I got through!

Well finally I have managed to find a decent internet cafe where I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for the use of the internet, something like 3 dollars for 15 minutes! We are now in Zambia and about 5 days away from the end of the first tour. Our tour is divided into two parts, the first part was from Nairobi to Livingstone and the second part is from Livingstone to Botswana, which will be for 13 days. This means that some of us will leave and we will have a new group and a new leader joining us! anyway about that later. Now I have to catch up with about 2 weeks of travelling and this is not going to be easy! If you know me well enough, you would know I am not so good with pen and paper! :)

Blue bird

Arusha was the place we travelled to from Nairobi on our first day of the tour. We stayed at a campsite called Arusha Snake Park, and as the name suggests, there were lots of snakes in that place, but unlike our most recent place we stayed at, the snakes were in glass cages! They had all kinds of snakes, crocs and turtles. I held a snake and put him on my shoulder. It was quite an experience, but I have always loved snakes, though from a distance, a very long distance! I held a python, which was a relatively small snake, as it was very young, not realising that on the other side of the wall there was a big python, in a glass cage, with a lot of stories on the wall about people being swallowed by the python! Interesting fact, but I kept a close eye on the python, the little one I mean! :) He seemed happy. More than I could say about the baby croc, I was hoping to hold! Let's just say she was a little bit moody and wouldn't have anyone handling her! :)

Blue Robin

Our accomodations in every place we have been to, has been basic camping style. We have had few nights of wildnight camping, which basically means pitching up your tent in the middle of a national wildlife park! Having the elephants and other animals coming up to your tent and saying hi, hopefully in the process they won't step on you! :)

It has been superb! Absolutely out of this world. The people on the tour are from Canada, Australia and a family from Mexico, which have been delightfull. I am very impressed by the wide range of people we have had on this tour and yet everyone has managed to get on with each other and be respectful! On the first night we all sat around a camp fire, which by the way is a very common part of the camping here, as the nights are quite cold. We introduced each other and told why we are here. We were shown how to put up the tent and after that we got our things and began our journey so to speak.

Enroute to Ngorongoro crater

The morning wake up calls have been quite early. Anything from 5 to 6 in the morning. We all have jobs to do, and yes I even have to cook! :( But it has been OK! so far I have poisoned anyone! except one day I was making Coleslaw for the second time at the campsite (the first time was also at this camp), and I was given a lettuce and carrots. So I shouted out loud, I can make coleslaw! half way through chopping the carrots I remembered, I am suppose to grate them, and half way through cutting the lettuce, I remembered, I was suppose to use cabbage! :( It was an interesting coleslaw!

From Snake park, the following morning we headed to Tanzania, crossing the border into the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. And as you know this is just the begining of my journey in Africa, seeing the animals is something that words cannot describe and I truely wish for anyone and everyone to take this opportunity and see it for themselves. The travel logs generally speaking will be empty, as to be honest most of the places we went to in regards to accomodation and wildlife are very similar and I thought perhaps I can send you photos and a little bit explanation. A picture is a thousand word afterall! :)

First sighting of a lion

First wild animal I spotted in Africa

Getting ready to go to Serengeti

Our group on the truck

Snake Park and Sami

Snake Park and Steve

Snake Park Arusha

Stevie our Truck

view of the crater