Things haven’t got off to the best start here in Nairobi. We stopped at the airport to get some cash (this time it’s Kenyan shillings) and the ATM ate my card. It took about 45 minutes to get it back, and I won’t be using Barclays again! We found another ATM that doesn’t completely suck your card out of sight, and now have some shillings.
But now, we sit in the smog of peak hour in Nairobi. We remain stationery for 10-15minutes at a time, then charge ahead and change lanes a few times in first gear. Been on the road for at least an hour so far. It reminds me of Delhi, although there is barely a horn hoot to hear. There are road side sellers wandering between the cars as we sit still, very still, offering maps (like big ones for the wall), macadamia nuts, jumper leads, soccer balls, tea towels, tennis racquets, Tupperware, tacky souvenirs . Everything you could need in a traffic jam. Passengers randomly get out of cars, realising it is quicker to walk.
The haze of pollution is so thick, it’s hard to see more than 500m ahead. Glad none of us are asthmatic. I think the elevation here is 1400m, so add the pollution to that, and I’ll be sending John out with a Ventolin for his run tomorrow.
And another gem of a name for today’s man who picked us up at the airport….Benson. I love Africa.

We leave in the morning for the Masai Mara area, and then Lake Nakaru. I’m told by others we have met that we will be lucky to have power, let alone Internet. So if you see no new posts for a while, we are still here, just out of range. Just like the old days. I’ll send a postcard.

We’re on the plane to Nairobi as I write. This time on Kenyan Airways. For a while I was thinking they were the worst airline out there, when the seating allocation we chose at the self check in kiosk was abandoned, because it doesn’t actually match the seats that are on the plane. Nice touch. So it ended up being “grab a seat”, the old Jetstar style. Which, in fact, turns out to be a blessing. The plane is not full, so we are spread out with spare seats between us. But it gets better. There are little fold down foot rests for short people! Like me! Now I’ve been around the world a few times or more, and used a lot of airlines, but this has been my first time sitting comfortably. So Kenyan Airways gets my tick. All short people should use them.
I leant this morning that Johanessburg is at an elevation of around 1700m. This, of course, courtesy of John. Mr.Geography. Wearing his new Suunto watch/GPS/computer/still can’t make you run or ride faster gizmo. At least the font size of the time is big enough that neither of us need our “old man/lady glasses” to read it. And having still not recovered fully from his man flu, developed during the flight over, his two runs over the past 12 hours around the picturesque environs of our airport hotel (read industrial heartland) have produced a heaving cough of epic proportions, thanks to the altitude. (Sam – you will note that was the first use of the word “epic”. And I haven’t gone near “iconic”. Yet.)
Fergus and Harry are becoming quite the expert travellers. They have learnt that if you turf everything out of your suitcase, then you have a lot to repack in the morning. Hence, many photos will show them in the same clothes, day after day. I do insist on the socks and jocks changeover. They can find Disney Chanel in an instant when presented with pay tv, and we are teaching them how to find our departure gates at various airports. That was easy at Livingstone – just the one. Next it will be the customs forms each time we change countries.

What with lack of Internet and a battle for the iPad with John, I’m wondering what possessed me put eBooks on the iPad for the boys. Not a chance they’ll get a look in.

I like the lazy hippo resting his chin on another one.

A big fat python in the tree.

One of the locals’ huts on the riverbank.

A rare family photo with all of us. On the banks of the Chobe river.

Dozens of baboons come down to the river at sunset.

Hippos about to disappear into the water.

Grazing giraffes.

An early start today, and we make our way through the passport caper, complete with the thump thump of the stampers and the immigration forms. We stop in the speed boat at Namibia customs to exit the country, then land in Kasane and enter Botswana, then drive 10 minutes and exit Botswana, crossing the Zambezi on the ferry and enter Zambia. We get to pay another $100US for visas, because the stamper didn’t give us the multiple entry visa the first time. At least we got to use up our spare local currency. I have a wallet of US dollars, Australian dollars, South African Rand, Zambian kwecha and Botswanan pula – and never enough of what I need.
And again, we are passed along the chain by various guides and drivers. We started with, Kaltius and Given (no kidding), then the short car ride was with Charles and Also (that was his name – Also), then I think we had another one whose name escapes me.
We are currently sitting in Livingstone airport about to board our flight to country number 4 for today – South Africa! And there’s NO INTERNET ! After the last two houseboat days, John is hanging out for an update on the Tour de France (and a run) and We are over nighting in Jo’burg before flying to Kenya tomorrow.
John and the boys have been out kicking the footy, passports ready for more stamping!
……now in Jo’burg. It’s a fight for Internet access on the iPad and I’m surrendering to John as he breathes down my neck waiting for his turn!

All the animals we see are free to roam around, and John is rather jealous. At the Lodge, he wasn’t allowed to go for a morning run. And now on the houseboat, well, you get the picture. So he’s up to 4 days with no exercise, and three solid meals a day. Could be an ugly weight loss program when he gets home. Watch out all you training buddies of John’s. Oh, and don’t forget that we have had no internet or tv here on the boat, and that means NO TOUR. Sheesh, it’s not that pleasant for him, but he’s keeping a smile on his face.
After breakfast, we watch the elephants have their morning drink and bath. If there is a rule about taking too many photos of elephants, then I’ve broken it!
We go fishing in the morning, and come very, very close to some crocs, with teeth on display. We caught only a few fish today (much less than yesterday) and I wonder if our luck with fishing at home will change.
Cruising further up the river, we moor for the evening and go out again to look for animals in the speedboats. Our guide, Kaltius, finds an amazing number of birds this evening. The giant Kingfisher was there, and more malachite starlings. Then he slows the boat and pauses under an overhanging branch of a tree and we look up to see an enormous python curled up in tree. Then he spots another one sliding around the bank that slowly disappears into a hole in a tree.
There’s crocs, baboons, guinea fowl, water monitors and hippo. Although we don’t go too close to the hippos. We reboarded the house boat for another great meal, and lots of laughs with the Sydney ladies.

Below are just a few of the photos I took of the amazing drinking session the elephants had while we watched from our boat. It was a great experience.