This is why we have trip insurance

We've made progress on booking some hotels. I really don't want to spend a lot of time going from place to place, and when you can get what sounds like a great place in Beijing for $38 how much more of a bargain are we really looking for?

The last few mornings I've been waking up around 4:30 and while trying to go back to sleep will sometimes listen to BBC news radio and NPR. For once, it paid off. I heard reports yesterday of massive flooding in Kenya (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8550840.stm). Looking into it further, the Samburu park was pretty hard hit, with most of the safari camps being washed out--think helicopter rescue from rooftops. This particular flood didn't result in any deaths, but sadly, I've read that other flooding of villages has taken a toll.

After hearing about the Samburu floods--one of the parks we are scheduled to visit on the safari--we contacted the tour company and did a bit of research. Turns out the camp where we have reservations was one of the ones hit, and is pretty much gone. In fact, of the 10 camps in the park, only three are remaining. None of the damaged camps are expected to open until at least July 15, and perhaps not until next year.

So, we wait. Mike, the tour operator, is suppose to be trying to find alternative arrangements. We are suppose to be sending the last payment next week and don't want to do that until we see what we are getting. On the upside, the three camps still standing look even better than the one we had booked.