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Right, prepare yourself before reading this, it's going to be a bit of an essay, have got so much to write about!
I left Nairobi last Monday at 8am, there are 7 other people doing the same trip as me - but they group people doing different trips together so there will be around 15-20 people all together at the same time.
We drove from Nairobi down to Arusha, Tanzania. This took about 6 hours but the journey was amazing just staring out of the window and waving to all the kids we passed! Did some haggling at the Kenya/Tanzania border - something to get used to is always being mobbed whenever the bus stops with people selling stuff, from jewellry to cashew nuts. All at cheap prices, once you haggle them down. They usually seem to be asking twice as much, if not more, to what you actually end up paying - especially if you seem like you're going to walk off if they don't drop their price!
We got to our first campsite, set up the tents and then hit the bar and got to meet the other people we will be travelling with. Amazing little bar, one of those proper outback style ones with the walls covered in memorabilia. Things got quite carried away following some mass group drinking of shots, so although I spoke to lots of people, the next day involved lots of asking the same, what's your name, where are you from, I can't quite remember from last night...
Cool bunch of people, 18-35 years old, all english, irish, australian or kiwi's. Most of the aussies and kiwis have all been working in London earning more than they would at home due to the strong pound and then travelling before going home.
So Tuesday morning we were up at 7am and headed straight out to the Serengeti national park, the net 2 days were spent getting up at 5am to go on game drives, seeing every animal you could want to: Lions (walked right by the 4x4 we were in, could have touched them!), herds of elephants walking across the 'road' (roads here barely roads), thousands of zebra, wildebeest strung out in a huge mile long line, rhinos, hippos, hyenas, cheetah,giraffes everywhere. You just don't realise how manay there are, especially giraffes! Serengeti is amazing, just this huge vast plain full of all sorts of animals just living side by side. Spent hours standing out the roof of the 4x4, crusing along, soaking up the rays and seeing al this amazing animals! Also I really liked how many birds of prey there are - the vultures circling and sitting in trees are pretty cool! Saw an eagle too - sat about 5 metres from the truck and then took off, awesome sight. Went to a Maasai village too - just a totally different way of life.
Thursday morning we went down into the Ngorongogo crater - from a volcano. Loads of animals and the crate is one big green fertile plain. All the animals can't get out of the crater so it's really easy to find them - literally 5 mins drive from hippos to find rhinos. The Serengeti was more like half hour drive.
Got back to the campsite in the evening, SO good to have a shower, my hair isn't exactly soft at the best of times so it was feeling like I had a door mat on my head!
Had some awesome storms that night - when we were in the Serengeti you could see the sky being lit up miles away from lightning becauase it is so flat.
Think we are now onto Friday - up at 5am and did the 12 hour yes 12 hour drive from Arusha down to Dar Es Salaam on the coast. Sat in the front of the truck for a bit drive Paul teaching me Swahili and listening to some Bob Marley whilst crusising along. Also had a pretty good view of Kilimanjaro - could see the snow on the peak! That will be climbed one day!
Got to Dar about 7pm, stayed in this awesome campsite right on the beach- so the evening was spent just sitting in the open air bar sipping some cold beers and getting to know people.
Sat we got the ferry over to Zanzibar. Had to get a short one across the harbour - packed with people I was just thinking of all the stories in the papers of sub standard safety on ferries etc etc the horror stories you hear about! Anyway we got over ok after being stood like sardines in a sauna for 20 minutes. The main ferry was air con'd so nice as we all had sweated buckets and I stank! Got to Zanzibar and straight into the shower - in a hotel so it was great to have a proper bed after a week of camping mat and rolled up fleece for a pillow! Spent the afternoon strolling round Stonetown - old Arabic buildings winding alleyways easy to get lost! So many people selling paintings, carvings etc, and again,once you haglle, at silly prices. But the best thing is it is all amazing stuff and not cheap quality. The paintings are fantastic, something you could easily imagine paying 100 pounds or more for is like 10 pounds here. I could come back with a spare suitcase to fill! Watched the man u bolton game in some little square with loads of people all watching on a little tv on a shelf! Had an amazing evening, we started with a few drinks in a bar with views over the sea watching the sun set whilst watching some live african music and dancing. Then we went to the fish market were there are loads of stalls with people selling fish, meat etc and cooking it there for you (after you have bartered a good price) had shark, octopus, amongst other things! Ended up in some dingy 'club' more like someones dusty backyard expected to see chickens scratching around, but still good fun.
Yesterday we had a spice tour in the morning - trying diffferent spices as the guide cut them off the plant/tree. Then we drove across the island and are now in a nice resort with beach huts for 3 days. So I am writing this with the beach (white sand, clear water) 50 metres away. Was in the water for 2 hours yesterday and even in there at sunset. Doesn't get much better to be honest! Off snorkelling tomorrow but today is all about just being in the sea and sunbathing!!
Pics will be going up at some point, but it may be a while until I get somewhere with faster internet! Needless to say I have taken tons, however the beloved troncam died on me so have been without for a few days until I can buy a new one. Bit of a nightmare really!
Thanks for all the emails off people - slow internet ansun/beach means no indivudal repliess at the moment!
Right, back to the beach!
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