The planes keep getting smaller

Some of you have heard us obsess over the weight limits on our trip.  When we took the small planes to the safari locations, we flew bush flights.

In southern Africa, we had 20kg (44 pounds) each to work with, and that doesn’t sound so bad – until you consider that is the total of all luggage, checked, carryon, everything.  Thank goodness they did include our weight.

We each carry a camera, 2 lenses, iPads, one laptop to share, all the chargers and gadgets and whatever.  When we weighed just those items before we left home, they weighed 7 or 8 kg for each of us.

We pared down the clothing and anything we thought would not be essential.  Fortunately the safari camps will do laundry so we could bring 3 or 4 shorts/pants and shirts to layer and get along OK.

In eastern Africa, including Kenya, the limit was 15 kg (33 pounds) per person.  This is getting serious.  We were both at about 16 kg when we left the house and had picked up a few items along the way (because Howard decided he needed a couple more short-sleeve shirts and there were souvenirs and doodads and what-not).  

We had heard stories of people being required to divest of items at the Nairobi airport and didn’t want to be caught, so we arranged to leave a box at the hotel in Nairobi where we stayed before and after going out to the Masai Mara.

Got to the airport, the desk staff took our 2 duffle bags (which were small enough we have been carrying them on everywhere we went) and weighed them.  Together = 12.7 kg.  They were soooooo impressed!

Then one of them noticed our backpacks – staggered to carry them to the scale and added them to the duffles.  All 4 bags came in at 29.5 kg.  Yesssss!  They were impressed again, but for different reasons, I guess.

It’s a neat way to travel in this part of the world.  A little chaotic and the schedule is a bit free-form, but efficient.

And we made weight (you know how I stress over things like that, whew!)

S.