Here I Am...in Scotland! (Notes from Travel)

So I've arrived in Scotland! I've come here to meet up with the others on the International Leadership Team for 24-7 Prayer and I'm excited to see everyone when they get in later today.

I don't even know where I am. I'm in Pertshire at a wonderful country home called House of Cantle. It was about 1 hour and 20 mins drive from the Edinburgh airport, though I have no idea which direction we headed out of the city. But we came through moody, misty hills and along cold rivers and lochs. Pretty perfect.

Byron, Colin and Heather are at home in Tanzania and I'll be back with them by Wednesday.

Here are some things I noted as I journeyed from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi to Heathrow to Edinburgh.

Travelers leaving East Africa are often predominantly tourists and, therefore, there is a festive kind of high even in the dimly lit, poorly ventilated hallways and waiting lounges in Nairobi's international airport. Even the most exhausted tourist look pleased with themselves for the safari they just took OR are about to take.

Some advertising slogans don't really cross cultures well. I saw a wine in the window of a duty-free shop that is apparently a Kenyan wine. The slogan read, "You'll love it... Or, you'll learn to love it." To me that reads, "It's not very good but you'll get used to it eventually."

Some duty-free shops should consider getting a new buyer. One in Nairobi featured household appliances. They had irons on display. Not travel irons, mind you. They were the chunky steam irons that you normally find in a permanent location in someone's home. "Ooh, Mum needs a new one of those!" They also had blenders in the window. Yea, that's what I'm thinking about buying as I rush toward my gate.

Color choices denote where you live. Africans of all races wear more colors than people in the UK. To land at Heathrow in February is to be greeted by a sea of nationals dressed in every shade of black and dark grey. It makes the winter seem darker, don't you think?

Mothers understand each other. I smiled toward an African family walking quickly to their flight. The mum was draped in conservative covering, though she was free to show her face. She noticed my, "Oh, I remember how it feels to travel with little kids smile" in her direction and flashed me a lovely, "Thanks for your support" smile back.

British Air domestic flights make a good breakfast! I was given some lame excuse for a breakfast as my flight prepared to come into Heathrow from Nairobi. But on my domestic flight from London up to Edinburgh, I got the real deal. I believe we call it the full English breakfast as it included eggs, sausage, bacon, baked tomato and mushrooms and a cup of tea. I was just missing the baked beans. Very impressive!

Sitting for hours on end, be it in an airport or on a plane, makes me tired. The trip has just caught up with me big time. Boy, I better go grab a nap before the rest of this team gets here.

(Photo courtesy of House of Cantle)