Hi there.

Lots of people have been asking for an itinerary of our travels, so here's as far as we know...

Now - 7 July: Christchurch. Current temperature: 6 degrees.

8 July: Fly to Brisbane at 0600

9 July: Fly to Bangkok at 0025. Arrive at 0625 local time (9hr flight). Thai airways have shouted us a room at the Novotel after moving our flight so we'll drop off our bags and go exploring / get some sleep until...

10 July: Fly to Johannesburg, South Africa at 0015. Arrive 0605 local time (11 hour flight). We'll pretty much stick to our backbackers for two nights, recharging in preparation for...

12 July: Start of 29 Day East African Explorer Tour with Acacia Africa. Departs 0700. Drive for c.500kms.

13 July: Full day game drive at Kruger National Park, South Africa.

14-16 July: Drive to Chobe National Park, Botswana, via Francistown, nata and Kasane. Chobe River cruise on the 16th.

17-21 July: Livingstone, Zambia. Five nights spent here checking out the Victoria falls, Zambezi River with activities such as gorge swinging, canoeing/rafting, horse/elephant riding, scenic flights and sunset cruises to partake of.

22-27 July: Malawi (via Lusaka and Chipata). Includes a couple of nights at Kande Beach on the shore of Lake Malawi.

28-29 July: Tour makes its way into Tanzania, heading to the capital, Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast.

30 July - 1 August: We take the ferry to Zanzibar and spend three nights (with plenty of seafood and snorkelling during daylight hours).

2-5 August: Ferry back to Dar es Salaam and then we head north to Arusha. Marisa celebrates her 25th birthday at Pangani River Camp (wherever that is). Other highlights include Meserani Snake Park (4th) and Masai village walk (5th).

6 August: Afternoon game drive at Serengeti National park.

7-8 August: After a morning game drive at Serengeti National park, we head to the Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater (for more game driving), then back to Arusha.

9 August: Arusha to Nairobi, Kenya and the end of the tour (some time between 1600 and 1800 at the Boulevard Hotel). We are then lucky enough to stay with family friends, the Kugurus, for three nights until...

Sunday 12 August: Fly to London at 1135. Arrive at Heathrow 1830 local time (GMT) (9 hour flight). Meet up with Darren (Craig's brother for the uninitiated) and sleep wherever he's sleeping...

The plans get somewhat more murky after that, but at this stage it looks like we'll fly to Venice around the 15th of April (all three of us, Meze, Craig and Darren) and stay with whanau (or should I say famiglia)... and travelling round a bit, hopping to Pola/Pula in Croatia, then taking the train to Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Hamburg and winding up at Peter's place (old flatmate from Brisbane) for his 30th birthday on 13 September, or thereabouts. After this we'll limp back to the UK and get jobs somewhere.

Like I said, things are a bit murky from London onwards at the moment.
Craig