Uganda Rwanda border crossing

We left Uganda today and crossed into our ninth and final African country, Rwanda. The border crossing was our longest yet but thankfully despite all our fears of it being extremely difficult, it went relatively smoothly.  The roads were a little crazy and often seemed far too narrow for more than one car, let alone when two trucks pass each other. The day was long but the scenery in Uganda and Rwanda was beautiful. Even though Rwanda is known as the land of 1000 mountains, Uganda is also mountainous and green dotted with the occasional lake, absolutely stunning. 

Uganda - Queen Elizabeth NP

This morning we spent on an early morning game drive in our truck. There wasn’t a great deal of action on the animal front especially because this park is known not to have any Cheetah’s, Zebra’s, Gazelle’s, Impala as they were all killed by humans a number of years ago. It also only has a few Lions, so you can imagine our excitement when we spotted a pride of seven Lions not too far off in the distance. We sat and watched this pride for a while which was fantastic, especially when they got up and wandered towards a group of grazing Cob’s. Unfortunately we believe they all looked pretty full when they were lying around so they weren’t too interested in the Cob’s, so no, we didn’t get to see Lion’s hunting... oh well. 

After a couple of relaxing hours at the campsite we went on a lake cruise on Lake Edward and its natural connection with Lake George. This cruise was great. We saw a phenomenal number of Hippo’s that were within metres of the boat including quite a few babies.We also spotted a male and a female Lion on the bank who were apparently separate from the pride to mate. The park and its lakes are also famous for the number of birdlife they are home to, this was interesting as well. 

Uganda - Queen Elizabeth NP

Another early morning this morning, although not quite as early as yesterday, because we had a long day in the truck again bound for Queen Elizabeth National Park. 

The drive was relatively pleasant as the scenery was very picturesque.

We arrived at our campsite late in the afternoon after a short game drive from the entrance of the park where we saw our first Ugandan Cob (part of the Antelope family, similar to an Impala). 

Today we also crossed the equator.

Uganda - Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Another 4.20am start this morning as had to be at Lake Victoria’s shoreline at Entebbe by 10am to catch a boat across to the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary is the home to 44 Chimpanzee’s who have been rescued from either traps, illegal “bush meat” sales (yes some people do eat them), or other illegal activities eg sale for export as pets. Each of the Chimps are individually named and have their own personality. They are in the process of rehabilitating them with the hope that one day they will be able to release them back into the wild. However, first they must be sure that the Chimps have recovered from their previous trauma’s. We learnt a lot today about Chimps and their abilities to learn but also to hold on to traumatic memories much like humans. The reason Chimps behave a lot like humans in both personality and biologically is that we share 98.7% of our DNA with them. It was really interesting to see the group dynamics and to learn that they even have political systems within their group... except for chimps it is all about which male is more attractive to the females that determines who is the dominant male of the group... interesting :-).

We returned by boat across the lake to our truck and drove a short way to our campsite for the night in Entebbe.

Uganda - Jinja

A lazy morning this morning as we had nothing planned for the day. Some of the group went white water rafting but we decided that once in a month is probably enough for the moment :-).

We spent the day relaxing around the campsite making the most of the free wifi and just generally chilling out.

Uganda - Jinja

We set off this morning bound for Uganda. A long day in the truck broken by a brief stop in Kericho for Henry (our new cook) to do some shopping which we utilised by finding a great internet cafe that served fabulous coffee, and then the hour or so we spent at the border... thankful to our guide with some handy financial incentives to the border gate people that this was only an hour and not 3-4h.

Our campsite for the next 2 nights was in the Ugandan town called Jinja which was located on the banks of the River Nile.

Kenya - Lake Navusha / East Africa Mission Orphanage

Our morning started with school. We were invited to sit in class with the children for their first lesson - it was so beautiful to see their little minds at work and interesting to see that their lessons are taught in both English and Swahili depending on the subject. 

After this first lesson came the sad task of saying good bye to our new friends... it was very sad. The only saving grace is knowing that they are all extremely happy and well cared for at EAMO.

We had only a short drive today for about 3h to our next campsite at Tea plantation in Kericho which is in the highlands of Kenya. We spent the afternoon relaxing as the tropical rain storm set in for a short while. 

Kenya - Lake Navusha / East Africa Mission Orphanage

This morning we were up reasonably early and off for a game drive through Lake Nakuru National Park. The scenery in this park was different to the previous game parks and quite picturesque. The Lake was beautiful especially from the panoramic view point, but also up close because of the large numbers of Flamingoes which were feeding in it.

The other animals we saw included the usual Zebra, Buffalo, Baboon’s, Impala, Gazelle’s, but also included our first White Rhino’s and some Colobus Monkeys. Unfortunately we didn’t see a Leopard which was our guides 3rd trip without seeing a Leopard out of the hundreds of trips to this park.

We returned from the game drive after lunch to coincide with the children finishing school. We firstly went down to visit the babies/ infants (who were asleep last night) and played with them for quite some time. The older kids came down to where we were and games of soccer and rugby soon took hold. We had given them a few balls to play with and Jack had tried teaching some kids how to juggle which was a great hit. We both also taught some of our new friends how to pass a rugby ball properly.

All in all we had a fabulous afternoon which we had to bring to an end so the carers could get the kids to the bath and then dinner.

Kenya - Lake Navusha / East Africa Mission Orphanage

We spent relaxing morning at the campsite this morning while some of our group did a safari walk in Hell’s Gate National Park. 

After lunch we made our way to our next campsite which was at East Africa Mission Orphanage where we were to spend the next 2 nights. East Africa Mission Orphanage (EAMO) is an orphanage which was set up by an Australian couple 13 years ago. They came to Africa with the intent on helping out with health projects (they are trained Naturopaths) but instead were taken with the plight of the thousands of children who had either been orphaned at some point or whose parents could not afford to keep them. They gave up their lives in Australia and moved themselves and their 2 children (who were 12 and 15 at the time) to Kenya. The Director (Ralph) explained to us where the funding comes from (which is entirely from donations minus the funds that come directly from their own pocket) and their monthly budget to keep the place running. They have 50 acres with lots of vegetables growing which they use as much as possible to minimise the amount of food bought outside. Ralph’s aim is to eventually make the orphanage completely self sufficient food wise.

Some of the stories we were told were quite tragic. One little boy was from the Sudanese border and was orphaned by the war. He lived with his uncle but had to be left home alone whilst his uncle was at work. The problem with this was that during the day the Sudanese Militia would come to the village and take any child that was big enough to hold an AK-47. Understandably his uncle was very concerned that this may happen so asked for him to be taken to a home in a safe place which is how he ended up in EAMO.

We arrived late in the afternoon, unfortunately a little too late to play with the children before dinner but that didn’t stop them finding us and showing us around as much as they could before the dinner whistle went. We were fortunate though because we were able to eat dinner with them which was really fun! It was so nice to sit and chat to the kids (who all speak amazing English depending on how long they have been at the orphanage) and see that they are all so very happy. After dinner and the clean up of the dining room we joined in their evening devotion and sing along where we introduced ourselves and met any children with the same name... and lo and behold there was a Briana and two Jack’s.

After all of this we took the kids to bed and said our goodnights with lots of fun games and cuddles of course!

Kenya - Lake Navusha

We woke this morning hoping to find our truck at the camp waiting for us... and were pleasantly surprised when it was there... very dirty but in one piece. A 6h drive ahead of us today leaving Masai Mara and heading for Lake Navusha. Thankfully we made it through the town and out of the Masai Mara without anymore incidents. Unfortunately though, about half way into our drive we noticed that we were leaking a considerable amount of Diesel from the fuel tank... mmmm... not ideal! So we had an unscheduled stop in a small town for about an hour whilst they welded the tank back together.

We eventually arrived at our campsite around 5pm in the afternoon shower... thankfully, based on the amount of water on the side of road, we missed the major downpour! Our first night of actually having to put our new tents up and it was raining :-(. But we survived, had a lovely dinner, drank some wine, and played pool before heading to bed.

Kenya - Masai Mara

Up at 4.40am this morning praying for clear weather as we were going on a hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara.

The balloon ride was beautiful. Unfortunately we didn’t see too many animals but the scenery was fabulous. Following the balloon we enjoyed a scrumptious cooked breakfast which included some nice cheeses and plentiful champagne in an open plain in the middle of the park. We finished our morning with a game drive where we saw Giraffe’s, a family of Ostriches with about 15-20 chicks, lots of Wildebeest, Heart Beasts, Topi’s, Gazelle’s, Zebra’s. Unfortunately we saw none of the big 5 but still had a great morning.

After lunch and a very (too) short nap we went on another game drive this time in our truck - which was finally rescued with the aid of a tractor and apparently a large number of locals. We were all a little nervous about driving around the park in the truck after last nights escapade but were assured it would be okay.

We made it down to Mara River which is the main river where the Wildebeest cross during the migration. We saw a number of Wildebeest that had drowned during this water crossing which apparently is very common. During the drive we were fortunate to see 2 groups of Lions, 1 group of Lionesses and 1 group of juveniles playing in the grass. It was very cool. We also saw plenty of live Wildebeest, Zebra, and Antelopes, including our first Eland.

During our drive we watched the afternoon storm rolling in over the mountains and most of us grew increasingly worried that we would get bogged again. We drove through some fairly serious rain fall but the roads were manageable. Around 7pm we were almost back at camp and starting to relax when we turned the corner into the main street of the village near our camp and.... yep, you guessed it... we were stuck AGAIN! At least this time it wasn’t raining! And this time we didn’t have to wait very long for alternative transport back to our camp.

We ate around 8.30pm once the rest of the group had been brought in from the truck and then went to bed.

Kenya - Masai Mara

After another fabulous nights sleep last night in our hotel bed we woke and finished packing ready to board the new truck with the new crew bound for the Masai Mara.

The drive was fairly uneventful for most of the way, we stopped at an amazing supermarket to stock up on snacks and some things for the orphanage we are going to visit in a few days and then played cards. We also stopped off at the view point for the Panoramic view of the Kenyan section of The Great Rift Valley which extends from Mozambique to Israel.

Once we reached the Masai Mara the roads deteriorated quite considerably and we could see that they have had a fair bit of rain in the last few weeks... which we had read about in the newspaper in Arusha. We were going along quite well until around 4pm we went of the side of the muddy road and into a deep mud sludgy gutter. We all exited the truck and stood in the cold drizzling rain watching our crew and a few of the boys trying to work out a way to get the truck out.  As the sun was going down the crew realised there was no way we were getting out of it without help and we were picked up in batches by 4wd’s and transported to Acacia Camp where we would spend the next 2 nights. We were all very thankful that Acacia Camp was a tented camp which meant that we didn’t have to set up our tents in the rain and the dark. And, considering the tents were on the truck which was still stuck this would have been very difficult.  Some of the boys returned to the truck and retrieved our packs out of the truck so we had gear which we were very thankful for and our cook managed to whip us up Spaghetti Bolognese so at least we got dinner... even if it was around 10pm by the time this all happened. 

Our eventful day finally came to an end when we climbed into bed around 11pm thankful to be dry and warm once again.  Our poor driver and guide had to spend the night with the truck.

Kenya - Nairobi

We woke this morning a very restful nights sleep in our hotel room and enjoyed not having to get up and pack a tent up. We put our filthy clothes from the Serengeti in to soak in the bath tub and wandered down to breakfast. Breakfast was an awesome array of food to suit all tastes.

After breaky we finished off the washing, called home, and relaxed. We wandered into the city around 1pm with Trent and Marieka to explore the Masai Market and the inner city of Nairobi.

We got back to hotel just in time to go to our 3rd and final meeting (for Africa, anyway) to meet our new crew and tour group. The group again consists of mostly Australians, still one German (continuing from our last trip), one English, and 3 Kiwi’s. Thankfully the new group all seem like a great bunch.

Kenya - Nairobi

Up well before the sun again (4.20am) this morning for a long drive, this time bound for Nairobi, Kenya and yet another African border crossing. Thankfully we were there early so there was no queue or hiccups.

Today was the final day of the second leg of our African adventure so farewells had to said. It was sad to lose some of our group, who had been with us from the start, but that is travel! We celebrated at the world famous Carnivore’s restaurant for our final meal. Carnivore’s is famous for it’s meat selection, and although we were hoping for a little more exotic game meat we still had an amazing meal. The meal consisted of soup for starters, salads, and an endless supply of meat delivered to the table on large metal skewers and sliced directly onto your plate. This all continued until the small flag in the middle of your table was lowered by the last person standing! The meat selection included lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, spare ribs... and then camel, crocodile, ostrich, ox testicles, and ox heart. 

We were delivered back to our lovely hotel by the hotel car very full but happy not only with our fabulous meal but also with the fact that we had 2 nights ahead of us in a hotel room with comfy beds and our own bathroom!   

Tanzania - Serengeti

The day started with an early morning game drive as we left the Serengeti. We saw a group of 3 Lions very close to the road, 2 males and 1 female, all adults. The 2 males walked just in front of the trucks - it was awesome to see them so close! We also saw a fight between 2 bull Elephants which we sat and watched for quite some time - again, very cool! 

Our drive back to Arusha was via the edge of the crater again so we got to see some more spectacular scenery dotted with Masai villages. We stopped at a few Masai markets on the way back to stock up on souvenirs :-). We arrived to our campsite in the actual city of Arusha by late afternoon and enjoyed our first hot showers in quite a number of days! It was heaven!

Tanzania - Serengeti

We woke early this morning ready for a full day of game driving hoping that our luck would continue. A short way out of our campsite we spotted 3 Lions... the day was looking good.... although we weren’t quite sure about their closeness to our camp :-)!  The rest of the morning we saw the standard Zebra’s, Gazelle’s, and Giraffe’s. Of note though, we also found a Gazelle high in tree... it had been put there by a Leopard who wasn’t hungry at the time of the kill, and we also saw some Vulture’s and Jackals eating a kill... all pretty cool!

We broke for lunch and a rest before heading out on a late afternoon/ sunset game drive. During the break we had some Elephants right next to our camp which was very cool. Unfortunately the evening game drive was pretty quiet on the animal front but the sunset was, yet again, beautiful!

Tanzania - Ngorongoro Crater

Today we drove from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater and then onto the Serengeti National Park. We spent about 6h in the Crater, because that is all anyone is allowed to spend in the Crater, and it was amazing! 

In our time in the Crater, we Zebra’s, Croc’s, Giraffe’s, Elephants, Hippo’s, Topi’s, Flamingoes, Baboon’s, Red Heart Beast, and of course lot’s of Gazelle’s. The highlight of our trip though was that we got to see our first kill! It was an amazing experience to witness nature at it’s best. We were all sitting watching a Cheetah off to our right when she decided that she wanted to cross the road, right between the cars. She remained quite casual through the whole affair until she got across the road and she spotted a couple of Thomson’s Gazelle’s grazing right in front of her. We had all spotted this from the safety of our safari cruiser and watched with bated breath. Then, it was on! We watched the cheetah choose the gazelle, stalk and chase it until success... it was awesome!!!!

After we made our way out of the Crater we drove into the Serengeti National Park and did a game drive until we reached our campsite which was unfenced in the middle of the park. Along this drive we were again lucky and spotted a Leopard! What a day!

Tanzania - Mto Wa Mbu (River of Mosquitoes)

Up early this morning in order to get back into Arusha as the shops opened so we could have a look around and run some errands.... like posting our large souvenirs back to Australia.... we weren’t the only ones :-).

We very quickly utilised our hour and a half in town and were back in the truck now heading toward a jewellery shop which deals in the rare Tanzanian stone Tanzanite. These stones are only mined in Tanzania, approximately 56km outside Arusha. They were stunning!

Our next stop was a Masai Village about one hour down the road. The Masai tribe is one of 120 tribes in Tanzania but they also extend up into Kenya. Originally they were located in the Serengeti but when it was declared a national park they were relocated to the Ngorongoro Crater conservation area. Because they are a nomadic tribe some of them have moved on and are scattered through out Tanzania. We were able to take a tour through this village to learn about different aspects of their culture, as well as witness some dancing and singing and see inside their homes. It was a fabulous experience and insight into a tribe that is so famous yet still so humble in its existence.

We arrived at our campsite, at Mto Wa Mbu, just after lunch and a small group of us took the option to go on a bike ride through the local village, Banana plantation, Acacia forest, and out to Lake Manyara which is just outside the border of Lake Manyara National Park. It was so amazing and fun to be able to ride through herds of Zebra, see Giraffes, Wildebeest, Hippo’s, and other animals without the confines of a car around you. Thankfully there were no “cats” roaming outside the National Park. We also were able to see our first Flamingo’s grazing in the Lake.... very cool! The other sites visited on our ride were a carving workshop, a painting “studio”, and we finished at the local “pub” where we tried some Banana Beer... it wasn’t that great :-/.

Tanzania - Arusha

This morning we left our campsite and continued on our way to Arusha which is the country’s largest city and main administrative capital. It also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for the Genocide in Rwanda.

We stopped in Arusha for Eunice to do some shopping and found some amazing iced coffee’s which, given the time in the afternoon we drank them, were worth risking a night with little sleep for.

Our campsite tonight was a place called Snake Park. Attached to the campsite was a small snake sanctuary with all of the big snakes of Africa including the Black Mamba, Green Mamba, lot’s of Cobra’s and some extremely large pythons. Beside the park there was a really interesting Masai museum which a Masai took us through and explained what each display meant. There was a cross section through a traditional hut, the different clothing for each stage of their life, both male and female, and many other customs explained.

It was a great introduction to this ancient tribe and its customs.

Tanzania - Zebra Camp

Today we only had to drive 400km but were informed this was going to take almost all day.... T.I.A.

So we spent another day on the truck with a few breaks for food, drinks, and toilets. The scenery today was very tropical with much of it reminding Jack of Timor. We drove around the Usambara Mountains which were very picturesque and arrived at our campsite around 5pm.

Tanzania - Dar Es Salaam

We left Nungwi this morning and drove back to Stone Town to board the ferry again bound for Dar Es Salaam. The ferry ride was a little rough but we were joined at one point by a whale frolicking nearby which was pretty cool.

After lunch in Dar Es Salaam we made way to rejoin our truck back at the campsite from 4 nights earlier. We spent the afternoon walking along the beach and then drinking another round of punch with the remaining alcohol from our first punch night.

Tanzania - Zanzibar / Nungwe

Awake this morning to enjoy another relaxing day on Zanzibar. We had no real plans for today except maybe go for a walk along the beach, go for a swim, and take in some sun.

We started with a walk along the beach up towards the light house that we reached yesterday. The tide was out so we walked the entire way along the beach and around the rocks. We went beyond the light house and stopped for while to rest and take in the sights, and life along the beach. There were lots of locals out gathering something, fish or more likely clams, we never got close enough to see.

After another coffee at the same cafe as yesterday we had lunch and then went for a swim. Whilst we were swimming we noticed some billowing smoke rising into the air and swam out deeper to get a better view. One of the hotels further up the coast was well alight. Thankfully the fire was controlled before the neighbouring thatched roof hotels also went up in flames, and thankfully no one was injured.

Pool, cards, and a beer saw the afternoon through. This was followed by another lovely meal overlooking the crystal blue water and pink and orange sunset.... and we also saw the first glimpse of the new moon which was very exciting as this means the end of Ramadan... which means shops should be open and we can eat in public without feeling bad!

Tanzania - Zanzibar / Nungwe

Our first morning in Nungwe and what to do...

A small group of us set off for a walk to the nearby village to see some of the local sights. We spent a few hours exploring the village, saying “Jambo” (Hello in Swahili) to a lot of excited children. Unfortunately that is where our Swahili ended and their English was no better so the interaction was limited - but still fun! 

Our morning was topped off by the discovery of a cafe that had cafe latte’s on its menu... and then made even better when the coffee tasted great! It has been a while :-)! 

Our afternoon was spent getting a massage each and generally chilling out before heading to a restaurant for happy hour cocktails, sunset, and dinner.

Tanzania - Zanzibar

This morning we ventured across to Prison Island in a Dhow (local wooden boat). Prison Island is an island about half an hour from Stone Town by boat and was originally built as a prison for badly behaved slaves but was never used for this purpose. Instead it was used as a quarantine isolation point for any boat travelling to Zanzibar. The main building was utilised as a hospital and the diseased bodies were cremated on the island instead of being buried for fear of spreading disease to Zanzibar.

Also on Prison Island are a large number of tortoises some of which are over 150yrs old and weigh up to 300kg. We were able to feed them and one of the younger ones (age 30) really enjoyed a scratch on his head.

After exploring the Island we were taken out a short distance for some snorkelling. The visibility was very good, and there was quite a number of tropical fish to see.... including a lot of “Nemo’s”. Unfortunately Brii felt like she was being bitten or stung by something repeatedly in the water so she got out quite early, but we still both enjoyed ourselves.

On returning to Stone Town we boarded a mini bus bound for the north of the island, to an area called Nungwi. The trip was just over 1h and quite a pleasant drive through many small villages and tropical landscape.

We settled in to our bungalows which were to be our home for the next 3 nights and were thankfully slightly better than our previous nights accommodation. Our first dinner was on the sand overlooking the stunning blue water and spectacular sunset. Aaah, a holiday within a holiday!! 

Tanzania - Zanzibar

We had to travel back on the ferry across to Dar Es Salaam and then get onto another ferry to Zanzibar all by 10.30.

The ferry to Zanzibar was over 2h, crowded, hot, and stuffy, not very pleasant :-). But the arrival on Zanzibar was worth it! Zanzibar is known as the “Spice Island” of Africa and sits at approximately the same latitude as the Solomon Islands. The water is crystal clear and blue. The weather is tropical and warm. It really is worth the visit.

We spent our afternoon doing the “Spice Tour” which involved a delicious traditional lunch flavoured by the local spices and consisting of fried King Fish, curried Green Banana, steamed Cassava leaves, spiced rice, and a sauce for the rice which resembled Dhal but we aren’t sure. After lunch we went to a spice farm and walked through the crops seeing all of the spices in their natural state. It was very interesting. 

We left the farm and visited the remains of the Sultans palace where he housed his 14 secondary wives. You could still see the bed chambers, the toilets, and the bath houses. 

The final part of the tour was a visit to the historical site of the Slave Market. This site now holds the Anglican Church but the holding cells which held the slaves before being brought up for sale are still intact and housed under a neighbouring building. In the church, near the altar, is an area which is still remnant of the days of the slaves. It is the ground where the “Whipping Pole” stood. As the slaves were brought from the holding cells to be sold they were lashed to a tree known as the whipping pole and then repeatedly whipped. If a slave cried out during his whipping he was perceived to be weak and his price went down, if he made no noise he was strong and his price rose. Seeing these cells and hearing these stories was disturbing and very moving.

After dinner we explored the night market which is a food market on the water’s edge in the centre of Stone Town. It was surprisingly clean and hygienic looking and it was unfortunate that we had all filled up at the restaurant.

Tanzania - Dar Es Salaam

Another long day in the truck today bound for Dar Es Salaam. Dar Es Salaam is the former capital of Tanzania but is still a large bustling coastal city and is our gateway to Zanzibar.

Along the way to Dar Es Salaam we drove through the Baobab Valley. This is a valley of Baobab trees some of which are over 1000yrs old. They were spectacular!

Tanzania - Iringa Farm House

Awake before sunrise this morning prepared for a long day in the truck. We left Malawi and crossed the border into Tanzania. We spent 10h travelling today heading for Iringa Farm House, which was our next campsite.

Malawi - Lake Malawi

A group of us rose early this morning to make the walk up the nearby mountain to Livingstonia for a bit of exercise and to check out the museum about the history of the missionaries in the area. The walk was about 25-30km round trip which we completed in about 7h. It was quite challenging on the way up the mountain and we were all glad that we left as early as we did as it was extremely hot by the time we got back to camp at 1pm.

After lunch we cooled off in the lake playing with some local kids which was really fun. The kids were very talkative and not shy at all.

The rest of the afternoon we played cards, and Brii tried her hand at hairdressing by cutting our resident hairdresser’s hair with his guidance of course :-).

Malawi - Lake Malawi

We left Kande Beach this morning with a slightly sour taste in our mouths as 4 of us had arranged for Malawi tables to be carved and delivered but they failed to appear. Thankfully we had only paid 500 Kwacha each so far (approx 3USD) and with the help of our tour guide we got this back from other village locals who said they would sort it out... mmmm... local justice.

Along the way we stopped at some markets which are famous for Malawian Chairs and Tables, as well as a range of other carvings. The chairs and tables were gorgeous. The entire group had a ball and bought quite a lot. 

We arrived at our next campsite at Chitimba Beach, still on Lake Malawi, in the late afternoon.

Malawi - Kande Beach

This morning we went for a village walk through Mbamba Village which neighbours the campsite. During our visit we learnt about the local crops, Cassava and Corn mainly, the methods to make bricks to build their houses, and a little about village life and the way the village functions day to day. We visited the primary school which has an attached orphanage. The school puts the orphans through school when they can afford to as the government gives them no assistance. The school is funded for 3 teachers by the government but has over 1000 students. This means that sometimes the teachers are standing in front of a class of over 200 students.... an absolutely unfathomable challenge.

We also visited the local clinic, another phenomenal feat for the staff! They have a catchment area of 39000 people and see around 180 patients per day. They do not have a doctor, only one nurse/midiwife and a medical assistant. And yes, they do deliveries here, unfortunately we couldn’t see inside the birthing unit as there was a patient. They have only one road ambulance for the district and their nearest referral hospital is over 100km away. This hospital has a catchment of over 500, 000 people but still only has one doctor! This information just blew us away!

During the tour we met lots of the local children as it is school holidays here at the moment and we also were accompanied by some of the local boys/ young men who explained a lot about different things as we walked. It was a great way to spend the morning!