Lions, tigers, and beers...

Wow.

It's started.

Seems like I've been getting ready for my big trip forever...I was so busy prepping, getting shots, visas, etc., that at times I felt like a kid watching the mind-numbingly slow countdown to Christmas.

'course - these first few days in Africa, I had to substitute the classic images of lions and elephants ranging over the Serengetti for the somewhat different wildlife of Nairobi, fast-growing capital of Kenya.

My flight got in around 7am, and I got settled in at Milimani Backpackers - a cool, funky semi-jungle enclave tucked a kilometer away from the city center. A nap and a shower later, and I was ready to check out the city...

...with more than a little nervousness.

I mean, normally, I've no worries about wandering around wherever, but both Lonely Planet, and my taxi driver and hotel person were quite clear... do NOT stay out in Nairobi after dark.


So that put a damper on things to say the least.

It's not really fair to the city - it's a combination of many truly friendly folks, from folks who taught me some key words in Swahili (Hujambo... how are you?) to the local security guard who went so far out of his way to help me find an ATM that accepted my UK card. Big smiles all around - it's a shame that the criminal element can give Nairobi such a bad rep.

But I was able to wander around a fair amount - true, the city isn't high on the tourist list for 'must see attractions, but I checked out their famous National Museum, which had a display of literally hundreds of native East African bird species plus a great overview of the human fossil finds from the area.

It was a bit eerie - thinking that humans got their start so nearby - from near-chimps to tool users and finally tribal groupings of people wandering the Serengetti.

Annnnd, in a classic case of the world becoming ever-smaller... Ed (Alice) from my London ultimate team was in Nairobi at the same time! Never thought I'd be able to say 'hey, let's meet up in Nairobi' - but that was taken care of with several local Tusker beers, then surprisingly some of the best Indian food I've had at a place called Haandi's. Then, uh, purely to experience the local ex-pat scene, we felt obliged a few more beers at Gypsy's - two Yanks, drinking Ethiopan beer, watching Brazilian footie on the tele.

Next - off to Arusha in Tanzania, to join the safari!

7 days and counting...

Hi all –

It’s funny how life works – even in the midst of a generally acknowledged horrific economy, there’s an occasional silver lining…

London is definitely still treating me well. I love it – from the incredible cosmopolitan vibe, the pace of life, the pubs (of course!), and even being creatively heckled for being a colonial American, it definitely is a great place to live. Add in the long holidays, and the amazing places to explore in Europe whether as near as Blenheim Palace or far as Iceland, and it’s pretty hard to imagine getting bored over here!

That being said… the slowing economy has meant that I was able to persuade my boss to let me have a leave of absence before things started picking up again, and that means…

… I get to go travelling again! *cue applause*

Soooo – starting April 24^th, I’m going to be hitting the road on a RTW trip that’s going to include some amazing places that have long been on my list. The minor downside is that I’m going to be seeing them in the midst of the wet/hot season, but what the heck, it beats workin’.

If you want to keep an eye on my travels, I’m taking a page from Dave and Drea with a blog…

http://findhawkins.blogspot.com/

(If you want to get automatic email updates – just click on the ‘Follow Blog’ at the top of the screen.)

The plan right now is:

April 24^th: land in Nairobi, Kenya – meet up with a 8 day camping safari to Tanzania

May 3th: Join a 9 day trek up Kilimanjaro – 19,000 feet… going to be amazing!

May 22^nd: After faffing about (Brit-speak for messing around) in Tanzania and Zanzibar, catch a flight to Katmandu, Nepal. Land in Nepal and join up with treks to Annapurna and up to Everest Base Camp, plus check out Nepal.

June 15th – make my way to northern India overland, eventually winding up in Delhi where it will be (oh joy) 45 degrees C/ 113 F with 90% humidity. Yuck.

June 24^th – Fly to Saigon, to start a bike ride in the Mekong, and then generally wind my way up to Hanoi. Final stop will be 4 days in Halong Bay for jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery in the midst of 1600 islands.

July 15^th – Fly to Sydney. I’m not really sure about my plans here… since it is such a massive country, and I only have 3 weeks, I’ll probably just do the classic tourist route, and meander up north towards Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef.

Aug 4^th – To Dunedin, New Zealand. I’ve been to NZ before, so this is more of a change to hang out with Dave and Drea, plus check out the southern part of the South Island. The minor downside? I’ll be going in the middle of winter, to a VERY cold place. Sheesh – from Delhi to here, I’m going to catch all the temperature extremes!

Aug 15^th – To San Francisco. Ah, SF in August. Foggy but lovely – I’m looking forward to seeing the family, catching up with folks and eating multiple times at Sushi Bistro. Best sushi EVER.

Aug 25^th – Back to London, where *touch wood* I'll catch the end of the UK summer.. I'll be back at work at Monster, assuming that no weirdness pops up.

7 days and counting!

Mike