Its been a few weeks since I have updated this but in all truth it has hardly been an action packed period of our trip, but that is not to say that it has been fantastic. After Stone Town we headed to Nungwi which is the main tourist centre in terms of beaches. Lots of travellers are really snobby about it as there are lots of tourists and it has become very developed. But this was kind of what we both wanted. We just needed somewhere which had a few more people, access to nice places to eat along with nice beaches and warm turquois water. We stayed in Nungwi a total of four nights and about the most active thing we did was a day snorkling which I thought was pretty dissapointing compared to SE Asia. The other only dissapointing thing was thje attitude of the bungalow owners where we stayed. We all know they want to make a living but the pressure they put on us was a bit much and after staying there for four nights, to have the manager stand outside the window tapping his watch five minutes after check out time was just rude.

After Nungwi we headed to Kendwa beach which was the next beach along and was a very different place. It is the main backpackers beach and I think we both enjoyed staying there imensely. Unlike Nungwi there was beach all day despite the tide, and what a beach it was. It was the classic tropical curved beach with white sand and the bluest water. It was definately the best place so far on our trip to relax and gave us both plenty of opportunity to top that tan up and get rid of my farmers arms and immerse ourselves in our books. John Irving, what a genious. I also celebrated my birthday on Kendwa and although we didn't do anything spectaular it is always nice to recieve the birthday phone calls looking out on to the Indian Ocean. So after five very nice and relaxing nights in Kendwa we came back to Stone Town.

Lots more wandering round winding narrow streets and we visited our first museum of the trip, and what a stinker it turned out to be. Not a lot to say apart from the two pounds entry fee was day light robbery. Then before we new it, it was Marte's birthday also. It was a bit more lively than mine and after sitting down for the beginning of happy hour at five the next thing we new it was two in the morning, which compared to our normal African bedtime of about nine, was pretty impressive. We met a very nice Norwegian couple to enjoy our beers with although he couldn't comprehend why I supported Wycombe Wanderers and not a premiership team. A good time was had by all and was the first proper night out we have had of our trip, along I am now entering the second day of a hangover.

Overall Zanzibar has come at a perfect time for both of us. I am no longer travel fatigued and am really really looking forward the the rest of our trip. Before coming here the thought of struggling through ther North of Mozambique didn't really strike me as a fun thing to do but now it seems more like an adventure which I can look forward to. I know I am very lucky but the long journeys do get really really tedious. So we are leaving Zanzibar tonight on the slow boat which is not only cheaper but saves us a nights accomodation. Then on Tuesday we get the train, over night again, down to near the Malawian border and with delays of up to 40 hours not uncommon it should be an experience. Then its off to Malawi to be a bit more active but also for a bit more relaxing on Lake Malawi.

I must apologise for my slightly sloppy entry but I'm feeling pretty weak because of a cold/virus which Marte has kindly passed on to me. I think the best cure is an overnight boat journey!

Well done the Wanderers, its more fun going to Cardiff anyway.

Pete

Blimy, I've neglected this a bit and there's lots to tell. First of all we finally bid an emotional farewell to all those at PEDRRU with assurances that we would be back one day but when that day will be it is hard to tell. It was really strange to say goodbye and also very sad but I certainly feel proud of what I have done and I hope they get many more volunteers in the coming months. Our next port, well city, of call was a long journey back to Nairobi.

I am happy to announce that this was yet another journey which gets added to the African handbook of comically bad African road journeys. I wasn't really relishing the idea of the predicted arrival time of midnight in to Nairobi with it being touted as one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Even a guy who lived there and was returning the same night as us said he would sleep on the bus until it was daylight. Now I have come to take the predicted journey times here with a shovel of salt so I was aware the eleven hour journey could be easily thirteen or a bit more. Instead of a rather long annoying journey it turned in to a gargantuan epic. After about twenty minutes of driving in Kenya our bus slowed then stopped. A puncture was announced as the problem and I stupidly thought, 'oh well could be worse, just change the tyre and we can all be on our way' . The next thing I know we are backing up down a side street and there are sparks flying as an electric grinder is hacking of the wheel nut followed by a dose of welding. We only had a bloody puncture. Four hours we were stuck in this middle of no-where town. It did allow me to have an 'interesting' conversation with a local man who claimed I was totally safe as he was the cheif and would make sure no-one would harm foreigners in his town. I couldn't really take him too seriously as he was totally smashed, apperently disturbed on his Friday night out by our bus. But I didn't want to offend an apparent Mau Mau warrior (bucket of salt again) so I listened politely as the discussion degenerated in to something about how the West and IMF should give Kenya lots of money and more importantly I get him a job as night watchman in England.

After these productive four hours it took to change the tyre there was no stopping us, apart from the sheet rain that battered our bus. This reduced our speed to a slow crawl which meant we didn't quite make the midnight predicted arrival time. Instead we arrived at 8.30 in the morning, increa. Not bad considering we had a puncture and all!

We spent only the day in Nairobi as we managed to organise a budget safari leaving the next day. We first went to the Masai Mara for three nights, then a long drive to Lake Nakuru NP then to Samburu NP. All the national parks offered something different. The Masai Mara had an abundance of animals as well as tourists, and on the first evenings game drive we witnessed a hunt. A cheetah went for a Zebra calf but mummy zebra in spectacular fashion kicked the cheetah away with her hind legs. Over the coming days we saw cheetah, lions, buffalo, giraffe, elephants and various other things. On the last afternoon we went for a 'nature walk' with a Masai man which was pretty pointless as it was just hot and I didn't see anything associated with nature apart from lots of flies. We turned back early but on the way down I asked him about the various clubs he carried. They were for hunting he told me, the club was to hit small rabbits and dik dik (small deers) on the head. He also had spears and all at home. Yet he couldn't even comprehend how I did not own a bow and arrow or spear where I came from. "How do you hunt then?' he asked. This world seems pretty big sometimes.

Lake Nakuru was really nice, lots of flamings and Samburu was really dry and an intertesting variation in terms of surroundings. Then is was back to Nairobi for two nights before the long journey to Dar Es Salaam. This was an awful journey. It was all in the day and involved starting at 6am and we arrived a little over 14 hours later but bang on time. The awfulness just came from the sheer amount of monotony it all. Nothing happened of note apart from an expensive boarder crossing and it was in the day so couldn't really sleep; it was just hot hot hot, boring boring boring. We arrived in Dar when it was dark and we were tired and very very sweaty so the last thing you need is for the bus station to be 12km's out of town and having to haggle for a sodding taxi. After a good 5 minute discussion (argument) we got a good price. After a very sweaty (again) nights sleep we took a slow boat to the promised land......Zanzibar. The boat arrived 5 hours later than we were told, water off a ducks back, to the port which looked pretty terrifying as we pulled up. Lots of men shouting and pushing and the throwing of various items. Luckily we had a guy waiting for us who guided us safely and even ended up in a nice air con room which was a bonus. We only spent the night in Stone Town as ther beaches were calling. I am going to hold back on too much detail as I see from the BBC website that the weather is not too hot back in the Motherland. I'll say nothing of white coral beaches, turquoise seas and lazy days! Anyway, we splashed on a nice room for three nights, four post bed and everything. It was a really nice quiet beach but it was hard to eat of drink cheaply as there was little competition. At lunch time we contented ourselves with banana's and biscuits to save some wonga so in the end it all turned out on budget.

Now we are back in Stone Town which is the main town on Zanzibar and it is a great place to wonder round. It is a Muslim town and has a lot of Arabic influence so there is a lot of walking around little alleyways and lots of opulant doorways and decoration. We will spend one more night here before we head to some more beaches in a different part of the island.

Hope you are all well and come on the Wanderers.

Pete