Musings from the air aka Kenya here we come

How many months since last I wrote here?  Must be four, I think, but here I am high in the sky over  Turkey en route for Kenya having left behind a very rainy London.

We’re travelling with Qatar Airways – the service is always good and the flights were £300 less than a direct flight with Kenya Air or BA. I’m always impressed by the way in which faiths other than Christianity make their expectations known. There’s a slide in the ‘Know your flight’ section of the inflight entertainment which is explicit in expecting  Muslims to need to pray during the flight.

There have been hectic days, lazy days and a few celebrations since last I wrote: a personal cause for celebration was being awarded the Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS) in March and then having my panel featured in the Society’s Journal in July. I didn’t expect that all those years ago when I admired the images on display in the RPS Gallery in Bath! In order to achieve the distinction I had to produce a panel of fifteen images illustrating a ‘Statement of Intent’ which could not be more than 150 words long.

My statement was:

This panel presents glimpses of faith in practice around the Old City of Jerusalem. The city is sacred to Jews, Christians and Moslems. Expressions of faith are very much part of the hustle and bustle of daily life, with shopkeepers reading the Quran while waiting for customers and pilgrims carrying crosses among the tourists in the narrow alleyways of the Via Dolorosa as well as the more formal acts of worship at the Western Wall and in the churches and mosques. Such sights are taken for granted by locals and create points of interest for the many tourists who visit.

and the panel was hung like this:

Since then there have been ‘significant’ birthdays, a trip to the Dolomites and a Diamond Wedding. And I just missed a new baby who chose to arrive today!!

As we fly over the river Tigris, dawn breaks brilliant deep gold over the darkness with bright blue above – just like a Norfolk sunset! I’d never thought of clouds as undulating before but that was the word that came to me just now as they rippled below us.

This flight has passed quickly and I’ve watched two films- that may be more than in the rest of the year so far! ‘Red Joan’ and ‘Tolkien’ both held my attention throughout : fascinating insights into the main characters and their situations.

Walking down the steps into the desert heat of Qatar I was blasted by the warmth and my glasses steamed up: for once I was glad the lady in front of me was slow through I was a little afraid I might trip over her flowing robes. I could hardly see a foot ahead of me.

A quick walk through the terminal at Doha and we were all set to board QR1335 bound for Nairobi. By then I’d been awake 24 hours and ‘on the go’ for most of them. Fortunately, after a fairly quick breakfast sleep came naturally and though little more than a nap, met my needs for the time being.

The route around the Gulf States is circuitous as Qatar Airways planes are not allowed to overfly many of their neighbours. But that didn’t matter. We were amazed by the calm patience of flight attendants faced with mothers wanting to nurse their toddlers during take off without the appropriate seat belt, elderly ladies seeming not to understand the need for seatbelts and having to have food choices repeated at least twice. They were helpful to parents with crying babies and made sure our cameras were safely stored in overhead lockers.

Today, I am struck by the colours of the desert. Looking out, I see bands of blue in the sky and then some puffy white clouds covering the sandy ( maybe rocky!) land below until gradually the clouds thicken, become more grey, and the scene is just blue through shades of grey to white. 

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Another good flight meant we arrived in Nairobi absolutely on time with just the concern that my travelling companions e-visa had not been confirmed! Once in the e-visa queue she was directed to the ‘Diplomats’ line and was through in seconds. I, on the other hand, was long enough for her to get money and deal with a couple of other things before I joined her the other side of Immigration!

Then it was my turn to be anxious – not for as long- but my case must have been nearly the last off the plane and I really was beginning to wonder if it would ever come…

And now the focus is on Kenya. We have twelve days to enjoy its variety visiting Nairobi, Ol Pejeta, Samburu, Lake Naivasha and returning to the Masai Mara. This is the time of year when the herds are at their largest and the migration involves perilous river crossings. Whether or not we will witness one we will see at the end of the trip.