Sweet Dreams.....
Blog #30 - Sweet Dreams of amazing times......
Reader warning:- this is not a “normal” blog. But, maybe it is…. I am not an official “blogger’ and have never aimed to be. This is my way of putting down some thoughts and sometimes memories of our journey for our friends and family back home and also which one day my children can read over and hopefully jog their memories….. So perhaps this specific post is more for them than you …. So read on or else stop now x
The other night after saying night-time-prayers to the kids they asked me for a story. I was tired and not in a highly creative head space so instead I told them to close their eyes and listen and let the pictures come to mind …….
the LOUD call to prayer waking us up at 4:30am every morning on Lamu island and then again the even louder prayers in Bagamoyo. (Kenya, Tanzania)
When we drove straight past 2 lions in South Luangwa (Zambia)
Holding onto the tent awning in pouring rain and getting sopping wet (Uganda Queen Elizabeth park)
Eating chocolate and crackers for supper inside the tent as we had to tie the entire awning around the trailer as nothing would hold it down in the storm (pre our awesome Wild Dog storm straps)
Listening to “around the world with Phineas FOGG” as the kms sped past
Tent movie nights when rain stopped outdoor evenings
Freshly baked piping hot Poa bread (Mozambique)
Swimming in massive waves and loosing goggles at Tofu beach (Mozambique)
Slipping and sliding around Kidepo park (Uganda)
Swimming in “Africa pool” in Diani, Kenya. (a rock pool in the shape of Africa!)
Listening to 5 lions roaring all through the early hours of the morning within 20m of our tent (Kidepo, Uganda)
Swinging on swings in the sea (Pomene, Mozambique)
Whilst standing on the side of a road in some random Mozambique village, we were in a quandary and this amazing lady (a complete stranger) invited us to come and stay with them at their beach cottage! A new friendship made (Morrungulo, Mozambique)
The time we got a speeding fine in Zambia but the traffic cop felt sorry for Dev having to pay for a wife and 2 kids AND travel all the way through Zambia that he gave the money back saying Dev would need it!!! (Zambia)
The many new friends (every country visited so far!)
Sliding down the massive slide into the Nile (Jinja, Uganda)
Seeing ALL the Great Rift Valley Lakes - Tanganyika, Victoria, Albert, Edward, George, Turkana and Malawi
Catching Talapia in Arusha (Rodgers house, Tanzania)
The shell necklaces you made and sold to the Maasai on Lamu island (Kenya)
Whilst fishing for Nile Perch, Sophia and Mum being terrified of the hippos knocking over our boat below Murchison falls (Uganda)
Camping on an island in the middle of Lake Tanganyika and Josh loving the super fast motor boat! (Lake Shore Lodge, Tanzania)
The soccer matches with the kids at Royal Mile and Kerio valley (Kenya)
The first Colobus monkeys we saw. (Udzungwa, Tanzania)
All the different animals - Puku , Kob, Melanistic serval, different giraffe, Gravy’s zebra, grants and Thompson’s gazelles. And the monkeys too - Red Udzungwa colobus, white colobus, Sykes monkey …
The birds - the Vulturine Guinea fowl in Kenya at elephant rock, so many flamingos (Enduimet, Amboseli), Palm Nut Vultures
Tuk tuk rides. Piki-piki/boda-boda rides
The lion stealing the leopards kill in the tree and both cats in the tree at the same time! (Serengeti TZ)
The huge prides of lions on Lion Rock (Serengeti, TZ)
#hambathehilix and #acorn the trailer being hoisted onto the ship! And then sleeping in the ships little cabins. And the stinky toilets…eeeuuuwww (Lake Victoria, TZ)
Riding on the car roof at Enduimet (TZ)
Riding a kids bike and throwing a ball with the local kids in Loiyangalani then the hot spring swimming pool (Lake Turkana)
Sophia learning to drive by herself (South Luangwa Zambia and Nyika Plateau Malawi)
The Old Maasai man we gave a lift too and who we worried was confused about where he was going. The hug he gave Mum. (Old Doniyo Lengui, TZ)
Wild camping in flowers (Baragoi), wild camping under elephant rock, and also being charged by a mum and baby elephant whilst hiding in the back of the trailer (Kenya)
Baboons nightly grunting noises and farts when sleeping in the trees above the tent (South Luangwa, Zambia and Samburu Kenya)
Omri and Adel our Israeli/French friends from south Luangwa who we kept meeting up with. Josh wishing Omri was his big brother.
Yellow cans and buckets for water (Uganda, Kenya, TZ, Zambia)
The fast-disappearing sandbanks on Pemba island and swimming in the bluest water
Children playing with your different hair (Sophia Pemba, TZ)
Meeting Reggie who used to be in Bally Hoo band at Diani beach and then playing “There’s a man on the moon” song at nauseam! (Kenya)
After climbing the massive dome rock at Mutinondo getting caught in the huge rain storm. (Zambia)
Hot springs! Then freezing dips in the pool then HOT springs again. (Kapisha, Zambia)
Swimming with the local kids at the oasis on the side of Chalbi Desert (Kalacha, Kenya)
Chocolate brownies and milkshakes(Neema café, TZ) eating too many cakes in Nanyuki (Kenya)
Noisy sometimes smelly markets but always bright bright colours and smiling friendly people.
The “bend-over” bezaars. Second hand shoes and clothes!
Giving your too small clothes to children on the side of the road.
Giving the kids outside Bella Vista Lodge stickers and how excited they were and how when we came back they had them all over their faces. (Uganda)
On our very first day of our tour arriving at the Swaziland border only to be told we had to drive another 3 hours to the other border as this one was closed due to COVID case.
Waking up at midnight to run down to the beach at Santa Maria to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks
The first taste of Mbuzi (goat) (Queen Elizabeth Uganda)
Fire Roasted corn/mielies on the side of the road. The white type of meilie.
Armed bodyguards in Uganda. (all game parks, Uganda)
Little kids shouting “Mazungu” or even better “Mazungu bye” (Jinja Uganda)
I am not sure if these memories made the kids sleep or woke them up with excitement. But all I knew, was that I went to bed that night feeling completely and utterly blessed to have these memories and stories.And to have had this time with my children and husband to explore our beautiful continent x