Monday 30th - Got up early today as we needed to get on so was putting the tent down in the dark. this however was not a good thing as i managed to find a hole and fall down it n bust my ankle again. nice one lyndsey. it meant laura had to put the tent down by herself and i was well prud of her cos it was the first time she had done it by herself!! i ended up getting a lift out of the campsite (as we had left the truck outside) in a pick up thing cos i couldnt walk. lol. We crossed the border back into botswana and headed to swampstop. We waded in again and got a speedboat down the river. After we had got to our stop and were waiting for our next lift a wedding procession came down to the river which was pretty snazzy to watch. We were taken to our campsite in the okavango delta. I didnt do the walk in the afternoon so stayed behind with zoe to cook the tea and then we went in the mokoros to watch the sunset.
Tuesday 1st May - We spent the day going throught the delta on the mokoros. it was pretty cool but there were loads of bugs n stuff all over you cos of going through the reeds. There were some well pretty pools which were covered in water lilys. We had a walk round and island and got boots soaked through due to lots of rian and floods again. We headed back to out campsite and went for a play in the water and to have a go on the mokoros in the afternoon. We had a traditional meal in the evening and a fairly early night. our tents were really cool - we were able to stand up in them n things.
Wednesday 2nd - We left the delta today and had loads of loading and unloading and loading and unloading of our things in getting back to the truck. We drove through botswana today with a quick stop in maun and then had a spice girls session on the way to the campsite. were so engorossed tht we missed the ardvark model on the side of the road. spent evening round fire chatting. Stayed at planet baobab.
Thursday 3rd - Me laura steve n cliff left at 7.30 for our day at the makgadikgadi pans. We had a little drive around and then got to the quad bike place. We were given blanket things to make head dresses from and then we got on the bikes. i was sharing with laura and she drove first. The landscape of the salt pans was so awesome, it was so vast - stretched and stretched as far as you could see. It also had the illusion of being able to see water (which you couldnt) which was so wierd! me n laura swapped driving and it was so fun! well different perspective too! Kept catching steve up when i was driving which was a giggle. After we finished with the quad biking we went for a drive and came to a water hole where cows, horses and zebra were all mixed up which was so cool! We went to see a Boabab tree which is said to be the 2nd oldest tree in Africa at 5 1/2 thousand years old. Had lunch sitting around it and i tried climbing it! Went to see some more trees and then headed back. we came across a huge herd of zebra running across the road and they seemed to go on forever! On getting back to the site i jumped in the pool with steve and it was actually baltic! I found a step in the pool with my shin as well which hurt a fair bit! Sat round fire in evening.
Tuesday 3 July 2007
Namibia!!!!
Saturday 28th - We did a pyjama border crossing day into namibia today and spent all day in them. Drove down the Caprivi Strip and headed to the Ngepi campsite. Couldnt take the truck in due to the area having had a lot of rain so had to wade in. Found the star bath and decided we would have to get in at some point in the next couple of days! Spent evening in the bar - it had loads of awesome signs and a really cool shooters list. Taught some guys the dance to the springbok and made up dances to the other ones. spent evening dancing in bar. good fun.
Sunday 29th - Got up at 11.30 and me and laura went for a shower which was a mistake. it was so cold it was baltic. Sat sunning ourselves on the deck and then went in the swimming pool (basically a cage in the river so you had the rivers current to swim against, well strong!). After spending the afternoon sunning ourselves and reading we went on a tour of the loos. they were so cool, it was wicked! toilets were: *garden of eden *today *tomorrow *loo with a view *5 star *Kings and Queens *His and Hers, as well as numerous baths and also the kitchen sink!! We did loads of poses in our newly bought ngepi tops and then me zoe and laura got in the bath and had an awesome girly chat!
Sunday 29th - Got up at 11.30 and me and laura went for a shower which was a mistake. it was so cold it was baltic. Sat sunning ourselves on the deck and then went in the swimming pool (basically a cage in the river so you had the rivers current to swim against, well strong!). After spending the afternoon sunning ourselves and reading we went on a tour of the loos. they were so cool, it was wicked! toilets were: *garden of eden *today *tomorrow *loo with a view *5 star *Kings and Queens *His and Hers, as well as numerous baths and also the kitchen sink!! We did loads of poses in our newly bought ngepi tops and then me zoe and laura got in the bath and had an awesome girly chat!
Botswana!!
Thursay 26th April - Had a really easy border crossing into Botswana and after spending 3 hours in town (an hour of tht spent trying to change travellers cheques) we headed to the campsite. There were a couple of other trucks around which was cool, came across a guy and a girl doing a vodka shot competition which was well amusing, they were well competitive!
Friday 27th - Lazy day today, washing, reading and lying in sun. had a sunset cruise at 3 and as usual took far too many photos! Did marshmellows round fire which was a giggle!
Friday 27th - Lazy day today, washing, reading and lying in sun. had a sunset cruise at 3 and as usual took far too many photos! Did marshmellows round fire which was a giggle!
Friday 15 June 2007
2nd Trip - Zim!
Sunday 22nd - Officially today was Toms last day on the trip n we were getting new people joining us for the second stage of the trip. We got 3 new recruits, steve, laura n cliff. Had a relatively relaxing day, joined the guys n atc girls in the pool where tom n harry had us in hysterics. We did a sunset cruise and then onto shoestrings. me n laura managed to convince one of the bar guys tht we were from greenland n we spoke greenish n our national colour was purple for over an hour. this failed when another one turned up and didnt think greenland was a country so we were unable to convince hime. we were remover from the 'cool scale' for tht littel stunt. lol.
Monday 23rd - Had to get up for 6 as was doing an ultralight flight over the falls this morning. It was well awesome cos i got to do it just as the sun was rising so it looked amazing. had a tomato craving in the afternoon so went n bought a tomato. lol. shoestrings again in evening and then on to another bar when it closed n then back to shoestrings to help one of the guys close up as we were wasting the evening as tom had a well early bus in the morning so we planned not to go to sleep! Read Toms evaluation form, highly amusin! We sed good bye *sob* and then we headed back to go to sleep at 5.30.
Tuesday 24th - We headed off th Hwange again today and after seeing Harrys upgrade i promptly decided to get one myself which was the best decision i have ever made! it was amazing!!! it was a kind of log tree house cabin thing with a 4 poster double bed with so many pillows, a bath and a view over the floodlit water hole! I sat in bed tht night and fell asleep watching elephants at the water hole. so amazing!
Wednesday 25th - Had to get up at 4 this morning to do breakfast before our morning game drive. it was so cold and i just wanted to be in my bed! lol. The jeep was open sided so on the drive to the park it was freezing and we were all huddles under blankets to keep warm. on arriving we did a walking safari. On our drive safari we finally got to see some cheatas which was sooo cool!!! Had a chilled afternoon, playing cards and in the pool - which was baltic. i had a bath whilst watching the elephants (so surreal but awesome!) and the guys came and sat in my room cos i had the best view!
Monday 23rd - Had to get up for 6 as was doing an ultralight flight over the falls this morning. It was well awesome cos i got to do it just as the sun was rising so it looked amazing. had a tomato craving in the afternoon so went n bought a tomato. lol. shoestrings again in evening and then on to another bar when it closed n then back to shoestrings to help one of the guys close up as we were wasting the evening as tom had a well early bus in the morning so we planned not to go to sleep! Read Toms evaluation form, highly amusin! We sed good bye *sob* and then we headed back to go to sleep at 5.30.
Tuesday 24th - We headed off th Hwange again today and after seeing Harrys upgrade i promptly decided to get one myself which was the best decision i have ever made! it was amazing!!! it was a kind of log tree house cabin thing with a 4 poster double bed with so many pillows, a bath and a view over the floodlit water hole! I sat in bed tht night and fell asleep watching elephants at the water hole. so amazing!
Wednesday 25th - Had to get up at 4 this morning to do breakfast before our morning game drive. it was so cold and i just wanted to be in my bed! lol. The jeep was open sided so on the drive to the park it was freezing and we were all huddles under blankets to keep warm. on arriving we did a walking safari. On our drive safari we finally got to see some cheatas which was sooo cool!!! Had a chilled afternoon, playing cards and in the pool - which was baltic. i had a bath whilst watching the elephants (so surreal but awesome!) and the guys came and sat in my room cos i had the best view!
Tuesday 12 June 2007
Zimbabwe!!!!
Wednesday 18th - Crossed border into zimbabwe and headed to hwange national park. we got to our campsite which was so cool. we slept on a platform in our mosi nets which was so cool! the campsite had a waterhole which was spotlit so you could watch the animals drinking throughout the night. it was really amazing. we sat up in the view place for ages and saw so many elephants!
Thursday 19th - We were asked to leave the campsite today cos some people had complained about us being too nosiy bla bla so we headed to another campsite. was a cool place but the pool was well baltic. Had a chilled afternoon reading.
Friday 20th - Had an aweosme shower this morning and then we headed to vic falls via a local town. We had a presentation form the shear water company about the activities and then had our last officail meal off the truck of this section. We had a big truck cleanout and then a swim. elton changed us some money, the rate was 17000 ratehr than the bank rate of 250. We went to shoestrings in the evening n got pizza. I fell down a hole on my way to the toilet and sprained my ankle. man it hurt so much. i went for a swim with zoe to see if it would help - it didnt - and ended up hobbling home to the campsite.
Saturday 21st - Mags strapped up my ankle for me as it had swollen over night. At just gone 10 we headed to the bridge to do the bungi jump. it was quite a long walk down so tht hurt quite a bit. we saw a video and then got our harnesses on. harry was the first to jump n didnt quite make it on the first countdown. i was 2nd of us 3 to jump and didnt really feel too nervous. however, then i got strapped in. and the guy put all his weight on my bad ankle to pull the strap tight and man i can not actually describe how much it hurt. i really wouldnt reccoment doing a bungi with a sprained ankle! It came to my time to jump and i jumped off straight away. It was an amazing experience. it was so cool. i jumped and i was thinking, cripes im actually falling through the air. the 4 seconds of free fall were awesome. seriously amazing. eeh!! the view was quite nice too!!! i actually looked! lol. HEHE. I DID A BUNGI!!!!! When i got up off the bungi i felt quite ill and actually found it hard to walk in a straight line. lol. we headed back to the campsite and i took the entire afternoon to recover form the jump! how pathetic! lol. we sat dangling our feet in the pool with some girls we had met in the morning and then joined them for pizza in the evening. Went to shoestrings again i nthe evening.
Thursday 19th - We were asked to leave the campsite today cos some people had complained about us being too nosiy bla bla so we headed to another campsite. was a cool place but the pool was well baltic. Had a chilled afternoon reading.
Friday 20th - Had an aweosme shower this morning and then we headed to vic falls via a local town. We had a presentation form the shear water company about the activities and then had our last officail meal off the truck of this section. We had a big truck cleanout and then a swim. elton changed us some money, the rate was 17000 ratehr than the bank rate of 250. We went to shoestrings in the evening n got pizza. I fell down a hole on my way to the toilet and sprained my ankle. man it hurt so much. i went for a swim with zoe to see if it would help - it didnt - and ended up hobbling home to the campsite.
Saturday 21st - Mags strapped up my ankle for me as it had swollen over night. At just gone 10 we headed to the bridge to do the bungi jump. it was quite a long walk down so tht hurt quite a bit. we saw a video and then got our harnesses on. harry was the first to jump n didnt quite make it on the first countdown. i was 2nd of us 3 to jump and didnt really feel too nervous. however, then i got strapped in. and the guy put all his weight on my bad ankle to pull the strap tight and man i can not actually describe how much it hurt. i really wouldnt reccoment doing a bungi with a sprained ankle! It came to my time to jump and i jumped off straight away. It was an amazing experience. it was so cool. i jumped and i was thinking, cripes im actually falling through the air. the 4 seconds of free fall were awesome. seriously amazing. eeh!! the view was quite nice too!!! i actually looked! lol. HEHE. I DID A BUNGI!!!!! When i got up off the bungi i felt quite ill and actually found it hard to walk in a straight line. lol. we headed back to the campsite and i took the entire afternoon to recover form the jump! how pathetic! lol. we sat dangling our feet in the pool with some girls we had met in the morning and then joined them for pizza in the evening. Went to shoestrings again i nthe evening.
Zambia!!!
Yes yes, i know im a tad behind but.... means will be brief and to the point!!!!
Wednesday 11th - Crossed the border into Zambia. Went to a market and saw some locals doing and making stuff with tin. Roads were bad, didnt get as far as originally planned and put up tents in dark.
Thur 12th - Headed to the capital today and had an interesting lunch stop with the guys lunch taking an age to come. so much for fast food! Cut my thumb quite spectacularly with my knife.
Fri 13th - We visited the Kariba dam today which ws quite impressive. there was a massive croc at the bottom. had some amazing views of the lake at our lunch stop and then headed to our campsite. the sunset was amazingly gorgeous over the zambezi.
Sat 14th - We started our canoing safari today and i was sharing with zoe. we realised after about half an hour tht our canoe was the one where the alcohol had been loaded onto. nice! lol. Ha, me and zoe got mock charged by a hippo. our guide nearly wet himself! we found it quite amusing though! Had a swim after lunch and i managed to rip my shorts very spectacularly. Me n zoe were having such a laugh tht at points we couldnt paddle cos were laughing too hard. mucho fun. We did a bush camp on an island and me n zoe cooked - everyone was very complimentary of it!
Sunday 15th - It was so cool to get so close to the hippos and also had an awesome view of loads of elephants. amazing experience. again, had quite a giggle! swam more in the river, played lots, lots of mud throwing and shrieking! We sat in the river for ageees after lunch to cool down. saw massive group of elephants drinkking. all good! we cooked again in the evening and harry had a convo with a hyena!
Monday 16th - Watched the sun rise and took lots of photos. we canoed to our finishing spot and then got driven back to the campsite. spent the rest of the day driving to Livingstone and arrived quite late at campsite.
Tuesday 17th - Headed into Livingstone in the morning but didnt really need to do much so me tom n harry sat in the pub until were picked up at 1.30. lol. had a relaxing afternoon, a girly chat with zoe and sat in the bar in the evening. it was quite spectaular - i dropped my drink, caught it with my legs and didnt actually spill much at all!
Wednesday 11th - Crossed the border into Zambia. Went to a market and saw some locals doing and making stuff with tin. Roads were bad, didnt get as far as originally planned and put up tents in dark.
Thur 12th - Headed to the capital today and had an interesting lunch stop with the guys lunch taking an age to come. so much for fast food! Cut my thumb quite spectacularly with my knife.
Fri 13th - We visited the Kariba dam today which ws quite impressive. there was a massive croc at the bottom. had some amazing views of the lake at our lunch stop and then headed to our campsite. the sunset was amazingly gorgeous over the zambezi.
Sat 14th - We started our canoing safari today and i was sharing with zoe. we realised after about half an hour tht our canoe was the one where the alcohol had been loaded onto. nice! lol. Ha, me and zoe got mock charged by a hippo. our guide nearly wet himself! we found it quite amusing though! Had a swim after lunch and i managed to rip my shorts very spectacularly. Me n zoe were having such a laugh tht at points we couldnt paddle cos were laughing too hard. mucho fun. We did a bush camp on an island and me n zoe cooked - everyone was very complimentary of it!
Sunday 15th - It was so cool to get so close to the hippos and also had an awesome view of loads of elephants. amazing experience. again, had quite a giggle! swam more in the river, played lots, lots of mud throwing and shrieking! We sat in the river for ageees after lunch to cool down. saw massive group of elephants drinkking. all good! we cooked again in the evening and harry had a convo with a hyena!
Monday 16th - Watched the sun rise and took lots of photos. we canoed to our finishing spot and then got driven back to the campsite. spent the rest of the day driving to Livingstone and arrived quite late at campsite.
Tuesday 17th - Headed into Livingstone in the morning but didnt really need to do much so me tom n harry sat in the pub until were picked up at 1.30. lol. had a relaxing afternoon, a girly chat with zoe and sat in the bar in the evening. it was quite spectaular - i dropped my drink, caught it with my legs and didnt actually spill much at all!
Monday 23 April 2007
Malawi!!!!
Thursday 5th April - The bed that i slept in last night was so good. the most comfortable one ie been in since being in Africa. Had another early start as another drive day ahead so i just sayed in my pjs as i new i would just sleep on the truck. whilst driving we passed anothr drago truck and so we stopped, jumped out (me still in my pjs) and had a bit of a chat, much to the locals amusement. its so funny, whenever we stop for lunch or something we always draw crowds of curious people. they must think were crazy, especially when we start our flapping (our effective method of drying plates etc, highly amusing!)! Anyway we stopped for lunch, changed some money and then went to the border. We completed the border (me still in my pjs!!) and headed to chitimba beach. The first thing i did after set up was head to the showers. it was so good to get in there cos it was so hot. i finally changed into some clothes for the evening, granted they were dirty, but it felt so good. We met another truck at the beach and it was one of their guys bdays so they had an interesting night. The moonlight on the beach was so pretty!
Friday 6th - We drove in Mzuzu today and then headed on to Kande beach. First thing i did on arriving was gather my clothes and give them to some laundry person. Met some peeps who were working in Malawi with VSO and spent evening chatting with them and playing table football. Buffalo steak for dinner - so good!
Saturday 7th - Borrowed a tshirt off Elton today as had put all mine in for washing. spent morning lying on beach reading and chatting to some peeps from the other truck and VSO. Went swimming in the lake after lunch, felt so wierd to be calling it a lake. We dressed each other up and headed to the bar. Changed again (into normal clothes) and then played some more table football. was good, me n hill won at pool, with me doing the most flukey shot ever to pot the black! Was the most amazing lightening stom and so we sat on the beach watching tht for ages. so lovely.
Sunday 8th - Went to the loo at 7 and then straight back to sleep, only to be woken rather rudely at 9 by the heat. man it was hot. chatted to liz for a while and then joined the other truck swimming in the lake. was great fun as it had amazingly large waves today. Lay in the sun and then went riding with zoe in the afternoon. was well funny - she had had a bit of a heavy night the night before and was quite hungover. The ride was awesome, however my shoes were pants to ride in so i went barefoot. It was the funniest thing ive seen in so long, but zoe, bless her, as we passed some strongly smelling thing ended up throwing up over the side of her hose. so so so funny. giggled so much. We took the horses into the sea after the ride and went swimming with them. i got pushed off by a wave which was highly amusing. Chatted ith Peter in the bar and had an early night.
Monday 9th - Left Kande beach today without any of us having taking any photos of the area. good one. lol. We got to our campsite and were shown where abouts on the ;lawn not to put our tents due to the tarantula (chris) living there. Managed to update my blog to the end of Chagaik today. go me! lol.
Tuesday 10th - We spent the day in Lilongwe today n me tom n harry decided to play golf. was so amusing. the guys had to borrow shoes off random people before they were allowed onto the course and the prices was were amusing cos they kept saying its this for this, plus this for this plus this plus this ... etc. lol. Went to the supermarket and headed back to campsite. When i went to bed i saw the largest spider in my tent ( i had stupidly left my tent open during the day) and so i went and fetched some peeps to remove it for me. such a girl. lol.
Friday 6th - We drove in Mzuzu today and then headed on to Kande beach. First thing i did on arriving was gather my clothes and give them to some laundry person. Met some peeps who were working in Malawi with VSO and spent evening chatting with them and playing table football. Buffalo steak for dinner - so good!
Saturday 7th - Borrowed a tshirt off Elton today as had put all mine in for washing. spent morning lying on beach reading and chatting to some peeps from the other truck and VSO. Went swimming in the lake after lunch, felt so wierd to be calling it a lake. We dressed each other up and headed to the bar. Changed again (into normal clothes) and then played some more table football. was good, me n hill won at pool, with me doing the most flukey shot ever to pot the black! Was the most amazing lightening stom and so we sat on the beach watching tht for ages. so lovely.
Sunday 8th - Went to the loo at 7 and then straight back to sleep, only to be woken rather rudely at 9 by the heat. man it was hot. chatted to liz for a while and then joined the other truck swimming in the lake. was great fun as it had amazingly large waves today. Lay in the sun and then went riding with zoe in the afternoon. was well funny - she had had a bit of a heavy night the night before and was quite hungover. The ride was awesome, however my shoes were pants to ride in so i went barefoot. It was the funniest thing ive seen in so long, but zoe, bless her, as we passed some strongly smelling thing ended up throwing up over the side of her hose. so so so funny. giggled so much. We took the horses into the sea after the ride and went swimming with them. i got pushed off by a wave which was highly amusing. Chatted ith Peter in the bar and had an early night.
Monday 9th - Left Kande beach today without any of us having taking any photos of the area. good one. lol. We got to our campsite and were shown where abouts on the ;lawn not to put our tents due to the tarantula (chris) living there. Managed to update my blog to the end of Chagaik today. go me! lol.
Tuesday 10th - We spent the day in Lilongwe today n me tom n harry decided to play golf. was so amusing. the guys had to borrow shoes off random people before they were allowed onto the course and the prices was were amusing cos they kept saying its this for this, plus this for this plus this plus this ... etc. lol. Went to the supermarket and headed back to campsite. When i went to bed i saw the largest spider in my tent ( i had stupidly left my tent open during the day) and so i went and fetched some peeps to remove it for me. such a girl. lol.
Sunday 22 April 2007
Tanzania!!!
Sat 24th - We were meant to have an early start today as we were crossing the border however the truck wouldnt start. Two hours after our intended leave time (and after a pull from a tractor) we were finally on our way! We passed by Chagaik and Kericho on our way which was so cool. I got really excited! We crossed into Tanzania and i left Kenya after 46 days! Despite our late satrt we still arrived at our motel half an hour before the original time estimate due to a really quick border crossing.
Sun 25th - We passed by Lake Victoria on our drive to th Serengeti. It was so beautiful, hard to believe it was only a lake! They had wicked loos as well!! We had some lunch before entering the serengeti and we sat on the roof seats to get a wicked view. Saw loads of animals and then we were camping in the middle of the park. was so cool as animas could just wander through. Had an en mass loo trip before bed just for the safety! lol.
Monday 25th - Had an early start today so we could watch the sun rise whilst on our game drive. We had to leave our tents open and empty so any animals could satisfy any curiousity whilst we were away. We went round an information point to do with the migration. was really interesting! Found out a wilderbeast baby can stannd within 1 min of being born and run full speed within an hour!! nice! We got told off about where we stopped for lunch and asked to leave but we didnt and instead went inside and bought drinks and watched an really good view of the park. Had loads of good hippo spottings as were driving along the river. Had an interestin thing today actually, as we were driving zoe n elton heard a funny noise from one of the tyres so they popped out to check it out. mags is looking around and suddenly says isnt tht a pair of ears? we look a bit harder and it turns out to be lion ears. needless to say they get back in the truck quickly. we drive on and find about 16 lions in the grass so close to where we were!!! haha.
Tuesday 26th - The hyenas were really close to our tents during the night, found tracks just outside them. was glad i hadnt needed to get up to pee during the night! did you no female hyenas also have a penis! We saw a leopard in a tree as we were on our way out of the serengeti which was so cool. it made us all well happy! After we left the park and were driving towrds to ngorongoro crater we came across the migration. And man it was spectacular. Again, like the flamingoes it was just indescribable. there were so many it was so good. came across a big group of lions too. We drove up to the top of the crater to get a look and then went to our campsite.
Wednesday 28th - We had a drive through the crater today and saw a black hino which was awesome. Was a bit of a rush getting out of the park so we too a well snazzy route. the guy on the gate wanted to charge us an extra day as we were a bit late but we were like no. lol. we drove to arusha and were staying at the snake park. got to see all the snakes and i held a 6 month old crocodile and some snake! eek! lol. The bar was wicked - had loads of cool tshirts attached to the ceiling!
Thursday 29th - My tent leaked on me during the night which was great so i got it swapped for another one in the morning. We visited a Masai village today and met some cute kids! watched them give a cow an injection an got a tour of some houses. we visited a computer centre (!) and a medical centre. we had originally been going to ride there on a camel but it was too wet so we walked and got muddy! We drove to see Mount Killi and then on to or campsite. There were loads of ants and after putting my tent up found i could go into a dorm for 2000 so i was like yeah. put tent away and went there. got some ant caught in my trousers and they bit me lots so stripped them off asap and jumped in the pool (in my swimstuff of course!) 4 years today! happy us! texted ryan!
Friday 30th - Harry woke us up in the night with his sleep taking and just after one of these just as we were going back to sleep the room started to shake. turns out there was a little earthquake! how cool! It was Toms 20th today so we had bday music on the truck. Got into Dar es Salaam and then onto our campsite. We did a kind of secret santa thing but for the name we picked out the hat we had to design a costume for tht person to wear tht evening, made out of bin bags. was fun! We played Frisbee on the beach n swam in the sea. we met another drago truck (headed in the opposite direction) and spent the evening at the bar with them. was quite a laugh. they had an awesome alcoholic slush puppy drink. so good! some of our guys did flaming sambuka shots and stuck them to their behinds. well amusing! good evening.
Saturday 31st - We headed over to Zanzibar on a couple of ferries today which was interesting as everyone was shattered from a distinct lack of sleep the night before. On arriving we got some lunch, wandered along the beach, sat in a bar and looked at some shops. on our way back to the bungalows the heavens opened and we got soaked. ooh. i bought a well nice skirt! went for tea at paradise beach hotel. wasnt too impressed with what i got for the price but shrug. lol.
Sunday 1st April - We decided to get a boat to take us snorkeling today and so after breakfast we headed out. On the way to the snorkeling spot our driver pointed out some dolphins and asked if we wanted to swim with them. obv we were like yeah. so we got our snorkels n flippers on n jumped in. and man it was amazing. there were loads of them, about 30 and we got to swim with them for ages and they kept coming so close! was awesome. so happy. was also cool cos even if you pay specially to do a dolphin trip its not very likely for you to actually get to swim with them or anything! so was amazing! After our dolphin swim we went on to the coral which was so cool too. very pretty, and it rained a bit so seeing the rain from under the water was snazzy! We got some lunch and then lay on the beach for a bit. me and zoe headed back to get showered before returning to the beach to watch the sunset in a bar with a cocktail. we then joined the others and joined some peeps that we had met for tea. went to cholos bar which was so cool. it had like a motorbike suspended between 2 trees! and a doorway just in the middle of the beach! zoe met some guys who lived over there and worked at a diff resort and they asked if we wanted to go there. so we did. it was so pretty (and they gave us free alcohol from behind the bar) and it was just us there! We sat cahtting for ages and then went for a swim in the sea at lyk 4 in the morning. was well funny. seemed just like a scene from jaws or something. the moon was so pretty!!! i made friends with a cat and it kept trying to put it head in my shirt. well funny. we sat up and watched the sunrise and then they gave us a room in their hotel (for free). Was the funniest thing cos were were wet and dirty and it was quite a posh place - it had like white pressed sheets. we didnt want to get in the bed and ended p in a giggling fit. Got home at 9.30 in the morning. was a wicked day n evening!
Monday 2nd - we got back in time for breakfast and then i read for a bit and packed my stuff as were heading into stone town for the night. we got to the hotel which had tvs and air con in the rooms! luxury! lol. spent afternoon with tom n harry watching the disney channel / dozing. went to afria house in the evening and sat in the sunset cafe to watch the sunset. in the evening we wandered to the fish market and got a zanzibar pizza and fresh fish cooked on the bbq things. the shrimp was so good!
Tuesday 3rd - We did a spice tour today which was really cool. we visited the church at the site of the old slave market which was so interesting. then (did some other visits to) went to the farm and got shown all the spices and given loads of things made out of leaves. we had a tasting session and actually had the most perfect avocado ever. we were taken for lunch at a house and then me and zoe got henna tattoos. When we finished we went back to the hotel and left at 3 to go back to the main land. Had an interesting journey. Everything went wrong. The first ferry was fine but after having the lights cut out on us in the queue we got on the 2nd ferry only to find we didnt move. A mini tug boat came up to us n tried to nudge us (turns out we were stuck!). it was ridiculous. it was so small. it didnt do anything so a medium sized boat came along. it succeeded in moving us from side to side but tht was it. so a big boat came and ended up snapping 2 ropes and still failing to moves us. we got off and got on the back of a pick up truck to drive round instead. the traffic was awful as well. was quite a laugh though cos we were all really hyper! we eventually got back to the campsite at 11.30 after 8 1/2 hours instead of 4! ha. Found out Elton hadnt been able to get his visa for SA (he had stayed behind to try and sort it out). Tis a shame.
Wednesday 4th - We had a long drive day today so left at 6 and did breakfast on the road. We drove through a national park on the way and stopped for lunch by a river. We were staying at the old farm house campsite in Kisolanzo and we had a meal prepared for us by them which was good. We met an ATC truck and after chatting to some of the girls for a while it turned out one of them, jenny, had done the killi climb with Hannah! isnt it a small world! lol. We had upgraded to little rooms and on trying to find where we were we got a bit lost. i ended up trying to open the wrong little hut and proceeded to scare the lady inside. whoops. lol. finished my fist diary book too! lol.
Sun 25th - We passed by Lake Victoria on our drive to th Serengeti. It was so beautiful, hard to believe it was only a lake! They had wicked loos as well!! We had some lunch before entering the serengeti and we sat on the roof seats to get a wicked view. Saw loads of animals and then we were camping in the middle of the park. was so cool as animas could just wander through. Had an en mass loo trip before bed just for the safety! lol.
Monday 25th - Had an early start today so we could watch the sun rise whilst on our game drive. We had to leave our tents open and empty so any animals could satisfy any curiousity whilst we were away. We went round an information point to do with the migration. was really interesting! Found out a wilderbeast baby can stannd within 1 min of being born and run full speed within an hour!! nice! We got told off about where we stopped for lunch and asked to leave but we didnt and instead went inside and bought drinks and watched an really good view of the park. Had loads of good hippo spottings as were driving along the river. Had an interestin thing today actually, as we were driving zoe n elton heard a funny noise from one of the tyres so they popped out to check it out. mags is looking around and suddenly says isnt tht a pair of ears? we look a bit harder and it turns out to be lion ears. needless to say they get back in the truck quickly. we drive on and find about 16 lions in the grass so close to where we were!!! haha.
Tuesday 26th - The hyenas were really close to our tents during the night, found tracks just outside them. was glad i hadnt needed to get up to pee during the night! did you no female hyenas also have a penis! We saw a leopard in a tree as we were on our way out of the serengeti which was so cool. it made us all well happy! After we left the park and were driving towrds to ngorongoro crater we came across the migration. And man it was spectacular. Again, like the flamingoes it was just indescribable. there were so many it was so good. came across a big group of lions too. We drove up to the top of the crater to get a look and then went to our campsite.
Wednesday 28th - We had a drive through the crater today and saw a black hino which was awesome. Was a bit of a rush getting out of the park so we too a well snazzy route. the guy on the gate wanted to charge us an extra day as we were a bit late but we were like no. lol. we drove to arusha and were staying at the snake park. got to see all the snakes and i held a 6 month old crocodile and some snake! eek! lol. The bar was wicked - had loads of cool tshirts attached to the ceiling!
Thursday 29th - My tent leaked on me during the night which was great so i got it swapped for another one in the morning. We visited a Masai village today and met some cute kids! watched them give a cow an injection an got a tour of some houses. we visited a computer centre (!) and a medical centre. we had originally been going to ride there on a camel but it was too wet so we walked and got muddy! We drove to see Mount Killi and then on to or campsite. There were loads of ants and after putting my tent up found i could go into a dorm for 2000 so i was like yeah. put tent away and went there. got some ant caught in my trousers and they bit me lots so stripped them off asap and jumped in the pool (in my swimstuff of course!) 4 years today! happy us! texted ryan!
Friday 30th - Harry woke us up in the night with his sleep taking and just after one of these just as we were going back to sleep the room started to shake. turns out there was a little earthquake! how cool! It was Toms 20th today so we had bday music on the truck. Got into Dar es Salaam and then onto our campsite. We did a kind of secret santa thing but for the name we picked out the hat we had to design a costume for tht person to wear tht evening, made out of bin bags. was fun! We played Frisbee on the beach n swam in the sea. we met another drago truck (headed in the opposite direction) and spent the evening at the bar with them. was quite a laugh. they had an awesome alcoholic slush puppy drink. so good! some of our guys did flaming sambuka shots and stuck them to their behinds. well amusing! good evening.
Saturday 31st - We headed over to Zanzibar on a couple of ferries today which was interesting as everyone was shattered from a distinct lack of sleep the night before. On arriving we got some lunch, wandered along the beach, sat in a bar and looked at some shops. on our way back to the bungalows the heavens opened and we got soaked. ooh. i bought a well nice skirt! went for tea at paradise beach hotel. wasnt too impressed with what i got for the price but shrug. lol.
Sunday 1st April - We decided to get a boat to take us snorkeling today and so after breakfast we headed out. On the way to the snorkeling spot our driver pointed out some dolphins and asked if we wanted to swim with them. obv we were like yeah. so we got our snorkels n flippers on n jumped in. and man it was amazing. there were loads of them, about 30 and we got to swim with them for ages and they kept coming so close! was awesome. so happy. was also cool cos even if you pay specially to do a dolphin trip its not very likely for you to actually get to swim with them or anything! so was amazing! After our dolphin swim we went on to the coral which was so cool too. very pretty, and it rained a bit so seeing the rain from under the water was snazzy! We got some lunch and then lay on the beach for a bit. me and zoe headed back to get showered before returning to the beach to watch the sunset in a bar with a cocktail. we then joined the others and joined some peeps that we had met for tea. went to cholos bar which was so cool. it had like a motorbike suspended between 2 trees! and a doorway just in the middle of the beach! zoe met some guys who lived over there and worked at a diff resort and they asked if we wanted to go there. so we did. it was so pretty (and they gave us free alcohol from behind the bar) and it was just us there! We sat cahtting for ages and then went for a swim in the sea at lyk 4 in the morning. was well funny. seemed just like a scene from jaws or something. the moon was so pretty!!! i made friends with a cat and it kept trying to put it head in my shirt. well funny. we sat up and watched the sunrise and then they gave us a room in their hotel (for free). Was the funniest thing cos were were wet and dirty and it was quite a posh place - it had like white pressed sheets. we didnt want to get in the bed and ended p in a giggling fit. Got home at 9.30 in the morning. was a wicked day n evening!
Monday 2nd - we got back in time for breakfast and then i read for a bit and packed my stuff as were heading into stone town for the night. we got to the hotel which had tvs and air con in the rooms! luxury! lol. spent afternoon with tom n harry watching the disney channel / dozing. went to afria house in the evening and sat in the sunset cafe to watch the sunset. in the evening we wandered to the fish market and got a zanzibar pizza and fresh fish cooked on the bbq things. the shrimp was so good!
Tuesday 3rd - We did a spice tour today which was really cool. we visited the church at the site of the old slave market which was so interesting. then (did some other visits to) went to the farm and got shown all the spices and given loads of things made out of leaves. we had a tasting session and actually had the most perfect avocado ever. we were taken for lunch at a house and then me and zoe got henna tattoos. When we finished we went back to the hotel and left at 3 to go back to the main land. Had an interesting journey. Everything went wrong. The first ferry was fine but after having the lights cut out on us in the queue we got on the 2nd ferry only to find we didnt move. A mini tug boat came up to us n tried to nudge us (turns out we were stuck!). it was ridiculous. it was so small. it didnt do anything so a medium sized boat came along. it succeeded in moving us from side to side but tht was it. so a big boat came and ended up snapping 2 ropes and still failing to moves us. we got off and got on the back of a pick up truck to drive round instead. the traffic was awful as well. was quite a laugh though cos we were all really hyper! we eventually got back to the campsite at 11.30 after 8 1/2 hours instead of 4! ha. Found out Elton hadnt been able to get his visa for SA (he had stayed behind to try and sort it out). Tis a shame.
Wednesday 4th - We had a long drive day today so left at 6 and did breakfast on the road. We drove through a national park on the way and stopped for lunch by a river. We were staying at the old farm house campsite in Kisolanzo and we had a meal prepared for us by them which was good. We met an ATC truck and after chatting to some of the girls for a while it turned out one of them, jenny, had done the killi climb with Hannah! isnt it a small world! lol. We had upgraded to little rooms and on trying to find where we were we got a bit lost. i ended up trying to open the wrong little hut and proceeded to scare the lady inside. whoops. lol. finished my fist diary book too! lol.
Tuesday 10 April 2007
Kenya
So started the 2nd stage of my trip on Monday 19th, where i left my hotel and joined the dragoman crew at upperhill campsite. we had a bit of a late night - well, not really, but it was for me who had usually been going to bed at 9 when at school. lol. visited giraffes as i said earlier.
Tuesday 20th - We headed to lake Naivasha today and had a bit of a chilled out day. Visited the Born Free place n saw a film about elsa and then had tea on the garden. did a sunset boat ride to see the hippos which was fun fun. and then sat round the fire chattin n me and tom got introduced to the delights of shakey face!!!! produces some amusin photos!!!
Wednesday 21st - We visited an orphanage / rescue centre today which was really nice but really sad at the same time. these kids had really had a bad time of it but they were so sweet. we spent ages playing with them and they actually loved playing with my hair! There was one lil girl who at the age of 3 only weighed 4kg due to mistreatment. she was so cute n i held her for ages whilst playing with the other kids n as she was so light it didnt even make my arm ache. Camped in a school ground tonight.
Thursday 22nd - Visited Nakuru today. There was a bit of a mix up so we couldnt go into the park on the truck so made plans to go in the next day. spent time in town bargoning with the people n getting cool souvenirs. met another truck at the campsite this evening which was cool.
Friday 23rd - Me and Tom went to the national park with 2 girls from new zealand. Was a pain gettin tom up cos he was hung over n we had a lack of food cos elton didnt get up either so i took us aloaf of bread for lunch. nice. lol. the park was amazing and the flamingoes in the lake were indescribable!! so amazing. Visited the menengai crater on our way home and on arriving at the campsite i got my clothes back and had an awesome shower
Tuesday 20th - We headed to lake Naivasha today and had a bit of a chilled out day. Visited the Born Free place n saw a film about elsa and then had tea on the garden. did a sunset boat ride to see the hippos which was fun fun. and then sat round the fire chattin n me and tom got introduced to the delights of shakey face!!!! produces some amusin photos!!!
Wednesday 21st - We visited an orphanage / rescue centre today which was really nice but really sad at the same time. these kids had really had a bad time of it but they were so sweet. we spent ages playing with them and they actually loved playing with my hair! There was one lil girl who at the age of 3 only weighed 4kg due to mistreatment. she was so cute n i held her for ages whilst playing with the other kids n as she was so light it didnt even make my arm ache. Camped in a school ground tonight.
Thursday 22nd - Visited Nakuru today. There was a bit of a mix up so we couldnt go into the park on the truck so made plans to go in the next day. spent time in town bargoning with the people n getting cool souvenirs. met another truck at the campsite this evening which was cool.
Friday 23rd - Me and Tom went to the national park with 2 girls from new zealand. Was a pain gettin tom up cos he was hung over n we had a lack of food cos elton didnt get up either so i took us aloaf of bread for lunch. nice. lol. the park was amazing and the flamingoes in the lake were indescribable!! so amazing. Visited the menengai crater on our way home and on arriving at the campsite i got my clothes back and had an awesome shower
Monday 9 April 2007
End of Stage One
Right..... Long time no right so loads to write..... hmm, i have appauling english. really shouldnt have been teaching that i gues... but hey. here goes!!!
Wednesday 7th - Away for 1 month. time has gone so quickly. was asked to do all of form 2w's geog lessons to which i agreed. obv! although, writing on the board for so long does actually make the arm ache! Had a chat with caroline - the new english teacher who replaced Faith. Shes 24 and this is her first job since completin uni. Spent the evening with her and Jackie and we wandered to moi tea. Then they taught me some kiswaheli whilst we were lounging on their bed. felt well at home. They cooked for me and then later in the evening Elizer (another teacher) came to their house to see if they knew where i was cos he hadnt seen my light and he wanted to check i was ok! So nice! Really nice evening.
Thursday 8th - Finished a geog topic with my class today but was just a pretty normal day. Again, spent evening wih Caroline and taught her some cards. went for a wander.
Friday 9th - After teaching a grammer lesson today i went to a drama festival with Caroline. There was some really good stuff going on - there was one which was done by an all guys school and some of them dressed as girls and i seriously wouldnt have realised they were guys if it hadnt have been pointed out. lol. we walked to town and i bumped into nick which was a nice suprise.
Sat 10th - I decided to spend the weekend at the school compound and after doing some washing i spent most of the day with caroline. get on really well with her so its really cool. we went for a walk in the evening with some students. Amazing lightening was going on, with the added bonus of no rain!
Sunday 11th - Spent the day with the same people today, Caroline, Jackie, Rob and Kennedy. We walked down to Brooke via the arboratum. Took loads of photos. Again, a really nice day! We went for another walk in the afternoon but in the other direction to the forest. On the way back we got caught in a bit of a storm so had to power walk back. lol.
Monday 12th - I finished marking the English books from my grammer lesson this morning and then took them for another lesson. went to rispers for the evening and helped her seperate some veg stalk and leaves.
Tuesday 13th - I sharpened some of the penils that i was giving to the students but gave myslef a blister and so stopped. decided they could sharpen them themselves. Mr langat took some photos of me teaching today. Was really wierd to think i would be leaving soon.
Wednesday 14th - My right hand around my knuckles was swollen due to some bites (i think) today and it was so so soo itchy. Went to visit the tea factory this afternoon which i found so intersting. we had to wear white jackets and hats to go in. tres amusing. i learnt there are 6 main stages to the tea process - i wont go into it in detail cos have loads still left to catch up with! (but the stages are 1-Reception, 2-Withering, 3-Cutting, 4-Oxidation, 5-Drying, 6-Sorting) Got told that on a really good day (24 hours) the factory could process 120000 cages, producing 20000kg of tea!! Went for drinks at joshuas house and then spent evening with Caroline and Jackie.
Thursday 15th - Went to the Masaai Mara today which was snazzy. A guy called edgar was driving us (an old student) and on the way there we got 2 flat tyres! It took us about 8 hours to get there and when we finally did arrive there was a bit of a problem to do with the cost of entering the park and so we nearly had to go straight home. Luckily it all worked out and we all got in for 500 shillings - beats having to pay $40!! lol. we only spent an hour and a half in the park but we still saw loads of stuff, including lots of lions n lion cubs. so cute!!! after having left the park we came across a large group of elephants which was well snazzy as we hadnt seen any in the actual park. On the way home we got another flat tyre. nice. lol. we stopped for a bite to eat at about 9.30 which was much appreciated as i had been needing the loo more n more!!!Davis bought us some reds on the way home and finally got home about 12ish.
Friday 16th - Last school day today! Got up early to attend the assembly and speak to the students to say goodbye. Joshua thanked me and then after the assembly we took some photos. Risper gave me a present, some nice flip flop things. At the beginning of my visit to Chagaik they said i could plant a tree but i think they forgot - sob! oh well! Went into town to change some money to give for the transport to the mara but made a mistake n didnt change enough. Said goodbye to risper and then met with some students (the ones who are coming to aylesbury in the summer) to go back to school. Mr Langat gave me some presents from him n the school which was cute! Spoke with Fred on returning to school (the geog teacher) and then he gave me a letter from the school which i can use as a reference.
Saturday 17th - Last day at Chagaik. Spent it with Caroline and it was a bit hectic. i had to go into town again to change some more money but everything went wrong and frist we missed a matatu thing, then they were all full n we had to walk to brooke. and by the time we got into town all the banks were shut apart from one which wasnt changing money that day. Caroline did some shopping and then we headed home. did some washing and then spent afternoon with Caroline.
Sunday 18th - Went to Carolines at 7 this morning as they had invited me for some breakfast before i left. The taxi came a bit later but then it ran out of petrol so the guy had to walk to get some more. i was like great. lol. but it all turned out fine, and i said goodbye to caroline, as she had walked down with me and elijah before going into town. i managed to withdraw some money which was a rel;ief and then we caught the coach to nairobi. It took about 6 hours and after dropping me at the hotel elijah said goodbye and went back to Chagaik. I was thoroughly excited to find my hotel room had a bath and hot water!! It actually made my day. the water was disgusting when i finished. lol. The hotel was next to a road and it was well wierd to be able to hear traffic cos where i had been staying it was 2km from the road! lol. Got a phone call from Auntie in the evening when i was about to go to sleep which was a well nice suprise! had a nice chat n then went to sleep.
And thats the end of Chagaik!!!! Actually had a wicked time there and an amazing experience. Was nice to have experienced life there a bit, rather than just being more of a tourist. Made some great friends and have some snazzy memories!
Wednesday 7th - Away for 1 month. time has gone so quickly. was asked to do all of form 2w's geog lessons to which i agreed. obv! although, writing on the board for so long does actually make the arm ache! Had a chat with caroline - the new english teacher who replaced Faith. Shes 24 and this is her first job since completin uni. Spent the evening with her and Jackie and we wandered to moi tea. Then they taught me some kiswaheli whilst we were lounging on their bed. felt well at home. They cooked for me and then later in the evening Elizer (another teacher) came to their house to see if they knew where i was cos he hadnt seen my light and he wanted to check i was ok! So nice! Really nice evening.
Thursday 8th - Finished a geog topic with my class today but was just a pretty normal day. Again, spent evening wih Caroline and taught her some cards. went for a wander.
Friday 9th - After teaching a grammer lesson today i went to a drama festival with Caroline. There was some really good stuff going on - there was one which was done by an all guys school and some of them dressed as girls and i seriously wouldnt have realised they were guys if it hadnt have been pointed out. lol. we walked to town and i bumped into nick which was a nice suprise.
Sat 10th - I decided to spend the weekend at the school compound and after doing some washing i spent most of the day with caroline. get on really well with her so its really cool. we went for a walk in the evening with some students. Amazing lightening was going on, with the added bonus of no rain!
Sunday 11th - Spent the day with the same people today, Caroline, Jackie, Rob and Kennedy. We walked down to Brooke via the arboratum. Took loads of photos. Again, a really nice day! We went for another walk in the afternoon but in the other direction to the forest. On the way back we got caught in a bit of a storm so had to power walk back. lol.
Monday 12th - I finished marking the English books from my grammer lesson this morning and then took them for another lesson. went to rispers for the evening and helped her seperate some veg stalk and leaves.
Tuesday 13th - I sharpened some of the penils that i was giving to the students but gave myslef a blister and so stopped. decided they could sharpen them themselves. Mr langat took some photos of me teaching today. Was really wierd to think i would be leaving soon.
Wednesday 14th - My right hand around my knuckles was swollen due to some bites (i think) today and it was so so soo itchy. Went to visit the tea factory this afternoon which i found so intersting. we had to wear white jackets and hats to go in. tres amusing. i learnt there are 6 main stages to the tea process - i wont go into it in detail cos have loads still left to catch up with! (but the stages are 1-Reception, 2-Withering, 3-Cutting, 4-Oxidation, 5-Drying, 6-Sorting) Got told that on a really good day (24 hours) the factory could process 120000 cages, producing 20000kg of tea!! Went for drinks at joshuas house and then spent evening with Caroline and Jackie.
Thursday 15th - Went to the Masaai Mara today which was snazzy. A guy called edgar was driving us (an old student) and on the way there we got 2 flat tyres! It took us about 8 hours to get there and when we finally did arrive there was a bit of a problem to do with the cost of entering the park and so we nearly had to go straight home. Luckily it all worked out and we all got in for 500 shillings - beats having to pay $40!! lol. we only spent an hour and a half in the park but we still saw loads of stuff, including lots of lions n lion cubs. so cute!!! after having left the park we came across a large group of elephants which was well snazzy as we hadnt seen any in the actual park. On the way home we got another flat tyre. nice. lol. we stopped for a bite to eat at about 9.30 which was much appreciated as i had been needing the loo more n more!!!Davis bought us some reds on the way home and finally got home about 12ish.
Friday 16th - Last school day today! Got up early to attend the assembly and speak to the students to say goodbye. Joshua thanked me and then after the assembly we took some photos. Risper gave me a present, some nice flip flop things. At the beginning of my visit to Chagaik they said i could plant a tree but i think they forgot - sob! oh well! Went into town to change some money to give for the transport to the mara but made a mistake n didnt change enough. Said goodbye to risper and then met with some students (the ones who are coming to aylesbury in the summer) to go back to school. Mr Langat gave me some presents from him n the school which was cute! Spoke with Fred on returning to school (the geog teacher) and then he gave me a letter from the school which i can use as a reference.
Saturday 17th - Last day at Chagaik. Spent it with Caroline and it was a bit hectic. i had to go into town again to change some more money but everything went wrong and frist we missed a matatu thing, then they were all full n we had to walk to brooke. and by the time we got into town all the banks were shut apart from one which wasnt changing money that day. Caroline did some shopping and then we headed home. did some washing and then spent afternoon with Caroline.
Sunday 18th - Went to Carolines at 7 this morning as they had invited me for some breakfast before i left. The taxi came a bit later but then it ran out of petrol so the guy had to walk to get some more. i was like great. lol. but it all turned out fine, and i said goodbye to caroline, as she had walked down with me and elijah before going into town. i managed to withdraw some money which was a rel;ief and then we caught the coach to nairobi. It took about 6 hours and after dropping me at the hotel elijah said goodbye and went back to Chagaik. I was thoroughly excited to find my hotel room had a bath and hot water!! It actually made my day. the water was disgusting when i finished. lol. The hotel was next to a road and it was well wierd to be able to hear traffic cos where i had been staying it was 2km from the road! lol. Got a phone call from Auntie in the evening when i was about to go to sleep which was a well nice suprise! had a nice chat n then went to sleep.
And thats the end of Chagaik!!!! Actually had a wicked time there and an amazing experience. Was nice to have experienced life there a bit, rather than just being more of a tourist. Made some great friends and have some snazzy memories!
Monday 19 March 2007
Dragoman!
So ive now started on the second stage of my trip. ill fill you all on in my last days at Chagaik (when i have my diary on me so i can remember it all!) another time. I arrived back in nairobi to stay at the hotel boulevard for one night on sunday 18th after a 6 hour bus ride. i was delighted to find they had hot water and promptly had a bath! it was great! so good. lol. i then sat by the pool for a while reading and then retreated to my room to do a bit of washing. I was lying in bed about to go to sleep when my phone started ringing, i was a bit lyk what the, but i answered it anyway n it turned out to be auntie which was a lovely suprise. was well good to talk to her!
I had to be in reception at 10 today (monday) to join with the group. i was a bit worried about who would be in the group but its very snazzy, there are 2 guys my age (harry n tom) and 2 older people (tim n mags) n then zoe n elton are our leadery people. me, harry and tom went to the giraffe sanctuary today. was well cool. were feeding them lots n playin with them. harry n tom got giraffe kisses but i was satisfied with just playin with them! we did a giraffe puzzle as well! lol. our truck is well cool. it actually going to be so good! lol. well excited about the coming weeks!
but yeah, ill miss chagaik but very excited and enjoyin myself! will fill in the gaps next time, tara x
I had to be in reception at 10 today (monday) to join with the group. i was a bit worried about who would be in the group but its very snazzy, there are 2 guys my age (harry n tom) and 2 older people (tim n mags) n then zoe n elton are our leadery people. me, harry and tom went to the giraffe sanctuary today. was well cool. were feeding them lots n playin with them. harry n tom got giraffe kisses but i was satisfied with just playin with them! we did a giraffe puzzle as well! lol. our truck is well cool. it actually going to be so good! lol. well excited about the coming weeks!
but yeah, ill miss chagaik but very excited and enjoyin myself! will fill in the gaps next time, tara x
Tuesday 6 March 2007
Mucho news!
Wow. Again, so much to say... so little time! lol. ive just had a really good weekend but didnt get to come online so i now have even more to up from! but heres another brief overview! im thoroughly enjoyin myself but am missin people!!
Fri 23rd Feb - Today Sallys school had a development day which i went to with risper. got to look through her books n talk to her teacher etc. shes a clever little girl, one of the top in her class. lol. after that we went to town n risper got her hair done. i came online for a bit to save boredom but there was still a lot of waiting to be done - her hair took about 6 hours. yes thts right. 6!!!! lol.
Sat 24th Feb - We went to visit Elijahs family / his house in the village and also went to Rispers village house. Was quite interesting to see some more ways of life! Everyone is so welcoming here and they always thank you for visiting. tis cute! was quite a long drive home n i had quite a bad headache - i think its the malaria tablets. they taste sooo bad. and ive been having some well funny dreams that seem so real! dunno if its the tablets or not cos they arent scary or anything which are possible side effects. hmm....
sun 25th Feb - Sally decided to try to teach me english this evening..... needless to say, i got everything right! lol.
mon 26th Feb - My english lessons can get quite funny cos im doing pronounciation work with them n my accents is a bit strange to them. they try to imitate it sometimes which is amusing. There was a big storm this evening. Was so loud!
Tue 27th Feb - I used the shower in the house for the first time this morning (have been usually using a bowl of water) and man it was cold. so cold. after washing my hair and forcing myself under the water i wrapped up n went back to bed to warm up! lol. re read the boy in striped pyjamas this evening. it is a well good book. i reccomend it! along with the historian (elizabeth kostova)!
Wed 28th Feb - Bit of a meh day today but would be the same newhere. went into town in the evening with Ishmail n he took me to an internet cafe but it took 20 min for me to open 1 email. i was lyk i quit! lol. started to rain on our walk back to school so we got a bit wet. lol.
Thur 1st March - I had a geography lesson today for the first time. i thought i didnt do too good a job but the teacher told me it went really well n asked me to do one the next day too! lol. hehe. whenever i walk between chagaik n my house i go past some kids from the primary school n they always call out 'mzungo' (white person or something along those lines) and 'how are you'. tis cute. n i always reply - fine thans! lol. they laugh lots!
Fri 2nd March - My second geog lesson went better than the first i though, n i left feeling quite happy / proud! lol. Went to Davids (the deputys) house for the weekend. the drive to get there was so funny. we were behind a uni bus at one point n the students opened the back window n were all leaning like half out waving n stuff at me. was so funny. i couldnt keep a straight face, i waved back! lol. was glad when we over took cos felt a bit silly! lol. i met davids family n his wife, christine, is lovely. he has a kid thts 1yr4months who was quite scared of me to start with! lol. he has 2 other kids as well. this house was in the village so they only had a pit latrine so u hoped i didnt have to go to the loo during the night! lol.
Sat 3rd March - I went with Christine, Esther (helper around the house), Kevin n Godwil to visit Sandra at her boarding school today. Went for a couple of walks in the afternoon with Christine. we got on really well. she told me about how she had been worried about me visiting - like as in what to feed me etc cos she thought white people were really delicate - but said tht she was loving having me! it was so cute!
sun 4th March - lol. i got up during the night to go to the loo n found esther n chebet (christines sister) sleeping on the floor in the lounge - think i ust have taken the bed n esther got up n waited for me to go n stuff to make sure i was ok! Sat in sun reading this morning. n in afternoon went for a drive to the forest n they showed m,e the greenhouses where flowers are going. we went for tea in her cousins house n i met the church pastors. they asked me how old i was n were well suprised when i said 19. Christines cousin, who was 29, said he had thought i was older than him!!! lol. when home i showed them the photos i ahd brought with me n they thought ryan was very handsome! i took some photos n Esther gave me some necklaces.
Mon 5th March- Was sad saying goodbye to Davids family, Christine gave me a necklace n two rings - one for me n one for ryan!! aww! i taught an english lesson n did a picture listening thing with them n half the stuidents didnt do it. so i told them we would do it again next lesson n if they didnt do it they would have to do it on the board! lol. came hiome to find loo leaking. after a meeting with the students who are visiting the high in july i told mr langat. it got sorted out in the evening n i played some cards with mr langat. ooh! i completed the clock solitaire game for the first tym ever! was well happy. lol.
Tue 6th March - I went to school early today cos Peter had asked me to do some duty thing for him. There were some students that were late. n i saw the head teacher telling them off n then he proper wacked one of them round the head for running to get into school when she was late or something. i was well shocked. risper had sed something about beating was a punishment but today was the first time i had seen anything to do with tht. i was not impressed, but i guess thts just the way things are over here. Completed clock solitaire thing again today. was shocked! must be a run! taught another geog lesson. im well enjoying them. am staying with risper again tonight so thts why im online! im here whilst shes at physio.
So there we go!!!! Lots n lots of news from me! Tis well wierd to think ive been away from home for a month now. its gone much quicker than borneo did. tis wierd!
neways, until next time!
x
Fri 23rd Feb - Today Sallys school had a development day which i went to with risper. got to look through her books n talk to her teacher etc. shes a clever little girl, one of the top in her class. lol. after that we went to town n risper got her hair done. i came online for a bit to save boredom but there was still a lot of waiting to be done - her hair took about 6 hours. yes thts right. 6!!!! lol.
Sat 24th Feb - We went to visit Elijahs family / his house in the village and also went to Rispers village house. Was quite interesting to see some more ways of life! Everyone is so welcoming here and they always thank you for visiting. tis cute! was quite a long drive home n i had quite a bad headache - i think its the malaria tablets. they taste sooo bad. and ive been having some well funny dreams that seem so real! dunno if its the tablets or not cos they arent scary or anything which are possible side effects. hmm....
sun 25th Feb - Sally decided to try to teach me english this evening..... needless to say, i got everything right! lol.
mon 26th Feb - My english lessons can get quite funny cos im doing pronounciation work with them n my accents is a bit strange to them. they try to imitate it sometimes which is amusing. There was a big storm this evening. Was so loud!
Tue 27th Feb - I used the shower in the house for the first time this morning (have been usually using a bowl of water) and man it was cold. so cold. after washing my hair and forcing myself under the water i wrapped up n went back to bed to warm up! lol. re read the boy in striped pyjamas this evening. it is a well good book. i reccomend it! along with the historian (elizabeth kostova)!
Wed 28th Feb - Bit of a meh day today but would be the same newhere. went into town in the evening with Ishmail n he took me to an internet cafe but it took 20 min for me to open 1 email. i was lyk i quit! lol. started to rain on our walk back to school so we got a bit wet. lol.
Thur 1st March - I had a geography lesson today for the first time. i thought i didnt do too good a job but the teacher told me it went really well n asked me to do one the next day too! lol. hehe. whenever i walk between chagaik n my house i go past some kids from the primary school n they always call out 'mzungo' (white person or something along those lines) and 'how are you'. tis cute. n i always reply - fine thans! lol. they laugh lots!
Fri 2nd March - My second geog lesson went better than the first i though, n i left feeling quite happy / proud! lol. Went to Davids (the deputys) house for the weekend. the drive to get there was so funny. we were behind a uni bus at one point n the students opened the back window n were all leaning like half out waving n stuff at me. was so funny. i couldnt keep a straight face, i waved back! lol. was glad when we over took cos felt a bit silly! lol. i met davids family n his wife, christine, is lovely. he has a kid thts 1yr4months who was quite scared of me to start with! lol. he has 2 other kids as well. this house was in the village so they only had a pit latrine so u hoped i didnt have to go to the loo during the night! lol.
Sat 3rd March - I went with Christine, Esther (helper around the house), Kevin n Godwil to visit Sandra at her boarding school today. Went for a couple of walks in the afternoon with Christine. we got on really well. she told me about how she had been worried about me visiting - like as in what to feed me etc cos she thought white people were really delicate - but said tht she was loving having me! it was so cute!
sun 4th March - lol. i got up during the night to go to the loo n found esther n chebet (christines sister) sleeping on the floor in the lounge - think i ust have taken the bed n esther got up n waited for me to go n stuff to make sure i was ok! Sat in sun reading this morning. n in afternoon went for a drive to the forest n they showed m,e the greenhouses where flowers are going. we went for tea in her cousins house n i met the church pastors. they asked me how old i was n were well suprised when i said 19. Christines cousin, who was 29, said he had thought i was older than him!!! lol. when home i showed them the photos i ahd brought with me n they thought ryan was very handsome! i took some photos n Esther gave me some necklaces.
Mon 5th March- Was sad saying goodbye to Davids family, Christine gave me a necklace n two rings - one for me n one for ryan!! aww! i taught an english lesson n did a picture listening thing with them n half the stuidents didnt do it. so i told them we would do it again next lesson n if they didnt do it they would have to do it on the board! lol. came hiome to find loo leaking. after a meeting with the students who are visiting the high in july i told mr langat. it got sorted out in the evening n i played some cards with mr langat. ooh! i completed the clock solitaire game for the first tym ever! was well happy. lol.
Tue 6th March - I went to school early today cos Peter had asked me to do some duty thing for him. There were some students that were late. n i saw the head teacher telling them off n then he proper wacked one of them round the head for running to get into school when she was late or something. i was well shocked. risper had sed something about beating was a punishment but today was the first time i had seen anything to do with tht. i was not impressed, but i guess thts just the way things are over here. Completed clock solitaire thing again today. was shocked! must be a run! taught another geog lesson. im well enjoying them. am staying with risper again tonight so thts why im online! im here whilst shes at physio.
So there we go!!!! Lots n lots of news from me! Tis well wierd to think ive been away from home for a month now. its gone much quicker than borneo did. tis wierd!
neways, until next time!
x
Thursday 22 February 2007
Overview.
I figured id just give you a brief update on what ive been doing since i got here seen as i havent been able to post as often as i would have liked to!!!
Wed 7th - i arrived in Kenya at 8.00am and was met by samwel langat and david. we proceeded tochagaik, doing a couple of things on the way. arrived at about 5.30 after having experienced the interesting roads! felt a lil homesick / scared n spent the evenin by myself.
thurs 8th - went to school for about 7.30. attended some lessons. sat chatting with some students in afternoon whilst they were having games. felt much more content today! there school days are well long. 7.30 - 5!!!!
fri 9th - had to speak in assembly today, was a bit 'i dont no what to say' but it was fine. went toa sports dayn it was here tht i got burnt. went to a teachers house in the evening
sat 10th - visited rispers (thts the teacher i stayed with) brothers family in the afternoon. rofl - spmetimes the roads are so bad you can feel the bottom of the cartouching the road!!!
sunday 11th - visited a different teachers home (john) today. had lots of fresh pineapple. very scrummy!!!!
mon 12th - there was a meeting for the form ones in the afternoon as theyare new to the school. it went on for 3 hours!!!! lol. i had to say a bit about life at ahsto them.
tue 13th - started planning my lessons today. did some washing. lol.
wed 14th - valentines day. really missed ryan today!!!! *sob* i taught my first english lesson today, it was the form 2 class. went for walk in evening. names written on the bamboo!!!
thursday 15th - taught form 1 today. prefered teacheing them to the form 2 class. went to rispers house in evening.
friday 16th - changed some money this mornin as hadent changed enough at airport. went to davids (another teacher) house after school. was chattin to his nephew as he was my age and had finished school.
sat 17th - went to davids farm and milked the cow. really nice day but had well bad headache in the evening. went to bed quite early!
sun 18th - went to church today. we were there for 4 hours n it hadnt even finished when we left! it seemed to go on for a bit cos it was all in kswaheli so i didnt understand any of it!!! lol.
mon 19th - caught taxi in this morning. there was 10 of us squished in a normal car. haha. today was classic. i came home from school at one point n went into my 'kitchen'. was just about to wash a knife n i went to the sink and there was a lizard sitting on my sponge in the sink!!!!! obv (ad quite embarrasingly!!!) i squealed lyk a little girl!!!! rofl. i composed myself and then the first most important thing to do was to take a photo!!! lol. then went to the school n found mr langat n asked him to help me! lol. he came n sorted it out for me. lol. he flicked it out the sink onto the floor n i had to supress the urge to jump on a chair as it ran for my feet! lol. he eventually got it out of the house after it had run under my sofa. rofl. made me giggle lots. lol.
tue 20th - the students are having test atm so have done some stapling of exam papers. i invigilated an english exam and have been given their papers to mark. there are lyk 116 of them!!
wed 21st - invigilated 2 more exams today n finished my marking. highest score was 19/20, and lowest 7.5/20. went to rispers house. was well tired for some reason. we watched the end of tht 'modern' cinderella film n a bit of bewitched. was bizarre, although i was well tired i well couldnt sleep when i went to bed! lol.
thur 22nd - did lots of adding up for the teachers today on the students papers. added up some biology marks, a couple of stundents got 1/60!!!! the students are on half term now (they only get friday off for half term) so am stayin with risper again. shes gone for some physio atm so im sittin in an internet cafe!!!
well. there we go. thts a brief overview of my life so far!!! hope i havent bored you!!! \
tara for now, x
Wed 7th - i arrived in Kenya at 8.00am and was met by samwel langat and david. we proceeded tochagaik, doing a couple of things on the way. arrived at about 5.30 after having experienced the interesting roads! felt a lil homesick / scared n spent the evenin by myself.
thurs 8th - went to school for about 7.30. attended some lessons. sat chatting with some students in afternoon whilst they were having games. felt much more content today! there school days are well long. 7.30 - 5!!!!
fri 9th - had to speak in assembly today, was a bit 'i dont no what to say' but it was fine. went toa sports dayn it was here tht i got burnt. went to a teachers house in the evening
sat 10th - visited rispers (thts the teacher i stayed with) brothers family in the afternoon. rofl - spmetimes the roads are so bad you can feel the bottom of the cartouching the road!!!
sunday 11th - visited a different teachers home (john) today. had lots of fresh pineapple. very scrummy!!!!
mon 12th - there was a meeting for the form ones in the afternoon as theyare new to the school. it went on for 3 hours!!!! lol. i had to say a bit about life at ahsto them.
tue 13th - started planning my lessons today. did some washing. lol.
wed 14th - valentines day. really missed ryan today!!!! *sob* i taught my first english lesson today, it was the form 2 class. went for walk in evening. names written on the bamboo!!!
thursday 15th - taught form 1 today. prefered teacheing them to the form 2 class. went to rispers house in evening.
friday 16th - changed some money this mornin as hadent changed enough at airport. went to davids (another teacher) house after school. was chattin to his nephew as he was my age and had finished school.
sat 17th - went to davids farm and milked the cow. really nice day but had well bad headache in the evening. went to bed quite early!
sun 18th - went to church today. we were there for 4 hours n it hadnt even finished when we left! it seemed to go on for a bit cos it was all in kswaheli so i didnt understand any of it!!! lol.
mon 19th - caught taxi in this morning. there was 10 of us squished in a normal car. haha. today was classic. i came home from school at one point n went into my 'kitchen'. was just about to wash a knife n i went to the sink and there was a lizard sitting on my sponge in the sink!!!!! obv (ad quite embarrasingly!!!) i squealed lyk a little girl!!!! rofl. i composed myself and then the first most important thing to do was to take a photo!!! lol. then went to the school n found mr langat n asked him to help me! lol. he came n sorted it out for me. lol. he flicked it out the sink onto the floor n i had to supress the urge to jump on a chair as it ran for my feet! lol. he eventually got it out of the house after it had run under my sofa. rofl. made me giggle lots. lol.
tue 20th - the students are having test atm so have done some stapling of exam papers. i invigilated an english exam and have been given their papers to mark. there are lyk 116 of them!!
wed 21st - invigilated 2 more exams today n finished my marking. highest score was 19/20, and lowest 7.5/20. went to rispers house. was well tired for some reason. we watched the end of tht 'modern' cinderella film n a bit of bewitched. was bizarre, although i was well tired i well couldnt sleep when i went to bed! lol.
thur 22nd - did lots of adding up for the teachers today on the students papers. added up some biology marks, a couple of stundents got 1/60!!!! the students are on half term now (they only get friday off for half term) so am stayin with risper again. shes gone for some physio atm so im sittin in an internet cafe!!!
well. there we go. thts a brief overview of my life so far!!! hope i havent bored you!!! \
tara for now, x
Saturday 17 February 2007
Kenya
Well, i arrived in Kenya on Wednesday 7th and was met at the airport by Samwel Langat and David someone and we head off to Chagaik. The roads are thopuroughly interesting!!! Very bumpy!!! And i mean very!!! lol. Chagaik school is situated in the tea fields with the mau forest in the background. its is soo pretty here! ive done quite a bit of stuff so far, have taught some english lessons which was interesting! lol. had to teach 'telephone etiquette' i felt so stupid, but hey! lol. my little house is quite cute, however had a fair few ants in it the other night which was a bit iffy. have stayed with some teachers at the weekend and today i went to one of theirs houses in the village and milked a cow!!!! lol. went for a walk the other day and was shown how to pick tea (you pick the top two leaves n the bud) and we walked to the tea factory. ive learnt some phrases; mimi ni rafiki yaku = i am your friend!!!
its lovely weather here, i got a bit burnt one day but am ok now. lol, i really dont understand how hannah decided not to stay at Chagaik, im having a really good time!! am missing everyone though!
have been chatting to some students n people n comparing things in kenya with england. One guy that i was chatting to last night saide a couple of his friends had been suspended for 2 weeks for being found drunk, and not even drunk at school. lol.
am finding getting on the internet a bit harder than thought, but its ok. tis quite cheap, only one shilling a min, n its like 149 shillings to a pound. so all in all tis quite good!
but yeah, i should probs dash. keep in touch, it would be lovely to hear from peeps!!
tara x
its lovely weather here, i got a bit burnt one day but am ok now. lol, i really dont understand how hannah decided not to stay at Chagaik, im having a really good time!! am missing everyone though!
have been chatting to some students n people n comparing things in kenya with england. One guy that i was chatting to last night saide a couple of his friends had been suspended for 2 weeks for being found drunk, and not even drunk at school. lol.
am finding getting on the internet a bit harder than thought, but its ok. tis quite cheap, only one shilling a min, n its like 149 shillings to a pound. so all in all tis quite good!
but yeah, i should probs dash. keep in touch, it would be lovely to hear from peeps!!
tara x
Monday 29 January 2007
Organising!
Not long to go now. eek! just over a week. am trying to get stuff sorted out and today has been a day of that. Had to do the mammoth task of tidying my bedroom before i could even start with the whole organising my kit. But its done now n all my things are in little piles, ready to be added to, or taken away from. will have to go shoppping for more stuff tomorrow. not sure how im going to fit over 6 months worth of stuff into a bag.... hmm. oh well. im sure ill manage somehow. must go make more lists now. so many lists!
Thursday 25 January 2007
Test run!
Testing, testing!! Well, the day is getting closer and theres still so much to do! Ive had all my jabs and ive got all my pills so at least that side is sorted! Am awaiting news of a possible home for Tontollo *fingers crossed* so hopefully that will be something else crossed off my list! Anyways, this post was mainly just to see how it went so.... tara! x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)