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Sun Salutations

eastbound — Sun, 9 Dec 2012 13:42:00 GMT

Day 35 - THUR - 18/10/12 - Kande Beach, Malawi : Chipata, Zambia

It was a fairly substantial driving day of 450km today as we were heading for Zambia. The day started fabously with getting to watch the orange ball of sunrise whilst doing yoga sun salutations. It was so peacefulwith water lapping gently on the shore of the lake.

On the way to way to Chipata the road was quite poor and it was quite hot. I noticed along the way that many frontyards were dug up as brick pits with red dirt bricks that had been formed and were now laying in the sun to dry. From there they are built into rectangular ovens with 4 step pyramids pulled out from the bottom to light fires underneath to use as ovens but also to fire the bricks to set them. Once set they cover the whole stack with dung or mud to keep them dry and set until they use them to build a house. We had a short stop in Lilongwe to get snacks and water. Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi.

We crossed the border of Mchinji, Malawi to Mwami, Zambia where we switched some money into Zambian Kwacha. A few facts and bits about about Zambia. Zambia is home to Victoria Falls, discovered by Dr. Livingstone in 1855 and named in honour of the Queen at the time - Queen Victoria. Zambia was also called North Rodesia at the timesw with a bigcopper minimg industry in 1890. In 1953 Zambia the the North Rodesia joined with Zimbabwe the then Southern Rhodesia, which were being opressed by Briatain. Independance was driven by Zambia and in 1964 it was achieved. in 1972 the constitution was changed to a one party state. The coutry was hit hard by copper prices dropping because of difficult world financial timesin the 70s 80s and 90s. In 1991 Zambia again had the constitution changed to become a multiparty state due to pressure from the people of Zambia. Witrh the relatively late changes to government and the price of copper only recovering in recent years and being a finite resource, Zambia's economy is still struggling as a whole.

That night we stayed at Mama Rula's Camp which had a great outdoor area which was concreted in a sandy colour and had a huge fire pit in the middle and green grass for the tents!

Beach and Pig on a Spit - Perfect

eastbound — Sun, 9 Dec 2012 13:39:00 GMT

Day 34 - WED - 17/10/12 - Kande Beach, Malawi

Being our first free day since Dahab we spent it doing remaining handwashing, getting our local washed clothes back, catching up on some blog writing and going to the beach!! At the beach I fell asleep under a huge umbrella while Kearnsy went for a swim in Lake Malawi and when I woke up he had swum so far away that I couldn't see him. So I sat there to consider how long before I should raise the alarm or look life a stalker controlling girlfriend... hmmmm... then I spotted him appear way down the beach but still perfectly swimming stoking down the beach.

The early evening for me was spent in a hammock, then in a hot shower, giving myself the full beauty routine - washing my hair, exfoliating, scrubbing with a pumice stone - bliss!! Kearnsy spent it swimming with Gina to an island not too far away. We both felt refreshed after it!

For dinner we had an amazing whole pig that had been roasting over coals all day with a delicious marinade. It was a fantastic way to finish the rest of the day - yum! :)

Village and Traditional Life

eastbound — Sun, 9 Dec 2012 13:35:00 GMT

Day 33 - TUE - 16/10/12 - Chitimba : Kande Beach, Malawi

Today was a day of lake side and mountain views whilst on the road travelling 230km to Kande Beach. Kande Beach Camp was another camp with a beach on Lake Malawi. It was probably the best beach we had been to with fresh water, small waves - great for swimming too.

After we arrived and unpacked a small group of us (Alan, Joanie and I) headed off for a village walk. We visited the village waterpump which tapped into a water table deep underground. It was donated by the Canadian government which also explained the Canada t.shirts we had seen some of the kids in the village wearing. We then went to our guides brothers house. It was a smart brick home with a loungeroom, kitchen and bedroom. The loungeroom floor had a very well waxed concrete floor and had a 3 seater sofa with a one seater opposite it. We were taken there to learn more about the tribe, village life and their local facilities as well as what their issues were.

It was explained to us that we would be visiting the local hospital where their most frequent treatments are for malaria and pregnancy. Another high risk category for their mother hospital branch was AIDS. Although our guide explained it was no longer taboo to discuss and that more people were being tested, more often than not it is only the 'bride' who is tested. With the male not being tested or with people being divorced, the male is not generally tested meaning that although the 'bride' is free from the disease, once married, she can contract it from the husband. Christian is the religion that this tribe follows. The chief of the village arbitrates on property boundaries and minor village problems. The people utilise courts for divorce and major issues.

We were taken via the backdoor and just outside was the chicken house. The chickens are 'free range', in that they roam around the village themselves and put themselves in their house in the evening, then the family will come and lock them in for the night to keep the door closed and the chickens safe for the night. The chicken house is on stilts so predators can;t eat them during the night. Next to the hen house was a drying table full of cassava root which was white in colour from
being dried out.

From the chicken house we walked to the town centre and as we walked we were joined by the young men of the village who were keen to practice their English and learn more about western culture from us. They were asking all about our houses, our family, what we did for work and what we thought of Africa. They would in turn tell us about their village and their lifestyle - it was great to swap stories.

Up in the village we were shown the hospital where they have a delivery suite and 8 beds for mothers who are giving birth for a second time onwards. All first time mothers need to go to the larger mother hospital before the baby is due to ensure it all goes well and if it does not that there is the help to hand. None of the beds were occupied when we were there but they had mosquito nets above some of them to help prevent malaria. At the clinic they also administer vaccinations for yellow fever as they are provided for free by the government.

After the hospital we went to the school. Fortunately it was sport day so there were masses of kids who were holding our hands and asking 'what is my name?' where we would say our name as the answer and then ask 'what is your name?' to them and they would happily tell you. They swarmed around us until we got to the library where we met with the Assistant Principal who told us more about the school and explained that there were 1500 kids with 10 teachers at the school, meaning that each class is sized at about 150 children. It was also explained to us that some of the children are boarders at the school as they have been orphaned by parents who had AID's.

On leaving the library we were again swamped by kids of all ages wanting to hold our hands and ask our names. They left us in the main part of the village and we started to make our way back to camp. On the way back the very little nursery aged children ran out from their houses to hold our hands and say hello - very cute!!

When we were back at camp we had a swim which was fantastic and warm - about 27 degrees Celsius. For dinner we had BBQ chicken over the coalface fire and a traditional Kenyan salad called Saladi made up of cabbage (lettuce), onion, carrots, green capsicum and chilli.

Presidency Falls

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:09:00 GMT

Day 32 - MON - 15/10/12 - Chitimba, Malawi

We decided to attempt a 26km round trip walk to a local waterfall which is on the way to Livingstonia which is the mountain peak in the area.

The scenery was amazing in being able to see back up along the lakeside of Lake Malawi. Because the lake is so large it really looked like it was beachside rather than lakeside. On the way to the falls, there was a natural spring that we stopped at to refresh ourselves in the 36 degree Celsius heat. We also stopped for a small fanta break at a little local shack shop.

On the way up it was interesting hearing about the history of the country and its political situation from a local. Such as the Swahili language comes from when the Arab's came to make a trading industry and inter married with local tribes people.

Or with the political situation in Malawi when the last president died after 2 terms and whilst he was still in office. His people and especially his brother tried to hide the news from the people of Malawi while they tried to create a plan to succeed the presidency with his brother to take his position. This is not what the people of Malawi wanted as he was such a corrupt president, likewise his brother was also a very corrupt person. During the delay in announcing his death, his brother went to the presidents office and being that the only person who was allowed to open the door to the office was the president himself or his secretary, imagine his secretary's surprise when she opened the door and found that the brother was fist deep in US currency that the president had ordered be removed from the banks in Malawi and sent to his office so a to 'prevent corruption' in the country. When for all intents and purposes this was exactly what the president was doing. He was syphoning the money out of the country on diplomatic visits internationally and taking the currency in US dollars. This is now the reason why US currency is not readily available, nor rarely accepted in Malawi. To try and stop this kind of corruption.

It came out however that the president had died and the first female president for Africa stood up from her Vice President position and took over. From there she dismantled the government and formed a new one in an attempt to clean out the corruption in the the existing government. She has been in power now for just under a year and with elections coming up in 2013 it sounds like she may become the first elected female president in Africa and will stay in power. It would continue the positive growth for Malawi.

At the waterfall the local men were washing their clothes in the traditional way of scrubbing them on the rocks with bristly scrubbing brushes and a bar of soap and then dunking them in the water that was pooling before the falls to rinse them. Their sons who were swimming when we arrived quickly put their clothes back on when we got there. It was so hot that we all - Joanie, Steve, Kearnsy and I all just jumped in with our clothes on and although the water was a little chilly to start with, it was very refreshing. So we swam in the small freshwater pool for about 1/2 hr.

On the way back we took a number of shortcuts that involved scrambling down the rock paths that the locals took. Back in camp, recovered from the walk with a hydration sachet drink and then went to barter for a replica of a wood screen Kearnsy and I had liked in the bar area. After much negotiation we got one for US$33. Dinner was ready by then and Joash our driver had cooked a fresh goat - roasted like lamb in garlic and herbs and also in a traditional stew. It did taste like lamb but slightly different.

I did some yoga stretching before bed as on the walk back from the waterfall my hip seemed to click and it was a little bit of hobbling back to camp and continued that way until it slipped back in while on cook group I was making toast for breakfast the next morning. :)

Freshwater Lake Arrival

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:04:00 GMT

Day 31 - SUN - 14/10/12 - Iringa, Tanzania : Chitimba, Malawi

Another early departure today with 500km and a border crossing from Songwe, Tanzania to Kasumula, Malawi. Our campsite tonight was on Lake Malawi at Chitimba Beach. Lake Malawi is a fresh water lake in the Great Lakes System in Africa. As we were setting up camp we watched the burning orange ball of the sun setting disappearing behind the mountains. We would be here for 2 nights and were looking forward to the rest stop off the bus for a couple of days.

On the road again...

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:58:00 GMT

Day 30 - SAT - 13/10/12 - Dar es Salaam : Iringa, Tanzania

With the early departure in the dark, watching the sunrise was how we started the 550km drive today.

After our roadside salad lunch and bush toilet stop we passed through a small village where they had duct taped a flag onto the tallest branch on top of the tallest tree in the village, creating a psydo flag pole - like a star on a Christmas tree.

We arrived at our campsite which was Old Farmhouse, to set up our tents in the dark but the sweetener after a long day in the saddle was wood burning hot water showers and retailing again at its African best with a pop up bar that made delicious Amarula Hot Chocolate direct from the campfire and out of a wheel barrow esky as it was quite a chilly night. The bar also had hay bales for seats with cushions on them and had a china hutch to the side and a small chimenia. All very rustic but also very well put together.

Nan's Birthday in Zanzibar

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:54:00 GMT

Day 29 - FRI - 12/10/12 - Stonetown, Zanzibar : Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

A great morning was had catching up on the blog and using the free wi-fi at Mercury's Cafe; including calling Nan for her birthday! Happy Birthday Nan!

We headed back on the mid morning ferry. After clearing immigration again it was a little choppier this time so more people were utilising the complimentary sick bags. We then got the tuk tuk's back on the local ferry to Mikardi Beach Camp where they had amazing alfresco showers. It was also the last day for many of our crew. We went from 29 down to 19.

A long drive ahead of us again tomorrow...

Spice Up Your Life

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:51:00 GMT

Day 28 - THUR - 11/10/12 - NungWi : Stonetown, Zanzibar

We started the day with another scrummy breakfast of an omlette, fresh juice, fresh fruit and toast with homemade guava and mango jam.

After brekkie we departed for the 1.5hr drive back to Stonetown. We took a detour on the way to go on a Spice Tour (no Baby Spice in sight) in Kisimbali. The tour is based in a village where they cultivate the spices and all work the land - similar to a co-op and share the sales amoungst the village.

Ali was our G (guide) and kept telling us he was 'in da house' and was fantastic at accents. We were shown how coffee is grown as well as the raw form of nutmeg - known as mace (which can be used in chicken soup), originating from a red seed of a yellow fruit (about the size of a passionfruit). The dried seed is then ground unto nutmeg.

We were also shown mimosa - sleeping grass which has a small purple flower and the leaves curl up when it is touched. We also saw Jackfruit where each piece of fruit weighs 25-30kg and grows on the trunks and branches of the tree. It also has a banana/ pineapple taste.

We saw Cassava - an African staple which has leaves that you eat like spinach and you can make into a necklace and the root is used like a yam to eat. Cloves were also shown - traditionally used to take away the pain of a toothache. Cocoa beans were also grown and picked when they turn yellow for chocolate. Lemongrass was growing - looking just like a grass plant like flax. Reisun was growing, the root of which is dried and crushed to make tumeric with. Ginger was also growing, again the root is used. A plant called Annatto was also growing and is used by locals as lipstick - the pulp of the seed is an orange-red colour that is put on your finger and used to brighten up the lips by dapping the inside pulp on. Vanilla was also shown. It is a vine that is hand pollinated and then after a further 5 months it is dried. No wonder it is so expensive!

Yang Yang tree had flowers right up the top, that are harvested by climbing up the tree. They are dried, pressed and the oil is used for most perfume bases. We were also shown Jasmin oil which I bought a small vile of.

Pepper is also grown on vines on the land. It can be picked when it is green, dried in the sun it then turns black. Green to red pepper corns are green corns left on the vine to ripen. For white corns, it is the same process but after picking when they are ripe, they are soaked in water then the skin is removed. Cardamon aids digestion and lets you be less windy, which explains why it is in alot of traditional tribe teas.

After the tour we had a tasting session of some fruits of Africa - a green coloured orange, a green mandarin, a green grapefruit (all very ripe and sweet); custard apple; banana and jackfruit. We also had the opportunity to buy fresh spices direct from the farm.

From there we had a short bus trip to a small village where we were hosted for lunch in a local lady's home. We had a beef and banana stew; nama choma stew; rice with cardamon and cummin; salad of capsicum, onion, tomato and carrot all thinly sliced and left to rest to allow the juices to marinate it. After lunch we headed to Stonetown and checked into ourlast hotel for a while!

The afternoon was spent on a Stonetown City Tour. The architecture was very interesting in that when they constructed the buildings with mud they used coral that had washed up in town and on the shore. We walked through the local food market with slabs of beef and seafood strung up in the 35 degree celcius heat - it was interesting to see their version of aged air dried beef. ;) Not to mention the pungent smell! After the food market we headed to the old location of the Slave Market.

Before colanisation, the Arab's would go to chiefs in the tribe villages and tell them there was a lot of work and large pay in overseas colanies. What actually happened though was that the Arab's would chain the tribes people together, march them to the rivers and ports; and send them to Zanzibar Slave Market for sale and then shipping overseas.

The 'slaves' would be kept in concrete holding pits for 3-4 days with men seperated from women and children. In the pit they were again chained together by their neck with less than a shoulder width apart, in series of 6 people. There was a pit that would be used as the toilet and when the tide came in while the village people were being put up for sale as slaves, it washed away the defication that had been deposited in the pit.

75 people were in each of the holding chambers. There were 15 chambers. In 1873 slavery became illegal but within 20km the Arab's still traded in slavery until 1907 when it was abolished with the assistance of the British missionaries and Dr Livingstone's contribution. A cathedral was built on the site as an Anglican church 1 year after the slave trade was abolished. The church however was built using 'missionary' labour. Aka salves by the very people who were said to have helped abolish the practice of slavery.

Outside the church is a huge Soap Tree. Aptly named as once the berries on the tree are crushed they are used to create a lather to clean clothes. We also visted the house where Freddy Mercury of KISS fame was born.

From there we headed off to walk through one of the original Arab forts. It was sympathetically extended in 1996 to be able to house an ampitheatre where traditional African dances are now performed.

The last stop was the House of Wonders. This was originally built by the Sultan but designed by a Scottish architect. The building had the first electricity, running water and even a lift on Zanzibar. Today it houses the island's museum of local items from Arab history as well as local Africans history. It also has a spectacular view over the port and the night seafood market area. It was being set up when we were there in the late afternoon.

The night seafood markets are not to be missed as the Zanzibar Pizza made from diced tomato, onion, chilli, beef mince and egg; all fried in a thin Turkish pizza style dough - it was absolutely delicious!! Not to mention accompaning it with a fresh squeezed lime and sugar cane juice - yummmmo!!! Dessert was even better - a Zanzibar Pizza with Nutella and fresh cut mango - ammmmmazing!!

Swimming with the Fish

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:38:00 GMT

Day 27 - WED - 10/10/12 - Nungwi, Zanzibar

Time to get out on the water today with a cruise along the coast line to a spot to do some snorkelling. The water was a very light aqua blue with sparkling white sand. We jumped off the boat and snorkelled at a small reef. There were a few different species of fish and manly brightly coloured starfish. From there we headed to a picnic lunch on the beach close by/ Lunch was BBQ'ed tuna, rice and a tomato based sauce - more fresh seafood that was beautifully cooked.

We sailed back to the Inn which was great to get along at a slower speed. We were in a fairly traditional coastal boat. The mast was constructed from large tree branches that were tied together with rope. The sail was all old material patched together and the pivot point of the mast created a boom which was also levered by a rope. Ingenious really, the simplicity of this boat.

Back at camp we headed to do some work on the internet and catch up with the outside world.

Take me to the Beeeaaach!!

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:33:00 GMT

Day 26 - TUE - 9/10/12 - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania : Nungwi, Zanzibar

Early start for the 7:30am ferry so we were picked up by the tuk tuks at 5:15am. We zoomed to the first ferry - a small local car and pedestrian ferry to take us across town to the Azura Ferry Terminal. We boarded the very modern fast ferry an hour before departure and locked our luggage into the foreigners cages, to ensure their safety and we took our seats on the front deck of the ferry. On the 2 and a quarter hour trip out to Zanzibar we passed all manner of water craft including very small wooden dinghy type boats crowded with people - luckily it was calm!

The water between Zanzibar and Tanzania reminded me of Morton Bay in Queensland, Australia. The fast ferry was US$30. After arriving and clearing immigration we drove for 1.5hrs and checked into our first hotel to stay for 2 nights - the Nunguri Inn, which was right on the beach! :)

After check in, Kearnsy and I went shopping for lunch with our Zanzibar Kwacha's and we bought some pineapple, mangos and fresh bread. We decided to have date night and Kearnsy treated us to a delicious seafood platter and some fantastic crisp french white wine to accompany the meal - yummmmm!!!

Driving, driving, driving, beach!

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:30:00 GMT

Day 25 - MON - 8/10/12 - Arusha : Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Long driving day today at 14 hours and 15 minutes!!

Leaving camp early we passed Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance and by the hot early afternoon we were passing through a city on the way to Dar es Salaam with very intense traffic. Small African children were standing on the side of the road repeating "hello, hello, hello" and were waving. It was this that Kearnsy decided would be great to bring one home as it would make a great door greeter; almost like one of those lucky Chinese cats with the paws waving up and down. Very cute kids! It was at this same point in the stand still traffic that ice cream vendors were pedalling their wares up beside the bus. The vendors were climbing up on their bicycle seats and balancing to hawk their ice creams into our bus.

It was a day at seeing African retail at its best as much later in early night after the sun had gone down, when we were almost at Mikardi Beach - our camp for the night. We were crawling through the traffic and the footpaths were lit up with little palm oil lamps (no larger than keosine lamps) creating a glow over the street food vendors culinary delights. The were positioned every metre or so all down the main streets.

From Mikardi Beach we would be leaving the main land for a few days for the island of Zanzibar tomorrow in 'Amazing Race' style - tuk tuks, local car ferry, high speed ferry crossing and then a 1.5hr mini bus trip to our hotel on the beach.

Lunching with the Hippos

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:27:00 GMT

Day 24 - SUN - 7/10/12 - Ngorongoro Crater : Arusha, Tanzania

Waking up it was our first animal sighting of the day while we were piling into the jeeps there was a big bull elephant 5m from the 4x4's.

In the crater we were game driving again with the hope of seeing rhino's! On entry to the crater there were many zebras and also zebra crossing ;) the road, wilderbeast, ostrich, warthog and a fox were all spotted. Then came the Big 5 completion spotting moment - 2 black rhinos!! We were told there is only 50 in the crater with rangers assigned to protect them.

We continued on and saw a lion and lioness languishing in the sun, then kept driving a little more and there were a pride of 8 lions with 5 lionesses and 3 18 month old lions who had started growing small manes. One of the lionesses wanted to escape the heat so sat under the shade of our 4WD and went to sleep with her face resting on her paws - very cute! She didn't even move when we started the car up to drive away - just looked at us with a forlorn face - as if to say, you took my shade :(.

We stopped for lunch and ate in a car at a waterhole kites swooping around us trying to get our lunch. We ate with the hippos popping their heads out of the water and lions were hunting on the otherside of the waterhole - amazing wildlife so close by!We had a great day animal spotting before heading back to the Snake Park campsite where Kearnsy and I looked at the rescue centre and saw snakes, crocodiles, a baboon, owls and a vulture - lots of animals today! Long driving day tomorrow to Dar es Salaam.

Masai Times

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:24:00 GMT

Day 23 - SAT - 6/10/12 - Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

It was a busy animal spotting morning with a beautiful backdrop of the sunrise. We saw storks, an eagle, 5 giraffe, 3 hyenas, guinea fowl, krestle and 3 hot air balloons drifting over the Serengeti ;). We also saw 2 jackles, starlings, lovebirds, coo-coo, geese, hippos, more hyena, another 5 giraffe, a marsh eagle and on our return to camp for brunch and to pull our tents down, we saw mongoose running about around our tents.

After brunch we headed in the direction of the Ngorongoro Crater and spotted more animals along the way - impala, 2 elephants, gazelle, ostriches, dic dic (a small antelope) and more elephants with a baby elephant. We were also told the rangers burn the long grass as smaller animals don't like going into it, so it gives them more area in the Serengeti to go.

We visited a Masai Village on the way to our next camp site. Kearnsy and I were greeted by a village representative and the village men and women seperately sang to welcome us. We were then escorted following their bright dress and plentiful beaded necks to the middle of the village where they again separately sang songs but where Alan also danced (jumped with a stick) with the males. All the villagers had shaved heads and they were all dressed traditionally in Masai blankets for the men and bright cloth that is pulled around to make skirts and dresses for the women and accessorised with beaded necklaces that were 20-30 rows deep that also bounced when they bobbed to their songs.

We were shown their houses and invited in. We sat on their beds made from timber branches and animal skins pulled tight to form mattresses. It was quite dark and wood fired smoky smelling with only a small (10cm x 10cm) window. The huts are made out of straw, bark, twigs and grass packed in cowdung and mud around a branch frame. Only the women make the houses and all the women of the village build a new one when a woman gets married. Masai Warriors tend to cattle and protect the village from animals. Multiple wives are allowed and are often kept in each village. Boys move through 4 stages to becoming warriors and men. We saw some who were in stage where they had white painted faces. They would stay in this stage for 13 months and are only allowed to visit the village once a day as they must fend for themselves.

That night we spent the night on the cusp of the Ngorongoro Crater. Later in the night some of our group were heading to the toilet before bed from the communal eating area and were told by the rangers on patrol that there were 5 lions hunting a zebra so it was best if they pee outside their tents if they thought they would need to go again during the night!

First Wild African Animals

eastbound — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:18:00 GMT

Day 22 - FRI - 5/10/12 - Arusha : Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

The game driving was off to a good start with leaving the camping ground in local guided 4WD's at 7am for the Serengeti. Our 4WD had myself, Kearnsy, Martin and Danielle, Annaline, Gina and Sarah our tour leader and Halidi our driver. We game drove through to a small stop where our tour leader purchased some red bananas. They were sweeter than their yellow counterparts which meant they were much tastier. We drove through until lunch time but didn't spot much except 1 elephant, 3 zebras,
some monkeys and some baboons as we were on the outskirts of Ngorongoro Conservation area - meaning that man still lives together with the animals; that is that the Masai tribes living with the wild animals. We stopped before the Serengeti for lunch and walked to the lookout close by and we could see our dust trail all across the plains for many km's.

After lunch we continued through the conservation area and were told that the white pillars that were every 25m or so down the side of the road were indicators that you could not build in front of these pillars. This was because the vibration of the road would cause the house to crumble down.

In the second game drive we entered into the Serengeti National Park and saw many many animals. We saw 2 elephants straight away, followed by - gazelle, secretary birds, baboons, buffalo, ostriches, spider monkeys, topis and geese. The special sightings however were late in the game drive. We can across a whole pride of lionesses and their cubs, 5 lionesses and their cubs. They came right up to the side of the car and strolled past off the plain to the watering hole where they all had a drink, right next to 8 elephants and 2 baby elephants. They were all right next to each other!! Then the lionesses went back onto the edge of the plain while the 3 lions came up in the background, yawned and sat there while the cubs were playing with the lionesses. A lioness walked and rubbed on the lion - beautiful and amazing creatures to see in the wild.

On the way to camp we also saw 2 cheetahs lounging around on a termite mound, 10 hippos all in the water with one also yawning while there was a pale pink, purple and orange glow of a sunset which was the perfect backdrop of acacia, umbrella and sausage trees in the foreground. Right near the turn off to our camp site we saw 2 warthogs and their 4 babies - very cute!

Sleeping in a camp that is open to the wild is an interesting concept but after the great soup and spaghetti that had been made for us and the long dusty day I managed to get to sleep surprisingly quickly.

MIDDLE EAST WRAP UP!

eastbound — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 20:01:00 GMT

A few key items to close out the Middle East leg. An update on the age old debate of -
Wheelie Bag vs.Backpack

Tally stands at Wheelie 3, Backpack 2...

Wheelie score 1 for -
Luton Airport
Israel Airport
Petra Hills

Backpack score 1 for -
Wadi Rum sand
Israel border with uneven steps everywhere

HORN 101

As the car horn seems to be an extension of expression for Middle Eastern drivers I have tried to transcribe it's meanings below...

Egypt
1 honk = I'm coming next to you/ move over
2 honks = watch out

1 can also be used for 'I'm a taxi'

Israel
1 honk = Taxi?
2 honks = Stay there!

Jordan
1 honk = Taxi?
2 honks = I'm coming through/ stay there

Continuous in all countries = COME ON!!!

Such a very different experience that was incredibly insightful and at times created more questions than answers. The isolation of being lone tourists was definitely

saddening for the countries we visited but at the same time created a journey that was a little bit more confronting than I had imagined. The experiences I have had in

the Middle East from the religious, the awe inspiring moments of a forgotten city, to the yoga diving and meditation, the hospitality of the Bedouin people and the craziness of Cairo will stay with me for many years.

A few key items to close out the Middle East leg. An

update on the age old debate of -
Wheelie Bag vs.Backpack

Tally stands at Wheelie 3, Backpack 2...

Wheelie score 1 for -
Luton Airport
Israel Airport
Petra Hills

Backpack score 1 for -
Wadi Rum sand
Israel border with uneven steps everywhere

HORN 101

As the car horn seems to be an extension of expression

for Middle Eastern drivers I have tried to transcribe

it's meanings below...

Egypt
1 honk = I'm coming next to you/ move over
2 honks = watch out

1 can also be used for 'I'm a taxi'

Israel
1 honk = Taxi?
2 honks = Stay there!

Jordan
1 honk = Taxi?
2 honks = I'm coming through/ stay there

Continuous in all countries = COME ON!!!

Such a very different experience that was incredibly

insightful and at times created more questions than

answers. The isolation of being lone tourists was

definitely saddening for the countries we visited but

at the same time created a journey that was a little

bit more confronting than I had imagined. The

experiences I have had in the Middle East from the

religious, to the yoga diving and meditation, the

hospitality of the Bedouin people and the craziness of

Cairo will stay with me for many years.

First Border Crossing for Africa

eastbound — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 19:48:00 GMT

Day 21 - THUR - 4/10/12 - Nairobi, Kenya : Arusha, Tanzania

300km was covered today but on very poor road so it was a long driving day on the truck, leaving camp by 6am.

The first border crossing for this trip between Kenya and Tanzania - the Namanga border which we were glad we only got a transit visa for Kenya for US$35 - saving us US$15 each.

A little bit of history for Tanzania - Tanzania was called Tangagnika and joined Zanzibar for independence in 1963, creating Tanzania which is now a republic. In 1965 they went to a one party system which is like most of the rest of Africa, which in turn leads to a period of suffering for the people under the power hungry and unchallengeable party.

After the death of the president, in 1992 Tanzania became a multi-party state before other African nations, also therefore putting it ahead in terms of economy, development and growth.

1996 the capital changed locations to reflect change to a multi-party as did the constitution.

To this day however, Zanzibar still has its own separate parliament and has its own entity with border control and all policies the same except for foreign policy.

Like much of Africa their main industry is agriculture with 80% coming from it and 20% coming from tourism.

As Tanzania shares a border with Uganda it has one of the largest refugee camps in Africa, which created struggles with the area for resources.

However tourist highlights include Mt Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria (largest and deepest in Africa) and the Serengeti Plains including Ngorongoro Crater.

On the way to Arusha we stopped at the cultural centre and saw Tanzinite (rarer than diamonds and likely to be mined out within 40 years) and local art.

We were staying at the Snake Park campsite in Arusha (score 1 for the backpack through the campsite sand) - not so good, when you don't like snakes! Off to the Serengeti tomorrow!!! Bring on the Big 5 tomorrow!!

Another Day a Whole New Continent - AFRICA!

eastbound — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 19:25:00 GMT

Day 20 - WED - 3/10/12 - Nairobi, Kenya

Arriving at Nairobi airport at 3am with fingers crossed that our last minute Skype SMS has been received, we were very pleased to see our names on a board being held

by our driver. Thankfully so we wouldn't have to do the taxi? taxi? negotiation dance again; though exchanging money in a dark car park was interesting... but we were

on our way!

After stopping to adjust the air in the very unaligned wheels we pulled up to the gate of Karen Camp at 3:45am... fortunately, arriving without a booking, we were

shown to a dorm room which we paid for in kind by purchasing breakfast the next morning when we surfaced at 11am.

Post brekkie, We checked in with our budget before the next leg officially started and organised ourselves some more. We also met some of our crew for our tour who had

already been on for 2 weeks to Uganda. We then went to Karen to the shops to use the post office and stock up for groceries in Kenya Shillings - very handy to have the

XE Currency converter app on my iphone!

Karen is named after Karen Blixen from 'Out of Africa' fame.

On return to camp we met the rest of our group and our tour leader Sarah where we then held the pre-tour welcome meeting and were shown a tent demo; our home for most

of the next 38 nights to come. Key notes from the welcome meeting I took away was the phrase bush toilet... shyness is quickly overcome with life on an overland

truck. 100% participation was the other - we will be cooking, cleaning and washing up as well as setting up and pulling down the tents ourselves and packing the truck

with our gear daily.

Dinner was cooked as a traditional Kenyan meal by our driver Joash - arrowroot, beef, carrots (much like a stew). Our destination the next day was Arusha Tanzania, on

the way to the Serengeti National Park.

Final Day of Middle East Madness

eastbound — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 18:48:00 GMT

Day 19 - TUE - 2/10/12 - Cairo, Egypt

After having a decent brekkie of bread rolls, jam,juice, boiled egg and cheese we set off for the post office and Egyptian Museum.

The post office was on Ramsis Street which is one of the main ones headed to Tahrir Square and hence one of the busiest! We found the post office easily enough but thought to add a couple more things to the packages so held onto them with the intention to return later in the day.

We stopped for a fresh made pomegranate and cane sugar from a corner shop that sold the juice in glass tumblers that you drank there - delicious!!

The Egyptian Museum was quite overwhelming so we got out the Lonely Planet and hit up their list of which included the Tutankhamen area. It was absolutely incredible to see the burial mask, all the jewellery from the tomb, as well as the mummy encasement (the mummy and sarcophagus are still in his tomb in The Valley of The Kings in Luxor), the encasement around that one,the 4 gold boxes from around the sarcophagus (think Russian babushka doll set up), his organ vases and all the goods and chattels placed with him in his tomb - it was absolutely incredible but again tinged with a bit of sadness and a hope that future generations will preserve it now that it has been dug up.

After the museum we headed back to the bakery and stocked up on some more pizza and some amazing biscuits for the journey to Kenya. We then went back to the hostel to write some great vintage postcards we had found and asked what time the post office shut. We were advised 4:00, it was 4:30pm... :( Never mind, we would try again in Kenya!

After Skype messaging the taxi and Kearnsy had managed to get a quick call to camp Karen in Kenya we had our fingers crossed that there will a taxi waiting for us when we arrive at 3am.

We were all ready to hit peak hour traffic to get to the airport for 9:30pm to catch our flight for Kenya, Africa. PS. It was chaos but we made it with no stress and plenty of time to spare. Probably the first time I had been on the other side of that situation for an airport experience.

Cairo or Bust!

eastbound — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 16:26:00 GMT

Day 18 - MON - 1/10/12 - Cairo, Egypt

The overnight bus to Cairo was adventurous as the one from Jerusalem to Eilat had been, except instead of toilet stops, it was security checkpoints - 4 of themwith police in plain clothes again so you didn't really know who was asking to see your visa and passport unless you asked a local.

The most interesting was the whole bus being unloaded at one of them - people and luggage all off - for them to search for something (or to see if there were any unattended luggage on the bus). I'm still not sure what they were looking for and I don't think they did either though!

Once we made it to Cairo with the sun coming up, we did as the locals did and wandered across 6 lanes of traffic to try to find the Metro with the aid of Kearnsy's compass. We would have been ok, except asking for directions even the 3 Arab's rule didn't work out as we had been dropped ata different bus station; so the search was futile.

Having read the Lonely Planet, we flagged down a black and white Pergeot clunker and negotiated a rate on the side of the 8 lane highway. I say lane but they don't actually stick to them. They just seem to pick a gap and go for it!

Arriving at our hostel, Miami Hostel we were greeted warmly, checked in, baggage stowed and tour explainations all underway within 1/2 hr of being there. Being that we were in the Tahrir district we were on one of the busiest streets (Telahat) with great markets, an amazing bakery across the street, 26 July Street (no street signs Riss, otherwise I would have gotten a snap for you!) and a short walk to Tahrir Square (where the protests happen) and the Egyptian Museum. Our room was surprisingly quiet though for such a central location.

We were asked what we were interested in seeing and how long we were in Cairo for. we said "Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Nile Cruise and the Old City if we have any time left as we had under 2 days as we needed to leave for our flight at 6pm tomorrow".

Ahmed then sketched out all the options and prices for us - (10LE = £1)
Giza Pyramids & Spinx 60LE to get into the park and an additional 100LE and 35LE to get into the first and second pyramids at Giza respectively.

From there you can drive 9km to Sakkra. Sakkra is 60LE to get into the park area. It has the oldest pyramid which is actually a stepped pyramid called Titi which you can enter for free with your park entry payment.

From there you can drive another 5km to Dahsour. Dahsour is 30LE for entry and has a white pyramid and a red pyramid which you can enter for free with the park payment. The experience is a trek into the middle down a 65m tunnel into the side of the pyramid via the 'gate'.

We were also told about a Nile Cruise, not on a Feluca but an evening cruise to see the city with dinner and a show for 170LE.

The Egyptian Museum is 60LE with the Royal Mummy Room costing an extra 100LE.

The Old City is broken up with key interest areas - Islamic Quarter with the Citadel being 50LOE and 2 mosques for 25LE; and the Coptic Quarter with 2 free churches. It also has Kan Glilcaily which is a market area.

After an explaination of these terrific ideas, We decided to do the Pyramid tour with a driver/ guide for 100LE, the Nile Cruise and then the Egyptian Museum the next day and get to the Old City if there was time.

So after popping down to the bakery and getting some very fresh crossaints and pizza for the day, as well as some delicious and cheap pisstacios and cashews, our driver Hamil arrived and we headed off.

There was so much information given by the driver and our first stop was the Pyramids of Giza. There was of course the obligatory sell when we got out of the cab with being husseled into a small room, being offered tea and then discussing horse and camel risdes in the Giza park area to get around the 12km park. We politely declined and paid the entry to walk around the park site.

We came across the Spinx first which was carved out of 1 solid block of limestone whcih was leftover from the construction of Pyramid 2. It measures 40m x 4m and was created to guard Pyramid 2 to make anyone approaching the Pyramid warey. The design represents the King; the king of humans and the king of animals. It is the body of a lion to show he was strong like a lion and the head of a man to show he was smart like a man.

In the immediate area there is actually 9 pyramids. 3 large ones and 6 small ones with 3 more pyramids each next to 1 and 3. The large ones were built by 3 generations of Kings. Pyramid 1 is the largest and the first in the set which was built by the 'grand-dad', pyramid 2 was built by the 'father' and pyramid 3 was built by the 'granson'. Therefore the 3pyramids flanking pyramids 1 and 3 were built to house tombs for the mother, wife and sister of each King; hence it was not necessary for King 2 'father'. Pyramid 1 was originally overlaid with onyx, pyramid 2 was limestone and pyramid 3 was granite.

Pyramids 1 and 3 have been partially destroyed with the outside layers being removed by the Arabs to create the Grand Mosque in the Old City in Cairo.

We recieved a tour from a guide into the mother's tomb of Pyramid 1 and hyragliphics on the walls outside the tomb as the entry was included in our park entry price. We got to touch pyramid 1 too! Unfortunately there was immense pressure to get a tip from the guide. Fortunately for us though we did not take much money with us, having prepared for this from reading the Lonely Planet guide.

On leaving the park we were absconded by a camel ride operator. This was done by a headwrap made for me with my own scarf by the operator and Kearnsy being picked up and put onto a camel. Our camera was then taken off us to take a picture of both of us and we were told it would be given back if we gave him payment for a photo. We said we didn't have any money as we didn't want to give any. I remembered Kearnsy had a £2 GBP coin as they were still pressuring us but they still weren't happy. I managed to grab the camera and we walked towards the tourist police who was with the guide that had showed us the pyramid and we told them what had happened and headed towards the Spinx to have another look.

Leaving the park we were driven to Sakkra. On the way we stopped at a Papyrus Museum and store. The process was explained to us how they flood the fields for Papyrus reeds to grow, as well as growing along the Nile. They are then picked/ cut, soaked and put through the ringer. Once wrung out they are laid in a woven pattern and put into a press to dry. We bought Alan's Mum Joy a picture here for her birthday - Happy Birthday Joy!! - with her name hand written in hyrogliphics. It also had a hand painted picture of geese which mean peace and the lotus flower which means love.

It was at this museum we were also shown a kartoush depiciting the Final Judgement that Egyptians believed would happen when you pass over, to test if you can cross to the afterlife and paradise. It shows 14 judges. This is repeated 114 times in Titi's tomb at our next stop Sakkra. The reason for 114 is that there are 14 judges and 100 questions asked by the judges before you are deemed one way or another.

Also on the way to Sakkra I noticed lots of rubbish was dumped on the side of the river to build up the banks. It was then set fire to it to reduce the stench and size of the pile and left to burn itself out.

At Sakkra we saw the stepped pyramid and also went down 25m into Titi's pyramid to see his tomb to see the wall as well as in hyraglyphics. Inside there is an anti-chamber for storing all the items required for the afterlife. The room can be seen for the tomb (so they can keep an eye on it). This is also where the servents kept the body in the sarcophagus company before they sealed it away.

The sarcophagus is in a tomb which ajoins the entry chamber (so anti-chamber to the left and tomb to the right) and behind the entry chamber is the outer chamber - to help preserve the tomb. Back in the pharos day it was brightly coloured withs reds, ambers, deep yellows, blues, greens and purples - all the pictures clearly depicted like paintings. these days it is more of a natural slate colour due to the exposure to light down the entry shaft.

On exiting the pyrammid on the way to the taxi, Kearnsy and I thought we would quickley have some of the pizza we had bought. Big mistake!! As soon as we rustled the bag we were surrounded by dogs! So we quietly put the bag away before they started scrapping.

Driving to Dahsour the mumification process was explained to us. After the disembalming and preservation of the organs in jars, the body is rubbed with sandlewood to make it supple, like the person had just died yesterday. They were then wrapped in bandages which had been applied with the oil of the white lotus flower which is used as a disinfectant as well as for the smell of the perfume.

On the drive we also saw many date plantations and once the dates had been removed and people were placing the fruit branches on the road for cars to drive over them. We were told this was done to soften the branches up to make fencing, broom heads, baskets etc.

Arriving at Dahsour we were told the reason one pyramid is red and one is white because of the Egyptian flag. We were told the red one was built in BC620. We set off on the decent down 65m into the bowels of the pyramid. It was very dark with some fluescent lighting having been installed to outline the entry and tunnel shape. As we descended a sulphrus smell kept getting stronger and stronger.

Inside was amazingly well preserved as a structure and had a graduated ceiling. It was hard to imagine how they got any of the artifacts in and out of the small passageway leading into the tomb. The tomb itself was quite cavernous with a stepped ceiling but we didn't stay long with the sulpherous and damp smell.

The overwhelming feelings thoughout being down there were probably awe and sadness. Awe whilst standing there because of the marvel in the feat of engineering achieved and the fact it was still standing. Sadness as these pharoahs were buried thinking they would remain so for eternity or until they reached their afterlife and they were now in museums and the life, displaced arount the world. It was very moving to be inside their final resting place.

From there we headed back to the city in peak hour traffic and we were told as we were not in a standstill and just creeping that we were doing well. But with no lanes being obeyed, it was a free for all and a few very close calls!

We arrived back at the hostel for a brief break rest and a shower before being collected for the Nile Cruise. The cruise was aboard MS Aquarius. We were entertained with great night views of Cairo, a twirling man with huge colourful shirts that were lifted above his head to make him look like a toy top swirling around the room. A midget was also doing the same thing as the warm up act and a bellydancer to top it off. The food was good and there were also some excellent pastries for dessert. It was a great night out and I'm looking forward to the Egyptian Museuum tomorrow.

Yoga On, Diving Off

eastbound — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 16:23:00 GMT

Day 17 - SUN - 30/9/12 - Dahab, Egypt

Today was our final day of yoga as we are not staying tonight afterall as we want to get to Cairo to explore, so no Monday morning scheduled class. We were joined by 2 new people and Kirsty left the day before so the room was quite full. We improved on flexability and I had the breathing exercises downpat.

It was the last delicious breakfast with 2 extra pancakes just to be sure ;) We then set off to buy our bus tickets from the bus station 5km away, via collecting our underwater photos from the Fujifilm shop.

We walked to the photoshop and they weren't yet ready, so we continued on to the bus station. On the way we decided to run the taxi challenge between Kearnsy and I - ie. how many offers of 'taxi' or 1 beep horns (more on this inthe Egypt code of conduct in a couple of days time). Kearnsy's guess was 24 and I guessed 32. After the 5km walk - it was 20 and Kearnsy was declared the winner.

After buying tickets we negotiated a taxi back to town and almost but not quite ending up where we wanted to due to the language barrier. We had to take a short stroll to pick up the underwater shots on CD and negative; hoping at some point in the future to get to see them.

Trading a taxi for icecream with the budget constraints and walked back to the hotel via the beach. We got to have another swim in the afternoon, had some leftovers for dinner and headed off for a farewell drink with Patrick and Fiona.

The bar was a raised platform, all decked out Bedouin style with cushions and low tables, all located right next to the Red Sea. All the stars had come out and there was a lovely breeze blowing. After the drink we headed back to the hotel to get a taxi to the bus station.