Saved by a Nun

When I first went to Rome I was very excited about the prospect of seeing a nun, and found the whole thing very amusing but also super cool! In Nairobi you often see nuns out and about (I do still get the giggles when I see them driving or shopping which is absolutely ridiculous as they are of course humans!) but the novelty has not worn off, and they still make me smile.

As my car is in the garage I have taken to walking a lot more in daylight. The pavements here don't always exist, and so it does get a bit uneven, muddy and rocky. But still, I am enjoying walking and realising how lazy my legs have become as they ache after some quite short walks. I definitely don't live in London anymore!

Last weekend Kelly and I decided to walk to a shopping centre about 45 minutes away. After 15 minutes my  flip flop snapped! Tricky! After a lot of giggling, we managed to walk/skate on the flip flop to a shoe shop that was tucked away nearby-wasn't too far, we were lucky!

I mourned my flip flop but didn't think too much of it.

Until yesterday. After work I rang Kelly and suggested a Planet Yogurt Friday afternoon trip. Planet Yogurt is really one of the best things about Nairobi. It's frozen yogurt with a variety of toppings and is so yummy and addictive, it takes great self control not to go there daily. So, off we walked.....this time quite a short walk but uphill, and due to the recent matatu strikes, the 'pavements' were rather busy as public transport is greatly reduced. So, it was quite difficult to walk and the road was of course Kenyan style, particularly uneven and rocky. And, it happened again! But this time I couldn't even skate on the flip flop! The ground was uphill and not at all smooth. The only option was barefoot.

We were perhaps 15 minutes from our destination so giggled along. What else could you do?! But then a nun stopped, and asked if she could give us a lift as had seen that my shoe had broken. I thought this was hilarious! Loved it! So yes, it isn't good to get into cars with strangers but I thought a nun would fall into the same category as policemen, so in we jumped. She dropped us right outside the shopping centre and I decided to buy a pretty pair of wedges as opposed to flip flops (not sure I trust them) for the walk home, and of course a rather delicious Planet Yogurt!

We have planned a mission of a walk today to go to a craft fair....am debating whether to bring a spare pair of shoes. Twice in a week already!!

Akon

Finally, Akon came to Nairobi!!! I was ridiculously excited. My friend Kelly and I both share a lifelong, well, ambition really, to dress as bumble bees, so we thought that this was the perfect opportunity to achieve the dream. We rather excitedly bumbled up, but decided to leave our wings at home for fear that they would be crushed.

Sadly, as we left the house, the heavens opened.....but when dressed as a bee it would take more than rain to ruin the mood! Walking into the festival grounds though and seeing everyone dressed as if they were going for a day at the races was a lil embarrassing! Some people even wore hats! Fortunately after a couple of minutes the requests for photos started coming in and we felt more relaxed and fun! There were a few questions as to why.....because Akon's favourite animal is a bee of course (hehehe)!! People seemed to buy it, especially as our wristbands were black and yellow striped-matched perfectly! I cannot say how many photos we were in.....we made a lot of new friends!

Due perhaps to the rain, and the fact that the tickets were open for two days so you could go on either, there weren't that many people there. I took this as a great opportunity to get right down to the front! Poor Kelly wasn't feeling up to standing in the rain, so we sadly separated. I got escorted over under a parasol with a security guard (I was still concerned about my hair at the point so begged for him to take me over!). I asked him to find me a tall (my antennae and heels made me pretty tall!), friendly companion with whom to share an umbrella! He succeeded! It was a bit strange being a solo bee, but as the minutes turned to hours (!!) waiting for the man himself I cared less as was just too excited! Akon did not disappoint! It was an amazing show, very energetic. The umbrellas came down almost immediately and we all got totally drenched but it didn't matter (Don't Matter) at all.

Thought this one captured the rain pretty well!

Akon did a lot of crowd surfing so I got to touch him! Very exciting! Was very pleased to see my fellow bee who had somehow pushed her way in and joined me about halfway through. Hanging out in the dry VIP area just wasn't as fun as being cold and wet and close to Akon!

Absolutely soaked at the end of the concert but very happy!

Paradise Lost

This half term was an ever changing one. Had a million plans, but what with hospital visits and generally being exhausted I ended up staying in Nairobi and actually had an awesome week. My friend Kelly and I did a few trips and enjoyed watching friends play Touch Rugby, exploring forests and going to Paradise Lost.

I have been meaning to go for ages and can't even remember how I heard about it as don't actually know anyone who has been. It is about 45 minutes north from me (though 2.5 hours on the way back when we got seriously lost and ended up downtown with people taking photos of us through the windows, cringe!) and is a huge picnic area. It was great to walk around and picnic, though we did turn down the offer of buying a live goat to then bbq! The waterfall was beautiful  and we could walk behind it and explore the series of caves which the Mau Mau actually lived in during the resistance to the British.

The highlight though was seeing a church choir shooting a music video. We thought we'd sunbathe and watch but were almost immediately accosted (we didn't see any other wazungu so were a bit of a novelty) and invited to join them in the dancing. We refused, many times, and told them we were very happy to watch. When you travel by local transport here you often see these videos playing and they are hilarious! Interesting dance moves, and generally poor quality and pretty cringeworthy!

Well, to our delight, an Indian man happily obliged and joined in. We found the whole thing pure comedy as the poor guy had no clue and so was always out of time. I took many pics but didn't manage a video of him as was shaking with the giggles but did get a few pics.

Incredible dance moves. Classic!

Love it!!

End of term antics

Well, the end of term has been and gone. It is always such a busy time and one which I don't really enjoy too much. The lack of routine and general craziness bug me! But it all went well, and I was thrilled to have finally done a whole term this academic year, full time!

We had a Junior school football tournament, 'The World Cup' and my class had chosen to be England. I wanted to go all out and encouraged the class to wear red and white, and organised face paint, as well as an English football shirt (the most unflattering piece of clothing I have worn for a while!) for me. The night before was spent painting the St George's cross on each fingernail! It was such a fun day. My mission was for people to actually question my nationality as I do get ribbed for being rather overly patriotic. Mission accomplished! My Welsh colleagues actually disowned me. My class played so well and won half their games which was amazing as we were the youngest year  group in the 'championships!' I ran so much and screamed, was proper hoarse after but was one of the best days of the year with my class. We laughed so much!

A lil pep talk to my female players

On Friday we had speech day which did lead to a few tears as my Head of department is retiring and she has been an absolute legend and unbelievably kind and supportive to me. It was surreal chatting to others who joined at the same time as me and realizing that our initial contracts are now up, and we were all meant to be leaving...only one is, and she was in tears, promising to return next year! The time has flown, and I am unsure whether my time will be really up next year....

My class got to know me well....as demonstrated by the greatest thank-you present ever!!! I showed absolutely everyone and was so so thrilled!!

My 'boyfriend' SJ...already in pride of place on my bedside table

Guy and I decided to go away for the weekend as a cheer up and headed to Carter Lake. It was the first time he saw me navigate.....the last also, he is a fast learner! We did get rather lost but got to see so much more so I feel we were rather lucky! Silver lining and all.... It was a great chilled out weekend in a beautiful location. 

The floating restaurant at Crater Lake

On Sunday morning we went on a walking safari. It was amazing! I was surprised with how much game we saw and got so close to. It was lush to be able to walk too. We had a great guide who told us loads of interesting facts that were rather tricky to decipher with his strong Kenyan accent, but it was so funny and satisfying when we finally worked out what he was trying to say! Not sure we really remember many, just the words we got stuck on. Gorge took me a good ten minutes to work out-it sounded just like coach!

One week old giraffe, cute! I named her Lydia ;)

Now packing to fly to India tomorrow.....will be great to go back after a few years and see a few new sights as well as returning to Mumbai and Goa. May try get into Bollywood this time! Guy has just booked a ticket to join me for a few weeks so will be a nice mix of girly time and solo travel as well as having an awesome navigator for a bit!

Guy and I post hike

Lamu

I finally made it to Lamu! It has been on my Must-See in Kenya list since I arrived. It was actually the last place on the list until I finished my book on the plane so was left reading my guide book and have now added a few more!

We flew over from Nairobi and had to get a lil boat from the airport across to the town (the archipelago is made up of 7 islands). My lovely friend Slavica jumped onto the boat and straight into the captain's seat......we thought she'd be asked to move, but istead they indulged her and let her steer. Was so funny....we all had a free shower so were rather awake and rejuvenated after the short crossing!

Captain Slav

We got off the boat right next to the Donkey Sanctuary (Island Taxi rank) which rather delighted us! Our hotel was a short walk up the narrow streets (think two donkeys in width) and alleys behind it. We met a lovely girl from Mombasa, Remi, on the plane who was staying at the same hotel as us-we were the only guests, and the three of us became inseparable.

Remi, Slav and I awaiting our dhow

We took a dhow boat to tour the islands and to go fishing. Lamu is so beautiful. Due to the recent pirate behaviour it was also completely quiet. Understandably tourism has been badly affected which is very sad,  but it was great to visit without the crowds. I had also foolishly told some of the girls Slav and I teach gymnastics too that I would demonstrate cartwheels when I returned, so wanted to use the time on the deserted beaches to privately practice! Fortunately, it seems that cartwheeling is a skill much like riding a bike that you don't seem to lose! The girls were impressed when I showed them on Monday!

The next day was Donkey Day! We decided to catch a donkey to a nice beach and then back so headed to the rank! Well, as expected we were three giggly, shrieking girls, wobbling about at first as we got used to the donkeys, trying to keep our balance, which was a challenge as we couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous we all looked! It was at this point that I spotted a girl from my school. Oh, the shame! I didn't bump into her again, it was literally just at that moment that we saw each other, possibly the worst moment  to be noticed on the trip! Sadly she wasn't the only one took an interest in us as tourists. A lady ran after us with a video camera (not a tourist one either....this was definitely TV!) and people unashamedly took their phones and cameras out to snap us! It was worth the shame though, we had so much fun and a lush day at the beach.

We don't look that silly!

For the return trip I had brought high heels! I couldn't resist the photo opp despite the strange stares-well people were staring already, so may as well give them a lil treat! The donkey owner took a shine to me though and thought the way to woo was to jump on the back of my donkey on the route back. Rather than impress me, it scared me! Especially when he tried to get a bit amorous! (oh the power of heels!) so the photos are sadly not being posted-a squirming Hannah sitting as far forward as possible to avoid him is not my best look (Remi and Slav got a lot of laughs from this though). You can see how far forward (poor donkey!) I have moved to and of course the shoe here!

We didn't actually see any other tourists on a donkey, so understandably we were quite a spectacle! Poor Remi fell off twice which me and Slav could not stop giggling about. We did sustain a few donkey injuries but our laughing and re enactments for the rest of the trip more than compensated!

The town is very quaint and sweet. It was fun to wander through and get lost in all the alleys, only to be met by donkeys.

The old Swahili doors are beautiful, and the history on the island is incredible.

We enjoyed shopping. As expected, lots of pretty wooden, carved objects, and of course, tourist shopping wouldn't be complete without a wooden bra! (Uncle Stephen, you need to extend the range further than bow ties!) I think we are all regretting not stocking up on new underwear in Lamu!

Lamu was a refreshing break. Not having to aggressively drive or carefully avoid matatus, animals and crazy drivers was great. It was lovely to be able to walk about and not worry about safety. It did make Nairobi seem extremely fast paced though. Everything was sloooooooowwwwwwww. Every meal took over an hour to arrive and the popular African expression pole pole (slowly slowly) has definitely taken on a new authentic meaning! Great for a few days, but lush to be back in the city!

Life goes on :(

There was another tragic explosion in downtown Nairobi this afternoon. There have been varying police reports of it being an electrical fault, but the president has just released a statement saying that it was a terrorist attack.

Living and working away from the city centre, in both affluent and peaceful areas, it is easy to feel very removed from all that is going on. As I drove home from work today and traffic was slowing, I had a strange feeling about this city which I have grown to love, but then I noticed the innocent reason for the delay, a herd of cows were crossing the road. It is a city of contrasts on so many levels. So far the attacks have targeted low income areas and apart from more random searches on vehicles and people, there has been little effect on everyday life for me here. It seems wrong to say that. I have people from outside Kenya often asking how it has affected things here and how I can live in such an unstable place. I am very fortunate to be so well looked after. Each attack is devastating though of course, and we all reach quickly for our phones to check on loved ones who may be in those areas.

Security has been tightened since October. We are now searched when we enter a shopping centre, and our cars are searched before we park. However, being a white woman....the searches are not always confidence inducing. Yes it is nice not to be seen as suspicious, but it does remove my faith in some of the security measures. A few months ago when going to park my car one evening, the security guard simply asked me if I was a member of the terrorist group Al Shabbab! I said no, and he waved me through! Hmmm.... In school we now all have badges on our cars, and information via the British High Commission or various security groups here are passed quickly among colleagues and friends.

I guess it's all about striking a balance right now. Everything in life is a calculated risk. Every few weeks there will be discussions about whether to do this or go to that and things are carefully weighed up. I am due to take my class to the National Museum on Wednesday, we'll see if any parents complain tomorrow or whether we can go ahead....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/kenya/9295465/Nairobi-blast-was-terror-attack-claims-Odinga.html

Lioness no more

This is proving very controversial....

Just heard that they shot the lioness earlier....relief yes, but now there are 4 orphan cubs!

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/05/relief-as-stray-lioness-killed-in-karen/

Escaped lioness has babies!

This morning we were told to listen out for roaring!!

The lioness has had four cubs and she was in the compound next to our school. There have been so many sightings lately by friends who have seen her at their gates (this concerned me as my friend Helen does not have the most secure gate and it was about 7pm!) and roaming about nearby. I don't think anyone knew she was preggers though! KWS still have their "Lion Line" but despite so many sightings, she has still evaded capture....not sure how quick they are to follow up such calls. We'll see how it develops now that she has a few more mouths to feed.....

The rainy season

The rainy season has definitely begun. Traffic is unbelievable, there is water everywhere and sadly there have been some fatal flash floods across the country. 

Tuesday was particularly bad. I met Richard for a coffee after school as we were both stuck in traffic and when the traffic calmed down we decided to go to mine. It was about 7pm when we drove up my drive and were greeted by a rather large tree! It had come down from the neighbour's compound, broken through the wall and was stretched out across almost our entire land, completely blocking access. I rang my landlord who came quickly and was surprisingly good humoured about it all. He seemed pleased by all the fresh firewood!

Surveying the damage

Sadly, this was the day when I wore a fitted pencil skirt to work. I gave up on my heels and went barefoot, hitching up the skirt to climb over the fence and go across the rather boggy lawn to get into my house to retrieve clothes and things for the next  few days. We were without power for 48 hours and the wall has only just been re built. The joys of Africa in the rains!

Shortages

There have been various shortages in Nairobi since I've lived here...petrol happens every couple of months and is always a bit of a stress, but after a day or two the queues clear and we all realise sheepishly that there is petrol everywhere. Sugar is another one that happens quite regularly and they have to ration the number of bags of sugar people can buy. Why you'd ever need more than one bag anyway I am unsure of-but I don't have sugar in my tea nor do I bake-I have only bought one bag since moving here.

Rather concerning a few months ago there was a Diet Coke shortage. This was when my alcohol consumption was still not quite back to its healthy level so this was quite upsetting. Regular Coke was everywhere, but Diet Coke was missing from all the supermarkets and most bars. Tough times.

The current shortage is butter. Apparently Norway went through the same thing at Christmas and found it rather distressing. I thought I was just being clueless in the supermarket (things look different here, so I often ask just to check that I am actually buying what I think I am buying-has been some embarrassing incidences with lemons), but when I asked someone for help they reported the sad news. That was nearly three weeks ago. Prefer it to Diet Coke but it is strange. A friend owns a bakery here and has given up on making croissants!

Rat attack

Ok, the title is perhaps a little dramatic.....

On Tuesday after the wedding I came home and was meant to meet a friend for a drink. Time got away from us both, and by half ten, we spoke and I decided that after a day of celebrating nuptials I was getting too sleepy to venture out. Well, 40 minutes later a confident, grey rat strutted past my bedroom door through the living room. I was already sitting on my bed (fortunately no body parts on the floor!) and it just caught my eye as it teased its way past the door, pausing for effect at various points. I was in total shock...and also panic. It was quite late at this point, so I sent out a few SOS messages but to no avail. Nairobi seemed to be asleep. I went online hoping to find some residents there, but still, nothing! The one person I knew to be awake was Dean, the guy I had meant to meet earlier. Well, Dean and I have met just once, the day after I flew back in January. He very kindly helped me with my car and changed my air filter (so already he seemed like a good Samaritan type), and we have been meaning to meet up since but not managed to. So, it was a little shyly that I rang him, and also completely desperately.

Dean seemed very calm, despite my shrieks and squeals, and offered straightway to come round with his dog. Not what I was expecting, but having not been in the situation before I was happy for him to bring any animal he likes that will remove the rat!

It took about twenty minutes for him to arrive. I did not leave my bed! The rat however, being completely fearless and out to traumatize, decided to walk back in the opposite direction, flicking its tail and definitely showing a bit of a swagger. It was then that I lamented the fact that Dean had not been here before, had no clue where to go, and I would have to leave my bed stronghold to let him in. Well, I am definitely speedy when I need to be, and with about 4 leaps had made it out the door and was calling for him to come and save the day! 4 leaps later I was back on my bed. Not going anywhere.

Dean walked in with his hands over his dog's eyes so she wouldn't bark at the (rather useless) dogs here. She was amazing, and sniffed out the rat straightaway, chasing him from the fridge. She was so obsessed with the plug socket in my room though and kept coming back to it. It was well after an hour later that I persuaded Dean to go and check it out. The wall was hollow, so out he went to see what was outside, and there found the dwelling place for the rat. So gross!!! My landlord then decided to call and join the adventure in his pjs and with serious bed hair! I had put on my trusty Japanese socks for toe protection and he thought that was quite comical. As he is supportive and charges me good rent I didn't feel it appropriate to comment on his appearance!

The dog, SuperDog as I like to call her, ran riot through my house, going through cupboards (was a bit stressed when she went into the shoe cupboard, but she was well behaved fortunately) and slobbering over the wall, but I see her through completely rose tinted lenses. She really is the best dog I have ever seen! I am a total dog lover convert.....of dogs of the SuperDog variety.

No signs of rats since, and I now walk barefoot again and even leave the front door open during daylight hours, though when dusk comes it gets locked rather abruptly and noisily. Friends have been giving me advice on keeping rats away and noise is a major one!

SuperDog

A Wedding in Kenya

Today I was privileged to go to a colleague's wedding. It was the smallest wedding I've ever been to, but def one of the nicest! I spent yesterday getting to know Chell and doing some pampering as she has recently moved over to Kenya to be with Tim. She then asked me to do her make up for the wedding, I was so nervous, barely slept! She couldn't sleep due to worrying about her cooking. Both fears were fortunately unfounded! We ate well and she looked fab! They are a v sweet couple, and today has been such a lush one!

Tim and Chell about to set off to marry!

We all traveled into town together, post make over! It was such a treat to be driven and I loved the sightseeing! The ceremony was next to the President's office so it was cool to see all the posh cars there. We kinda overestimated how bad the traffic would be so were an hour early.....but the view from the window was parliament so I was snappy happy which helped temporarily distract from my hunger. Toby and I foolishly skipped brekkie as knew the feast which lay in store (Chell's cooking is unbelievable!), but we both wanted to eat each other's arms out of insane hunger and sitting around! 

Parliament building, Nairobi

Of course, this is Africa, so expecting an on time ceremony was perhaps a little unrealistic.....the waiting continued. We were there for nearly two hours. We were put into a little waiting room which had a small section cornered off. I loved it-it was like a preening room, with a big chair and mirror! The waiting room filled up quickly, Toby amused himself with his man bag and a spinning chair. The rest of us enjoyed people watching and guessing who was getting married to who. Some of the outfits were amazing! Incredible hats that looked quite spacey, as well as proper formal attire accompanied with a baseball cap. I so wanted to take pics but didn't think it was appropriate so use your imagination and keep it random and it'll be about right!

Simple things....

When we were finally called in for the ceremony, the registrar spoke so fast it was really difficult to understand him, and he didn't even attempt to say Chell's name-he just pointed at her, was so funny! It lasted about 2 minutes, but was actually really moving. Any marriage ceremony and commitment is significant and so the location and duration I guess is irrelevant. I was surprised by how much it made me think about the enormity of marriage, and also to be filled with respect and well wishes for this new married couple. 

There was definitely an attempt at decorating the room! Love the pic of the first president-it adorns every public place.

Meeting of very different cultures and races

After the signing we had a swift photoshoot and then drove back to a friend's house for a lil reception. 

It was such a happy, relaxed afternoon. Chell had prepared an absolute feast, and we all brought various things to surprise and treat the couple. There were just six of us. In all honesty, an interesting group of six people, but the dynamics were great and it was so lovely to get to know certain colleagues better. 

Wendy pouring the champagne...one of the many drinks courses!

Mala and I

Cutting the cake

Tsavo

A few weeks ago a few friends and I went to Tsavo for the weekend. It's about halfway to Mombasa and famous for elephants, as well as the orangey soil.

Despite seeing crocodiles in January I have still been rather obsessed with them and still so keen to see them in the wild. So, got rather excited when saw this sign:

Hopefully!!

The park is beautiful. Very dry and hot, but there was a gorgeous oasis like area, called Mzima springs which really was stunning and in total contrast to the rest of the park.

It was here that I had my first croc in the wild sighting!! Woo!!! We saw one on the ground and another in the water. There were so many hippos around too, the water was rarely smooth and still!

There was a lil gazebo area set into the water which was quite cool. We went down into it and it was kinda like going snorkeling but without getting wet! 

Debs enjoying the fish who were obsessed with coming close to her window

It had been months since my last safari, so was fun to go and spot animals again, as well as enjoying sundowners and general safari fun! I did find the early game drives a bit much at times though as do still get quite tired. At one point I happily settled down for a snooze in the car and just asked to be woken up if anyone saw a leopard!

We had rented a house inside the park. It was lovely, very spacious, with gorgeous views. I took this photo late on Saturday afternoon from our veranda. About nine in the evening we were inside playing games when Becca noticed that there was a herd of elephants walking by! They came to about 15m from our veranda, it was such a beautiful sight. 

Roaming Lioness

For the last two months there have been lionesses on the loose near school. The school is opposite the National Park so animals do wander out quite often and seeing my Head teacher try to scare off a monkey or a baboon from outside his office is no rare sight! But lions tend to escape for a day or two before they are captured or killed by a speeding matatu. But these two lionesses are still alive and roaming! As time has gone on they have become more legendary and rumours and stories about them have increased, with them apparently eating humans (not true, the man in question simply changed his routine for a few days but is in fact alive and well!). They have eaten a few baby giraffe from the nearby giraffe centre and a couple of warthogs and people are concerned for their dogs as there have been definite signs of attempted catchings and eatings.

There have been various sightings-even some at the school gate, but somehow the lions have escaped capture. This pic is from a sign usually displaying the reg plates of speeding drivers around the corner from school:

They have now received international attention: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9161212/Lions-on-the-loose-in-Nairobi.html

I feel for the askaris (local security) who have to sit outside houses throughout the night. It must be terrifying! Security cameras have taken some incredible pictures in the middle of the night of them jumping over gates and roaming around. One of the girls in my class brought in some photos last week of the two lionesses outside her neighbour's garden at 3.30am. So glad I moved to the other side of town!

Crocodiles

Last night whilst chatting to a friend I told him that I was hoping to see a crocodile today. He seemed surprised that I hadn't yet seen one, and that despite many safaris and trips around Kenya I always seemed to miss out on spotting one. Well, today me and Slav went to the Mamba Village in Nairobi. I tried not to get too excited as often such trips are a bit of an anti climax here, but this one was amazing! For starters, there was a really sweet lake which you could boat on! We were very excited, but not dressed appropriately and decided it was best to come with men who would row or pedal for us, so we will return!

We went into the crocodile part and there were so many crocodiles!

They were so well camouflaged that we wouldn't always notice how many were in each section for quite a while. Some of them were so small and we kept calling them babies, yet apparently it can take until they are 30 to reach full size (our keeper kept correcting us, but we still exclaimed how cute the babies were, he was very patient though persistent at reminding us). Crocodiles don't have tongues so can't eat and swallow unless in the water. So weird looking in their mouths.

Brave Slav didn't have to be asked twice to hold a baby one, I dubiously touched it, but was urged (made to) hold it (those of you who have met Slav will understand!), although I made the keeper promise to not let go. He broke his promise and there were squeals when I realized that I was holding it alone, but it was cool! New brave Hannah! The skin was so soft.

Loving the Dame Edna sunnies! 

We had a lil wonder and saw a giraffe, ostrich and camels (brought back painful memories!). The location is so pretty. It was one of the best days I've had in Nairobi for a long time.

Water

Sometimes it really doesn't feel like Africa here at all, and that can be both refreshing (sometimes home comforts are well appreciated) and frustrating (I did move to Africa and want the experience). Well this week has definitely been an I am in Africa week; I have had no running water. I have never been without water for so long before, has been a challenge! Well, it has come back on twice, but then it has been all the more surprising when a few hours later it has gone again. My house girl filled every imaginable container with water on Tuesday which was quite a sight to come back to! I have been going round friend's houses for showers and learning new ways to conserve and re use water. Tomorrow is Water Day....apparently....heard it too many times before to get overly excited!

How to get a flight upgrade

It is always strange going home, wherever home is at a current point. I was excited about coming back to Nairobi, mainly because of the weather to be honest, but goodbyes are always so sad. This was the first time though that I didn’t cry, I did want to but decided to distract myself by playing David Guetta loud and watching a couple of videos that my sweet niece had made on my phone. It made me laugh so much!

The journey was tough and long. I got delayed in Bahrain, so when I finally got on the second flight I was pretty tired. I was sitting between two lovely men and we all got chatting and had a good giggle together. It was one of the most random flights I have ever been on. I managed to sleep for an hour or so but when I woke up I was so hot and couldn’t get my trusty Japanese socks off fast enough! Mick suggested we change seats so that I was in the aisle seat. I started shaking so Mick took me to the back of the plane but sadly I didn’t make it….woke up lying in the aisle with him holding my legs (so glad I was wearing trousers under my dress!) in the air and a flurry of air hostesses dabbing my head with cold towels and putting smelling salts in my face. So embarrassing! I did get bumped up to business class so there was a happy ending! I missed my two companions though so after a half hour I ventured back. They stayed with me and sorted my luggage which was a great help.

We landed about 5pm. It was so warm and light! When I got back to my home though we had a power cut, I am not sure why I was surprised as we getting them daily before I left. I unpacked by candlelight (by 7 it was pretty dark) and really felt that I was back in Kenya! My landlord couldn’t stop laughing; I didn’t find it that funny!

Amazingly, Vixy started first time! Well impressed, she is awesome. The guys here changed her tyre and managed to clean off a few scratches that had mysteriously appeared when I was in hospital (poor Vixy was abandoned at my friend’s hotel as I wasn’t expecting to get admitted) so all is sorted there.

Feeling loads better after some good sleep and excited about returning to work after way too long. 

Packing again

Just been packing to fly back (with help from my little brother, Jonnie, not sure how he is such a good packer, but I think he could rival Mum!) and am a little embarrassed by so many things that have not been used over the last 5 weeks either much, or at all! Feel the list could provide a few good pointers for New Year's resolutions!

1. Trainers and running gear - Hmm such good intentions and perhaps I did under estimate how long my recovery would take, but still. They have not been touched or really thought about, except when Jonnie was stuffing the trainers with make up and other small objects for packing and remarked how I really should buy new trainers! Not up for exercise yet but definitely getting closer. I do now walk at a usual speed though, woo! Not sure there will be any marathons run this year but determined to get my fitness back, slowly but surely.

2. Dental floss. Oh dear. My dear niece, Sophia and I did it once...at her suggestion!

3. Anti wrinkle cream. Another habit I must really get into! I had such high hopes of a relaxing 5 weeks getting into good skincare habits. The time has flown. I thought it was physically impossible to sleep as much as I have done. It has been crazy. I am feeling a lot better though, and am sure that the imminent return to sunshine will boost me further.

4. So many dresses, vests and jumpers that were popped in at the last min, just in case! How many times do I have to pack before I learn this lesson?!