Visitors

My first and only visitors arrived in January. Prior to arriving in the DRC, Vanessa and Sheryl experienced a nearly tourist-free visit to Istanbul as they flew in the same day and just after the bombing near the Blue Mosque. I was extra thankful to see the smiling faces of these intrepid travelers when they arrived in Kinshasa.

Having to deal with airport officials looking for bribes almost as soon as they were off of the airplane guaranteed an authentic Kinshasa experience. 

When Vanessa first told me that she wanted to visit, we had to Skype so that I could give her a breakdown of exactly what she should expect...or not expect. Having traveled the globe far more than I have, she assured me that she was up for the adventure despite Kinshasa not being a widely traveled tourist destination.

After a week of discovering Kinshasa and embracing the chaos, we were all still smiling and Vanessa and Sheryl were talking about coming to visit me in Nairobi. Let the adventures continue!