Greetings all from Rwanda…my third east African country in just over 10 days. Phewwee! A whistle-stop tour of the cradle of civilization but boy, its an experience. Gruelling…hot…intense…exciting…magnificent are just a few adjectives to throw out there… So, grab yourself a cup of steaming chai and settle down as Im currently online in a convent in the town of Musanze, dropping off point for the Parc National de Volcans http://images.google.rw/images?q=Parc%20National%20de%20Volcans&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi and home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas. Tomorrow we don our hiking boots, bathe in mosquito repellant and traipse deep into the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ in search of these incredible animals… but for now, let me re-cap on the trip so far….. Having negotiated Nairobbery , its eclipse, its slums,... read more

Hi all, A brief note to say I fly to Kenya tonight (snow permitting) with the cellphone number of a physics Professor at the University of Nairobi! Planning to meet up with him and view the annular eclipse on the morning of the 15th .... bit random I know but eclipse-chasers.com has been a source of highly amusing and helpful people - albeit slightly geeky. My Intrepid tour assembles in Nairobi on the 16th and we hit the road the following day. If you are interested, this is the link... http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/uor its called Africa Encompassed and takes in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa...am unbelievably excited though a little reticent of living in a tent again for 3 months....it looks liek an epic journey. If anyone feels like throwing ... read more

Hello all Believe it or not the last few days of this epic south american oddessey are coming to an end. I arrived back to Quito today to grey rain - after 2 weeks of mainly double digit temperatures and bracing ocean winds aboard The Beagle http://www.thebeagle.com.ec/ I hear the Uk is suffering global warming (??) in the extreme - snow and plenty of it so I suppose i best be thankful for the opportunity to acclimatise before i clamber on my Iberia cattle flight and head home in 2 days. Yep, Im back on 22 Dec and dont fly to Kenya unitil mid January so hoping to catch up with many of you over the festive period. I have to say I can never get used to Xmas in hot climes.... its just wrong. ... read more

Hello all.... So its been one of the best weeks of the trip so far. Ecuador is a magnificently lush and beautiful country. Our days have been crammed with horse riding, climbing waterfalls, spotting hummingbirds, trekking in the jungle, canyoning with tarantulas in the dark, tubing down the rio napa, visiting local communities and an animal sanctuary, swinging in hammocks, drinking indecent amounts of rum and as you can guess from this simple list I have had no time to write properly so this is a very brief hello and a note to say Ive managed to upload some more pictures. Link here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=174920&id=691995235&l=00c72d26a8 We spent 3 glorious days in cloud forest country in Rio Verde...at a beautiful pardise created by an ex-overland driver. Easiest for me to give you the link http://hostel-banos-pequenoparaiso.com/ Utterly beguiling ... read more

Hi all Happy weekends all! Hurrah! Its been a lazy day in Huanchaco- staying in a gorgous place right on the beach. http://www.hostalnaylamp.com/enter.html Was up late last night drinking rum and playing poker but plans to whip out the bikini and enjoy the dulcit swash of the Pacific Ocean lapping at the shore have been thwarted due to inclement skies, so believe it or not, I have uploaded the latest pics for you. Cant quite believe i have caught up with myself...am giving myslf a HUGE pat on the back and three cheers for the internet eh?! In fact, there are pics here that were taken only 30 mins ago...the tortoise eating prickly pear leaves. I havnt even got blog that up to date! You'll be pleased to hear that all traces of Peruvian swine ... read more