Famous for.....?

We have a game we like to play entitled "famous for....?" its a quiz game and the rules are simple...step one locate a lonely planet Europe on a shoestring guide step two flip open to any country and on the first page is a fast facts box including what the country is famous for lets see how well you do...... Germany is famous for...? I'm going to say you guessed maybe beer? BMW perhaps? if you did would be correct but there's one more can you guess? do you know? ill tell you Germany is also famous for invading Poland

Lets try another...I'm now randomly flicking through the guide to pick a new country aha here it is.... Norway is famous for.....? well there's the Vikings and (call me stupid but i didn't see this one coming) cod.

Lets try one more just for luck.... Poland is famous for...? BEING INVADED BY GERMANY??? (if that was your answer although correct it is not what lonely planet lists so you would be wrong) Poland is famous for Chopin, Copernicus, Marie Curie solidarity and vodka.

Now I'm sure you are all wondering where is she going with this blather about games in the lonely planet guide but i do actually have a point and that point is this... we recently acquired (when i say acquired i mean Moo extremely kindly sent us in the post and when i say recently i do mean several months back) another lonely planet guide this time for.... can you guess the destination? AFRICA! now with what I've just told you imagine our hugely huge disappointment when we discovered the Africa guide does not have a "famous for...?" section in its fast facts on each country blasphemy i say! so a new game was formed (let me tell you now it is not nearly as edge of your seat nail bitingly gripping as "famous for...?") and it is simply capital cities and borders yeah baby! but aside from being not nearly as exciting it is however a learning tool (man I'm lame and you will soon discover there is more lamenesss to come) and being that my geography is somewhat lacking I'm at a disadvantage so have spent this morning studying the African map i am now able to completely visualise the continent and recall from memory the capital cities and borders (of all 15 countries we are actually going to i have yet to learn the rest told you i was lame!).......

13 weeks

With just 13 weeks to go till we pack up and head off to Africa for half a year i thought it was about time i got back into this thing! so i have given it a new look off we go with being on top of things!

the countdown has now (for me at least) begun and the list of things to do is slowly growing shorter! to catch you up on what we have been doing..... Money situation and bank accounts 100% sorted yeeha! that was the biggest worry really (and our big win £7 in the Euro millions this week is helping)....all gear is now accounted for except for a brand spanking new camera which shall be purchased within the next few weeks (then its off to some zoo to practice our wildlife photography!).....vaccinations are well under way (so far there have been no tears I'm patting myself on the back for that!).....Lucky old LP gets a wee trip home to NZ in November which is all systems go (he better bring me back some pineapple lumps!) ....we have all the Africa books from the library and I'm working my way through them all building up more and more excitement (and mentally planning our next African adventure already!)......

Flights and other bits and bobs

This week we have been investigating flights from London to cape town and then from Cairo to London the prices we came up with on-line weren't bad but we wanted to have a full shop around so yesterday morning we popped into our local travel agent he sticks the flights and dates into the computer and comes up with a "very fair price" (his words) of almost double the average price we were finding on-line now I always knew the old travel consultants charged a bit of commission but I feel that's a tad excessive I'm sure you needn't be told but we have decided to buy on-line......

birthday christmas birthday!

Well I'm back to talking about dates today it is 7 months till my grand old birthday! which got me a thinking...where will i be celebrating my 23rd year on this earth? seems like its likely to be Zimbabwe I'm happy with that! so as i was thinking about my birthday it led me to think of Christmas looking like we shall be feeling festive in Namibia! and LP will turn 24 in Kenya. i shall say it seems like this year birthdays will be celebrated a little differently!.....

Nerves

This week my days off were supposed to be peaceful relaxing calming stress free days but alas instead I am practically a ball of nerves! for two reasons but mainly one! first of all yesterday I was required to vote now this should have been easy- walk into polling booth- tick box -leave. all pretty basic except this is me! I have never voted before so it would probably have been helpful to read the instructions printed out in big bold letters but I just followed Leigh who strode into the station I didn't want to be left behind so I scurried after him I did feel a bit panicky and nervous but did successfully cast my vote!

Onto nervousness number two this afternoon we are off to the travel clinic to see about getting us some jabs it strikes fear into my heart! I'm in two minds about the whole thing on one hand I hope we have to wait well they order some vaccine putting off my pain for another day but on the other hand I just want it done!.....HELP!!!....

+ =

Route plan!

This is our route plan trip of a lifetime! start South Africa and end up in Egypt! but the more I read about Africa the longer I want to stay and the more I want to see!

COUNT DOWN!!!

only six months till we start our adventure!!! still so much to do! but sooooo excited! woohooooooooo!!!