snow sitting on top of cars and covering the trees - they are always fascinated. We also carry a couple of photos of "typical" Canadian scenery - the prairies and mountains. Our photos have been the basis of many memorable conversations. We even brought them out when we were pulled over at two police checkpoints - once in Botswana and another time near Arusha. The police were so fascinated with our photos, that we never did learn why they had pulled us over. After a friendly chat over the photos, they simply waved us on our way. ...and no, before anyone gets the wrong impression, my DH was not speeding! :-D Have a wonderful trip! Robin

My point and shoot stopped working in kenya due to dust. Fortunately I had old unused one time film camera I brought just in case. Used it until I got my camera fixed. Bar shampoo and conditioner good idea for our March trip to Bhutan when I am determined to take only carryon. Love all the good ideas here.

Thanks, Robin -- your photos sound like a big hit! (Although I wonder whether photos from the US would be as well-received, given our somewhat ambivalent global reputation ...) Too bad I don't have any recent photos of the Wisconsin winters I was used to as a girl, but I'll consider bringing a few snapshots of the current abode.

Elainee, I've heard about the dust in Kenya and will be bringing along that "backup" camera based on the recommendations of a few people in this thread. Cautionary tales are always helpful. Regarding the bar shampoo/conditioner, I bought a couple things that I've "test driven" in anticipation of the trip. I'm not sold on the shampoo I bought (it was from Solay, I think); I just don't feel like it's getting my hair totally clean. But I definitely like the Sylvie L conditioner I got (I went with the unscented one); it's surprisingly good, and I'd recommend it.

I leave a week from tomorrow -- so excited!

<i>"Although I wonder whether photos from the US would be as well-received, given our somewhat ambivalent global reputation... "</i>

...people-to-people interaction most anywhere you travel has little to do with our respective governments' policies, for which we as individuals usually have little control.

True enough. My friends and I used to joke about making sure to pin Canadian flags onto our bags before heading to Europe, but really, we just wanted to avoid being stereotypical "ugly Americans". And that's easy enough to do; common courtesy goes a long way.

You will have a great time! Nothing like it that I have experienced. try to get some rest before you go.

I'm back from my adventure, and I had a truly wonderful time! I will post an actual trip report elsewhere as soon as I can, but suffice it to say for now that I was very grateful for all the advice; I feel that my journey went off with only a couple of minor hitches, and those weren't really things I could have avoided.

I'm dreaming of going back as I sit here in the surprising cold of DC (oh, how I'm dreaming of going back!) and, with any luck, I'll be able to coax some of my more intrepid friends into making the trip with me next time. I even heard several rumors that a direct flight from DC to Nairobi might be in the works for next year or 2012, which would make the travel that much better.

Thank you all for the thoughts, advice, and packing tips!

Glad to hear all went well and look forward to your report (once you've warmed up), but as to a non-stop from the US... we've been hearing this for years and are still waiting :)

Welcome back!

WO - we were planning our return to Africa before the plane home landed!

So glad you loved it.

(There are non stops to JNB from DC).

Hee hee -- christabir, I think I always knew (even before I'd gone) that I'd probably want to go back, I just didn't realize that the question would be "is it realistic for me to go again in 2011 or do I really have to wait for 2012?" Maybe I can keep my eyes peeled for package deals and/or cheap flights ...

Thanks for the welcome back; I'm going to try to get some thoughts organized and reporting started before the end of the year, but it may depend on how busy I get over the holidays. At any rate, the trip is very much on my mind, and I'd like to get a report up while I'm still in this first flush of enthusiasm.

As to the rumors of flight expansions, well, I thought the idea of a direct flight to East Africa from DC sounded too good to be true, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. I'm not wild for a longer in-air flight time, but cutting out the time needed to connect through out of the way airports would be really lovely.

Regardless, I'm going to be marshalling my finances to see when I can return, and how much time in the parks/conservancies I can squeeze out of any future trips!

Welcome home, WO. Prior to going to Africa everyone worries about vaccines for various fevers -- not realizing that the most contagious fever is that one that draws you back, time after time. Looking forward to your trip report.

Welcome Home Windowless Office. Who needs a window when you can daydream about Africa?

<i>"Afree-kah-itis!"</i>

The only disease I was never sorry to contract :)