Tanzania Expedition - Update

5th October –

First day of living with the Masaai tribe. We met all of their neighbours and wives. There were so many tiny children wanting to hold our hands and climb on us, so we were all carrying them around at some point. We explored the Masai ‘bomas’ and huts. The only problem now is learning Masai as well as Swahili, which is confusing but worth it; a lot of Masai speak fluent Swahili anyway. It seems the thing to do at the moment is just smile and nod, which is what they do back, and so everyone’s happy.
Afterwards Dom drove us around the expanse of Esilailei which, upon arrival, is indescribable. The land is largely flat, due to the dryness before the short rain season, after which everything will apparently start to turn progressively green. Behind this for the entire drive, however, we drew closer to majestic rows of blue mountains, receeding with mist far off into the landscape. Towards the more forested areas, and Mto Wa Mbu, everyone waves and shouts, to try their English or lure you into their bar/shop. The time was perfect too; the sun had cooled off and was just about setting, which sends Esilailei into a romantic haze. summoing the time of the welcome cermony.

We had heard and so already knew the Masai welcoming ceremony, so of course, on return they had a small goat waiting for us, tied to a tree. I’d anticipated this moment for a while, but admittedly felt slightly nervous. By the time the cermony was over it was pitch black, and people were playing Reggae out of our car, which lightened the mood. We ended the night by cooking and eating the goat meat. Aaaw yeeeaaaahh!

10th October –

...

We went to the Masai market (on every Thursday) to buy some Masai blankets and sit under a shelter on a bench for hours drinking Banana wine. Good times. It tastes like 10% scrumpy, and it’s 500 shillings a bottle, which is hardly anything. Drunk Masai elders kept coming up to chat, so it was a great opportunity to learn some more of the language. Dom’s friend ‘Dutchy’ sold us all a ton of jewelery, with a free gift, for ‘goody price’.

After a sad farewell to our week eight leavers it was back to our daily routine with lots more jobs to do...so a trip to Namena was exactly what the doctor ordered to boost the spirits of the remaining eight volunteers! With our old pal Up & Under up and running again, we set off across the choppy seas for a two tank dive. After an amazing exploration of Grand Central Station seasickness got the better of us during our surface interval so it was a blessing in disguise when a broken mask forced the second dive to be aborted in favour of a return to camp.

However there was no rest for the wicked as it was our final ladies night that same day which meant cooking for thirty and drinking grog late into the night. The rest of the week we were kept busy with our rescue diver training which we all passed!!! Our final Saturday party was a lonely affair with the number on camp nearly halved but once the Bounty rum kicked in, spirits were high!

The next couple of days were rather emotional, starting with our final Sunday in Navatu, followed by our only nine weeker, Lauren, leaving.

But once again the perfect cure was....NAMENA! Our recently qualified Dive Master, Trainee Steve, marked the occasion of his 100th dive by going commando, save for a sulu...a brave decision as he was chosen to lead the dive...we enjoyed it very much!

Our final days on Nasonisoni Island were filled with goodbyes.

Firstly to Navatu, who invited us over for a kavalicious Ta-Tau, secondly to our beautiful camp, which we lovingly tidied up (phase 23

- it's never looked so good, enjoy!) and lastly each other. And so phase 22 comes to an end. Thanks for the laughs and the memories, we've had a BANGIN' time!

Ecuador Week 5

At this point we are now old hands at forest living and our task is to finish off building steps. This is not easy work when it’s hot and humid! Despite this we have a great laugh and it felt like a fantastic achievement when we finally completed them. One of the highlights of spending time in the forest was the interesting characters we met there, a mix of scientists and volunteers who had all had intriguing reasons for being out in rural Ecuador. Katie and Adam were also lucky enough to visit the library in the local town of Tabuga which played host to another bunch of great kids eager to play and learn the odd English word. That concludes our time in the dry forest, after this it’s off to the Amazon rainforest for our next adventure!

Ecuador Week 4

A week in and we are now starting to deal with being woken up at the crack of dawn by bullfrogs, howler monkeys and the questionable singing voice of our resident cook Bigote, named after his impressive moustache. This week we are able to explore the local area more and visit the lalo lor project leader Jason’s farm and are introduced to his pig and dog. We also get the chance to meet a few of the kids in the area who are possibly the most energetic children in the world. One should consider themselves lucky if there are less than 5 hanging off you at any one time. Another interesting experience is visiting the nearest town Perdernales. It is certainly well off the tourist trail and gave us a chance to see the real Ecuador. The weekend arrives and it’s off to the beach again, this time we all head to Canoa to surf and relax, while party animal Adam heads to Montanita for a South American fiesta, one in which comes highly recommended. This involves live bands and nightclubs with swimming pools inside!

Ecuador Week 3

We say goodbye to Quito and head off on a 6 hour bus journey to the coast and our digs at the dry forest. It was a slight change from Quito with no electricity and howler monkeys swinging past our rooms at all hours. After a couple of days adjusting to the new surroundings we grew to like the place. This week is when the real work began, and that means machetes...and more machetes, which appear to be used for everything imaginable in rural Ecuador. After a week of conservation our group splits into two and head to the beaches of Canoa and Puerto Lopez for the weekend. Living in the forest offers opportunities to see some of the coolest animals on the planet, including snakes, butterflies and various arachnids that were frequently pointed out by our indigenous tour guide Maximo. Adam was even offered the opportunity to handle a wild snake after Maximo tracked one, an offer which he sensibly declined.

Ecuador Week 2

Seven days in and we are now comfortable with the city and possibly a little too comfortable with each other. The highlight of this week was climbing the live volcano Cotapaxi. Several hours and numerous falls later, particularly by Jess, and we reach the peak flanked by Germans, Belgians and every other nationality imaginable. The cycle ride down was exhilarating and this being Quito the day certainly did not end there. Only 2 of us came out completely unscathed and thus decided to go for a swift drink. In Quito the party rarely ends quietly and we proceeded to return at 7 in the morning.

The next day we go to watch the famous Liga De Quito at the estadio Olympico, home of National football club. South American football is renowned for its exciting and free flowing approach, and this match did not disappoint with 5 goals and a win for top of the table Liga. As the week went on we were able to further practice our newly acquired Spanish with trips to Quito Market and were introduced to our ‘crazy’ team leader Frankie, and our group is finally complete. Quito and a fear of heights are not a great mix as I was to find out, but this did not spoil my trip up the Teleferiqo cable car which offers spectacular views and a concentrated hit of oxygen if one is interested. The week is rounded off with a trip to the beautiful cloud forest Mindo. You are surrounded by natural beauty including humming birds and endless waterfalls. Despite this the best thing about Mindo is the extreme zip lining which seems more like bungee jumping. It’s a great rush and it also offers the best view of the forest. Come night and we had, according to Katie, the ‘greatest pizza in the world’ and of course we partied (again) until the early hours.

Ecuador Week 1

It’s almost 3am and everyone has finally arrived and extremely tired, 3 hours of sleep later and we commence a city tour. Welcome to Ecuador. After a lovely Ecuadorian breakfast we take a very crowded bus to the old town of Quito. We begin by looking at some Churches and learn the odd fact that by being too ‘delicioso’ you are likely to go to hell. Little did we know it would get a lot stranger than this. Throughout our first week in Quito we discover that the nightlife is not something to miss, however on day 2 we realise that singing is not one its stronger points after visiting a local karaoke bar. We round off week one by visiting the Equator line. A few interesting facts about this place are that you cannot walk along the equator line properly and it is strangely easy to balance an egg on a nail.