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I commenced writing this blog after waking up on the Rift Valley Railways (RVR) Mombasa to Nairobi overnight service, onmy final full day on continental Africa. It was 0653 am and the ASUS was proving to be a great little gadget for getting some work in when sleeping is no longer an option but not much else is! This line is one of the few still working in Africa and it is an experience in itself, one to be tried out if you ever get the chance. I am now finishing the blog in Tulear in Southern Madagascar before emarking on my 6 week scuba dive marine conservation expedition with Blue Ventures.
Back to the train for now, and a 7pm departure time meant arriving in Nairobi at sometime in between 8 and 10 am we were informed, However (this is Africa) we were called for our dinner while still in the station at 730pm, were cordially informed by the train manager that there had been a "derailment" about 40km further up the line and there would be a slight delay but we would be departing shortly. Following a not so freshly cooked but edible meal we pulled out of Mombasa at 9pm! Every time I awoke during the night we didn't seem to be moving which I assumed meant stopsat stations however when I did awake at about 7am we had just passed a station called Tsavo (remember the film "Into the Darkness"? with the man eating lions?) which, from my basic knowledge of Kenya I knew was not 1 hour away from Nairobi!!! I,e, its a lot closer to Mombasa, Maybe I can give you a final arrival time by the time I am done, but basically I hope they packed lunch!
, and to be honest I can hardly believe it. Indeed I can scarcely believe how much I have done, how many people I have met and mostly how long I have been away - 84 days (give or take!). Tomorrow morning its destination Madagascar via Mauritius, for a paltry 18 hours. Still in this time I am planning to try and get a morning of kite surfing in if at all possible. Depends on the lay of the land - i,e, i have no idea of the geography of the place whatsoever but if its logistically possible Ill give ita bash.
We finally rolled into Nairobi at 430pm, a whole 8 and a half hours behind schedule, following another derailment upline and a bus that had decided to park on the line after that for an hour or so. A few people were a little annoyed at the minor delay, I had more or less anticipated some sort ofinterruption or the like and was down with as it made me sit down and learn some PADI diving stuff as I had nothing else to do, at all. Unfortunately though I had a massive amount to do in Nairobi that day but that went swiftly out the window, the main objective being to try and find a watch that is waterproof to 200m (Dan!!!). Now this may not sound like much of an ordeal, but this is Africa. And moreover this was Nairobi - were nothing is as it seems. After much rushing about to several more than dodgy shops I am now the proud owner of a quite fancy Casio G-shock. Now its just hold my breath time when I go under for the first time to see if i am the owner of a genuine quite fancy Casio G-shock...
Despite arriving at Nairobi Airport to be told that I was not on the intended flight to Mauritius I eventually was allowed to board. It would have been the ultimate quelle disaster if i had not have been able to board, and i think the look on my face at the mere suggestion that i may not be sitting on the plane come 1430 was enough to persuade them. Incredibly fortunately one of the other guys from the expedition had mailed out to say that he was flying via Mauritius and was anyone else? Jackpot! Matt prearranged accom for the both of us in a hostel (someones house), picked me up at the airport and we then had a lovely Mauritian dinner was prepared and subsequently devoured. Total result. The extent of my time on this paradise island was racing around looking for suncream that wouldn't bring my skin back to being 17 again and to find a PADI advanced dive manual that had somehow slipped through my to do list. The former was finally successful. The latter not so much. Still i reckon I got the 2 most important items out of the 3 required so happy days.
On the flight into Antananarivo (city of a thousand soldiers!) we were joined by another member of the expedition - John from California, another nice guy but also another experienced diver and at this point I am starting to think I will be the only other novice in the entire group. After managing to get into the country without a return flight off it (a near impossible feat I am told) I did try to organise one there and then, but this is Africa, soto no avail. Consequently I am still thinking may why out of this one....
Upon arriving into our "hotel" for the night we met up with all but 3 my mates for the next 6 weeks. I must say I am well happy with the cosmopolitan demographics of the group with a German, a few Americans, a few Brits, a South African, A Russian called Lubyomir (surely mafia but haven't found that out yet), a Belgian girl, one couple, a Geordie, a few 50+ year olds, a few 18 year olds and everything in between. Everyone seems to be getting on great so far. and thankfully only about half are bona fide divers with the rest of us playing catch up!
The next morning and we were loaded into a few matatus for the 1000km drive/tour south to Tulear. We took in a few national parks, saw the Lemurs - which are amazingly dexterous, agile, and something to hehold really. They ended up here - like the other 85% of Madagascar's endemic species when Le Grande Ille split away from mainland Africa some 160 million (or so) years ago. Rumour on the street is that they are our ultimate ancestors and you see why. Another stop was in Isalo National Park where we got to swim in some of the most amazingly clear and clean pools with waterfalls cascading into I have ever seen. Pretty amazing really!!! A good few days and a nice introduction to the country.
Tonight at about 11pm we are loading up a truck with all our bags, a few mattresses and preparing ourselves for a 20hour (yeah 20) to Andavadoka. I am intrigued if I will be experiencing roads as bad as that to Kasensero with the kids in Uganda, but from what i gather it is to be something on a par with it. After that its 6 weeks in the wilderness with no contact to the outside world, learning to dive and then out on the reef recording every day after that. Cannot wait and just hope it pans out to be everything I have hoped, but so far so good. Just hope I like diving........!
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