Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.....

4 April 2007 (cont'd)

A couple of photos from 4 April..... Tom with Haircut (looks like an escapee from an Arkansas institution) and a Birthday Kiwi with Springboks ......

5 April 2007

All a tad the worse for wear and little is achieved by me at least other than a day sat looking out over the Nile while updating my blog. We do our best to celebrate Natalie’s birthday but the majority fall by the wayside very early on.

Tom passes out on the couch so Fraser and I colour him in with black marker pen and cover him in stickers….sorry Mrs Greenfield but in my defence it was Fraser’s idea and I am easily led.

6 April 2007

Plans to get away by ten are flawed by the rather alarming discovery that Tom’s money and passport have been stolen from his bag on the truck….unfortunately this truck does not have the promised safe on it! Tom takes this very well and after searching the truck several times over we decide that a little people smuggling across the border is our best option…. Stefan does his best to try to attract as much attention to the truck as possible but we still manage to get Tom back into Kenya where he will have the best chance of sorting this all out. We stop just south of Eldoret at an Overland favourite called Raj’s place. Legend would have it that Raj and his friend sat stoned one night and designed the ‘perfect’ overland campsite. I have to say the results are pretty impressive. Huge dorms, bays for trucks to park with cooking and power facilities on hand and a huge vaulted bar that has a stream diverted through it. I leave the rest of them to enjoy themselves and crash for an early night for a change….although sleep is interrupted by a teeth grinding, snoring Canadian in the next bed who also manages to find time to talk in his sleep.

7 April 2007

Off to Nakuru where a kindly gent fixes my sandals which are stating to disintegrate at an alarming rate of knots. Worryingly Africa is not the hot bed of size 13 replacements I had hoped.

A quick lunch and we split into two vans for our trip round Nakuru national park. Without doubt the highlight was the soda lake of Nakuru which is home to over 20,000 very pink flamingos. An amazing sight and we are allowed out of the vans to walk right up to the lakeside.

Other than that the park is awash with Buffalo, Waterbuck, Zebra and Gazelle of various types. A large number of vans hover watching a lioness lying in a tree who seems pretty chilled considering the noise of the vans around her….eventually she has enough and pads off into the trees on the other side of the road.

One rather worrying development is an oversexed baboon who decides to start ‘spanking the monkey’ as we draw up alongside him. It does not take long and he finishes with a disturbing flourish. The idea that all primates masturbate is not normally covered by Blue Planet….perhaps the next edition way after the watershed?

On the way out of the park we get a fleeting glimpse of the most elusive of the Big 5 the leopard….much bigger and darker than the southern sub species he does not hang around long and is gone before many of the group get a glimpse and before any of us can get a photo…

We stay in a campsite outside of Nakuru and our night of revelry is disturbed by repeated calls to the bar by what we think is an American for us to keep the noise down. We point out that it is the last night of ths section of the trip and with people leaving the tour we want to give them a good send off. It is also noted that if he wanted a quiet night he should not have pitched his tent almost on the steps of the bar especially as the campsite is huge. While we were all happy to meet him half way we did not really get the chance and were then reluctant to give ground because of his attitude.

8 April 2007

Head off to Nairobi stopping for lunch and the chance to ring Les and Karen to catch up on developments as Karen went into labour the previous night. Slightly surprised and I have to say a little tearful (yes I know big girl’s blouse) when Karen answers the phone…..released very quickly having given birth to Caitlyn (sorry if the spelling is not right….we had a bit of a debate bout this one) within half an hour of arriving at the hospital….apparently it took Les a while to get there as he had to put his hat and driving gloves on and give the car the usual 24 point check before setting off at speeds in excess of 7 miles an hour towards the hospital…..

Into Nairobi for the last time and another meal out to see more people on there way….this time it’s Lauren and Anna who are heading back to New York and London respectively. A good meal only tarnished by England losing to a team of Ex convicts with dodgy mullets…yes that would be Australia.

9 April 2007

A goodbye to Lauren, Anna and for a few days at least Tom…he has to sort out his passport, travellers cheques (yes that’s cheques with a ‘q’ Lauren!)…..and dodgy insurance claim…..we have a bit of a sweep going as to how long this will take but rumour has it that passports can take up to 17 days…..we live in hope….. At this point I should add that we are leaving Nairobi which is commonly known as Nairoberry such is the level of crime….as a traveller who has thoroughly enjoyed my time here and never once felt threatened it seems a tad harsh.

The drive to Arusha is a little strange and for the first few miles we think we have gone deaf until we remember that Tom is not with us at the moment… Crossing the border Su and I take responsibility for changing Kenyan Shillings into Tanzanian Shillings. One bloke uses some fancy fingerwork on his calculator to try and swindle us from 10% of the trucks stash of KSH….harsh words are exchanged and we leave to find a more trustworthy black marketeer.

Heading to Arusha on the Tanzanian side (Stu pronounces it like you would Tasmania!) we get good views through the rain of Mount Meru (the third highest mountain in Africa (4556m). Attempts to buy food are somewhat limited by the fact that it’s Bank Holiday Monday….

We arrive at Snake Park just outside Arusha where we pitch tents and settle in for a very meaty and welcome BBQ. A lot of rescued snakes in the park all sitting in the cages eyeing nervous looking mice and chicks…..

10 April 2007

We wake to find that Rich has killed a hedgehog during the night. It would appear to have crawled under his tent and been squashed by Rich who has callously rolled over in his sleep mashing it to a flat pulp.

We leave in two safari vehicles for the drive to the Ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti. Lunch is on the lip of the crater (more about this later) and then we drive from the Tropical rainforest side of the crater, round the side, and down through the Massai plains, littered with cows and traditionally dressed herdsman. Before we are even into the Serengeti plains our driver (Coppa) heads off track to pick up a pack of spotted Hyenas and assorted vultures. Once in the park we see why the Massai named the Serengeti – the Swahili translation is endless plain (well over 4500 sq km of it). It is difficult to describe the Serengeti without using every cliché in the book….one quote by Alan Moorhead said…’Anyone who can go to the Serengeti, and does not, is mad.’ Migration across the plains build a continuous cycle of movement which varies depending on the season. Within minutes we find a Wildebeest calf that has been left behind by the herd….it’s cries are falling on deaf ears and makes a very sad sight and the bleak outlook becomes somewhat bleaker when we come across Lion and Lioness lounging in the long grass a little further on.

A spotted Hyena .......

Other sites that afternoon include various gazelle, buffalo, jackal and hartebeest etc but not the elusive Ellies, Leopards, Rhino or Hippo. We camp in the park on open land exposed to the elements and wildlife of the park. Dinner is cooked for us and after a couple of drinks we head off to our tents with the sounds of the Serengeti echoing round our tents….. as the last embers of the fire die away the camps is visited by a pack of whooping hyenas and various jackals sniffing round the tents for any morsels we might have left behind. It is at this stage that we realise why we were told to be careful going to the toilet in the middle of the night….. the distant roar of a lion only serves to emphasise this.

11 April 2007

Up before 6 for our morning game drive and the hope that we see some of the more traditional sights associated with this vast plain. We are not disappointed and within seconds we come across a breeding herd of Elephants which cross the road inches in front of us before munching there way into the vegetation to our right. There then follows a lone hippo, a lioness and two cubs (always a great sight) and various buffalo and hartebeest before what will be my lasting memory of the Serengeti….the plain opens up and we see thousands or Wildebeest and Zebra mingling together as they graze. An awesome sight and the one I suppose I had hoped for when discovering I was going to be lucky enough to visit this most amazing of places.

The Serengeti ......

In between spotting wildlife we introduce the newbies to the appropriate song game and while it takes them a while to grasp it I think the list provides a useful insight to the potential that lies within…

Jumping jackal flash by the Stones

No Egrets by Robbie Willams and I think the Walker Brothers

I’ll never find another Gnu (not sure of the artist)

Camel Chameleon by the Vulture Club….to name but a few.

Back to camp we pack our tents and grab a quick lunch before heading back across the plains and out of the park as the sky goes black and the rains arrive. A little treat for Grant the Archaeolgist follows as we stop at Oldupai gorge which made world headlines in 1959 following the discovery by Mary Leakey of fossil fragments of the skull of one of the possible ancestors of Homo sapiens. The fragments were dated back 1.8 million years. In 1979 Mary Leakey made another important discovery in the form of footprints at nearby Laetoli. They were dated back 3.5 million years, and since they were made by creatures who walked upright, this pushed the origins of the human race much further back than had previously been supposed. The gorge itself and the museum are like a Mecca for Grant who just has a huge grin the rest of the day.

Back up to the rim of the crater we pitch tents before going for a beer at the hotel which sits in prime position looking out over the caldera below. The Ngorongoro Crater (named after the sound of a Massai cow bell) is a volcanic caldera – the collapsed upper cone of an ancient volcano. Its high walls contain a microcosmic ecosystem, with lakes, forests and plains supporting hundreds of species of wildlife. The views from the misty heights of the rim are spectacular and a mouth-watering appetizer for the game drive due to follow in the morning.

We have been warned that the temperature at the top of the crater can drop to below freezing so I am keen to make the most of the campfire before retiring to my tent, a damp sleeping bag and thin blanket. With the rest of them falling by the wayside Natalie who can’t sleep, gets the short straw of keeping me company. Just as the fire is about to die we are shocked to see something moving only inches behind us. At first we think it’s a dog but as the rear of the animal comes into view we see the unmistakable sight of a Hystrix africaeaustralis ….almost a metre long, weighing roughly 25kg and much bigger than the porcupines I have seen before (yes I have bought a book on African mammals). Natalie and I set off in chase of Africa’s biggest rodent (yes I know it was a daft idea) which disappears into the undergrowth. At this moment in time we are also greeted by a large snort and look up to see a Buffalo, one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, only feet away… at this point in time it is just sad that no one had a stop watch on Natalie….fairly sure she broke most Kiwi track records as she pounded back up the hill (Messrs. Snell and Walker would have been proud of her). With the sounds of hyenas drawing close we call it a night and head to our tents. Luckily the combination of sleeping fully clothed with a sleeping bag and blanket means I survive what is a cold, damp night.

12 April 2007

We get up at 6 to heavy rain and it does not look too good for the morning ahead. However the cloud recedes slightly and we join the jeeps for the descent into the crater below. At almost 20km across the crater is just stunning. The mist and cloud sits like a lid on top of the cauldron below only allowing the odd shaft of light through to the crater floor. It feels eerily calm and for the first hour at least we don’t see another vehicle….a definite rarity in what is a hugely popular conservation area (differs slightly from the National Park of the Serengeti as the Massai have grazing rights here – not that they use the crater floor very often). A quite incredible morning. Hyena, Golden Jackal, and Gazelle serve as the warm up act to a herd of huge male elephants (no females or youngsters in the crater) and we are not sure which way to look as the pool behind them is full of hippos, watched by hyenas rolling in the mud. There follows a year old lion cubs (one carrying a wildebeest leg) with slightly irritable mother, zebra, wildebeest, more gazelle, distant Rhino and a pride of lions which approach a now growing number of vehicles, passing inches from our rapidly closing windows. Still grinning we climb back out of the crater for lunch and a journey back to Snake Park in Arusha….stopping briefly in Karatu to buy some red (yes red!) bananas. Not sure how they manage to grow red bananas here but we are told nowhere else in the world has managed it!

One big old Ellie with pan full of Hippos behind ....

Slightly irritable Lioness.....

Two Lion cubs roughly 1 year old......

Lion cub plus Wildebeest leg.....

Male looking for trouble .....

The Ngorongoro crater.....

Arriving back at camp we spot the unmistakable sight of Tom’s camp array of boxer shorts in to soak……and boy do they need a soak. It does not take us long to track the not so old rogue down….first place we looked…chatting up Kate the Oasis tour leader in the bar! With the Dragoman truck also in camp celebrating a birthday we join them and Dave decides to honour the birthday girl by doing a trick involving a flaming Sambuka. Unfortunately the burning spirit gets sprayed everywhere with Toms rapidly blistering nose taking the full brunt.

13 April 2007

Slightly the worse for wear again…..seems to be happening bit too often at the moment. Still we have Tom’s red nose to laugh at so all is good with the world and we head south east toward camp at Moshi and the elusive Mount Kilimanjaro which has been hidden by cloud since our arrival in Tanzania. Rain and mist hide Africa’s biggest mountain but the hotel we camp by is nice and despite the rain a long and comfortable night’s sleep is had…. The only downside being my laptop refusing to work and preventing me typing my blog up.

14 April 2007

Still no view of Kilimanjaro! A long drive down to the coast of Dar Es Salaam (no longer the capital – replaced by Dodoma) and the first glimpse of the Indian Ocean. Back a sea level it’s hot again and my group is cooking albeit only for the second time in nearly three weeks (the luck of the draw). The meal is a relative success thanks to Su and Grant (not sure Fraser and I add much to the team other than fetching and carrying and sorting music and drinks out). Once the meal is finished we head for the bar to support the Kiwis in the group as they are playing South Africa. Not that we have anything against Grant or the rest of South Africa but New Zealand have to win if England are to qualify for the next stage of the competition (highly unlikely on current form but we live in hope). By the time the game finishes it seems a good idea when someone suggests a swim and we head for the pool…. Now with hindsight it was not a good idea to dive in at the shallow end but there you go (I can hear my family tutting from here). Luckily I am still alive and walking but will have a good scar! And no of course I was not naked that would be ridiculous!

Luckily Katie (a qualified and very capable Nurse) was on hand to patch my head up…..always worrying when a nurse looks at the blood pouring from your head and shows concern. Anyway a few steri-strips and an excessively large bandage and I am patched up (suspect the bandage was just so people could laugh at me and served no surgical purpose although who am I to argue with Nurse Katie).

15 April 2007

I am quickly nicknamed Harry Potter due to the inch long zig zag cut on my forehead and it feels like Lord Voldamort is after me as it throbs just a tad. Up and off for the 10.30 ferry to Zanzibar…..we eventually set sail with Fran spending most of the journey throwing up over the side. Anything to grab attention. We arrive in Stone Town at about 1 and its hot and muggy. Checking into the hotel we then get to explore a bit, diving round a few shops, and checking the Internet, grabbing a late lunch before joining everyone at Africa House …. A classic example of colonial Africa with a huge balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean and giving great views of the sunset. It’s Darren’s 25^th birthday and the drinks are flowing …..me, I am taking things easy and nursing water and coke while keeping one eye on the Chelsea v Blackburn game.

Once the sun has gone down we hit the fish market where a line of tables offer an array of freshly cooked fish with the local and very unusual fish pizzas (a cross between a pancake a pizza and an omelette) being a particular favourite. Kebabs or lobster, king fish, marlin, shark and tuna are on offer along with falafels, chapattis and naan breads. Unfortunately we are scammed a bit on price but the evening is still a memorable one for the food and the buzz of the market. I leave the rest of them to their late night celebrations and have a fairly early one.

16 April 2007

Our guide for the morning is Ali …. He has never left Zanzibar but was taught English by someone from south London and has worked hard to develop a Mockney accent. All very worrying albeit entertaining. Regular shouts of mind the gap, stand clear of the doors as well as an abundance of cockney rhyming slang. We start our Spice tour with the rather dilapidated old fort. Built by the Portuguese in the 17^th century much of it is now covered with plastic awnings, coated in concrete or overgrown and not the historic monument we might have hoped for. Next comes the house of wonders so called as it was the first place in East Africa to have electricity and a lift….fascinating! After that its off to the Anglican cathedral which was built on the site of the underground slave dungeons after Livingstone and William Wilberforce worked to ban the slave trade. A cross made from the tree in Zambia under which Livingstone’s heart is buried resides in the church. There then follows a spice tour where we are shown, coconut and banana palms, cardomon, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, ginger etc before lunch at Ali seniors house. An afternoon shopping and we head off to the northern tip of the island and the stunning beaches of Nungwi …. White sand and turquoise blue seas, just a shame about the frequent showers but then it is the rainy season. Seafood curry for tea….excellent!

17 April 2007

Laptop operational again so spend the morning typing up over 3,000 words of blog. Say goodbye to Anthony who has to fly back to England. Top bloke and another big loss to the group after the departures of Lauren and Anna.....Big fat lunch and two beers and it’s time for a kip! Does not last long as Steffan and Tom come back. Out for dinner (seafood curry ….) and a tour of the beach bars before heading home only to realise that all the bars have locked their gates so it’s an assault course all the way home.

18 April 2007

Weather looks a little ominous so opt out of the snorkelling and head back with young Su to Stone Town. An hour an a half drive delayed by some Peace Corps workers who want to stop and do a little shopping on the way. Spend the rest of the day in 3 separate internet cafes on 2 different machines trying to update my blog but to no avail. Head for a grey looking sunset at Africa House before Su, Dave and I decide to go for a Chinese. First in 5 months and while the quality might not have been world class it barely touched the sides. Back to Africa house etc for the evening and still getting called Mzungu wherever we go…Mzungu means ‘white person and is a term well used by the screeching children and storekeepers of Tanzania and Kenya. It was coined in the days of the European explorers and comes from the Kiswahili verb kuzunguka: to wander around aimlessly, like a mad person. Sounds about right!.

19 April 2007

Catch the ferry around lunchtime and any attempts to catch up on some sleep are thwarted as I am sharing a row of three seats with two of the hundred or so school children on their way back to Dodoma from Zanzibar. Karen and Edna are only 12 but manage to subject me to a thorough hour and a half interrogation while sharing my I-Pod speakers. Karen wants to be a Lawyer while Edna wants to be an accountant. Oh to have such drive at such a young age. They are also looking for pen pals so I give them the addresses of my two oldest Nephews Sam and Harry….suspect they may well write!

Get back to Dar Es Salaam to find the truck in bits as a load of bolts have sheared off in the car park. Head for a Subway (another treat) and some two hours or so later we are back on the road. A bit of a bad hour or so for Jason as a woman accuses him of clipping her car and, supported by a gathering crowd of baying locals, they take him for $150 even though she is the only one to witness the ‘collision’. We head for the ferry which will save us a good deal of time driving round Dar Es Salaam, unfortunately we have to sit for 2 to 3 hours before we get to the front of the queue and find a ferry that we can get onto without leaving the tailgate embedded in the concrete behind us. Reach camp on the coast and have a late dinner before an earlyish night. Woken in the early hours to the sound of cheering from the bar as Steffan and Darren have invented a new game with six people using the pool table and having each hand picked a crab from the beach they have to cajole it into their respective pocket. Cash is at stake so it gets fairly competitive.

20 April 2007

Up at 6 and we are all packed and ready to leave by 6.15. Unfortunately there is no sign of Stu so we have to search the various chalets to rouse him from what we suspect is an alcohol induced slumber. Leaving at 6.45 we hit traffic in Dar Es Salaam and it’s a good couple of hours in a rapidly warming truck before we are on the open roads and heading south west towards our target of Iringa two thirds of the way to the Malawi border. Jason puts his foot down and despite a few hairy moments we make it through the very picturesque Baobab valley and to the camp some 500km away before nightfall. A long old day though and not much energy for anything but tea and a little bit of typing before turning in for the night.

21 April 2007

Another 6 o’clock start and we are on our way south to Malawi. A stop for breakfast and some foul herbal tea with milk that forms a skin every three seconds and then back on the truck. Crossing the border relatively easily and, most importantly, its free…the first time so far! We arrive at Chitinga on Lake Malawi around 3 after doing an currency exchange from Tanzanian shillings to Malawi’s Kwecha. Time to kick a football around and play a game of beach volleyball in fading light while looking out over the lake…. Originally called lake Nyasa due to a misunderstanding by Livingstone who asked the locals what the area of water was called and they said Nyasa, which is Swahili for Lake…Livingstone then called the Lake a Lake! The Lake is the second largest in Africa and is also known as the Calendar lake as it’s 365 kilometres long and 52 km wide (think that’s right).

22 April 2007

Despite being late to bed I am awoken at 5 as the Paw paw tree which overhands my tent has collapsed during the night hitting my tent full on. Half of the main trunk of the tree lies on one side while the fruit of the paw paw weighing several kilograms has gone the other way. Not sure how I escaped injury…either the strength of the tent or just very good luck. Needless to say everyone heard the crash and all (including the locals) found it highly entertaining. We head south stopping on the way to pick up veg and beef for tea. Arriving at Kandy Beach around mid afternoon there is just time for a swim in the Lake before cooking responsibilities. Su, Fraser and I…under Grant's careful supervision cook a Poitjie (sp?), a South African casserole….top scran and then to bed early to catch up on my Blog. Got a beach hut yards from the lake side …. Yes another upgrade but boy is this one worth it! Nervous about the day ahead as Su has booked me to go horse riding along the lakeside for two hours tomorrow afternoon….never been on the back of a horse in my life before. Suspect it will hurt a lot….should have said no and not sure at this stage why I didn't. Fingers crossed that Katie is feeling better and able to come along as well..... mind you that will be just one more person to take the mick out of me. Was going to be a few more photos at this point but the sytem is playing up and too expensive to keep trying ad nauseum. More soon......

Gorillas but no mist!

Going into the DRC.... The gorilla that fell on Tom's head.... Or was it this one? One rather large and chilled Silverback The gang at the equator....front row left to right....Tom, Hamish, Stefan (crouching slightly behind Fran), Grant and Anthony. Middle row is Lauren, Natalie, Anna, Michelle and Darren. At the back we have Fraser, Kate,Dave, Kate and yours truly... Baby elli feeding at the orphanage in Nairobi..... On the shores of Lake Naivasha.... A Weaver bird on Chimp Island..... A chimp on chimp island.....

23 March 2007

Not a lot achieved other than meeting the taxi driver Stu always uses from this campsite – Smiley. Aptly named as that’s pretty much all he does. Tom, Su, Dave and I spend most of the day in Nairobi’s premier shopping mall. Stock up on books etc and back to base for a chilled evening and night out to Carnivores restaurant and Florida’s dodgy nightclub if only to take Frazer…the first new arrival all the way from Aus…out on the town.

24 March 2007

Even lazier day. Watch Australia v South Africa and welcome the next new arrival Rich (Oxford). Doesn’t really matter who wins as it’s for the Commonwealth…that one went down well.

25 March 2007

More new arrivals…Anthony and Anna (Aus), Natalie (NZ), Grant (SA), Hamish and Katy (NZ) and Lauren (New York), Daren (NZ) and Stefan (Aus)…one more to come ….. another Kate who we pick up in Uganda. Spend the morning at the Elephant orphanage….all very young and lots of oohs and aahs as they are tiny. All very different to the Sri Lankan orphanage and unfortunately only allowed to stay for an hour. After that its Giraffe manor which serves as a sanctuary to the endangered Rothschild Giraffa. Get to feed and hug a giraffe with little grey pellets which they seem to love…..stop short of following the lead of the little American boy who holds the pellet in his mouth to feed the biggest and possibly grumpiest giraffe Daisy. End up covered in giraffe saliva…..nice!

Little else achieved other than a large night out with Tom, Frazer and Stu.

26 March 2007

With virtually no sleep under our belts the morning debrief and welcome for the new people presents something of a challenge but we all survive it and are ready for the off. The only problem is that our new truck has not arrived yet (it only left Capetown 5 days ago and is reported to be somewhere in Tanzania. At lunchtime we hatch a plan b and squeeze into the relatively small truck planning to meet the new larger model later in the day. We head north east and get our first view of the Rift Valley in all its glory. Utterly vast and a stunning sight with extinct volcanoes and peaks dotted on both sides of the widest valley I have ever seen (not quite Swaledale!). Next stop is Elsamere…of Born Free fame and home to Joy and George Adams (both of whom were murdered all be it at different times and by different people). Amzing place right on the shores of Lake Naivasha. Added bonus of tea and cakes and some home made desserts….first in over four months for some of us. We sit outside looking over the lake and listening to the baritone bark of the hippos hidden in the reeds below.

We camp for the evening on the shores of the lake a bit further south. A camp fire is lit and I go to disinfect my hands….unfortunately Dave has filled the disinfectant bowls with kerosene and I spend the next half hour rinsing my hands and staying clear of the fire.

It’s a fairly cold night as the last campsite made an absolute hash of washing my sleeping bag and I have a wet bag of downy balls which smells fowl not having been dried properly for three days….ordered all the way from Canada as well….still Michelle has lent me a blanket so I can withstand the worst of the night.

27 March 2007

We wake to find the new truck has arrived and it looks far too clean and new to be ours. It’s a bit like waking up on Xmas morning and opening a present that you are sure its not yours. The doors and windows lock and keep water out (well almost). The stereo system works and the seats are secure….the whole thing is pristine and ready for use. Jason is our new driver (from near Bury St Edmunds). Very laid back and easy going chap. We leave him to sleep and head off to the Lake Navaisha park for a game walk. Now the thing about game walks is that most animals see us coming a mile off and scarper but this place is a little different and we spend the morning walking within 15 yards of Zebra, Giraffe, Waterbuck and Impala. Plenty of birdlife to boot and the sun is shining so not a lot wrong with the world.

We drive back to the camp to pick up our stuff and say goodbye to Peter (our driver for Ethiopia and Northern Kenya). We then head North East to our camp on the shores of Lake Nakuru. Unfortunately it is raining on the way but we still get glimpses of the various soda lakes and the thousands of flamingo that inhabit them.

28 March 2007

Up early and a drive through the Rift Valley hills and on to Eldoret (for lunch) and Turbo for the evening (only other stop on the way was to move a tortoise from the middle of the road).

29 March 2007

Another day another country. A very easy border crossing and we are into Uganda. A day of driving but obvious highlights are the overturned petrol tanker which has hundreds of locals armed with every container they can find stocking up on free petrol. Unfortunately the free fuel does not last for long as the police turn up and do not hold back beating the crowds back with long sticks. Lauren (somewhat unfairly)

comes in for some stick as the token American. At one point we spot an American flag with almost one hundred stars on it…..we double check the number of states which is confirmed but Lauren. Rich suggests that the extras represent the other unofficial states…Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam, Guantanamo etc etc…..could be a long two weeks for Lauren bless but she takes it in her stride and in very good humour. After stopping in Kampala (pop. 1.2 million) and a very clean city by African standards we head for camp in Entebbe famous for the ‘raid’ and right on the shore of Lake Victoria (the second biggest freshwater Lake in the world after Superior). Quiet night although Dave is a little upset when the barmaid tells him he should not be drinking any more beer. Dave asks why and she tells him he his too fat already…definitely a case of Pots and Kettles but Dave takes it with the usual hearty laugh and a little flirting.

30 March 2007

Wake to the unusual sound of rain falling on the tent. Breakfast is under the shelter ot a corner of the bar/lodge. A short drive to the zoo that sits on the side of Lake Victoria. It feels slightly perverse visiting a zoo in Africa when there is so much wildlife roaming free but hyenas are as cool as ever and the shoebill is a remarkable bird the like of which I have never seen before. Dodo like but slightly more common.

Next comes the hour and a half trip across the lake to Ngamba island (23 km) also known as chimp island, a sanctuary for orphan/rescued chimpanzees, one of the five species of ape on the planet (humans, bonobos, orang-utans and gorillas – bonus points if you knew all 5…fat chance!) Meanwhile….the island is split in two, half is dense forest for the chimps to chill in the other half is the sanctuary (made up of quarantine compounds, an area for the chimps to sleep in and vet quarters etc. Unfortunately there is not enough food in the forest area to support 40 plus hungry chimps so they are fed 3 times a day by their diligent carers – the bonus of this is that we get to watch, The chimps must have a watch somewhere as the arrive on the dot for a diet of fruit scrambling around and fighting for the juicy morsels that are thrown their way. The noise, interaction, and social hierarchy are fascinating to watch.

An hour and a half back on the boat and we head off into Kampala for the night and an evening out in Bubbles as local bar that is far too full of westerners to feel like Uganda.

31 March 2007

Up early and a long drive west to Lake Banyonyi. A false start as Fraser has left his passport in the shower (the previous day it was his wallet!!)…an hour later we are leaving the campsite for the second time and back on the road with a very apologetic young Australian (if you know him imagine a tall Martin Clapp and you can picture Fraser…top bloke).

A stop in Kabale for provisions and then a bumpy and fairly hairy drive along a steep mountainous dirt track to a stunning Lakeside camp.

1 April 2007

A leisurely morning followed by a bumpy ride in a Matatu (African hi-ace minibus taxi….the backbone of the African transport system). Over 2 hours to cover 40km skirting round the Lake (the deepest or second deepest in Africa depending on who you talk to) towards the border with the not so Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and Rwanda.

I have the bright idea of getting my hair cut in a border town and go to the luxury ‘salon’ where the barber’s English is on a par with my Lugandan…. The result is a rather scary grade 2 all over….the look of an out of condition aging Marine is not one I would normally choose but what the hell….

I eventually track down the rest of the team who have found a local bar with a free appetizer (not sue that word applies in this case) of cows stomach wrapped in intestine. For some reason this becomes a challenge for all to face although I decline having already tried goat’s intestine in Samburu….not to be recommended.

At the campsite chicken and chips awaits after some dancing by the local kids from the aids orphanage. Extremely enthusiastic but not sure that they learnt anything by getting us all up to dance but laughed themselves senseless at our rather weak attempts to join in.

2 April 2007

Utterly superb day and one that will remain in the memory jar for years to come!! We leave at 6 in the morning and cross into the DRC (one of the more unstable countries in the world thanks largely to the Belgians and good old King Leopold) where we transfer into another matatu and battered landcruiser for the climb out of Bunagana into Virunga National Park and the jungle/forest that is home to the carefully guarded Mountain Gorillas. An impressive backdrop of three volcanoes (not all of which are dormant) and we start our trek to find some of the 600 mountain gorillas that still exist in the wild. Our tracker John (good strong name) leads us through dense forest following the route to where the gorillas were seen the day before. At 6000 feet the air is thin and relatively cool but the sun is still strong warming our backs as we walk at a brisk pace for two and a half hours in search of these very elusive primates.

The sense of anticipation is incredible as we move away from the tight path and start to push through even denser forest. We come to a halt and put our bags down all knowing the gorillas must be close but suspecting that we are still 200 yards or so away. John turns and hacks at the nearby bush with his machete and reveals s mother and two baby gorillas less than 4 feet away. We sit and watch these three for a few minutes before pushing past them to see a giant 25 stone plus Silverback and a few females lounging in the dense undergrowth. As we approach to within 8 feet Tom gets the shock of his life as a small, baby faced gorilla falls out of the tree landing on his head and then crashing to the ground. At this stage we have no idea how the rest of the hairy group will react to this so we are all (and especially Tom) suitably nervous. In the end the baby gorilla (estimated to be about 2 years old) just lies there looking up at Tom with the face of a child that has done something wrong and been caught at it. None of the rest of the group react and we sit watching 8 or 9 gorillas for the next half hour. It is difficult to describe how you feel when you are inches from these amazing animals but we sit in awe with gorillas in front and behind us while two of the younger ones play in the trees two or three feet above us. The general rule when you visit the gorillas is that you should stay 7 metres away at all times. Unfortunately nobody seemed to have told the gorillas or our guides this and on numerous occasions the group approach us with the juveniles regularly sitting inches away, watching intently and reaching out to touch us while we change lenses and rattle off photos. A baby gorilla reaching out and poking you arm is an experience I will never ever forget and it brings a huge smile to my face just writing about it. The hour we are allowed to spend with them is over far too quickly and we beat a retreat to have lunch in a clearing and check our photos. Tom and I have made as bag of tuna, mayo and sweetcorn sandwiches which have turned into a soggy pulp but little matters as we all sit grinning madly. The walk back to the vehicles takes nearly two hours but is a small price to pay for the experience. At the van we meet up with the other group who chose a shorter walk….they saw fewer gorillas but had a fairly scary encounter with a silverback who pushed towards them. Anna and Katy were thrown out of the way by a tracker and a prostrate Anna lay in the undergrowth looking up nervously as the giant beast went to sit down on her. Luckily he changed his mind pottering off into the forest. Anna still looked a little stunned by the episode some 2 hours later.

We drive back to the border and clear through customs very easily before a long drive back to the campsite at Lake Banyonyi where Dave and Jason await. Dave, being the star he is has made chilli and potatoes with a side salad containing the most evil of chillies. This is devoured and we all crash to our tents.

3 April 2007

Back on the road by 7 in the morning cutting through the mist and heading back to Kampala. Two stops….one to replace a shredded back tyre and another at the equator for photos and lunch. We make good time and get to Kampala around 4 in the afternoon staying at the same campsite as last time we were here. Another night out where we gate crash a party of locals (suspect it was a bachelor party) and are greeted heartily.

4 April 2007

Ah the benefits of rehydration salts. Not sure I can continue living life at this sort of pace…’it’s a young man’s game’ etc etc….. A bus journey to Jinja and the source of the White Nile. We sit in the bar getting our briefing for a day’s whitewater rafting on one of the toughest stretches of river in the world. In the water we practice flipping and righting the raft under the careful watch of Chloe, our Aussie instructor. The first rapid is not too bad but the next two are utterly savage. Being at the front I am greeted by a white wall of swirling water which flips the whole raft up into the air. It is like being in a washing machine as we are spun underwater popping up for a gulp of air before someone climbs over me sending me back under for a few seconds more and a healthy mouthful of Nile water. We are turned a second time and the coughing and retching is almost as bad…..a hair raising experience but fantastic all the same. Plenty more rapids follow one of which involves a 16ft water fall to avoid the grade 6 ‘Dead Dutchman’ so named as the last man to try it in a kayak did not come out of the other end…..swimming in clogs is always tricky! The last of the day is called ‘the bad place’ and we have to walk round the start of the rapid which is the most amazing, vast torrent of whirling white water I have ever seen. We all look more than a little anxious as we step back into the raft to tackle the latter part of it. Remarkably all three of the rafts get through without flipping and with adrenaline pumping furiously we head back to the bus for a few beers and lots of chatter on the way back to camp. We celebrate Natalie’s birthday a day early (the suggestion being that it’s already the 5th of April in New Zealand……