31st July

Today was our last day of diving and everyone has thoroughly enjoyed themselves. This morning we went out on the boat and did 2 dives then after lunch we spent half an hour filling in our log books for the dives over the last few days!

When we got back the tide was really high so we took the opportunity to have a go at playing water volleyball, which shall we say wasn't of high quality but it was great fun!!!

Tomorrow we have a rest day so we will relax in camp and on the beach. We will also have time to work with James in camp making souvenirs out of recycled flip flops!

Also, sorry about the lack of pictures...my phone decided to say no and they just won't upload anymore!

More updates tomorrow!

30th July

Today we did our first open water dives and completed a variety of skills approximately 8m underwater. We also had chance to swim around the reef and look at the variety of fish - lots of shapes, sizes and colours!

This afternoon was the final theory exam and everyone passed! Well done!!

We then had a volleyball tournament against each other and the PADI team, which sadly they won in the final 15-14!!!

Last day of diving tomorrow with 2 more open water dives, this time to a maximum of 18 metres. We will do these in the morning and then will probably have a reasonably quiet afternoon after 4 busy days!

I can't believe we only have 5 more days in Tanzania, it has certainly gone fast!

Mr L

29th July

Day 2 of scuba diving is complete! We have finished our pool dives and all 5 modules of theory which means tomorrow morning we will be doing our first 2 open water dive to a maximum depth of 12 metres. We will be diving above a coral reef so we should see a wide variety of fish!

In the afternoon we will complete the final theory exam, meaning on Sunday all that will remain is the final 2 open water dives.

Once we got back this evening we had another group game of volleyball - it is quickly becoming a favourite evening game!

Looking forward to another good day of new experiences tomorrow!

Will do my best to update tomorrow but really struggling to get signal to do so, hence another late post.

28th July

Sorry about the late post today, signal is almost none existent here.

Today was our first day scuba diving, we started with a couple of hours of theory then got our kit sorted and got in the sea and practised some skills. After some initial nerves everyone really enjoyed themselves!

This afternoon we did some more theory so have already done 3 of the 5 modules, which means that after tomorrow we will be able to concentrate purely on the open water dives.

When we got back to camp we spent an hour playing volleyball on the beach until it was too dark to continue!

Now everyone is relaxing in camp and as I write this I can hear Whitney Houston - I wanna dance with somebody blasting out with a singalong accompanying!

More diving and theory in store tomorrow which everyone is looking forward to.

Will update as and when I can tomorrow.

27th July

After nearly 9 hours on the bus we are at Camp Tanga!

The camp is located on a private beach with white sand and turquoise blue water - stunning!

We have been assigned our tents, had a camp orientation and we are now enjoying the last hour of sun on the beach!

Tomorrow we start our PADI open water scuba diving course, with the first part being the theory. We will learn more about the structure of the course when we meet the instructors later tonight.

The diving will be another great experience for everyone and we are looking forward to it.

More updates tomorrow!

Mr L

26th July - Safari Round 2!

First of all, happy birthday Emma! We had a party last night with balloons, bunting, music and games.

This morning after a 5 30 get up, we found out that Peter had driven 4 hours from Moshi last night with 2 birthday cakes so we all sang happy birthday and ate lots of cake!

Anyway, we actually made it to the national park today, so we have had a day on safari, and what a day it has been. For me this has definitely been the highlight so far.

We left camp shortly after 6 30 and it took us around 2 hours to get to Tarangire. The amount of wildlife there is extraordinary!

We saw; zebra, impala, waterbuck, wilderbeast, ostriches, baboons, monkeys, elephants (lots and extremely close up), and giraffe, amongst other things that I'm sure I'll remember about when I stop to look back!

However, that wasn't all! Within 20 minutes of arriving at the park we came across 4 lions sat on a termite mound..very exciting, lots of us were hoping and preying that we would see a lion today!!!

I think most of us would have been pretty satisfied with that had they been the only lions we saw, but they weren't! Mid morning we came across another 4 lions, a female and 3 young lions sitting on a different termite mound. Whilst we were watching them lots of wilderbeast walked past them and the female went for the kill, but she missed. Although a bit gruesome that would've been amazing to see!

After lunch we got even luckier and managed to see two male lions laying under a tree. 10 lions in a day!!!

Not to gloat, but the team who went on safari here on Monday saw no cats at all!

On that basis, I'm sure we would have gpne home fairly content with everything we had seen, but to top it off, we spotted a leopard! It was sleeping in a tree, so a great spot by whoever saw that first! The guides explained that leopard sightings here are incredibly rare, and to put it in perspective, Rhi, our team leader spent 5 months working in a game reserve in South Africa tracking leopards and she never saw one. The closest she got was finding a footprint. This was the first leopard she has seen!

That really is all of the animals we saw but an amazing day and we have been incredibly lucky with the wildlife we have seen.

We are on the way back to Moshi now and tonight we are back in the hotel, then tomorrow we will drive to Camp Tanga, our last camp! Everyone is really looking forward to the beach and scuba diving, I know we are going to have a good time!

Signal permitting I will update tomorrow once we are in camp and settled.

Mr L

25th July

In true African sprit we had a slight change of plan this morning. After a 5 15 get up we set off to Arusha where we would transfer into land cruisers and head off on safari...however, due to traffic it took us an hour longer than it should have to get to Arusha which meant we had missed the best part of the day for wildlife spotting.

As a result of this, Peter from Camps rang us to explain that instead they would take us straight to Camp Manyara which is about 3 hours from Arusha, and that we will safari tomorrow instead to ensure we get a full day.

Rather than going straight to camp we had some time shopping in Arusha before we got back on the bus. Once at camp we were taken in land cruisers to a viewpoint overlooking the rift valley and Lake Manyara National Park.

We are having an early tea tonight and an early night ready for safari round two tomorrow!

Looking at the bigger picture I think this is a good result for us as we will now get to the national park earlier tomorrow than we could've possibly managed today, even without traffic!
I think we are for a good day tomorrow!

I will update at the end of tomorrow!

24th July

Jambo,

After an early start we are back in Tanzania and about to have lunch at The Keys Hotel in Moshi before we go for a quick supermarket trip..it will probably be the last chance to buy any essentials for the next couple of weeks!

Then it will be time to relax and enjoy hot showers and get an early night ready for tomorrow's safari at Tarangire National Park - we will be on the road by 6 30am.

On that note, we saw a cheetah on our way through Tsavo West National Park, the first cat we have seen which was exciting!

I will update tomorrow evening when we are at Camp Manyara, after the safari.

Kwaheri!

23rd July

So our time in Kenya is coming to an end and first thing tomorrow morning we will be on the way back to Tanzania.

Making elephant dung paper and bracelets and necklaces using beads was great fun today, and hearing Mama Masi talk about her work with the local communities was truly inspirational.

We then danced with the staff and the ladies which was a lot of fun!

Time for everyone to pack now (and to find room for the many, many extra bits and bobs we seem to have accumulated over the last 10 days!) as breakfast will be at 7am and we will be on the road by 8.

I think it is fair to say every single person is delighted we came to Kenya as this camp has been brilliant and the local people, the staff here, the views and the wildlife have all been amazing..so from me it is a big thankyou, and we are all incredibly grateful to all of the people that allowed this extra part of the trip to happen.

Last night we discussed individual highlights so far and everyone agreed that it was either the safari or the elephants we saw at Voi Wildlife Lodge.

We'll all be sad to leave but we will do so with some great memories and lots of laughs, and now it is onwards to somewhere new (via a night in a hotel with real life beds and hot showers!!!!!!!)

Thanks again to Sammy K, Steve and all of the staff at Camp Tsavo!

See you tomorrow!

22nd July

Jambo,

Today was our penultimate full day in Kenya. We were driven to the Marungu Hills tree nursery where we spent the morning filling pots with soil and manure ready to plant seeds, which we did after lunch. The reason for this is because when the rains come later in the year they will be planted in the surrounding hills in order to reintroduce indigenous species.

We managed to plant 1000 seeds, beating the record of any previous group by 200 (and that was by a group of 30!!!). Fantastic work!

Through the course of the morning there was a herd of elephants about 100m away then they wandered to 50m away for a drink from a water pump which was a really cool thing to see. We've been incredibly lucky with our elephant sightings this week!

Tomorrow we will be making elephant dung paper with the local ladies then making bead jewellery, then on Sunday we head back to Moshi ready for our second safari in Tarangire National Park on Monday.

Happy weekend everyone!

Will update again tomorrow.

21st July

This morning we gave the students the choice between the Marungu Hills trek or staying in camp and cooking with the local mamas.

The people who stayed to cook made chapatis and african doughnuts and were taken to Mama Masi's house.

The trek took 6 1/2 hours and we climbed to the summit of the hills where we had lunch with incredible views - it felt like we were on top of the world!  We then split into two teams and had a competition to see who could make the best bush shelter, who could start a fire first and shot bows and arrows. We also saw baboons and even a leopards footprint - no actual leopards but they are incredibly rare!

We then walked back down which took an hour and are all back at camp now.

Given as everyone is pretty tired, we will have a quiet evening and will have a late breakfast tomorrow, before we head to the Marungu tree nursery to complete a day of project work. We're not sure exactly what we're doing yet but will find out when Steve briefs us later tonight.

On another note we are halfway through the trip already...it's going fast!!

Will update tomorrow...

Badai!

20th July

Everyone successfully managed to get up at 5 30 and we were on the bus by 6 30.

It is about half an hours drive to Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary so we were there by about 7am, and it was well worth the early start - we saw so much wildlife including buffalo, zebra, elephants, giraffe, warthogs and lots of different species of deer.

My personal highlight was seeing a herd of elephants bathing at a water hole, and there was a baby clumsily playing in the water. He kept sinking in deeper patches of water, then got out and managed to get stuck in a hole, every time he tried to climb out he slid back in until eventually he scrambled his way out!

We are back at camp now and are giving the students a quiet afternoon to relax and wash their clothes...abd maybe even themselves!!!

Tomorrow we will be trekking in the Marungu Hills which are behind the camp, and after lunch we will be learning some bushcraft skills and shooting a bow and arrow.

Another good day in store!!

Mr L

19th July

Today was our last day working at Sasenyi Primary School. Our aim was to complete the floor of the new claasroom, and we did it!

Everybody is feeling quite tired tonight so it will be a quiet evening. We are going to have a campfire before tea then I would imagine everyone will be in bed quite early.

Tomorrow is a 5 30am start and we aim to be on the road by 6 30. This so we can do a morning game drive before we start work for the morning. Fingers crossed we will see lots of animals!

I'm not sure exactly what work we will be doing in Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary in the morning but Steve will brief us all either tonight or before we start tomorrow.

After lunch we will head out on a second game drive, this time a working safari, noting down the numbers and location of different species. I can't wait and I'm sure everyone feels the same!

Check back tomorrow to find out what we see!

Mr L

18th July

After breakfast this morning we got onto the bus and on our way back to Sasenyi Primary School for our penultimate day of work there. With it being Monday there was lots of students around which provided lots of fun and entertainment over the course of the day!

We finished the foundations we were digging on Saturday and got almost half of the concrete floor done, meaning we should achieve our target by the end of tomorrow. If the classroom is complete by August, the Kenyan government will provide the school a new teacher - which when you consider there is 549 students and 15 members of staff, is much needed - a good motivation for us to keep working hard, knowing we are making a difference to the lives of a lot of different people.

Lunch was again brought for us by the camp staff then we were back to work until 4pm. We are on our way back to camp now where we can get clean, and those who want to do so will walk to Mama Masi's and buy souvenirs and have some clothing made.

Let's get that floor finished tomorrow, then we can enjoy our safari!

Kwaheri

17th July

This morning we walked around local villages and were deworming livestock - mainly goats and a few cows. In total we dewormed 103 goats..great work!

We walked back to camp for lunch, then we had a little time to relax before we were onto the bus and heading back in the direction of Sasenyi Primary School, only this time we were building elephant deterrent fences by hanging metal strips from string - apparently they don't like the sound or shine, and they allow for crops to be safe from trampling!

Lots of local children came to see us this afternoon so there was lots of singing and dancing going on!

We have also had a murder mystery going on all day where each student has had to "kill" (notice the inverted commas!!!) another student by creating a certain scenario, which has been great fun. There is still a few students alive so the game continues!

We are back at camp and everyone is showering/doing some washing or just sat chatting!

Back to the primary school tomorrow to start laying the concrete base for the floor of the classroom.

Speak soon!

Mr L

16th July

Habari mchana (Good afternoon!)

My first thought this morning was that I don't think I could ever get bored of waking up to these views! Pretty sure I'm not on my own on that one either!!

Anyway, today we drove about 45 minutes along the dirt road to Sasenyi Primary School where we had our project orientation and we were digging foundations and moving sand ready for laying a concrete floor for the new classroom. As it is so far from camp, we didn't go back for lunch, instead the staff delivered hot food to us...also great news for those on washing up duty today as they escaped the lunchtime wash up!

After lunch 6 or 7 local children came and joined us. They helped move the sand and sang songs with us.

It is much warmer in Kenya than it was in Moshi - mainly as Moshi is in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru - but it still isn't exactly scorching!

Also, yesterday afternoon we were taken to meet a Masai tribe which was incredibly interesting - they danced for us and had us join in, and dressed some of us in their traditional clothing. They also showed us how to start a fire and let us have a go, and showed us around a Masai home - tiny shacks generally for 2 people built out of cow dung and wood, with a cow skin roof.

Onto tomorrow, in the morning we will be going into the local community and will be deworming livestock, then in the afternoon we will be constructing elephant deterrent fences.

Will update again tomorrow.

Kwaheri!

15th July...easily the best one yet!!!

We had our first breakfast at Camp Tsavo which everyone enjoyed, got ready, and headed to Voi in what we now know as the party bus..Eric the driver has fitted It out with speakers and has a never ending playlist of feel good songs!

We changed some money at the bank and went to a shop where a few people bought gifts and souvenirs...welcome to the world of haggling!

We are now at Voi Wildlife Lodge where we have had some great lunch....and we are currently sat watching approximately 60 elephants (ndovu) at the water hole including lots of babies, loads of buffalo, wilderbeast, warthogs, zebra and birds of prey.

You have to keep reminding yourself that these elephants are not kept here, they are wild and can roam completely freely and yet we have seen at least 5 separate herds of elephants, including several young bulls..amazing!!!!

We have also given the students the surprise news we will be going on a second safari in Tanzania later in the trip alongside our time in Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary here in Kenya!!

I don't think anyone ever wants to leave here..a few people have said "best day ever!"

Tomorrow we will be going to Sasenyi Primary School and we will be building a brand new classroom.

Speak soon!

Mr Lister

14th July

Karibu Kenya,

So we have arrived at Camp Tsavo and met Sammy K, the camp manager, Steve, the project officer and all of the other staff.

We set off at 7am and arrived just before 1 30. I think it's fair to say we are pretty impressed with the spectacular views from the camp! The staff are brilliant, lunch was great and everyone is in high spirits!

Whilst driving through Tsavo West National Park we saw 2 giraffe (twiga) and a baby (mtoto), 2 herds of elephants (ndovu) with a baby in each herd, antelope, gazelle, zebra, 3 ostriches and wilderbeast!!! Not bad going for a transfer between camps!!!

On arrival at camp we headed straight for lunch (which is always a winner!), had a safety briefing, camp orientation and project briefing.

We will be spending time in Sasenyi Primary School building a new classroom, some wildlife conservation work in Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary amongst other things.

We also met Mama Masi, the chairlady of Tumaini Women's Group who gave us a tour of their greenhouse and community centre, and then we had a look in her shop, where all money is reinvested back into the local village.

Tomorrow we are going to Voi, then going for a buffet lunch at a wildlife lodge, which backs onto a water hole on the edge of the national park, so hopefully we will see a good variety of wildlife.

Will update again tomorrow.

Badai! (See you soon!)

13th July

Last day Camp Mbokomu today. Turns out we weren't baking bread, instead we prepared food with the ladies in Rau village. We collected grass and fed the goats, replanted banana trees and collected water from the river.We all had a go at carrying it on our heads...tricky!

This afternoon we walked back to the school and had a game of football with the students, all in our Tanzania shirts. From being 2-0 down at half time we came back to win 4-2!! Woo! Those who didn't play football played with the students and took lots of pictures. Afterwards, we sang songs in the hall, handed over some gifts and said goodbye!

We are all packed and ready for a 6am wake up tomorrow ready for our trip to Kenya and Camp Tsavo.

A 15 minute Swahili lesson before tea tonight then a chance to relax before bed.

I might struggle to update tomorrow, as I am not sure on the connectivity situation..keep checking though as I will do my very best!

Badai (See you later!)

12th July

Today was our last project day at Mbokomu Primary School and we finished everything! The team didn't want to leave the job for someone else to finish so they worked right past the normal 4pm finish until after 6pm!!

The wall outside the classroom is built with a concrete path leading to the classroom, and the floor inside is also complete. Well done everyone, what an effort!!!

Tomorrow will be our last full day at Camp Mbokomu before we depart for Kenya to Camp Tsavo. I can't wait! The drive there takes us right through Tsavo West National Park so who knows what wildlife we might see...cameras at the ready!!

Before we go there we will be doing some cultural activities such as learning to cook with the local ladies, then tomorrow afternoon we will head back to the school to play games with the children and to say our goodbyes!

Not too much on the agenda tonight, some down time before tea then a few games and a chance to relax afterwards. After 3 days of hard work I think everyone deserves a chilled evening!

Kwaheri rafiki.

11th July

Jambo,

Another great day of project work completed!

Today we started the wall that we built foundations for yesterday, and nearly got it finished! Lots of breeze block moving and cement mixing was taking place all day.

We also continued to chip away at the old concrete floor and started to lay the new floor. Nearly half of that is done now too! One more day working at the school and fingers crossed we will get everything finished so that the classroom can be back in use later in the week.

We have a few achy bodies but otherwise everything is good!

Today was also the first day there was students in school. We didn't see too much of them through the morning as they were in lessons, but as the afternoon went on our crowd grew! It has been great to meet them all and on Wednesday afternoon we will have chance to spend more time with them and play games with them.

We are heading into Moshi soon to see the town and exchange some money, then time to shower, chill, play cards, eat popcorn and listen to music before tea...a tough life!!!!

Hopefully some pictures should be attached to this post...they haven't worked so far this week so we will see!

Kwaheri! (Goodbye!)

10th July

We have just completed our first day of project work at Mbokomu Primary School. We split into three groups and worked on a rotation either digging up a concrete floor ready to lay a new one in a classroom, digging read to build foundations for a new wall and walkway into a classrom, or preparing materials ready for mixing concrete. By the end of the day, most of the floor had been chiselled away and the foundations are in place ready for building the wall tomorrow!

Everyone is in great spirits, and after another cloudy start (which actually quite nice working conditions) the sun has appeared!

We have just arrived back to camp and everyone will grab a very cold shower and enjoy another Swahili lesson!

We have had lots of comments with regard to how good the food is, I think everyone is pleasantly surprised!

We are here until Thursday, when we will head to Kenya to Camp Tsavo.

Keep checking for updates...

Mr Lister

9th July

Hello from Tanzania, or Jambo as we now say,

We have all arrived safe and sound, got to camp at about 3am and finally got to bed for some much needed sleep at 4.

We were up at 9 this morning for breakfast, which was followed by a camp orientation...I can't imagine why they didn't do it at 3am...!! This gave us chance to meet all of the staff, and they also talked us through the plan for our time at Camp Mbokomu.

We then walked to the school we will be working at for the next 3 days, and learnt that we will be laying a concrete floor in a classroom that is undergoing renovation. With it being Saturday there were only a few children around, but come Monday morning we will get to meet all of the students at the school.

We have just arrived back at camp for some lunch, which will be followed by a Swahili lesson(!!), then a village orientation..a walk around the village and meeting the locals.

And even more good news, after a cloudy start the sun is out...yay!

Speak soon!

Mr Lister

Heathrow (update)

We are safely at Heathrow...all checked in and through security. We have been for some much needed breakfast and now counting down the minutes until we fly!

Off we go!

So it is 2 15am on Friday 8th July...how did this come around so quick?! The whole team is on the bus and we are on our way to Heathrow.

We will update when we arrive at Heathrow, and after that will post updates as and when we can!

Fingers crossed we can all get at least some sleep on the bus and on the flights!

See you all in August!

Hakuna matata!

Letter regarding flights

Please see the letter below from school regarding our flights.

Tanzania – July/August 2016

Following the attack at Istanbul Ataturk Airport last Tuesday, I am writing to inform you of the latest information with regard to our expedition.

We have been in regular communication with Camps International who stated that they are, and will continue to follow the advice of the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Civil Aviation Authority.   They have also stated they have taken additional security advice in light of recent events and will be briefing the expedition leaders on additional airport security practices and procedures.  They further advised that they will be in regular liaison with Turkish Airlines. At the time of writing, flights are operating to and from the airport as normal, and they do not currently foresee any changes to this.

The FCO advice has remained that it is safe to travel to the airport, and as a result of this, there will be no changes to our flights. Should there be any change to this advice prior to our departure, Camps International will reassess the situation and update the school and parents as necessary.

FCO Travel advice can be found at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey should you wish to read the information provided.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Matthew Lister

Expedition Lead Teacher

Yet another reminder!

A further reminder, as well as your $200 US dollars in cash, please remember that we each need £50 in cash as a medical insurance excess.

Miss Hather would also like us all to travel in our Camps t-shirts - I'm going to as I don't dare say no!!! And I do think it is a good idea, feel free to do the same!

Just over 2 days to go....

Mr Lister

5 days and counting!

Hopefully everyone is well underway with packing?! I got everything packed yesterday, and good news...it fits!

Please remember that all liquids and sharp items must go into your hold bag and not your hand luggage - if there is anything you are not sure about, check the following link for advice - https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/overview

In terms of the weight of your bags - your hold bag can be up to 25kg and your hand luggage allowance is 8kg.

Now for more good news - the weather forecast there is promising us some sun!!! The forecast the next few days for Moshi, which is the closest town to Camp Mbokomu, our first location, is 27 degrees and sun for most of the coming week (not bad, considering it is approx. 800m above sea level)!
Check the weather here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/153209

See you all soon.

Mr Lister