When I landed in Cairo, I finally reached a goal I set for myself long ago – to visit six continents by age 30.
Geographically, Egypt is part of the African continent. But that’s like saying geographically Florida is The South. Just because it’s technically there doesn’t mean it necessarily has all the same characteristics of the region, or continent, at large. Florida and Egypt are just… different.
So, while I technically reached my goal (by a month! whew!), I still didn’t feel like I’d stepped foot in the real Africa which I’d dreamed about since I was a kid. That’s why the next stop on my RTW trip was so special.
Departing the Nile’s sandy banks, I journeyed south — away from the vast, dry sands of Egypt and into a culture of contrasts in Kenya.
If Egypt had me feeling like a modern-day Cleopatra floating down the Nile on a felucca, Kenya was a jarring return to reality.
At times breathtakingly beautiful, mind-numbingly inefficient, awesome, terrifying and gut-wrenching, Kenya fulfilled my expectations on multiple levels, surprised me half to death (literally!) at every turn and ultimately left me with a (figurative!) bleeding, hippo-sized hole in my heart… and a desire to do something about it.
Pull up a cozy chair, put the kettle on and get ready… it’s story time!
