Athens to Nairobi....July 4th, 2010

After a rather last minute trip to the Greek isles, it was Monday morning and time to pack my bags AGAIN - I've lost count and dont bother anymore. My very sweet cousin insisted on walking me to the platform to get the train to Athens airport and I find myself daydreaming on the train wondering where this next adventure will take me and what doors of opportunity it will further open.

I booked my flights through a new website I've never tried before but now use it as my first go to when Im trying to work out how to get between airports and get a selection of airlines with ok prices. rumbo.com if you want to check it out. So I booked return flights between Athens & Nairobi via Istanbul as it was cheaper and flying with Turkish Air. It was exciting to have food included in the bill for a change :)

I arrived 11.30am into Istanbul airport exhausted from the long weekend layzing by the sea :) I had to kill time until my flight left for Nairobi (or Nairobbery as they call it) at 6.30pm that night, so I visited every store, surfed the web and paced the airport for several hours. At one point I sat on the floor in the quiet end of the airport upstairs outside the club lounges working out how much I need to convert into USD etc for the trip. I was so tired that I wasnt really concentrating, got up and went to the other end of the airport to change money. When I got there I couldnt find my money belt in my bag, so I unpacked it twice - still nothing. I checked out the toilets and went into a nearby lounged I had been sitting next to, to see if anyone had handed anything in.

As I was walking into the second lounge to ask the same question, it hit me what I was saying.... I had lost my Australian passport, travellers cheq, credit card, key cards and all my cash - I only had my greek passport on me!!! I could feel tears start to well as I panicked and as Im walking into the 3rd lounge hoping for a miracle, a cleaner comes running up to me with my money belt! He is asking that I check that everything is inside and then off he runs! It turns out that when I had gotten up to go to the toilet I had left it on the floor!!!!! Usually I wear my money belt religiously but as I had come from Greece where I am a little relaxed about security I didnt have my belt on as I planned to wear it on the plane before I arrived in Nairobi - lesson learnt!

So finally I was on the plane to Nairobi - my flight had a mix of both Africans and Caucasians - yes I was observing. We landed at 1.20AM and Im all ready to look mean in downtown Nai-robbery but silently praying the driver we arranged had waited for me. After changing money and realising they ripped me only to then realise I was thinking in Tanzanian shilling and this is Kenya so he was giving me Kenya shilling - Doh!

Thankfully my driver was waiting outside and off we went on our 30min drive to the hotel that I would be spending a whole 5 hours at! By the time we got moving it was well after 2am and the roads were empty, my driver was fantastic. We spoke about the World Cup the whole way - he was so lovely it was such a pleasent releif to what I was expecting. We arrived at the Kenya Comfort Hotel where I was staying in Nairobi - from outside it looked like an old Australian corner pub - 2 young security guards all rugged up and carrying batons come over to help me with my bags. We got into reception which still looked like an old pub and there are the two girls behind the desk, asleep with their head on the counter. My driver bangs his hand on the counter and they both jump about 10 feet!

We all giggle including them and they shyly apologise. The coolest reggae music is playing and I at 2.30am after flying for 6.5 hours and finding that Im dancing along to the music!!
One of the girls takes me up to my room at the end of a long corridor and with a simple push button lock on the back of the door. My room is all windows as it is on the corner overlooking the street below. It looks yellow but welcoming and I am immediately at ease feeling safer than I thought I would. I climb into bed with the lamest smile.... the real adventure has begun... why do I love travelling to such hard countries? Because the reward for your effort is greatest there!

Next blog.... Nairobi to Arusha

St Jude's or St Judie's as the locals say -Tanzania

You know sometimes you have this feeling you are just meant to be somewhere - Im not sure if everyone gets this, but as lame as it sounds I've had that feeling about both Africa and India for a very long time. I dont know what started it - maybe its the millions of true stories I obsessivley read about these regions, maybe its the fact that these places are so poor and as a little girl I was fascinated by Mother Theresa's life and those that she helped. Now dont worry I'm not about to repent and become a nun - ha ha I can imagine my mum laughing right now! I often claim to be an angel but we all know Im lying :)

So back to the point.... Since reading Gemma Sisia's book about her mission to set up School of St Jude, I decided to add this as a charity of my choice and used my dance school to raise funds. I dreamt of going to Tanzania and helping in anyway that I could.... I just never dreamt that this would be through photography - which is such a bonus as its my favourite me time hobby!

It was April this year after galavanting around India that I saw the photographer job come up at St Judes - I looked through all my pics from my travels and thought it's time to take this "creativity" somewhere - heck if I can make dancing work for me, I can get photography moving too! So I applied and after waiting for 2 months with no news, I lost hope and figured I wasn't going. Well destiny had other ideas and as I was relaxing in the Canary islands and making plans to explore Spain, Portugal and Lebanon for the rest of the European summer, I receive an email asking me to get to Tanzania asap! At first I didnt take it seriously then as Im booking my ticket the very next day, I realised what was going on - kind of and got very excited!

So after my 3 or so hours sleep at the Kenya Comfort Hotel in Nairobi, I headed down stairs at 6am with my meal voucher for breakfast - ok so that wasnt so exciting but the news about the World Cup was just exciting - I was in Africa while this was happening & today was the rememberance day for Rawanda's genocide tragedies - news that dosent really filter back to Australia.

I was packing my things and looking out the window as it was daylight and a hive of activity - I was told my shuttle bus to Arusha leaves from across the street - I could see a side street lined with shuttle buses and as Lonely Planet warns, lots of touts hanging around. Just then my phone rang and reception told me that the bus driver was there to collect me - ha ha we dont even get such service in Australia if you get a shuttle! So I rushed down with my bags and the lovely door boy with his huge black trench coat, black army boots, cargo pants and black beanie (strange site) wheels my bag over and makes sure that I am getting on the right bus. It wasnt as chaotic as I was bracing myself for but once I handed over my ticket to the guy with the clipboard, he said I could sit inside... but I've learnt from India - never assume they your big bag will make it onto the bus alone. So I politely declined and said I was happy to stretch while I could since it was a long drive and stood outside in the cold with the smokers whilst keeping an eye on my backpack. I could see that they intended to throw it up on the roof of the bus - which eventually did happen and they even cover it with a tarpoline.

Meanwhile I started to get stalked by the 5 or so African guys roaming the crowds with their beaded necklaces, bangles and assortment of wooden stuff that you can buy from the $2 stores in Australia. One man was quiet insistent with his copper bracelets and we started to have a competition between us to see who would cave first - ha ha little did he know who he was messing with! It didnt end nasty but I thought it was hilarious that he kept saying in a true African accent "So you wont let me have a taste of your money" I told him if he was hungry he should take an early morning tea break ha ha - I know I crack me up too!

So eventually we all pile into the mini bus - I scored a window seat - much needed as its a 5 hour bus ride. I have read everywhere and all I keep getting reminded is "T.I.A" - "This is Africa" I think Im screen printing a shirt if I cant find one with this on it as I would later learn this is the motto for this continent and one that you need to regularly repeat to keep your sanity :) The bus wasnt too squashy and there was a good mix of locals and tourists - there was even a mum with her two teenage kids from Brisbane on their way to Arusha for a wedding that weekend - that tripped me out, but again I would later meet so many QLDers that I realised they should screen state of origin here!!

The start of the journey was smooth and even on our way out to the airport to pick up some passengers we look to our right and there is a herd of giraffes alongside the highway??!! I was loving what I saw! Our ride was a little over 5 hours and no toilet stop until around 3.5 hours into it just before we stopped at the border of Kenya and Tanzania to get our visas. I befriended the "muzungu" old lady on the bus that spoke fluent Kiswahili and clearly was a missionary with a huge cross aroudn her neck. I found myself extremly jealous of what she was doing here - she had a little African girl called Esther with her, whom she had just taken to the hospital in Nairobi as she needs a heart operation. Turns out this lady runs a charity in Arusha, Tanzania and has lived here for the last 27 years working for both other charity organisations and her own. The one she is now running is called "Help for the Masai" and as the name suggests she works with the Masai communities around Tanzania and helps provide education, clean water and refuge for the poor.

At the border the bus was swamped with touts and locals selling everything from water, snacks, more copper bracelets etc. There was one extremly old Masai lady who came up to my window asking for food and water - after India I have realised Im a little detached from beggars now and have somehow managed to not hear them. So the same happens with this lady and it wasnt until the Muzungu lady from the Masai charity calls her around to her window and gives her fruit and sandwhiches and some money. She talks fluently to the old Masai lady and jokes with her. I felt really bad that I had zoned out and not realised how old this lady was and that she was not pimped out as the kids are in India - she really needed food and money for her family. She as well looked after by our Masai lover though so that was great.

Getting the visa side of things was alot easier than I expected... You get a departure stamp in your passport on the Kenyan side then you walk across a gate like 100m into the Tanzania Visa office - hand your passport and money over to some guy behind the glass window and wait for 10 min till your name is called out and your passport handed back. There's signs up everywhere saying that you must pay in USD and that you notes must be dated after 2006- moment of panic as I thought it was post 2003 - lucky I fluked that and had a $50USD note in the right timeline.

Finally after the worst roads on earth - granted they are building the highways, but my butt wished they were already done as we bumped along heavily pot holled dirt tracks! As we rolled through Arusha town, I asked the girl next to me if this was it and she said yes. In all honesty I was really shocked in what I saw - I hadnt prepared well at all! I guess I just thought things would be cleaner, concrete roads, proper shopfronts. Nope! It was just really dusty, dirty and poor - ok yes what did I expect -something on par with India I guess, not further behind.

We pulled into a dusty parking lot - basically a vacant piece of land and there's a few touts and taxi drivers waiting to bombard us as we get off the bus. Im looking for the St Jude's bus but not sure if Im meant to get off here or somewhere else. I hope off to talk to the driver while trying not to smack the persistent taxi drivers in the head with my daypack. Finally I see the St Judes bus pull in and our HR manager waving from the front seat. I yelled out to the guy on the roof of the bus hurling bags off the roof and got him to chuck me mine. I jumped into the back of the St Judes van and was introduced to our driver. The HR manager briefs me on what I should buy on the way back to the school and advises that I go to the ATM - so we do some grocery shopping, visit the ATM and stop at a corner fruit stall so I can stock up for the week ahead.

I arrived at the school late afternoon on a Monday so had a grand tour and was introduced to a few teachers - I was shocked how big and new the school was. I knew it was big but I just didnt imagine that they had that much support! 300+ teachers, chefs, drivers, guards, gardeners, admin staff - its insane!!! But you can really see the sponsorship money at work here and I liked that fact immediately.

I was really shocked when I was taken to my own apartment - I was half expecting to have to share plus Im one of the lucky one's who gets a room in the new volunteer house called "Bondi". Quality was so not what I was expecting but their partnership with Rotary Australia has ensured that accomodation for volunteers and visitors are safe and comfortable and I guess rightly so for the volunteers who are giving up their family and friends to live here 1 year + to support the school.

I like the fact that there are 24 hour security guards on the door and 2 german shepards roaming the grounds. The guards are mostly Masai and walk around at night with bow and arrows which is hysterical and big sticks during the day. The number of buses on campus is amazing and I later realise the importance of the buses in transporting both the students and teachers - who if it were not for the sponsorship of the buses would have to either walk several hours per day or hop on a few dala dalas (public minivans) to get here.

Straight away I was taken under the wing of one of the volunteers staying a couple of doors down from my room - drinks at the "Water Hole" on the first nite and dinner in the kitchen with everyone. We have a "kitty kitchen" we all pay 15,000 shilling into every week (less than $15 a week) and a roster for whose cooking for 13-15 people who are part of this kitchen. Ive been here two weeks so far and havent cooked - its brilliant!!

The bedroom has a double bed with 4 posts to support the mosquito net - I love it! I lucked out on hot water for the first week as they are still working things out for this new building but I was excited to unpack my bag for the first time since April!!!

Next blog.... Settling into St Jude's way of life

Barcelona

Last time I was in Barcelona was my first trip to Europe as part of one of those bad rep Contiki tours (which I quiet enjoyed!). At the time I was 19 and when I set foot in Barcelona then it was love at first sight and along with the girl I befriended on my tour from Newcastle, we looked at each other and said "I want to live here". A few minutes later we found ourself in a African music store in the middle of Barcelona talking to the owner whose son owned an apartment that was up for rent - needless to say we were all talk and chickened out when it came to going to see the apartment.

But I felt it then and when I arrived back in Barcelona to meet my cousin before heading off to the Canary islands - I felt it again AND still even moreso when I got back from the Canary islands to catch up with some friends from Australia.

I think I have actually met a person who claims that Barcelona was the worst place on earth for her, but it seems that its a city everyone falls in love with. For me its not just the amazing architecture but the beach right in the city, the brilliant food (of course), the language, the people, the awesome fashion and mostly the fact that the Spanards seem to embrace multiculturalism in Barcelona with food from around the world and huge interest in international travel and music. Maybe Im looking for excuses to love it, but thats really how I feel.

So in the first few days there I did the tourist thing on those huge embarressing buses, but I really think its a great way to orietate yourself. We paid a fortune to eat and watch the world cup which had just started when I arrived. Coming back from Canary Islands I was lucky enough to have two friends in town that I stayed with. One couple from Australia who rented an apartment in the Gotic part of town - right near my favourite church St Anna and of course the St Caterina food markets cant be forgotten, more local and less touristy with delicious food.

Gelato became a daily affair in Barcelona (evident by the weight appearing around my belly) and thanks to the good looking guy serving us who embarrisngly recognised us as regulars! One night we watched Ghana vs USA in a bar which was packed and we werent too sure just who they were supporting until the USA scored and of course it was all of them and 3 of us supporting Ghana. We did a little bootie dance to celebrate Ghana's victory as we watched the most silent American crowd I have ever witnessed depart the bar >:)

Las Rambalas - some people hate it being so touristy but I think its the heart of Barcelona - its where people from around the world converge and you can feel the electric charge in the air from the eateries, bars and stores as tourists buzz realising they are in Barcelona. Not to mention the number of Zara stores within a 1km radius and my newly discovered Fnac store AND my favourite - Mango.

Day 2 on my second visit I decided I needed sun and quick, so walked down to Port Vell with my ipod on David Guettas tunes and was psyched for a brilliant swim. The beach at Barcelonitas is definately touristy but its the beach I cant complain and again I was loving the buzz. There's a guy whom Im told has been there for years walking along the beach with a board on his head and donuts piled high in a pyramid and when he arrives you hear him before you see him - he plays a trianlge and sings to the crowd encouraging people to buy the donuts. He's a young blond French guy by the look of it - some people are obviously too embarressed to buy from him, whilst the heavily curvacious Spanish women lying next to me abruptly order him over to devour his treats. The Indians walking along the beach selling beer, soda and if you look like the right kind of customer - marijana.

The chinese and Thai ladies walking along the beach saying - "massage madam" and the Africans selling beaded necklaces, bracelets and offering to do hair braids. The bars that line the beach - totally overpriced but perfect to enjoy a cool beer whilst watching Spain qualify for the World Cup semi-finals! I realise quickly that this beach is exactly what I think Miami beach might be like - there's even rollerbladers and rollerskaters all along the boulevard.

The other thing I love about Barcelona is the bikeways - bikes are a huge way to get around and I manage to score my friends Bicycle card which allows locals to unlock a bike from one point and ride it to another within the hour. So easy to get around.

One observation that my girlfriend and I notice is that all the shoe stores in central Barcelona sell leather flats mainly and for good reason.. you walk so damn much in this city it just wouldnt be practical to where anything but!

One night there's a Michael Jackson memorial vigil taking place in Placa Catalunya and the next day there is a festival with huge puppets walking down the street - this town knows how to party! And lets not forget the afternoon siestas that help you party the night away.

My other girlfriend whom I used to African dance in Brisbane with has returned to Barcelona to start a family after previously living there for 8 years. So Im very lucky to have such a great host to show me around town. We travel one afternoon to a beautiful beach that is a 20 min train ride from De Sants main train station. It's nearly empty this beach and again its calm and beautiful!!!

We do the compulsary waterfall visit which suprisingly I think to be quiet romantic - if you ignore the few thousand tourists around you. Im not one for water fountains, but the lights, the music and the fact its Barcelona - Im sucked in.

We visit a friend one night who is renting an apartment downtown and climb around 6 flights of stairs to her tiny apartment that has the most brilliant rooftop terrace thats privately her's - im hooked!

I definately love Barcelona and will be back hopefully soon!

Next Blog.... Andros Greece

Andros Island -Greece

So plans are meant for breaking and the last few days that I had in the Canary islands proved this when I suddenly found out I had the photography gig that I had applied for in Tanzania - with the catch that I must start asap. So there went my Spain, Portugal and Lebanon plans but for a very good cause. I was able to book some cheap flights with Turkish Air to Nairobi departing from Athens so that I could dump my things at my cousins home.

So arriving on a Friday afternoon into Athens, my cousin decided its time I explore the Greek Islands since I always seem to visit Zakynthos and Athens only. So 5am Saturday morning we are up in the car on our way to Rafina port to catch the ferry that takes 2 hours to get to Andros - part of the Cyclades group of islands. We had the most beautiful sunrise from deck and I found myself enjoying the fresh air on deck listening to some of my soul soothing Bollywood tunes - it was perfect!

We arrived in Andros before lunch and was greeted by my cousins friend who has a home on the island. We piled into the 4wd and drove through the hilly seaside towns - picture perfect! Little white homes built into the hillside and of course what would an island be without tavernas, gorgeous beach coves and boat ports.

We stopped to buy some fresh fish (which thankfully I didnt have to gut) and had a delicious lunch at the friends home. Then it was down to serious business and off to an isloated beach. Europe is plagued with sunbed and umbrella mafia who you have to pay anywhere between 3 - 20 Euro to enjoy the decent part of the beach. It seemed we were in luck and scored a mafia free beach with the beds and umbrellas free! So we spread out and it took us seconds to strip off and get into the flat crystal clear water and caves - water tempurature was perfect and with the snorkels on I saw great fish and huge sea cliffs dropping off into the depths of the ocean.

Paddle ball is all the rage in Greece - as it is with the South Americans on the beaches of Sydney. You ended up fighting for sand and if you are not playing then you learn the emergency brace position to duck from flying balls. We enjoyed delicious souvlakia and beer on the beach mmmmmmmmm meat! One little bit of trivia that I would like to complain about.... in Greece souvlakia is either chicken or pork - mostly the latter. In Australia, the Greeks use lamb, which is just delicious, so I raised this point with my cousins and they all shrugged and said no we prefer pork - crazy!!!

That nite we watched the football - Spain progressing further of course and to watch the game we took the tv outside under the tree where we drank and enjoyed the cool summer breeze. Feeling exhausted that night I retreated to bed whilst the others went to a paniyiri (festival) in the village which we could hear just over the mountain. It seems that huge amounts of tsipuro were consumed that night as I heard one of the boys be violently ill from the top bunk onto the tile floor, trapping one of the other guys onto his bed - it was hilarious - well for me at least.

The next day we decide its time to go to another beach and end up in this amazing cove where you can walk out in waist length water for a few hundred meters. Everyone is starting to drink again but Im here to worship the sun and sea so disappear way out at sea and end up swimming around the corner to a group of rocks beneath a cliff. One rock seemed to be like a sun bed half emerged in water so I climbed up and lay there listening to the water lap and enjoying the amazing sun that dosent burn like in Australia. Before I know it I fall fast asleep and awake to the sounds of my cousins friends calling out my name as they apparently begin to get concerned they have lost me. Lying on that rock was brilliant, there was something special there or maybe I just needed a good day chilling out by the sea - I could have happily stayed there forever.

We had a massive feast that nite - pork again! But this time pork steaks that remind me of brontosaurs from The Flinstones! We have just enough time to pack up and clean the house before heading down for the 9pm ferry. Whilst waiting to leave I find some amazing sweet and bakery stores and now spew that I didnt buy anything after devouring some of the sweets my cousin made. Thats the funny thing about Greece (and perhaps in other European countries)each group of islands has their own special sweet or cheese that you can only buy there, so you are forever seeing Greeks with kilos of cheese and sweets going home.

My first Cyclades island and I love it! Andros down and a few more hundred islands to go!

Next stop Istanbul to Nairobi and onwards to Arusha, Tanzania......