This is Africa

This is Africa. A land of poverty and war, corruption and crime. A place so unstable and unpredictable that many people thought I was mad to be visiting. I have seen some terrible things and witnessed some powerful aftermaths of violent times - especially in Kenya. I've seen burnt villages, upturned and burnt out trucks, and abandoned refugee camps which were home to thousands and thousands of people and not too long ago. And while it's true that I've seen a lot of bad, nothing could prepare me for how spectacular this ancient land really is, and how welcoming and friendly the people are - despite all these problems and troubled times.

I will steer clear of political talk and tribal warfare, because I didn't come here to write about it and you probably didn't come to this page to read about it. Instead, I want to share with you some of the fantastic experiences I have been lucky enough to have had so far, from the amazing wildlife we've spotted to the breathtaking scenery - the unique and delicious food to the fascinating people and their culture.

Here are some of the highlights so far:

* Flying in and around Mount Kilimanjaro on my way to Arusha, Tanzania, where I spent a great week with my Uncle's family. Here, I got used to the African way of life, no hurry in Africa and certainly no worries.

*Trekking out to see the wild mountain gorillas in the corner of Uganda (see other entry)

*Getting a taste of the Nile River (literally) after a particularly full body dunking while attached to a bungy cord.

*Seeing the source of the Nile, where this mighty river begins its 6400km journey through Egypt to the Mediterranean sea.

*Camping only metres from grazing hippos at Lake Naivasha.

*Eating the most delicious bananas all over Uganda. Trading pens, books, money, anything - to get my hands on these sweet little beauties. Also, almost every other African food I have tasted has blown me away - including fried and salted termites. I was the only one who actually liked them, I ate about 5000.

*Taking a boat ride across Naivasha to to Crater Lake, a huge lake surrounded by pink flamingos inside an extinct volcano. Taking a paddle boat out on the lake and perfecting the Mzungu corkscrew, a particularly tricky stunt on the water. On the way to the crater, we walked through hundreds of wild zebras and giraffe. It was like walking through a paddock of sheep or horses- they were so close.

*Finding lions in the Maasai Mara, the Kenyan half of the Serengeti. Also, we saw hundreds of elephant, buffalo, hippos, crocodiles as well as warthogs, hyena, ostriches, monkeys, giraffe, zebra, and all kinds of antelope. Still keeping an eye out for other big cats, but still no cheetahs or leopards.

*Meeting the maasai warriors who were guarding our camp from the lions at night at the Mara. They were armed with bows and poisoned arrows, and there were 16 of them. We were only six that night.... makes you wonder...

*Showing some maasai kids the old French drop magic trick with a coin and freaking them out. Also, delighting them by showing them pictures of themselves on my camera. Great fun.

*Getting invited to a wedding party next to our campsite in Kisoro, Uganda, and showing these Africans how to really dance. That's a lie. They were amazing. There were about 100 Africans fighting amongst each other to teach me and this one other white guy how to move. Even if I performed one of my highlight-reel-trademark moves, they just looked at me funny then did it ten times better. Oh it was a great night, I still can't believe they invited us.

*Having a few beers with some old friends of my Dad whilst sitting on a balcony overlooking the rift valley, one of the greatest views I have ever seen. A perfect sunset too.

*The stars at night, every night.

*The colours of Africa - from the green plains to the orange sunsets, the blue skies to the red dust.

*Meeting so many people, and learning about their way of life.

And anybody out there who likes The Lion King as much as I do would be simply delighted to hear that in East Africa (particularly Kenya) people drop Hakuna Matata like it's hot.

And learning to speak Swahili is a challenge I am very much enjoying. I'm pretty sure I have the basics down pat, learning more every day.

Ah, there is so much I have missed out. It would take too long to write it all. The worst thing is, the photos often don't do any justice to the scenes I am looking at. The camera is often useless when it comes to capturing the strength of the Nile, the enormity of the Rift Valley, the reaches of the Kenyan plains or the power of a herd of buffalo.

For now, you will have to use your imagination. I'm sure you can do it.

Hakuna matata

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