Demi Womack

Every day gets better here.

Last night we saw a hippo before bed, they live in the lake near where we camped and one of them came out of the water at about 8pm, they look so gentle and friendly it’s hard to see how they can be so destructive.

We are currently at Crater Lake Sanctuary, Tusker in hand, sitting by the pool. This morning we did a 2 and a half hour  walk through the bush, we started at the very top where the view of the lake was amazing and finished up at the bottom of the crater beside the lake where there is a pool, bar and restaurant, it would be lovely to stay here in the cabins for the night, but I can imagine it is very expensive. This afternoon we have more time to chill which is so different to the last trip it was all go go go! But I like it this way. Tonight we are going on the late night game drive, which I’m really excited about. I couldn’t imagine that you would see much in the dark but David said that it’s very surprising the animals you see sometimes more than through the day.

It’s really nice now because we all seem a little closer as a group as we get to know each other better, last night we played games around the camp fire and then went to the bar afterwards and it was really nice. I’m still making a consciously effort to really talk to the everybody as I didn’t know everybody that well at the start of the trip, I think it’s going really well so far and everyone is lovely and I look forward to getting to know them all a lot better.

Lots of love, Demi.W xxxx

 

Sophie Burns

Hey Hey!

Today was so good, first we woke up and got packed and put down the tents and had breakfast. Btw the food here is so so good! We have two guys that do all sorts of African food like today at lunch we had this lasagne, bread/pasta thing and it was so nice! Also today we went on a walking thing at Crater Lake and got so close to animal like zebra, moneys etc. the photos are looking great! I’ll show you them when I’m back. Im so excited to go on the night game drive ahhh.

I’m currently having a coke by the swimming pool, opposite the lake and we are just getting sorted for later on.

Hope you’re all okay and doing good (I’m not missing youse yet but probably will soon) Say hey to rach rach and can you let Jamie and my friends know I’m okay.

Love you, bye bye x x x

Amy McMullan 

Hello hello J 
Last night we got really close to a hippo whilst it was eating the grass which was amazing. They’re quite ugly and scary but I enjoyed it. We then all (well most of us) went for drinks at a bar round the corner of the campsite and I liked that because I was speaking to more people and I feel like we’re all bonding a bit more. I didn’t have too much of a good night’s sleep due to a very noisy bird!! I’m yet to have a shower but to be honest it really doesn’t bother me. Oh and I’m managing with the food so no need to worry. I’m trying to try new foods for example I tried pumpkin soup…not my thing though haha.

Today we packed up our camp and drove to Crater Lake which was so good. We saw a giraffe really close up as we drove in the truck and we saw more zebras and warthogs. I find it strange how zebras in Africa are as common as pigeons in boro. We then went on a really long walk which I loved because we had a tour guide who told us loads of information. We saw baboons and got sooo close to a zebra it was absolutely unbelievable. We also saw a shedded python snake skin. I was really tired and thirsty but it was still really good.

We then all went down by this little pool where some people went in but I just bought a drink instead and chilled for a bit. It’s nice talking to all the people here on the trip because everybody is so nice. Although some people seemed quiet at first I think everybody is coming out of their shell. I’m loving it so far and I cant wait for the days to come. Love you all very much! 
Amy J xxxxx

 

Jess Taylor

Today we travelled from Fish Eagle camp to Crater lake sanctuary. When I got up the tent was soaking and that kind of put me in a bit of a bad mood but by the time the tent was down and we were in the bus singing along to ‘I had the time of my life’ and playing tigs I was happy again. As soon as we got there we went up to see the view of the lake which was so beautiful. I was knackered by the time we got to the bottom but it was worth it! Then we went out onto this field and saw Zebras and they got quite close to us! I took loads of pictures and videos J everyone is getting along so well now and everyone seems close, like a family. I feel very looked after by Peter, Lisa, David and Dianne and also the helpers here. Today, Dianne, Della and I opened a hair salon and everyone came over to get their hair washed by us, it was so much fun! I’m finding the food so nice and Salim the cook is really talented. Tonight I think we are going on a game drive to see some more animals and having pizza for tea, yum yum. My songs are yet to be played on the bus which makes me think that they don’t have a very good ranking hahaha but I don’t mind as most of the songs being played are class. I often wonder as we’re eating tea what my family are having for their tea but then I get distracted by a joke someone is telling which is a good thing otherwise I would probably cry haha. I miss everyone at home and home they are well. I hope Josh is having a good holiday in Magga! Bye for now!!!!

Jess xxxxx

Sophie Sidgwick

Oh my gosh, I’m soooo sorry that I haven’t written for the past two days but I’ve been super busy. It goes without saying that I did not sleep well at all on the plane, I was sat next to Sarah and was using her as a pillow but it wasn’t too comfy, the food wasn’t too great either but I managed. Looking after us on the truck we have a man called Jason, a lady called Grace, a porter called Carter and our cook is called Saleem, they are all so lovely and I feel like I’ve known them for ages. As a group we have all become a lot closer to each other like a big family (cheesy I know). I’m not doing too well with the food here either, but I’m trying my best and am tasting everything. For lunch we usually have sandwiches and I’ve been having brown bread with tomato and cucumber in, but today for lunch we had a thing that was supposedly a mixture/combination of pizza, lasagne and quiche, safe to say I did not do well, but at least I’m trying. We had spag bol on the first night so I had plain pasta, and we have a lot of fruit like watermelon, papaya, bananas and last night we had banana fritas for dessert which I actually enjoyed. We’ve been on two safaris and seen giraffes, zebra, warthogs, hippos, gazelles and buffalo. Last night in the park we set up our tents quite close to the lake but there was a barbed wire gate between the two, and a hippo came out of the water at night and was grazing rather close to our tents, so that was exciting and slightly scary. Although yesterday we were meant to be visiting a primary school in the afternoon, the teachers belonging to Kenyan government schools are on strike and so we couldn’t visit, Peter then suggested that we may go to an orphanage to meet the children there but he couldn’t remember where it was so we walked through a bit of the town and waved to the children there. It was actually quite funny because there were two African men taking photos of us, which is extremely ironic because its usually the other way around. Even the journeys on the truck travelling around are so good because we drive through lots of villages and there are always people waving at us and saying ‘Jambo!’ so we wave back, and it feels really good. We did a gorge walk yesterday and, having done some at outward bounds trips before I thought it would be a piece of cake, but knowing Peter it wasn’t, we were leaping off of rocks and over rivers as well as rock climbing and we had to help people up and down different rocks, at one point Peter actually pulled me from a rock onto the floor and it felt like it took for ages though it probably didn’t. Today we went on a safari that we walked through and saw lots and lots of different animal poo which people seemed to find extremely interesting but I wasn’t so bothered. We managed to get quite close to the animals, and on the drive over to it a giraffe was really close to our truck and it was amazing to see. I actually found this morning when we were packing up that the sleeping bag and camping mat are pretty simple to pack up, I’ve also been successful in assembling and putting down the tent which I’m rather proud of. Tonight we’re camping out in the bush and Lisa said that we’re one of the first groups to do so which doesn’t fill me with confidence, wish me luck.

Love you xxxx (Please tell Kate, John, Rach, Libbie, Dan and Gran that I miss them)

Sarah Rogers

Hello again J yesterdays gorge walk was good apart from it having more water than I remember from last time. I managed to scrape my knee on the rocks due to lack of concentration because it was far too warm! We didn’t visit the school yesterday because the teachers in Kenya’s government schools are on strike. This was a bit disappointing because I was looking forward to meeting the children and seeing how happy there were to see us the most. Last night I had my first shower since arriving and it was really nice because it was warm which I didn’t expect.

Today we have gone to Crater lake where we have been on a two hour walk looking for animals. We didn’t see any giraffe’s but we did see zebras, baboons and buffalos. It was very warm walking in the heat but I had plenty of water and I made sure I had lots of sun cream on so I didn’t burn. At the moment I look like I have got a tan but it is more likely to be muck so I will find out when I have a baby wipe shower. I am currently sat looking over the lake while writing this diary it is a very nice view. Tonight we are going on a night game drive so hopefully we will see a few more animals than we did today. We are also out in the bush tonight which should be exciting and I hope I get a good night sleep otherwise I won’t be able to stay awake tomorrow. Speak to you soon hope everyone at home is ok J

Love you all lots xx

Rebecca Crandon

Hello Papi, We all went for a gorge walk yesterday which was super duper up until I fell down a rock and gave myself a graze which hurt for a bit but all is well. Once we got to the top the view was unreal. It was planned for us to visit a school yesterday but sadly all the teachers are on strike therefore we weren’t able to go.

Today we arrived at Crater Lake and went on a two hour walk on which we saw zebra, baboons and buffalos. Anyway I have to go. Speak soon.

Love you to the stars and back Paps xxxxxxxx

Kate smith

Today we arrived at crater lake camp site, and went for a walk around the crater which was interesting. We saw a few animals but not as many as I expected. The walk itself wasn’t too bad, however I’m more exited to meet the children in the schools, and see more of their way of life. After dinner were going on a night game truck ride to see if we can catch some better animals at night. I’m quite exited for this, however I’m really tired today and feeling a bit home sick, hopefully seeing some of the amazing animals may cheer me up. Tomorrow we are planning to go see some of the African jewellery stalls which I have been most exited for. Can’t wait to get some strong Kenyan tea bags for Adam and a new bag for Amy, not sure what to get my mum yet, I’m sure I’ll find something. Missing you all so much, bye.

Aaron Jardine

Hi everyone, well we woke up this morning and had to pack and get the tents put away so we could move onto Crater Lake where we currently are. I was worried about not being able to fit everything into my bag and that it would be a struggle, but I got done surprisingly! We got on the truck and headed to Crater Lake where we were first taken on a safari walk around the lake which we saw Buffalo’s, Giraffe’s, Zebra’s. I got some pretty nice pictures which I can’t wait to share with you all when I get home! I have been in the pool for a nice little swim, and then headed back up to the campsite where I am now writing this Diary. I hope you are all okay and not missing me too much, I am having such a wonderful time and the scenery just seems to be getting better and better!

Love Aaron xx

 

Chris Gibson

Helloooo! Well I’ve managed to come away from England and still play basketball in Africa. We played yesterday, me, Ross and David, then started having a mess around with aaron and adam also. I manage to be the first to get the first full court shot in haha. Well today we also had to pack up the tents and move site. After the past two days of sharing a tent with James (who also snores!) I’m now in the other camp site in the three man tent with adam and chris. After packing and finding the new site, we went on a two and a half hour walk in Crater Lake where we saw and got really close to Zebra’s, Buffalo’s and only just saw Giraffe’s too. I’ve never been so close to an animal before like that, it was great. When we got back, me, ross, adam and aaron went in the pool whilst everyone else stayed out. Of course it would only be us going in. Well now im back at the campsite writing this diary after just getting a shower. I hope you are all fine and well and don’t be missing me too much! You all still haven’t left my head, I miss you all a lot. The days seem to be getting a little faster but I think they will still go slow until the last days where I know I’ll see you again. Sophie you also maybe right, you may be more tanned than me since right now I already have a big t shirt tan. Can’t wait to see you all again! Love you xxx

Ellie Steel

Hi Everybody. I miss you all so much it’s really impossible to say how much I want to see you all right now. But anyways I’ll tell you about my day today. We moved from our first camp site – Fish Eagle Camp – to another campsite in the bush on Crater Lake. When we arrived we set off on a walk around the lake and came across lots of animals and they were so close(don’t worry Mum I’ve got pictures) and we were literally about 10 feet away from a Zebra. When we came back from our little adventure we decided to go swimming in a pool they have here, whilst in the pool me, Lisa, Abbi and Abbie decided to create a synchronised swimming routine, which was pretty eventful since we all know that I cannot dance to save my life. This is our only night at Crater Lake and then tomorrow night we’re actually in a bed, in a room. Sleeping has been so uncomfortable and I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed with brand new covers (hint hint).I really wish you were all here with me, because I want you to enjoy this amazing experience with me and I don’t want to be so emotional because I miss you too much. Oh and by the way I kind of already burnt, but I did put on sun cream and its not my fault that I didn’t inherit Grandma’s tan, which is very unfortunate. Anyways, I’ll try and talk as soon as I can and I miss you all so so so so so so much and I can’t wait to see you. I hope you’re getting some sleep mother and not staying up all night worrying, I wish I was there so you wouldn’t have to worry so much. I love you and I honestly can’t wait to see you(even though it’s my third day of not seeing you and I am bursting out in tears, I don’t know what it’s going to be like in a week or two if I’m like this right now, I don’t think I could cope)

Love you lots and lots and lots 
xxxxxxxxxx

Chloe Crosby. 
 
JAMBO HOME J 
Hope you’re all okay! Today has been a mixed bag of emotions; we’re in such an unreal place at the moment. I’m sat writing this chilling by the lake, around the pool in Crater Lake Sanctuary (Daniel you’ll know exactly where I’m on about) super chilled.  
This morning was another 6:30 start not too bad but I was panicking because it was the morning our tents had to be put down for us moving on.. I tried so hard to be organised but was still the last ready L plus I was on duty group so I was rushing and stressing even more! Haha I don’t know how I do it, honestly I was trying mega hard!! (Tomorrow is my day definitely.) Our walk through the sanctuary was really good, we got guides this time who knew everything and it was so interesting! We didn’t see any giraffes though which made me sad L My biggest regret is not getting a new camera for this trip, I was so annoyed earlier and still am! The batteries last two seconds, the zoom doesn’t work, the screen goes black then it turns itself off! I’m literally going to have about 10 photos to show you all if that!! We got so close to some animals earlier and I have zero pictures to show you. Everyone else has said they’ll take them for me but that’s still not the same.  
Anyways on a more positive note the weather is gorgeous, way hotter than I ever remember (Hannah you were right) and tonight is our night time game drive which should be good, I’ll have to let you know how it goesJ  
Write again soon, I love you all and am missing you very much!! 
See you soon. 
Love Chloe Head xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
 
 
Emily

Hi home (or I should say Jambo!)

After I last wrote we actually did see a huge hippo that seemed quite happy to just stay on the other side of the electric fence and munch on the grass. It was amazing to see. This morning we got up bright and early once again to leave fish eagle camp and travel over to Crater Lake sanctuary. When we arrived we went for a VERY long walk in the African sunshine which was tiring but rewarding and refreshing when I had finally recovered. We saw lots of awesome animals again but my favourite was when we got really close up to a Zebra J. When we got back we had another fantastic lunch and set up camp for tonight, I am sharing a tent with Chloe tonight.

Missing you lots, love you all Emily. xxxx 
 

Adam Jefferson

Jambooo!! Today we left our first destination and arrived at the amazing Crater Lake sanctuary! We went for a walk around seeing plenty of animals and scenery although I couldn’t find my camera until we got back to the camp as it was miss placed in my hat. Sorry mam!! Hope everyone back home is feeling fine and is doing well. Missing everyone and will be glad to see you all in another 20 something days!

Love always! x

Ross Fairbairn

Hello again! Today we have moved camp to Crater Lake Sanctuary and this morning went on a very long walk through the sanctuary. I didn’t enjoy it much as I felt very ill as I woke up but as soon as i took some of the life saving paracetemol I was back on my feet and even had a swim in the pool at the campsite. I’m now feeling very good for the rest of the trip and looking forward to the rest of it all!

I miss everyone at home more as every day passed and I will see you all in around 20 days! Lots of love.

 

Abbi

Hi home!

Today we left our first campsite and we are now at Crater Lake Sanctuary. We went on a 2 and a half hour walk, which was very tiring but the views were amazing! I also went in the swimming pool at the campsite, it was so cold! Lisa made up a synchronised swimming routine which her me Ellie and Abbie did. I’m fine and well, my hay fevers been alright apart from constant sneezing, my eczema has started to come up though. Looking forward to tomorrow, missing you all. Also, hope grandmas okay and getting better. See you in about 19/20 days, don’t be missing me too much xxxx

 
Peter:

I normally get the first diary entry as mine (control freak), but it has been so busy in these first four days that today is the first opportunity to sit down with a laptop and record a few thoughts.

So far everything has gone smoothly and to plan – fingers crossed that it stays this way, although this is Africa and there is always something that crops up to test us. The all-day journey to Nairobi was tiring, and then on our first night camping in Africa (on the shores of Lake Naivasha), we had a nightmare U.K. student group camping close to us, who didn’t go to bed until 3.00 a.m. Both Lisa, David and I had words, but to no avail. However, we bumped into them in the Hells Gate Gorge the next morning, when they had sobered up, and they were fully apologetic. However, it was too late then, the damage and had done, and it was a reminder of how embarrassing certain elements of British youth can be. Our students are the complete opposite, and have already been commended by numerous people we have come across – from an African lady in Schiphol Airport, to the guides at Crater Lake Sanctuary.

Tonight we are going on a night-time game drive at Crater Lake Sanctuary – a first for one of my Africa Trips – and we are all looking forward to it. So far we have seen giraffes, impala, Thomson’s gazelles, hippos, eland, warthogs, baboons, vervet monkeys, Colobus monkeys, waterbuck, zebra, black-backed jackals and Grant’s gazelles.

Driving to Nakuru tomorrow, and looking forward to our game drives in Lake Nakuru National Park.

Tuta Onana!

 

Jonathan Millar

Had a great time today, it was the first real time that we could get up close to the animals in the bush. All of us took a long walk through the bush; tiring but worth it to see some amazing scenery and wildlife. We took loads of pictures of zebra and baboons, but still no giraffes. Just about to have tea and then getting ready for a night safari drive to hopefully see some hippos.

Tuta Onana

 

Abbie Lavender

Oh mam today I took my tablet straight away again! I hope you’re proud 😀 right today while we were driving in the truck I had my head out of the window (as usual) and a song came on, and whilst I was just taking in Africa I was thinking about the trip and my behaviour. For those 3-4 minutes I had proper deep thoughts about how I’ve grown as a person in just a couple of days, I feel I have been responsible, caring and thoughtful towards others, and brave, I have tried so many things and I am honestly quite proud of my new mindset! Also, today we went on a walk which was boiling! But we got so so close to a zebra…and I know you will all be thinking “but she’s not an animal person” but I was so amazed that I was that close! Then I went in the swimming pool and me Lisa Abbi and Ellie made a synchronised swimming routine and got through to the next round by the judges David James and Emily. Tonight we are going on a night safari which sounds animally but I won’t get to do it again so I might as well enjoy it J today I really thought about Mam Dad Rebekah Krista Grandma and Grandad James and Lorna so you know, I’m starting to miss you…but just a little don’t get too excited!

Lala slama-sleep tight

Abbie

 
Adella Prest; 
Hi. Well well well, last night we were SOOOO close to a hippo, it was actually scary. I also found out last night that cows are in fact all females and bulls are the males. Like who would have even thought it? Today we woke up and packed away ready to visit and camp out at crater lake. Once here we split into two groups and got a walking tour. We seen lots of animals apart from giraffes which was quite disappointing but there’s plenty of time to see them. Can’t believe how close we got to zebras. I’m already excited to show you some pictures nan. I think it’s fair to say the walk was agonising and I really need to work on my fitness. After the walk we set up camp and then chilled for a bit. Most went down into the pool whilst myself, Kate, Jess and Dianne stayed back and played salons. It was such a laugh. All four of us attempting to wash our hair under taps and in bowls (got to be there moment). Surprise surpise I have got bitten twice. I have also burnt a little which confuses me as I’v been wearing factor 50. Other than that I am fine. My tent partner tonight is Bec Crandon. Anyhow tea is ready and food is calling my name. We’re going out tonight again on a drive to see the animals. Hope all is well. Lots of love, Dell x