Whilst being long and convoluted it wasn't in reality too bad. We left Tipton in the morning, thanks to Rachel's Mom and Dad driving over and with my Mom taking us to the local train station. Sad goodbyes were said but no tears shed - at least not on our side as we were starting our adventure!
A local train to Birmingham was followed by a train to Reading and a coach transfer to Heathrow airport. Everything ran perfectly and we got to the airport with 4 hours to spare. We checked our bags in anyway and just chilled until the flight was due. We had been concerned the week before that our outbound flight might be delayed and we might miss our Jo'Burg connection at Nairobi (Kenya) but the flight left on time and got us to Nairobi 30 mins early. The flight itself was nothing special - as comfy as 9 hours sitting down can be but we managed a few hours kip so we were not in too bad a shape when we got to Nairobi.
We had a 3 hour transfer wait in Nairobi but this gave us a chance to freshen up a bit, grab and drink and reflect and what we were about to embark on. We met a few other Brits at the airport who were also in transit so we could all share stories and plans, which was nice. One couple were heading to Burundi to work at a school for 4 weeks - they had brought books, pencils etc to help out the locals. The previous year they had gone there to help build the school.
A short flight later and we were in Jo'burg. I actually love this airport; so clean, efficient and so far has never lost my luggage (am I tempting fate here?!). We got through passport control, grabbed our bags and headed to meet our transfer to the school. We had booked the transfer via the internet so there is always a bit of doubt but there were 3 other students sharing ourt lift so we knew between us we would be fine. Anyway, no need to worry as the Mad Dog Adventures guy was there waiting for us.
Also with us was 1 other Brit (Tom), a Spaniad (Javi) and an American (George). There was supposed to be another Brit too but his visa hadn't been finalised yet so he would be following in a few days time. The transfer to the school was about 4 hours and quite univentful, and quite quiet as I think we were all so knackered. We got to the school gates and for me anyway, the addrenalin kicked in. When I say school gates try not to think of normal school gates, but an entrance to a safari park complete with electric fencing and lion warning signs. Yep, this was for real.
We drove to the school for about 5 minutes through part of the reserve. We saw a few animals (impala, wildebeest, blesbok) which was a nice start.
Friday, 25 February 2011
Monday, 3 January 2011
One day to go
Yep, we are almost there. Tomorrow we fly, today we pack. We have gone through a number of test packs, which has proved both useful and scary - I mean, how do you pack for a year away?
Well we are trying to be sensible and pretend we are going away for a week and packing for just that amount of time. It's more difficult than it sounds and only time will tell whether we have been successful or not. We each have one rucksack and one hand luggage - it's a good job I lost weight, as at least my underpants are a size smaller now!!
So what have we done since I last wrote - apart from packing bags, we had a nice week in Cornwall with Joe and Laura, have survived Christmas and celebrated New Year with my Carol, Mel and Jen. Mel put on a lovely spread and I don't think we did it justice - and I went back for seconds and thirds :)
Our week in Cornwall was cut short by a day due to the weather. We had kept an eye on the forecasts and decided to travel back a day early and this proved to be a good call. This journey was still a nightmare and took 7 hours rather than 4, but the snow that caused the bad journey lasted all through Christmas so had we not left that day I don't know when we would have got back. Joe and Laura would have been stuck with us longer and have to make their Christmas duck stretch to 4.
Despite the bad weather though I do like driving in the snow - we had (note the past tense, we no longer have a car!) a nippy little Peuguot that skid quite nicely on the snow and ice. Always made the drive exciting :) I never actually lost full control, but sometimes the back end would flick out and there I was imagining I was a rally driver. I wonder how this will transfer to 4x4 driving in Africa?
Must dash - things to do. Wish us luck on our journey.
Well we are trying to be sensible and pretend we are going away for a week and packing for just that amount of time. It's more difficult than it sounds and only time will tell whether we have been successful or not. We each have one rucksack and one hand luggage - it's a good job I lost weight, as at least my underpants are a size smaller now!!
So what have we done since I last wrote - apart from packing bags, we had a nice week in Cornwall with Joe and Laura, have survived Christmas and celebrated New Year with my Carol, Mel and Jen. Mel put on a lovely spread and I don't think we did it justice - and I went back for seconds and thirds :)
Our week in Cornwall was cut short by a day due to the weather. We had kept an eye on the forecasts and decided to travel back a day early and this proved to be a good call. This journey was still a nightmare and took 7 hours rather than 4, but the snow that caused the bad journey lasted all through Christmas so had we not left that day I don't know when we would have got back. Joe and Laura would have been stuck with us longer and have to make their Christmas duck stretch to 4.
Despite the bad weather though I do like driving in the snow - we had (note the past tense, we no longer have a car!) a nippy little Peuguot that skid quite nicely on the snow and ice. Always made the drive exciting :) I never actually lost full control, but sometimes the back end would flick out and there I was imagining I was a rally driver. I wonder how this will transfer to 4x4 driving in Africa?
Must dash - things to do. Wish us luck on our journey.
Monday, 27 December 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
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!
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 :)
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 :)
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
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!
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!
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