Hi guys!!

I have a pretty free day today so I thought I would take this chance to fill you all in on what amazing things I've been up to. I may need a few hours to tell you everything but I'll do my best with the time I have.

Firstly, the trip has been amazing!!!! I only have 6days left until I'm home and although it's been brilliant I am quite excited about this! I miss home comforts too much now and a tent is getting a bit boring now!

So, we started in Kenya where there were 20 of us on a truck. The truck is our base on the journey, everything stays there and it is always available. We also spend a hell of a lot of time on there, driving to the next destination which sometimes can be up to 10 hours away. I think that's been our longest perios of driving so far but we have done quite a few of those. It's not the most comfortable place to try to sleep but we all manage it after doing so much in the days.

We spent the first few days in Kenya when we went to visit the Masai Mara. Considering that this was our first national park we saw a lot of animals. I had been on a safari in Tsavo but the Masai Mara was so different. While you are driving around looking out for lions, you might see a Masia warrior walking around! The live right next to the park and literally have to build fences to keep the lions and cheetahs out! We went on a trip to a Masai village which really opened my eyes. They have tiny huts made of cow dung and they cook and sleep in the same room so the smoke is unbearable. They also keep some of their animals in a small room attached to the hut so the smell is also pretty awful. The conditions are completely normal to them though. I read 'The White Masia' a few days ago and I am shocked that a Swiss woman managed to live in those conditions for so long!! The Masia people are amazing and you will never see anybody like them but they have some very strange and strong beliefs like the boys are circumcised at the age of about 15 and they are now allowed to show any pain. If they cry or make any sound that they are in pain, they are cast out from their society! This also happens to the girls even though they realise that it is illegal now. So the Masai Mara was mainly the group getting to know each other. This happened quickly and there was nudity within three days!! Unfortunatly, I was really ill for the first week. It was only at certain times of day but it meant that I missed a lot and I really wasn't having a great time. Suprisingly, it cleared itself up after a heavy night of drinking! (great cure it seems)

From Kenya, we crossed the border into Tanzania. Each country we have been to has been completely different. Tanzania was like Kenya but more green and healthy looking. We went to the Serengeti for our second set of game drives. The Serengeti was completely different. It was a lot flatter and you could see for miles. That meant thought that the animals were less likely to be seen. We did see some huge herds or wilderbeest and zebra and plently of thompson gazelles but it was harder to spot the more dangerous animals. We were very lucky though to spot some lions with their cubs playing really close to the road. I have some amazing pictures which I can't wait to put on here. We drove around the national parks in safari vans rather than the big truck. This meant that we got to know each other even better and consequently the nudity increased!! There was a little alcohol involved, I won't deny that and I didn't get naked. One thing I have had to get used to though-wilderness weeing. We have to do this mulitple times on a daily basis so know I'm a pro. I actually enjoy the stops at the side of the road, looking for an concealed place away from prying eyes and watching out for any snakes that may be near-really I do enjoy it! I'm also quite proud of the fact that I can say-I peed in the Masai Mara and the Serengeti! Now how many people can say that?!!

We stayed in Tanzania as we visited the Olduvai gorge on the way to the NgoroNgoro crater. The Olduvai gorge was where we all oringinally came from. The oldest remains of the link between humans and apes was found here so it was a really interesting place to visit. The Ngorongoro crater was a huge crater (well duh) hidden beneath the clouds and filled with animals. We had an amazing time here. We saw so much and it was a beautiful place. We got to see thousands of flamingoes which was a beautiful sight. We slept on top of the crater, 700m up which was just under the clouds so we had a freezing night. After some tent moving I ended up having to share my tent not only with my tent partner but also a guy called Ed. Not only did I have to share my tent with him but he didn't have a sleeping mat or sleeping bag either. After the worst, most uncomfortable sleep of our lives we became good friends!

We left the crater to go back to a previous campsite where we visited a snake park and also another masai village. From here we drove past Mt Kilimanjaro to Dar es Salaam. We set up camp on the beach and had a good night drinking and playing volleyball. There was of course more nakedness. This time from a crazy Swede who was on our trip. (Is everyone starting to see a theme in our fun yet?) I spent most of that night on the beach under the stars which was amazing if not a little scary with the waves in the dark.

We left the truck at Dar es Salaam taking only what we needed to spend three days in Zanzibar-spice capital of the world! Here we were joined by two newcomers. A korean guy called Jase and the most rude and obnoxious man in the world-Randy. We spent the first night in Stowntown which was where we saw the amazing culture of Zamzibar. We toured the markets buying souvenirs and building costumes for an upcoming party. We were taken to a hotel for a beautiful view of the sunset and went on from there to get dinner. Instead of going to a restaurant we headed to the night market. This was one of my favourite parts of the trip. They sold the most amazing fresh fish and for such a low price. I got a famous Zanzibar pizza and a plate of mixed seafood for less than 5pounds! definately worth it. During dinner I made friends with a baby monkey who appreciated my gifts of sugarcane and cheese from my pizza. After dinner we headed for Mercury's bar. Named after Freddie Mercury who was born on Zanzibar. Again we got pretty tipsy but I don't remember any nakedness at this point, we saved that for the next night. The next day, we were taken on a spice tour. We were shown all of the spices as they were growing and told what each one could be used for. We were all given samples in a bag made from leaves and at the end we had a traditionally African lunch with the most amazing fruits I've every tasted. We all came away with hats, bags, necklaces and ties made from leaves which were great additions to the night's costumes.

After the spice tour, we headed to the northern coast where we stayed in rooms on the beach. Me and Russella got a huge double bed which we literally had to climb into which was very funny when drunk. We spent the days lying on the beach and playing volleyball (taking a rest after our busy week) We spent two nights here and on one of the it was a guy called Mincer (because he's a big mincer) 's birthday. This is the event we had been waiting for and the reason for the costumes. We all had to dress up as something to do with Africa. A lot of the girls dressed up as African women (including me-I had an extra though, I was a muslim so my face was covered-it was very difficult to drink and eat-how do they do it?) They guys were a mix. There were 2 Masai warriors, a zebra, a baboon, a hunter and a woman! We had a brilliant night and got incredibly drunk. Everyone can guess what happened next. A game of killer pool which of course led to clothes being removed. (Again I'd like to add-not mine) There has been a lot more alcohol involved on the trip than a budgeted for!!

We left Zanzibar on the worst boat I've every been on. The waves were quite big and the boat-a ferry type thing was so rocky. 5 people threw up because of seasickness and I didn't feel far off. I was glad to get off when we got there. We returned to Dar to meet the truck again. Here, we lost one member of the group, Anita who headed home so we were at 21 people. This is also the point where there was some tent swapping and Russella left to go with Anita's ex tent partner Becks while I shared with Ed who had become little more than just a friend:)

After Dar we headed into Malawi. Malawi is supposed to have the friendliest people in Africa and it did give off a very good impression. We stayed for a few nights on lake Malawi. This in my opinion was even more beautiful than Zanzibar and I could have spent a lot longer there. We spent the time chilling on the beach and doing a few activities. Some people went out of boats while others scuba dived and some rode horses in the lake which looked amazing. I was having a few money problems so spent my time making another costume. This time out of banana leaves. The deal was that you had to wear nothing underneath but after seeing how easily they rip, this soon changed! Anyway, I made a dress Vera Wang would be proud of and had a great night trying to pull other people's costumes off! Need I mention the nakedness??

By day 20 we were leaving Malawi and heading into Zambia. We passed through Zambia's capital-Lusaka (where we lost Randy after some harsh words) and headed to Livingstone where we set up camp on the bank of the Zambezi river. We could see the spray fom Victoria Falls as we approached and we stayed only 10mins away. We were given free time here to do any activities we wanted. I managed to lend some money from dad (thank you) and decided to spend it on some unforgettable experiences. Firstly, we all went on a sunset cruise along the river. When I say sunset, I mean booze. It was a definate booze cruise! As it was all free, we decided to drink the bar as dry as we could. This was one of the last days that our group would be together so we spent it wisely-drunk! To be honest, I can't remember much of that night, except that it was a heavy one and the next morning wasn't too fun. The next day was spent relaxing by the pool and topping up my disappointing tan. We did go out to see Victoria Falls and got very wet. You don't think spray can soak you through. It was a beautiful sight though. The falls with rainbows in front and with great friends. This is where we said goodbye to 2 more people-Russella and Becks. The next day I went on an amazing helicopter ride over Victoria Falls. It was stunning and I'm so glad I did it. On our last day in Livingstone, some people decided to do the bungee-and some decided definately not to! We all headed for the bridge which was sooo scary and the bungee jumpers got prepared. It was crazy, I was so excited for them, I'm not sure I could ever do it though. I watched everyone jump and say how amazing it was and decided I had to do something amazing like that. Me, Ed and two other guys, Tim and Stalker headed back to pay to go abseiling. We got to the place and could do three activities-abseiling, flying fox and gorge swing. Flying fox was first. This was done over a huge gorge and was the scariest thing I've ever done. Firstly, we were strapped into the harness on our backs. We stood on a platform looking out over the gorge and then I was told to run. Of course I said no! Humans aren't supposed to run off cliffs. When the guy told me again, I again said no! I'm not as stupid as I look you know! But on the third time, he gave me a little push and I ran, off a cliff! You throw yourself into a superman position and then you are flying across the gorge looking down! The flight out there is great because it's so quick but when you're left hanging there, looking down and thinking what the **** am I doing, you feel a little different and can't help but panic a bit. You're the pulled in and stand on shaking legs on the platform. This is when, laughing, the man says, now run again! Well of course I said no-again! But it took less encouragement this time. I ran on the second go, loving it more this time I knew what to expect. It was still scary as hell though! After the fox we did an abseil down the gorge. I've abseiled before and loved it but this was scary. It was so high and down a cliff face which you couldn't see past. I did love the experience though. Walking back up afterwards wasn't fun though. I've done no exerciese in Africa so the 20min, uphill walk was not nice. Once at the top, we saw the gorge swing. I was not going to do that. Freefall then swing into the gorge. I watched Ed and Stalker do it and didn't change my mind. I was way too scared for that. I don't regret it either. I was very proud of myself for doing the other things though. On our second to last night we went to a great restaurant in town which did the best steak (in Africa). After this, we lost Duncan from the group (he wasn't the most sociable of people so it wasn't a great loss). The end of Livingstone was officially our last night before the group split up. A few people went home (or carried on travelling alone) and some carried on on a different tour to Jo'burg. Ed was one of the latter. We spent our official last night round a campfire and suprisingly had an early night.

The next day we headed to Chobe national park in Botswana with our new group. There are 8 of the originals, 9 people from a different trip from Jo'burg and 7 completely new people. This was weird!!! Our previous group had literally become like family and it was awful leaving them all. I said 'official last night' before though because we did actually have another night together in the seperate groups. We met again at Chobe and had our last last night ever together (without the people who went home). We moved some tent partners around so I could share with Ed again and we had quite an emotional night. All of us got quite tipsy and it was not a nice feeling to say bye to everyone. But we managed it! In the morning, our group had a game drive at 5ish so I said bye to Ed and got into my sleeping bag on the safari truck to sleep through the drive. We didn't really see any animals that day. The other group left while we were gone and that was it!

In the afternoon, we took a cruise along the Chobe river wihch was pretty amazing. We got to see crocs, hippos and loads of elephants which crossed the river just infront of us when the sun went down. The sunset was excellent and seeing the baby elephants swim across the river topped it all off. We spent the first few days getting to know the new group. It didn't feel the same from the start but that's to be expected.

After Chobe, we headed south to Maun and the Okavango Delta. We spent one night in Maun then we were transferred to a Mokoro station. A mokoro is a dugout canoe which is the only wau to get across the wetlands of the delta. We were taken out on a 2 hour mokoro ride to an island where we set up camp. The island was amazing. There is nothing there. No facilities at all so a hole had to be dug for the toilet and we had to bring everything with us that we would need for sleeping, cooking etc. The Delta was another of my favourite moments (in the top 3). We were taken on a game walk where we saw elephants less than 70m away. This felt different to a game drive as they were so close and we were so vulnerable. We also saw some warthogs and were shown animal tracks. After making our way back and having a little rest we were taken out in the mokoros again. This time on a sunset ride to a hippo pool. At first, we though this was joke. The mokoros sit low on the water so it you move too much, the water spills in the sides. We didn't think we could see the most dangerous animals in one of those. But our mistake, we did. So close! We saw 3 hippos, mating and making a lot of noise. The male quickly became aggitated that we were there and started rearing up and roaring at us (yes hippos can roar) It was so scary. But instead of slowly backing away, our mokoro driver took us in even closer so we were only 20-30m away! We stayed to watch the sunset the quickly headed back before it got too dark. That night we had some songs and dances around the fire from the mokoro drivers (along with some drinking but no nakedness-that left with the old group).

We went back to Maun for a night then headed south to Ghanzi where we met the San Bushmen. They are very short bushmen who have survived on the land all their lives and talk in clicks (we had a translator). This was really special and unlike the Masai.

The next day we headed west into Namibia. The sixth country on our journey. We stayed one night in Winghoek where we went to Joe's Beerhouse in the evening. This place was famous for game. I wanted to try it all so I had a sort of mixed platter. Ostrich, crocodile, zebra and kudu and I also tried some Springbok which has to be my favourite. Next, we headed to Etosha. Another national park where we spent two nights next to a floodlit waterhole. This was brilliant as it was visited so often by many animals. We saw about 40 elephants on one visit and rhino and leopard on others (I missed the leopard which I was slightly upset about as that's the only one of the big 5 I havem't seen) I missed it because I was cooking (one of Mum's dishes-ratatouille with spicy sauage and jacket potato-thanks mum!)

After Etosha, we entered Spitzkoppe. This was like nothing I've ever seen before. There are hundreds of rocks- the highest being about 1,800m above sea level. We did some climbing (not that high) and explored the bushman paintings on the rocks. The night we spent here was another of my top 3. Some of us decided to sleep on top of the rocks (hoping it wasn't cold) The others found a point quite high up and lit a fire. I decided I wanted to sleep alone so found a spot and slept under the stars. Everytime I woke up, there were more starts in the sky and it was the most beautiful night. It wasn't very cold and I was as comfortable as you can be sleeping on a rock. We left Spitzkoppe and headed for Swakopmund (where I am now) On the way we visited Cape Cross Seal Colony where we saw thousands of seals in their natural habitat, stinking and loud. We couldn't stay for too long because of the smell (it was that bad) but we got lots of impressive photos.

We reached Swakopmund yesterday. We are staying in a hostel 2 blocks from the Atlantic so it's quiet cold and misty in the mornings. Today people have gone sandboarding, quad biking and sky diving. I want to do skydiving but it was quite expensive (and I'm sooo scared). I'm going horse riding along the dried out river bed near the dunes this afternoon. Last night we had the first drunken night in a while. We had a great meal out then headed to a bar, it may be the same story tonight (I need a holiday after this travelling!)

We only have a few days left now but they look good. A visit to some of the highest dunes in the world followed by the Fish River Canyon, South Africa to the Orange River then Cape Town. I can't wait.

Sorry it's been so long guys. I really could have written all day and believe me this is just a brief overview of what I've done. If you've got this far-well done. Go and sit down, have a biscuit and a cup of tea and spend some time getting back to reality.

Once again, I miss you all and love you all but not long now and you'll be wishing I was back here after I won't shut up about my time here.

xxx