It seems like such a long time ago that we were in Kenya yet it was only about a week.  Already the humdrum of school life has made us feel we never left!  Exams, marking, lesson plans - it all falls into such a regular pattern.

The last week of Kenya was awesome, we stayed on Diana beach south of Mombassa, Kenya.  (I have used that word far too much after making friends with an American, Tony, on Mt Kenya!)  I was really stressed though at first because I had booked all the accommodation for the fifteen of us.  (We spent the last week with all the volunteers minus one, who stayed at his project.)  I met this guy who I booked it through WAYN, an internet site for travellers.  I asked him if he knew anyone with a cottage we could rent and it turned out that he worked for a travel company.  I booked the cottages but by the time it came to sorting out final arrangements in Nairobi I was totally paranoid that he was a con artist and that there were in fact no cottages - especially after he sent me a casual e-mail commenting that "of course, all transactions are made in Nairobi".  AGH!  When we got to Nairobi my phone decided not to work.  Despite "Celtels" main selling point being that it is working for a united east Africa with a single network covering Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, none of our Uganda SIM cards worked.  This made meeting up with the travel agent very difficult as we kept trying to meet up but not get e-mails in time.

We finally met at Kenyetta International airport where the company had an office.  I was so relieved that the company was obviously official.  After asking many questions we agreed on the price.  We headed back to central Nairobi a building where we had been the day before!  We settled the arrangements and gave 1/2 the cost as a deposit.  (Agh my bank balance!) So on the way to Lamu to Mombassa I was slightly (well ok very) worried!  Would all of the volunteers turn up?  (We hadn't spoken to them for a month!).  How would they know where to go?  Would the cottages be ok?  Would we have to share the pool with 100 other people Euro camp style?  When we arrived (almost) all my worries disappeared.  The cottages were amazing! Some of the others had not arrived, which was a bit annoying as we had to pay but they were coming the next day (Phew!). 

We had hired 4 cottages - 2 on a compound of 3 cottages which had its own pool, and 2 which were a short walk away.  I had already bagzied the pool compound and I reckon we got the best house although they were all pretty good.  It was a thatched cottage with a kind of pyramid roof that came down over both levels.  As you approached the cottage there were steps up to the first level, some of which were a kind of outside patio but still covered by the roof.  Here we had a large dining table (where we staged cooking competitions against the guys) and a set of lounge chairs and a coffee table.  The outside of the cottage was painted white.  Inside there was a bedroom straight to your left with a large heavy four poster bed which Mae and me shared.  To the right was Zoe's room, she had her own fridge and a four poster bed!  Next to my and Mae's room was the bathroom with a large sink (necessary for all our girls lotions) a double (HOT) shower and a flushing toilet - wow! Next to that was a kitchen that was equipped with... a toaster, oven and kettle! Wow it was like being back in the UK, we even had eggcups!

There was a thin staircase to the upstairs which had a high pyramid roof up to the thatch.  There was another set of comfy chairs and yet another magnificent four poster bed that Eilidh occupied on her own.  (She was ill and claimed she needed to sleep in isolation... whatever! lol)  The room was massive as it stretched across the entire house.  A massive white paper lampshade hung over the stairs.  As you walked up the stairs a wooden door on you far right opened onto a balcony with a couple of chairs and table - almost as if it had been designed for morning coffee and a boiled egg and soldiers!

I spent the first couple of days sleeping and swimming in the pool - when I went to the beach it was beautiful - although not as good as Lamu of course!  The beach is full of beach boys - young men aged around 25 selling various things, well usually themselves or drugs.  Others of similar age hang round apparently just to talk as they have nothing else to do.  The others got offered umm.... services a couple of times but no one hassled me.  I made friends with one really nice guy who I saw most days.  (Mainly because he had a cool Bilabong hat!)  We chatted about loads, school, holidays, England, Uganda, the usual.

After three days I was bored so Mae and me went on a venture to find a windsurfing club.  It was so cool!  We spent 3 days doing it. By the end I could not only pull up the sail without it landing on my head in the water, I could also turn around, change direction and steer!  Woo!  The last day I bought a painting, then me, Mae, Eilidah, Aides, Tom and Aiden played beach volleyball.  We hit the hotel residents a couple of times! Oops!  When we had finished we went to the bar by the water sports club and one of the staff gave us free cocktails!  Could it get any better?  A perfect beach, warm, clear and free drinks!

Earlier on in the week all fifteen of us had been to a bar called Forty Thieves.  It was fun getting dressed up and going out (minus the usual make up and high heels!)  Tom wore his new shirt that all the guys in Lamuu wear (it's basically a sarong).  Neil wore his very expensive, head to toe safari gear (with hat) it was very amusing.  Unfortunately half way through the night I fell asleep on the sofa in the club!  That's what comes of living in the village for too long!

The best thing about Diana beach was the Kenyans I met.  One guy was about 45 and said he wanted to chat about England.  We talked for a while until he asked if I would like to go for a drink - I was like ewww old leery man (again!)  As soon as I said "no" though he wasn't at all push (unusually) instead he was happy just to talk about the UK, although I was pretty uncomfortable at first.  I guess what you have to remember is that old men often go out with much younger women, so asking isn't necessarily socially unacceptable.  On the last day he gave me two Massai statues from his stall on the path to the beach.  They were probably worth about £10, which is a lot in Kenya.  He also insisted that I should come back - "Even if you are married".  I'm sure he meant that in a genuine way but it was still a typical African moment!

The other really nice person I met was a sixteen year old girl called Elizabeth.  She was one of the most intelligent people I've me here.  We talked about loads of stuff but mostly God.  She was one of the few people I have met who, although very religious, was eager to question many beliefs.  Why are there so many religions?  Why did the bible say the world will end soon even if it was written so long ago?  She also wanted to talk about boyfriends and what my beliefs were on pre-marital sex.  By the time I had to leave I really wished that she lived near me in Kabale. I felt that I could easily talk to her and be proper friends (she never once asked for money). We exchanged addresses and I am planning on writing to her soon.

The journey back to Nairobi was similar to all journeys home after a holiday.  You are half sad it is all over but half happy to be going home, most of all you just wish the bus travelling part was over!  Having said that, unlike journeys in England we did see several zebras and many giraffes about five meters from the road during the coach journeys!  About four people were desperate to get to Kampala as they had all picked up pretty bad ear infections from the private swimming pool.  (A major down side to the luxury accommodation!)

Eilidh and me got to Nairobi and headed straight to the hospital where Eilidh picked up a number of pills (the size of horse tablets) excessive amounts of pain killer and eardrops.  We stayed in backpackers the following day and planned to get the night bus to Kampala.  It was sad to leave a city that we had really liked.  During the day we went into town, as we were leaving the road from backpackers we saw a lot of rubble near to a small market square.  We had eaten there before, there were a couple of cafes', some nicer than others, a butchers, some stalls and a couple of shops.  As we walked into the square we realised the whole thing had been bulldozed.  I asked a man who was sat on one pile of rubble what had happened and he replied that it was destroyed at night, presumably by the city council.  Mae, who had visited the largest slum in Nairobi, explained that when the government acknowledge markets like this one they have to class it under "temporary housing".  According to government legislation this means the council is obliged to provide water and sanitation.  Rather than providing these services the government bulldozes these sites so they no longer have any obligation toward them.  It is hard to see how this can be justified considering the number of people who depend on places like that for their livelihood.  Considering it was at night that it was demolished this means that all the goods and materials inside the shops would have been destroyed. Everything from fruit to toothpaste, toilet rolls, televisions, washing up powder, tables, chairs, pans, stock cubes and buildings would be lost.

When we got back to Kampala we decided to go and see a film before heading back to village life!  During the day we did some shopping.  I bought some new shoes (well second hand new!) from the massive second hand market in the centre of town.  Eilidh bought us a frying pan!  I then went on a big trek to buy some flowers for our front garden/tiny bit of soil.

We went to see "Blood Diamonds" with Leonardo Di Caprio.  It was so good!  Very weird to be watching it in Africa though, all the scenes looked somehow familiar.  Some of the comments are typically "African" as well - the guy is told to pretend he is a journalist - he is like "but I am not a journalist" then he says to the first person he sees "I am a journalist" even though it is totally inappropriate.  You have to live here a while to understand how typical that comment is! More alarming is the level of violence in the movie and how you could see how it could easily happen here.  The corrupt politicians and quick tempers are all too familiar.

After the movie we were on a massive high!  We scoffed some ice cream and giggled at the really bad  in the bowling alley next door.  The ice cream was disgusting and tasted of washing up liquid but we just found it funny! Oooh, and we had pizza before the film, it was good!

The next and final day of the holiday me, Eilidh and Aiden got a coach to Kabale.  It took about ten hours instead of the usual six because the wheel fell off... twice!

This weekend has been interesting, we were both tired (and bored!) after a week of invigilating exams, but the weekend has been fun.  On Saturday I woke up and washed several of the sheets that had been in the spare room, they were disgusting!  The water was black!  I don't think they had ever been washed - so far we had just left them on the floor in the corner and avoided them!

For lunch we cooked at an Italian man's house.  He owns the cheese factory (well, room) at the bottom of our compound.  As his wife is away he needed some women to cook for him!  It was a really weird situation!  We kind of overtook his kitchen (Eilidh and I!)  We made pizza, roast potatoes, salad and vegetables.  His house is gorgeous!  He lives in town although he used to live in one of the houses like ours.  He designed the new house himself, as well as a goat and chicken farm he also has his own butchery where he makes sausages.  And a garden with fresh vegetables and chillies!

Originally Franco is from the Congo, or at least that is where he has lived since he was born.  He moved his business to Uganda in '92' after violence broke out, although he still regards it as his home and has his main house there.  We didn't think Franco (or his Spanish friend) approved of our cooking very much but we thought it was amazing (The pizza had the most amazing combination of toppings!)  still, it was interesting to get to know new people, we bonded over moaning about the massive cost of work visas here.

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Today is Sunday.  In the morning we went to the school church service, usually the beginning of term service is very important so we were surprised that hardly any of the teachers were there (even the headmaster didn't attend).  Although ??????? would be normal in England it is frustrating here because everyone professes to be "saved" or have huge faith!  Doing and saying are obviously very different things!

Afterwards the wife of a teacher from school invited us for lunch.  They have only got married recently and we were really pleased for them to see that she is pregnant!  We didn't say anything however in case it is culturally insensitive, some things are rude here that you would not expect!  She taught us how to make Katago, a kind of potato dish - it was delicious and pretty simple, we are going to try to cook it ourselves next week.  It was the second time we had been to their house and it was great getting to know her better.

In the afternoon a couple of girls who live around the corner came for help with their maths.  They are both about sixteen, I think, and really nice.  They even offered to wash my clothes and peel all my potatoes for me!  (This was partly because they noticed that when I peel them half the potato end up in the bin!)  They are going to come back next week for more lessons and said they would bring some vegetables for us as they grow their own on a patch of land near their house!  They have started teaching me Rutchiga too!

Tonight I made a pretty good spicy vegetable soup.  Tomorrow I'm off to Rugerama (although Magdalina is away) and then on Tuesday I start teaching again .  Time flies!  In two weeks time we will be half way though our year here.  Agh!

We spent a couple of nights in Nairobi before setting off to the coast.  We had a day's journey from Nairobi to Mombassa and then a second to Lamu.  We got on a bus from Nairobi in the morning at about 10 and settled in for another eight-hour coach journey.  I slept most of the way there and woke up about an hour before we were due to arrive.  After sleeping all day I was still in a drowsy half conscious mood and felt the kind of apprehension you only feel after travelling a long way to and unknown place.

As we drove along the road dusk fell and the road got bumpier and bumpier.  The coach was hot and smelt badly of many peoples body odour.  The seats are not really wide enough for your shoulders and you find yourself sticking to your neighbour and to the seat.  As we drove we passed many small shack houses which contrasted strongly to the high rise glass office blocks in Nairobi. This reminded me that although Kenya is much richer than Uganda, the fact that the wealth is so unevenly distributed makes the poverty seem more acute.  As we continued driving we began to pass warehouses and metal factory buildings that are typical of port towns.  Deserted at night, the place reminded me of an out of town depository centre in a suburban part of Liverpool. I always find those kind of places weird, like something in one of those movies set in the future when all humanity has become extinct.

When we arrived in Mombassa we found a cheap Muslim run guesthouse.  The hotel was clean and simple with fans, mosquito nets and on-suite bathrooms with showers.  It was quiet at night and you had to be in your room by 11pm.  Couples had to have marriage licences to share a room.  We felt very safe.

The next day we had another full day's journey to Lamu, a small island off the coast.  In the morning we discovered "sugary goodness;" deep fried dough balls covered in sugar.

The feeling of arriving and getting off the coach was amazing, not being stuck to a sweaty seat was sooo good.  We all boarded a tiny "ferry" and set off across the channel to the island.

It was like something out of "wish you where here".  The sky was clear blue, the sea was calm and the island was covered in palm trees.  As we approached the island we passed traditional sailing boats with vast triangular sails and hand carved wooden hulls.

We approached Lamu (the town) in the late afternoon, I instantly loved it.  The sea front has a line of delicate white washed and pastel coloured buildings.  The best way I can describe the layout of the town is to compare it to Venice but without the canals.  There is a single "high street" that runs parallel to the coast which is about two meters wide.  From this, tiny alleys run backwards into the more rural part of the towns.  These alleys change from tarmac to dust until you reach the tiny winding back streets that reach into the desert of the central island.  When Eilidh and me explored these streets we passed small almost deserted African cafes and groups of small giggling school children playing games.  We also stumbled across a building with sandstone walls.  Its architecture was identical to the others but it was immaculately renovated.  We tried to jump up and see through the windows but could only make out the new white paint.  We turned another corner and met the owner.  A well dressed but abrupt European woman who informed us that it was her house - we had thought it might have been a hotel or a museum!

The afternoon we arrived we were shown round a number of hotels before bartering for two simply furnished rooms in a hotel in the town.  The hotel, like most buildings in Lamu, had an open terraced roof from which you could see the rest of the town and the sea.  (even a couple of palm trees too!)  We spent a couple of nights there looking for shooting stars. (how romantic - lol).

On the first full day we headed to the beach.  Shella beach is a 12km long stretch of white sand and palm trees.  It's the best coastline ever! What's more, and my dad would be very impressed at this fact, it's almost deserted all day.  The only drawback is that it's a 40 minute walk from the centre of town.  Opposite Shella is another, more up-market island with another palm tree strewn beach combined with five star hotels.  It reminds me of a vogue photo shoot.  In retrospect however I think I would rather stay in Lamu, I prefer the feel of a bustling town to a deserted tourist resort, no matter how up-market.

While we were on the beach we got approached by three really friendly locals, all guys who must have been about twenty four-ish.  They invited me and Mae to have some fish with them.  (the others had walked to a cafe)  I have never really eaten fish before - it's always been against my vegetarian beliefs - however since it was hand caught and beach barbecued I couldn't refuse.  I have to say it was delicious!  We spent most of the day on the beach and everyone got thoroughly sunburned - especially Aiden who spent the next week avoiding any form of sunlight - Aiden "Sun is my new 'enemy' ".

The next day Eilidh and me explored the town and did some quality shop browsing - we felt like young women rather than teenagers.  This was partly because of the Parisian style with which we started the day.  We found a tiny cafe trucked up on the second story of a very ordinary looking building.  Inside there were wooden floors and white walls with large paintings.  There were even books for sale and a comfy sofa - a true cafe!  We ordered real coffee (as opposed to instant) and a fruit smoothy each.  Smoothies are a speciality of Lamu - each cafe served freshly blended juice.  Our favourites were mango, banana and pineapple.  One night Mae did try tamarine - all I can say is don't do it!  We decided it tastes like lime juice mixed with cold chicken - eeww!  The fruit itself looks equally as strange - it sort of looks like meat but tastes very bitter.

Anyway.  With our drinks Eilidh and I shared a delicious fruit salad and a lemon and sugar pancake.  We than headed off to explore the town.  In a typically girly way we first went in search of the donkey sanctuary although we could not at first find it.  On our wanders we were however invited into a carpenter's studio - he had just finished making a rocking chair and wanted us to try sitting on it.  It was pretty funny just lying on a chair in the middle of the studio on the sea front.  Like all Lamu folk he was being genuinely friendly.  Next Eilidh and me found an animal clinic.  This charity was started to help look after the many stray cats that inhabit the island who were brought over when the Portuguese first settled in the island.  There was even a veterinary surgery - we were very impressed.  We gave some money as the clinic runs solely on donations.  Mae was appalled, as she doesn't agree with animal charities!

Next we wandered around a couple of craft stalls and shops.  I bought a hair clip and a bangle, both made out of coconut shells - the first purchases I have made for myself while being here.  (And not the last!)  I also bought some "clown trousers", as Tom likes to describe them.  They are made out of Lamu fabric but do have amusing tassels.

We then spent a bit longer exploring before having a big cup of mocca milkshake in a cafe on the sea front - Eilidh had a chocolate one which was equally as scrumptious.

In the afternoon we met the rude European lady with the gorgeous house and also stumbled across a sewing workshop whilst looking for a horse museum.  About fifteen Muslim ladies (the island is mostly Muslim) looked slightly surprised and very amused at our entrance.  The room had several sewing machines but it looked like there was more gossiping than talking!

Although we didn't find the museum we did eventually find the donkey sanctuary.  They all looked like Eyore! Donkeys are the only method of transport on the island other than boat, they carry people, building materials and goods through the town.  I nearly got run over a couple of times!  The sanctuary offers free service, this is much needed, as it is unlikely that the owners would have any access to veterinary care otherwise.

We got back and persuaded Mae (who had already washed her hair) and Tom to go back to the closer beach  (they had just returned after being there most of the day).  This beach is really close to the town but not nearly as nice.  When you walk into the sea its all sludgy seaweed that sticks in between your toes and makes you scared of creatures!  It didn't even get deep enough to swim properly even after about 20 metres of wading! Eilidh got scared in case there were sharks but me and Mae attempted a quick swim.  We met a guy with a boat who jokingly said he would give us a lift back to the town.  He was on the boat with a boy - they anchored and jumped in but declined to pick our friends up from the shore so we turned down their offer!  Back on land we had a cart wheel competition which was joined by some local guys who showed off their flips and arab springs. (Although they couldn't do seven cartwheels in a row!)  Then Mae and me went a run along the beach - we had excessive energy!

Just as we were about to head back we saw a group of about seven boys aged about ten or eleven playing with boats.  These boats were miniature versions of the big Dhow sailing boats that the locals use for fishing.  What is most impressive is that the children make them themselves out of some wood, a plastic sheet and used flip flops.  They were amazing and sailed really well.  I was constantly surprised on Lamu how original the children were when it came to toys - this is so different to Uganda.  Earlier on in the day we had seen even younger children standing on a sea wall holding out plastic bags on pieces of string.  We wondered what they were doing at first but soon realised they were having a competition - when a sudden gust of wind came they all let go and the winner was the child whose bag had got the furthest.  It was just another example of how people can still enjoy themselves with what little they have.  Even the guys on the beach that we met on the first day had the initiative to go and barbecue fish and play football.  Although they said they would rather be working they made the most out of their time.

On the third day we finally went on a Dhow trip - we had been continually pestered by various "captains" to sail with them and eventually chose to go with a guy called Omi (which amused us as there is a similarly named Ugandan clothes cleaning powder).

Omi was a bit of a character and wore incredibly tight short boxers to sail in that revealed far too much!  He also wore fish net tank top vests and offered to rub coconut oil into my hair! (interesting!)  The guys unsurprisingly didn't warm to him!

We set off on the said ship early and dropped Omi off on the opposite island to start cooking lunch before we headed off deep into the ocean (or rather just out of the channel) to do some fishing.  The boats are quite small and you hire them with the crew for a whole day including lunch for just over $10 per person.  There were about four members of crew who sailed us to the ocean.  We all sunbathed on the front just by the sail.  I was closest to the front and every time we hit a big wave I got soaked! Eilidh sat with her feet over the side while Tom worked on his tan! It was warm and sunny!  It was completely opposite (and therefore perfect) from Mount Kenya - relaxing, sunbathing on your own boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean - heaven!

The others went fishing and caught loads!  It was disappointingly easy! We then sailed back to the beach and had a delicious lunch of fish, coconut rice and vegetable stew.  (Although I have since decided not to eat fish...again).  We got dropped off on Shella (all apart from Aiden who was desperate to avoid his new worst enemy - the sun!) and messed around on the beach for a bit before heading back.

On the last day in Lamu Mae and me headed to the beach early to make the most of it.  On the way I bought a beautiful hand carved wooden jewellery box that I had seen on Eilidh's and mine travels.  The Lamu carpenters are excellent, all over the town there are beautifully hand carved wooden sign posts.  Lamu is famous for its carved doors too.  Every house almost has a majestic heavy wooden door engraved with patterns that you might see on an old fashioned four poster bed.  I can't wait to have a house that's posh enough to fit with the jewellery box!

We sunbathed at the beach before wandering to a windsailing centre.  Mae had done it before and she persuaded me to try too.  Even though the sail was far too heavy to really pick it up (the instructor had to hold mine) it was really fun and made me want to try again.  We met up with Eilidh and Tom who found my attempts to stand up on the board fairly amusing.  We went back to the hotel to get washed and changed and returned after dinner to the windsurfing centre as it was also a bar come restaurant.  The music was good and Mae introduced me to the world of extra dry martini! It's good!

I looked out from the terrace on the last night and was really sad to have to leave the next day.  Lamu is so beautiful and interesting - definitely one of my favourite places of all time - where else do you get such interesting culture combined with perfect weather and perfect beaches?

Ooo two last memories of Lamu.

One - The main street at night with lots of little food stalls where you can buy chips, grilled maize, chipatti, spicy potato wedges, omlet and yummy grilled bananas (You have to eat it to understand)

Two - The Muslim women who wear Ninja's - a fabric veil covering their face.  Far from being threatening or intimidating all the woman seemed overly friendly and kind toward us.  Far from the repressed image I had in mind from the Western media - the women seemed happy and care free.  We often saw groups of women that looked more like a group of giddy young girl guides rather than board trapped housewives.  Who wants male attention all the time anyway?

Well, all that's left to say is go to Lamu! You have to see it for yourself!

.Kenya is the most amazing country for tourism. It's got everything; mountains which are amongst the most spectacular in the world; savannahs filled with lions, zebra, giraffe and elephants; restaurants serving a mass of different cultural cuisine, not to mention masses of stretches of unspoilt coastline with white candy like coastline.  If you put Eilidh and me together, we've done all of the above.

I got an overnight bus from Kampala to Nairobi.  Already having been warned of the abrupt nature of Kenyans, I was even more concerned after being warned not to wear my phone on a pocket bag around my neck by a very polite Kenyan woman who was also on the bus.  Why was I going to a city where robbery was famed above anything else & pickpockets apparently walked the streets during the daytime praying on innocent tourists? 'Nairobbery' as it is named in the Lonely Planet Guide, thankfully, did not live up to its reputation.  All the Kenyans' we met were polite and friendly.  The only noteworthy exception being the boys experience of a toothless con-man, well known to both 'Backpackers' and the 'YHA' for trying to claim that he works for either said hostels and then demanding fuel money.  The guys didn't give him any and so all they suffered was some rude, but harmless abuse.

When we planned our trip to Kenya we only imagined we would stay in Nairobi for a single night before heading straight to Mount Kenya.  However as one of our group was ill we decided to stay a couple of extra nights to see if she would recover.  During this time we got to explore Nairobi.  Apart from spending one Saturday desperately seeking a forex before they all closed at noon, and another travelling all over town in order to book our accommodation in Mombassa, we had a pretty laid back couple of days.  We visited on of the tallest office blocks in the city and looked from the Heli-pad at the top at the expanse below.  The guide pointed out the "dangerous taxi park" which is where we where to have lunch. (A trouble free one I might add!)  We walked around the city for a bit then me and Aiden treated ourselves to a cappuccino at the coffer shop (real coffee - wow!) and a chocolate fudge cake.  I can't wait to get home and line in Starbucks!

Another day we spent a day in the park plying frizby and vortex.  Or at least we played frizby until Zoe accidentally threw it in the boating lake.  Then to the amusement of all the locals, Neil and a park rower tried to locate the spot where the frizby had fallen and drag it out with a along stick.  Not surprisingly, this attempt was not wholly successful!

For the first time whilst being in Africa I felt like I was in a real city.  This isn't just because of the presence of tarmaced dual carriageways and concrete bridges that are obsolete in Kampala, it's also because of the availability of contrasts.  There are large city parks to sunbathe in that are framed by high rise glass office building, Mercedes Benz next to dishevelled public buses, posh hotels and fatty snacks.  These contrast are also evident in the choices of food in the city.  There are your regular African establishments, with the usual menus (half of which you try to order but cannot as "it is over" - you only find this out after you have ordered and been given a totally different substitute!), fast food joints not to mention top class restaurant from around the world.

We ate out at two amazing places - one significantly cheaper and perhaps more interesting, and another that would be a regular haunt if it was located anywhere near my home in England.  Both served amazing food.  The first one we went to before Mount Kenya to stoke up on vital energy.  It was an Italian restaurant in the city's posher district.  We all ordered pizza and drinks - even cocktails were on the menu!  We were then served a starter of crusty fresh bread topped with tomato and herbs.  The pizzas were delicious!  All thin based "real" Italian ones with just the right amount of topping.  We weren't planning on getting deserts but decided to take a look at the cabinets downstairs anyway.  (We were sat on an upstairs terrace overlooking the streets)  The cakes looked delicious, then we found the ice creams!  There must have been about ten different flavours, including sorbet, yum! Mae an me had an amazing chocolate and a portion of ice cream, with obligatory hot chocolate sauce!  Heaven.

The second amazing place we went to for dinner was after Mount Kenya.  We were going to order in pizza, but as it was expensive and not necessarily that good, we decided to eat out instead.  One of the girls at backpackers recommended a place called (I think) "The Pink Lady".  Apparently it is especially cheap, as it is an illegal restaurant!  Really it's a hair salon but everyone knows they serve food.  With this in mind we set off rather nervously!  When we got there though it was fantastic!  You drive through a dubious looking back alley and pull up outside a (surprise, surprise) hair salon.  Then you walk through a small door by the side and enter a brightly decorated corridor.  The restaurant is Ethiopian.  Which I guess is what inspires the decoration  - and instead of eating in a single room there are little 'boudoirs' off a short corridor.  Each is brightly furnished with painting and sculptures.

The restaurant serves the most amazing juice, and after having these we waited in anticipation. The carnivore's food arrived first.  They had a large tray for all three of them on which stood a pot, which was about 6 inches high.  On the lower half of the pot there was a real fire, and on top sat succulent pieces of meat.  There was a small dish of spicy sauce to the side and then three pieces of rolled up, traditional Ethiopian bread.  The waiter demonstrated how to pick up a piece of meat with the bread and then dip it in sauce, he then proceeded to feed it to Tom! It was pretty spicy!  The carnivores finished the tray off and ordered another dish, meanwhile the vegetarian's food arrived.  We also had a massive tray between three.  The base of the tray had a huge circular piece of bread on it (it was almost 2 foot wide) and then in the centre we had a spicy tomato thing, with another piece of bread over the top.  The waiter moved this to the side and poured in another chick pea sauce thing, it tasted amazing!  You eat everything with your hands by kind of pinching the sauce, it was a really great meal.

After we had stayed in Nairobi for about three days we knew we had to do Mount Kenya soon or we would run out of time.  Unfortunately Mae was still ill so we had to do it without her - we were all really gutted.  Nonetheless the five of us set off with eager anticipation.  The first day was a little frustrating at first, we set off late and drove to a town near the mountain so the porters could collect food and supplies

When this was done & we had bought some essential hats - both for warmth and for sun protection - we set off to the base of the mountain.  On the way up we passed some zebra!  I was waking up at the time so it was land of sleep - ooo zebra!  zebra gore!  We arrived to start walking at abound three and set off for base camp.  It was a pretty easy walk and our guides - Eric and Steven seamed pretty nice.  When we got to the huts we were very impressed.  Form just outside we already had an amazing view of the savannah bellow - we watched the sun setting.  Immediately we were served biscuits and popcorn by the porters.  Our $70 a day included all food, which made the walk much more enjoyable than Mount Elgon! (mainly because the food we were served was much nicer!)  Later we had soup followed by mashed potatoes, vegetable sauce and spinach.

We had a quick look at the stars - which were very clear!  Before crashing out in beds - We had our own dorm with comfy beds.  I wasn't too cold but then again I was wearing two pairs of trousers, a top, a fleece, neck warmer and two hats, all under my three seasons sleeping bag!  The next day was fairly uneventful apart from "teacher Tom" explaining all the glacial events that would help form the valley.  In the morning we got our first glimpses of the summits, covered in ice, they rise behind the rest of the mountain.  In the evening we were to stay right at the end of the valley, surrounded by the horseshoe of the three towers.  It was stunning.

Originally we had planned to spend the third day acclimatising by doing a small walk slightly higher, however this would mean we couldn't do the full circular route around all the peaks.  Instead we decided to attempt the summit the next day, having climbed 4200 meter in about 24 hours!  Then continue around the whole of the circular route.

We had to wake up early at 3 am so we would reach the summit at sunrise.  Zoe and Me had shared a bed to stay warm (this works amazingly well) but I did not sleep that well because of the altitude.  I had a mild headache all night but what was more disconcerting was waking up and breathing as fast as you had been doing a marathon rather than doing nothing at all!  Damn the lack of oxygen.

We dragged ourselves out of bed and quickly layered up the clothes before having a quick cup of tea, biscuit and banana for breakfast.  When we stepped outside the view of the summit was stunning.  There was a full moon and the stars were really bright.  In front of us stood the highest peak, covered in rivers of snow which reflected off the moon to give it a luminous quality.  The light around us was bright enough so we didn't need torches.

As we climbed to the summit we all suffered kind of dizzy, drunken, hangover feeling that comes with altitude.  Tom and me sang camp songs but by the time we finished one verse we had to stop and gasp for breath before starting the next.  We stopped for about 20 minutes in an alcove near to the top so we would hit the peak at sunrise - you don't want to be waiting that long on the ice capped windy summit!  At this point Tom calculated the altitude sickness to be equivalent to six pints and two shots.

We got to the top and waited a couple of minutes for the sun to rise.  It was stunning.  The light reflected off the clouds bellow and we could see for miles.  Mount Kilimanjaro could just be made out in the distance and the highest peak rose behind us.  (You can only walk to the third highest - the rest are climbing routes.)  It was one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen.  Then we descended gradually, the drunken feeling decreasing.  We stopped for a quick snack at the Austrian hut, the highest of all the camps before continuing.  The circular route took a long time and was hard work.  We had three more climbs to do.  The last one was the hardest as it culminated in a really steep assent up a gravel sand dune.  Fortunately the climbs were spaced with downhill bits - massive screes that you have to ski step down.  These are pretty fun (although dangerous) to run down - I ended up with a nice purple bruise on my thigh!  We finished walking about 12 noon-ish - 9 hours!  We were all exhausted but the views from the walk had made it well worth while.  We were relieved as well that everyone had made it to the top despite altitude sickness!

The next day was a nice gradual descent down.  The route we took is supposed to be the most beautiful and it certainly had some fantastic views.  My favourite had to be the one we saw as we climbed over a small ridge.  To either side stretched out steep red cliffs bellow which hung a huge savannah.  The savannah was green and boggy with a few "typical" flat topped African trees.  In front the two skirts of cliff almost met creating a thin band of clear blue which joined the sky.  It would be amazing to rock climb anywhere on the mountain!  Behind the orange rock rose dark grey mountain tops peaked with ice and snow.  It was stunning.

We walked quickly and only stopped for a couple of photos and a bit of rock climbing.  I've got an amazing picture of me attempting a massive boulder (no one need know I fell off before getting on top of the massive overhang!)  That day I realised how big the mountain is.  It's nothing like an English mountain with one peak - it's got loads of smaller peaks, meadows and rock faces inside the massive area.  You could spend months exploring (if you could pay the equally large park fees!)

That night we stayed in our own small huts with comfy single beds and our own small sitting room with a log fire.  It was a pity to be away from the other climbers - we met a really sound American and a really interesting Israeli.  Still, it was good to have the last night in comfort!  The next day was supposed to be a nice, gentle two hour stroll before the car picked us up.  Unfortunately the driver was new and went the wrong way so we had to walk the 32 km all the way back to the village! Ouch!  It was so good to sit down for our last meal!

I would definitely recommend to anyone to climb Mount Kenya.  Even if you don't reach the summit, if you love walking it is worth it purely for the views on the way up.  I would also recommend spending a few nights in "Nairobery".  It's a great city with great food and good entertainment, as long as you don't go out after dark and are fairly street wise, you hopefully shouldn't have any problems. 

Blog... umm... 7? I dunno I've lost count!   Travel fatigue ...

Well we have had an ace - but far too hectic week!  Suffice it to say it has a superb ending as I sit at a house listening to blink 182 (teenage year memories) on a Sunday night and on Christmas Eve!

Since Mbale we have spent most of the time travelling.  The only fun bit of this travelling was travelling down the Nile in a raft (well, half the time we were in it!)  White water rafting is apparently the main tourist activity done in Uganda and after a day you can see why!  We went with a company called "The Nile River Explorers" and they were superb!  The rapids are so scary, we got chucked out about 3 times!  Then you just think "Shit, which way is up, aghh I can't breath!"  Yay for life jackets!  You get about three rapid waves in your face then you hit calm water and look back to see your raft in three pieces still being attacked by the waves.  It's what makes it fun though.  You hare down and duck into the boat, knowing full well you're about to get flipped in by your second breath.

The crew we went with were really friendly and professional.  The two safety kayak guys were international kayakers and the safety boat was somehow miraculously rowed down the rapids!  Steven Redgrave eat your heart out.  Our leader was really sound - probably because he is doing the best job in the world as far as he is concerned!  (Big difference with Mt. Elgon guides!)

As well as the rafting the day includes an obscene breakfast buffet - real toast, chapattis, boiled eggs, bananas, pineapple and an obscene amount of tea and coffee - and a delicious buffet dinner.  I ate well!

Apart from rafting we have just been travelling back down to good old home - south west Uganda.  We had a short stop in Kampala to visit Doctor Dick (Dr Stockley)  My toe had  been nub since Mt. Elgon (a trapped nerve apparently - feeling still hasn't come back... hope my whole foot doesn't fall off on Mt. Kenya!)  Another volunteer also had to talk to him.  The surgery was like being back at home - there was even a fish tank.

Then on the 23rd we made our way from Kampala to Kabale.  I have never seen the taxi park so busy.  In Uganda although Christmas does not seem to be such a major celebration everyone still goes home to their families at Christmas.  Many people have told us the reason the season is not celebrated more is because people do not have enough money - all the shops were open today despite it being Christmas Eve.  I think it is probably a combination of this and the fact that Uganda is culturally different.  So anyway we turned up at Kampala bus park to find throngs of Ugandans' carrying everything from children to mattresses and blankets.  The bus fare was double the usual price - we went to get on the first bus but were met by a smug, Cheshire cat style grinning muzungu who said "Do you have a ticket... then you can't get on".  I was like - who is random arrogant guy - unfortunately he was right.  We bought our ticket then waited about one and a half hours for the next bus to arrive.  When it did it was pandemonium.  For anyone who remembers the pushing and shoving of a school lunch queue imagine that in a crammed bus park.  Queuing unfortunately is a very British tradition!  We fought our way to the bus and managed to just about get our bags on before another bus crammed into the tiny space next to our bus (which was parked in the narrow strip right in the central road of the bus park - blocking all the other busses in).  In the process the other bus nearly ran over on man and forced the crowed to push even more onto the bus - despite the conductor desperately trying to check everyone tickets - agh!

The journey was really long - we got home about 8pm but it was great to be in my one house again, despite the fact that the power has been cut off (Cold shower - what about Kabale's best ice cold makes you dizzy bathe?)

Today we did a mad shop for Christmas.  We were buying for 11 people - I swear I have never seen as much food!  With four of us we could hardly carry it all.  Now the 11 of us are sat around and it has just reached Christmas day.  Wooo!  Some of us are going to Church tomorrow which will be really good - Christmas isn't Christmas without Jesus!  lol.  Then we are going to open all our prezzys and cook a feast with chocolate sponge cake for desert - who needs Christmas pud!  I just hope everyone isn't too home sick - I reckon the Project Trust friends family is just as good anyway!  We even have 4 cheesy songs playing on repeat!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!  In Africa we know it's Christmas!

Between the uncomfortable ten hour bus journeys, the nights camping or sharing a single bed (waking up tired) and the hours spent unpacking and re-packing a rucksack (only to remember you need something that is located right at the bottom) touring Uganda has been an unforgettable experience.

Here are some of the highlights of the past two weeks:

Rafting the Nile

We woke early to a massive breakfast which was to sustain us through the rafting experience! Whoever invented buffet food and "all you can eat" is a genius! We met our instructor who I can only describe as the typical outward bound leader type. He was funny, friendly and laid back but at the same time very safety conscious and clear when it came to the actual rapids. Armed with suntan lotion and our paddles we set off. The rapids were amazing! We swam down a very gentle one and got flipped out of our boat on two of the grade fives. For about 4 seconds you're underwater – either trapped under the boat or under the surface in the current; you have no idea which way is up. Then you surface to have waves driven into your face as you float down on the rest of the rapid. You try to avoid swallowing water and concentrate on floating horizontally, which is difficult when you haven't caught your breath. Then you reach the lake areas of the river and glance back to see the raft still bobbing in the current with parts of it floating elsewhere down the stream.

The afternoon on the trip was far more laid back with only a couple of minor rapids and many more long paddling stretches. After the "bad place", the most violent of the rapid pools (which we avoided!), the boat is taken out of the river and put on to the van. You climb in the open wagon and drink as much beer and soda as you can in the 45 minute journey to the Nile Explorers camp site. You are then treated to a huge buffet meal at the site. From the benches you have an amazing view of the huge river as it stretches before you. You get a very different perspective of the width of the river and you can examine the different rapid routes. Kayackers often spend months by the Nile exploring the different paths and angles that can be taken through the white water. After our meal we headed back to Backpackers on the truck and enjoyed an unforgettable night of unlimited free tea and coffee and MTV music channel – Justin Timberlake did provoke feelings of longing for Western culture, though!

Visiting Mityana

After travelling back to Kampala Mae and I went to visit Mae and Zoe's project to check their post. Although the journey was exhausting – the trip from Jinja took a full day and evening – it was still fascinating to see a different area of Uganda through the eyes of someone who had lived there.

When Mae and Zoe visit Kabale they say it doesn't feel like "real" Uganda, this is because to someone who has lived here, different parts of the country are very different. There are different tribes, different languages, different festivals and different climates, not to mention different working environments.

The girls' project is much more rural than ours – although it is only about an hour from the capital. No supermarket in sight! The school is much poorer and their accommodation is not really as plush! There are no flower beds or nice stretches of grass for sports, only small concrete buildings.

The girls' "house" consists of two rooms which are separated by a concrete divide. One room also doubles as the school office, so students regularly walk in and out to get books and sodas. This also means the girls have little privacy. The other room is a bedroom, when I went there were no decorations on the walls but otherwise I imagine it looks quite homely. The shower is a concrete bathing room and the toilet is a long drop. These changes I don't think I would mind much, the worst thing the girls have to put up with is a rat infestation – they have caught thirteen already – ewww!

Mae and I didn't stay at the project – instead we stayed at Mityana – the nearest town, in a cheap but very comfortable guest house. The countryside is very different to Kabale – there are rolling hills instead of steep valleys and the climate is much hotter, banana trees line the sides of the roads. The rainfall is also much heavier.

Christmas

It was great being united with most of the other volunteers! In the end, eleven of us met up in Kizizi, where the largest house of all the volunteers is situated. It was really good to swap pictures and stories. Eilidh and four other girls had been on safari and showed us amazing pictures of hippos, elephants and the highlight – eight tree-climbing lions in one tree. It looked spectacular! I really hope I get to go some time this year.

On Christmas Eve, Mel made the most yummy pancakes. Mae, Zoe, Tom and I had spent the morning shopping for food supplies so we had a delicious week! On Christmas Day we all woke up early – lots of people had bought presents for each other, some people had gifts to open from their families. It's funny the things you really appreciate being sent when you are here – its not expensive things you want, just British things. Chocolate, new underwear and pyjamas had to be amongst the best presents from home, as well as luxuries like body spray, moisturiser and instant cook food!

After opening the presents a group of us walked to a Ugandan church service. Although Christmas doesn't seem nearly as important a time of year (shops are still open) as it does in the UK, the whole village still went to church. I think that the lack of celebration is because of traditional cultural differences, poverty (which means people can't celebrate Christmas in the same way) and the fact that there is no cold, dark winter which drives people inside and causes them to need a celebration of light and family and hope to avoid winter blues! We only stayed at church for half an hour as the priest was still at another service. This illustrates a typical Uganda attitude to time! We listened to some beautiful singing – it was especially interesting to look at all the people who were in church. This was the first time I had been to a Catholic church in Uganda.

When we left the church we were followed by a troupe of children. There must have been about 200 people sat on the grass outside the church. Most of them found the visiting muzingu a much more curious sight that the service itself!

The best thing about Christmas had to be the way everyone worked together to make it the best time possible. Inevitably most people felt a little homesick – Christmas really isn't the same in a foreign country! – especially when you get sunburnt on Boxing Day! The whole group helped to cook the Christmas feast with astonishing success. I don't think we would have done quite as well had we not been living away from home for four months! We had French beans, carrots, pumpkin, roast potatoes, dodo, cabbage, Yorkshire pud, bean loaf (very good!) and bacon and sausages for the meat eaters, all followed by chocolate cake for dessert. The feast was spectacular! We had an equally amazing fry-up on Boxing Day – again everyone pitched in!

In the evening we all missed rubbish TV but made up for it by chatting and playing party games. Charades was amusing but not nearly as good as 'pass the parcel' where everyone had to act in the spirit of whatever song was chosen – these ranges from Blue's soppy ballads to Justin's "I'm bringing sexy back"! One of the prizes was bright pink lipstick and everyone, especially the guys, was attached so we all had massive plush uni-brows and inflated lips!

It was good to chill out for a while and stay in one place! I spent loads of time reading and sleeping!

New Years

The 16 of us were finally re-united for the first time since we had met in Kampala for training. We stayed on an island on Lake Bunyoni. The trip wasn't quite as amazing as we had planned – the owner obviously wasn't used to – or particularly friendly towards – a group of sixteen teenagers! Still there were several highlights worth mentioning.

The best part about staying on an island has to be the swimming. I probably swam for about 2 hours every day. It's liberating diving in the freezing water before breakfast and going for a long steady swim to the next island before breakfast. Kabale, as I have already mentioned, is not nearly as hot as most of Uganda because of the altitude, so the water was always refreshingly cold! At midnight on New Year's Eve everyone dived in, the moon is so bright that you could still see clearly! I know next year it will be so ace telling people that last year I was swimming in Africa to welcome in the New Year!

The other good part about the break was also spending time with all the other volunteers. One night we all sat round chatting about our best, and worst moments in Uganda, what we wanted to achieve in the coming year, what we missed most from home and what we were most looking forward to doing when we get back! I found out a lot about different people. The group all gets on really well – I can't wait until we are together again in Mombassa.

Now I am in Kampala with Tom, Neil, Aiden, Zoe and Mae. In about 2 hours we will be on the bus to Nairobi! I can't wait to climb Mount Kenya! I'm looking forward to looking round another city, too – I can't wait for real coffee! We're all exited about the last two weeks of the holiday on the coast, too. We're going to Lamu (an island near Mombassa) and then spending a week in the more touristy Diana Beach. If all goes to plan we will be staying in self-catering cottages with a pool! Typical holiday time! Although absorbing culture is fascinating we are all looking forward to being typical lazy teenagers for a week! Let's just hope the many warnings of robbery in Kenya don't prove true for us!

Well, must go, another 14 hour bus journey beckons!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Wow what a week! I can't believe that I have only been away from Bubaare for seven days and still managed to do so much!

On 12 December we left ..:namespace Kampala (and the comfort of Backpackers!) to get to Mibale, where the Mount Elgon park office is located. We decided (since we were travelling on the most dangerous road in Uganda) to go for the safer transport option – the post bus. Unfortunately this stops in every town with a post office so the usual 4 hour journey took an amazing 7 hours! We reached Mbale and located the information centre fairly easily, despite being told that the 2 km journey was "at least 4 km away" and paying the taxi accordingly! Damn Muzingu pricing! The guy in the office was really helpful in explaining all the routes to us (there are three) in the end we agreed on a steep 2 day ascent followed by a day reaching the summit and returning to camp, and then a two-day descent.  Bravely the boys decided to carry their own bags while us girls went for the more leisurely (and only £10 more) option of hiring porters! We had a mad dash around Mbale for vital food supplies (hot chocolate, rice, pasta, nuts and an obscene amount of biscuits) and two saucepans, before heading off to the base lodge and arranging hire of a tent and two sleeping bags.

The base lodge, which is under "budget accommodation" in the Lonely Planet guide, was amazing! (Well, by Ugandan standards at any rate!). After some serious bargaining by Zoe (the most naturally argumentative out of the five of us – she can be quite scary! We managed to get dinner, bed and breakfast for 14,000 shillings (just under £5). This is quite a lot by Ugandan standards but the food was very good and plentiful! We had an African feast for dinner – including the best Irish potatoes I have ever eaten – and a delicious pancake breakfast – I must have eaten at least five! We set off the next morning feeling very satisfied!

The guys found the first day pretty tough. We had only to walk 5 km but this did include scaling the rather exaggeratedly named "Wall of Death" which was especially challenging for Neil as he was lifting a 25 kg bag! Ouch. I found the journey fairly easy with my basic rucksack! We followed the walking pattern -which was to become usual – of waking up early and reaching camp at about 1-ish, and therefore guaranteeing that the guides got a hot (and typical) African meal. By the end of five days this was fairly in opposition to the teenage attitude of getting up as late as possible and walking steadily for the rest of the day with only a small lunch break! This situation came to a head on the last day when the guide asked what time we wanted to leave – we said 9.30 – he looked thoroughly disappointed and suggested 7.30! In the end we went for the former but he got his revenge by making us virtually run the last 16 km, leaving us feeling more like chased cattle rather than tourists enjoying a leisurely last walk, after accomplishing a mountain climb! (The 16 km took us 4 hours).

The second day was again a fairly short walk, we reached the camp where we were to spend the next two nights by about 1 pm and spent the rest of the day looking around the camp ground and sheltering in the porters' hut. All cooking is done inside the huts on log fires. You sit on stones or on the floor and have to move every now and again to avoid the smoke! (My jacket smells a lot after fire smoke sessions!). The porters were pretty friendly and let us dump all our stuff in their huts, including drying boots which were hung on a beam above the fire! (Warm boots when you wake up at 4.30 am in the dark is sooo good!).

On the third day we "did" the summit, unfortunately the weather was bad so there was nothing much to see or photo other that the five of us freezing and crowding around the 4321m summit sign, surrounded by mist! The stunning views of the Kenyan savannah would have to wait for another day! We also finished the hike very early and I felt that for a different mountain, the walk was turning out disappointingly easy!

Fortunately the bad weather and easy trek was made up for by the 4.30 am rise the next day and a 37 km trek, Ugandan's obviously don't believe in logical spacing! When we woke up we were freezing! The one thing we have learnt from Mount Elgon for Mount Kenya is that mountains were friggin cold and you need at least 3 fleeces and a mammoth sleeping bag to stay warm! When we got out of the  tent the stars were amazing, and we knew we were in for a clear day. The sun was shining by 8 am and we donned the sun tan lotion. The trek was long and pretty sleep in places but by the end we felt we could actually boast about having climbed a mountain with "girtu" as Neil would say. The walk was also worthwhile just for the amazing camp on the last night. It was inside a huge cave which at the mouth was probably 3 meters wide and at least 20 metres tall (the cave reportedly goes all the way to Kenya!). For anyone who has seen the Matrix Three it reminded me of the massive underground party. The guide was very nervous about showing us the passages because after you have left the mouth of the cave and entered the tunnels it immediately splits into a myriad of identical looking paths which appear black as soon as the torch is turned off. I think the noise of squealing bats might have put him off, too!

The most impressive thing about the cave is the waterfall which pours across the opening. It is particularly impressive as the sun sets and the red light passes through the water droplets onto one of the walls of the cave. The massive arch is then framed by trees, shrubs and tumbling vines which surround the stream which leads away.

For the second time during the trip Tom used his scout knowledge to everyone's advantage and built a fire which we cooked on and warmed ourselves. It was great to spend the night chatting after the long day – it almost felt like a scout camp!! The guides were pretty surprised that a muzingu could build a fire (as only poor people here use fires). We don't think he was convinced that Tom does it at home! All this was done inside the cave behind the waterfall – it really was huge! I would say that the cave is probably one of the most impressive natural places I have ever seen.

Now some descriptions for the gardeners amongst you…..

The cave was situated in the tropical forest, the third "level" of vegetation. The first was "sonecio Elgoneresis" which consisted mainly of mature plantations and apparently contains some plants only found on Elgon. The second layer we walked through can best be described as an English meadow.  There were ferns, just like the ones we have at home, small flowers with many green leaves, and many different types of grass. Nowhere else in Uganda have I seen plants that would look so normal in an English hedge-row.

The fourth level of vegetation is called "heath forest". Here the trees are more sparse and look similar to trees you might find in the Mediterranean. Also found here is the "everlasting flower" which can remain in bud for 3 months after it has been picked.

At the top of the mountain it is very sparse, I guess mainly because of the wind. As on the day we reached the summit, we could only see 5 metres in front of us, so there is little else I can describe of the top!

My favourite area is definitely the tropical forest. Vines tumble and twist from every tree, you can just imagine that at any minute the sake from the Jungle Book will slither down and start singing "Trust in me, trust in me, close your eyes and trust in me"! In some areas thick fences of bamboo grow, and on Saturdays and Wednesdays, locals are allowed to enter the park and cut down the dry trunks which they use when building houses. The air feels warm and damp, the forest floor is covered in plans with very thin stems and large green leaves which rise above two feet off the floor. Every so often you turn a corner and see a bright purple or blue flower that is abut the size of your hand but is in the shape of a cone opening outwards. It felt different to any other forest I have ever seen before.

After the running finish on the last day we were so relieved to see the village where we would be spending the night. When we actually saw the accommodation we were well chuffed! It is a place called the "crows nest" and is situated on the top of a cliff that is the last "layer" of Mount Elgon. Opposite the cabin we stayed in was a spectacular view of Sipi Falls, the largest waterfall in Uganda. To the left was a stunning view of the flat Ugandan plain. Not only this but we got hot showers and the comfiest bed we had had for a long time! Ooh, what it is to be clean! That night we found a typical Ugandan café and had a feast! Chapatti, egg, cabbage, rice and beans. We each ordered one by one and after we ordered our food was made – this also involved the chef first going to the market and buying the food and this meant that we got each meal ten minutes apart. There was also a chicken sat under another table. You couldn't get more typically African, it was exactly what we needed after a five-day walk!

Today we walked to the base of the falls, it was well worth the walk. The falls must be about 50 metres high. When you are stood right at the bottom it is like being stood by the sea in a rain storm, you can't even keep your eyes open because of the water splashes. I got soaked completely. It was exhilarating, though.

We travelling to Mbale during the day and found a really good cheap guest house with amazing views of the mountain. We're hoping to collapse her for tonight before an early start to Jinja tomorrow to go white water rafting. Its going to be amazing! This holiday is so different to life in the villages. I'm loving the travel!

Well, I have officially started my Christmas holiday – you can tell because I've spent a month's salary in 2 days! Oops!

At 3 am on Saturday morning I dragged myself out of bed when it was still dark. Edwin gave me a lift to town for 4 am, so I could get the early bus to Kampla. This was pretty scary as it was the first time I had travelled alone! Me an Eilidh are going our separate ways this Christmas – I'm doing Mount Elgon and Mount Kenya, she is doing safari parks and Fort Portal. We are meeting at Christmas and for a last week in Mombassa. So as you may imagine, I was pretty apprehensive! I sat next to a friend of Edwin's and relaxed a little – I could see my bags, so they were fairly safe and it didn't look like I would be spending the journey fighting off unwanted attention! As soon as we started moving I was happy! Me and Frank chatted a little and then I slept for most of the journey.

What a shock Kampla was when I arrived, though! It is so opposite to Kabale. The thing you notice first is the busy people. People look as if they are hurrying to get somewhere – this never happens in Kabale! The pavements are narrow and filled with street salesmen and women with piles of wallets, paper pads, jewellery, phone holders and watches in front of them on the floor. As soon as you get off the bus you are accosted by drivers shouting "muzingu, muzingo where should I take you?" It is advisable to at least pretend you know where you are going! The next thing that makes you stare is the women in tight trousers, strappy tops and skirts above the knees. That would not be acceptable in Kabale. To escape from the throng I sought a café nearby to meet the others, I couldn't find one but a 2 storey shopping centre served the same purpose, so I spent some time absorbing the view and trying to acclimatise to the vastly different scenery. The atmosphere is so different. There is so much more stuff in Kampala! I spent a whole day trying to buy a T-shirt in Kabale but here you can't get away from them! After 20 minutes I was so relieved to see the others getting off a bus!

We spent the rest of the day rushing round getting money changed, visiting the guys' project and getting dinner (we found an amazing Indian!! It was so good) before going to see James Bond!! Oh my God! It was a cinema! You take so many things as normal that you miss here so much! I really don't think you could ever explain to a Ugandan quite the appeal of the over confident slightly chauvinistic James Bond! Ooh, it was good! As was semi-naked Bond scenes! Ooh, I miss the UK! It was really sad to leave the cinema. I just expected to be at home. I have so many memories of leaving Vue at home and messing around for a while in the freezing cold while waiting for a lift off Mum, then having cups of tea with friends, or having James round. In some ways you miss people less when things are really different. When you do things that remind you of England you sort of expect your friends to be here. We left the cinema and headed to an Irish bar – oh how ex-pat! The guys recognised loads of people – living as a foreigner makes you so much more aware of any other people that are similar to you. We had a quick drink before heading to Backpackers – after only 3 hours sleep and a busy day I collapsed into bed! I slept well!

Today we had a relaxing day. We headed to Owino market to get some kit for Elgon. Owino is filled with European cast-offs - mostly clothes that are damaged or second hand. Really cheap though! Many of the clothes are pretty good makes – I got Nike trackers for £2. Some of them have Oxfam labels on – you do wonder where the clothes come from! I also got another fleece because apparently the mountains can be freezing! We then headed to Shopright (or Shop White as Neil likes to call it) to grab lunch and stock up on toiletries. Lunch was pretty amazing – they had a salad counter! It had feta cheese, cucumber, lettuce and mayonnaise! Wow! I had a bread roll, too. Then we headed back to Backpackers.

We had a typical Ugandan dinner at a small restaurant – lots of pots with carbohydrates accompanied by beans. It was filling! We had a slightly heated conversation with some locals about religion (Zoe and May are devout atheists!) and about how, although Ugandans are extremely religious, they still cannot understand commitment to one person. When Zoe said she had a boyfriend they were like "Ah, but he is too far away – he will find someone else!". She tried to explain that when you fall in love with someone you don't want anyone else. This sparked a conversation about polygamy and the drastic change in Ugandan views since colonisation. Although most people are Christians, there are many parts of traditional African culture which are a very normal part of modern African life. This includes infidelity (I am not being judgemental here). These apparent contradictions make for a very interesting debate.

Now I am back at Backpackers and again – feeling in desperate need of sleep! I can't believe we are climbing Mount Elgon in a day's time! Agh! Should be amazing!

Since the teaching term has finished (minus a couple of exams and marking) I have been "immersing myself in culture" in a very Project Trust way. Not only Ugandan culture but also Rwandan, Scottish and even English! We decorated our house last week, deciding that although it was not yet December, as we would be away for most of the festive season, we should make the most of it while we were here. We have put up tinsel all around the picture rail of the front room and hung our advent calendars on the wall. Well, actually, Eilidh's three advent calendars! Mine is a super cool Peter Rabbit house with snow on top – its even in 3D! (There is a distinct absence of chocolate, though!). We decorated our windows with bells, baubles and Christmas candles. Eilidh's parents even sent a slot-together wooden tree – it's amazing!

At school I organised a Christmas party for the students who got the most points in my weekly maths quiz. We played all sorts of party games like musical chairs and "What's the time, Mr Wolf?" Children aren't particularly encouraged to play (we went to an 18^th birthday party the other day and had to listen to really boring speeches!). I think the students really enjoyed the variation! Then I gave them cake before they left for the holidays. At one point there were about 20 other students crowding around to watch the activities! It was the best fun I have had with students all term! Imparting knowledge is so much more challenging than imparting cake!

On Thursday night we visited a Scottish couple who work at Rugerama health centre, for haggis, neeps and tatties – which translates as haggis (vegetarian!) turnips (or pumpkin because we're in Uganda) and potatoes. It was delicious! I also got told about how haggis are small creatures who live on mountains and have one pair of legs shorter than the other. They then walk round mountains clockwise until they are caught by evil Scottish men walking anti-clockwise. As they have different length legs they can't run away in the other direction, so are caught easily with nets. It was a very amusing tale - and I thought that Ugandan culture was strange! Magdalena, the German volunteer at Rugerama, also came. I think she was having difficulty distinguishing whether the haggis story was true or false – she looked worried! For dessert we had yummy German biscuits that had arrived in a sands sized sack for Magdalena that afternoon! It was such a fun evening! It was great talking to Marie and Lawrence about what it's like living in a foreign country. They have lived abroad before so knew a little more about what to expect, how to adapt and most importantly, what to pack! They feel a bit like honorary guardians now, or rather, nice older people who give good advice and make yummy food! It's amazing how you get to know people here. Even if Lawrence and Marie lived down the road at home, because of the age difference it would have been unlikely that we would have spent time together. Despite that, we had such a worthwhile evening. Although I miss teenage company a lot, it is really good getting to know new people from different backgrounds, cultures, lifestyles and generations.

On Friday we had a completely different kind of cultural experience! We went to a Ugandan pop concert. Pop music here consists of western inspired styles and religious gospel music, as you can imagine, the two don't usually mix! At the beginning of the concert, the performers mouthed and acted out many popular Ugandan songs. It was a bit like Kareoke gone wrong! The most cringe-worthy part was when three girls had a mock argument over a man! Even the Ugandans looked embarrassed! Fortunately, however, the concert also included some traditional Rwandan performances. These were really great to watch – they are very similar to the dances that the local choirs perform in Bubaare. The singing was live and there was also drumming and dancing. Its really hard to describe in words but the dances involve stamping, clapping, jumping and group movements in circles and lines. It is funny just how much better the performers were at this compared to the pop performances! The performance was so energetic and boisterous – there was a good atmosphere!

Finally, on to the highlight of the week – my experience of a different part of Ugandan culture. I'm not sure if I've already mentioned Darius in my blog: he is a Ugandan man who spent the last year working in south London in a church and community group. He is really friendly and great to talk to. We can exchange views on everything from the underground to why brick houses as so much better than mud ones! Last month he invited me to a church thanksgiving service that his father was conducting. Unfortunately, Eilidh was still busy marking, so I went on my own.

The drive to the church was an adventure in itself. We first passed along the Kabale-Kampala road before turning off on a tiny dirt track. Even by Ugandan standards the road was an experience! It wound around steep bends and had many deep holes. Despite the fact that the ceiling of the mini-bus was two feet above me, I still managed to smash my head pretty hard a couple of times! As we continued on along the road, we saw fewer and fewer houses, most of which were of wood and mud construction. When we arrived at the church it was placed in a beautiful, sunny valley. It was a fairly small building, made of simple concrete with church-shaped window holes. I had travelled with Darius and several of his friends – there were about 16 of us in total. Most of them work with Compassion, an organisation that links western sponsors, usually families or individuals, with African children who need financial help to aid them with school fees.

Upon arriving we were welcomed into Darius' father's house for a typically Ugandan "snack". We had bread and honey, bananas, hard boiled eggs and milk tea. It was delicious!  Everyone was so friendly. I have some great pictures of all these people crowded round a small table enjoying the food! After that we moved to the church for the service.

In the usual fashion, all the guests were introduced to the congregation individually, and stood to receive a warning welcome applause. You have to get used to standing in front of people here! I think it's a great way to welcome newcomers, much better than sitting at the back feeling awkward! There was then some singing – people clapped and swayed and generally seemed to enjoy the celebrations. While the readings and the sermon took place (in Rutchiga!) I examined the various bright clothes and smart suits the congregation was dressed in. I also pulled faces at the children peering through the windows at the ceremony!

Then we had the thanksgiving part – people are asked to bring anything they can and offer it to the church. So unlike in England – where the vicars are lucky to get a couple of notes even – people here bring everything to church! There were goats, chickens, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages – pretty much everything that can be cultivated here was in church! Even sugar cane which had to be carried at an angle so it could fit in the building! After the donations comes a part of the service that I found very strange when I first came here – each item is auctioned off! A member of the congregation acts as the auctioneer and encourages everyone to spend money! They even repeat "For sale at 1,000" followed by drum beats three times! It's like "Going, going, gone" on Bargain Hunt! After this we all had holy communion. The bread is dipped in wine before being handed to you rather than you drinking directly from the cup. I thought this was a really ingenious method of preventing the spread of diseases when I first saw it!

After this I was asked to give a speech! It is great how people are so interested to meet outsiders and to listen to their views about Uganda. Also, I think you are given a lot of respect automatically as a white person, especially as I had been introduced through someone of high standing in the community. Firstly, I thanked Darius for inviting me (he was also translating for me into Rutchiga!). I then said that it was great to see so many smiling faces in church. Not only were people giving away things that they had worked very hard to produce – they were also doing it with joy. I said that I thought that above all, religion is about caring and loving others without considering yourself or the benefit it has for you. I finished by saying that I hoped everyone who had brought food enjoyed getting fat – a comment that could never be a positive thing in England but that was accepted with applause by the congregation! I was so pleased to have said something that people approved of. Darius said the people had never been told that they smile a lot before and so they really liked it!

Sometimes religious views are very difficult to deal with here. Most people have very strong views – for example the teachers in school often criticise England's acceptance of homosexuality when they see it as a sin. Also people often find it difficult to understand why people have different views. Tonight in a café for example, Zoe (another volunteer) asked for tea without sugar. They did not understand this! They said, "but sugar is better" – Zoe said, "I prefer it without" and they thought this was impossible! In the end, we explained it by saying that it is because she has always been brought up without sugar, so she prefers that. This is similar to religion – people cannot understand atheism as they have never been taught that there is a possibly different interpretation of the world. Personally, I am not sure whether there is definitely a God. I know I do not think there is a man in the sky who controls everything that happens. Having said that, I think belief in God is not against reason, the existence of the world does seem to need an explanation. I still describe myself as a Christian because I believe that whatever God is – whether it is a spirit or an essence – it does drive individuals to do good things. Church is not just a place to worship a far-off being but also a community support group where people of different ages and backgrounds can work together to make things better. This of course, is an ideal view that is challenged every time I see a fat bishop leading a poverty stricken congregation! What I saw at Darius' church was what I would describe as "God" working. People were genuinely proud to give away things. They were also very welcoming and respectful towards me, this means a lot considering most people's beliefs about white people (rich, selfish and often amoral). I would like to think I gave a better impression!

After the church service we had a Ugandan feast! There were many meat dishes, all of which I declined! They understand vegetarianism which is a bit unusual. Someone even told me to read a certain bible quote – I was sure it would be the one about God giving man dominion over the animals (and therefore being a polite way of saying vegetarianism is wrong) but happily I was proved wrong. It was a passage that said God values people who forego pleasures like wine and meat for a more holy life! I felt bad for jumping to conclusions! Instead of meat, I feasted on matoke, dodo (like spinach), salad (with lettuce), sweet potato, rice and beans followed by watermelon! It was a very satisfying finish to a brilliant day. It's experiences like this that make you glad you are living in Uganda rather than just being a tourist. Although often it is difficult, frustrating or even boring, as althought it is not fine in the morning when you have been woken by a rat, you know it is really worth the blood (cooking) sweat (it gets pretty hot) and tears (only very bad days and only happened once so far!).

Well, as the very educated among you may know, to stay in Uganda for a year, working, you need a £600 visa. This is far too much money for impoverished students like myself, and the only way to get around this problem is to leave the country every three months and buy a £20 visitor's visa. So, a group of six of us intrepidly set off for Rwanda, not really knowing what to expect or exactly what would be there. We had heard about some dormant volcanoes somewhere, and we had decided that as long as we could get there, we would let Chance guide the rest of the way. Oh, how mistaken we were!

So, after leaving the house at 12 ish (as no sane teenager ever gets out of bed before 11) we walked down the road and waited by a football pitch for the next vehicle that was travelling to Kisoro – our first port of call. After attempting to flag down a couple of "matatos" and pick up trucks (and failing miserably) we finally managed to flag down a coach. We then had to agree on a fair price (in Uganda you always debate how much you will pay before doing any activity). This was a frustrating experience, as we were being charged what we thought were "muzingu" prices (it is fairly common for naïve tourists to be overcharged for everything from pineapples to guide fees). Knowing that you pay 15,000 shillings to get to Kampala (an 8 hour journey) we expected to pay much less for the 2-hour journey to Kisoro. The inspector insisted however, that the fare was 10,000 shillings and after some haggling we felt miffed at paying 8,000, assuming that the real fare would be much lower. In fact, we found out the next day that the price is 10,000 shillings, and after a 2-hour journey you understand why….

The coach trundles through the most breathtaking scenery I have seen in Uganda so far. Huge purply blue mountains rise in the distance, overlapping each other like ripped blue tissue paper layered with frayed edges and spiky points, graduating away from you to make a scene reminiscent of something from "Lord of the Rings". As the bus wound its way around the tight hairpin bends and steep slopes, rather less romantically, your rear end begins to understand why you have paid so much for such a short trip. There is no tarmac on most roads in Uganda, the so pot-holed dirt tracks render most buses in need of serious repair after only a couple of journeys! (You wouldn't wish it on your rear end twice!).

We arrived in Kisoro just as torrential monsoon-style rain started. All around Ugandans crowded in to shop fronts, bus shelters and cafes, to avoid the downpour. We put on our waterproofs and emerged from the bus. In the two-minute walk to the nearest shelter we got soaked! Crowded by locals, who obviously found the sight of 6 muzingu carrying huge rucksacks looking like they had just been swimming, hilarious - we hid by a textiles shop until the rain subsided. I had a really good conversation with a tailor. I explained what I was doing in Uganda and told her, to her surprise, that I was only 19. She was so friendly and asked about our trip and how even "the fat one" (Tom) could only be 18! She said that I was a "lover of people" which is possibly one of the best compliments I have had so far. In a typical Ugandan way, she also asked if I could marry her brother!

Out of the rain we all sat down for sodas and lunch. We decided to stay in Kisoro overnight, as it was too late to continue with our intended plan of entering Rwanda that day. Unfortunately, we also discovered that the park entrance fees for the volcano trekking were far more that most of us could afford with the money we had with us. This was really disappointing especially when we woke in the morning to find a towering volcano right behind where we were staying rising up out of no-where! We decided, therefore, to travel straight to the capital of Rwanda the next day, skipping the Rwandan volcano parks. That night we stayed in the most amazing hotel with comfy clean rooms, equipped with mosquito nets and even hot showers! All for £2 a night!

The next day our numbers shrank by two. Eilidh was going to Rwanda later on in the month and didn't want to pay the £20 visa for Uganda twice, so headed back to Kabale. Neil, on the other hand, had enough money with him to climb one of the volcanoes and therefore decided to spend an extra day at Kisoro, before travelling to Rwanda alone.

The four of us therefore set off to Rwanda. The first amusing thing that occurred when we got to the Rwandan border was that the road immediately changed to tarmac, exactly by the border gate. The boarder post was a fairly informal affair, involving two men in two huts either side. Needless to say the Rwandan entry forms are much neater that the Ugandan ones, they are even colour coded for entry and exit! We arrived in the capital, Kigali, in the later afternoon, after a brief stop for lunch. We were exhausted after the journey.

Then the fun of un-planned travelling really began! We managed to secure a matato to the centre of town and after asking many passers-by where the post office was (a tiny building with what looked like only 200 PO boxes) we got dragged (by a Rwandan desperate to make money) to a forex bureau (a tiny room!). We got given a really bad exchange rate and despite Zoe using the most persistent arguing skills to an extraordinary effect, we still didn't get a good rate. We tried several other bureaux, the same tactics employed in each - the only result being that we had amassed about ten Rwandan men desperate to try to exchange our money at fairly poor rates, all arguing amongst themselves! We were tired and needed to sleep!

There was also another man who had shown us the post office still hanging around, we weren't sure why but his presence was slightly un-nerving. After half an hour or so we managed to exchange some money at a rate only slightly worse than what we got at the border, and left the throng of money-hagglers to try to find a cheap place to stay. Armed with our Lonely Planet guide to East Africa, we decided on one place that we thought looked the closest.

However, as the only map we had was from the travel guide – about half an A5 page for a city that takes 2 hours to cross on a bus, we were fairly confused! We knew we needed to find a certain roundabout and after we thought we had located it, we needed to find a certain road that led from it. As none of the roads have road names, this was fairly difficult! Then we met James……big mistake. James was from Uganda and said that the hotel we wished to reach was far too far away to walk. He also said it would be very expensive as it was in the centre. Instead, he suggested we take a bus to a hotel just out of town, where you could get a good room with a hot shower for a very reasonable price. He also promised that the bus ride was only a couple of minutes. Thinking he would simply instruct us how to find the hotel we piled into the bus (which was amazingly clean and tidy – almost a seat per person!). Half an hour later we were still on the bus and feeling worried. Tom had also given James money for the fare and had not received any change. As images of us all being taken to a dark alley and jumped on by ten Rwandan men with knives sprung into my mind, I decided to check with some well-dressed, friendly looking women, if the hotel that James said we were travelling to actually existed. Fortunately it did and my mind was put at rest slightly.

When we arrived at the hotel we were relieved to see a fairly bustling outside restaurant, always a good sign! We were then showed two rooms that looked clean and had adjoining showers, toilets and a sink. Very tired and slightly frustrated, we agreed between us that as the price was still too high for us to afford, we would share one double bed between four of us. The manager tried to make us pay more but we would not agree! It was only after we agreed to the price that we realised that in fact there was in fact no hot water and neither the shower, sink or toilet worked! Argh! Exhausted and glad not to be in a dark alley, we settled down. Tom and Zoe visited the restaurant to see what they could procure for the evening on our (very small) budget. They refused to tell us what they ordered! We waited about 2 hours for food, which is reasonable considering that it was freshly cooked. Meanwhile, Tom witnessed our new "friend" James getting a nice 5,000 francs reward for (we assume) getting the naïve student muzingus to stay!

When the food arrived it was good, but not quite as good as what we had eaten for lunch (which was about one-quarter the price, too) but none-the-less, edible and nutritious. It consisted of two pots, one vegetarian and one meat, both stews – the portions were massive! While we were eating our meal we noticed several cars came to the restaurant and then left after about half an hour. Later we found four packets of condoms in our room. Hmm, I wonder which people usually frequent the rooms – eww!

In the morning I woke early and read all about where we will be travelling to in Kenya. I also saw two monkeys! Apparently there are loads in Rwanda! I watched them for about half an hour. They were about 2 feet tall and had very sharp eyes. One of them had a nectarine – I was super jealous.

When the others woke we tried to find out the best way back to the town – we were slightly concerned, as there seemed to be very little in the way of transport. As we were on the main road to the capital from the airport this was very odd! When we asked the manager he declared that it was "national cleaning day". He was not joking! In Rwanda on the last Saturday of every month, everyone must go to a designated local area to clean. This is strictly enforced by the police who stop every car on the road!! We would pick the one day to travel when everyone was cleaning! The manager said we would not be able to get back to Uganda! Argh – we were not spending another night in the brothel! (Although we did take the condoms for comedy value – I'm not quite sure what they must have thought about Tom sharing a double bed with three girls!)

We decided to walk to the capital and it rained again! No one seemed to think that we would be able to reach the bus station, un-unnervingly whenever we asked people they laughed! Just as I was getting worried we spoke to a policeman who directed us how to get there. We got a mini bus to the bus park and then grabbed some lunch. Frustratingly, one of the restaurants we asked in about the food also told us that they could give us two rooms with two beds in each for half the price we paid for one room in the brothel! Argh! It would have saved loads of hassle being in the centre of town. Especially as it was "cleaning day"!

When we got back to Kabale we had the most amazing dinner in a great restaurant in town. It serves delicious muzingu food – I had pizza and pasta!

The next day Neil arrived rather sheepishly at our house. Sweaty, smelly and tired, he recounted a story of mountains, robbery and five star hotels. The day Neil travelled from Kisoro to Rwanda it was national cleaning day. Therefore, there were no buses from the border to the capital. Interestingly, Neil decided to try to walk, an impossible feat! After about 30 minutes a group of teenagers started to follow him, asking for his shoes. He ignored them for a while but then one came with a brick and then, when one came with a large knife, he decided to run! After 5 minutes a Ugandan truck drove past and Neil managed to hitch a lift, the driver even bought him lunch – yay Ugandans! 

As Neil got to the capital very late, he couldn't find a forex (especially as it was cleaning day!). He had two alternatives, sleep rough or use the emergency credit card! No guesses which one he chose! For some reason, though, the only hotels that accept Visa are five star ones! Neil spent a night in luxury! Draught beer, continental breakfast and a bed big enough to lie both ways! Ohh, I'm jealous, and what will his Dad think when he gets the bill?!

The next day he had just enough money to get back to Uganda (although not for the visa which he will have to get from Kampala!). However, once in Uganda he had to walk all the way to our house, there we have one sweaty, exhausted Neil!

It has been a crazy weekend – definitely a steep learning curve. Very amusing, though, looking back from the comfort of home!

Well, it all started when Eilidh started having headaches and feeling flu'-ish. The symptoms weren't too serious and we were ready to brush it off as flu' but, having listened to my mum's warning that  her friend has had malaria 9 times and always gets a headache first, we wanted to make sure. The first thing to do was to use the home test kit…or not as the case may be. Eidlidh spent about half an hour stabbing here fingers with this sharp spikey think, not bleeding but being left with many holes in her fingers! When she eventually got enough blood to do the test it was still unreadable! One line at the top means negative, two means positive, one at the bottom means invalid. So ours shows one line in the middle! Argh…

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Our next step was to go to the doctor. Our friend Edwin took us to the clinic he goes to. We were really worried the needles might not be clean but Eilidh watched the doctor take it out of a sealed container. We then waited for the results. After about ten minutes the nurse said something to Edwin. He turned to us and said "you have malaria! We were like "What? Oh my God!" He just laughed. It wasn't for another ten minutes that we really believed him that malaria shows such little symptoms! I was expecting fits and sweats, not the fever Eilidh had! To make up for Eildih having malaria we went for a yummy meal out in town! I had stuffed aubergine and Eilidh had a BLT followed by banana and ice cream! Yummy! Chocolate is the answer!

We then met up with Magdalena, the German volunteer who works at the Rugerama health centre. It was great having a guest in the house! She was so amazed by the fact that we actually cook on charcoal and don't even have a fridge (not that you need one when you live on fresh fruit and veg!). We showed her where we go to "de-stress" walks. Unfortunately, Eilidh now can't remember most of this! She started sleeping a lot and being generally exhausted. Magdalina stayed over and on Sunday  morning we washed up from the night before – we had used every piece of cutlery we have – it took two hours! Then we made pancakes! After brunch me and Magdalina did all the clothes washing. I was so grateful for her help, hand-washing takes hours!! We finished it in only two. She left in the afternoon.

The week was really tiring. Eilidh was not getting any better and on Wednesday went back to the clinic at Rugerance for more medication. It turns out that the original dose was too low which is why she did not recover sooner.

I didn't enjoy going in to the school on my own. Although most of the teachers are friendly, sometimes its really hard to motivate yourself to make the effort. Usually the teachers talk in Rutchiga, when you do ask them in English they answer but often go back to talking in Rutchiga. Then there is the Director of Studies who still calls us muzingo, despite the fact that there have been volunteers at the school for eleven years. He even asked "What do you want, muzingo?" It's like being in a zoo! You get started at! You would never ask someone in England "What do you want, black girl?". It's just rude!

Especially after having to do more work at home as Eilidh was ill, I just couldn't be bothered making the effort. I always try to find things I have in common with teachers but sometimes you want to talk about something other than digging or family!!

Just as I was looking forward to going home on Friday I found out that there was a staff meeting. It lasted until 7 pm! I was so bored! Also I was worried about Eilidh as I had said I would be home by 2 pm! By Friday night I was ready to crawl into a hole and sleep for a long time! However, I was made so happy when just before I left school, I got given two letters! The more you feel homesick the happier you are to hear from people. I was so excited to read my letters. I'd been waiting for one all week and that made it even better. I also got a parcel with Green and Black in – chocolate always has the answer!

Happily me and Eilidh went to sleep that night. She was feeling much better by then and I was just glad to get some sleep. However, we were not alone in our room……enter Roger into the story. Roger was a small browny black rat (I say "was" because Roger is no longer with us). Not only this but half way through the night Eilidh announced that the house was flooded (again). We got little sleep.

The next day the plumbers came to "fix" our plumbing at 8 in the morning, Argh! They were tyring to get all the taps to work. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, this required flooding the whole house! We didn't have a working shower but we did have a shower pouring out of the bathroom ceiling.The plumbers spoke no English but to credit them, we did have working taps after they had finished. Thankfully, flooding our house doesn't matter too much as we don't have carpet or home furnishings to be damaged!

We then went out to do the shopping. When we came back the house was flooded again! We discovered we had a leaking toilet cistern. We thought the best way to  fix this would be to lift up the floaty ball thing so it didn't fill up as it would "think" it was full of water. Unfortunately the valve broke off in our hands! We then had water pouring into the toilet without stopping! The only way to stop it was put your finger over the end – not a realistic solution for the whole night! Fortunately our neighbour then came round. He tried to block the hole. This was not possible. Then he tried to unscrew the fastening. Unfortunately, the whole pipe broke off in his hand and we then had water pouring out of the wall! The only solution we found was to leave all the bathroom taps running all night! Fortunately, when you close our bedroom door and the bathroom door you don't hear the noise.

We slept soundly till Roger returned.

Me: "What's that?"

Eilidh: "What?"

Me: "The noise!"

Eilidh: "Shit…..arhg its a rat! Turn the light on, turn the light on"

Me: Do I have to? Arrgh!"

Eilidh: "Do it NOW!"

Next, I leg it out of my bed to the light switch, Eilidh screams as a brown rat shoots across the room. At the same instant, she vaults onto her bed shouting "Kill it, kill it!". I get the broom. Eilidh evacuates our room miraculously without touching the floor, runs to the living room and stands on a chair.

Eilidh: "Can it fly?"

The rat has disappeared. I chase it from behind the bookshelves. It's gone.

Me: "Where is it?"

Eilidh: "It's not left the room, I've been watching."

I scout under the bed; no Roger. Behind the bookshelves; no Roger. In the beds?

Eilidh: "There is only one way to find Roger, we will have to wait in the dark and listen".

We crawl onto our beds. I stand up, clutching the broom in preparation for action, heart pumping a thousand times a minute. It's dark.

Me: "Eilidh, I'm scared".

Eilidh: "Shhh…."

Me: "F**k it's behind the bookshelves!"

I dash to turn the light on. I know where Roger is! The bookshelves are blocked on one side by the wall. On the other side, put a bucket…Roger has no chance. Carefully, I pull back the bookshelves, still no Roger. Right, that's it, broom in to action. I run it under the shelf. F**k again, rats can climb! In a flash, Roger runs vertically up the bookshelf and leaps across the room. Eilidh screams again!

Eilidh: "You said they can't fly!"

Me: "They can't, it leapt!"

I chase Roger across the room, slamming the broom under the chair that Roger disappeared under. Again, Roger has evaporated. I have just attacked the wall.

Eilidh: "Right. I'm making some tea."

It is 5 am, we have chased Roger for three hours and the bathroom taps are still running.

Eilidh: "Right, that's it, I'm sleeping in the front room."

We drink tea.

Eilidh: "Look! Rat!"

Roger is out of our room, looking curiously at us from the door. Seeing us, he scuttles into the other room.

Eilidh: "Shut the door, shut the door!"

I shut the door. We put polythene bags underneath. He will not escape. We sleep in the same bed, just in case he comes back.

The next day……

We set traps. We don't open the bedroom door till we go out. When we come back a trap has moved. I pull back the bookshelves. A tail. Arrgh! We run from the room. We get our neighbour Paul to remove Roger. Roger has a long tail and is very big. Our other neighbours find funny that we are scared. She takes Roger and waves him at us! She throws him away. We hope Roger didn't have babies. There are still three traps….

The next day we run out of water which is good as it means no flooding. We sleep soundly. I hope Roger is in ratty heaven.