I'm sure that every blog about going on safari starts off with the (not particularly) interesting fact that 'safari' is simply the Swahili word for a trip. Evidently, Brits in the 1800's didn't really care too much about learning the African language and, when on their way to shoot some elephants or rhinos, just assumed that the locals wishing them a safe trip were specifically referring to the activity they had in mind - going in search of game.

These mis-translations don't stop there...when the very same locals wished them a good day with a friendly 'Mambo!' or 'Jambo!' it would certainly not be returned with a big wave and 'hello' as they may have expected. No, instead, Mr Victorian Gentleman would stare at the savages with a look of total confusion before turning to his butler/mistress/wife and loudly proclaiming that 'Those funny little men are speaking mumbo jumbo again'.

It hasn't all been one way though, when roundabouts were introduced to the developing road system in Tanzania the population decided on a descriptive term for the new circles of cement blocking their previously clear roads. Bring in the 'Keeplefti', when you enter and leave that's exactly what you do...

In any case, the word Safari has had a lot of relevance over the last two weeks. First I decided to pop back to the UK from the mountains for a few days for a number of reasons but which ulimately led to me having two days worth of job interviews. While I did that, Eleanor stayed up in the mountains where the volunteers from Arusha came to visit and sample the local passion fruit wine. I meanwhile embarked on a 40 hour journey home via a night in Ethiopia and stops in Mombassa, Rome and somewhere else to get home and be reminded of how pale, tired and grumpy looking people in London are. After a night of sleep I spent the next 5 days seeing people, interviewing and topping up on all the food I'd been missing...

...a lot of cheese, chocolate, bacon, wine, guiness and whisky later I got back on a plane considerably worse for wear than when I'd arrived and landed back in Tanzania, jumped in a taxi and went to meet Eleanor in Moshi.

So, as you see, it has been a solid week of safari without a single lion in sight. To remedy that we'll be going to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara in the next couple of days...or however long it takes me to recover from a weeks worth of intense cheese eating.