First Day in Africa!

After 12 hours riding the megabus down from Scotland to London, an overnight stay at Heathrow airport in a Costa, and then a 8.5 hr flight from London to Nairobi Airport I finally arrived in Africa!! Was planning on staying in the airport for a flight from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro airport, but was advised by a local to not do that for safety, and after finding that flights were another $500 for an hours flight, I decided to get a hotel and bus down for only $15...much better!

Got picked up in the morning by the taxi driver to deliver me to the bus that would take me to Arusha at 7:30am...didn't get that breakfast that was included in the hotel fee because I set my phone on only one hour ahead instead of the two that it should have been.  Epic journey though.  From Nairobi to Arusha on paved and unpaved roads, sometimes going airborne on certain parts of the road.  Saw so much though!  Baboons crossing the road, shanty villages with houses made of tin, huts made of straw and wood like in the documentaries.  We passed many Masai people in their colourful garments, herds of cows/sheep/goats being led by the boys or other Masai farmers.  Such a scene!!  I have a few pictures but it was hard to take from the bus and they didn't really like to have their picture taken--could tell from the gestures and angry faces. The above ones were of some of the little villages that we passed on the way, very busy! But you can see how the landscape is in the last few, wasn't what I had expected, but in a way I don't even know what I was expecting.

After about 6hrs, $100 for a Visa, bargaining with a taxi driver for a set price to my destination (there are no meters in this country,  you agree on a price and that's what it is no matter what), I finally made it to my destination of Usa River and was greeted by my host father Joshua and given a ride to our house.  He's a literature teacher at one of the local universities. Lovely home and they even grow their own bananas, mangoes, veg, avocados among others I have yet to discover.  The bananas are the best I have ever eaten, so ripe and creamy...not squishy like-just full of flavour, it's hard to describe.  My host mum made a delicious ginger tea with dinner as well as little sweet and savory balls of fried dough called mandazi and bakeea.  Nomnomnom :)

Went to the pub that evening to watch the soccer, futbol match of Barcelona against Manchester United...the locals were quite mixed in which team they were rooting for.  As for me, I really could care less who wins (sorry fans who might be reading this) but I was just more interested in seeing how the locals responded.  One: seemed surprised to see a group of white people (me and four other volunteers from my home and neighborhood) especially three girls to watch the game  and Two: went absolutely mental whenever one of the teams scored.  It was really funny to see!

Very excited to be in Africa and can't wait for day two!!