The Long Journey Home

February 18, 2025 to February 20, 2025

After a week recovering at Weru Weru, I was more than ready for my return flight to the US. I cleared out of my room by eleven and spent the next few hours reading and saying good-bye to all my new Tanzanian friends. Everyone at the lodge was so helpful, always with big smiles that kept me upbeat on the road to recovery.

I arrived at the Kilimanjaro airport in plenty of time to relax in the lounge before departing on the five hour flight to Doha. The sun was setting as we taxied toward the runway and the outline of acacias against a golden sky elicited the first strong emotions of regret - a frank acknowledgement of journeys not taken and the sights unseen during my time in Tanzania. As we broke through the clouds, I bade farewell to Mount Kilimanjaro with a heartfelt wish to return one day. Just not on a bike!

Flying through Doha on Qatar airlines was a real experience. Though I’d been in Morocco just two years ago, this was my first experience in one of the oil-rich Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Opened in 2014, the vast Hammad International Airport has won numerous accolades - the best airport in the middle east and the best airport for shopping. For me, it was visually luxurious. Display cases shimmered with gold and silver and there was a rich variety in color and style of the Arab robes and head scarves worn by fellow passengers. No pictures, just stored on my personal hard drive.

I’d cashed in some unused flight credit to splurge on a business class ticket and so took full advantage of the free meal and calm atmosphere in the airport international lounge. And my broken rib was quite thankful for the extra room and pillows during the 16 hr flight to Miami, a time spent reading, sleeping, a little eating, repeat.

The flight touched down in Miami at about 9 a.m. local time and I saw an alert from American as soon I turned on my phone. My flight to Raleigh had been cancelled. In fact all flights that day to Raleigh were cancelled - due to a whopping 2” of snow. I immediately checked flights for the next morning, and had rebooked a seat before I got off the plane. I retrieved my checked bag, took a few items out for overnight, rechecked my bag, and got a room at airport hotel. I was fortunate to have acted fast as flights to Raleigh and rooms at the hotel were quickly filling up.

I finally arrived home the next day, 54 hours after I’d left the Weru Weru River Lodge.

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