Travel Blog

Day 30: 31st May 2010

by Kate. When we started out on this adventure we thought no further than a visit to Kenya, bringing our project to Kenya and a small promotional blog.

Day 30: 31st May 2010

by David. We woke up today both suffering the effects of cheap whiskey and little sleep to go on our early morning drive, which consisted of watching two very lazy lions decide whether or not they wanted to pick off an injured buffalo from the herd.

Day 29: 30th May 2010

by David. More adventures in the wild today, including a family of elephants crossing our path, being terrified by a Black Mamba snake in the grass beside us and a cheeky monkey stealing from our packed lunches.

Day 29: 30th May 2010

by Kate. I never thought that I would say this, as a huge animal lover, but the Massai Mara is not all about the animals. To experience the real Mara, away from the postcards and tourist camps is to accept, however unwillingly, the real relationship between man and beast.

Day 28: 29th May 2010

by David. Whoever we were praying to last night was not listening, (or had read His copy of 'Roy the Eagle' backwards and was exacting revenge...), as our cards were still not working. So, there we were, at the tail end of one of the toughest, most strenuous and emotional months of our lives

Day 28: 29th May 2010

by Kate. There’s far too much to take in here... Elton was right about one thing, out here all that seems to exist is a circle of life death and waiting for life and death. The Mara is so wild that the long grass appears to move of its own accord.

Day 27: 28th May 2010

by David. After our experience with the hospital last night, we were about ready to leave Nanyuki behind us and begin the only part of our trip that we could actually class as a 'holiday'...the safari!

Day 27: 28th May 2010

by Kate. Two hospital visits down, eight missed schools and the promise of a safari and we were back on the road. The whole of yesterday was a haze and I was quite pleased when pumped for of all the necessary drugs we were on our way home.

Day 26: 27th May 2010

by David. A little tip to anyone travelling abroad: if at home, your ingrained Englishness prevents you from complaining when your food comes out cold in a restaurant, this should not apply when travelling in Africa, especially in a place where the dining room doubles as a TV room.

Day 25: 26th May 2010

by David. After yesterday's near-miss with the authorities, we decided that it was best to make a good impression and got up especially early in order to get a good start on the day; unfortunately, Peter had other ideas and arrived a couple of hours late for our meeting

Day 25: 26th May 2010

by Kate. Late, late for a very important date! I hate being late, this doesn’t mean that I myself am not late, more that I hate other people being and in turn making me late. I like it be my choice and as an independent woman in the 21st century I was pretty peeved.

Day 24: 25th May 2010

by David. It seems that no matter where you are in the world, whether you are securing a multi-billion dollar business deal in the penthouse suite of the Empire State building, or, as it may be, trying to get a list of primary schools that you can visit on a children's book tour in a Civil Servant's office in Nanyuki, there is one thing on which you can always rely on

Day 24: 25th May 2010

by Kate. Breakfast, cornflakes and eggs??? You may have noticed that Dave and I, very occasionally like to project an air of slight superiority over the British, in fact any race of holidaymaker. Well, we are hypocrites and hotel breakfast excites me, so there.

Day 23: 24th May 2010

by David. Before we began the final week of schools, Kate and I stopped by Felista's orphanage, the home that we began our tour with on the second week of our trip, (anyone remember pudlake?!)

Day 23: 24th May 2010

by Kate. Today the Oddtails Kenya Tour was a bigger success than the three of us (Dave, Roy and I) could have ever imagined. Throughout our journey there have been ups and downs, but mainly ups, highlights including learning to swim in puddles, eating flying termites (classification not exact) and teaching Kenya how to dance a la Britannia.

Day 22: 23rd May 2010

by David. Today was Giraffe Day. It had been put off too many times now for Kate to let me forget that we were visiting the giraffes and that we were going to spend the whole day with them until the park keepers threw us out.

Day 22: 23rd May 2010

Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes!

Day 21: 22nd May 2010

by Kate. Same, same: Buses are not the most glamorous way to travel...one day we will be rich enough to fly, like Roy who beat our bus and was partying with Becky and her mates on our return.

But, different: Why are cheese and crisp sandwiches so much tastier on a hot sticky bus abroad?

Day 21: 22nd May 2010

by David. Ouch. The rooster that had been so useful and accommodating to us during our stay was now drilling tiny holes of hellfire through my ears and into my skull, as we furtively packed our bags this morning. Our taxi arrived, (mercifully) on time, so we were able to make our connecting bus to Nairobi.

Day 20: 21st May 2010

by David. Our final day in Kitale was supposed to consist of a presentation at Kitale Academy, followed by a brief stint at Sports Day, then home. This being Kenya, however, things didn't exactly go to plan. The presentation went well, with more demands to get 'Roy the Eagle' published in Kenya and another discussion about what the school needs in terms of help an assistance from the UK

Day 20: 21st May 2010

by Kate. I am beginning to feel that I have adapted into the lifestyle of a teacher quite quickly. Early start proceeded by a few token lessons in the morning at Kitale Academy. The school is an old International school which is now a private academy for day students and borders.

Day 19: 20th May 2010

by Kate. Two more schools today, followed by beans, super-noodles and day old unrefrigerated sausages then bed at 8.30. There are those of our friends, family and acquaintances (ourselves included) that laughed and joked at the prospect of a month in Kenya reading a few stories and having a dance with the children.

Day 19: 20th May 2010

by David. We both woke up to a fresh sting of sunburn accompanied by the increasingly familiar sound of our resident rooster crowing at the break of dawn, as the early morning sunlight teased our eyes into consciousness. After the initial agony of wrenching oneself out of bed at such an ungodly hour, I've actually quite enjoyed getting up this early

Day 18: 19th May 2010

by David. We started going round Kitale's schools today, starting with Sylvester's 'Birunda School'; Sylvester is a very gentle, friendly man who is helping us plan this leg of our trip. He has also lent us the use of his motorbike for the duration of our stay, along with a driver, named Pius.

Day 18: 19th May 2010

by Kate. Cock-a doodle doo! I always bloody hated cornflakes! So up we were for a splash under a cold tap and a breakfast of Pasta 'n' Flies in Sauce (hands off Ragu) We jumped onto our motorbike, feeling very Uma Therman, Kill Bill and arrived at our first target (I mean school) Birunda, looking more Jesse Wallace.

Day 17: 18th May 2010

by Kate. Calling all young wannabes who have the stars of fame effervescing in their peepers, dreaming of recognition, V.I.P treatment and a tail of screaming followers. Put down those hairbrushes (please!), step away from our T.V. screens and accept you have about as much rhythm as Roy Cropper (or Dave, for those non-coronation street fans).

Day 17: 18th May 2010

by David. School’s out today, due to a town-wide meeting of various education boards, one which couldn’t be cancelled at the last minute due to our arrival, (words will be had), so we explored Kitale. Kitale turned out to be pretty small, consisting of Nakumatts, (Kenya’s answer to Tesco) and street vendors, (Kenya’s answer to Morrissons).

Day 16: 17th May 2010- On the road to Kitale

by Kate. Zebras and baboon, at last! We, stripped down to the original two-hander A-team, we’re travelling with Moses from Nairobi to Kitale which was a a gloriously scenic route and full of wild life, including our black and white hoofed friends. When one thinks of Kenya they seldom draw to mind rolling hills, towering trees and and vibrant, exotic flowers, this backdrop sets the scene for the next stage of our safari (journey).

Day 16: 17th May 2010- On the road to Kitale

by David. I’m feeling much better today, so I guess yesterday’s malady was just a 24-hour bug; Kate seems almost disappointed that it wasn’t malaria, after all, we’ve still got some boxes left to tick on the insurance claim form and that would certainly have raised us up to ‘big boy’ status.

Day 15: 16th May 2010

by David. I woke up in the night absolutely freezing, as if I was submerged in a bath of ice; I put 4 tops on and two sets of trousers, some long socks and a beanie hat and still I shivered. It took 4 hours of lying awake engulfed in both of our blankets, wondering how Kate was remaining seemingly unaffected by the arctic conditions that Nairobi was clearly experiencing, before I realised that I was really ill and that although I felt as if I was swimming through snow, my body was hot enough to fry bacon on.

Day 15: 16th May 2010

by Kate. No giraffes, no National Park, just a very poorly Dave. He has been up all night with shivers and a temperature. So I have positioned him on the balcony with a heap of Masai blankets and have been spoon-feeding him avocado and chicken on toast, pineapples and watermelon. He seems to be getting better but I will be keeping a close eye on him.

Day 14: 15th May 2010

by Kate. Schools out and all that lies ahead is a weekend of lie-ins, a good book and a nice Argentinean Malbec. A girl can dream. Post-vineyard infused fantasies I am up and very slightly groggy from the meal and drinks last night (a thank you to our wonderful host and, of course, no pleasure for us whatsoever.) It was quarter to nine, so slightly later than a school morning and I got ready to start the day with a nice, relaxing shower.

Day 14: 15th May 2010

by David. If I aimed to give my stomach a rest today, I was in for a surprise; after we paid our visit to the Textbook Centre, (no luck yet, “try Head Office”, same story, different country) and finally buying a new charger for my laptop, we headed over to Eastlands where a friend of Kate's Uncle's had prepared for us a feast fit for Kings.

Day 13: 14th May 2010

by Kate. Rejection from our school in Kibera, the biggest slum in Africa and the second biggest in the world. I suppose if you are going to be shown the door it may as well be from a door of note, but I can't pretend I wasn't offended. I mean here we were in the pouring rain in flip flops at 9am offering to read and play with the children and leave them copies of our book and all we got was, 'what are you going to give?'

Day 13: 14th May 2010

by David. The school that we visited today was a quaint little refuge centre/school, constructed almost entirely of corrugated iron and packed to the rafters with excitable and adorable children. We got an enthusiastic reception, not least from the smattering of German volunteers that were dotted around the place, who seemed genuinely interested in our trip.

Day 12: 13th May 2010

by David. Today I fell head over heels in love and considered dropping everything and emigrating to Kenya to spend the rest of my life with a girl, within 5 minutes of meeting her. Kate needn't worry though, the girl in question was not even old enough to say my name, what with her being an abandoned orphan of the tender age of three, and I doubt that she would put up with me anyway.

Day 12: 13th May 2010

by Kate. Today we made a terrible, terrible mistake. The consequences which it will have on our project and the team dynamic are not yet clear but I feel we will be rueing the weeks to come, let alone the day. I don't know how it happened, it was early, tempers and time were running out and by the time we had realised what we had done it was too late. He was gone.

Day 11: 12th May 2010

by David. A little shaky after yesterday's follies, we began our day by returning to the Muslim school where we were met with less enthusiasm than the last time, probably because the class was twice the size of the last ones, unsupervised except for an IT man who seemed to revel in his self-appointed job of turning the projector off and on when I was trying to talk to a group of children about being a journalist and flicking through the holiday snaps

Day 11: 12th May 2010

by Kate. Oooh, I am getting old. Today I told off a group of 15 year old boys twice my size, “If the older boys at the back are too rude to join in with the story can they remain quite and stop talking as the children at the front can't hear.” At every school, teachers keep telling me that I would make a fantastic teacher;

Day 10: 11th May 2010

by David. What should I tell you about today? Should I mention the fantastic reception that we received at the slum school and the incredible dance-off between the classes, all of whom could forge good careers shaking their bodies on stage? Should I describe our laughs at playing with the nursery children in a room that was no bigger than a large bathroom in London?

Day 10: 11th May 2010

by Kate. If Dr. Foster had tired of waiting for the delayed 11.42 from Kings Cross to Gloucester, he may well have decided to take advantage of KLM's cheap air fares and thus unwittingly landed himself in a similar predicament. There are many environmental demons that I was preparing myself to witness during our trip around Kenya: pollution, poaching, lack of sanitation and rubbish disposal.

Day 9: 10th May 2010

by David. We were supposed to begin visiting the slum schools today, but with half of our team bed-stricken, we thought it prudent to rest up for the day and instead arranged for Felista, our contact for the slums, to come round to our flat, (our flat? See what I mean about Kenyan hospitality?! 9 days in and I’m changing the wallpaper…)

Day 8: 9th May 2010

by David. I woke up to a not unfamiliar sight of Kate bent over the toilet, complaining of a sore stomach and headache; however, we suspected that her fragile state was not due to the usual cause of red, red wine, but to one of the more unfriendly creatures that we have encountered on our travels, a stomach bug.

Day 7: 8th May 2010

by David. Lazy-ish day today, seeing as school is out, which was lucky as Kate seems to be coming down with something; I left her to wallow in bed as I caught up with some work, (martyr, I know), then made the decision not to visit the giraffe sanctuary today, seeing as Kate was too ill.

Day 6: 7th May 2010

by Kate. ‘Feed the giraffes, twopence a bag…’ really twopence, as one of the many anglicised features of Kenyan life aside from the old fashioned members clubs, love for Arsenal (?) and left hand side motoring, is that their currency is based on our pre-decimalisation currency of shillings and pence.

Day 6: 7th May 2010

by David. Mombasa/Nairobi. Election Results Day!!! Kate and I promised each other that if the Conservatives got in then we would stay in Kenya, so, paradoxically, we were crossing our fingers for a Cameron victory; unfortunately, it would appear that a hung parliament is going to be the order of the day, with the Conservatives getting more seats but no majority.

Day 5: 6th May 2010

by Kate. 06.15. We definitely did not think this trip through! The schools all start early due to the heat which I guess is for the greater good, but the less utilitarian side of me would have sold her soul for an extra hour in that four poster bed.

Day 5: 6th May 2010

by David. Another early start today, and as we wipe the sleep away from our eyes we are confronted with what appears to be paradise, a gated paradise that boasts palm trees, mangroves, an ocean view and a swimming pool

Day 4: 5th May 2010

by Kate. One late taxi, four rounds of mincemeat (I am becoming a lion) with buttered toast and 2 (very slightly) woolly heads (It would have been rude to turn down a Kenyan boogie over a sly glass of red) and here we were at the moment of truth…

Day 4: 5th May 2010

Nairobi/Mombasa. by David. 6.45 a.m. The only occasions when I ever see this time in London is if I have not been to bed after a night out and am usually cradling a can of lukewarm Strongbow, trying to work out how I’m going to simultaneously watch Alan Partridge, listen to Yeasayer and eat a lemon and lime Twister in the bath whilst not passing out and drowning.

Day 3: 4th May 2010

by Kate. After our brief liaison with Nairobi yesterday we were eager to get back out there and explore. Armed with an SLR camera, sun block and our wits (we already considered ourselves experienced mat passengers), in our eagerness to hit the Small Smoke we had forgotten only one thing.

Day 3: 4th May 2010

by David. After a brief lie-in, we are up and about, raring to check out more of what Nairobi has to offer us travelling authors. First step is to pick up a dongle, (or, to absolutely every Kenyan we have met, a ‘modem’…where we picked up that ridiculous name, I don’t know, but it only seems to register with Mzungos…), in order to allow us free range Internet access.

Day 2: 3rd May 2010

By David. Today we have been exploring the city centre and have discovered many interesting things about Kenya…firstly, the public transport is a lot more exciting than England. The hustle and bustle of the tube at rush hour pales in comparison with the roller coaster ride of the ‘Matatas’, the shuttle buses that sail over pot-holes at break neck speeds, rushing the public all over the city to the soundtrack of 90’s R & B.

Day 1: 2nd May 2010

By Kate. Volcano ash, a mis-sized plane and two unforgivably poor in-flight films later and we are here. Kenya. Ok, so maybe I was slightly naive to hold out a glimmer of hope that we would be met by a herd of graceful giraffes at arrivals; it is early morning after all. Once we had met our host, after much confusion and embarrassing eye contact blunders, we were on our way.

Day 1: 2nd May 2010

by David. So, first day down and we are finally here! No amount of flight delays, sleep deprivation or grumpy air stewards can keep us away from our destination and after a nine-hour long haul flight we touched down in Nairobi; Roy the Eagle was allowed to travel with us as part of our hand luggage, which he was happy about, as, ironically, he is a nervous flyer…