We arrived back in Kenya at 8:30 pm, Monday, January 6th, our friends Susie and Lynn in tow. All of us were tired, but glad to be missing the polar vortex sweeping through the USA (-20 F. degree temperatures in Minneapolis). Nelson, one of the NRT drivers, greeted us with a cell phone call saying he was waiting outside the international arrivals building.

Passage through immigration, customs, and baggage was uneventful as usual and Nelson, 5’ 10”, solidly built, wearing green fatigues, a beret and a large smile met us at the door. Grabbing Anne’s suitcase he hustled us to the waiting Nissan Patrol and we were soon on the super highway (which means crosswalks and speed bumps only every few miles) heading into Nairobi and the Fairview Hotel to spend the night before the four to five hour drive to Lewa on Tuesday.

With light traffic, we merged into the Urhuru highway, made a left on Kenyatta Avenue which became Valley Road and began climbing to the Upper Hill district where the Fairview is located next to the tightly fortified Israeli embassy. Nelson hadn’t driven the route before and I was giving directions, so of course we missed the turn onto 5th Ngong Avenue, with its unlit, alley sized entrance. Hakuna matata, we’ll just drive up to the roundabout, swing left, then another right and we’d be on Bishop Road and two blocks from the hotel.

In the dark on unfamiliar streets it is easy to miss turns. I did it again. I saw a small road to the right and thought that it was too small to be Bishop Road and told Nelson to drive one more block to the next intersection. He did. Arriving at the cross street we realized it was Valley Road again and the small street we had passed must have been Bishop. Nelson began a u-turn.

Out of the darkness stepped a figure in camouflage fatigues carrying an assault rifle and a frown. He waved us down. First worry then recognition, it was a policeman. “Good” I thought, “directions.” “Get out of the car.” He told Nelson in Kishwalli.

Nelson and the policeman talked for a few minutes when a second armed policeman walked up just as grim and imposing looking as the first. A few more minutes of talking and Nelson walked back and asked me to step out of the car as well. It seems that the last block was one way and we had driven the wrong direction. No sign, no traffic, no way of knowing, but so what, it was a violation. The policeman had shown Nelson the relevant traffic code and explained that his mistake required a visit to court the next day and a 10,000 Ksh fine.

There was another option; if we gave the policemen 2,000 Ksh ($24 USD) right then, the violation could be overlooked. Without hesitation I handed the money to Nelson and he walked over to the officers. After a brief exchange two smiling policemen walked over to me. One came to attention and snapped off a salute and the other shook my hand and gave me quick directions to the Fairview. We were all friends. We were back in Kenya