Borderline

Hello. We're on a looooong drive today - ten hours to Tanzania to spend the night on the shore of lake Victoria. I am feeling trepidation as the last time I dealt with the tent, 3 days ago, we had packed it up covered in mud and soaking wet. Not going to be fun putting it up. Mouldsville, Tennessee.

Yesterday was spent in Nakuru national park. The flamingos were truly beautiful, and exceeded my expectations. Tent-buddy let me use her 10-22mm lens, so I should have some cracking superwide-angle shots of the lake, glowing pink with flamingo. Also lots of rhinos (black and white), buffalo, pelicans, and the usual plethora of giraffe/impala/zebra. No cats at all so far - I'm sure the Serengeti and crater will be more forthcoming, as Keith is getting a little eager!

Our truck broke yesterday, so we had to hitch a lift with another Exodus truck back to the campsite, while Julius worked his magic fixing George. Very strange experience. The other truck had just started their holiday (day 2), they are doing a 2-week version of our trip. It was like a parallel universe, they were all really quiet and, well, boring-looking. They didn't even crack a smile when Mel regaled us with tales of her 19th birthday present of a blow-up doll named Mutafa Shag, and I nearly laughed water out of my nose. We have named their truck Exodull. Leo (chef) informed us that their truck killed someone, so we might have to tell Exodull that they're riding a murder-wagon to instill a frisson of excitement. That is IF their truck keeps working after we did serious pot-holing with 14 extra passengers, their suspension must the shafted!

Random observations from last day or two:

1. TB has eaten bear. We've been doing the whole "yes, I've eaten warthog/kudu/zebra/crocodile/snake" etc etc... But BEAR?!? I am still battling with that concept. Paddington! Rupert! Pooh! Yogi, and indeed BooBoo. She just read this paragraph and said "I bet BooBoo would be tasty". Ai carumba.

2. I'm trying to master the art of Good Night in Kiswahili, but according to TB it still sounds like I'm saying llama salami. My confidence is knocked, but am determined to crack it.

3. I was on the back seat of the truck yesterday, going through the acacia forests of Nakuru - mainly fever trees so the woods had a yellow glow - and we were descended on by millions of mosquitos. I highly recommend the industrial 100% DEET I bought at Ellis Brigham. We had a slapping frenzy and took revenge. Mozzfest 2007. It was very rewarding payback.

4. A conversation about animal-names happened - after Bricab made it into a few holiday snaps, and Suze (yep, TB again) started suggesting names for pet mooses. After the usual (chris, o'chocolate, kateer), she came up with Tache. One for you, Dominic!

5. Susie just pointed out that we were passing 'Hangover Hotel'. Now, these are corrugated iron shacks, ramshackling around in potholed dust, and 9 times out of 10 are side-by-side to a meat-shop, so the sign invariably reads 'Hotel Butchery'. We have no idea if these are in fact hotels, or if they are brothels. I will try to get a photo, but we are not allowed to photo any people at all, so it's hard to get buildings. We passed 'Jobseekers Pub' yesterday.

6. The farm we stayed on the last 2 nights had giant carved wooden key-fobs, and ours was a large silhouette of a mans face. The wrong side of Tusker, last night in the bar, I felt the calling of our house with it's flushing toilet, and I managed to say (loudly) "Who has the big ugly head, oh, yes, Keith does". Fortunately for me, he was suffering badly from sun-stroke, so I escaped unscathed.

I think that covers it. Mel+Kat (or "the kids" as they have been adopted by Neil and Liz) asked us why the farm had a giant mouse above the nameplate at the entrance. A giant mouse. This after having been on a special chameleon night-time walk, and having them stalking along their hands when we found one in the garden, and even knowing that they live for 1.5 years, that they do change colour (slowly), that only forest chameleons bite - and have horns... That their eyes move independantly of eachother... They ask why the sign has a green, scaley, bulging-eyed Giant Mouse on it. Started to question if the children really ARE the future.

Going to resume iPodding as Julius seems to be playing Shania Twain from the front. That don't impress me much.

X
Kate

Ps: miss you Mom! And Charlie send my love to Fatty Boombatty, Malice, Beeper and Oscar. And Marwick: bang-bang, you're dead ;)