A happier start to the day as I find that after counting my cereal bars, I can have 2 today and 2 tomorrow plus still have one left over! It is 28c at 7am as we leave to go to Tai National Park. This is to the very west and is in Cote D'Ivoire / Liberia. It is somewhere I have wanted to go to for ages as it is 40 km square (is that big, I have no idea?) of original rainforest and jungle, with tons of birds, Pygmy hippos, chimps and leopard. We have had to take a much longer, different route as the one planned is too unsafe, so by the time we get there, it will probably be time for vodka and bed.

We stopped in a dust filled village to get bread, Laughing Cow cheese and meningitis. Am so glad I had my jab, after going to a funeral in Burkina of a guy who died of meningitis and being in the middle of a massive dust bowl of men half cut on Palm wine, I thought I better be sensible this time. Unfortunately the stalls/ shops don't stock things like this so we kerb crawl round every one at about 2 mph. As I can't eat bread, my cunning plan of buying mangoes and bananas in Sassandra has left the others in the gutter.

We have luckily broken down at a police control post this time, so are sitting on termite mounds drinking hot coke. There are 5 men staring at the wheel which has been taken off and Dave who for some reason is looking at the engine.

With just that perfect timing, Ali informs us that we can't go to the Park this afternoon but do after all need to do the early morning walk, which is what we had all said anyway. We were supposed to do both - there are habituated chimps here, a lake and a river but I can't imagine we will do any of this due to lack of time. It is taken us 8 hours to get here and we have read a lot about it only to be thwarted by shambolic organising. I am tucked up in my sleeping sheet as the hotel is a bit erm......challenging. The bed is made of concrete and you have to leap at it from a few feet to get to the soft bit in the middle. I was trying to be positive and thought the crickets were chirruping but have just realised it's the generator.

Marissa has just come in and given me my birthday present to cheer me up - a guide on Kazakhstan. As you all know I have been to Kyrgyztan and it was stunning so maybe I will give Africa a break for a bit! Davey if you are reading this, give Cote D'Ivoire a massive swerve.

And if anyone wants a weekend in Ouagadougou, I'm your girl!