Birthday and other wishes

So here I am on my 41st birthday wishing not for presents and cake but for it to be the 5th January so that our new adventure can begin. The snow and rain outside only emphasise the difference in climate between where we are now and where we are headed and how much we want to be there!

Its odd that the time between finishing work at the end of August and Carl finishing at the end of November seemed to go so fast but December has lasted forever. That said the trip seems more surreal than ever and its only when I look at my christmas presents, rain poncho, thermal vest, water bottle etc that it reminds me that this is real and I am one very lucky girl to have this opportunity.

So with the final few preparations now made all that remains is to enjoy the last few days with family and friends and , as it's my birthday, a few glasses of wine as well.

For once I am really excited about what the new year will bring. One thing I do know for sure is that my wish has come true as I will be spending the next year Africa.

Final preps

It's almost Christmas, which means it's almost THE time! Somehow though it doesn't feel right; we have loads of the white cold stuff here in the midlands yet we are soon due to move to Africa where the temperatures are a tad higher.  The cold snap is really lingering and causing laods of travel problems - Heathrow, where we are flying from, has struggled over the past week but seems to be getting back to normal.  We are hoping that the weather is better come early January.  Imagine all these preps and then we get stalled at the first hurdle!

Flights are fully confirmed now.  We fly on the 5th rather than the 4th as originally planned.  We are not needed at Entabeni until the 6th so rather than stay with the original flight and spend a night at Jo'burg airport we are flying in and transfering to the school on the required day.  This has cost us a bit more money, changing the dates, so in hindsight it would have been nice to have known the date to get to the school before we booked the flight.....but we are where we are now.

Our transfer to the school is also booked, and we have at least 2 other students joining us on the journey.  This will save a few quid as we can share the cost :)  Just hope our plane lands to schedule - we are flying into Nairobi and then from there to Jo'burg so our London to Nairobi flight better be on time to catch the transfer!!!

We've also finished the final preps for Xmas.  Turkey procured, spuds waiting to be peeled and home made stollen cakes have been 'home made' by my good wife.  They smell rather scrummy nad I may have to steal one in a bit (then we'll have a stolen stollen :) ) - been waiting to use that joke all day....LOL

It's been a strange build up to Xmas though - very little bought this year as cash is more short than normal.  Plus we have asked for very little as if it doesn't fit in the ruck-sack, or we can't eat it, it will be pretty much no good for us this year.  Oh well, we'll just have to console ourselves with the fact we're going to Africa for a year.

Birds

Of the feathered kind, of course.

Today we popped over to Sandwell Valley Nature Reserve (just outside West Bromwich).  It was a cold but pleasant day and as we'd only planned to go to the farm for an hour we only took our P&S cameras...what a mistake.

After the farm we had a little walk into the woods and in a little opening there was an amzing number of birds.  Unfortunately our cameras were not quick enough to focus on them and catch good shots - we'll definately be trying to head back over there before we leave for Africa which my big camera to try and get a few good images.

Anyway, the birds we saw were....

Coal Tit
Marsh Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Nuthatch
Chaffinch
Robin
Dunnock
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Moorhen
Magpie
Woodpigeon

Of these I'd never seen a Marsh Tit before so I was well pleased with that spot.  I will be back!

Test packing

We decided this weekend to do a test pack of our rucksacks.  The longest we've travelled for before is 3 weeks, so to be away from home for 12 months is a little hard to get used to.  Does this mean we need 15 times the clothes that we normally take with us!?!

We've been on quite a few travel sites that have advice etc on what to take on a gap year so we have chopped down our luggage quite a bit, but even so the first attempt did have the rucksacks creaking at the edges.  We then had a further cut on the luggage and this is now looking a bit better.

Of course the issue we have is that we are not travelling during the year, but doing a course which requires certain items to be taken; we need sleeping bag, water bottles, binoculars, cameras (don't ask!), walking boots, walking socks and trousers, general safari gear, first aid kit, towel....then we have notebooks, diaries, bird book, amimal tracking books etc. This doesn't leave much space for general clothes - how do i convince Rachel that I really only have space for 2 pairs of pants, and that really is enough?


I think we are sorted now...until the next time we come to pack for real :)

Homeless!

Ok, not quite homeless, but we are no longer living in our London flat.  We moved out on the 27th Nov so for over a week now our tenant has been enjoying our lovely home.  Fortunately we are not out on the street as my Mom is kind enough to let us stay with her.  This also means we are re-united with our cat who was, to say the least, very pleased to see us.

Leaving the flat was very emotional - not tears (!), just a very strange feeling.  We've moved around a lot over the years but we've normally moved out of a property never to go back again as we've sold it.  This time we moved out leaving furniture there for our tenant to use, knowing that some day in the future we would be moving back there. 

During the past week or so we have done quite a bit, some for the trip, most for Christmas.  Not working sure does help with Christmas shopping time :)  We've pretty much finished our shopping now - does that make me less of a man, having finished my shopping before Xmas eve?!?  Surely real men leave the shopping to the last minute.

We also found a great army surplus store in Harborne (Birmingham) which had the final bits and pieces we needed for our trip (poncho, water bottle, shorts that fit given how much weight I've lost).  Amazing what kind of 'kit' you can buy in these places - anyone need a flak vest?

On Sunday we headed into Brum for a visit to the traditional German Market - very nice but bloomin' cold.  The snow has mostly gone now but the ice and frost, and very cold wind is still here.  Wrapping up warm, and a pork bap with stuffing, was the name of the game.

Luckily we've managed to join the local gym in Tipton; home of Tipton Harriers, Tipton Town FC and where the best footballer the world has ever known (Steve Bull) started his career.  They had a special deal on, 15 quid for 15 days gym use, and as I use the gym every day this is superb value for many.  Rachel also joined so we can both keep our fitness levels up. Mostly just treadmill work and hill work - well, we are going to the Waterberg mountains in South Africa!

Our next big thing is a week in Cornwall, staying with our friends Joe and Laura.  This will be next week's pleasure so def' something to look forward to.  Hope they have the log fire burning and cosy :)

Oh yeah, and thanks to all those who came to our leaving party at the Lamb Tavern in London on 25th November.  A great night was had by all (well, we enjoyed ourselves anyway!).  Plenty karaoke singing, lots of beer, and lots of friends to see us off.  Andy and Liz (Fever Karaoke) run a brilliant night and we look forward to more in years to come. A special mention to Dave H and Colin too for taking some photos on the night and posting to Facebook.  We are going to miss you guys next year - keep singing, and don't forget us!

One step closer

Last week we took our beloved cat (Vic) to my Mom who will be looking after her whilst we are away.  This was very sad for us; we love our cat dearly but this trip is something we have to do.  Thankfully Mom and cat get on very well (we normally plonk Vic at Mom’s when we go on holiday’s).  It is just hard for us as we can’t explain to the cat, like we can to humans, that we are going away but will come back for her.  We just hope she will still remember when we do come back.

Our London flat is also let out; we move out at the end of November and our tenant moves in.  All very fast and efficient.  This bit of income will certainly be of use next year whilst we are away and not working.

Once we do move out of the flat we will be staying at my Mom’s during December, with a short trip planned to see our very good friends Joe and Laura in Cornwall.  This should keep us busy and keep us from getting over excited.  It’s like when we were kids, waiting for Santa to come on Christmas Eve – but for us we’re waiting for 4^th January when we fly out.

Not many steps now to go.  Pretty much everything is sorted.  We have a few more bits and bobs to buy (water bottles, strap for binos, new clothes for me as nothing fits anymore LOL) but all the bigs jobs are now sorted.  We're now in the quiet before the storm.

This is our lovely cat Vic, whom we'll miss alot!!

Support from Safaritalk

A little plug here for a website / forum that I joined about a year ago called Safaritalk ( www.safaritalk.net ).  The people on here are so knowledgeable about all things ‘safari’ and have helped us along the way with various questions etc.  If there is anything you need to know about Africa, African holidays, conservation etc etc, make this your first stop; unbiased views, up to date news, and they will point you to the best places to go in Africa for your holiday of a lifetime.

Ok, plug over :)

Meeting Peter Allison

In mid November we had the pleasure of meeting the author Peter Allison.  He was at a small book reading in Notting Hill (actually held in the book shop made famous by the Hugh Grant film of the same name).  Peter’s books were a bit inspiration to us to do this year in Africa and train to be safari guides, so it was great to meet him and hear some of his stories first hand.  The night really made what we are about to embark on seem so much more real (it still seems a bit surreal at times still).

End of work, start of something new

Rachel finished her work at the end of August, and I’m due to finish mine at the end of November.  As an IT contractor I had an obligation to a long standing client to work on a project that went through to that date, which I was happy to complete.  I will miss the people I have been working with over the years but something new and exciting calls.

Both Rachel and I are city slickers; you could say we’ve never done an honest day’s work in our life!  Apart from a stint on a building site for me when I was a student, and Rachel doing Christmas cover at M&S, we’ve always worked in offices.  This year in the bush will for us be so far away from our norm than we could ever hope to go.  Scary? Yes.  Excited? Hell yes.

Help from South Africa

In our research on Entabeni we joined their Facebook group and on there they had a number of people who would happily be a reference for the course. One such person, Janice, has proved to be more than help regarding the course but has also given us loads of hints and tips generally about South Africa.  She did the course a few years ago; she is a Brit but found love in Africa and having married a local, I guess is there to stay for good.

Talking to Janice has been such a help.  She has also been an inspiration that a city Brit can go there and not be too shocked by the cultural change from city to bush!  Clearly we will have a massive shock (I mean, where will I get my double, chocka, blocka Mocha latte from?!?) but we are confident we can survive the bush.  Hopefully these are not famous last words J

Getting Fit

We (well me anyway) always knew that the pounds had been put on over the last 10 or so years, and middle age spread was taking hold.  Losing the excess and getting fit was therefore a necessity for us.  The last thing we wanted was for others on the course being annoyed as they were being held up by the old fatties.

Back in July I joined a gym and Rach started to use the treadmill at home.  My target was to get from 15 stone 8 down to, well anything starting with 13 would be nice!  Rach’s target was mostly fitness as she is already slim, but in the 4 months she has managed not only increased fitness but also lost over a stone (which in my eyes makes her doubly fit !).

For me, July was the start of my obsession; and in the 4 months since then I’ve lost 2.5 stone and gained massively in fitness.  Pity none of my clothes now fit me, but this in itself has shown how much I have lost.  Now when those lions charge, I may not be the slowest and become the meal ;)

What's it all about then?

I guess you should always start at the beginning, so that's what I'll do here.  Set the scene, so to speak.

Rachel (Mrs W) and I are urban born and bred.  Both brought up in the Midlands (UK) and now both working in the City of London.  Good educations, good jobs, nice home, no children.......but life was a bit routine.  We have 1 or 2 holidays a year, most recently to Africa for safaris, but this didn't so much relieve the routine as exagerated the feeling that there must be more to live than the daily 9-5 grind and the odd holiday.

A couple of years ago we set the old grey cells working, thinking about what we could change; we thought of the obvious like new car (I had my eye on a Porsche!), move house (maybe a swanky City apartment) or travel.  Well, the first 2 are nice ideas but what do they really change?  Yes I'd have a flash car, or we'd be in the swanky part of town, but the 9-5 grind would still be there.  There would be no fundamental change.

It then became clear that what we love is travelling.  We live for our holidays.  So travelling it would be.

At that time Rachel was still working on her MBA so the timing was not right.  This was OK though as we had some serious thinking to do; where should we go, how long for etc.  We bought the usual type of books aimed at gap years away, bought travel mags, went to travel shows, used everyone's friend Google and about 18 months ago decided on the tried and tested 'around the world' trip.

We were happy - we'd agreed on a basic plan, it was the detail now to consider.  We'd obviously thought about the 'normal' backpackers sites to visit (Thailand, Laos etc etc) but then moved on to what we'd really like to see.  This took us to Indonesia for komodo dragons, China for pandas, Brazil for Jaguar .. the list was getting endless.  We then stood back and thought - what we're really interested in is animals and wildlife, as much as the travel itself.  So how could we build this new bright spark of realisation into our gap year?

I’m a avid reader and around this time I picked up a book by Peter Allison (Whatever you do .. don’t run); Peter is an Oz chap who went to Africa in search of adventure, and fell into safari guiding in Botswana. This got us thinking – could anyone do this?  A search on Google confirmed that yes, there were courses running where you could train to be a safari guide.

Wow – this is what we wanted to do with our year off.  None of that traipsing from one tourist commune to the next, and following the well trodden path of the gap year, but to d something that we REALLY wanted to do.  The seeds were sown, now to see what grows!

Preparations

In some ways preparing for this trip is slightly easier than a ‘normal’ round the world gap year.  For starters, we are (initially at least) only going to one country and staying in one location (the safari training school) so there will be little to do regarding flights, planning which countries to hit when and at what time of year.  No issues with currency (we just need SA Rands) etc.  But we would need a student Visa and we would need to find a course that would accept us!

Google through up quite a few course options; some just 1 month in length which would then give us a great experience and then leave us 11 months to explore Africa further (more of this later) and some which were a full 6 months.  Clearly the 6 month option was the most appealing.

Of the 6 month courses, some have an age limit of 39 and, alas, Rachel and I have now (just) surpassed that age so this then left about 3 courses to choose from.  Fortunately cost was not a driving force so we were able to choose the course that looked most appealing.  This turned out to be with Entabeni.

We downloaded the application forms, filled them in and sent them to the school.  Sarah at the school sent back an acceptance letter and we partied that night J  This letter then meant we could start the SA Visa application.  And did they need some info!

As the course is 6 months long we had to get a student Visa.  It is a fairly straightforward process, but they wanted loads of info.  We had to get a medical, chest scan, bank statements, police criminal check, amongst others.  It took Rachel a few weeks to pull all this together (fortunately she is very organised – I would have been much messier!) and then around the 19^th October we took everything to the SA embassy in London (on Whitehall, just off

Trafalger Square

).

To our utter surprise (we are used to British public sector bureaucracy so our expectations had been set!) everything went very smoothly and a week later the Visas came back.  This was on 27^th October, which just so happened to be a night we were out in London at our Lamb Tavern karaoke night, so again….we celebrated that night ;)

Visa info was sent to Sarah at Entabeni, course deposits paid, and as of the first week in November we were officially on the 6 month safari guide training course.