Jambo from Zanzibar

I'm in Zanzibar - WOW! It's amazing - all those white sand beaches and turquoise waters in the postcards are real here and it's a tough life coping with it... Yeah right! I've just got back from snorkelling at a live reef on the east side of the island and now the worst part of my evening is going to be trying to finish this post so that I can skip across the courtyard to see the sun set from the bar, beer in hand.

It's not all easy peasy, as Charlie and anyone else who's done camping and the overland truck thing will know. We're taking it in turns to cook for everyone else in allocated groups of 3 and of course it was my group's turn for breakfast the morning that we were in a rush to get a ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar - it was peeing with rain and we'd optimistically gone for a fry up. The most interesting part about cooking with people that you've only just met is the clashes in personality and how easily people get worked up. I'm included in this, as perfect as I am, I was a bit peeved when an 18 year old was getting stroppy with me for trying to tell him to get the carrots into the sauce at the same time as the onions or they'd still be crunchy an hour later!

Ah and I just managed to read all of your comments from the last post - thanks so much and I miss you all too!! There have been quite a few time since I left Judith that I've arrived at the dinner table and been disappointed not to find you all there - this trip would be a million times better if you were all her doing it with me and laughing about things that we find funny but it's too long or pointless to explain to the guys on the truck. That's not to say that I'm not having a brilliant time and that we're not getting on - I am and we are but I miss you all and know how much you would love being here too!

Before I get too mushy and quickly to catch up on the last week: we left Nairobi and Kenya pretty quickly on the way to Tanzania for the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, where we saw lions with cubs and with a freshly killed buffalo, loads of giraffes, buffalo, impala, Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, zebra, wildebeest, haartebeest, hyenas, a few elephants and a bat-eared fox. There was also a cheetah just at the side of road, front paws up on a rock looking for its dinner - that was my highlight :) It's towards the end of the Great Migration of the grazing animals across the Serengeti so we saw thousands of zebras and wildebeest with their month old babies making the trek so that they'll have food in the dry season, due to start in a couple of months. The whole experience was straight out of the Lion King - Simba even means Lion in Swahili! Jambo Simba! And every one says Hakuna Matata - no worries - all the time here!!

There's more but that's the most part of what I can remember for now - will get photos and more details up when I get a chance but access to the internet is rare and it's usually really slow so I've hit the jackpot with this place!

Keep letting me know what's going on at home - I want more gossip!

First stop: Uganda

I've been away almost a week and this is the first chance I've had to sit down and put some thoughts on the blog - it's been pretty manic here and that means I've seen a lot so have loads to tell you all :)

Firstly, this post is coming to you from the lovely oasis that is the Kabira Country Club, a posh resort hotel up the road from Judith's flat - today we're swimming, having a sauna and making the most of the free wi-fi access.

This is my last whole day in Uganda as I'm flying to Nairobi tomorrow afternoon and it's been really great and definitely feels like I've been away longer than a week! For Easter weekend Judith and I went on a road trip with her friends Marcel and Kiki to the south west of the country, crossing the equator on the way. We drove a couple of hours from Kampala and camped in the beautiful Lake Mburo national park on Friday, where we shared our site with a chilled out hippo and loads of warthogs. On Saturday after a 6am bush walk to see hyenas, zebra, topi, buffalo and waterbucks, we headed further south through Mbarara to Kabale, a vibrant town at the foot of the mountains that border Rwanda. There we had an ear-splitting dance session in a club that would give most of the soundsystems at Notting Hill Carnival a run for their money and fell into bed slightly worried that Marcel, our designated driver, has malaria...

Driving on the roads here is a nerve shredding business and even though Marcel was very cautious and had our full trust, we were glad that on Sunday he could more or less have a day off - we were headed to Lake Bunyoni and one of its islands for the day and night and as it's only a couple of miles from Kabale along a dirt road with very little traffic we arrived, nerves and fingernails intact, by lunchtime. Lonely Planet likens the Lake and its islands to The Shire of the Hobbits and it's easy to see why: rolling hills, meandering waters, cultivated terraces and canoes expertly guided by those used to needing to get somewhere quickly in them or not so expertly by the likes of us... The tranquility of the island was briefly disturbed by Judith and I getting a fit of the giggles over dinner - I'm sure it's back to its laid back normailty by now.

So, first impressions of Uganda are that it's a lush and fertile place, Kampala can be a bit hectic but in general the people are very polite and friendly, to the extent that a bus will wait for you top cross the road (no mean feat) for several minutes, just patiently wait. I've learnt some traditional dances and seen stunning scenery, drunk waragi (like gin but femented from millet) and eaten an Ethiopian buffet that had me wanting the room for third and fourth helpings but not finding it. I'll get some photos posted at some point when I have a bit more time - they're worth waiting for.

And as for me and my general state of wellbeing, it's good. There was one wobble the other night but I'm putting that partially down to hormones... I'm still catching up in my travel journal and will do a bit more in a minute after a dip in the pool - determined to keep it up even if it is just bullet points...

Leaving (a bit late)

I was planning to write a final blog post before I left on Weds 4th April but didn't get a minute with all the packing and journeys to deposit my possessions around south London... Moving the large majority of your stuff in boxes single handed is hard work but maybe it's easier to comment on those last few days now that I've had some time away - succinctly, of course I was sad to leave my home, family, friends and everything that is so familiar.

Everything happened a bit in a rush towards the end of my time in London but I packed a lot in to those last few week and will keep those memories with me as I move around: mum and dad waving me off at the airport (not sure who cried the most!), the barbecue at home with my family, Charlie and I taking a trip up the Natwest Tower for cocktails and amazing views of home, Lisa's 30th birthday celebrations, having a great time at my leaving work drinks and seeing as much as I could of everyone I enjoy so much.


I wanted to write a few words on that and have some photos that I can look at when I'm missing home - the view out of my bedroom window in Spitalfields in the snow and a sunset that was pretty spectacular in the city. Although I know I'm going to be seeing a lot more of those, this is the one at home and that makes it special.

In a minute I'll write a bit more about my first week in Uganda and get some pictures uploaded so you can see what I've been seeing - it's been amazing!

Down the pub

Saturday night saw another gathering of good friends in a fun place - everyone who was there recommends that you get along to The Eagle pub just off City Road on one of their Unplanned Afternoons nights. New and old music lovingly selected by djs spinning the wheels for free got the crowd buzzing - all they ask is that you donate to whichever charity they're collecting for that day (Sat was Friends of the Earth's The Big Ask). Or you could go one better by following the link and emailing your MP to express your concern about climate change - Mine's winging its way to Gorgeous George Galloway as I type...

Ruthie did her homework and filled us all in on the pub's long and interesting history: Charles Dickens drank in the music hall that was on the site in the 19C and the drinking spot is still immortalised in the nursery rhyme Pop Goes The Weasel. I love the Cockney rhyming slang element and can just imagine a father of ten pawning his coat to get down the boozer for lunch on a Monday :)

And for more tales of Brits and their love of getting Brahms (and Liszt), check out Sands' recent post Brits and their Beer

I had a marvellous time on Saturday - see you all back at The Eagle in a year!

Au revoir London Underground!

Yesterday was my last day at work before heading off on the big trip. I'm trying to avoid cliches but will to have to go all out for this one: it hasn't sunk in that I won't be going in to work and seeing all of my friends and colleagues next week or for the next year. I just can't get my head around it...

Still, it was a wonderful last day and I wouldn't have wanted it to be any different (we missed you, Matt, that's the only thing I would have changed with a wave with my magic wand!) - thank you so much everyone for sharing all or parts of the last 4 and a half years with me, it's been excellent.

And, guess what? I didn't cry! Admittedly, there was welling up but no actual tears fell from my eyes. Not then maybe, but they might in a minute! All you boys and ladies with the sweepstake (you know who you are), does that mean I get to keep the pot or was did someone draw 11am the following morning??

On a sober note, I was pacing my drinking and for once it worked - I am a very relieved and happy lady this morning. It looks like the theory that Lisa and I developed of sticking to sugary drinks rather than acidic ones keep the hangover at bay. Seriously folks, try it next Friday in the Buckingham. The huge fish finger sandwich probably didn't do any harm either...

Finally, Sands and Theo, can you send me a photo of the general merriment to add to this post when you get a second? (Thanks T!)

Blogging begins...

It's exactly 3 weeks until I get on the plane to Uganda so I thought it was about time to set up the blog I've been threatening for the past few months...

Sutton Walk seemed as good as name as any and is definitely less cringeworthy than some of the other monikers I've been considering. I wonder if there are any other places or streets with Sutton in the name in the countries and cities I'm going to...? Will report back on that as I make my way around the world. As you may have guessed, Sutton Walk is also the name of a small pedestrian passage that links Waterloo station with the South Bank complex near the National Theatre. I took this photo on Sunday out on a walk with the lovely Johnny - thanks for your patience, sweetheart!!

Yeah, so I'm setting off on my round the world trip in under a month - bloody hell!! Of course, I'm also amazingly excited at the prospect of the coming year: people, places, friends, languages, sights, food, journeys, conversations, wildlife, beaches, jungles, photos, shopping and more. It's only starting to become real now that I'm packing up and seeing people for the last time until next year.

The first stop is Kampala, Uganda - I'll be staying with Judith and so far we've planned a full series of activities that includes lounging by the local pool, hanging out with JuJu's friends, sunbathing, a possible trip to Murchison Falls national park (might spot some chimps!!), a bit more catching up and lounging and plenty of relaxing - sheer bliss in other words :) I can't wait to see you and meet your Kampalan posse, Juju!!

Now I have to sleep but there will be more in the coming days on how it feels to leave London and all the people who mean so much to me here - it's cheesier than a family-sized bag of Wotsits but I'm unapologetic about the emotions that I'm experiencing. This blog wouldn't be mine if it didn't have plenty of smiles, tears, drama and outbursts at unexpected moments!! Sands, you were right (naturally) - there's nothing to this blogging business!