Loki here we come!

Last weekend Micah and I, Becca and her girls Tara, Rissa & Jenna joined our husbands on a trip to Loki, in north west Kenya - just a few miles from from Sudan. This is a staging airport for fuel and for passangers going in and out of Kenya. They would be away all weekend, so we decided to join them and see some of what they do and something new. Here is the DC3 - they were getting ready to load. We kept waiting and waiting for them to say we could get on. We soon found out that some of the cargo they had from another mission had smuggled something that were not legal. It made for quite a situation. Kurt was surprised that we were even able to go on, but since the cargo wasn't on the plane yet - Kurt wasn't responsible. whew!

Here we are in Loki - I just couldn't resist taking this! The girls were about the same size as the DC3's wheels. This was my first time flying on it.

Here are from left to right - Kelly, Kurt and Amanda, after unloading some cargo and getting ready to head out for the day. Becca, kids and I stayed to scope out our living quarters for the weekend and hoping to find a pool - in the middle of nowhere. :)

It was quite an adventure riding in this! It just doesn't seem like it could take off and land on short air strips - but does! I was most impressed at how taxing and turning to get ready to take off have to be as much as a challenge to learn as flying it.

While we were in Loki Amanda was getting the caravan and her passengers ready for a flight.

Well, here is the first pool (of 2) that we found. It was the closest - we just walked across the road from where we were staying. Yes, a bit green - but didn't stop us from getting in. But honestly - as soon as we got back to our room - I immediately rinsed off with a lot of soap!!

We stayed at a camp where they served a different theme each night for dinner. Wow what luck that our first night - Saturday - was African! :) (joke) we were really hoping for mexican - but it was ok. Just didn't have to worry about eating too much! :)

We had been told by our husbands that we will find Loki - hot and dry - hence the longing to find a pool to hang out at! :) Well, Saturday night it started raining and well - continued to rain till the day we left. It really was quite a muddy mess.

This is the camp that AIM has a mission family staying at. They are on home assignment now - so we just went in and looked around the area.

Here is another house - a house made out of 4 containers! It has been used as well for AIM pilots.

Their were a couple of monkeys where we stayed - and lots of cats!

Ok, alas we found the second and best pool! What a wonderful sight! It was clean and even had step for the girls to play on! weehoo! The rain stopped in time for the men to join us and even for us ladies and kids to swim a bit before we left to come home on Monday.

The kids enjoyed playing with the soda bottle caps - first they used them in the pool - I'd throw them and then they'd go down and get them. (this is Tara)

Here is a phone booth just along the road (not a paved road - just sand). It really was quite hilarious! I phone booth in the middle of no where! This is little Jenna.

All in all, we enjoyed getting out of Nairobi - we were excited to see what all our husbands experience and do. Even though they had flights Saturday and Monday all day - we enjoyed spending time with them Sunday, driving around seeing what all Loki is like. It really kind of a ghost town now. It used to be quite a happening place about 18 years ago. When Kurt worked with AirServ he'd fly in and out of here often. I even got to visit here back then, so it was interesting to come back and see it now. Lots of run down places and no real grocery store - few shops and little dukas (by the road shops). Of course part of being in Africa is that things aren't always the way the way they should. We went to restaurant that wasn't with a camp - maybe the only nice one and they only had a few things on their menu. The guys said we had to go there to get a milkshake - Saturday - no ice cream and no frenchfries - Sunday - still no icecream - Monday just before we left - still no ice cream, but they said they should have it later that day! Ha - maybe next time. :) We do thank God for safety on the our trip home. We didn't leave Loki until 5:30 after a long day of flying for the guys. About half way to Nairobi smoke started coming in the cockpit from an electrical short in one of the instrument panels. But the guys were able to figure it out and stopped it. whew! Then after we landed we ended up with yet another security check and visit from the security officers from the airport - all from the situation when we had left on Saturday. Wow - africa....adventures...I think this will do me for some time now. :)