favela & apprecaition

Yesterday I spent the morning exploring the largest favela in Brazil. A favela is similar to a slum. It is a small area, filled with a huge amount of people, crammed in spaces we cant imagine, living in horrible conditions. The favelas are controlled by the drugdealers, who create rules and ´laws´` for their favela. It was amazing to see. It was one of my favorite things about Brazil. Which I wasnt expecting. Makes you appreciate where we were born, and what we have.

I also went to Christ the Redeemer, a neighborhood called Santa Teresa, and Sugarloaf mountain.

Today, ive spent the day getting a sunburn, and getting ready for my travels homeward. I walked up copacabana beach to Ipanema beach. I enjoyed little luxuries last night at the posh hotel, JW Marriott. 7 Pillows on my bed! And being very appreciative of it all.

Im also being appreciative of the people who are kind and patient while dealing with a foreigner, who has no comprehension of the language. there is a lot of sign language and miming going on.

Just about time for me to head to the airport, fly overnight to Houston, then on to Vancouver, where I get a short but sweet visit with one of my favorite people, then home. And one of the best parts of travelling is having such a wonderful place & people to go home to.

Obrigada for following along with me on this little adventure!

the pantanal

We just arrived back in Rio this afternoon after a very exhausting travel day.

We left from Bonito on tuesday morning and had a 4 hour drive into the Pantanal. Once there, we switched to a heavy duty truck that could handle the bumpy road for the last hour drive to the farm that we stay at. On the drive in we saw many birds and caimans.

We were dropped off at the farm that accommodates us, and we were shown to our sleeping area. I was pleasantly surprised. Two rows of hammocks strung up, a roof, walls of mesh to keep the bugs out and a door. So pretty bug proof and contained. The hammocks seemed comfortable enough. We went out on a short walk on the grounds around the farm and saw a couple of macaws in their nesting spot. We had dinner (all meals provided by the farm). Rice. Im very sick of rice. After dinner we went out on a short night drive. I was really trying to meditate up an anaconda, but no luck. It was pitch dark and just the guides spotlight lit up certain areas as he searched for wildlife. He shone his light out into the darkness, and you could see what looked like city lights. They were caiman eyes. The amount of them was incredible. Very cool.

after our night drive, our guide gave us a quick lesson in caipirinha making. It was lots of fun. many cairpirinhas were made and consumed. Finally, we tottered off to bed. Or hammock rather.

It was a chilly, loud night in the hammock. I woke up around 7 and went for breakfast. it was a pretty pathetic little breakfast. After that we headed out on our truck to do some pirannha fishing. On the way we spotted many birds, many caimans. We saw some vultures picking apart a carcas, and the local guide went to investigate. It was a juvenile anaconda carcoss, not much left of him besides his spine.
We quickly discovered that the pirannhas eat more of your bait than anything else, and I quickly got bored with the actually fishing, and preferred to watch the caimans, that were watching us fish and would try and steal your fish whenever you did happen to catch one. Some capybeara´s came down to the small lake while we were fishing.
On the drive back to the farm for lunch, we spotted more capybaras, more birds, and our guide took us down to a couple rivers where we could see giant river otters playing in the water and catching fish. it was very wonderful.
Afterlunch, rice, we went out horseback riding. We saw a little anteater, who was wonderfully cute, especially when he stood up on his back legs to show us just how big and scary he can be. We also saw another beautiful macaw, an armadillo, and a water viper, which was as close as it got to seeing a (live) anaconda for me.
We had dinner, rice. And i headed to hammock afterwards. This time, I bundled up with two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, two sweaters, and two blankets. It still wasnt enough, and I will chilly. Luckily, it was a very short night.
At 1:45am the alarm went off, and we climbed out of our hammocks and loaded up into the truck for a 1 hour drive back to meet our van. It was a freezing cold ride, as the sides of the truck are open. We finally got back to our van, loaded up and began the drive to Campo Grande to catch our flight. And then our van broke down. So we sat on the side of the road, and water to see if our replacement van would come in time for us to make our flight. At 6am our new van arrived and we SPED off towards Campo Grande. Thanks to the speeding of our driver, we arrived by 8am to check in for our TAM flight to Sao Paulo, and connecting on to Rio. We got to Rio around 2pm, met our driver and are now back at the hotel, getting ready for our last night as a group in Rio.

Tomorrow I have a full day of city tour in Rio to see the sights, then one last night on my own.

Tonight, I am excited to sleep in a bed!  

Caiman, capers and CaipIrinhas

Yesterday Morning we arrived in Bonito around 6 am after our overnight bus trip. I was the only one in the group who managed to sleep ok. We had a lazy morning, wandered up the main street and then in the afternoon we went to a beautiful river park area. It was stunning with clear waters, fish, waterfalls, and a sort of zip line out of over the water to jump into the cool river. It's quite hot here, about 35. 

Last night we went out for a wonderful dinner, during which I was very brave and tried the caiman, a species similar to alligator, which is not endangered and they have caiman farms specifically for eating. It was quite delicious, one of the best meals I've had so far. Another discovery is that I like capers. Two of my favorite meals here have been served with capers, and I am quite enjoying them. I am also quite enjoying the local cocktail, caipirinhas. Our guide is planning to teach us how to make caipirinhas while we are in the pantanal, so I am looking forward to that! 

Today I am having a pretty lazy day on my own. The rest of the group is off doing a river tour that didn't really excite me, and it was quite expensive, so I am spending my day enjoying a little introvert time, doing some souvenir shopping, and some sketching. 

Tomorrow we are traveling to the pantanal, a remote region where we will be sleeping in hammocks for two nights. On Thursday we make our way back to rio and civilization, so I will post again then! 

2 hours in Paraguay - does anyone need a taser?

Today we crossed the brazil - Paraguay border to spend two crazy, hectic hours in a border down of del este in Paraguay. 

The brazilians cross the border and do most of their shopping in this town, as it is apparently much cheaper for them. It was a crazy intense market streets filled with people and products and everything being pushed at you all at the same time. Watches, crocs, purses, DVDs, perfumes, tasers and a few rifles here and there. Our guide is practically running though the streets and we are all trying to keep up, whilst avoiding the tasers being demonstrated in the crowded marketplace. Very amusing! 

I resisted the tasers and returned back to brazil with only a couple of scarves. Pretty dull I know! 

The rest of the day was spent at a bird park, photographing the very photogenic toucans, other birds, flowers, and a beauty of a little snake. 

We are now hanging out back at the hotel, waiting to board our night bus. It isn't going to be a public bus like the last one, so I might not need all the layers I've been planning on (or the scarves!), but I've got some warm gear just incase they try to freeze us to death. 

Hopefully we will get some sleep and wake up in Bonito. 

Ciao, love and miss you all!

Soaked by iguacu

This is our group standing on the bridge that is the border between Argentina and brazil. I am on the Argentina side. 

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. It started out good with these delightfully little cheesy puff balls at breakfast. Then we were off to cross the border into Argentina to go to the falls. Once there we went straightaway to start our boat adventure. The boat ride took us up the river to approach the falls from the water. We had a few minutes where we could have our cameras out, but then everything had to go into dry bags as we approached the falls even closer and went for a shower. 

It was pretty amazing, seeing the power of the water, and being right at the bottom of the falls. As you approached the falls it was pretty awesome as you looked up for the first few seconds, before you were soaked with water and couldn't see anymore. It was fantastic!

We spent the rest of the day exploring platforms and trails, all with stunning views of falls from all angles. They have great systems of suspended pathways over the falls that take you out to great vantage points. Many photos were taken. It was stunning and fantastic.

Towards the end of the day we took a small train they have within the park up towards the top of the falls, where there is a 1km pathway out over the river that turns into the start of the falls. At the end of the pathway is an amazing lookout into the most powerful part of the falls, called the devils throat. From here it looks likes a huge rapid that tumbles down into nothing but mists. Insane power and so much water.

Last night we went out for all you can eat pizza, which pleased me very much. The night before had been all you can eat meat, including peacock and (Kristin, avert your eyes) rabbit. The servers bring out tray after tray of different varieties of pizza; garlic, sausage, chicken, veggie, Stromboli, and many others. The end was the best part though, dessert pizzas! Nutella and strawberry and my favorite, a creamy white chocolate sauce with coconut and strawberry. It was fantastic. 14 pieces later, we rolled home and into bed! A great day! The hardest part is deciding which pictures to share!

Miss you all, much love!

Hot and cold - the words

Yesterday we had a lazy morning at Paraty, and we were picked up by a private transfer around 10:30. We drove for 5 hours to Sao Paolo, reached the bus stop at 3:30. Our night bus didn't leave until 6:30, so we had to sit in the bus station for 3 hours. It was so insanely hot. There was no air circulation. It was brutal. A young boy was wandering around near me, and he had a small handheld fan. All of our group was urging me to mug him, but I restrained myself.

We boarded the night bus at 6:30 and at 9:30 we had a quick stop for dinner. Afterwards, when we were trying to sleep the air conditioning on the bus was so intense, I wAs pretty sure we were going to freeze to death. I had bare toes so I tried to stretch my pants to cover my feet. I kept my hood up and my hair down to try and keep my ears warm. It was a pretty brutal night. I tried to reassure myself I would not loose my nose or toes to frostbite. And in the end, I didn't.

I have many bug bites around my ankles, which have been crazy itchy and my ankles are now quite swollen up - kankles. I'm hoping a good nights sleep in a proper bed, the proper temperature will do them some good.

This afternoon we spent exploring the Brazilian side of iguacu falls. 25% of the falls belong to brazil, and the rest to Argentina. The brazilian side is known for being better to view the entire falls. While the Argentinian side is better for close up exploring.

It truly is amazing. The most impressive, beautiful landscape I've ever seen. There is a beautiful trail around the side of the falls, that concludes with a platform out into the falls, where you get soaked. It's an incredible experience. It could do with a few less unruly children running around, but what attraction couldn't? It really is a beautiful collection of water.

And the best part is we get to go back for more tomorrow - the Argentinian side. Go to posts down if you haven't seen the pictures yet!

Beautiful Paraty - the words

Ack, I've just realized due to some technical shenanigans, a couple of my posts arrived on my blog sans words! Don't know where they went, but here they are now!

It's been a pretty awesome couple of days. The meeting with our group on Sunday evening went well, it's a small group. There are 2 German girls traveling together, 1 German man, 1 man from wales and my roommate from the UK. We had a quick dinner together on Sunday night before bed.

Monday morning we left rio and travelled by private shuttle to Paraty, which was about 4 hours. Our hotel here is quite nice with wifi and a swimming pool. It is about a 20 minute walk into the old town.

Yesterday afternoon I spent wandering around the old town. It is stunning. White buildings with vibrant doors. Many photographs of doors. Beautiful cobblestone streets, which are rather tricky to actually walk on. I had a delicious ice cream and then came back to the hotel before dinner. Dinner we ate at our guides family's restaurant. It was the best meal I've had so far.

This morning we had a really big breakfast before heading off on our adventure. We boarded a public bus and took that to one of the richest areas in brazil. From there, they have to shuttle us across this private land, only for the rich people. We then boarded small motorboats and they transported us to a beautiful beach. There we explored, took photos, swam, before hiking on to a little waterfall, where we could swim in the cool pools. We hiked on to several more beaches. The hiking was pretty strenuous, but it was a very amazing day. Aside from the first and last beaches, we saw no one else the entire day. It was lovely.

My camera card stopped working just before the end of the day, so that was a bit of a panic, but I've got a working card now.

We still need to go out and get supplies for our very very very long travel day tomorrow, and then off to dinner, so I better run.

Tomorrow we travel all day and all night and reach iguassu falls on Wednesday morning. More then!

Love to you all, miss you xoxox

Hot and cold

Beautiful Paraty

Photo tour of Paratay

tudo bem? - everything good?

I arrived in Rio this morning around 9am, but the lineup for immigration was huge, and even after the huge wait it still took forever to get my luggage. After that I headed up to find where to meet the shuttle I had prearranged. I think I just missed the shuttle, so I sat down to wait until 11 for the next one. When my driver showed up there was a bit of a kerfuffle over the hotel to drop me off at, and it turns out I really don't know enough portuguese to communicate. Tudo bem? which means everything good? thumbs up? 

Okay we got that sorted out and headed off. A few minutes later we stop in the middle of traffic. and pop the hood. hmmm, never a good sign. a couple minutes later we carry on again. but now we are put putting along so slowly, every other vehicle is flying by us. Then we stop again. Hmmm. This time my driver flags down a taxi, and I am transferred over to taxi. By driver pays the taxi and off we go. Tudo bem? 

We try to converse for the rest of the ride, but Portuguese is very challenging! My initial "tudo bem" lead him to believe I knew more than I do. 

Finally I arrive at the hotel, my room wasn't ready but i got changed and dropped my bags and headed down to the beach. So many people. So many umbrellas. So many bikinis and speedos. I walked for a while, but didn't dare go into the huge maze of umbrellas on the beach. that all just seems a bit overwhelming! 

I´m all checked into my hotel now, my roomate hasn't arrived yet. I think I am going to spend the rest of the day on the rooftop pool, that seems more relaxing than fighting for a spot on the beach. 

We`ll have a group meeting tonight and then tomorrow morning head out down to Paraty, which sounds much more relaxed than Rio. 

So for now, everything is very good. looking forward to meeting up with everyone tonight. 

Love to everyone at home. Its beautifully hot here! 

Talk soon! 

A little luxury

My journey started this evening and I flew to Vancouver. I am checked int the Fairmont in the airport, before an early wake up call for my flights. I am appreciating the luxury. Airplane shaped cookies, a delicious king bed, and a huge bathroom. I do think I would like to live in a hotel, especially a fairmont!

Tomorrow night I will be sleeping on the plane, so tonight I am going to enjoy the room of having a king size bed all to myself!

Ciao for now, until I reach Rio!

Off to Rio!

On Friday after work I am flying out to Vancouver, overnighting at the Fairmont in the airport, and early Saturday morning fly to Rio de Janeiro (via Houston, TX).

Sunday 16 Sep - Arrive in the morning and check in to my hotel. Afternoon free. Evening meeting with fellow travellers.

Monday 17 Sep - Leave Rio and head down to the colonial town of Paraty, and spend the afternoon exploring the cobblestone streets and cafés.

Tuesday 18 Sep - The day is free to enjoy island-hopping from beach to beach in the Ilha Grande Bay, snorkelling or a visit to a typical fazenda or farm to sample local cachaça.

Wednesday 19 Sep - Depart Paraty in the morning to Sao Paolo, the fastest growing city in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, where we change to an overnight bus, arriving in Foz do Iguazu the following morning.

Thur, Fri, Sat 20/21/22 Sep - Spend the next two days plus exploring this tri-border region where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet at the junction of the Parana and Iguazu rivers. The focus is, undoubtedly, the magnificent Foz do Iguaçu, or Iguassu Falls.
On Saturday late afternoon we travel by overnight bus to Bonito.

Sun & Mon 23/24 Sep - Arrive in Bonito by breakfast time. Explore nearby underwater caves and waterfalls, go rafting or snorkelling down the crystal clear Rio de la Prata, visit macaw nesting spots, or simply spend a lazy day by the river.

Tue & Wed 25/26 Sep - We make our way to the Pantanal, an immense wetland area famed for its profuse wildlife, where we take a two-day wildlife excursion to fully appreciate the area’s beauty and bounty. Accommodation is basic but unique - we stay in a large tent and sleep in hammocks.

Thursday 27 Sep  - Fly back to Rio for another night in paradise.

Friday 28 Sep - Full day to explore Rio.

Saturday 29 Sep - Most of the day free to explore Rio before a night flight back to Canada via Houston. Arrive back in Whitehorse 9pm on 30 Sep.

Should be a beautiful, amazing journey.

Obrigada (thank you) for following along on the adventure!

My little sanctuary in Amsterdam airport

Left my hotel in Zanzibar yesterday at 2:30 and headed to the airport. Everything went well, except for a slight baggage mixup that just about had my luggage being sent to johannesburg. Luckily, they caught it, and I went digging through the baggage hold, looking through all their baggage carts until I found mine and we got it properly tagged. It had been tagged all the way through to Vancouver, I had watched him do it, so I don't know how that happened. So I am crossing my fingers that I will see my bag when I get to Vancouver.

Flew via Nairobi, and this time through, I found the airport more comfortable. It's funny how things can change in just a few weeks. I slept most of the way through to Amsterdam. Upon arriving, I had missed both meals served on board, so I was starving. However, no restaurants, or even a little coffee shop open until 630. I checked into my little yotel room at 630, after a breakfast of Pringles that I had brought wi me from Zanzibar.

The yotel room is like a little 8 x8 room, and it is awesome. A duvet, if you can imagine. How heavenly, I squiggled right into bed, with two pillows and my lovely duvet for a few hours. Had a quick refreshing shower, charged my iPad for the 10 hour flight and I'm all set to check out, so grab some lunch and head back to Canada.

In short, I love yotels. They are an awesome little piece of airport goodness, especially on the way home, when you need a little luxury. I will be dreaming of my duvet wAiting for me at home now....

And a few pics from Zanzibar

just another day in paradise

Woke up this morning and had nutella pancakes. Went for a long walk on the beach and some lounging in the sun. Had a shrimp and avacado salad for lunch. Some more suntanning. A shower. Shark attacks and mud slides during happy hour. 

Dinner and dessert overlooking the beach. 

A chat with my sister via skype. 

Pretty much a great day. 

Tomorrow I have the morning to relax, get some lunch and then head to the airport at 2:30pm. An overnight flight to Amsterdam, a quick stop at a yotel, a long daytime fight back to Vancouver, and a quick hop and a jump and I'm home. 

Thanks for all your messages. They mean the world to me! Love you all so much! 

Pictures to come from the YVR airport! 

in paradise

seriously. Quit your jobs. Fly to Zanzibar. I'll meet you here. 

The last day and a half has been amazing. I love it. Its beautiful and exotic. The beach is stunning. And there is internet.

We left Stonetown at 8 yesterday morning, and stopped at a spice farm on the way. Got to try lots of yummy fruits. 

We continued on and got to our hotel, www.amaanbungalows.com at around noon. We had a quick lunch at the restaurant overlooking the beach, and then I hit the beach for some suntannning and swimming. Happy hour starts at 5, so I sampled a few cocktails, and watched the tide come in and the sunset. We all walked down to the next restaurant down the beach for dinner. We headed back to bed. It is so amazing to be in a hotel room again. I had two pillows. Full size, comfy pillows. It was awesome. 

Breakfast this morning was delish. Pancakes with nutella. June and I walked down the beach a long ways, and then headed back a bit and lounged for a while. We came back up and had a cool drink and lunch, and I hit the beach again for the afternoon. After my internet I am headed back for happy hour. Life is good. 

It will be my last night with most of the group. A few of us who are finishing the trip in Zanzibar decided to stay on up North for an extra night, instead of returning to Stonetown. It gives me an extra day and a half at the beach, before I fly out on Sunday evening. 

I will post again in the next day or so, before its time to leave this paradise. Sigh. 

Much love to all! XOXO 

Fallen completely in love with Africa

Well is been a few days since my last post. Great days. So done with camping.
 
Happy Belated birthday to my grandma. I was thinking about her, I'm pretty sure I saw some elephants on her birthday (its hard to keep track of the dates), and was thinking of her often.
 
Before leaving Nairobi, we went to pick up the new "tribe" at a hotel, had breakfast and a meeting and got on the road. We made it into Arusha that afternoon and set up tents.
 
The next morning, small safari vehicles came and picked us up and we headed out to the Serengeti National Park. The scenery is beautiful. Wide open plains. Sunshine on the tall grasses. There were only four other people and our guide in our serengeti vehicle, so lots of room. The roofs pop up, so you can stand up and view wildlife easily. The first night driving into our camp in the Serengeti we saw a pride of lions lounging on top of a grassy knoll, watching the watering hole for dinner. We saw two leopards, quite far away in a tree. But amazing. A family of elephants crossing the road. We saw another leopard, closer, sleeping on a hil. It was great. A beautiful sunset.
The campground was very basic, long drop toilets. Not a fan. They cook for us in a big mess hall. A moth drowned itself in my wine. Lesson learned, drink wine first.
Early the next morning, I decided to pass on the hot air balloon, because it meant I would have missed the game drive that day in the Serengeti. It was a tough decision, but I knew I would enjoy either option.
The game drive was good, lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes. Cant remember too many particulars now, without my photos to remind me. In the afternoon we drove to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. It was an amazing drive. Beautiful, endless plains. I just fell in love with the beauty of Africa. Watching wildebeast, zebra, impala, giraffe, run alongside your vehicle was breathtaking. I loved it.
The camp at Ngorongoro was basic as well, though the toilets were slightly better. A huge beetle ran across my foot while I was making my hot chocolate. But, I finished my wine before any moths got it. They gave us a blanket to use during the night, because it is notoriously cold. I bundled up, socks, toque, two long sleeved shirts, two pairs of pants, and was warm enough.
 
The next morning we did a game drive down into the crater, which was awesome. A beautiful lake filled with flamingos. Zebras. Wildebeast. A pride of lions. A couple cheetahs far off in the distance.
 
It was a couple of amazing safari days. We got back to Arusha at 3pm, and luckily our tents were left up from when we left, so my first stop was the bar for a cool drink (or two). I had a shower, since the last couple of nights there were very basic facilities, and there was a huge spider incident. I survived though. That night we had dinner in the bar, which was great because it means no prep or cleaning up for us. It was one girls birthday, so we got a bit of cake as well.
 
The next night was rough. At about 1am, it started pouring rain, and all our tent windows were open, so I had to run outside and close everything up, but by then my pjs and hair were soaked, as was much of the inside of our tent. I shivered for the next two hours, and at 3am the alarm went off. We had to pack up and be on the road by 4am. This was a rough day. Packing the truck was hard. All of the tents were muddy and awful. I was sick of the bugs from the past few days. Done with this overland trip stuff. We loaded up on the truck, with a 13 - 19 hour drive ahead of us, depending on traffic and road blocks. I got a few hours of sleep in, before we stopped for breakfast and to make a packed lunch. We did two more quick bathroom breaks along the way, and 14 hours later, we arrived at our camp in Dar es Salaam. It was a miserable day. It had been so hot, and was like a sweatbox on the truck. I barely managed to get the tent set up, and staggered down to the bar for a well deserved drink. There was a decent pool there, so I went for a swim, which made me feel much better. We got to have dinner in the bar again (yay, no prep or dishes!).
 
This morning wake up time was 6am. Packed up the tent for my last time! Then we headed off on little tuk-tuks to the ferry to Zanzibar. We've arrived in Zanzibar now, we are in Stone town. Spent the afternoon lunching on the beach and shopping. Tomorrow morning we are heading up to the north end of the island, where the beaches are better, but I dont think there will be internet again until I am back in Canada.
 
Thanks so much for your notes and following along, I will do another post of pictures, hopefully from Vancouver.
 
Love you all so much, it has been amazing. And I've learned, 15 nights of camping is my limit!

Luxuries

Yesterday we left Jinja around 7am, which meant we were up around 5:30. It was a long day, which included a order crossing, which always adds time.

When we leave Uganda, we all pile off the bus and fill out a form and get an exit stamp, wait around a bit, then pile back on the bus, and when we get to the Kenya order we all pile out again, fill out another form, pay $50 and get a visa, wait a bit more and pile back on the bus.

We arrived into the town of el Doret about 3 and set up and tents and went down to the bar by the pool. Most free time at camp is spent sitting around at the bar having a drink, so many Smirnoff ice have been consumed so far. Usually at least one before dinner and one after.

It was the last night of the tour for 10 of our travelers, so we had a meal prepared for us in the bar, which meant we didnt have to do any prep, or washing up. And getting to sit at a table, instead of eating off your lap is quite a luxury these days.

When I was packing for this adventure, I said - travel pillow, no room for that! I'll just ball up some clothes and put it in a pillow case. So that's what I've been doing. But now, one girl has four pillows (from other travellers who have already left) and I mentioned I didn't have one, so she has loaned me one. Laying my head down last night was amazing. This trip is an excellent reminder of all those little luxuries. Being able to get up and go pee in the night without being chased by wild dogs, etc.

We had a couple after dinner drinks and a group photo. It was a bit sad. It's strange, because it is people that you've only known for 10 days or so, and you will never see again, but they are also the people that you saw a mountain gorilla with, and people who like you can spend hours talking about a destination without getting bored, and people who are planning their next adventure, while still enjoying this one. These are my kind of people.

This morning we were up a about 530 again, tents down, breakfast made, and we packed sandwiches for lunch. We headed off at 7 and at about 12 we stopped at a small grocery store, and a small shop with neat African arts and crafts. We continued on to nairobi, and about 2 we arrived and dropped off some of our group. My tentmate headed off. We continued on to our campsite, outside of the city. We've sent our tents up, and dinner should be ready in about an hour. Tomorrow morning we will pick up 14 more travellers, get a new truck, and a new guide and crew. So lots will change tomorrow. It's like the merging of tribes in survivor.

A few of us just walked to a small mall a short distance from camp. Me and June spent an hour or so at a little cafe and I had an amazing sundae. It's a lovely experience to sit down and order what you'd like.

Tomorrow we are off to cross into Tanzania, and will arrive into Arusha. From there we will head off to Serengeti and ngorongoro crater for the weekend. No power out there, so it may be next week by the time I am online again. Enjoy your weekend - hopefully its warming up!

PS - everyone has been concerned I was actually holding a child in my previous post, and there have been some comments that I may be becoming maternal. Don't worry, tis not the case. Even the most non maternal (me), can't just ignore an orphan staring up at you and holding up their arms. They just smile and stare at you. They hold both your hands at the same time, so they don't have to share you. Three thousand children a day die in Africa from malaria.
There classrooms are empty. Only the teachers have one notebook. The kids are amazed by even a simple elastic. These sort of children are much easier for me to enjoy, rather than the sort that run circles around our office eating our brochure stamp. But thats just me.

Anywho, much love to you all. Can't wait to show you the rest of the pictures and tell you about all the adventures!

A great day in jinja

Today was a relaxing day, spent in Jinja, a small town on the Nile. We are at a decent campground, and for about $2.50 we can use the facilities at the resort next door, so a few of us spent the day lounging by the pool, enjoying the sunshine. There dont seem to be any actual guests staying there, so it was just a few from our group.

It rained a bit this afternoon, so a few of us got massages. $9 for a massage. Good deal. Now I am just enjoying a drink at the bar overlooking the Nile.

Tomorrow will be an early morning, probably have to leave around 6. We have a long drive and a border crossing into Kenya.

I hope you are all keeping warm these days, sending you some African warmth!

I've included a few other pictures from my adventure so far. Not sure where the next Internet spot will be, but I will touch base as soon as I can!

Love to everyone!

Life on an overland adventure

Hello all! A longer update now that I am here in Jinja relaxing at the bar. The day of the gorilla trek we had to be up about 430am and we had a two hour drive to the gate of Bwindi, where we left from. It was an amazing day, I think we saw around 15 gorillas, we had good clear views of maybe 5. The jungle elephant was really amazing as well, it was hard to imagine this huge animal on this jungle trail that we could hardly walk on. The gorilla trek was harder than expected because of the amount of bushwacking. Complete off trails, losing your footing, climbing up hills, no trail, slippery leaves underfoot. The day after the gorilla trek we had a pretty relaxed day at our beautiful base at lake bunyoni. Our camp was a beautiful spot right next to the lake. Around 10 we did a short hike up to Little Angels, a school for orphans. We did a bit of interaction with the kids, which was good. We got a canoe back to the resort in the afternoon. The next morning a few of us girls and one of their husbands walked up the road to a small resort and got our massages. The next morning we had to leave early for a drive to lake Mburo. We had a quick lunch inside the national park gate, and then we did a game drive. It wasn't anything too exciting, lots of little warthogs running all over the place, zebras, and different sort of antelop. We had a quick flash of a beautiful leopard, but not long enough for a photo. Today we had a long drive to Jinja, with a quick stop in Kampala for groceries and to drop off three travelers who were finishing their trip there. our group is down to 19 now, and all but 8 will finish in a couple days when we go back to Nairobi, and we will pick up some more travelers for the rest of the trip. Camping is going well, haven't had any bug disasters or anything. The tents are heavy canvas, and the mattresses are thin plastic, like gym mats. There is enough room for both of our flames, and our bags in between us. Most mornings we have to get up between 430 and 6 for breakfast. Breakfast is usually eggs, bread, sometimes sausages, cereals. Lunch is usually sandwiches, guacamole, tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas and pineapples. Dinner varies, lots of beef, potatoes, rice, chicken, pasta etc. Long days are spent on the truck ( rule number 1, it's a truck, not a bus). It's like a huge family road trip, people are stretched out wherever there is a comfy spot, singalongs burst out sometimes. Today we had a minor breakdown, while we waited, someone read our horoscopes from Cosmo. Showers and toilets are pretty basic, but nothing too horrifying. Last night we had drop toilets, so most of us just used the bush instead. We were only there for one night, so it wasn't too bad. It's going great. We've got a good group of travellers, just one bad egg. I will get a new tentmate in Nairobi, my roomie right now is great. Thanks for all your notes, everyone in my group is horrified by the temperatures you are having right now. Love you all so much, thanks for your support!

Life on an overland adventure

Hello all! A longer update now that I am here in Jinja relaxing at the bar.

The day of the gorilla trek we had to be up about 430am and we had a two hour drive to the gate of Bwindi, where we left from. It was an amazing day, I think we saw around 15 gorillas, we had good clear views of maybe 5. The jungle elephant was really amazing as well, it was hard to imagine this huge animal on this jungle trail that we could hardly walk on.

The gorilla trek was harder than expected because of the amount of bushwacking. Complete off trails, losing your footing, climbing up hills, no trail, slippery leaves underfoot.

The day after the gorilla trek we had a pretty relaxed day at our beautiful base at lake bunyoni. Our camp was a beautiful spot right next to the lake. Around 10 we did a short hike up to Little Angels, a school for orphans. We did a bit of interaction with the kids, which was good. We got a canoe back to the resort in the afternoon.

The next morning a few of us girls and one of their husbands walked up the road to a small resort and got our massages.

The next morning we had to leave early for a drive to lake Mburo. We had a quick lunch inside the national park gate, and then we did a game drive. It wasn't anything too exciting, lots of little warthogs running all over the place, zebras, and different sort of antelop. We had a quick flash of a beautiful leopard, but not long enough for a photo.

Today we had a long drive to Jinja, with a quick stop in Kampala for groceries and to drop off three travelers who were finishing their trip there. our group is down to 19 now, and all but 8 will finish in a couple days when we go back to Nairobi, and we will pick up some more travelers for the rest of the trip.

Camping is going well, haven't had any bug disasters or anything. The tents are heavy canvas, and the mattresses are thin plastic, like gym mats. There is enough room for both of our flames, and our bags in between us. Most mornings we have to get up between 430 and 6 for breakfast. Breakfast is usually eggs, bread, sometimes sausages, cereals.
Lunch is usually sandwiches, guacamole, tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas and pineapples.
Dinner varies, lots of beef, potatoes, rice, chicken, pasta etc.

Long days are spent on the truck ( rule number 1, it's a truck, not a bus). It's like a huge family road trip, people are stretched out wherever there is a comfy spot, singalongs burst out sometimes. Today we had a minor breakdown, while we waited, someone read our horoscopes from Cosmo.

Showers and toilets are pretty basic, but nothing too horrifying. Last night we had drop toilets, so most of us just used the bush instead. We were only there for one night, so it wasn't too bad.

It's going great. We've got a good group of travellers, just one bad egg. I will get a new tentmate in Nairobi, my roomie right now is great.

Thanks for all your notes, everyone in my group is horrified by the temperatures you are having right now.

Love you all so much, thanks for your support!

I survived the gorilla trek

Hey guys! We are back in Kampala now, on the way to jinja. I survived the gorilla trek. Barely. It was about 2.5 hours in, just over an hour with the gorillas and about 2.5 hours out. Our big group was divided up into groups of three, so we were trekking in groups of 8. My group was great, I like everyone, but I was the weakest hiker. I thought I was going to die, I'm sure it was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was more scrambling through the jungle than hiking. Mud and vines wrapping around your ankles and tripping you up. But I made it. And the family of gorillas were amazing. It was really sad to leave. We visited the Nshongi group. On the way out, we were almost done, but then at the last minute we had to dive off the trail, scamper down the hill, and back up again ( and by that point I had had enough), but then we got to sneak back and see a jungle elephant on our path, which was really cool.

The past couple of days have been relaxing, went to an orphanage and got a massage.

It's almost time to get back on the bus, but we are supposed to have Internet at our next campsite, so I will try to post more soon.

Love you all, thank you for your notes. 2 weeks until I'm home!

the sound of elephants

So much to tell and only a few minutes. Right now I am sitting in a small backroom in an internet cafe in the town of Kabale (probably the room where most internet scams originate, by the look of things) , and I think our group are the only white people in town. We are almost at our camp, which will be our base for the next four nights. Tomorrow we are doing the gorilla trek, we are divided into three groups, each group will trek and visit different gorilla families. Really looking forward to that adventure.

On Monday we left Kampala early (around 6am) and we had a ten hour drive to our camp at Queen Elizabeth National Park. We set up camp and had a relaxing evening. Yesterday we were up about 5:30 for breakfast at 6 and headed out on a full day game drive at 7. We saw a hippo waddling around the land, which is apparently quite rare. We saw a few warthogs. And we saw a lioness laying in the long grass.

We were on the highway heading to the second part of the park when we found our first elephants. They were absolutely amazing. We saw another lone elephant on the way to the next area of the park. Within the park, we soon found another family including a couple of youths and a baby. They were amazing. They all walked past us and into the bush, and when they were out of site you could hear a rustle and a trumpet. It was breathtaking.

We had our packed lunch, and in the afternoon we did a 2 hour boat cruise of the Kazinga Channel. We saw tons of elephants from the water, lots of hippos, monkeys, alligators and birds.

We headed out of the park, and on the way we saw a lion and lioness, and a few more elephants. We got back to the camp around 6:30, so it was a long day!
My tentmate had arrived during the day (her flight was delayed so she missed the first couple days), so I showed her the tent and we had dinner and a quick group meeting in the bar, and headed off to bed.

So far my sleeping bag is 2/2. It has been a lovely temperature in the evening, but I still have some colder gear I can layer on for in the Ngorongoro crater (when I believe it will be colder).

We have a group of 22, which means a full bus. Today we had a Queen-singalong in the bus. Some people are finishing when we go back through Nairobi, and we will pick up some more, so the group will change a bit then.

Its been a great adventure so far, and only just begun. We've seen so much, its hard to remember it all for a quick email.

We are headed off again soon, going to have a quick lunch stop before getting to our camp and setting up. We have a few days at Lake Bunyoni, so it will probably be the weekend before we have internet again.

Alright, hope everything is going well at home. Miss you all, love you very much! XOXOX

A canal cruise in Amsterdam, a beautiful African sunrise and some self doubt

Well I have FINALLY arrived in Kampala, Uganda. That was a long, tedious, lonely few days. 

The Amsterdam airport is a great spot for a long layover, with lots of little tours leaving right from the airport. Also a ton of shopping, a mini library, a mini museum and lots of comfy lounging spots. 

I did a canal cruise of Amsterdam, just a quick visit. But a very charming, artsy little old town. Enjoyed it. 

Then onto my next overnight flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi. I did manage to sleep most of the way, so that was good. There was a gorgeous african sunrise as we neared Nairobi. We arrived even earlier than scheduled though, so I had an even longer layover in Nairobi. Not such a glamorous airport. Thats when the self doubt bubbled up - what I am doing all by myself half way around the world? But eventually the hours dwindled down and it was time for the flight to Uganda. 

That is just a quick trip and a simple process to get my Ugandan visa, and then a bit of a long wait for my driver. About an hour into the hostel/campsite where the tour begins. 

I have a basic room here tonight and will officially join the tour tomorrow bright and early. I had a quick shower (shared bathroom facilities) and am feeling much more refreshed. 

There is supposed to me a tour group meeting later tonight, so I'm looking forward to that. 

Tomorrow we head out early for another long day of travel to Queen Elizabeth National park. But this time, at least I am not travelling alone. And there will be stuff to see along the way. 

Love and miss you all! 

43 Hours

Well its almost here. One more day of work. One more sleep.

 

Tomorrow morning I leave Whitehorse at 8am and 43 hours later I will arrive in Uganda. I have a few hours layover in Vancouver, and a long layover tomorrow in Amsterdam. I am doing a quick canal tour of Amsterdam during my time there, so I am looking forward to that.

 

Sunday afternoon I will arrive into Uganda, ready for the start of my tour early the next morning.

 

Here is my full itinerary:

 

EAST AFRICA OVERLAND
3 Overnight flights. 15 Nights Camping. 6 Nights Simple Hotels. 1 stay in a Yotel.

Jan 6 – Depart Whitehorse 8am
Overnight flight Vancouver – Amsterdam with KLM

Jan 7 – Arrive Amsterdam
Afternoon canal tour of Amsterdam
Overnight flight Amsterdam – Nairobi with Kenya Airways

Jan 8 – Kenya Airways Nairobi to Kampala, Uganda

Jan 9 – Depart at 6am and travel west to Queen Elizabeth National Park, with Uganda
largest wildlife populations.

Jan 10 – Morning and afternoon game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with
hopes of catching glimpses of buffalo, hippo, elephant, lion and the elusive leopard.

Jan 11,12,13,14 – Travel south to Lake Bunyonyi, our base for several days in the area.
Our time in this lush, magical, mountainous region of Uganda is spent between enjoying
the area and many activities that it has to offer, and an unforgettable guided trek deep into
the forest-sloped volcanoes for a wild encounter with a family of mountain Gorillas in
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Jan 15 – A scenic journey takes us to Lake Mburo National park to continue our nature
and wildlife encounters in one of Uganda's most precious locations.

Jan 16 – Head south to the shores of Lake Victoria, the source of the nile.

Jan 17 – A day in Jinja to spend a day rafting or kayaking down the Nike, volunteering
with a local project, or just enjoying the relaxed vibe of Jinja.

Jan 18,19 – Cross over into Kenya and continue through the Rift Valley and on towards
Nairobi

Jan 20 – Leave Nairobi early and travel south through the Masai lands into Tanzania, to
our camp outside of the town of Arusha. Spend some time exploring the town and its
bustling markets, before settling down at our campsite for the night.

Jan 21 – After breakfast, we begin our 2 nights/3 day excursion to the Serengeti National
Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, two of Africa's premier wildlife areas.

Jan 22 – Leave the Serengeti and journey to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, famous
for Africa's best game viewing. There is an ever present abundance of wildlife, due to the
permanent water supply on the crater floor.

Jan 23 – After breakfast we embark on a half day crater tour. Since most of the crater
floor is grassland, grazing animals predominate: zebra, gazelles, buffalo, eland, and
warthogs. The swamp and forest provide additional resources for hippos, some of
Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos, giant-tusked elephants, waterbucks, reedbucks
and bushbucks, baboons and vervet monkeys. All these animals in turn support large
predators such as lion and leopard, and scavengers such as hyena and jackals. After this
fabulous experience within the crater, we have to leave the wildlife behind us and start
heading back to Arusha, where we will set up camp for the night.

Jan 24 – Depart Arusha, passing the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain,
and head towards the capital, Dar Es Salaam.

Jan 25 – Ferry from Dar es Salaam to the island of Zanzibar. Spend the remainder of the
day exploring Stone Town, the heart of the island. It has an intriguing maze of
narrow, cobbled lanes hemmed in by Arabic buildings.

Jan 26 – We head north to Nungwi for two days at one of Zanzibar's major highlights.
Here you can relax on the idyllic white-sandy beaches, take an optional diving/snorkeling
excursion, or take a wander through the village of Nungwi.

Jan 27 – Relax in Nungwi

Jan 28 – We head back to Stone Town, for our final night on this enchanting island.

Jan 29 – Depart Zanzibar in the early evening, overnight flight to Amsterdam (via
Nairobi)

Jan 30 – Arrive Amsterdam 5:30am. Spend a few hours sleeping in a Yotel. Fly back to
Whitehorse via Vancouver.

 

When I look at the itinerary, I'm sure the trip will fly by because each day is something I am so excited for. Right now it sounds a bit overwhelming. I am trying to remember how nervous I was before I left for Egypt, and when I got there I was so glad that I had come.

 

My bags are mostly packed. My immunizations are done. My camera is charged. Here we go!