It seems that I'm not fated to leave Nairobi.  After being trapped for two months due to a lack of motivation and momentum, I was inspired and ready to move forward.  Last Friday, I moved from Backpackers to a hotel downtown so that I could catch the morning bus towards Lodwar.  I was in the hotel putting the final touches for what was supposed to be the last journal entry for Nairobi when my laptop exploded. 

Okay, it didn't explode, but it was very dead.  I spent the past week arguing with Apple over the repair.  It is under warranty, but they told me that I'd have to wait 8 weeks for it to be fixed and pay $250 for the shipping.  2 more months in Nairobi??

After a week of haggling with Apple, it was time to leave town.  My visa for Kenya has almost run out.  I'm going to carry this dead laptop as far as Addis Ababa and try again to get it fixed from there.

The good news is that while staying at the hotel downtown some backpacking hippy types told me of a party in Ethiopia.  I can't find any other information about it, but it should be a great party.  The told me that on Valentines day Ziggy Marley will show up in a tiny town in Southern Ethiopia called Shashamene.  He's there to play and to bury Bob Marley's ashes.  Who knows how many thousands of Rastas are going to shop up.  I would go way out of my way for such an event, but coincidentally it's just on my route and the timing is perfect.  I should show up just in time for the main event.

I'm catching a bus in two hours and I can't imagine anything stopping me this time.  When I arrive in Addis, and my laptop is fixed, I should have tons of great stories and photos to share.  That's it!  I'm signing off for the next month and some.  As Jerry Springer would say "Have fun and be nice to one another." -Adam