..from thedailymash.co.uk a fantastic news satire website
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/business/firm-offers-'twats%11only'-activity-holidays-200901281539/
Friday 6 March 2009
Deaf Poets Society
location:the local jaipur internet cafe, India
Hello there1 Its ben a little too long since I last updated, and for that, I apologise. But not to worry for Im here now, in fantastic form, and all ready to regale some old war stories. When IU left you I was about to start my teaching, and I had very little clue as to what to expect. Well I'm 3 weeks into it, one week to go, and Id like to think Im a little more informed. First of all the teaching. Im teaching with three other volunteers, my age, theatre studies ("drama" for the state school folks) at two different schools. The first is a primary school, where we have hindi speaking kids of about 3, who have no interest in drama, and are happy to run up and down the playground while we think up excuses for them to do just that. We have recently been told we're splitting up into groups to take on different projects with the different children, and i have very little hopein getting my five kids to perform and english language skit about a book drive. Yesterday, after 35 mins hard graph(is that the word, graph? it doesnt look right), I managed to get one almost audible, almost comprehensible line of "Thank you, now we have more books" from who im afraid to say was the most gifted child there.
The other school offers much more relief. We're teaching at a deaf school, children aged about 10-13, and this is the school I much prefer to be at. When we first arrived, we were given very little assistance or clues as to how we were to go about doing it (due to none of us having the first clue of sign language), and the atmosphere in the school was completely alien, and silent. That said, we found a way, and after a few sessions we had them performing little self made shorts for us! Now, weve got a full hour erformancefrom them, and teaching them is easily my favourite part of my stay, they are such fun, and weve got to know each of them while we're doing it.
Thats part one of my stay here so far, part two will be along later, and Ill write up the other half of thistrip- our free time, stories of which will include a conversation in french with an indian clown, discussing bollywood in the car of a failing rajastani film star, and listening to disneys arabian nights on camelsas we cross the desert!
Off to Pushkar now, talk later .
Love and Regards,
Laurie "Stanislavski" Kearns
Hello there1 Its ben a little too long since I last updated, and for that, I apologise. But not to worry for Im here now, in fantastic form, and all ready to regale some old war stories. When IU left you I was about to start my teaching, and I had very little clue as to what to expect. Well I'm 3 weeks into it, one week to go, and Id like to think Im a little more informed. First of all the teaching. Im teaching with three other volunteers, my age, theatre studies ("drama" for the state school folks) at two different schools. The first is a primary school, where we have hindi speaking kids of about 3, who have no interest in drama, and are happy to run up and down the playground while we think up excuses for them to do just that. We have recently been told we're splitting up into groups to take on different projects with the different children, and i have very little hopein getting my five kids to perform and english language skit about a book drive. Yesterday, after 35 mins hard graph(is that the word, graph? it doesnt look right), I managed to get one almost audible, almost comprehensible line of "Thank you, now we have more books" from who im afraid to say was the most gifted child there.
The other school offers much more relief. We're teaching at a deaf school, children aged about 10-13, and this is the school I much prefer to be at. When we first arrived, we were given very little assistance or clues as to how we were to go about doing it (due to none of us having the first clue of sign language), and the atmosphere in the school was completely alien, and silent. That said, we found a way, and after a few sessions we had them performing little self made shorts for us! Now, weve got a full hour erformancefrom them, and teaching them is easily my favourite part of my stay, they are such fun, and weve got to know each of them while we're doing it.
Thats part one of my stay here so far, part two will be along later, and Ill write up the other half of thistrip- our free time, stories of which will include a conversation in french with an indian clown, discussing bollywood in the car of a failing rajastani film star, and listening to disneys arabian nights on camelsas we cross the desert!
Off to Pushkar now, talk later .
Love and Regards,
Laurie "Stanislavski" Kearns
Friday 13 February 2009
TWA / Taking on the Taj
location: jaipur, atithi guest house internet room
first, a hand with this
blue : what im up to
red: boring monologue written solely for my own benefit
Hey, sorry Im late.. Am in Jaipur at the moment, and (I write this gripping the wood on the desk) everythings been going right to plan.. To catch you up to speed, since I last wrote, we have ferried back to mainland tanzania, camped out in the serengeti national park (and for that matter on the edge of the ngorogoro crater), crossed the border into kenya, and spent the last few nights on africa time in Nairobi, before catching a connecting flight through addis ababa to Delhi. Since then we have stayed with a friend of a friend, a connection through lou, an ever generous host (with a fantastic chef by the way), visited agra for a night in a 5 * hotel (costing less than a UK travelodge i hasten to add) and then parted ways in Delhi, Lou and fellow leysian Rach flying off to teach in Darjeeling, or somewhere- I wasn't paying too much attention, whilst i took the 6 hour coach journey to my final stop in India, Jaipur. Regular readers may know I am also here to teach, but as that, and my accommodation accompanying it, doesnt start till Sunday, I have lonely planeted myself to a traveller lodge to break and prepare myself for what i believe could well be the end of the holiday part of my trip.
Itinerary over, I thought Id just put a little bit about the remainder of my stay in Africa, and the impression it left on me as I flew off. That said, I had a little look at a map, before I left, to get an idea of the majesty of the coach journey we had all undertaken, and it turns out that Livingstone to Nairobi is really a fingerswidth on the globe, and by no means a tour along the east of Africa, as Ive been so arrogantly telling anyone who'd listen, so any conclusions Ive come to are by no means thorough, and also seen frm the point of view of someone sleeping out of traveller frequented campsites. Therefore rouhly half the people Ive been in contact with have been travellers themselves, and three quarters the other half only being friendly to me so that I would buy their handmade chess/chequers table with reversible top to hold magazines, leaving 12.5% of people being genuine africans. They were my favourite. The title of this entry, TWA, is refferring to an expression,TIA , recognised and unapologetically used throughout africa, "This Is Africa". It is used when for example, an internet cafe computer is broken, or in a long queue for the railticket counter, which should act to brush away any complaints anyone holds, "Not my Fault, and dont expect a solution", is another way of saying it. Brilliantly summarises the attitude of a continent where theyve had it fed to them, that theirs is the backwards underachiever of a world that, outside of here, runs like clockwork, without any hitches or holdups. This is a shame, because most of the people here are so much more eager to help out, learn and get to know you, than anywhere I know in the west, and so these attitudes conflict, and suggest no progress is possible, which it would be. At least at my guessing.
That done, this is what Indias been like: picked up at the airport, where my cashcard hadn't worked yet again, lloyds looking out for me as usual. (Apparantly they rung up home, to check that Im the one in Africa using my card, but as I wasnt there to confirm it, they wouldnt serve my poor father to take the block off, citing security. I hope someone got a decent bonus for that). We arrived at the house, and having very little idea abuot our host, i nearly presented the chef/butler fellow with the thank you gift! For the five days we were there, none of us got truly comfortable being waited upon in that fashion, but i guess its just not questioned here. My first memory of real Delhi will always be the sensation of lou and rachs hand on my back, pushing me to lead the way across the road in the midmorning traffic. A quick word about the traffic: its not like english traffic. There are lanes, with the lines often visible under the middle of a car, and everyone treats it like dodgems, or a game of tetris, falling forward into any available space. And with about 40% of vehicles being tuktuks, little tri wheeled golf carts, the cars dont fit together particularly well. Its brilliant, with the horn being used as if theyre 3 year olds on a toy steering wheel, you cant hear yourself think, and as tuktuk is our main form of transport, being so cheap, thre are no doors, so your litterally right there in the fray. The experience is enhanced if you have a driver who stepped out as the villian of an early arnold swarzenegger film, as we did, turning around to join in the laughter manicly, whilst swerving certain death. Thats the best example of my time in india so far, other highlights being our trip to the taj mahal, where we were the second people through the gate, thanks to having arisen at 5 am, and while the girls stood at the entrance, taking in the sight of the Mughai marvel, i stole ahead, so I ended up as the first person inside the building, getting a private tour of the mosque itself! My guide also sung one or two notes to demonstrate its acoustics, and the sound back was eerie and incredbible and it was cool knowing noone else would witness it as it got very crowded and loud very quickly. Also when we went to the agra fort, it was interesting as the guides didnt seem to have much respect for the attraction, encouraging customers to climb restricted areas for a decent photo, which while a shame, also adds a decent extra dimension to the sightseeing, as you can get much more close and personal with the buildings and sights. In fact we were told by a friend of out host that if you give a little tip to your taj guide, theyll whip out a chisel and get you a bit of the taj to take home! Not sure whether to take with a pinch of salt, which i guess speaks for itself!
Also, on my 6 hour coach journey to jaipur, I watched Slumdog millionaire on my ipod, with the actual slums visible from my window!a surreal experience, but the film itself is definitely worth a look as it gives a very accurate picture of what life in india, at least from what Ive picked up over the last week or so, is like. I guess Ill be able to comment much better after 4 weeks of teaching kids from the poorest areas of jaipur..
Last thing, this morning I had scrambled eggs on toast, 2 cups of tea and a large bottle of aquafina water for just over 1 pound 2p. This country is cheap.
I spy i havent mentioned the serengeti properly- suffice it to say, we camped with the animals and it was incredible- but i figure the photos that i will EVENTUALLY get up will tell it better than i can.
Love and Regards,
Laurie "Rudyard" Kearns
first, a hand with this
blue : what im up to
red: boring monologue written solely for my own benefit
Hey, sorry Im late.. Am in Jaipur at the moment, and (I write this gripping the wood on the desk) everythings been going right to plan.. To catch you up to speed, since I last wrote, we have ferried back to mainland tanzania, camped out in the serengeti national park (and for that matter on the edge of the ngorogoro crater), crossed the border into kenya, and spent the last few nights on africa time in Nairobi, before catching a connecting flight through addis ababa to Delhi. Since then we have stayed with a friend of a friend, a connection through lou, an ever generous host (with a fantastic chef by the way), visited agra for a night in a 5 * hotel (costing less than a UK travelodge i hasten to add) and then parted ways in Delhi, Lou and fellow leysian Rach flying off to teach in Darjeeling, or somewhere- I wasn't paying too much attention, whilst i took the 6 hour coach journey to my final stop in India, Jaipur. Regular readers may know I am also here to teach, but as that, and my accommodation accompanying it, doesnt start till Sunday, I have lonely planeted myself to a traveller lodge to break and prepare myself for what i believe could well be the end of the holiday part of my trip.
Itinerary over, I thought Id just put a little bit about the remainder of my stay in Africa, and the impression it left on me as I flew off. That said, I had a little look at a map, before I left, to get an idea of the majesty of the coach journey we had all undertaken, and it turns out that Livingstone to Nairobi is really a fingerswidth on the globe, and by no means a tour along the east of Africa, as Ive been so arrogantly telling anyone who'd listen, so any conclusions Ive come to are by no means thorough, and also seen frm the point of view of someone sleeping out of traveller frequented campsites. Therefore rouhly half the people Ive been in contact with have been travellers themselves, and three quarters the other half only being friendly to me so that I would buy their handmade chess/chequers table with reversible top to hold magazines, leaving 12.5% of people being genuine africans. They were my favourite. The title of this entry, TWA, is refferring to an expression,TIA , recognised and unapologetically used throughout africa, "This Is Africa". It is used when for example, an internet cafe computer is broken, or in a long queue for the railticket counter, which should act to brush away any complaints anyone holds, "Not my Fault, and dont expect a solution", is another way of saying it. Brilliantly summarises the attitude of a continent where theyve had it fed to them, that theirs is the backwards underachiever of a world that, outside of here, runs like clockwork, without any hitches or holdups. This is a shame, because most of the people here are so much more eager to help out, learn and get to know you, than anywhere I know in the west, and so these attitudes conflict, and suggest no progress is possible, which it would be. At least at my guessing.
That done, this is what Indias been like: picked up at the airport, where my cashcard hadn't worked yet again, lloyds looking out for me as usual. (Apparantly they rung up home, to check that Im the one in Africa using my card, but as I wasnt there to confirm it, they wouldnt serve my poor father to take the block off, citing security. I hope someone got a decent bonus for that). We arrived at the house, and having very little idea abuot our host, i nearly presented the chef/butler fellow with the thank you gift! For the five days we were there, none of us got truly comfortable being waited upon in that fashion, but i guess its just not questioned here. My first memory of real Delhi will always be the sensation of lou and rachs hand on my back, pushing me to lead the way across the road in the midmorning traffic. A quick word about the traffic: its not like english traffic. There are lanes, with the lines often visible under the middle of a car, and everyone treats it like dodgems, or a game of tetris, falling forward into any available space. And with about 40% of vehicles being tuktuks, little tri wheeled golf carts, the cars dont fit together particularly well. Its brilliant, with the horn being used as if theyre 3 year olds on a toy steering wheel, you cant hear yourself think, and as tuktuk is our main form of transport, being so cheap, thre are no doors, so your litterally right there in the fray. The experience is enhanced if you have a driver who stepped out as the villian of an early arnold swarzenegger film, as we did, turning around to join in the laughter manicly, whilst swerving certain death. Thats the best example of my time in india so far, other highlights being our trip to the taj mahal, where we were the second people through the gate, thanks to having arisen at 5 am, and while the girls stood at the entrance, taking in the sight of the Mughai marvel, i stole ahead, so I ended up as the first person inside the building, getting a private tour of the mosque itself! My guide also sung one or two notes to demonstrate its acoustics, and the sound back was eerie and incredbible and it was cool knowing noone else would witness it as it got very crowded and loud very quickly. Also when we went to the agra fort, it was interesting as the guides didnt seem to have much respect for the attraction, encouraging customers to climb restricted areas for a decent photo, which while a shame, also adds a decent extra dimension to the sightseeing, as you can get much more close and personal with the buildings and sights. In fact we were told by a friend of out host that if you give a little tip to your taj guide, theyll whip out a chisel and get you a bit of the taj to take home! Not sure whether to take with a pinch of salt, which i guess speaks for itself!
Also, on my 6 hour coach journey to jaipur, I watched Slumdog millionaire on my ipod, with the actual slums visible from my window!a surreal experience, but the film itself is definitely worth a look as it gives a very accurate picture of what life in india, at least from what Ive picked up over the last week or so, is like. I guess Ill be able to comment much better after 4 weeks of teaching kids from the poorest areas of jaipur..
Last thing, this morning I had scrambled eggs on toast, 2 cups of tea and a large bottle of aquafina water for just over 1 pound 2p. This country is cheap.
I spy i havent mentioned the serengeti properly- suffice it to say, we camped with the animals and it was incredible- but i figure the photos that i will EVENTUALLY get up will tell it better than i can.
Love and Regards,
Laurie "Rudyard" Kearns
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Bush Camps, Donkey Showers and Long Drops- part 2
Location: same Zanzibar internet cafe
Its the morning, roughly 25 Celsius outside- can't complain, and i just thought id get this finished early so i can get to the beach, as Ive arranged to have a cup of tea at the bar overlooking the ocean with a fellow traveller!
Anyway, continuing my snapshot of our night with the Tonga tribe, we started the day by getting onto the boat that would take us to their village, a vast block of plywood that effectively acts as a floating bar, two floors, with two motors somewhat attached on the back- and as we glided along, we were treated to a few of the members of the tribe, who have never had visitors such as us to stay with them, doing a tribal dance and song. Id fel spoilt by it, but i became genuinely convinced that they were enjoying it as much as us, so all was good! The reason they have started hosting tourists is so they can have a little money to build up their fishing community with the money it generates- though I was pleased to hear theywont be hosting too regularly, as it would be awful if they had westerners pouring in from all over the place, warping their way of life. We arrived and were again treated to a welcoming ceremony, with more dancing and singing, a fantastic sight, it was great seeing all the kids of the tribe getting really enthusiastic about it. We had the dances explained to us by one of the women, who said one was demonstrating the strictness of the US army (I didnt quite pick up why) and the other was the equivalent of a UK public service advert, a joyful dance outlining the story of a man who would beat his wife, fearing she was possessed by the devil, when really the convulsions shed been having were from her epilepsy- a completely surreal dance considernig the lightheartedness with which they performed it. Again to further jolt our expectations, as one of the tribe was dancing, their mobile phone fell out their pocket and they left to make a call! This was a society living in an area only reachable by foot or boat, still struggling with general social equalities, yet enjoying the peaks of technology! after the supper which we had separate from the tribe, we were encouraged to join in their dancing, and naturally it didnt take me too much to shed my dignity and be outdanced by a 6 year old. Photos to follow. Myself and another traveler, (Marty, 20 Aus) found ourselves being taught how to use their drums, quite cool when we have firefly buzzing all around- a somewhat unforgettable atmosphere. Before the night was up, we got chatting to some of the tribe, a man (well, of about my age, much more mature though) introduced himself as lakimbundu- which he explained to mean twin, but on a sad note we followed up with the question that would seem natural in England, "wheres your twin" only for him to tell us, matter of factly, that he had lost his twin at a young age. Though this is in no way a surprise to any of us, in my cse i swallowed thousands of facts like this when raising money for wateraid, but seeing it up close it does catch you off guard, leaving us feeling naieve and guilty. Though that said, at no point did any of these people seem to be living in the misery that companies such as oxfam depict, so while there is no question that the problem of such abject poverty existing is a problem that desparately needs solving, for it shouldnt be happening, its a problem being put upon people who have learnt to live with it, and despite all this, theres a tangible joie de vivre and close knitted-ness throughout this tribe, and all the other impoverished villages I have visited, that one can't see in the UK. Very inspiring.
We then retired to our sleeping bags, and fell asleep to the sound of theriver. And the sound of the mosquitoes buzz-sawing their way into our tent.
So thts a snapshot of our life as we're living it. I also thought Id put a little bit about the blog itself, while I have time- just to say that Ive never been a fan of blogs, unless for a specific purpose- i hate the idea of being longwinded and self indulgent for the sake of it and expecting people to read, but as this is also acting as a journal for myself- in no other place have i put such detail into my descriptions, I believe its alright to be a little egocentric, as Im gonna be the only one reading a couple of years from now!
Also Ive been devouring the books, not got onto my jane austen, but i found copies of both orwells down and out in paris and london, and vonneguts slaughterhouse 5, and covered both in a day or two. I also read yes man by danny wallace (hilarious) and Harry potter 1 (again), but they dont sound as impressive. Its interesting how still-pertinent Orwells description of the organised chaos of working in a restaurant is even today! Im now onto the kite runner and i might try and swallow no1 ladies detecive agency later today, apparently i might be able to get it done in an afternoon. Maybe Austen later.
Right now Im off, sorry if its been long winded and self indulgent.
Love and Regards,
Laurie
btw:
bush camp- a campsite with nothing but the bare essentials
long drop- hole in the ground, toilet
donkey shower- basic shower. essentially a watering can with a string as a lever.
Its the morning, roughly 25 Celsius outside- can't complain, and i just thought id get this finished early so i can get to the beach, as Ive arranged to have a cup of tea at the bar overlooking the ocean with a fellow traveller!
Anyway, continuing my snapshot of our night with the Tonga tribe, we started the day by getting onto the boat that would take us to their village, a vast block of plywood that effectively acts as a floating bar, two floors, with two motors somewhat attached on the back- and as we glided along, we were treated to a few of the members of the tribe, who have never had visitors such as us to stay with them, doing a tribal dance and song. Id fel spoilt by it, but i became genuinely convinced that they were enjoying it as much as us, so all was good! The reason they have started hosting tourists is so they can have a little money to build up their fishing community with the money it generates- though I was pleased to hear theywont be hosting too regularly, as it would be awful if they had westerners pouring in from all over the place, warping their way of life. We arrived and were again treated to a welcoming ceremony, with more dancing and singing, a fantastic sight, it was great seeing all the kids of the tribe getting really enthusiastic about it. We had the dances explained to us by one of the women, who said one was demonstrating the strictness of the US army (I didnt quite pick up why) and the other was the equivalent of a UK public service advert, a joyful dance outlining the story of a man who would beat his wife, fearing she was possessed by the devil, when really the convulsions shed been having were from her epilepsy- a completely surreal dance considernig the lightheartedness with which they performed it. Again to further jolt our expectations, as one of the tribe was dancing, their mobile phone fell out their pocket and they left to make a call! This was a society living in an area only reachable by foot or boat, still struggling with general social equalities, yet enjoying the peaks of technology! after the supper which we had separate from the tribe, we were encouraged to join in their dancing, and naturally it didnt take me too much to shed my dignity and be outdanced by a 6 year old. Photos to follow. Myself and another traveler, (Marty, 20 Aus) found ourselves being taught how to use their drums, quite cool when we have firefly buzzing all around- a somewhat unforgettable atmosphere. Before the night was up, we got chatting to some of the tribe, a man (well, of about my age, much more mature though) introduced himself as lakimbundu- which he explained to mean twin, but on a sad note we followed up with the question that would seem natural in England, "wheres your twin" only for him to tell us, matter of factly, that he had lost his twin at a young age. Though this is in no way a surprise to any of us, in my cse i swallowed thousands of facts like this when raising money for wateraid, but seeing it up close it does catch you off guard, leaving us feeling naieve and guilty. Though that said, at no point did any of these people seem to be living in the misery that companies such as oxfam depict, so while there is no question that the problem of such abject poverty existing is a problem that desparately needs solving, for it shouldnt be happening, its a problem being put upon people who have learnt to live with it, and despite all this, theres a tangible joie de vivre and close knitted-ness throughout this tribe, and all the other impoverished villages I have visited, that one can't see in the UK. Very inspiring.
We then retired to our sleeping bags, and fell asleep to the sound of theriver. And the sound of the mosquitoes buzz-sawing their way into our tent.
So thts a snapshot of our life as we're living it. I also thought Id put a little bit about the blog itself, while I have time- just to say that Ive never been a fan of blogs, unless for a specific purpose- i hate the idea of being longwinded and self indulgent for the sake of it and expecting people to read, but as this is also acting as a journal for myself- in no other place have i put such detail into my descriptions, I believe its alright to be a little egocentric, as Im gonna be the only one reading a couple of years from now!
Also Ive been devouring the books, not got onto my jane austen, but i found copies of both orwells down and out in paris and london, and vonneguts slaughterhouse 5, and covered both in a day or two. I also read yes man by danny wallace (hilarious) and Harry potter 1 (again), but they dont sound as impressive. Its interesting how still-pertinent Orwells description of the organised chaos of working in a restaurant is even today! Im now onto the kite runner and i might try and swallow no1 ladies detecive agency later today, apparently i might be able to get it done in an afternoon. Maybe Austen later.
Right now Im off, sorry if its been long winded and self indulgent.
Love and Regards,
Laurie
btw:
bush camp- a campsite with nothing but the bare essentials
long drop- hole in the ground, toilet
donkey shower- basic shower. essentially a watering can with a string as a lever.
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Bush Camps, Donkey Showers and Long Drops
Location: internet cafe facing indian ocean in Zanzibar
Jambo!
As it says, I have made it as far as Zamzibar! Am safe, in fantastic spirits and have thoroughly enjoyed the last week and a half. To quickly summarize, in those 11 days, Ive: danced with the tonga tribe on the banks of the zambezi river, found myself in a malawian rainstorm at 2 in the morning pulling a raincover over our tent, eaten seafood at the zanzibar night market, swam with (well near...in the same ocean..) dolphins, visited a malawi village school and hospital, played a local at a game similar to backgammon, sampled the spices fresh from the trees in zanzibar.. the list goes on, but i dont have my diary to hand, so it will hopefully come tomorrow..
Just to give an idea of whatg my life is at the moment, an average day will fconsist of us waking up in our tents roughly 6ish, making ourselves breakfast from the truck- a behemoth of a vehicle, photos to follow, before piling in and being taken to our next stop, in journeys across the african landscape that vary from two hours to eleven. I havent found myself bored yet in the truck, as we're a small group of 7 travellers a guide and a driver, and so were spoilt for space, so one can comfortably stretch out and sleep on the floor of the truckj as we pootle along, if one's not playing cards, reading, listening to music, or just watching this alien world open up in front of us (a mezmerizing experience).
Before I left John pointed out that Im travelling through countries roughly in the order of the standard of living, going from poorest to best, and I was thinking, while it could serve as an interesting tour through the various ways people live around the world, I also think its a shame, as I wont experience the "reverse culture shock" Ive been warned of, where, upon returning, one sees their hometown in a completely new light. Instead Ill be somewhat acclimatising to each country as I go along, and as a result, I fear I may not be able to benefit from seeing directly the contrast between the mud huts and mosquitoes of Malawi and the lush life that I have in Hatfield. Thaqt said Ill do my best to bear it in mind, as its something i feel incredibly strongly about at the moment, the luxury in which I live, and how I should appreciate it as much as I can.
As weve been soo busy and done soo much, I wont write it all down here, instead Ill paint a picture of the night we camped on the banks of the Zambezi river alongside the tonga tribe:
We started by travelling ................
MUST DASH, as internet cafe is closing, but ill fill in the second half of this tomorrow, as were still here, and this is the only internet Ive seen for a long time, so I want to make hay etc.
Love and Regards
Laurie X
Jambo!
As it says, I have made it as far as Zamzibar! Am safe, in fantastic spirits and have thoroughly enjoyed the last week and a half. To quickly summarize, in those 11 days, Ive: danced with the tonga tribe on the banks of the zambezi river, found myself in a malawian rainstorm at 2 in the morning pulling a raincover over our tent, eaten seafood at the zanzibar night market, swam with (well near...in the same ocean..) dolphins, visited a malawi village school and hospital, played a local at a game similar to backgammon, sampled the spices fresh from the trees in zanzibar.. the list goes on, but i dont have my diary to hand, so it will hopefully come tomorrow..
Just to give an idea of whatg my life is at the moment, an average day will fconsist of us waking up in our tents roughly 6ish, making ourselves breakfast from the truck- a behemoth of a vehicle, photos to follow, before piling in and being taken to our next stop, in journeys across the african landscape that vary from two hours to eleven. I havent found myself bored yet in the truck, as we're a small group of 7 travellers a guide and a driver, and so were spoilt for space, so one can comfortably stretch out and sleep on the floor of the truckj as we pootle along, if one's not playing cards, reading, listening to music, or just watching this alien world open up in front of us (a mezmerizing experience).
Before I left John pointed out that Im travelling through countries roughly in the order of the standard of living, going from poorest to best, and I was thinking, while it could serve as an interesting tour through the various ways people live around the world, I also think its a shame, as I wont experience the "reverse culture shock" Ive been warned of, where, upon returning, one sees their hometown in a completely new light. Instead Ill be somewhat acclimatising to each country as I go along, and as a result, I fear I may not be able to benefit from seeing directly the contrast between the mud huts and mosquitoes of Malawi and the lush life that I have in Hatfield. Thaqt said Ill do my best to bear it in mind, as its something i feel incredibly strongly about at the moment, the luxury in which I live, and how I should appreciate it as much as I can.
As weve been soo busy and done soo much, I wont write it all down here, instead Ill paint a picture of the night we camped on the banks of the Zambezi river alongside the tonga tribe:
We started by travelling ................
MUST DASH, as internet cafe is closing, but ill fill in the second half of this tomorrow, as were still here, and this is the only internet Ive seen for a long time, so I want to make hay etc.
Love and Regards
Laurie X
Friday 16 January 2009
Africa i presume
Hey everyone or anyone- Im in the internet corner of the campsite im staying on on the banks of the Zambezi River, just updating to say that myself and lou got here safe and sound, and within an hour of arriving and meeting everyone, we were shipped off to Victoria falls- "the smoke that thunders" - And by word, it does. We were slipping and sliding at the opposite edge of the falls, staring feet from the abyss, getting absolutely soaked, not before we got to try our hand and haggling in the curios market- A tip, keep hands in pockets, as they want to get you holding as many of their products as possible, to guarantee a sale, and also, if your hands are there, noone elses are!
Anyway, shooting to bed now, have had little sleep over the las 48 hours, but i wanted to write this, as apparantly its one of few internet spots well come across in Africa.
Love and Regards
Laurie "Livingstone" kearns
Anyway, shooting to bed now, have had little sleep over the las 48 hours, but i wanted to write this, as apparantly its one of few internet spots well come across in Africa.
Love and Regards
Laurie "Livingstone" kearns
Tuesday 13 January 2009
To Do
Hey- welcome to the blog of the travels of the noble explorer and renowned good fellow, Laurie Kearns!
I'm writing this from Base camp Hatfield, and just getting the ball rolling for when I want to access and update this from the wrong side of the world. At the moment, Im surrounded by papers and to do lists, all of which have to be crossed off before I embark on Thursday, and the current ratio of trembles to excitement is about 70:30, but whether I like it or not, the trembles will have to have disappeared by the time I get onto the flight..
About this blog- Ill be updating it at as many internet cafes as I come across, and I hope to be able to get some pics up as I go, and as well as this, Ill be accessing my facebook and my emails at each stage, so I should hopefully be fairly accessible. I'm also taking my phone, the number of which will stay the same, but I can't guarantee signal! When I get past Africa, I hope to pick up local Sim cards, so I'll get numbers as I go, and keep yus updated..
To Do:
Africa
India
Australia
LA
New York
Vancouver
I cant wait
Laurie X
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