After confirming that my bag didn't make the next flight to Mombasa, we went shopping. I bought 3 t-shirts, 3 pairs of undies, and some capris (which had a Giorgio Armani label). We also got baby wipes and some toiletries for me.
Then, we headed home. Our friend loaned us his car, which simplified life so much. I was kind of dreading trying to take all our stuff (which wouldn't be such a problem since I had no stuff) and Nate on matatus and buses, and then walking to Esther's house.
We met up with Halima (Rodgers' sister, the one who had a baby last time I was in Kenya) in Malindi. We were supposed to see some friends, but for some reason Rodgers' phone wasn't working, so we couldn't call them to meet up. We had lunch in the cafe we frequented in 2008, then bought some groceries for Tuesday's party (including 50 kg of rice).
Then, it was off to Marereni, to the same place that we stayed in 2008, which has gone to pot. We wanted to check in before going home in case we were late getting back, and it was after check in time. The place was quite nice (though sparse) in 2008, but it's not very nice anymore. The plumbing was broken in every room, in some way. Maintenance isn't a priority in Kenya, so they let things go until it's absolutely unsuable. We got a room with a shower that dripped constantly but wouldn't shower. We collected the water in a bucket and had spit baths. At least the toilet worked. The sink did not.
We went home, and Esther greeted me much more warmly than before. We sat with some cousins and talked for a while. More people showed up every 30 seconds or so, including Esther's 3 sisters. They somehow made me think of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which from A Wrinkle in Time. Rodgers noted that, the longer we stayed, the more people would show up, and the harder it would be for us to leave. Because of the road, we wanted to leave before dark. So we quickly told them goodnight and left.
Nate wouldn't have been able to use his travel bed at this place because we needed to use mosquito nets. Their rooms all have 2 twin beds, so one of us slept with Nate the first night (with a rolled up towel filling the gap between the mattress and the wall), and the other one the second night. Here he is before Rodgers and I went to bed:
Rodgers' phone was working again, and he called the airport, but my bag was still missing.
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