http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa en-us Sat, 17 May 2008 16:50:36 BST Sat, 17 May 2008 16:50:36 BST We have just arrived in Aswan having got the sleeper train from Cairo. Aside from the radio station on the train only playing Celine Dion and the lounge car being kitted in brown decor and hazy with cigarette smoke like a 1970s film it was a relatively comfortable journey. It took 12 hours from Cairo and we slept sporadically in a 2 berth cabin as the train jerked and jolted. The Nile in Aswan http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Upper-Egypt/Aswan/blog-277147.html My little ninjas http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/blog-277059.html Well for those of you who were worried about Nick Lacheyrsquos career you will be glad to know that he is booming over the Tanzanian air waves. Also 3rd Rock from the Sun Mad About You and the first season of CSI Miami are played a LOT on Dubai One a widely broadcast tv station in Tanzania. Menrsquos tennis also seems to be popular. And American Idol. Oy vay.The above information was http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Moshi/blog-277033.html They cut the power Whadaya mean they cut the powerOh dear this one has been brewing for a while so it's likely to be a long one. Sorry.So it has been one month since we returned from the field trip and life has settled back into a routine of sorts. Usually one that involves activities with power and activities without power depending on whether we can turn the bedside lamp on when we wake up http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Benishangul-Gumuz-Region/Asosa/blog-277028.html Today was the day Jill had been waiting for nearly a year the Meerkat SafariThe Safari was to take place where the Discovery Channel film Meerkat Manor and because of this we couldnrsquot do the evening tour we had to meet the guide at 640am for the morning tour. Not too bad I hear you say but when the meeting place is 80miles away over a mountain pass then you wonrsquot be surprised to http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Oudtshoorn/blog-276988.html So we made it and have been to 3 cities already... found a cafe to write in l'medina in Asilah. Almost out of time though so this is my little message for now..Getting a little hungry and there are only a few hours left in the day.Thank goodness I never took a typing class or I zould be SCREWED on this keyboard where I have yet to find an sign.. silly yesWe will be leaving Asilqh tomorrow afte http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Tangier-T-touan/Asilah/blog-276957.html Well guessing by the volume of emails in my inbox everyone is wondering where I've been since the last post. The answer Madagascar Home to chamelons lemurs and baobobs the spiny forest and huge freaking spiders. For those of you who don't know for the last eight weeks I've been travelling and volunteers in a small village on the southwest coast of Madagascar called Andavadoaka Andava for s http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-276941.html I hope you all are fine I read that the weather in the Netherlands is very good last weeks. That's good to know cause it means probably that you're somehow having a good time. At the moment I'm back in Kampala. But that is however only for one night. Tomorrow I'll meet the director of the FACE foundation in Kampala and we'll travel together to Kibale national park about a day of traveling from http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Western-Region/Fort-Portal/blog-276933.html Yesterday went a little long but was a successful day nonetheless. It got started with a phone call telling us that Daisy Kafula's wife was at UTH in labor. We resolved to go by before the day was over.We spent the morning at Bwafwano taking care of some of the initial preparations for the RUTF trainings that will run from Monday to Wednesday. In other words we bought a ton of food checke http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Zambia/Lusaka/blog-276922.html 4 weeks and counting....wow. I can't imagine leaving my home in Stellenbosch...This past week has been by far the fastest week ever. in fact every week gets shorter and shorter. I guess this one felt so short because I was crazy busy with finals and papers. Luckily my 20 page community development paper got extended till Wednesday thank goodness. Let's see had my Afrikaans written exam on Wedn http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Stellenbosch/blog-276714.html Today we went to an orphanage about an hour's drive outside of Nairobi. There were 9 of us in total our group and some students from Abha college and we were faced with treating 100 kids Needless to say it was tiring and certainly initiation by fire. However the kids were absolutely adorable and a couple of clear symptom pictures did come up when repertorizing. Hopefully we were able to h http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/blog-276699.html Irsquove spent the last six weeks volunteering for the Cheetah Conservation Fund CCF in Namibia. Irsquove had a fantastic time so far and the best part is that Irsquoll be here for six more weeks as well.CCF was founded in 1990 by American born Dr Laurie Marker and in the decades since has made one of the greatest single contributions to the future survival of the wild cheetah population http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Waterberg/blog-276619.html Disaster strikesDriving in Africa is a bit different to UK as there are so many more obstacles. We usually work it that we have a driver and a spotter so that one of us can look out for the goats cows people donkeys etc that get in the way. There are also quite a fews potholes which you have to avoid. The way that it usually works is when I'm driving Andy tells me I can go faster and when http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-West/Chobe-National-Park/blog-276577.html Botswana Francistown and NataAfter being really surprised by Joburg we were really looking forward to Botswana. We stopped over in a place called Rustenburg to get to Botswana which wasn't all that nice so we went to the pics to see Keanu Reeves and Forest Whittaker. We then did a really long drive the next day across the border and up to Francistown which was about 600km.Immediately Bots http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/North-East/Francistown/blog-276567.html Joburg and SowetoAt the backpackers in the Drakensburg we met Chi Paul and Nirali. Chi very kindly offered to put us up at his flat for a couple of days so that we could see the real Jo'Burg. His flat turned out to be a very cool very large loft style apartment with a sauna and plunge pool He had decked the whole place out from scratch and it was very stylish. He is also a great cook and http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Gauteng/Johannesburg/blog-276556.html Hi EveryoneBeen a while since I've had the time to sit down and add an entry been so busy seeing things and getting up to no good.Was at a casino on Sunday night and I won R700 which was great I was the only winner out of crowd was nice to rub it on on those who lost a bit nah nah nah nah nah Blows a Rasp.Rest of this week and been hectic been to several beaches along the coastline been t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Eastern-Cape/Storms-River/blog-276546.html We finally arrived in Mozambique and I have to say it was well worth the effort The white beaches faded Portuguese charm some of the most pristine corals I've ever seen rock formations rearing up out of nowhere before melting back into the green expanses or red earth plains made it one of the most scenically dramatic countries yet and that's saying something after the Serengeti It was also http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mozambique/Northern/blog-276545.html