Jan 11, 2013 - Jambo!

We arrived in Nairobi one day before the safari started so we hired a car & driver to take us around. We started at an elephant orphanage for the daily public feeding. Most of the elephants are orphaned because their mothers are killed by poachers for ivory. The keepers feed the babies SMA baby formula - each baby gets 24 kg of the powdered formula per day. These orphans stay here up to 5 years. Elephants get tusks at 2 yrs old, they live up to 70 years and usually die due to starvation because they loose their teeth. Next we drove to...

Dec 23, 2012 - Und schon wieder vorbei :(

Heute haben wir das letzte Mal unsere Zelte zusammen gepackt und unsere Taschen in den Truck geräumt. Sechs Wochen gehen doch am Ende ganz schön schnell vorbei. Um ca. 8.00Uhr waren wir an der tanzanischen Grenze ... Der letzte Grenzübergang auf der Tour. Wir waren alle schon eine ganze Weile fertig und wieder zurück im Truck, aber Francois fehlte immer noch. Im großen und ganzen war das nicht ungewöhnlich, da er immer noch zu seinen Papieren den Truck an- und abmelden muss, aber heute war es so lange, dass Maryke ihn irgendwann suchen...

Oct 31, 2012 - IHF Nakuru No. 2

Our busy days have continued at IHF. It is so heartwarming to be greeted by lots of hugs again after our one night away from the center helping with the famine feed and lots of children saying "we missed you". Boys and girls surround you for a "grandmotherly and grandfatherly" hug, they are quite affectionate. It feels quite an accomplishment in the mornings to have eighty something children all heading off to the various schools! There are always last minute things - broken shoes, ink for their fountain pen, needing a new book, can't find...

Jun 22, 2012 - The day before we go

Friday 22nd June Nearly ready to go Hans Theisen arrived last night from Denmark and will take part in the first leg to Vic Falls. Boerge, Hans and Thomas will leave Saturday morning 23 June - headed for Moshi, Tanzania our first stop on the 47 day long Journey. Boerge will drive along in Peter's car to Lusaka - from where he will return. The Savosnick and the balance three of the Hansen family will fly to Lusaka and meet up Saturday the 30th.

Jun 15, 2012 - Getting Ready

Nearly ready. Have a broker organize the Carne. However Kenya AA just called me to tell me that the photo copies of my passport, AA valuation and logbook were so poor could I please deliver new copies. Of course on the day I wanted to collect. Welcome to Africa, always cutting corners. Did I mention the broker is getting paid? Decided not to touch the engine injectors so close to departure. Ain't broke and not smoking. Some theory about extra power. Peter.

Jun 1, 2012 - Nairobi and the end of our tour

Today we cross the border into Kenya and drive to Nairobi, arriving about lunchtime. Nairobi seems quite western when compared with other cities we have visited since leaving Cape Town. Duel lane highways, large industrial area – plenty of security. I hadn’t realised that accommodation wasn’t included in the tour but we quickly get a room for the night – the hotels very nice. High fences and gates and our luggage is screen before we enter the hotel. We say goodbye to Chris, Steven and Eunice. It is obvious that they have enjoyed the tour...

May 9, 2012 - Sometimes the lights all shining on me....

Other times I can barely see Lately it occurs to me What a long strange trip it's been.... Karibu (welcome) ..... here I am in Nairobi, Kenya ..... 3 months in Africa, 10 countries, 71 days on overland trucks, safari's, game drives, scuba dives, so many cultures, languages, landscapes, people, and a little bit of everything in between. It is all a bit of a blur. I'm exhausted. It's all good. Hakuna Matata (no problem)! This leg of the journey started about 3 weeks ago in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. I spent my last few days there really...

Apr 11, 2012 - Getting prepared

"You should have seen the look on the customs guys faces at Nairobi airport, when they opened my bag and found 800 small vibrators" said a very loud Scottish woman as we sat finishing our dinner. "I brought them out here so that the slum prostitutes I work with can experience some pleasure for themselves as Kenyan men shag with all the sensitivity of a rhinoceros." I chewed silently, not knowing whether to applaud for ingenuity or recognise I was yet again in the presence of another utter nutter doing their thing for Kenya. Wildebeest Camp...

Mar 21, 2012 - Day 60 to 65 - Nairobi...Harry enters warriorhood

I have tried to be discreet about Harry's visits to various peadatricians in Nairobi during the course of the last month however I have since realized discretion is not required in Kenya. Harry needed to be circumcised and there is no way it could wait for us to return to Oz. What better place to have it done than Kenya. Of the forty odd main tribes in Kenya, only the Luo and Turkana do not practice circumcision. Circumcision for most is a much yearned for, if not slightly dreaded, event. It is the most momentous occasion in a man's life...

Mar 10, 2012 - Day 50 to 53 - Nairobi...Upgrade from 1 star tank shed to 5 star Panafric

Checking out of the one star tank shed we farewelled Chris and Nadiera and headed for Nairobi and the epicurean pleasures of the Panafric. Breezing pass the doorman in livery with my plastic carrier bags as luggage, the kids and I settled ourselves in the lounge area of the lobby while geezer checked in. While we were waiting, a glass of fresh guava juice accompanied by hot towels were served up by smiling hostesses. After one shower in five days (recap...no power at tank shed = no hot water = grubby Hornes) I wanted to give myself a head...

Mar 5, 2012 - Anton the taxi driver

We got the most entertaining cad driver I’ve ever had on our ride from the airport to our hotel in Nairobi. We spent the whole ride alternating between hysterics, horror and fascination and he told us stories about himself and his family. I regret not having a tape recorder with me and will do my best to recount his stories here. Just know that along with his beautiful accent there were a lot of hand gestures that added to the whole thing. Audrey, of course, got the ball rolling by asking about where Anton is from originally and what it’s...

Mar 2, 2012 - Day 44 to 45 - Nairobi...even the tooth fairy gets mugged

Saying goodbye to Tom and promising to come back for a visit in a fortnight, we left Naivasha, driving up the steep escarpment behind some very slow trucks towards Nairobi. Once upon a time my map reading skills were as good as my karaoke singing. Awful. But necessity has honed the map reading (however sadly not the karaoke) and we arrived at our digs in Nairobi, a quite leafy guesthouse and campsite run by an Australia couple, Wildebeest camp. Briefly throwing up a tent it was more map reading to take us to Gertrude's children's hospital....