http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/alyssaras/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from alyssaras en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:12:00 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:12:00 +0000 On July 15th we said our good byes to our fellow volunteers and boarded a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. The luxury of the airplane in comparison to the way we had been living for the past two months was striking. Qatar Airways certainly aims to please. Upon arrival in Doha we were given free visas a free hotel stay at the Movenpick and free dinner... all because we had a 13 hour layover. It wa http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Qatar/Doha/blog-420140.html Our basic routine here at Camp Lanoche is wake up around 730 get water from the huge tanks in the yard collected daily by the kids who must walk to a tiny stream about a half hour away wash with the water help make chapatis and various other foods like beans or ugali for breakfast eat breakfast at around 11am go to the neighbors yard to collect oranges with the kids spend some time filli http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Dar-es-Salaam/blog-417086.html It's been a while since our last blog but we've finally managed to get to the internet. As the end of June 29th approached we weren't really sure what our plans for the next two weeks would be. We had tried to call the listed number for the next orphanage and we'd also emailed but no response. All the hotels in Dar es Salaam were booked or so it seemed since we called about 7 or 8 and no http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-416109.html We just returned from Bwejuu a small village on the east coast yesterday. It was amazing Somehow we managed to get a reservation at Bahari Beach Village a resort that isn't even officially open yet because the ownership has just changed. We were the only guests and therefore we were waited on hand and foot. Our bungalow was located literally 10 feet from the ocean and durning the day we searche http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/Bwejuu/blog-413012.html We have arrived in Tanzania Four days ago we took a 14 hour long bus ride down from Nairobi to Dar Es Salaam. The muslim influence was immediately apparent once we crossed the border. Men walk around wearing rectangle hats and women walk around covered from head to foot. Even the environment was different from Kenya. Where much of Kenya is dry and sunscorched Tanzania is extremely lush with m http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-411438.html The last blog the old man and the machete was meant to be published last friday when we were in Kisii but we accidentally saved it rather than publishing it online.On Tuesday we left Kiamokama and headed down the road for Narok. We took a matatu and a ride that should have been two hours ended up taking five. The matatu driver stopped ever ten minutes to pick up new passengers and to drop of http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-410104.html so this is probably the last blog in Kenya. We just came back to Kisii today to finish up everything here. It's only been a couple days but not too much has happened. Alyssa got electrocuted when she stuck her hand in some water that was heating up. It was one of those full body electrocutions. Also yesterday the crazy old man from next door got drunk extra early and walked over to the ki http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nyanza-Province/Kisii/blog-407461.html On the night we arrived home after our last post Neal was attacked by a cow with horns. It apparently thought Neal was a threat because it started sprinting after him. Alyssa was very shocked and really could do nothing except yell and scream for him to run inside. He was only wearing flipflops and it had just finished raining so he slipped easily in the mud. Luckily he fell next to an even http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nyanza-Province/Kisii/blog-406429.html So we've finally been able to get internet access again after about two weeks. This time we fit 30 people onto our 15 seat matatu. Since it's been a while we have a bunch more stuff thats happened. The first thing we want to mention is the crazy person who stayed at the center before us. Apparently this woman had contacted the Center in January and was going to stay sometime in February. H http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nyanza-Province/Kisii/blog-404516.html After a five hour matatu ride we finally arrived in the town of Kiamokama. Mary met us there and we piled into a four door sedan with 9 other people. That is how they travel here in Kenya. On the way to the Childrenrsquos Home we passed fields of tea and maize the two main crops in this area. Tea farmers pick the tea leaves sell them to the tea factory in town and then buy pack the processe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nyanza-Province/Kisii/blog-400455.html So after writing our last entry in the blog we decided we'd go to the UN to see if Neal could take his money out. The taxi there cost us about 800ksh 10. but on the way back this really nice guy who wanted to be a landscape architect help us get back to our hotel by matatu. Matatus are the local form of transit 14 people in an 8 person van and a whole lot of crazy driving. It was an exper http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-399583.html Hey hey kiddies. So I decided I'd take a turn at writing about all the stuff but Alyssa has stolen nearly all the things that happened so far so theres not much for me to write about. However what she didn't mention is that on the second flight from Heathrow to Nairobi I sat next to a smelly man who wore a Harvard sweater. He was nice but still smelly. Also I would recommend everyone watc http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-399358.html After traveling by car plane taxi bus and shuttle we have finally arrived in Kenya. It was a close call with our connection in London. We had a teeny tiny layover and our first flight was delayed almost an hour. The Heathrow Airport in London is HUGE and we were forced to run up multiple flights of stairs and down hallways that wound all over the place. A woman named Joyce drove us from the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-399353.html Alyssa and Neal's East Africa Trip COUNTDOWN Here is what our current itinerary looks like May 13 Fly from Sacramento CA to Hartford CT. Stay at hotel there overnight.May 14 Take Greyhound bus from Hartford to New York City and then take a shuttle to JFK. We fly out at 805pm on British Airways flight 0116 to London.May 15 Arrive in London at 810 am. Get on flight to Nairobi leaving at http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Sacramento/blog-397805.html