harvinafrica

Yay.
Not only am I am now an open water scuba diver, but i have just come back from a dive in Zanzibar waters. Absolutely incredible few days. I have been out for 4 dives, and each one was better than the next. The last one consisted of Dolphins, Turtles, stingray and plenty of different fish. We went down to 20 meters and each dive averaged at about 40 mins. I don't know how to begin to descibe how fantastic a feeling it is to be swimming in another world - free from all sorts on constraints on the body.
I am typing this in a cafe in Zanzibar at the moment, and this keyboard is REALLY stiff - so I may hold off on the typing for a bit. Photos are still being uploaded and I'm afraid it still is a very slow process even though this place is quite good for computers and speed of internet.
Will hopefully find a place soon where i can spend a bit of time doing a massive upload of stuff for your pleasure!
In the mean time, I am quite hungry and really want to chat about the day over a few beers with the others - so seeya all laters!
Two more things - I am back in the UK exactly a month from now, and Happy birthday to my Bro-in-law for tomorrow!

Just got up and got my camera this time to take some shots of where we are staying. I know that if you are reading this close to the time I wrote this, I doubt very much that I will have got round to uploading the photos for you to see it - but hopefully I will get them up soon.
Up earlyish so that I can get breakfast well in time for my diving that starts in 30 mins now.
Craig has just come in - we are starting early.
Type later.

I know I have said this before - but wow. After such a stressful day yesterday, I have been rewarded with a gem of a place to stay at for the next 3 nights. Here I will complete the last section of my scuba dive qualification and become a PADI open water scuba diver. I am so looking forward to that. The course should be completed tomorrow meaning that I will be taking a dive with 5 other truck mates round the coast of Zanzibar - something I think will truly be an experience I will remember for a lifetime.
The accommodation here is fantastic. Large rooms, en suite and huge beds. Yesterday evening we spent drinking in various bars and started at one called 'Mercury'. This was particularly memorable for me as we were right next to a large group of kids doing various acrobatics on the beach of a tire. Being an experienced martial artist and a keen practitioner of Capoeira, I8 had to join in. Thanks to Kristen - there are some great shots of me playing with the locals - something I have always wanted to do since starting Capoeira all those years ago. It was amazing to do that. This morning was also amazing - we were led round the Zanzibar markets as well as the site where the last of the slave trading took place - a very educational look in to how and why slaves were used over here in Zanzibar. This was followed by a tour of the Zanzibar Tanzanian government owned spice farm which was far better than what I could possibly have expected. It was fantastic the amount of different herbs, spices and fruits that were being grown all in one place. Just going around and tasting/smelling all of them one by one was a kaleidoscope for the senses. We finished the tour with a number of different fruits given to us that grew there locally - some of which were so succulent and juicy you could just tell that the fruit existed JUST to be eaten. I know that may seem like an odd thing to say since that IS the purpose of fruits, but imagine being reminded of this with every bite - they were that good.
We then stopped off at a local restaurant to eat a traditional Zanzibar meal in the traditional way on the floor before an hour and a half drive o the resort I am staying at now.
I'm afraid I haven’t been taking many pictures (and I am also aware that you will see this text WAY before seeing most of the pictures I have already taken - and this is due to a complete lack of decent internet round this part of Africa) - but I hope to start being a bit more liberal with my camera from now on.
Hope everyone who is reading this is well - (I am now fortunately - the bugs seem to have gone).
I will write again when I get back from my course tomorrow I'm sure.
In the mean time - I'm off for a meal out this evening.
Ciao.

On the ferry on the way to Zanzibar. I should be really excited - but it is unfortunate that the last hour and a half has been really stressful. The plan was to get to Dar Es salaam and withdraw cash for the time round Tanzania and Zanzibar, only to be met with the dreaded 'your issuer has declined your request' message on the atm. This really stressed me out. The last time I used the card was to try and pay for the scuba diving in Malawi on Kande beach, but paypal refused it. It stressed me out then too since I didn't have enough US dollars to pay for it. That's when Jo very kindly stepped in and paid for the diving for me with the understanding that I would pay her back. Therefore - you can understand my stress when the cash point wouldn't let me take the money I owed her out, let alone my own money. I needed to find out why this was happening, so I figured that the best way of doing this was to log in to my online banking and check that all was ok (after borrowing money from the tour leader Kristen), but this told me to ring a telephone number with a reference number. Ringing that number revealed that it was closed until 7am that morning (Tanzania is 3 hours ahead and it was 08:30). An hour and a half of feeling sick to the stomach with stress later, I called on my tour leader Kristen again for her mobile phone to make this call. It turned out that my attempt at making a payment using paypal in Malawi is what caused the bank to halt my account. All is apparently sorted now and I am on the ferry to Zanzibar as I type. This situation REALLY annoyed me though as I specifically told the bank that I would be traveling around Africa exactly at the same time I called them up back at home to tell them that I was taking out thousands in US dollars asking if that was a problem. Why is it banks never seem to get it right? They seem to let fraudulent activity slip by, but when you tell them in advance it is you taking your own money out, they get it wrong anyway.
Not only this, when I called up the number the first time, I was asked to confirm who I was by answering security questions. These were my date of birth, and my mother’s maiden name. For good reasons, I am obviously quite capable of giving this information clearly and accurately, so I divulged this to the person at the other end of the line. I was then told that this was not the answer he had on his screen and therefore could not help me. I asked him which one was wrong as I guaranteed that I knew perfectly well when I was born and who my mother is, but he told me that he couldn't ask me the question again. I remember explaining to him (with relative calmness I might add) that he would help me and let me know what I could do because I was who I said I was, I was broke and I could not take my own money out currently in a place renowned for it's inhospitable nature towards people who are not local. This didn't seem to bother him as he then hung up on me. There is a word in mind at the moment I will refrain from using to describe how I feel about my bank at the moment.

Rant over.

As long as all is well now, and I am able to take money out for the people I owe, take my own money out and pay for my last scuba diving course, I will be much happier.
Little things are getting to me at the moment too. I am still not fully recovered from being unwell, and toilet trips are frequent so that is making me a little edgy anyway. It is just as well there are some really lovely people that have been such good friends on this trip. They are always making me feel better when I need to.

We now have another 2 passengers that have joined the tour. Karen from Australia and Anna from New Zealand.
There is a lot to look forward to for Zanzibar, so I am gonna kick back on the ferry now and chill for the remainder of this 2 hour trip, and hopefully next time I make an entry, I will have money, I will be feeling better, and I will have exciting and good news instead of bad.

Just left Chitimba from a camp that although was quite a good one and there will be some good memories I will take with me, my time there was personally not very enjoyable. Not because of the camp, but because of a lot of unrelated events happening making enjoying myself quite difficult.
I am still a little ill with a fair bit of gut problems (along with the same other people too though), and after us thinking about it and tracing it back - it was only us three that drank from the water above the falls in Livingstone (where we traced back to this starting) This has completely lost my faith in my water filter now as both Jo and I drank from the 'filtered' water whereas Alicia swallowed some water by accident when swimming. This means I have to stop using it and buy water - something I have managed to avoid doing so far. The dehydration that follows the gut problems is not pleasant as well is making me feel quite dopey. Unfortunately, my dopiness lead me to become quite clumsy (as for those that know me well - this is really unusual as I have very good special awareness). This meant that I was forever walking in to things on camp and banging my head - quite funny for an observer at the time and I had no problem joining in on the jokes, but it has left me with a number of different cuts, bruises, scrapes and bumps on my head which even now are still quite painful.
There was also the realisation that I haven't properly budgeted parts of this trip making some parts of it difficult to pay for. It's this that has made me quite low again as I hate dealing with money at the best of times - let alone dealing with it when I don't have it. I don't wish to use this journal as a method of venting all these things out, but it certainly helps putting pieces together of what made the last few days.
Anyway - on the road again, onwards and upwards both psychologically and geographically and I am gonna grit my teeth through the pain I have in my head and look forward to the rest of the trip in front of me. There is still so much more to see and do, and I'm sure that things will turn out for the best, as they generally always do.
The good memories of the last few days are some to cherish though. The locals in Malawi are truly good people. There seems to be less focus on exploitation by pushing the boundaries of doing business and more on just making a buck to eat, drink, have clothes on your back and doing enough to provide for yourself and your family. Life seems to be simpler here, and people are much happier for it. I decided to leave the camp yesterday for a short walk to the local village and was met by a group of a dozen or so kids that greeted me with the usual 'Mazungu' name for me. This is in fact a derogatory term used specifically for white people in these parts of Africa and I guess could be viewed as 'racist', but unlike some other derogatory terms used to describe an ethnic group, this is used more tongue in cheek, and without the intent of being a 'be-all-end-all' insult. They started off by laughing and teasing (as a 6 year old might) and it was only after I laughed and started teasing them back that they all ran up to me and started asking me questions like my name and why I was there. We ended up all playing for about 30 odd minutes - learning each others language by pointing at things and naming them (I also learnt how to say 'Hello, how are you' in their local language which I used later much to the pleasure and bemusement of other locals). I really felt good about myself when I was with them, I think it's the whole 'stranger danger' thing again - of lack thereof. When I had a group of kids that age who are so happy to be completely open with you and open with each other - it forced me to do the same. It brought about laughs and smiles from all of us - I shall remember that fondly.
We have 2 more passengers joining in 2 more days, an excursion to Zanzibar and the completion of my scuba diving course to look forward to now. We will also be crossing the border in to Tanzania in a matter of an hour or so, so more passport control and visa money to be exchanged.
Talking of which, I had a massive panic attack moments ago when I thought I had lost my passport, but it turned out I just hadn't put it back in the place where I usually put it - another thing to add to my sudden onset of clumsiness! A full blown panic attack of hyper-ventilating and profusely sweating is never good!
May write later today, but if not - next time I write I shall be in country number 6.

At another camp site in Chitimba now and feeling absolutely drained. The truck seems to be getting some kind of stomach bug again and I am no exception. We all went for a village walk today and it's unfortunate that I had to grit my teeth through the sickness whilst being walked around the local village here. Despite feeling rough, it was a good time and I enjoyed it a lot. We were taken to a school first and we were greeted by a lot of kids who just didn't stop asking questions - it was really fun. The most common questions asked are always, 'What is your name' and 'Where are you from' followed by asking for their picture to be taken. I really enjoyed myself and a lot of the time didn't really want to leave. We had to eventually though and were taken to see the headmaster and the deputy headmaster of the school. They told us that there were 1200 pupils in the school, of which 150 were orphans. The parents of each of the kids didn't pay for the kid’s tuition in primary school, but had to pay thereafter until school ends at 18 years old. Any money that we donated would therefore pay for the orphaned children’s tuition through the school. As I said, the children were really lovely and I enjoyed being there, but I couldn't help shake the feeling that this wasn't so much a school, but more of a camp with the occasional lesson when the teacher could do it. There were only 15 teachers - and with so many pupils, teaching is difficult. With the 'white people' being led through the school every day, I really get the impression that learning is secondary to talking to the people being led through. There were several points were I suggested to a number of the kids that they take my camera and start taking pictures with it them - and that was really fun (and also the reason why you may see a number of photos that are either really close or at a jaunty angle). What was a little disturbing though was that at one point where we were being led off to meet the witch doctor and the kids were following us, a much older guy with a stick started to chase after them as if to hit them. He obviously does hit them with this stick though because the kids fled from all around me so quickly as if they knew what was about to happen. This started happening just as I took a photo. Have a look at one of the last photos taken of the kids - I caught the moment where this was happening - and I didn't realise how much of this I captured until I looked at it afterwards. The kids in the background were already running away, the kids in the foreground had just spotted the guy and have a look of 'oh no - not again, we'd better get outta here'. One of the kids you see was urgent to give me my glasses back so that he too could scarper. Makes me wonder what kind of school this is when you have to threaten kids of this age with violence.
The witch doctor was fun, albeit a bit fake! I'd like to type more about this, but it is my turn to make diner this evening, and I need to go in 5 mins.
Gonna end this now, but will type more tomorrow.

Wow, just wow. This trip is turning out to be jammed packed full of fantastic and amazing surprises and experiences. I never thought too much about scuba diving before joining this continent. Both my sister and my brother in law are competent scuba divers and have been scuba 'buddies' at various places in the world and when they told me about their stories, it all sounded very exciting, but the thrill of doing it never grabbed me at the time since wanting to (and being able to) scuba dive when you are living in London is quite difficult. So to have the opportunity to scuba dive here and end up being qualified to be an open water scuba diver with PADI was too good to pass up. Holly and Craig had this as a plan before they even came to this continent, so they were doing this course anyway, so I ended up going on the 'open water scuba diver' qualification course with them. We are leaving Kande beach now where all 3 of us have been spending the last 2 days studying hard and completing varying degrees of difficulty of 'skills' required of you to become proficient enough in water to both use the equipment and also to overcome any dangerous situations arising from running out of air when submerged. I am happy to say we have all passed the modules we have done the last 2 days. This means we are now qualified Scuba divers. This entitles us to be able to hire scuba gear and go scuba diving as long as there is a 'Dive master', instructor or assistant instructor present for the entirety of the dive. That is not the end though - all 3 of us will complete this course by doing the 'open water scuba diver' qualification over 2 days when we get to Zanzibar. There, we will be entitled to scuba dive without an instructor or dive master as long as we have another person with the same 'open water scuba diver' qualification as the diving buddy. I am really excited to get this. That would make 6 of us on this truck with at least this qualification -myself, Jo, Holly, Craig, Alicia and Nick (Nick has the Advanced open water scuba diver qualification which allows him to do certain other things like go to deeper depths and explore wrecks).
My time at Kande Beach really just flew by - I'm so sure I would have been really bored had I not gone for this course since although there was a few things to do there like a pool table, plenty of beach area and a good bar - all would have become very boring very quick.
The night previous to last - our driver Josh organised a pig roast. He bought a pig and killed it so that we could roast it over an open fire for the evening meal. It tasted sooo good. The punch that was organised to go with it helped too I think. It consisted of 5 bottles of Malawi sugar cane spirit, a few bottles of alcho-pops and not much juice along with plenty of chopped up fruit. With only 12 of us on the entire truck, a few of us not drinking at all and a few others not drinking much - it was pretty much 2 bottles of 40% spirit between 3 persons. Needless to say there were a few casualties in the morning - me being one of them. I am surprised that I made it through to be honest. I had to dive yesterday with a hang-over and despite what those around me told me the previous night - diving is NOT a good hang-over cure! Poor Craig had to surface half-way through in order to throw up - he was not well.
OK. So on our way to Chitimba now. This place has a lot or nothing to offer - depending on which it is you listen to. I have heard that this place is good for doing village walks and also I have read that abseiling is an option which I could be interested in as long as (and this is important to me) we could make our own way up the rock-face before doing it. I am a VERY keen rock-climber (always have been), so it would be nice for that sense of achievement of doing that before jumping down. Abseiling down something that one hasn't just scaled is boring.
The other people you could listen to say that there is absolutely nothing to do here and that we will be spending the next 2 days being bored. If that is the case then I need to do the really exciting thing of attacking my dirty washing with some soap suds.
Zanzibar in 5 days. Open water diver qualification in a week! :o)
Also, happy birthday to Carla. Sorry that I can't wish it to you on the day - not near an internet cafe!

Yay.
On my way to getting my scuba license.
Also a bit hung over - and the internet is slow and expensive - not gonna type anymore.
Hope everyone reading is well! :)

We are now right next to Malawi lake - this expanse of water comprises of one third the countrys area.
It is beautiful here.
I hope to take my scuba dive lessons here to get my licence if i can afford it! :)

Just this second crossed the border from Zambia to Malawi. Africa is really starting to take shape as to what the 'real' Africa is traditionally known for. Locals are far less westernised, there seems to be less order and more chaos to everything in general and the truck gets far more stares from people who are genuinely bemused by the big, yellow vehicle with lots of people waving from the inside.
Kristen was being really hassled at the border by at least 6 guys all wanting her to change her money with the local currency they had. She explained to them that she would change her money with each one at a time (and they understood what she meant), but still didn't stop them all clambering all over each other in order to beat the other to the 'front' of the queue. After a number of ultimatums Kristen eventually gave up and didn't deal with any of them which meant tensions ran high. Things are different here now - everything and everyone is a law unto themselves and it does make for a person used to law and order feel a bit uneasy. Having said this - this way of living does seem to make sense to me. In such harsh, baron environments with scarce resources - one has to be assertive (even to the point of aggressive) in order to make sure you can survive here.
I am looking forward to this next leg of the trip. 4 weeks gone now, and I do get the feeling we are getting deeper in to what I came here for. I am still not over the wildlife too. Our driver, Josh is understandably so bored with the African wildlife - seeing a lion is like me seeing a tabby cat, seeing an elephant is like me seeing a dog - he has become so accustomed to the African wildlife that it doesn't mean anything to him anymore. I'm sure that any specific time spent in this continent will do that to any person - but I still get so overwhelmed when I see any of the big cats.
We saw the Leopard last night. That makes 'the big 5' for the original 6 of us. It was truly an amazing experience too. We got so close to it (and because it came close to us too rather than the other way round), that although it was at night and the light was almost non-existent - I managed to use a few tricks I had learnt with my camera to get some really good shots. Seriously - I am the envy of a few people on this truck that haven’t gone with getting an SLR camera, and instead have gone with the more portable, thin cameras. Unfortunately with those, taking the kind of shots I took is not possible - so last night alone was reason enough for justifying my purchase of my camera. (Thanks to Michael C and Stevey B for helping me make my mind up on that one) - Those pictures of the Leopard last night are dedicated to you guys! :o)
We also got very close and very personal with a few hippos too. They really are magnificent creatures. I will never prefer them over elephants though. Hippos are not placid creatures and do not like any human interaction at all - so much so that in case I have not mentioned this already, Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. They are not friendly! Still magnificent to watch though.
Still, Malawi now and on our way to Lilongwe. This place is a go-between between activities, so chance for more relaxing. I am told there is internet here, so I may be able to upload everything I have taken and written over the last week or so since Livingstone - but I’ve also been told that it is REALLY slow, so I don't know how many pictures you will see though. I know that I still need to upload the pictures of me doing my 111 meter Bungee jump - and that was a country ago.
I still think of home sometimes. I do miss the security and the peace of my flat. I do miss the people I worked with; the people I drank with and the people that mean the most to me, but this 'time out' was exactly what I needed in my life at the moment. It has given me time to reflect on what is important in life - and I think this may become more apparent as this trip goes on. Don't get me wrong - a 10 week trip in another continent is rarely enough to really change a person, so I doubt very much I will be different when I get back - but I may look at things a little differently (even if I don't act upon looking at them differently). For example, Nick (a passenger like me on this truck) has been traveling for the last 2 1/2 years and this is his final stretch before going back to America. I asked him if the last 2 1/2 years had changed him at all, and I don't think he really knew how to answer that question as he wasn't sure himself. After chatting with him briefly about it, I think it became clear to me that change is only apparent to the people who are around you - as my guess is one would never really notice change about ones-self unless another pointed it out.
I am very much friends with everyone on this truck (some more than others), and I don't think it’s a coincidence that everyone gets along. We have all entered in to the spirit of traveling with the same ideas and goals in mind and I think it is that that brings us all together. Having said that though, tensions do run high occasionally on this truck. Although personally I have yet to fall out or argue with anyone on this truck, it is unfortunate that 'spats' occasionally ensue. It would be highly inappropriate to name-drop in this journal as it is public (even to those that I am traveling with), so I shant say between who, but even so - this sort of thing is understandable at this stage. We have all been in each others pockets for 4 weeks now so emotions tend to run amok sometimes. I myself was feeling very low again before the game drive yesterday, so I kept very quiet and kept to myself again for a few hours (which was duly noted by a few people as I was asked if I was ok) - so I do understand why and how people deal with lows their own way. Thing is though, the people on this truck are all grown-ups. Emotions run high, but there IS that understanding between us where I think we all know that underneath we are all friends and in this together. It's nice.
It feels good to start typing like this again. The last few entries I have been making have been really boring and consisted mainly of just listing what I have done or what I’m going to do and just lacking inspiration in general. Hopefully I can continue this current trend of more interesting 'thoughts' writing through Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

6 weeks to go.

Awesome one too. Within the first 30 minutes, we were treated to almost every different type of animal once again. But also (once again) we STILL have not been treated to the leopard. The guide (Billy) said we had a 50/50 chance - looks like it went the wrong way. Very close to the lion this time. Even closer than before in Etosha national park - there we saw lions from the top of the truck - and we got some great photos there - but here I could have sworn we were going to drive over the lions paw just to see it. The photos should convey this too. I realised too whilst i was out there that I haven't been taking shots with the foreground in at all. I did that today to try and give people an idea as to how close these animals really are to us - truly awesome day. It's not over yet either - we have another game drive this afternoon. This one is still in the same park, but this time we will be driving under very low light conditions in order to catch the more nocturnal creatures (Leopard being one of them). I am still not bored of game drives. I can't seem to get enough of them.

As the name suggests, this is another camp-site situated what seems to be in the middle of nowhere with baboons, elephants, hyenas and hippo walking free anywhere and everywhere. For example, we have been told not to move outside of the camp due to 40 elephants crossing the river we are next to last night.
Reading back over the above I can see what I have written is less than exciting. It is 14:00 at the moment, and is way too hot to think straight. Must be close to 45 degrees.
We have this afternoon free and a game drive tomorrow. We are here for 2 nights and incidentally - we are the guinea pigs for tucan travel. This is the first time tucan has tried this campsite and they want to have our opinion on the site when we go.

Not feeling great. Have some kind of bug which is making me visit the toilet frequently. I am lying in my tent now and have been ok for the last 30 minutes or so and am waiting for diner. I am on truck cleaning duty but myself and Alicia have been relieved of our truck duties today (we are both ill with the same symptoms). Jo and Holly were ill with the same thing yesterday too. The truck has been disinfected, I have had a shower and we are all having curry tonight. Hopefully it will stop with just us 4.

Here we go, a 10 hour drive to Lusaka - the capital of Zambia. Unlike Swakopmund, I don't think we spent too long in Livingstone. I did something every day, and although I spent a lot of money - it was worth it and I'm glad I did.
The truck also now has 10 passengers rather than the 6 we have had for the last 3 weeks. They are, Stephanie (Germany), Alicia (Australia) and Nadia and Jessica (Switzerland). As expected, they all joined feeling a little intimidated (especially by how close all 6 of us have become with each other), but I can tell from their characters that they will all fit in well one way or another.
Right. The bungi on Sunday. What an experience.
There might be people out there reading this that have done a bungi jump before and can relate to the experience. There might be people out there who have jumped more than 111 meters themselves and will tell me to try one in New Zealand or Cape town (Cape town has one over 200 meters), but the point is - it doesn't matter where the jump is or how big the drop is; there is nothing quite like the feeling of standing over a drop that could kill you, and then convincing yourself to throw yourself off that and putting your life directly in the hands of the few people around you. I was actually not that nervous for the first jump I did (the bungi) - even when I had my toes over the edge looking down 111 meters at the Zambezi river beneath, I had a sense of 'nothing will stop me doing this' attitude about what I was about to do. Actually jumping off the platform was also not too much of a problem - I have jumped off a bridge before to do a bridge swing, so the feeling of jumping was familiar. The feeling of free-falling for so long was however, not familiar. Fortunately, (due to remembering my physics lessons way back in school), I used the formula S=UT+1/2ATsquared to work out how long we would free fall for from that height the day previously. Sad maybe you may say to work that out - but how much more comfortable would you be knowing that you would be falling for a full 4 seconds before you could feel the tug at your feet? That knowledge really helped me during the fall, as I knew that it would be AGES before I would feel that pull - comforting to know when you see the water beneath you getting closer and closer. I didn't scream or make any kind of sound when I dove off, but I do wish I had some kind of chest-camera to catch my expression towards the end of the fall though. I remember feeling quite panicked just before the end, and that was just before I had all the blood in my body suddenly rush to my head as the bungi cord became tort. I went up and down a good dozen times or so before I was helped back up by a guy 'collecting' me half-way. By this stage, my heart was still pumping and was still releasing vast amounts of adrenaline in to my blood stream making me VERY awake, shaking a little and feeling a little nauseous. Once back to a platform underneath where I jumped off, I had enough time to see Vrushali jump off straight after me. It was a long walk back to the platform as you pretty much have to walk half the length of the bridge one way, climb up, then walk back along the same length at the top but back the other way.
Once back, I again had the chance to see Jo jump off this time. Shortly after this, I had to do the bridge swing - something I didn't realise how unprepared I was for. I was still reeling from the bungi jump and still had a lot of adrenaline left in my stomach whilst they were putting on the harness for my next jump. I remember feeling very confused and in a daze whilst the guy was explaining how to jump off the platform. I was still in shock, so I had to get the guy to repeat some very simple instructions because they didn't go in the first time. Straight after that I had the video camera thrown in to my face again (I had to watch the video later because I genuinely couldn't remember what I had said). Straight after that again, I was shown the edge of the platform again. Now at this point I was REALLY not ready for this jump. I didn't have enough time to mentally prepare for this, and what I DO remember was involuntarily and uncontrollably letting out a shout of pure fear and terror on the way down. Given that I had paid less attention this time as to what was going on around me, and I also really didn't know what was going on anyway - I remember thinking on my way down - was I tied to anything? If I was, did they tie it properly? Just as I was thinking these things and let out the yelp, the rope became tort and started pulling me away from the bridge I just came from. This was a massive wrench to the senses, but was also a relief given that it answered my earlier questions.
This time, I was completely over-whelmed with relief by the end, and was feeling really quite ill. I now had 2 lots of adrenaline in my belly eating away at its lining, and this was taking its toll. By the time I came back up I really did feel like I was ill, but managed to keep it down.
I'm so glad I did this, and didn't regret it for a second, even when reaching speeds of fall that would most certainly kill me. One most definitely feels alive when falling, and the feeling of the rope afterwards definitely makes you feel thankful for what you've got.
I'd recommend it to anyone.

Tick.

Monday was a day of Scenic routes and alcohol. The morning consisted of walking along the Zambian side of the top of Victoria Falls. To be honest, I really wasn't expecting that much (neither was anyone else as it happens), but what we were given was truly quite breath-taking. Now, this is coming from someone who has seen the truly amazing Iguazu falls and I am sorry to say that this is in no way a match for the truly mighty force of the water that goes over those falls, but the Victoria Falls has its own charm and beauty. Look at the photos if you don't believe me. The morning was topped off with a dive and a swim in what is called 'the devils pool'. This is a rock formation or 'dip' I guess that is immediately before the huge drop of the Victoria Falls. At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, there was a group of about 20 people, and like the bungi - I was the one with the balls (or the madness) to go first! :-p. It once again was an exhilarating experience that perhaps didn't induce as much adrenaline as the bungi - but was very exciting nonetheless. Reminded me of a small waterfall at a place called 'paraty' in Brazil, but that is another story and another continent.
The evening consisted of booze. Lots of booze. And then more booze. Then double booze followed by triple booze. All very easy when you have a free bar on a boat surrounded by friends. I really don't remember much of that night - but I do remember playing 'I never' with various people. It seems I always drink more than everyone else in that game. I don't know if that is a bad thing or not.

Tuesday - and this was very much a wildlife day. Brief encapsulation: Lions in the morning and Elephants in the afternoon. Up close and very personal with both species. Closer with the elephants - including petting a 1 month old calf that was as cute as and the size of a medium sized dog.
Once again, I'd love to type more, but I am now being anti-social at the camp site.
Please look at the photos!

Sorry for the lack of entries - as it was in the past, whilst i spend large amounts of time in any one place, there is very little in the way of free time since the truck is not on its way somewhere, and it's never good to just sit around and do nothing.
This does mean though that i have a LOT of stuff to tell you about and for you to catch up on.
I am in the bar at the moment on the last night of being at Livingstone - and I have spent a LOT of my money here. This place is a haven for all sorts of activities - both wildlife and adrenaline, and i have been doing both.
I feel a little guilty at myself for not keeping up the entries, but as i say, i have been extremely busy (and very tired when i havn't been). The sun is getting stronger and stronger - and any time between 10:30 and 14:30 HAS to be spent out of the sun and in the shade since it is WAY too strong to be out and about doing stuff.
OK - back to what i have done though. I think the best thing for me to do is to briefly outline the events that have happened, and then go in to them in detail tomorrow. I am very hot and sweaty at the moment, and would appreciate a shower before going to bed and besides - we have a 10 hour drive tomorrow - so going in to detail and describing feelings and opinions of what i have done will be much easier with no distractions around me.
We have been at a campsite called 'Waterfront' for 4 nights now and I have had 3 days worth of activities here.
We arrived Saturday and did nothing but set up tents, view the options on what we could do, as well as meet the new people that are on the truck with us - some for longer than others. Sunday started off as a lazy start - just spending time relaxing and chatting with old and new passengers, as well as spending a lot of time uploading all my latest pictures and blog entries to my web-site. Sunday afternoon was adrenalin day. I paid to do a triple-jump feat off the victoria bridge seperating Zimbabwe and Zambia. This is 111 meters and consists of 4 seconds of free-falling before being hurled up again. First of the three was a bungi jump, second was a bridge swing (the same thing but swinging away from the bridge this time) and the third was a zip line crossing the Zambizi river. This is something I have always been meaning to do, and so was another tick in my list of checkboxes in my life at the moment and was therefore a very big day for me. Needless to say I was VERY scared (even let out a little involuntary shout of fear for the second jump) - so i will go in to detail exactly what happened and how i felt tomorrow on the truck since I could write for hours about that day - I felt alive (albeit a little nauisious!).
Monday was scenic drinking day. The morning was spent going for a walk along the Victoria falls before diving in to what is called 'The devils pool' right before the edge of the falls. Another amazing time that truley exceeded my expectations. Monday evening was called the 'Diner cruise', but was actually unofficially called the 'Booze cruise' on account of the fact that this boat cruises for 2 hours and on which contains a free bar. Needless to say a few double gin and tonics were polished off during that time - a few triples too, again more detail tomorrow.
Hungover, Today was spent as a wildlife day, having spent the morning petting lions and the afternoon, riding, petting and feeding Elephants.
I am getting bitten a lot sitting here at the moment, and i am uncomfortably hot as well as once again feeling the Larium - so gonna close this one, but another long entry coming soon!

Typing this once again from the internet cafe, as i have lots of photos to upload, a bit of time on my hands - and 4 days to be in Livingston with a number of activities i have just paid to do.
Today I am bungey jumping over Vic falls - over 100 meters down.
Tomorrow I am going for a walk to see the falls up close and following the trail where Dr Livingston went.  In the afternoon/evening, I am going on a 'Booze cruise' to drink as much as i can in 2 hours (messy methinks).
Tuesday, I am going on an Elephant-back safari before then feeding them follwed by doing some Lion-petting in the afternoon.  I can take my camera for all of them - so expect some photos.

The night before last was a particularly messy one.  Given it was our last night as the 'original crew' - we all had just a few drinks and was very merry until the early hours of the morning.  Both myself and Josh (our Kenyan driver) polished off a litre bottle of vodka between us after having a fair few beers.  That man can drink.  That man can really drink!  He is very funny too - he has had all of us in stitches with some of the stories he has to tell.  After driving for various companies round Africa for 9 years as well as being born and brought up in Nairobi - he has pretty much seen it all.  I am really looking forward to spending more time with Josh this trip.  He and I have bought another bottle of Vodka and we are currently soaking 10 chilli peppers in it for the next few days to see if we can give the next bottle a bit of a kick.

We have now had 4 more people join our truck.  2 girls from Switzerland - Nadia and Jessica, a girl from Australia (Alisha) and another lady from Germany called Stephanie.  These aren't the last people to join either.  As we make our way further up to the East of Africa, more people will join the truck.

They all seem like good people, and we are all getting along just fine at the moment.  Stephanie, Nadia and Jessica do not have English as their 1st language unlike the rest of us, so conversations tend to be broken somewhat sometimes - but they are fun nonetheless.  Alisha has done almost exactly the same thing as me in that she spent 4 months in South America a year or so ago - only her trip included Chile.  This time in africa, she is spending 6 weeks here rather than the 10 i am spending here.  It's funny though that both she and I are both very familiar with the 'Tucan operation' for exactly the same reasons.

Anyways, I'm sure i'll be back soon to let you know how my Bungee jump went!  I'll admit I am just a little nervous about this - but it is something I have to do!

Sitting down now waiting for food. I am not in the cook group for this evening, so I don't need to do anything but wait to be fed. I often offer to help if i am not doing anything, and this time is no different - but they seem to have it under control.

It's another 'Larium symptom' day at the moment. It isn't as bad as it has been in the past, but i still feel really on edge at the moment. It really has been a tough few days, both mentally and physically. We are back at camp and things are pretty much back as they were, but i can't shake the feeling that i didn't really see the real Botswana. It's a shame really. We leave this country in 2 days, and my defining memories are of smiley happy kids that wave all the time to complete strangers, and a vast watery waste-land that contained an abundance of wildlife (of which we didn't see). Therefore, in years to come I am sure I will be thinking that I would have prefered to spend more time with the Botswana people than spend time with the lack of animals.

We have a long drive tomorrow, and i will want to type more then, and perhaps give some more insight in to the inner workings of the truck group system. Right now though, there are a few people that I do want to socialise with (even through the 'Larium effect') so until tomorrow...