February 17th 2009 – back to where it all started

The next part of my journey home, not unexpectantly, involved another early start to catch a flight from Jo'burg to Zanzibar. As with most modern airports this was a fairly hassle free experience but is just a bit boring. Suffice to say all went as planned.

On arrival in Zanzibar I was soon brought back down to earth as to what many of the other parts of Africa are like, stupid form filling , revenue raising visas (even if you already have one) that you know there is nothing you can really do about and the ques. I was due to get a 3pm flight to the mainland and in the meantime meet up with one of the organisers of the Jambiani school project and hand over my wireless internet connector. Unfortunately rarely do meticulously made plans work here. I was immediately had my connecting flight bumped forward so my stop over was only about 45 minutes and therefore no time to meet Timor. As a result I had to trust in luck and some judgement and leave the connector with an official and hope he can pick it up. I will find out later

When I was taken to the aircraft for the hop over to the mainland my heart sunk as I was presented with a 30 year old, rusty, single prop, 5 seater aircraft. I thought I had seen some crappy planes in my life but this one took the biscuit. My fellow passengers all looked nervous and with good reason especially when the pilot kept stalling the engine on the run way. He said it was because the engine was hot and always did this. I have to say the journey was a nightmare and although I am a relaxed passenger I most certainly was not on this occasion. As we flew (bounced around) over the ocean the windows kept flying open because the catches were broken and all I can say is that I was very very relieved to land safely.

Dar es Salaam was its usual busy chaotic self and the hotel, which was not cheap, was a great disappointment. Don't ever believe what you read in the literature as it said it was only says 20 minutes from the airport and it took us nearly an hour. However having arrived early I had the afternoon and evening with nothing to do except while away the time. Pretty boring actually and Tanzanian TV really is not that exciting.

As my time is almost at an end here I have been reflecting on this trip more and more and trying to put it to some form of perspective. Yes as an experience it has been a truly awesome. I have got to do things that not many individuals get the chance to do and certainly not many at my age being married with 2 kids. I have met some wonderful people, good people, and have fitted in well and I have lived in conditions that will really make me appreciate the comforts I have at home (at least for a week or two when I will just take it for granted again).

Then there is the work I have been involved with, firstly the kids at the Ibrahim Millet School in Jambiani and then working on the lion rehabilitation project in Livingston. Both of these projects are doing good causes and could not survive without volunteers to make them work. I also understand that I have just been a small cog in a big wheel and that my involvement has had little or very limited impact in its own right, but without me and others like me who make an effort to help as volunteers these projects would not be able to function and the good work that is being done both here and Livingston would cease. Long may they and all the others projects going on around this continent continue.

I also cannot express how much I have missed my family and am forever grateful that they supported me and let me be able to do this and I promise not to be grumpy when I get home even if I am really tired. I am also however very pleased that it has now come to an end and I can return home and get back to a normal family life. I know that they have all got on fine without me but I really want to do what I love doing most and that is being part of my family and just being Dad.

As for Africa it will continue on its own way; brutal, poverty stricken, dysfunctional, chaotic but also beautiful, unique and in many ways very happy. One day I will return but I am sure it will not be alone. It will hopefully be the PHOENIX'S on tour.

Thanks a lot for reading my blog.

February 16th 2009 – the long goodbye

I have had an unexpected surprise today as Richard (man in charge of Lions) has invited us for a last walk with the lion programme as our flight (by coincidence Hayden is on the same flight) is not until 1ish. We both jumped at the chance and so we headed out to the lodge and gave all the crew a big surprise when we turned up unannounced. As it really was our last walk we were given the opportunity to choose which lions we wanted to walk with, so I chose the 2L's, Loma and Leya, and Toka (my favourite). This was a fun walk and we were also able to pass alongside the Zambezi which is my favourite part of the park. What is slightly annoying is that I have been told on numerous occasions how dangerous the Zambezi is with all the crocs and hippos that are there and yet in all my time here I haven't seen one, but that's just life I suppose. In any event the lions were well behaved and the guys were all on good form so I can't really complain. When we returned them to the cage we said our goodbyes and headed for breakfast.

When you walk with Lions you are always given a stick, which acts as an extension of your arm, so that you can distract the lion if required and not have to use your hand. During my time here I have made 3, the first two have been eaten away, mainly by Toka, but the last one, being only a couple of days old, is still in pretty good shape. Cliff suggested that everyone should sign it and I should keep it as a memento which I thought was a great idea and so my last moments here were getting everybody's signatures. Silly I know but I am pleased I have done it.

The flight to Jo'burg was uneventful apart from the fact that when I arrived at Oliver Tambo International I tried to see if I could change my flight from Dar back to London to Jo'burg to London. Unsurprisingly I failed, something to do with agents or something, so I called the lodge that I was booked in with and went there for the night. It s also funny that the 2 times I have been at this airport the media have been here in big numbers for the return of one of their sporting sides or on this occasion the arrival of the Aussie cricket team, which was really strange because I thought they just got beat by the Proteas 2 weeks ago? Or maybe just maybe my exploits have travelled beyond the confines of this blog.

On arrival at the Lodge my first priority was to sort out flights from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam and overnight accommodation in order to make my flight home on the 18^th and amazingly, with proper internet connections, I managed to do it. I then just wondered why I had wasted so much time in trying to achieve this Zambia. Never mind.

My recommendation to anyone who is in Jo'burg for a stopover is the Safari Lodge. It is a great place to stay, is excellent value, has good food, and is very comfortable and situated just 5 minutes from the airport. For me it was better than for most of the other guests as I managed to have my first proper shower in over 6 weeks and got to sleep in a very comfortable bed which I had almost forgotten what that was like. It was heaven.

February 15th 2009 – into Zimbabwe

Today was my last chance to go to Zimbabwe and so after breakfast I set off without delay. In my mind I had a definite plan of how the day would pan out; go to the border by Taxi, walk over the bridge and head for the famous Victoria Falls Hotel for coffee before going to see the falls on the Zim side. I would then head home and it would be a nice day out.

The Taxi to the border was fine and even getting through immigration was relatively hassle free. My first mistake though was not getting a taxi as soon as I got to the other side to take me straight to the hotel. Instead I decided to walk over the bridge where I would see where the bungee jumping takes place and I actually got to see one of the jumpers (I will never do this) up close. However, when I crossed the bridge into Zim you are first of all greeted by an armed soldier, locally known as one of the black boots, who I found to be quite intimidating and then you are also mercilessly hassled by loads of locals selling their wares. I found this whole experience extremely uncomfortable and even threatening which I am sure was in part because I was on my own. When I eventually saw a cab, if you could call it that, I took it straight away and instructed to proceed to the Victoria Falls hotel without delay where I hoped for sanctuary and peace.

The hotel itself is a throwback to a bygone era, which I personally like, and is situated in the most wonderful of settings with outstanding views of the falls and I was just pleased to be in the safety of the hotel and its grounds ad away from all the locals outside. After my usual nose around I took coffee on the patio and was enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the surroundings when my next surprise of the day arrived. A beautiful young lady bounded up to me and in very loud voice demanded to know why I had left her at the bridge. She even told me that I had changed my shirt from blue to red which I had but god knows how she knew. This was, as you can imagine, a big surprise for me and even for the elderly couple on the next table who I had previously been speaking to. In fact the way this situation was being played out it had the hall marks of me being caught up in a MI6 or Zim equivalent spy story which was al the more worrying as I was completely unaware to where all this was leading. It transpired however that the young lady was purely on the game so to speak and after a forceful rejection of her advances matters returned to normal although the episode did leave me feeling quite jangled, especially as I had just recovered from the onslaught of street vendors on the way to the hotel.

After a good while I ventured back out of the safety of the hotel and headed to the falls. This route, direct from the hotel, is again littered with local vendors who approach you 4/5 at a time and as they keep moving around you are very aware of how vulnerable you are. The only way to describe this is that it was another miserable experience lasting what seems an eternity until you reach the sanctity of the falls entrance.

Once inside the falls area I have to say though that the falls are as beautiful from this side, if not more so, than that experienced over the border. It made all the effort and discomfort of getting here worthwhile and although you are not as close you get a much better perspective of the magnitude of the falls as you can see much further along the valley and take in the sheer length and size of this natural wonder.

The weather was extremely hot and as I could not get a taxi back across the bridge I did a wonderful impersonation and scampering penguin, hunched down, arms by my side and walking as quickly as I could to get back over the border. I was completely soaked in sweat when I got passed the border and into the Zambezi Sun where a lot of the house mates were hanging out.

The rest of the day was a breeze.

I feel bad that I struggled with my trip to Zim, as I know that all these people are just trying to get by after all the troubles that they have had to endure, but unlike other African countries I have been to the hassle I received here was somehow more threatening. This may be because it was Zimbabwe and I was affected by all the bad press the place gets or maybe it was because I was travelling there on my own. Thinking about it, it is probably a combination of both.

February 14th 2009 – lazing by the pool

It's Saturday again so no assignments planned except for what we want to arrange for ourselves. As is the norm for me here I always wake up quite early (I know Sally won't believe me but it is true), and as I went for my cup of tea I met some of the house mates from Holland who are also early risers and who were heading for the market. This was lucky for me as I also wanted to go, surprises for back home, and I managed to tag along. This was in fact really really lucky for me because I would have gone to completely the wrong place and would have failed to get what I wanted.

The market we went to, situated some way from the town centre was in fact a very large and busy place even at this early hour. There they sold all the usual commodities, food and clothing etc, along with some strange ones such as recycled bicycle tyres, recycled screws and other assorted recycled household items that would be discarded in the UK. I have to admit that some of these items that looked completely knackered were resold which just goes to show what has to be done when there is so little money.

Because I wanted to get a particular item it meant that I had to wait at least 2 ½ half hours, which as anyone who knows me is a bloody long time even at the most luxurious of shopping places. However as one of the girls I was with was a nurse who spent part of her week at one of the local clinics I was able to while away some of the time with a guided tour of the clinic and see its facilities. I have to say, unsurprisingly, it was very basic as expected, but not a million miles away from some of the parts of Kingston Hospital that I have been to although I know which place I would want to be treated. In fact I would say it looked like the NHS I used when I was a kid which is probably of no surprise given the British Influence in this country specifically back in the 50 and 60's when this place was built.

When we returned to the house I decided, that although I should go to Zimbabwe today, to head for the Zambezi Sun for a lazy day by the pool. I have to say that on hind sight I think this was an excellent decision given that the weather was good and the pool was cool. I even treated myself to the Steak club sandwich which is the house speciality and it was just fantastic. I was also able to have a proper look at the damage to my nose from the previous night's activities and was pleased to see that although slightly bruised no lasting damage appeared to have been done.

The evening was slightly more fraught however as I headed back to the internet cafe to sort out my connecting flights from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam and book hotel accommodation in both Jo'burg and Dar Es Salaam. Being Africa though, I again mainly failed except for the confirmation of my stop over at the Jo'burg Safari Lodge which was at least a step in the right direction. I have started to worry a little bit about these final arrangements because it is all getting a bit tight on timings etc but there really is not much more I can do without proper email and internet access and if the worse comes to the worse I will just have to turn up at the airport in Zanzibar and see if I can get a ticket on the day.

February 13th 2009 – last day with lions

My morning started earlier than usual as my roommate, Pascal, came home at 4.30, and no matter how hard one tries to be quiet it is impossible after you have been drinking all night. My alarm call was not far behind and it was off for my last day with the lions. The prospects for a good day were high, despite the date, and as we started the early morning sky was just beautiful and the temperature seemed cooler than normal. The journey to the lodge was the usual fun and games but today we created a new record with a total of 23 people on board Toyota pickup and with Haydon's guitar it really was a bit of a squash. Never mind, I really do enjoy travelling in the back through the bush feeling the wind in your face and having the banter with your colleagues more importantly I know that I won't be able to do this for much longer.

The first walk of the day was a brave shout for the organisers and for us, as they chose to take a male lion called Zulu with the 2 L's. Now Zulu is the most unfriendly off all the lions here at the lodge and always makes a run for the bush given half the chance, but it is felt we must persevere with him as they can see potential in him especially as a potential leader later on in the programme.

The lion keepers were all debating the rights and wrongs of the combinations that would best suit Zulu but were happy to give it a go and I can only say that the whole episode was an unmitigated disaster. We spent about an hour getting the lions out of the cage and with the chaos that Zulu had created we were not sure at times who were left in and who were out. When we eventually managed to start the walk the cats just ran with the lion walkers running around trying to keep track of which direction they had gone and even if they were all together. We eventually found them all up a tree and decided to let them stay until we were scheduled to get back. At least the return was OK as Zulu and the 2Ls seem to bolt home.

During the afternoon we had to say our goodbyes to the lions as well as the crew and it was quite sad as I have made a few good friends here. I still managed to have one last walk with the cubs which was nice especially as it was with Derrick and Roderick the 2 guides I like most.

The evening was going to be big night out for the house as almost everyone had agreed to go for cocktails in town. So as we all went to Rhapsodies, the town's best known cocktail lounge, and to be fair for a while all appeared to be going well. However the place was very busy, being a Friday night, and there were quite a few drunken locals (mostly white) who were being particularly vociferous. One older guy who must have been in his mid 60's was being particularly annoying and started to upset some of the girls so I attempted to have a quiet word with him. What happened next shocked me as he head butted me in the face, luckily I have a hard head and although he caught my nose it did not break and I am pleased to say that he did come off worse, with a particularly deep gash to his forehead and there was, as is the case with heads, a lots of blood. Luckily very little being mine. As he was removed from the bar there was the usual post scuffle commotion but we were able to continue the evening. However after about 15 minutes he tried to come back and as I decided enough was enough the police intervened and said that if I hit him I would be arrested, luckily he was escorted away for good this time. Apparently he is a known trouble maker but I wish we had been warned. It did not spoil the evening completely but did bring it to an earlier closing than was planned. I would like to say TIA (this is Africa) but fear it is a common problem at home as well, but rarely would it be involving a couple of individuals in the mid 60's and late 40's, so in this case I will say TIA.

February 12th 2009 –the man at the back said everyone attack

As I awoke this morning it dawned on me that my journey home is fast approaching and my arrangements for the return trip are far from completed. I therefore decided to go to the internet cafe, ZIg Zag, and sort out some flights and hotel accommodation in Jo'burg, and Dar ES Salaam. The trouble was, and I have said it many times here, is that things do not always work here and today was no exception and my arrangements were at best only slightly further forward than when I arrived.

I hung around until mid day, when the rains came which I have to say I welcomed because as a consequence the afternoon temperature would be much cooler and therefore the afternoon walk would be a better albeit a wet one. When I returned to the lodge I was lucky and pleased as I was given the 2 L's for the afternoon walk and these 2 are definitely the most playful.

After our walk it was feeding time again, although I was not involved in the meat prep thank god but I had to help take the food to the lions. I volunteered to feed the little ones which is probably the most fun of all as you can get closer to them without fear and they are really cute when they eat, however they are growing fast and it won't be too long before they become the same size as the bigger lions are now. It is interesting to note that Hayden has been managed to avoid his meat prep duties for the whole time he has been on the programme but that is probably just as well as he has a pair of pink surgical gloves just in case and the sight of these could cause ridicule not only to him but I could be caught in the cross fire as a fellow volunteer.

The afternoon also involved an inquisition into a pair of missing sunglasses which in true African tradition involves all the black members of the team being assembled in a group and then being lectured about collective responsibility and trust worthiness. Both Hayden and I found the way that this was handled to be most distasteful, but as we are only volunteers here it was best just to let them get on with it and get out of the way. Ever since I first came to Africa over 25 years ago this type of behaviour has prevailed and I am not sure whether it will ever really change.

Once a week the sports volunteers arrange a football match against a local team and this week was no exception except for the first time I was able to play. So I took up my Makalele role just in front of the defence and, as it happened, played quite well for an old timer. We only lost 1-0 the best result the volunteer group has had the locals. I was very surprised by the quality and skill levels of the locals and it should have been 10-0 if they had applied even the most basic of level of organisation. I think though that this is just typical of African football as a whole, loads of talent but uselessly disorganised, or maybe it is just metaphor for Africa as a whole??

The evening I went to the backpackers bar for drinks with several house mates which was great fun.

February 11th 2009 – Ellie the elephant came to town

It was another hot day in the bush and although it is supposed to be the rainy season we haven't had sight of rain now for about 5 days. In a way this is quite nice as you don't have to walk through puddles chasing the lions and getting wet but the other hand it means soon after our arrival it gets hot, not just for us but for the lions to, and the walks are always much slower. I had to walk with the 2 T's again which means lots of fun and games and rolling around on the grass. The manager of the game lodge next door has also come to know us and is keen for us to continue our walks in his grounds as it is an added attraction for his guests. I wonder how he would feel if we brought the 2L's along not so keen I would imagine??

At lunch Hayden brought out his guitar and as few of the guys could also play, it was passed around and a number of different sounds were heard, most of them African songs that are quite melodic but involve a lot of high pitched singing. It was great fun even if Haydon wanted me to sing along and as Amy and Ellie know only too well I did everybody a favour by declining.

I have also just taken to entering the kitchen area when I want, to get tea, coffee or a cold drink and today caught the cook turning on his kettle by inserting the wires into the socket without a plug. He just laughed and said it was very dangerous but it's Africa.

The afternoon was to be another lion walk, but as the elephant centre situated next door had a quiet day they called and said I could join them if wanted. I jumped at the chance and quickly went over to join them. I was chosen to ride "Bob", the largest African elephant ridden in Africa and set off for a 1 ½ hour ride around the reserve. It is quite different seeing the game reserve from such a height and the place has a very different feel to it. This may also be because dear old Bob has a flatulence problem that adds another dimension to your African encounter.

As we left for the day to return to town, I decided to stop at roadside, a small suburb of Livingston and where a lot of the crew live. It meant that I could have a few drinks with the crew and get to hear their stories of both the lion encounter and their home lives. What was also really great was that both Derrick and Roderick who live out in the lodge came along which is real change fore them. As is the norm there was lots of laughter and storytelling, and a few beers consumed. After a while we all decided to go to town by Taxi, and Derrick, Roderick and I (taxi number 2) had a real life Dukes of Hazard ride through the back streets Livingston, as the unlicensed driver took rapid evasive action from the police check point half way to town. It was, as we discovered, to avoid a 1.5m kwacha fine for driving illegally. When it all calmed down we were all fairly relaxed about it and had a good laugh but I am not sure if the car will survive much longer.

In town, the bar we went to had darts and pool and although I am lousy at darts I can hold my own at Pool and managed to impress the crew by deposing the reigning pub champion of his crown. Late into the evening we all made our ways home fully satisfied and fulfilled with our lot for the day.