‘Journey in an Unknown Culture’ Stepping off the old mottled bus in a state of sleepy unawareness was probably not the greatest idea. Within the short space of five minutes I had gone from a blissful cat nap to being heckled by what I can only describe as a mob of Tanzanian men, all clutching flyers, placards and attempting to usher me into their taxi (which for the record looked about as safe as a rollercoaster without the harnesses!) Overwhelmed and delirious, I launched my gigantic backpack on to my shoulders – at this point packing lightly was a somewhat alien concept – and headed for the car that looked least likely to burst into flames. It was night time and the humid East African air was searing through the open window as the sound of Bob Marley drifted in from the little street shacks... this was it...I had arrived.
Pulling up at the Masai campsite was the most surreal experience. In what looked like the middle of nowhere sprung up some huge metal blockades propping up two guards literally clutching a gun while beckoning me inside with genuine smiles. Beyond the blockades was a whole different world, a huge campsite with a bar (that even served Jack Daniels) and a kitchen that despite taking a leisurely pace of about 2 hours, served up the best burger imaginable – that’s right – in Africa. This was the beginning of my journey and although I was soon to learn I began in quite some luxury, it is a memory I will never forget and not because of the gourmet dining, but because sitting at the bar with the African locals discussing the England vs Germany world cup match brought home to me - you can be worlds apart from somebody, but in Africa you’re their best friend.
This was a feeling I never lost throughout my whole time travelling East Africa – in Zanzibar the locals were so keen to tell you about their islands history and I sat for hours learning about the slave trade without my mind wandering once. In Kenya I was moved by how proud the natives were about their famous Safari’s and in Uganda I have never ever seen such a beautiful country, landscape and people alike. I did many memorable things during my travelling ‘expedition’; from abseiling down a 100m waterfall to facing grade 5 rapids in the river Nile (which by the way, I actually swam seeing as the boat tipped at the first wave) but the most unforgettable experience was living alongside some of the poorest, but jolliest people in the world. Their passion, ambition, love and friendliness are, without a doubt the greatest cultural learning curve I could ever have had.
