The adventure we call life...

India, Tasmania and Brisbane

2007-01-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well - life seems to be following some sort of a routine again, for the first time in what feels like forever. I'm now back in Brisbane after returning safely from India and some particularly low key adventures in Tasmania with the family. Read on for the details...

Goodbye to India: the last couple of days went smoothly as everyone realised the trip was winding up and made the most out of all the shopping opportunities and last minute sightseeing. The only slight hiccup we had was at the airport where one of the girls forgot about a massive dagger with a heavy wooden hilt and maliciously glinting, huge curved blade that happened to be in her hand luggage. The Indian security people had a good laugh at it (luckily), but the girl, who was also sick at the time, burst into tears because it was the only present she'd bought for her brother. When they noticed the tears the Indian security people looked horrified and asked what was wrong, and on explaining the problem helped us put it in someone else's hand luggage and then check it in. It was a nice way to say goodbye to India, with a little kindness. As I sat down on the chairs in the departure lounge with all the girls happy and accounted for I felt like I could at last breathe a massive sigh of relief, one that had been building up ever since we arrived in India. Thank Buddha, all the Hindu Gods, Allah, God and whoever else needs thanking - we made it through India!!

Christmas and Boxing Day: my little gaggle of international travellers, the teachers and I arrived back in Brisbane in the evening on Christmas Eve. Dave picked me up at the airport and we prepared to make the most of the 46 hours or so that we would be together before I jetted off yet again, this time to Tasmania. What with Uganda, India and Tasmania we've had almost 3 months apart in the second half of this year, and he says that next time he's coming along. We spent a cozy, relaxing Christmas with his family in Brisbane and then he took me to the airport on Boxing Day for yet another trip away.

Tasmania: well, I know I had 2 weeks in Tassie but I did very, very little except hang out at my parents' shack on the East Coast, swim in the freezing water, walk around the National Park, bike to the beaches and complete a cross stitch (I suprised myself by first starting it and then sticking at it) while listening to Radio National (I am now a convert). To be honest I was a bit of a zombie and pretty hopeless company - just exhausted from India, all the events beforehand, the stress of finishing off my uni degree.

Back to the big smoke: now I am back in Brisbane and regaining enthusiasm for life and living. There's been lots of paddling, riding, running and cruising around with Dave and I'm really getting used to being a Lady of Leisure, which will last until school starts next week. One of the highlights of the past couple of weeks was traipsing through the rainforest in order to find a plane wreckage from a crash in the 1970's. After taking over an hour to "walk" 400m on a bearing through the rainforest we found the plane and were able to declare the expedition a success. I'll put a photo in when I find out how I can reduce its size...

And that's it! A crazy year - this time last year I was thinking I'd have a cruisy year, stay in Australia, enjoy Brisbane, do my uni course and then head back to Tassie with my teaching degree in my hot little hand. Who ever would have thought it'd end up like this? So, when ever anyone asks me what my next adventure is I can safely say...who knows? We'll see what happens....

Are we there yet?!

2006-12-22T03:55:00.000-08:00

Hiya

Well, one more sleep to go before we go home sweet home. Does it sound like I'm counting down the days in excited anticipation?! Probably...

I can't remember where I was up to, I think Jaipur, but I know I forgot a couple of things. In Agra we went to visit a sanctuary for dancing bears. I didn't know much about them before visiting the centre, but they told us there was a tribe of people who caught India's sloth bears and taught them to dance for tourist money. They caught them when they were tiny cubs, put metal rings or rope through their tender noses and made them stand on hot plates to teach them to dance. Basically the bears lived a life of constant pain and agony, until recently when this sanctuary was set up. They go on bear raids to collect and rescue the bears and reeducate the people and have almost eradicated bear dancing in most parts of India. The poor old bears we saw had massive scars on their noses, and some were so psychologically scarred that they continue to sway back and forth whenever they sense newcomers arriving. However, once they got used to our scent they came up to the sides of the enclosure and were incredibly curious. It was awesome seeing them and the girls donated some of the money they raised.

In Jaipur the kids decided to donate the rest of their money to a jewellry making school for homeless/abused girls. They take the girls in from the streets, rescuing them from begging, prostitution or physical abuse and teach them how to make jewellry which is sold in Jaipur. They are paid in cash for their labours, taught basic maths, Hindi and English and given a place to live and food to eat. It was fantastic going to visit them and seeing so many happy faces.

Again, travelling makes me realise how incredibly lucky we are to have been born in Australia. I asked the girls to think about that today, because sometimes they get a bit bitchy when negotiating prices or when telling beggars to go away. They've been a great group of kids - they're on fire at the moment, organising tuk-tuks, restaurants, accommodation, sightseeing agendas, timing, etc, etc. It's reached the stage where I can trust them to get us to food, entertainment and transport, all on their own. I really think they've learned a lot and had a wonderful experience, and I think they'll always remember the trip further down the track (and maybe learn more from it later on too). Finally my work here is done (or nearly - shouldn't speak too soon) and it's time for home. Home sweet home!!!

See many of you very soon. Happy Christmas!! M xo

I love you and we will be bathed in foot odour together forever...

2006-12-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

Namaste!

Yikes, almost there! Only a 4 more sleeps before we're all on the plane back home again...and I'm praying no one gets sick and has to miss the plane because I'm ready to come home now. India is amazing and I'd love to come back....without 13 other people to look after.

At the moment I'm escaping the hordes of people in Jaipur and taking it easy while the kids do their shopping. I have to say that the hustle and bustle and constant harrassment is starting to drive me a little bit crazy. Everywhere you go: "Madam, ma'am, good price for you, you look in my shop, I give you good price because you my big sister, where you from, Australia! ah Ricky Ponting, I love Australia, you from SydneyMelbourne, you my good friend, I take you here for very good price madam, I give you, I look after you, then you look after me yes yes, madam here madam".....arrrghhhh!!!

After Manali we jumped on a bus to take us back to Delhi. We arrived after 15 hours, two upchucks, two diarrhoea stops and what felt like one toilet break! Welcome to the joys of travelling in a big group...!!! We spent a day in Delhi exploring the Red Fort (madam, I make you happy with good tour, you make me happy with good money because I see you are good people and good people give good tips and very good people give many tips and I am good and you are good so we both are happy when I get good tips) and a shopping area called Connaught Place. The kids found a McDonalds (no beef products sold) so they were happy.

After a day in Delhi we got on an early train to Agra and stayed in a hotel with a rooftop restaurant where we could sit and marvel at the Taj Mahal. We visited the Taj with the million billion (felt like) other tourists and got the obligatory picture in front of the Taj. It really is an amazing structure. We watched it change colours at sunrise and sunset and got to walk all around the marble. You have to take your shoes off to go right up to the Taj, and I thought it was a bit ironic that the bloke built the Taj for his beloved wife, and now they both lie in the Inner Sanctum, bathed in foot odour, surrounded by the sound of whistles as tourists are hoarded through!

Better run - time's a wasting! Mxx

Isn't India supposed to be hot?

2006-12-14T02:40:00.000-08:00

Fakt: it snows in India, especially in December.

After having been told by Antips (the company I’m working for) that the chance of snow was low, we ended up hiking in it, sleeping in it, cooking in it, playing in it and being dumped on by it. There was more snow that I've seen in quite a while - beautiful, soft, fluffy, powdery snow that made me long for a pair of skis. Several of the girls had never seen or touched snow before and they had a blast, except one has decided that she's still a beach person.

Our trek started with a long, windy drive from Mcleod Ganj to a small monastery near the town of Kullu. We were scheduled to trek for 6 days in the Kullu Valley but they had to change our itinerary for the amount of snow there is at the moment. The monastery was a last minute choice instead of tents, mostly because for the whole 9 hours of the drive it was pissing with rain, snow, hail, sleet and all the other cold and wet combinations you can imagine. It thundered, fogged up, cleared, hailed, snowed, rained for all the 9 hours. However, the next day (our first day of trekking) the weather was clear and sunny, so our timing was impeccable.

Our first day involved a 3 hour trek up some steps to a beautiful ridge top from which we could see the mountains of the Himalaya in the distance. We visited a temple on the ridge top and saw a procession that brought up the temple's deity from the valley where it had been having its 5 yearly hot spring bath. It was cold but I got up early to watch the sun come up over the Himalayas - spectacular. The only down side was that my camera disappeared in the proceedings...

Then followed more days of walking - some through villages, some up into the snow for that experience, some along muddy or icy roads, some down into the valley and some back up. I loved it all, except perhaps some of the whinging from the girls about the hills. They were all challenged by the walk but overall they've said they enjoyed the challenges, the snow and the scenery. One of the last nights we spent up the mountains in the dumping snow. I reckon it snowed about 1m overnight, and our poor guides spent much of the night beating the snow off the tents so they wouldn't collapse.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trek and wish it could have gone for longer. Our guides were great, especially when they woke us up every morning with 'bed tea', a hot chocolate delivered to the tent. I especially got on well with one of the guides and would like to come back one day to climb the mountains he was pointing out in the distance. He also just personally escorted me to the police station to report my stolen camera, something that I couldn't have done on my own since the station was miles away and full of people who only spoke Hindi. I now have a police report in English and Hindi, officially stamped and written out in triplicate, and for no charge at all.

Yesterday we all rode a yak and dressed up in traditional clothing for photos. This sightseeing I find a little trying, especially waiting for hours for restaurants to figure out how to feed 14 people and sitting outside shops waiting for the kids to look at and/or buy everything in sight! We're moving on to Dehli, Agra and Jaipur starting tomorrow so there's more of that in store.

I've handed it over to the kids to organise everything now and they're doing a pretty good job. They're actually really great kids with big hearts and bright futures - but do they ever love a shop!

More later, now I'm finally up to date. Take care - M xo

Barbie Girl and the Dalai Lama

2006-12-13T02:30:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well, is there ever lots to report! We finished off our stint at the community project, Nyingtob Ling. They now have 3 new flower beds and 2 new vegie patches. The girls struggled a bit with the project - the food was pretty plain (steamed dumplings, vegies and what looked like vertebrae) and the work was hard (3 days of picking packed hard dirt, sifting through to get rocks out and hoeing). However, the last night they threw us a party and all the girls got right into dancing with the kids at the home. Their favourite music is Barbie Girl (don't anyone play that for me when I get home - I'm over it) and they love to dance. We lasted 3 hours before giving in to exhaustion and going home for our dumplings. It was a good time and by the end the girls were sad to leave. I really liked the disabled kids - even with so little they are so happy and embracing of newcomers. I think the girls realised how lucky they are by how hard it was to deal with the life of a Tibetan disabled child.

While at the project we visited a local Tibetan art museum/working place, Norbulingka. The girls donated some of their raised money to them because they've got quite involved in the Tibetan culture and people. We also had a lovely walk through the tea fields to buy seeds and tools for the project.

Back in Mcleod Ganj we stayed in a monastery and learned about the life of the Buddhist monks who live there. We were also lucky enough to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama when he addressed a massive crowd of people at his residence. He spoke all in another language (I'm embarrassed I don't know what it is) but he was a twinkly old man who chuckled away at his own jokes along with everyone else. It was a great experience.

That's it for now - will update on the 6 day snow trek that followed as soon as I get a chance! Must go or I'll be late to meet the kiddies, and seeing that something I always get stuck into them about is punctuality I'd better run.

M xx

"Yes madam, no problem"

2006-12-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

Hi from India, the land of ‘yes madam, no problem’

I have quickly learnt that the answer to every question in India is ‘yes madam, no problem’ whether or not the answer fits the question or the person knows the answer. The rule seems to be that if someone doesn't know the answer they either say ‘yes madam, no problem’ or they make it up. This led to some interesting times in Delhi when I was told that ‘yes madam, the train is good and very close’. This turned out to be very wrong – the train took about 1.5 hours to find and it was packed and too dangerous for the kiddies even if we’d managed to make it on. So we changed plan and took tuk-tuks instead (little motorcycles converted to 3-4 person taxi vehicles), only to find that the Red Fort is closed on Mondays (it was Monday). It seems that this trip will be all about rolling with the punches, being adaptable, taking things as they come and doing the best we can.

From Delhi we had a huge train trip all the way up to a random train station up north, then a 2.5 hour bus ride to Mcleod Ganj, the home of the Dalai Lama. The girls are a huge attraction for the local guys and everywhere we go we get a huge crowd gathering within a 3-4 metre radius of us. The girls squeal and giggle which I think just encourages them. We’re definitely a spectacle though – 10 girls, 2 women and 1 man travelling through India! The bus trip had the most incredible hairpin bends as we made our way up the mountains, and we had chunder number 3 and 4 for the trip (chunders number 1 and 2 were on the plane and train). However, it was worth it for Mcleod Ganj where we visited the Dalai Lama’s residence and the girls made a donation to a Tibetan unemployment cooperative.

Right now we’re completing a community project near Dharamsala. We’re gardening for a Tibetan disabled childrens’ home called Nyingtob Ling. The girls got stuck in today and they’ve already got 3 new flower beds and half a vegie patch. Tomorrow we’ll be doing a cricket oval, compost bin and finishing the vegie patch. The kids at the home are very sweet, although the girls found it quite full on to begin with as some of them are quite disabled (eg covered in drool). However, we danced and played games with them today which was good fun.

The girls are coping ok so far, although having a little trouble with the food, cold and dirt. They’ll be ok! They talk a lot about food, cold and dirt and spend an excessive amount of time shopping for souvenirs, which is starting to drive the me a bit nuts (the teachers too I think). I’m being rude - the kids are great fun really, and it’s wonderful to see them getting involved in the culture and stuck into everything that comes their way.

After 2 more days at the community project we head off into the Himalayas for a 6 day trek which I’m looking forward to very much. Several of the kids haven’t seen snow up close yet (we have views of the snowy Himalayas) so hopefully we’ll get some while trekking.

All’s well – everyone’s safe, happy and having a good time. Phew!

Take it easy - Marj

Anyone for India?

2006-11-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

G'day...

Well, it's been a whirlwind, very challenging, busy (frantic at times), home and uni-based 7 weeks since returning from Africa. There were times there I was just about ready to throw in the towel, and it's only been in the last few days that I've started to embrace the idea of going to India rather than dread it. I'm finally feeling somewhat normal and human again, which is a good thing because the expedition leaves on Sunday (less than 2 days away)!

I arrived home and went straight to a briefing weekend for this expedition to India. For those who don't know, I applied and was given this job at the beginning of the year. It involves taking a group of girls from a private school in Brisbane to India for a month. We're doing a community project, trek and general travelling/sightseeing. We've been building up to it since about April.

The following weekend I was missing paddling (already!) so decided to join some friends on the Severn River in northern NSW. However, unfortunately the trip ended in a terrible tragedy when one of my friends drowned in a hydraulic in one of the rapids. We did all we could to save him but it was too late. This is his website of all his wonderful adventures if you're interested: http://www.pbase.com/simon_vos

Finishing my teaching course was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. However, I managed to get everything in and finished up about 2 weeks ago. Since then I've been taking things very, very easy and trying to regain my energy so I can take on India. Everyone's been incredibly supportive, including friends, family and the uni staff. A big thankyou to everyone!

I'll try to update this while I'm away but I don't reckon the photos will make it on until I return at Christmas time (or probably after that considering I'm just finishing uploading Africa at the moment!).

Cheers - and happy adventuring!

Marj xx

Back in Brisbane

2006-10-09T00:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Yes, I'm back in Brisbane again, dealing with the shock of a weekend of briefing for my trip to India later in the year and also going back to uni and finding out about all the assignments I have to do!

The last week of the trip was also packed full of activity, in particular getting in all the paddling and travelling that I still wanted to do before leaving. I had to make a trip into Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, to sort out some money issues. Kampala was crazy - bikes, motorbikes (boda bodas), cars, matatus (taxi vans), buses, people in hand pedalled wheelchairs - and all fighting for road space. No street lights, only a policeman or two at a couple of the worst intersections. It was an adrenaline rush to cross the road! Sarah had to go to the police station to get a report for some stolen gear, which was an interesting cultural experience in itself. The process took 2 hours and involved writing the report out by hand in triplicate, handing it to someone else for editing and reviewing, handing it to sombody else to be typed out on an ancient typewriter, then getting it signed by somebody else! Meanwhile we got to see the workings of the police station (including getting a fright from a chicken that was in a plastic bag in the corner).

Kampala

Kat, Kylie and I decided to get a different sort of exercise by heading to a place called Sipi Falls for 4 days. Sipi Falls is on the border with Kenya, near Mt Elgon National Park, and we caught the local matatus to get there. Public transport in Africa, though uncomfortable, is cheap and an interesting experience. Once getting shown which matatu to get on by about 10 different men, you have to sit and wait until it fills up with enough people - on the way there this was 21 people in the 15 seater matatu! While waiting people come by selling things like calculators, watches, lantern casings, jewellry, hair ornaments, etc, etc - basically an assortment of junk that looks like it comes from a variety store back home. Then there's people selling water, peanuts, goat onna stick, chicken onna stick, samosas, yoghurt in bags, chappatis, etc, etc, etc, etc. Then there's men gathering around to offer marriage - although unfortunately mzungus (white people) make terrible second wives, so we felt we couldn't really accept anyone.

After about 5 hours on crowded matatus we reached the falls, which were beautiful and absolutely worth all the travelling. There are 3, each about 100m high, one above the other. We spent a day exploring them with a local guide called Dennis - Kat and I had a power shower underneath the second. The scenery was spectacular and the walking great for stiff paddling legs. We got to taste the local brew, which was absolutely revolting - they take the maize, kind of grind it up but not really, add water, add yeast, allow it to sit for a few days, then drink it. The result is a yeasty, bitter liquid with chunks of maize floating on top - you take a swig, then chew, then spend the next half hour picking the chunks out of your teeth. Hmmm.

Power shower

Accompanied by small kids with Sipi 3 behind

The next day we ventured into Mt Elgon National Park, and were shown around by a new guide, a girl called Martha. Having a girl for a guide was awesome - she was probably the most liberated village woman I met in my whole stay in Africa. She told us all about the local customs for women, including some information about female circumcision, which is still practiced in that part of Africa. That day and every day since I've been profoundly thankful that I was born in Australia. Martha showed us a bat cave, bamboo forest and beautiful scenery including Mt Elgon itself. The locals are allowed to cut bamboo and carry it out with them, which they do in 8ft long loads balanced on their heads - amazing!

Having a go with the bamboo - the hardest part was getting it up there

After the Sipi Falls trip I only had 2 days of paddling, which I spent doing the Day 1 run. I finally managed to run some of the trickier rapids completely upright! I'm sure my paddling has improved, and I feel really strong on the water. Too bad there's a drought in Brisbane!

Apart from the airline snapping my paddle in half, the trip home was uneventful but long, long, long. I've been straight back into it with training days for India, meeting the parents of the kids I'm taking to India, starting back at uni and catching up with my friends. It's mad, but I had such a good holiday that it's all going to be worth it. And hey, in 4 weeks I'll be a fully qualified teacher!!

Great trip, great times, great people - thanks to Sarah, Kylie, Kat, Ruth and Steph (hope you get home soon, Steph!) for being the best paddling companions ever. Paddle like a girl!!

The Hairy Lemon and the Turd Wave

2006-09-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all
Just a quick one this time – running out of time on the internet! I’m told there’s comments but I’m afraid I can’t access the blog from here for some reason – Dave has to post the entries for me! However, thanks anyway and I’m looking forward to reading the comments when I get home! Sorry I haven’t been emailing personally – internet here is painfully slow.

Have spent the past week paddling the rapids of the White Nile (again and again!!), and having a fantastic time. We’ve also spent some time down at a campsite called the Hairy Lemon, which is on an island by a famous wave called the Nile Special. This wave is a little hard to access so you have to hang on to a rope, ferry your way across a munchy, gnarly eddy line (which sucks your boat down and around and all over the place), hang on to the rope while surfing across onto the wave, then let it go at just the right time to that you end up on this massive, bouncy wave. I had a few goes at trying to get onto it but failed, unfortunately. Will try again, I promise! However, luckily just downstream there’s a wave that’s been christened the turd wave (a legacy of the Irish paddlers who can’t say "third"), which is a lot of fun. I had a lot of playing time on the turd wave, which is also enormous, bouncy and ever so slightly out of control!
Lots and lots of fun.

Two days ago we paddled the entire river, from Nile River Explorers (where we camp most of the time) to the Hairy Lemon – both Day 1 and Day 2 sections. This was 46km, lots of big rapids and quite a bit of flat water.

We made friends with Jeffrey, a raft guide and Uganda’s Freestyle boating champion, who put us up on his raft and gave us a lift (then chucked us off backwards and upside down). The best part about doing the whole day was seeing Itanda (Swahili for the bad place), which is one of the biggest rapids on the river. It was very impressive, but not for me this trip.

Next time?! Who knows? The other best part about ending up at the Hairy Lemon was the whole pig spit roast they put on – fantastic!

Having a great time – hope all is good wherever you may be.
Take care – Marj xxx

Hole surfing, boda bodas and safari fever

2006-09-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all!
Just a quick note to say that the paddling here is awesome! I’m feeling pretty strong so far. No swims yet, despite having run a couple of the river’s class 5 rapids – although don’t get too impressed, because things are different in big water. However, it’s a bloody big river and incredibly impressive – and absolutely awesome fun, a total blast. I paddled Bujagali Falls the other day, which is one of the "class 5" rapids – yeeha! I did some upside down (the river tends to knock you about a fair bit!) but managed to roll up and keep my line so I didn’t miss too much. I ran a rapid called The Hump the other day and ended up accidently surfing in a hole at the bottom, which was quite sticky and tricky to get out of. I watched everyone else paddle past (I was second off), and still I couldn’t work out how to get out. However, I started enjoying the sensation of bouncing up and down on this massive wave – the others were a bit worried because it was big enough that you couldn’t see over the foam pile, and they thought I was being worked upside down. But no, I was quite happily surfing away, back and forward and sideways, trying to work out how the hell to get out. Awesome fun!

Someone else having fun on The Hump

The sketchiest part of the Day 1 section (which has most of the scariest rapids on it) is the boda boda ride back to camp. A boda boda is a little motorbike – you have to balance your boat on your lap, clutch your paddle in one hand, grip the back of the bike in the other and pray that they don’t hit the ruts in the road too hard! The track is just wide enough for the boats and the ends swipe the trees on the way past. It’s a pretty harrowing ride, although I’ve started to enjoy it now – you don’t go too fast, really, and I keep my helmet on. It’s just the most bizarre shuttle vehicle I’ve ever used!

Steff demonstrating the technique of boda-boda shuttles

We just got back from a 3 day trip to Murchison Falls National Park – a massive long drive on shoddy roads. However, it was worth every minute because we saw baboons, warthogs, lots of different types of antelope, hippos, crocs, giraffe, elephants, water buffalo….and lions!!! Yes, our guide found us lions! They were way off in the distance, but you could definitely tell they were lions by the way they moved and their little ears poking up.

We’re back at Nile River Explorers camp now, for some more paddling. This place is so relaxing – makes a bit of a change from teaching prac! More news soon! M

Made it!

2006-09-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

Where the kayaks are launched...

Hello from Africa!

Finally we made it – 36 hours on planes, in airports and on the road to the campsite, not to mention the full day at school beforehand – but still, we made it. And so did the boats. We arrived just after midnight to a warm welcome from the other girl paddlers in our group. In typical paddling/rafting style there was a massive party going on at the Nile River Explorers camp site (it was Saturday night, after all – although apparently the same thing goes on most nights).

After pitching the tents in the pitch dark and drizzle, and after a quick chat with some very drunk paddlers, I fell into bed and slept like a baby – for about 4 hours!
The good news is I’ve been paddling already! We did a quick trip from the dam wall (Lake Victoria) to the campsite – grade 2, pool and drop, nothing very stressful. Tomorrow a bigger trip is planned. First impressions of the river: huge, with swirly whirlpools and massive eddies, and no rocks to dodge. It must be hundreds of metres across, several channels, big rapids on each. There is a lot of water coming out of that lake!

Best moments so far:
1. Waking up this morning, getting out of the tent and seeing the river in all its glory, just a 3 minute walk away down a steep track.
2. Eating a local chapatti for breakfast, from the stall across the road.
3. Getting into my boat, then being pushed into the river by hoards of little African children.
I can’t believe I’m in Uganda paddling the Nile! Life’s pretty good!

The Chapatti Stand

More soon(ish)! Internet’s a bit slow.

M xx

Here we go!!

2006-09-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, family and anyone else out there

Here goes at my first attempt at one of these blog things.

There once was a river
...and it was in Africa
...and you could see it on Google Earth
...and it had some of the best white water around (or so they say)

And when some female co-paddlers decided to go there, I decided to go with them.

For all those who I've lost touch with, this year I moved to Brisbane in order to complete my Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Queensland. I'm learning to be a Science Teacher!! Don't laugh! It sure is different from being a full time traveller and freelance Outdoor Ed expeditioner - but it's actually quite fun.

Remembering how to be a raft guide on the Nymboida River at Easter

I thought to myself that this year would be spent in Australia, studying away, and then I'd go somewhere and get a job in a school as an Outdoor Ed/Science teacher. I didn't even bring any paddling gear to Queensland, thinking that there was no white water around. I wasn't counting on the fact that there's a few rapids about, and there's the surf, and there's a keen group of good paddlers who are always up for a play. Nor was I counting on the fact that I'd get invited to Uganda to paddle the White Nile - the part of the Nile that flows out of Lake Victoria. Nor was I counting on the fact that I'd get a job taking a group of students to India at the end of the year - but that's another story.

So, on Friday the 8th of September (2 days) I leave for Uganda. I also have to finish my second and final practicum, complete an interview for Education Queensland and pack. Life is crazy at the moment.

Packing in as much fun as possible (without going over the 20kg limit)

I've set this up so that I can post a diary - hopefully even with pictures! Isn't technology great?! I'm hoping to update it while I'm over there. We'll see how that goes!

Take care - and happy adventuring! And hey...I'm going to Africa on Friday!!!