Since arriving in Harare on the 14th of September, the ladies of Gargar have had a tight schedule involving sound checks, media interviews, transfers from one venue to another and the performances.
Despite of the tiring tour schedule, the ladies have taken to the life on the road like a duck to water, and are already used to it like seasoned touring rockers.
Here is the first installement of blogs on he tour;
Day 01: Wed 14 Sep 2011
Nairobi
It was an early morning for the group as we had a 3.45am flight to catch to Harare. This meant we had to be at JKIA at least by 1.45am for check in. The ladies of Gargar got there first and everyone else trickled in after. We quickly had our luggage sorted, making sure we spread the weight amongst us to avoid going over the 30kg weight limit per person. The Keyboard and flight case alone were 25 kilos in total, so it was checked in as part of Erico’s (the percussionist) luggage: he had the least personal luggage amongst us.
The first part of our Ethiopian Airlines flight to Harare was a 2-hour flight from JKIA Nairobi to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
Addis Ababa
The flight was ahead of schedule and we landed at Bole at around 5.20am. We had a 4-hour stop over in Addis Ababa while we waited for our connecting flight to Harare. Everyone was dog-tired and we all spent the time trying to catch a few moments of sleep, not an easy task on a metal bench in busy airport lounge. The ladies went for their morning prayers at the designated prayer rooms at the airport, as I tried to while away the hours listening to my iPod.
The boarding gates were opened at 7.20am, but it was still a long wait till take off at 9.20am. This was going to be a 3-hour flight to Harare. I spent the time between conversing with Erico and Shaddy (the keyboard player) and watching a documentary on US President Obama on the in flight entertainment channel. It was the same documentary they had played on the flight from Nairobi and I wondered if that was the only in flight entertainment they had.
Harare
We landed safely in Harare at around 12.45 local time and were met by an immigration officer who handed us our applications for temporary work permits from the Alliance Francaise (AF) Harare. The applications were approved but we were advised to report to the immigration officer within two days to collect our permits.
Charles Houdart, the director of AF Harare was waiting for us at the airport arrivals area, and after quick introductions we loaded our luggage into the awaiting vehicles and headed to the hotel. We were divided amongst the 3 cars that had picked us up.
The streets of Harare were a big contrast to Nairobi, at least the areas we saw on the drive to the hotel. There were vast open spaces of land and the traffic was very light. I however decided to reserve my first impression of Harare until I got to see the rest of the town.
Courtney Hotel, Harare
We were booked into the Courtney Hotel in Harare, which was not that far from AF Harare. It was a small cozy place that looked more like a country inn.
We had lunch at the hotel’s restaurant then retired to the rooms for a much needed rest. Charles promised to take us out for dinner and drinks later that evening after we had had some R n’ R.
We soon realized there was no running water in the rooms; apparently there is a shortage of water and electricity in Harare. However we were advised to call on the reception to deliver water to the rooms when needed.
True to hid word, Charles came back at 7pm, and except for the ladies, who were still fast asleep, we all went out for diner and drinks in the town.
The Spin, Harare
Charles took us to a place called The Spin. Apparently, this was the favorite hang out spot for Harare musicians and artists. We could tell from the posters they had on their walls that The Spin was