From England to Ecuador and beyond

From England to Ecuador and beyond

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Merry Xmas from Down Under!

Christmas looks a bit different on this side of the world...

Christmas...a perfect time to sunbake


Carols in 27 degrees Celsius under palm trees and blue skies


When the weather outside is delightful...and the prospect of a fire is frightful...

Santa Claus is...hitting the beach, by the looks of things. The entire Lego model required 2,500 hours of manpower 

Upmarket decorations in a swanky shopping arcade

Tree spanning three levels decked in 144,000 Swarovski crystal ornaments and 60,000 lights

Three floors later...


Typical 'Chrissy' decorations (photo by Becca Hall)




Merry Xmas from Melbourne :)

Monday 22 December 2014

Angry response to the most short-sighted article of 2014: Has travel become another exercise in narcissism?


Okay Wismayer, first things first - let's talk about that title. The fact is, travel is and always has been narcissistic: it's about YOU escaping the daily grind and the monotony of life back home so that YOU can experience new ways of life, new cultures and new people, with a view to broadening YOUR mind and doing things YOU might never have had the opportunity to try in your own country. 

Friday 19 December 2014

Bed humping, chunder bags and wizard cloaks: is this the world's worst roommate?

"Bet you never thought you'd be rooming with a drunk, did you Gary?"

At this point, I am hiding on my bed behind a makeshift curtain hurriedly put together using two towels, unashamedly leaving poor Gary from Essex to deal with our shitfaced American roommate on his own. 

No, I never thought I'd be rooming with a drunk. And unfortunately I am fully aware that I'm rooming with a drunk. How? Because two nights earlier, he bragged about polishing off a bottle of tequila before passing out, proceeded to vomit into a plastic bag in his bed - I feel it is now necessary to point out that his bed was directly above mine - and then lay down to go back to sleep. Take the chunder bag outside, maybe? No? Oh Jeebus. I spent the remainder of the night unable to sleep lest the bag of vomit got knocked by a drunken flailing arm in the night and landed on my face/bed/bag. 

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Sun, sea and sieges...one hell of a week in Sydney

When I arrived in Sydney, the torrential rain across my first two days really put me off. On my last day, the Lindt cafe siege held the city in a grip of fear for a gut-wrenching 16 hours. Bomb scares, the fact that I had been in Martin Place the evening before watching Christmas carols and relentless rain - honestly, I was desperate to flee back to the relative safety of Melbourne.

Sunday 7 December 2014

In retrospect: 5 ways I'd travel differently

This is very much a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin post. You live, you learn: here are five things I would have done differently re: my travels if I could wind the clock back to April. 

Saturday 6 December 2014

25 things to do before turning 25

turn 25 in March. Twenty-five. Holy shit, that sounds old. Given that 17 was always the age that sounded the 'coolest' to me when I was younger and that I felt over-the-hill when my 22nd birthday swung around, I dread to think where this leaves me now. If I followed in my mum's footsteps, I'd be getting married in two years and hoofing out baby number one shortly afterwards. Slightly terrifying prospect, this growing up business.

Marriage aside, and babies VERY firmly aside, here are 25 things to do before reaching the quarter of a century milestone. This list is a combination of personal experiences, achievements and aspirations - I definitely haven't ticked off everything! Have you?

Wednesday 3 December 2014

A Pom Down Under: First stop, Melbourne

I know, I know... I've been on the other side of the world for three whole weeks now and still no blog. What the heck has she been doing with herself, you may ask? The answers lie within...

Tuesday 2 December 2014

17 places STILL on my travel wish list - are they on yours too?

It was a proud moment when I suddenly realised last week that I've been to six continents in the past eight months. Six! South America, tick. North America, check. Europe, yup. Africa, Asia and Australasia, boom. For an express tour around the world I've done pretty well, and I've racked up heaps of experiences and happy memories along the way that, rather than satisfying and placating the wanderlust I've been nurturing since April, have only served to intensify my desire to see more of the world.

Friday 21 November 2014

10 reasons your iPhone makes the best RTW travel buddy

Back in March, I was plied with advice about what to pack and what to leave at home when I left for my round-the-world trip. DO pack a money belt. DON'T take wads of notes with you. DO NOT take your iPhone. All words of well-meaning advice - and all entirely ignored. 

Let me explain: I've never found money belts useful or necessary and I'd rather have ready cash to minimise withdrawals from dodgy ATMs (depending on where you are in the world, your card may not even fit in the slot). But what I really want to talk about is how ruddy useful my iPhone has proved on my travels - and why I'm glad I rejected all pleas to take my crappy old Nokia. 

Monday 10 November 2014

Angkor what?

I'm going to say it. I will be judged, but I'm going to say it.

I didn't like Angkor Wat.

It's pretty, and an impressive architectural achievement when you consider how old it is (the temples were built between 802 and 1220 AD), but I wasn't blown away by it, rendered speechless, whatever.

Monday 3 November 2014

10 reasons I fell in love with Chiang Mai

Thailand's northern 'culture capital' is a firm favourite among travellers and holiday-makers alike. Desperate to discover why, I went on an exploring mission in the 33 degree heat within half an hour of arriving at my guest house and wasn't walking for long until I, too, fell hook, line and sinker.

Wednesday 29 October 2014

7 things actually worth doing in Hong Kong

I'm not one of those people who'll rave to the masses about everywhere they've been: while I strive to get the most out of each new place I visit, I'm always honest about it. If I love it, great; if I don't like it, it's not the end of the world - there are generally a few pleasures to be squeezed out of even the most dire destinations and if not, well, odds are I'll be moving on in the next few days anyway.

Having been to my fair shares of cities this year, I can safely say that Hong Kong is not among my favourites. There are several reasons for this: it's absolutely manic, packed with (frustratingly slow moving) people, incredibly short on space, very claustrophobic and not particularly easy on the eye - thank the vast quantities of building sites for that. It probably doesn't help that I was ill and didn't get a lot of sleep in the first few days, either. 

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Chasing Chinese white dolphins in Lantau Island

As many of you will know by now I'm sure, a trip à la Jen is not complete without a wildlife excursion of some kind, be that whale watching in Santa Barbara, going on a full-blown safari in east Africa or - something I can check off my list as of today - spotting endangered pink dolphins in Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong - a visitor's perspective

End of day 3. Reckon this gives me the authority to dive into a brief low-down of Hong Kong: my first stop on a 3 month trip around Asia. 

The people

Maybe it's because the last place I was in people on the street weren't so nice (see my crime dodging in Cape Town post), but Hong Kongers are super friendly: strangers say hello and goodbye to you in the lift, people will punch in the code to a door if they see you hovering & they are more than happy to give you directions - look lost enough on Hong Kong Island and a European expat will come to your aid unasked in mere seconds. 

Monday 20 October 2014

23 signs you were born to travel

Here's one I made earlier...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennymaclean/23-signs-you-were-born-to-travel-1260g

Image credit: http://permanentplastichelmet.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/lg-promo-art-attack-1.jpeg

Monday 13 October 2014

5 reasons to consider packing a travel buddy

Rare. adj, exceptional, infrequent. 

Few and far between, scarce...however you want to phrase it, the fact stands that good travel buddies are not that easy to find. 

How likely is it that someone in your close circle of friends wants to travel at the same time you do? To all the same places? With the same budget, spending habits and interests? And even if they tick all these boxes, could you stand them - or could they stand you - for 24/7 for months on end?

With ample criteria to fill, qualifying as a travel companion is no mean feat, which is why so many people end up doing a RTW trip on their own. There are advantages to both: while I'm 100% behind solo travel (see my previous post to find out why), here are 5 reasons to consider taking a pal or partner with you on your adventures - even if it means making a few compromises along the way.

Sunday 12 October 2014

5 reasons you should travel alone at least once

When I went into Nationwide to upgrade my savings account last week, I (inevitably) ended up talking about my travels with the lady who helped me out. Once I'd outlined my plans for the next 18 months, she asked who I was going with, to which I answered: "myself". To which she responded: "Oh, bless you!"

Eh? Hang on a tick - why the sympathy? Travelling solo is one of the best decisions I've made! Maybe it's because I'm small and look about 5 years below my real age; maybe she thought I had no friends; or perhaps she was vocalising worry for my welfare overseas. I appreciate the concern but it's quite unnecessary: once you get used to requesting a table for 1 in the evenings, going it alone is not only a breeze but also heaps of fun and often ten times easier than gallivanting around the globe with someone else in tow.

Friday 3 October 2014

In pics: What I miss on the road

Or, more correctly, what I realise I missed when I get home after a few months away. I don't have a particularly strong yearning for any sort of home comfort when I'm travelling (except for tea, obviously) - you learn to make do with what you have and what's at your disposal in a new city or country, and generally it's enough to see you comfortably through your visit.

However, there are always a few items that get reluctantly left behind or are simply impossible to take with you on your travels. Here are some of the things I make a beeline for when I touch down on home soil:

Tuesday 30 September 2014

Crime dodging in Cape Town: is it safe to travel?

"See my friend over there?"

We don't look. This is a well-known pick-pocketing technique; instead we fix our gaze in the direction we're walking. Just another guy pestering tourists for money.

"Don't run or he'll shoot."

Or not. I freeze and look at Matt, unsure whether we should give the guy everything we've got, ignore him or make a run for it.

"Give me your phones and money."

Shit. I have my iPhone and several hundred rand.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Hermanus hideout: 3 day sea life retreat

Hermanus might not have a lot going for it above ground, but what it lacks on dry land it certainly makes up for in marine life. Here's how I spent my time there:

Onshore whale watching

With lookout points, carefully positioned benches and even its own whale crier, the cliff path along the Hermanus coastline is designed for watching the Southern Right whales which frequent the area between June and November each year. We were initially a bit worried we wouldn't see much as someone working behind reception said they'd seen just one whale all morning, but we went out armed with binoculars and cameras anyway, and oh...my gosh. 

Friday 5 September 2014

Keeping busy in Cape Town: things to do

It's safe to say that Cape Town is one of my favourite places so far, up there with New York and Rio de Janeiro. CT is such a beautiful city: lush green landscapes, dazzling whitewashed houses, bright white sand, shimmering blue seas and iconic mountains - what else do you need? It's going to be a struggle boarding my plane home...  

The plan was to recuperate after nine day's worth of camping, squat toilets and bumpy bus rides, so I've spent two full days on the gorgeous beaches down the West coast. On the days I've managed to tear myself away from the sand, here's what I've been up to:

Sunday 31 August 2014

Game on (part III): Ngorongoro Crater

The night before

This crater had better be worth the hassle getting here, and the crappy campsite! The road from the Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater is outrageously bumpy - 'bumpy' being an understatement. We're talking the kind that has your brain rattling around in your skull, your arms glued to your chest to restrain any runaway boobs and your funny bone screaming out in pain as you whack it against the window for the umpteenth time. You can't read, you certainly can't sleep; even drinking a sip of water is out of the question because you will inevitably end up taking an early shower. 

This went on for hours until 'luckily' the truck got a flat tyre so we could chill on the side of the road while it was being fixed (being watched and approached by curious Masai tribespeople, one of the creepy variety who started reading my book over my shoulder - pet hate - touching my shoulder, and asking for my name, home town etc). Got to the campsite late, rushed to pitch the tents before the light completely faded, tromped over to the shower block trying to avoid big lumps of elephant shit (there are animals roaming around freely here too - there were zebra walking to and fro just a few metres away while we were having dinner!) to be greeted by cubicles with no lights (seriously, why?!) and squatty potties. B-e-a-utiful. 

Game on (part II): The Serengeti

I've finally arrived in Africa. Parched, dusty plains dotted with iconic acacia trees; wildlife galore; and to top it all off, a beautiful African sunset transforming the clear skies into a fusion of rusty oranges, deep reds and soft pinks. We are well and truly in Lion King territory - we even saw 'Zazu birds' (hornbills) - and I am in my element.*




It is a world away from the lush green Masai Mara in terms of landscape. In terms of the wildlife we've had fewer sightings and close-ups, probably owing to the fact that the Serengeti is a hell of a lot bigger than its Kenyan counterpart (8 times bigger, to be precise, at 14,700 km squared - the name actually means 'endless plains'), plus it's currently drier so game is migrating across to the Masai Mara to find water. Having said that, the Serengeti is rich with wildlife; the stomping ground of ostrich, baboons, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, Pumbas, topi, gazelle, zebras, jackals, hippo (we saw tracks, a big group of them half immersed in the water & a loner chowing down on some grass), elephants (saw a family spraying themselves with mud right by the track and had a HUGE one cross the path right in-between several safari trucks including ours), lions (2 lionesses and 7 cubs between them) and plenty more we haven't seen I'm sure**. 





And here's the best bit: we saw a LEOPARD (!!) which ticks off the last of the Big Five. We've been so incredibly lucky with wildlife - someone pointed out that we hadn't seen a hyena yet and honestly, less than 60 seconds later we spotted one sprawled in a lazy heap across an earthy mound. The leopard was the best sighting, of course: at first it lay concealed by the tall, straw-like grass but a few minutes later it sprang up without warning, ran behind the truck and up a nearby tree with a very dead and very raggedy looking gazelle/impala hanging from its mouth. Since we were facing almost right into the sun it was tough to get good photos but I've thrown one of the okay-ish ones in below - will play around with it at home (mid-September) to make it sharper.





The lovely thing is, almost all of our Big Five sightings have been special beyond the fact they're part of this prized group of game: the black rhino charged right at us, the lioness had 4 gorgeous cubs and (call us perverts but...) the pair of lions or 'honeymooners' were having a romp, the leopard ran up a tree with a kill in its mouth and we've had elephants lumber right past the truck as if we weren't there. The only thing we haven't seen is a kill: we've seen the before (the cheetah's failed attempt in the Masai Mara) and the after (the leopard with its kill). We have 2 game drives left so there's still time!

Great day, although the same can't be said of the campsite unfortunately - firstly it's slap bang in the middle of the Serengeti and not fenced off, which is quite cool as I can hear elephants trumpeting as I write, but also kind of nerve-racking (apparently hyenas and all sorts roam around freely at night)! Also the showers are SHITE - I expect cold water, that's fine, but there aren't even lights in the dirty cubicles which isn't terribly helpful when you arrive after sunset! And there's only one toilet and it's a smelly 'squatty potty'. Sigh. The campsite yesterday made up for it though: we stayed right on Victoria Lake - the largest lake in Africa - and it was beautiful. An abundance of wildlife (birds and lizards mainly), little beaches dotted around the site and swings looking out onto the lake - so tranquil and so perfect, and it didn't rain (we camped in insane thunderstorms for 2 nights on the trot a couple of days ago). Early morning game drive here tomorrow then heading to Ngorongoro Crater territory! 

P.S. The morning after the night before: just got on the bus to leave the campsite and we've already seen a pride of lions running around in the distance and an epic sunrise. Other people saw a herd of elephants earlier & a group on the other side apparently had a giraffe in their spot during the night - and a lion with its eye on the giraffe! 

*Speaking of The Lion King, 'Simba' is Swahili for lion! Never knew...

**Worth mentioning perhaps that we were multitasking by this point, simultaneously watching for game and thwacking any suspicious looking flies that buzzed into the truck with flip flops & anything else that looked like it might make a good squishing device. The northern part of the Serengeti is home to tsetse flies, which swarmed around the truck when it was rumbling along slowly or had come to a complete halt. Their bite causes a nasty sleeping sickness and they can also lay eggs under your skin - totally rank.

Jambo! Welcome to Africa

Since this trip is mainly focused on the rich abundance of wildlife East Africa has to offer, I haven't got much of an idea re: the culture and way of living, but bus appreciation days (i.e. 10 hours driving, yawn) and a seat by the window every other day have given me a bit of an insight. 


The people 



The rugged landscape is speckled with goats, cows and donkeys & there are kids as young as five taking charge of huge herds and working in the fields (and tea plantations in Kisii, perfectly balancing big baskets of leaves on their heads). The kids are great for the most part - they wave and smile as our truck passes the little villages (one decided that pulling his pants down and using something other than his hand to wave was a more suitable approach...what a LAD). 




They take a lot of interest in foreigners: we stopped at a grassy patch for lunch as we drove to our campsite in Kisii, and within about 2 minutes of parking the vehicle a small crowd had gathered - mostly children standing and staring as we ate lunch and a couple of adults supervising...it was as if they'd never seen a white person before...maybe they hadn't? A couple of the guys starting handing out sweets and pencils & it was absolute CHAOS - massive scramble for treats from the 'rich white people' (some of the kids we pass on the bus yell "Give us sweets!" so they must be aware of some sort of cultural difference). 




We also stopped off at a soapstone 'factory' the following day and part of the tour was outside close to the street, where a few people gathered not too far off to have a good look at us. But weird, not going to lie, and is taking some getting used to...all very interesting though! 



The living conditions 



The living conditions are, quite frankly, appalling: houses that are little more than tiny shacks made out of whatever people can find; dusty earthen paths carpeted in litter and huge piles of rubble; rubbish burning in the streets; medical centres advertised with dirty, handwritten signs; tiny colourful shops, hardware stores and pharmacies protected from the elements sheets of corrugated metal; gaping holes in the pavements...the list goes on. Towns and villages look more like building sites - you really feel those miles between the squalor here and civilisation at home. 






When the bus goes through these villages, some people smile and wave, some look angry and others look bewildered. It's such an eye opener just driving through these places - I knew conditions were bad but it's still shocking to see it in person; we have it pretty good back home. 



We made a half hour stop in a Masai Town before going on the game drive through the Masai Mara and that was honestly quite enough. I said in a previous post that there are some places you choose to travel to where you just want to scarper in the other direction - and fast. This is definitely one of them. It's scary: there are armed guards outside the banks, guards outside the supermarket who scan your backpack and the roads are absolute chaos - you just have to go and hope they slow down! Throw in squat toilets, persistent flies and equally persistent street vendors and you have a fairly rounded idea of my worst nightmare - eeek. Quite glad we're keeping mainly to the wilderness and the wildlife!

A Brit abroad: 100 travelling experiences you will (probably) have

In celebration of my 100th blog post! Thank you to everyone who follows my blog, whether you've swung by on the odd occasion or you've ploughed through all 100 posts. Big love from Cape Town xx
  1. You will underestimate the sun's strength (who can blame you!) and end up with sunstroke/sunburn. Who knew there really is such a thing as 'too much sun'?
  2. You will miss the rain. And the cold. (Honestly.) There's no place like home...
  3. No matter where you are in the world, you will make a beeline for McDonald's after a long flight/stressful day 
  4. And get yourself a cuppa, pronto - or the closest possible alternative 
    Source: http://www.pinterest.com/teafolium/tea-memes-funny-tea-funny/
  5. You will be forced to have coffee or - god forbid - FLAVOURED herbal teas with breakfast. What is this brave new world?
  6. You will experience severe 'normal tea' withdrawal symptoms
  7. But fear not, as you will develop the impressive ability to hunt down English Breakfast Tea in the most unlikely places
  8. And if things get really desperate, you can always raid that emergency stash of PG Tips #firstthingyoupacked
  9. Source: http://www.kimballstock.com/results.asp?image=CAT%2008%20KH0011%2001
  10. You will open your mind to interests you'd never considered before, and become a meditating, bird-watching, mountain climbing incarnation of your former self - look out world!
  11. You will make 15 new Facebook friends in one day 
  12. And they'll be from all four corners of the world. Free accommodation, you say?
  13. You will ask a lot of strangers a lot of questions
  14. You will be amazed at the lengths people go to help you when you're lost/confused/need a computer to update your blog
  15. A British accent will get you far, especially in New York
    Source: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7t0jwxRES1rpheixo1_500.jpg
  16. Although you should make the effort to learn snippets of the local language/dialect
  17. You will get hopelessly lost in a city you don't know
  18. Embrace it; getting off the beaten track is what it's all about
  19. You will indulge in the petty theft of shampoos and soaps from various hostels and hotels
  20. You will accumulate more shampoo and soap than you could ever hope to use
  21. You will get wildly excited at the prospect of free hostel towels
    Source: http://cl.jroo.me/z3/b/J/_/d/a.baa-Excited-seal.jpg
  22. You will worry about how excited you get at the prospect of free hostel towels #aminormal
  23. Peeing in a bush/at the side of the road/in a pitch black room with a hole in the floor becomes second nature. Needs must
  24. You will be forced to replace flip flops on a regular basis. Best not get too attached
  25. Same goes for sunglasses
  26. You will become an expert wi-fi hot spot detector
  27. You may have to go without wi-fi for a few days on the trot - but you'll probably enjoy the freedom
  28. You will become a bag packing, clothes rolling extraordinaire
  29. You'll develop a love/hate relationship with living out of a backpack
  30. You will kick yourself for not bringing a bottle opener/underwater camera/emergency teabag stash
  31. You know roughly how much your pack weighs just by lifting it
  32. But you still worry all the way to the airport how it will fare on the scales of doom. You live in fear of the 20kg limit
  33. You will get sick. Inevitably just before a 14 hour overnight bus
  34. You will feel sad, lonely or homesick at some point during your travels
  35. But you'll lift yourself out of it as quickly as it set in - and home's just a FaceTime call away
  36. A bit of distance makes you realise just how shite the Daily Mail is, especially when you log on to catch up with the news. The ACTUAL news, not 'headlines' about Kim Kardashian's daughter liking to comb her own hair. #WTFDM
  37. You will be swept up in the traveller wristband craze - you can barely see skin on one arm for the amount of bands you've amassed
    Source: http://www.familyaffairsandothermatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/bracelets.jpg
  38. You will get a travel-inspired tattoo
  39. You will become one of those annoying people who always manages to bring the conversation back to their travels: 'I had a similar experience in Bolivia' / 'That reminds me of this one time in Tanzania...'
  40. You will catch the travel bug. Don't fight it
  41. It's infectious. You will inspire others to see the world 
  42. You'll soon realise there's no cure. The prospect of going back to a dreary 9-5 existence in drizzly England is seriously unappealing
  43. Working abroad/finding a job that pays you to travel has crossed your mind more than once
  44. You will eat weird food. Llama and mash, anyone? Tarantula leg?
  45. You will read a LOT. Now's the time to get started on War and Peace
    Source: http://www.jenniferniven.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/7530886844_c7cee93cee-300x199.jpg
  46. You will depend on your iPod to drown out snoring roommates/avoid conversation with weirdos
  47. You will perfect the art of ignoring pushy street vendors (Ooo, could I just have a look at that wristband actually?)
  48. You don't even consider staying at a hostel if it hasn't got a common room, wi-fi, secure lockers and 24/7 reception
  49. You will conduct the smell test on clothes to check whether you can eke out one more day's use
  50. You will drink a lot. Go with it.
  51. You will quickly learn to factor hangover days into your travel itinerary
  52. You will probably gain a few pounds. Bring on the loose, floaty traveller trousers!
  53. No matter what lengths you go to, you will always stand out as a tourist
  54. You will irritate friends and family with insane status updates/epic photos/awesome stories
  55. You will worry less. Most things that go wrong can be fixed. 
  56. You will appreciate how good you have it back home
  57. You will do things you never thought you could. You will push yourself out of your comfort zone, experience new things and constantly surprise yourself.
    Source: http://www.memecreator.org/static/images/memes/370421.jpg
  58. Your world geography will improve apace. (Oh, the capital of Rwanda? Erm...) Okay, so the GENERAL whereabouts of places in GENERAL.
  59. You'll promise yourself that you will return to the places you love the most. You don't know when, but you'll make sure it happens
  60. Things that seemed bizarre at first will soon be considered normal. Zebras grazing by the road? Yeah, and what?
  61. But there are so many places to visit and so many things to see that the novelty of travelling never wears off
  62. You will fret over whether you should be back at home finding a job and settling down rather than gallivanting round the globe with no return flight
  63. But you'll shake it off sharpish - life is for living, and the road is life
  64. Likewise, you'll be glad you didn't let your dreams remain dreams #noregrets
  65. You will get so hot that you'd gratefully accept 50 ice bucket challenge nominations
  66. You'll get so cold that wearing the entire contents of your backpack just isn't enough
  67. You'll find out who your real friends are by who keeps in touch, and whose absence you feel most acutely
  68. Tinder is global. Just sayin'.
  69. You will have lots of time to think and figure things out
  70. You'll learn to love plane food
    Source: http://www.exclusivelondon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/d9b5db75718c572f6d37bd7deff9b14e.jpg
  71. You will become the master of unearthing free activities - anything that keeps you travelling for longer
  72. You'll struggle to keep your eyes open some days. The explorer by day/party animal by night character is a dude but darn hard to keep up with sometimes
  73. You will take so many photos that your SD card will be fit to burst. Oh hey Dropbox, nice to meet you
  74. You'll struggle to decide which is your most valuable possession, your passport or your camera
  75. It will dawn on you just how big the world is; that it's impossible to go everywhere
  76. If you weren't already, you'll turn into a yes (wo)man - you never know where an opportunity might lead
  77. You'll see some truly special places that only a handful of people will see in their lifetime
  78. You'll find yourself doing things you thought you hated (such as camping) because it's the cheapest/best way to see somewhere - and whaddaya know, turns out it's not SO bad after all
  79. Your aim will improve dramatically thanks to swarms of biting and stinging foreign insects. Those mozzies don't stand a chance
    Source: https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6431274496/hB76D00D2/
  80. Squat toilets also play a part in this. If at first you don't succeed...
  81. You will scorn your former fear of the harmless money spider after coming face to face with lions, great whites and giant flying bugs
  82. You will find a squashed, forgotten food item at the bottom of your bag when you decide it's time for a re-pack
  83. It will probably be mouldy. And damp. And have leaked onto your clean clothes.
  84. You will strive to put off washing day for as long as humanly possible
  85. But you'll never appreciate clean clothes more than when you're travelling
  86. You will meet a lot of Canadians, Australians, Danes, Germans and fellow Brits
  87. There will ALWAYS be at least one crying/irritating/boisterous kid on your plane/bus/train. It doesn't get any more tolerable over time.
  88. You will be humbled by the power of nature as you feast your eyes and ears on the sights & sounds of incredible landscapes and exotic wildlife
    Source: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/373/cache/lake-oberssee-shack-germany_37307_600x450.jpg
  89. You'll pick up new words and phrases from people you meet that rapidly establish themselves as part of your everyday vocab (That's totally rad, hot dayuum, saúde-SaOOji)
  90. You will watch countless sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, iconic landmarks and natural wonders of the world
  91. You will share many of your experiences with other people
  92. But you'll also get the chance to spend lots of quality time with YOU
  93. You'll be super glad you didn't listen to the people who tried to dissuade you from packing jeans (take them: they are universal, versatile and go with everything)
  94. You might find yourself getting strangely attached to geeky items, such as your head torch. But seriously, what would you do without it?
  95. You will accumulate small but meaningful treasures to remember your journey by: a Bolivian bag here, an African necklace there - not to mention postcards and ticket stubs
  96. Plus heaps of fabulous memories to draw on at your leisure
  97. You may find you don't like some places as much as you'd hoped
  98. And you might fall in love with a city you didn't expect to
  99. Swings and roundabouts eh; it's all an experience. All you really need to know is...
  100. You'll have an AMAZING time!
If you have any more to add, the comments box is ready and raring!

Game on: The Masai Mara

The VERY bumpy terrain we had to cross to get here (or as our guide says, too much African disco) was well worth it - although next time I will be packing a sports bra, just sayin'. Over the course of two days here we have seen TONNES. Jackals & vultures hungrily tearing the meat off an unidentifiable dead animal, along with abundant buffalo, zebras and giraffes. The lush green land is also populated with elan (the largest type of antelope) and wildebeest, who like to stick with zebras as they can sense danger. We were so excited to see elephants, another one of the Big Five! With a one month baby in tow, they lumbered right past the truck which was SO cool. Also had the good luck to see a lioness and her four cubs, who put on quite a show - and then a young male and female pair (honeymooners) who we saw in the act of mating! Delightful. Apparently they're at it every 15 minutes for a two week period just to make sure they conceive! No wonder the male was yawning every few minutes - or that the female looked disinterested and slightly put out! Got so close, it was fantastic, very happy with the photos! 







We haven't spotted a leopard yet but saw cheetahs on three occasions during our second game drive. The third came very close to the truck and we realised it had its eye on an impala a little way off in the distance so stuck around for a while. So glad we did - it was a long old waiting game but once the impala had its back turned the cheetah started creeping forwards step by step and when it was about 30 metres away went in for the kill...only to be outsmarted by the impala. Epic seeing the chase though, high speed action and lots of dust kicked up - no photo unfortunately as it all happened in the blink of an eye. 



We may also see hyena later...in our campsite! Dear GOD. Our guide warned us not to leave anything outside our tent in case the hyenas steal our stuff (apparently they have a particular penchant for shoes). And not to go to the bathroom on our own in case we get attacked! Cripes. On that note, the toilet facilities are a lot better than I expected, except for the inevitable bugs flying towards the light: a ginormous moth sent me packing out of one cubicle with my trousers round my ankles (luckily I was alone!) and diving into the next for safety. Showers...not so great. And now it's raining like crazy, which just makes everything ten times more difficult when you're in a tent. WHAT have I signed up for. Think this will be my last camping excursion for a while!

Naivasha and Nakuru Lake

Naivasha Lake

My first ever game 'drive' was actually a boat ride on Lake Naivasha - and oh WOW what a great start to the trip! With leafless trees half sunken in a vast expanse of shimmering water positively teeming with life, it was impossibly beautiful on arrival. 


We saw tonnes - buffalo, topi, zebra (the stripes are unique to each individual, believe it or not), hippos and giraffe. We got so close to the hippos (possibly a bit too close for comfort, they're known for being very aggressive, but great views!). 


We saw giraffes from a distance and I kept my eyes on these at first, until someone tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out one almost right in front of us neatly camouflaged in the bushes. If that wasn't enough, another one stepped out and waded through the shallows to shore just in front of our boat. So close. So awesome. Couldn't stop staring! 



It was a lovely boat ride - lots of game, lots of close ups and nice & relaxing - plus we were split among three boats so had some more space and better viewing. Most of our game drives will be in the big overland truck (boo) apart from the Ngorongoro Crater where we split into separate 4x4s. 

Nakuru Lake 

Nakuru 'Lake' is actually more of a park than a lake and is also jam-packed with amazing wildlife. Saw jackals, warthogs (Pumba!), zebra, giraffe, impala, topi, baboons and flamingoes. And...2 species of one of the Big Five - black and white rhinos! We saw the black rhino within 5 minutes of entering the park, which was lucky in itself, plus our guide kept saying how rare it is to see them anyway, especially so close up! It was a very pregnant female so she was incredibly protective and territorial, particularly when faced with our 10 tonne monster truck and 21 pairs of eyes - so much so that she charged right at us, only coming to a screeching halt when she was just metres away from the bus. It. Was. Awesome! 


We also saw some white rhinos, which were eagerly followed by waddling geese-like birds who gobble up the grasshoppers dislodged from the ground as the rhinos make their way across the plain. Speaking of which, the plains could have been a canvas - the pied landscape was dotted with so many different species it was hard to know where to point the camera. So, two of the Big Five (buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion and leopard) in one day - not bad going! Has been a long day though, am absolutely knackered - it's 9pm and we're bedding down already (haven't quite managed to shake off 60 year old syndrome post bird-watching) although we do have very early starts and long drives during the day so playing grandma is quite necessary!



Thursday 21 August 2014

Isn't it amazing how the smallest decision...

...can end up drastically changing the course of your day, trip or even life? When I went down to dinner alone yesterday, I never dreamed that this everyday affair would lead to meeting a world renowned zoologist and receiving a free pair of nearly new binoculars. 

In last night's blog post, I mentioned that a nice Canadian couple (Lu and Jaynne) who invited me to sit with them at dinner kindly offered to drop me off at the National Museum in the morning, as I'd been too nervous to leave the hotel that entire day. As it transpired, they'd planned to spend a few hours there themselves and let me tag along as their private guide showed them the museum's collection of stuffed bird skins (it was more interesting than it sounds! There was one tiny bird the size of a moth's body - so excluding wings - and some beautiful, brightly coloured specimens too). After being introduced to everyone in the department, we went for a stroll around the museum grounds looking and listening for birds with Lu's binoculars looped around my neck (bird watching is their thing, and it was a privilege to see how passionate they are about it - stopping mid-sentence to identify a bird that had hopped into their line of vision & letting their soups go cold to hurry me down the path and make sure I got a good view of an African Paradise Flycatcher). 

When we sat down for a Kenyan shandy/ginger beer concoction (verdict: delish), Lu said he and Jaynne had been talking and that they wanted to give me the binoculars! Like, proper binoculars which were bought new at the beginning of his trip. Speechless is not the word; I think I managed to stammer a thank you but I was entirely lost for words at such a generous gesture - especially since they'd known me for little under 8 hours. And then they were shocked I paid for the tea! It was the very least I could do - did I also mention that they gave their guide their 50x zoom camera as a parting gift?! Canadians are officially my favourite people.

The binoculars are not only a symbol of generosity but will also dramatically enhance my safari experience. I'd gone upstairs a bit miffed at myself after dinner yesterday for not having packed a pair (honestly, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind until Lu showed genuine concern for how much I might miss. Found myself Googling gaff like 'Do I reeeally need binoculars for a safari' and the resounding answer was a big fat YES. Balls).

I am SO chuffed with my gift, which will do the obvious and enhance my viewing of animals we can't get up close to, and allow me to see wildlife we do get up close to in greater detail. Plus, they'll come in super handy for whale watching in Hermanus, so I can take my favourite pastime to the next level! Yay!!!

If this wasn't enough, it turns out Lu - who introduced himself as a retired zoologist and biologist - is actually an internationally renowned expert in his field, has published several books and...wait for it...has worked with David Attenborough (my idol)!! And to think I almost cancelled because I was tired... (There was a wedding taking place nearby last night that went noisily on until the early hours.) Life eh? Sometimes it really comes through for you!

P.S. Got a bit of a shock on the walk back from the museum. A man collapsed behind us and appeared to be having a seizure. It was so scary, he was foaming at the mouth and I really thought he was going to die. Luckily Lu & Jaynne's guide was with us and rushed to put him in the recovery position while Lu ran off to get help (while I just stood there frozen to the spot, useless). By the time help had arrived he was sitting up and seemed to be okay, but the whole episode was slightly terrifying.

P.P.S. Met my group just now...there are 21 of us and of the 16 people there (including myself) 14 are couples!! Sigh. There's one girl from Surrey who's on her own and seems cool & if there are 5 more left to arrive that means at least one more person is travelling solo - hooray! Although the couples do seem really nice (one from Ireland). Tomorrow should be good, we're doing a boat safari on Lake Naivasha & a game drive round Lake Nakuru. Excellent!