Back in the UK now after 11 weeks away. This has been my first weblog and it has been fun sharing the journey with friends and family, but now back to harsh reality - 42C in Kruger last week and 4C when we landed back at Heathrow yesterday morning.

The principal objective for me of the Congo trip was achieved - I visited Bolobo hospital - and Jack was so pleased to hear that his great work there was being carried on by Congolese doctors, that that alone made the trip worthwhile.

Having said that, the Congo trip did get off to a disappointing start in that the overland element from Entebbe to Kisangani didn't happen. I was really looking forward to the adventure of a 4x4 journey on challenging roads through NE Congo and am not convinced that Wild Frontiers/Go Congo did all they could to enable at least part of that element.

The Congo we did see was not nearly as bad as anticipated - not even Kinshasa airport! The reality is that people in the DRC are the same as anywhere else in Africa - by and large very friendly and incredibly hospitable. As elsewhere that is marred from time to time by a small minority - the infuriating bureaucrats and grasping police/military - but we were largely shielded from the latter by Go Congo who "facilitated" our trip with the DGM and others. The support of a company like them definitely makes life easier on a trip to the Congo.

The bad luck with 4x4 journeys continued in Kenya and after all Tim's hard work on the Landrover and it's documents, it was a great pity that we didn't get to use it for the big trip planned down through Tanzania to Zambia and back. It would have been good to visit old friends and see old and new haunts in Zambia. Perhaps another time.

On the other hand I did see Ian and Mandy in Nairobi, had a very relaxing two weeks on the Kenyan Coast with Tim, a great week in Uganda with Kirsten and saw more of what Jon and Carrie are up to in Malawi on the farms than we would have done otherwise. I also had the bonus of catching up in Jo'burg, Jejane and Kruger with Chris and Janet - and experiencing what a great machine their Land Rover Discovery is!

All in all an excellent trip - less "rugged" than I originally envisaged (and too much time in airports), but great to catch up with old friends and lots of ideas for future African trips..... .