Our final day in Kenya had finally arrived. We slept in and packed our luggage before checking out from our hotel, and then leaving. But our flight wasn't until the evening, so we had some time to kill. Out of a recommendation from Eugene, we travelled north to the Ngong Hills for a hike. This region has seven large hills that tower over the African Rift Valley, and are a popular destination for hiking because of the view. They also have numerous windmills generating renewable energy, locals using the route to walk between towns, and shepherds tending to their sheep.
The view was absolutely breathtaking, and the hike was relatively comfortable. We only made it through two of the seven hills because of time concerns, but it was still a very nice hike. We saw numerous sheep and cows along the way, and had fun walking alongside them up the hills. The last hill was a very steep incline, but I felt triumphant making it to the top and basking in the view around me.
Before heading to the airport, we stopped to eat our last meal here. Throughout our trip, we would see signs for Chicken Inn, a fast food restaurant, all across Nairobi and Mombasa. We had always been curious about trying it, but we did not get a chance to until right before leaving. We were curious and thought it would be fun to give it a try. The one we went to also had another chain tied to it, Pizza In. We got a combo meal with a bucket of chicken and a chicken tikka pizza. The meal was good, it was definitely fast food, but it still felt Kenyan, and not overtly American.
Satisfied with our experience, we left for the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. We said goodbye to Eugene, who gifted us with Kenyan bracelets he bought from merchants on the hills as a goodbye present. He had been with us for the whole three weeks that we were in Kenya, and was always so nice and talkative, telling us about Kenya, his family, culture, geography, and various fun facts. He was such an incredible presence, and our trip would not have been anywhere near as good without him.
Our process of flying back to the states was long, a full 24 hours of travel. First, a 2 hour flight back to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and then after a 2 hour layover, it would take a 17 hour flight from Addis Ababa to Washington, with a 2 hour stop in Dublin, Ireland to refuel.
But, at the end of that journey, was home.