After a 14-hour flight from New York City to Nairobi, a 10-hour layover, and a flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport, I found out my luggage was among a number of bags that hadn’t made the trip.
An airport attendant told me this happens frequently in Mt. Kilimanjaro due to airplane weight limitations. The largest and heaviest bags are sometimes left behind and brought in on a later flight.
Unfortunately, I only had one extra outfit and a few essentials in my carry-on. Since the lodge’s laundry service had a too-long turnaround time, I ended up washing my underwear and socks in the sink with a hotel soap bar.
I tried to buy clothing, but in this remote part of Africa, we only had access to the lodge’s gift shop. It didn’t have socks or underwear, and I spent $50 on the only short-sleeved shirt that fit me: a hot-pink number with “Hakuna Matata” across the front.
Unfortunately, bright colors can attract tsetse flies and scare away wildlife. You can imagine the dirty looks I got from other tourists when I showed up for our safari in my shirt as if I hadn’t known the proper dress code.
My luggage arrived at our lodge just over 48 hours later, but if I could do it all over again, I’d pack a carry-on with at least three days of clothing and essentials.
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