http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Katherine-Howell/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Katherine Howell en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:32:24 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:32:24 +0000 Back in Malaysian Borneo the next few days were about spotting primates and stuffing ourselves full of food. Arriving in Kota Kinabalu an hour after sunset we made our way straight to the night market for dinner meandering past rows and rows of fresh produce to arrive at the dining tables. We took a good 20 minutes to work out which of all the deliciouslooking food we'd eat deciding on a huuu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Sandakan/blog-396707.html We didn't have much luck with transport or bureacracy in Brunei. The ferry from Limbang wasn't running and the taxi drivers wanted ridiculous sums of money at exchange rates that didn't make sense. We eventually made it to the border and were pleased to be finally assigned transit visas a shortterm visa for those moving on in the next few days which costs about half as much as a 30 day visa. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Brunei/Bandar-Seri-Begawan/blog-379885.html Three weeks off work. Two for holiday one for study. Somewhere to hike and somewhere to try out my new camera. Not too far away. A couple of Christmases ago I bought Justin a book called 'Trek' which has beautiful photos of some of the world's best hikes and has proven a winner at selecting spectacular holiday destinations. So it was to this we turned again to decide where next. Borneo defini http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sarawak/Gunung-Mulu-National-Park/blog-379855.html Amongst the list of things I really hate right up there with parking tickets in front of your own house and hot cross buns is the animal game. Or the animal game disguised as something else. It's just not that entertaining to think of every animal or band or insert other topic here you can beginning with a certain letter on long journeys. It's especially not entertaining when you play against http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Tongariro-National-Park/blog-299385.html Nearly 3 months after arriving back in Australia it feels like we've never been away. I finished up my project in the lab and started back doing clinical work this time a neonatal intensive care job. A couple of weeks of night shifts was enough to get me over my initial thoughts of 'oh holy crap they're so tiny and so sick and I haven't done any med for a year' and just leave me pretty exha http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Taupo/blog-299377.html It is perhaps a measure of the depth of the appreciation we have developed over the year for efficiency having learnt to make do with precious little of it that the excitement of our hasslefree and very fast checkin for our domestic flight from Johannesburg almost overshadowed our arrival in Cape Town probably the most beautiful city I've seen so far.Buoyed by this the lovely sun with its dr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Cape-Town/blog-230952.html A week ago we left Kilifi spending our last morning there at Upendo. Some of the kids were clingy some showed more fascination than normal with my watch as we counted down the minutes we had left there and some were oblivious to our impending departure and we raced around and sang songs like any other day. In the end we left hurriedly as a traffic jam on the Mombasa Road meant our trip to the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Gauteng/Johannesburg/blog-226597.html It's hard to believe our time in Kilifi is almost over we fly to Johannesburg tomorrow. After eight months here we've developed a lot of affection for the place and its people and for a while especially when we've returned from other east African travels it's felt almost like home. But the excitement of 2 weeks in South Africa and then back to our real home to see family and friends for Chr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-225587.html The travels of September and October now behind us we've settled back into Kilifi life and are now fast approaching the end of our time here. The mild weather we'd been enjoying a couple of months back has well and truly made way for the season of steam Kilifi is now a hotbed of sweat with only an average of ten minutes of relief from the heat just after the rain stops in the morning. Turni http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-222038.html Many countries in Africa have titles extolling the virtue of their people and land Uganda is lsquothe pearl of Africarsquo Malawi the lsquowarm heart of Africarsquo presumably both an example of national pride and a marketing catchcry for tourists. Rwandarsquos is a little less ambiguous than the above examples it is the lsquoland of a thousand hillsrsquo. Rumoured to be a co http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-216327.html For the third week of our holiday Justin Brigid Sarah and I went to Uganda for a 7day beginner white water kayak course on the Nile River.The kayak school is at Bujagali Falls not far from the town of Jinja about 2 hours drive east of Kampala. They have an excellent setup there with a number of choices of accommodation and places to eat on site. We almost didnrsquot need to leave the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-214175.html After Mt Kilimanjaro we spent a night in Moshi and then 2 in Arusha for a bit of RR before continuing the travels. Following some shenanigans on the part of Brigid Simon and Whitley can anyone fix curtain rails and some home surgery on my toe thanks Justin we said goodbye to Simon met up with Sarah and went on safarihellipOur 4day camping safari of Northern Tanzania was run by a gu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Serengeti-National-Park/blog-213839.html Hi all Wersquore now back in Kilifi after our big trip. Irsquom going to do as Brigid did and write a separate blog for each part of our trip and backdate them sorry. Justin and Whitley arrived in Kenya on September 4th David drove me down to meet them in Mombasa on the newly done up MalindiMombasa road. Thanks to the road works which happened as the President was due to visit Mombasa http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Mount-Kilimanjaro/blog-209976.html Hi all Been a while since I posted a blog there is a lot to catch up on. Here goes...August was supposed to be a quiet month in the lead up to our big September holidays. So much so that Brigid felt it would be a good time to enforce a beer and soft drink ban on herself post Rodrsquos departure given that the previous month had seen many a beer consumed. Didnrsquot quite turn out that way http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-208460.html The wildebeest migration to Masai Mara is sometimes described as the eighth wonder of the world. We were lucky we had timed our trip to coincide with this event as a wonder it certainly isWe flew into Masai Mara on Thursday morning in a 20seater plane that flew low enough to allow us to see the thousands of animals that dotted the park. We were picked up at the airport by John who was to be ou http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Masai-Mara-NP/blog-194966.html So.... Kenya seems to have gone crazy in the last few days. A lawmaking lawchanging frenzy is in place. Here's a sample...1. Maternity care ie having a baby in a public hospital is now free. Actually all public hospital care has recently become free here which is a very good thing. When we first arrived there was a big board out the front of the hospital with costs on it. Now there are sig http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-194443.html Hi dudes Wersquove really been living it up lately have had another lovely weekend away this time to Diani Beach and Shimba Hills on the south coast of Kenya. Had another early start on Friday morning arriving at Mombasa airport in time to meet Rodrsquos flight from Nairobi. After picking him up we headed further south via taxi then the Likoni ferry a large boat that crosses the stretc http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-194785.html Sooooohellip wersquove just been to Zaaaaanzibaaaaaaaaaarhellip what a great name for a place. What a great place it is toohellipDad Liam Brigid and I got up early on Thursday morning to get to Mombasa airport in time for our flight. Unfortunately Precision Airways did not live up to its name that day and we waited in the airport for 5 hours before our plane finally departed. But the fi http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-194663.html Hey again I may be going on a communication rampage now that I can so hopefully am not boring you with all the photos. Had to share these ones though am sure you'll see why. Margaret who works at the lab and who also provides a lot of support for the orphanage that Brigid works at has her father and brother over from Australia to visit. So to welcome them the orphanage put on a shindig. T http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-174520.html Don't just stand there bust a movenbspAfrica raquonbspKenya raquonbspCoast By Katherine HowellJuly 11th 2007Katherine HowellFor those of you who are not sick of photos of the kids here are a few more. Brigid Liam dad and I went to the orphanage to watch a dance class there. This was a new thing for the kids a woman Margaret knows volunteered to come and take a class. The dancing w http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/blog-185100.html