Well, this is it. The end is nigh. No more wanderings. In fact, the end has come and gone as I’m now back in good Ol’ Blighty, a hefty £5200 lighter (and that’s not including pre-trip and flight costs), where the only noticeable difference is the badgers that visit our garden have had a baby, and our bathroom is now painted white. Joy. Tony Blair is still in power, Mum is still watching Emmerdale five nights a week, and ‘going for a curry’ and wearing a hoodie is still all the rage amongst the teenage population. Indeed, sitting at the same [View Full Entry]

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Bus window hawkers in Tanzania are very strong and very cheeky people. I will be sitting, reading my book when all of a sudden the next thing I know, one has pried open the window and stuffed a BBQd corn on the cob into my face, on the end of a long wooden stick. I turn to look at him, which is immediately taken as a sign that I’m interested, so out of no where, another five corn sellers shove their burnt corn in my face too, hoping I might choose one of theirs instead. So now, I have six bits [View Full Entry]

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The hell came to the fore under Idi Amin. Greed defines much of African politics and it was under him that Uganda rapidly deteriorated into chaos; a situation that is still mirrored today in many African countries. Uganda had just been on the verge of a civil war, when Dr Obote, Prime Minister of Uganda in the 1960s, carried out a coup to abolish the Bugandan monarchy, before setting about gaining absolute rule a few years later. Amin, then the Army Chief of Start, started to show himself for who he was when, accused by a Colonol Okoya of stealing government [View Full Entry]

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“RROOWW!” “HARRD” “HARRDERR!” Panic sinking in, nine oars thrusting into the foamy, white, roaring water, we row for our lives right into the thick of a Grade 5 rapid, and the impending doom that I somehow seemed to get a front-seat view of, stupidly volunteering to go up front. It’s fair to say I’m well and truly bricking it! “RRROOOWWW!” “HHHHAARRRDDDERR!!!” The noise is deafening, we’re drowning in the raft with 12ft mountains and valleys of gurgling water all around us. Rocking about in a washing mac [View Full Entry]

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Bonjourno! Another VERY long one, but it has been two weeks, so lots to cover, and I promise you it’ll make you think in places. It’ll also definitely make you laugh at me. Enjoy the photos - the connection here is good, and the photos are low quality so it really didn’t take long to upload them. Thought I’d treat you near the end of my travels, especially after the blog length. But it’s quantity over quality. Have fun. I survived Nairobi! Quite chuffed by this statement I am, especially as I went back through the city and stayed a night [View Full Entry]

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Kenya's coastline stretches from no-go Somalia in the north, past luxury beach resorts, to Tanzania's Zanzibar archipelago in the south. It is a relatively short coast at only 500km, but nearly every traveller to Kenya makes it here at some point, and who am I to break from the norm? Well, I usually am the first to do just that actually, but for once, I'll have a traditional 'normal' week. There's still lots to experience and one can find rich Swahili culture, scary young prostitutes, and, of course, beautiful equatorial beaches. This past week, I stumbled upon all three, or rather, [View Full Entry]

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Crime, poverty, poor transport, poorer roads, corrupt governments, smudged cities, Africa is the unexplored continent, the unknown. It’s as if all my travel so far has been to prepare me for these final 2 months, and although I feel uneasy, I’m squiggling in my seat with excitement. From the outset, I’ve not been expecting travel in East Africa to be easy, but I am hoping the rewards will be great. Though, I must admit, up to now it hasn’t exactly been difficult! I’ve been waited on with 4-course dinners, driven around on a safari, have slept in safety and fed lik [View Full Entry]

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A crude map of my route through India "A teardrop on the face of eternity," "The embodiment of all things pure," and my personal and own-made favourite: "it's big, it's white, to see it's a delight, woo yeh." Can you guess what it is yet? As you would expect, no amount of photos, TV shows or even replica tacky jigsaw puzzles can live up to greeting the Taj Mahal in person. It's beautiful, it's stunning, it's an architectural masterpiece and it's quite big too. As for Agra? Well, that's a different matter. It's the filthiest place I' [View Full Entry]

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"Err, I'd like a shave please." "Certainly sir." It's one of those things I felt I had to risk trying while in India, and for any man tempted, some, few or all of the following steps may occur: 1) Conversation - when there's a man holding a blade next to your neck, it's very important to attempt to become friendly with this person, by talking about his livelihood and cricket. 2) Warn him off the goatee! 3) Continue cricket conversation while spending 10 long minutes having 'John's' cream applied; difficult when my cricket knowledge is the same as my knowledge of [View Full Entry]

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"Chai chai...chai chai chai" shouts the 9th passing vendor holding a kettle or bucket to the train windows. How any of them can make ends meet competing with the other 17 (or so) sellers is beyond me, but they keep at it, in case a passenger missed the 'chai' call the 95th time, and may actually now want some. Chai is one of India's main drinks, tea with lashings of sugar and synonymous with India's trains. England could learn a thing or two from their cousins abroad when it comes to these long, moving things - they're quick, extensive and plentiful, [View Full Entry]

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