Africa again!!

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Seems like lots of people didn't get this one so here it is again....!! Next one will be coming at ya from somewhere in the Americas....... Hope you're all well. Cd and Em xx

Hi Everyone,

Africa has been absolutely amazing. We started off in Zanzibar where Em celebrated her birthday in style in our 5 star resort. The hotel was just out of this world and we were upgraded to a suite overlooking the ridiculously turquoise sea. On the big day itself we also managed to blag the 'private diners table'.....just us two in our own right on the beach. Needless to say it was one of the highlights of the trip so far. Zanzibar was the perfect way to begin in Africa and definately what we needed with what was about to come on the tour.

After a week of lounging around in the sunshine and playing in the swimming pool it was finally time to meet up with the group of people we were to spend the next 30 days with. We met them on the ferry crossing to the main land (Dar Es Salaam). It was a pretty daunting experience but they all seemed friendly enough and the tour leader was a nice guy. These are just a few of the highlights of what we got up to and which countries we visited........

In Tanzania we spent the first of our many nights under canvas in our lovely (yeah right) two person tent. It was so hot that first night we wondered how we'd manage for another month but it did get easier as the trip went on. This is also where we started to get to know the others on the tour. As we first thought they all turned out to be ok to get along with. As with any group we got on with some better than others and we've certainly made some really great friends that we're already planning to meet up with when we eventually get back to blighty. Being on a tour was a complete culture shock for us as we had to get up a specific time and do chores which was totally alien compared with independent travel. Still we adapted to it pretty well and all in all it was a good way to get across an entire continent!

Malawi was always one of the places we'd both earmarked on our 'where we're most excited about' list. In Kande Beach on Lake Malawi we realised we were right to be excited as we stayed right on the beachlike edge of the humungus lake. We visited a school and a hospital here which was so heartbreaking we had to be so disciplined not to steal one of the kids when we left....little Kennedy was our favourite. I actually checked Em's backpack to make sure she hadn't taken him! You know those videos you see of Billy Connolly and other celebs in Africa where the little kids are climbing all over them and laughing and looking so happy but at the same time they're practically wearing rags and they have no access to basic facilities? Well it was like that. Such a strange feeling of happiness at playing with them but the whole while your heart strings being tugged because you want them to have so much more than they've got.

From Malawi we hit Zambia.....eventually! We had been misinformed by the tour people in England and told that we didn't need a yellow fever certificate to enter any of the countries we were visiting. The day before going to Zambia Ben (tour leader) told us all we'd need to produce them on entry to Zambia. Er....problem! To cut a long story short...and how cool is this....we had to bribe our way into the country....$10 each! Which as it turns out is less than it costs to get the certificate in the first place..ha ha. It was a truly memorable moment sliding $20 into the dodgy dude's hand without his boss seeing. In truth I (chris) was bricking it that we wouldn't be let in and Em was completely chilled about the whole thing but it was a wicked experience to look back at.

Zambia itself turned out to be a gorgeous country with the highlight being Victoria Falls...they are stunning. We got absolutely drenched....it was hilarious and great fun. We visited the famous bungee jump bridge and looked over to the falls where we'd been the previous day. It wasn't hard to see how we'd got so wet. The spray from the falls is like a massive cloud hanging over the whole place. It's just got to be experienced to be believed. The sunset cruise on the Zambezi was incredible too.

Definitely in the top three favourite places on the trip so far was the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We were sat in a mokoro canoe and 'poled' (by a lady called Abigail..standing up!) through the reeds of the delta to our bush camp. We happened to be on cooking duty that night and Em managed somehow to make a lasagna in the middle of nowhere on an open fire, much to everyones delight. It was a great night under the stars with one of our new friends playing guitar around a campfire as our guides and polers tasted lasagna for the first time. We swam in a waterhole trying to dodge the occassional hippo poo floating by. It was really magical and we really really didn't want to leave. From our campsite we saw elephants and rhinos!!! They were far enough away for us to have time to climb a tree to escape (as if that would work) but wow..they were close considering we were sleeping in tents! Awesome.

Speaking of animals brings us on to our favourite country so far.....Namibia! We've seen Elephants so close you could almost touch them on a sunset cruise, Rhinos charging eachother around a waterhole, lions and hippos...just unbelievable. We camped out in the wilderness of a place called Spitzkoppe which was like being in that scene where Thelma and Louise lock the policeman in the boot. It was so beautiful and we watched the most amazing sunset ever, just the two of us on a massive rock. Unfortunately this is also where tragedy struck on our tour. Our truck got stuck in sand as we were literally as far from civilisation as is humanly possible. Whilst trying to sort it out our amazing and now god like driver (Letaloi) sliced the top half of his finger off! This guy is just the bravest man in the world. He's a Masai Warrior (turned Acacia truck driver) and he didn't even let out a whimper. After half an hour of getting the truck out of the sand we raced the 200kms to the nearest hospital. They couldn't save the finger but even so he carried on back at work the next day!!! Can you belive that....he's legendary status now. I'm sure it's the type of rumour that will soon be doing the rounds that he lost his whole arm. Me and Em had got on really with him even before the accident so we looked after him the best we could for the final week into Cape Town. He said to Em just before we left the tour 'it's strange...every now and then I look down and go...huh...where's my finger!!'. Other cool thing about Letaloi is that he growls...he actually growls like a lion. He only does it when he's happy and it's not just a joke thing for effect....he just growns when he's happy. Hilarious as well as a little scary the first time we heard him!! Legend.

Finally we made it to South Africa and after a night wine tasting in the highlands to Cape Town. What an amazing experience. By the time we left the tour we were really ready to be on our own again but we had an absolute blast.

We've spent the last couple of weeks on the real honeymoon bit of the trip. We've had this bit paid up front and booked since November so we've been getting used to staying in posh place and enjoying lovely big breakfasts and even lovely beds (don't miss the tent much!).

Cape Town itself is gorgeous, chilling out in Camps Bay on the beach was a great place to start. Then we had some hectic days going to the top of the world on Table Mountain and visiting Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was locked up for 2 decades. Also visited the Cape of Good Hope and saw the penguins on the beach.

Finally we've hit the Garden Route which is stunning. We've been looking for whales and great white sharks off the coast and wine tasting in the winelands. Hermanus was beautiful and an awesome place for me to spend my birthday. Em spoilt me rotten and we had the best day 😊

Whoa...that's an hour!!..gotta dash.

Hope you're all well.

Love Chris and Em xx

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