Shortly after writing my last blog I walked across the famous bridge that spans the Zambezi, spearating Zambia from Zimbabwe (stopping to watch a bunch of crazy people throwing themselves off it on bungee ropes)! In Zimbabwe I met up with the Oasis Overland group and after a very drunken first night, settled in very quickly. My fellow travellers are all in their 20s and 30s, and I get on well with the vast majority. Of course there are inevitable annoyances when you spend 24/7 with 25 other people in a confined space, but we are managing well so far...

From Zimbabwe we crossed into Botswana and Chobe National Park where we saw some incredible sights - including a herd of elephants crossing the river, lots of hippo's and a couple of sleeping crocodiles.

We then travelled onto the Okavango delta which has a long-held fascination for me. I wasn't disappointed! We went out on Mokoros (traditional wooden canoes) and camped under the stars within earshot of grunting hippo's (which was quite frankly terrifying). We swam in the delta and went on some lovely walks on the islands. I was also lucky enough to take a 45 minute flight over the delta which was incredible (and a real bargain - $60 US). From Botswana we crossed into Namibia where we vistied the Etosha wildlife reserve.

Last night I was at a watering hole and saw a black rhino from a distance of about 10m. Very cool. We also saw 2 huge prides of lions, plus the usual assortment of antelope, zebra, giraffe, buffalo etc which are, after 4 months of being in Africa, a bit old hat (but still lovely to see)!

Goodbye Tanzania, hello Zambia

Leavng Longido was as hard as I had imagined it would be. The kids at school were great, they put on a play for me and each gave me a little card to say goodbye. And they clubbed together to buy me a present...a packet of biscuits and a soft drink! It was so sweet of them, obviously they have very little so it was a very nice gesture. The adult class threw a small party for me and presented me with full maasai gear - which I promise to model for anyone who wants to see when I get back to the UK!

I think the hardest goodbye though was, of course, Issiah. It was heartbreaking to watch him walk away for the last time, knowing that even if I do come back to Longido one day he won't be the same little boy I knew.

I am now in Livingstone in southern Zambia, after an epic 4 day journey from Northern Tanzania. I took the coach from Arusha to Dar es Salaam, where I spent a few days arranging train ticket, visa, money etc... It wasn't all hard work though as I managed to get to the beach for a day and a night which was pure paradise. I then took the Tazara train yo Kapiri Mposhi, which goes through some amazing scenery and the Selous National Park where the animals are so used to the trains they graze right by the trackside. Unfortunately, we passed through at night so missed all that! I stayed one night in Lusaka which seems to be a fairly well developed capital city. It was strange to see petrol stations and fast food restaurants after so long in the wilderness!

I'm now in Livingstone, where I have found a geat backpacker's hostel (with pool) where I can rest for a few days before joining an overland tour group on Tuesday. To be honest when I have encountered these groups on the road my reaction has been to roll my eyes and thank God I am not part of one of them.. but I am going to have to out my prejudices aside and join the spirit as doing so will enable me to visit Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. I'm sure I will be fine, but my greatest fear is that I am on a truck load of gap year students. I know I've not exactly got one foot in the grave myself yet but I am hoping to meet people from different age ranges so that I will have some slightly varied and educated conversation!

Crazy adventure safari

The last couple of weeks have been eventful... last weekend I was invited by a friend to his sister's high school graduation, which is a big deal here in TZ. I have already been to one and it wasn't an experience I was in a hurry to repeat, but it meant a lot to my friend so I agreed to go. So last Saturday morning I was ready at 8am to make the 2 hr journey...and by 11am everyone else was ready and the very old VW Beetle we were taking had finally decided to start! I knew the journey wouldn't be without its pitfalls, so when we got stuck in sand 5 miles outside Longido I wasn't surprised - the poor car was filled with 6 people and not designed for sandy, bumpy dirt tracks in the African bush!

We managed to get the car out without too much trouble and were on our way. But not for long. As we neared our destination, the village of Kitumbani, the car decided it had had enough and well and truly broke down. The boys tinkered under the bonnet for more than an hour but to no avail. Eventually a dalla-dalla (beat up old mini bus crammed to the rafters with usually a minimum of 20 passengers) came along and true to Tanzanian fashion, the people were very helpfu and agreed to tow us the rest of the way. Unfortunately the tow rope that we fashioned from the Beetle's one remaining seatbelt wasn't strong enough and kept breaking. In the end we had to abandon the car and jumped on the dalla dalla for the last few miles. To my secret relief, we arrived at the school just as the ceremony was finishing, but in time for food! Afterward we walked back to the car and pushed it into the village. By this point we were extremely tired and thirsty, not to mention filthy from the dust...my cream trousers were a very dark brown! We decided to stay and try to fix the car in the morning, so they boys bunked down in the car while I splashed out 3,000 shillings for a very questionable guesthouse (my room had a dead cockroach being devoured by an army of ants - who says you can't get luxury for 1.50)?! Miraculously, a mechanic had fixed the car in the night and by sunrise we were on our way home. This time thankfully without any drama...although many sightings of garanack, Thompson's gazelle, giraffe and kudu. I also saw some elephant tracks while the boys were trying to fix the car and followed them a little way into the bush before deciding it probably wasn't the nest idea in an area known for its lions. It was then that I had one of those moments when I thought 'what would I be doing if I was at home - and decided that I would have been in Tesco's with mum and gran. Sorry mum and gran, but I know which one I would choose!

This weekend I have spent a lovely days and night in Moshi, the town at the foot of Kilimanjaro. I went with 2 other volunteers and we had a great time indulging in semi-luxury. Moshi is fairly touristy so I was able to have a sandwich and a real cup of tea. Doesn't sound like much but 3 months of rice and beans is finally getting to me!

It's now less than a week until I leave Longido. I am very sad to have to say goodbye to my many new friends and of course the wonderful kids at school, but am ready to move on. I am heading down to Dar Es Salaam from where I will catch the train to Zambia to meet up with my overland tour group and begin my next adventure in Botswana and Namibia.