I'm home!

Hey everyone... I know it's been a while since I wrote on here, but I did make it home safe and sound. This trip was absolutely amazing and I want to thank each and every person who helped me with the school or even with my trip in any way.

I believe I am a better person for taking this journey and hope I never forget how it made me feel sometimes and what I learned from that. I hope that one day I will be so lucky as to go back to Africa to see my foster kids, the elephants, possibly the gorillas and the true beauty that exists in this strange but happy continent.

My friends that were with me along the way will be missed greatly but never forgotten.

Hope you all had fun reading my blog... now to get on to printing pictures eeeek!

B

One thing I forgot to mention about Storm's River was that when we went to eat at a local hotel's restaurant. There were flyers and ads everywhere for the international Elvis impersonater festival!! What the hell.... in some tiny little town in the middle of South Africa this weekend, there will be Elvis impersonaters from all over the world. Then whomever is good enough to qualify wins a spot at the World cup in England. What the hell.... don't even know what to say about that.

We finally reached Knysna, the next day, and it was a great little place. We got in around noon and then walked around town for the afternoon. Becca wanted to do the boat tour out to the heads (where the ocean feeds the lagoon), but it wasn't running. It's the winter season so there aren't many tourists about. Just crazy us!! So we rented a 'Tuk Tuk', which is those crazy little 3 wheel car things that they have all over Thailand. They just happen to have 3 in Knysna. He took us around to the islands in the lagoon and out to the viewpoints to see the heads. Soo beautiful. The South African Navy still bring their ship Captains there to do their final test. It's to get into the lagoon without sinking the ship. Really neat!! There have been 42 ship wrecks that are logged, and who knows how many aren't. It would be a really neat place to get qualified to Scuba dive and go down to see all the wrecks. Very historic little town for sure!! After the driving all day we went downtown and had an amazing dinner. There just so happens to be a 'Pink Lorrie' Festival going on this weekend in Knysna. Which for everyone who doesn't know is a gay festival. HA ha hahahahaha!!! So the town shops and bars and reastaurants are all getting festive for the occasion and covering everything with pink boa's and feathers. Soo weird.... who knew we would find all these random crazy festivals touring the Garden Route in South Africa?? What a good laugh for me and Beck!!

Today we went to the Elephant Sanctuary this morning and that was really great. Back in the day they hunted the elephants in the Knysna area to almost extinction... there were only 3 left!! So they now look after them and have about 12. They are trying really hard to build the herd up, but the elephants are captive now and could never live in the wild again. They have had 2 births at the sanctuary, and the rest of the elephants have come in from northern south africa as orphans. We got to feed them and cuddle them, and get loads of pics. I forgot I had an apple in my pocket for myself as a snack, and a 22 year old female elephant could smell it. So she kept pulling on my jacket and wrapping her trunk around me until I realized it was the apple she was after!!! Soo funny!!!! Smart girl!!

Then it was on the Bazbus and made our way down further south to George, and took another shuttle inland to Oudtshoorn. This afternoon will be pretty low key, but tomorrow morning the adventure begins. I am booked to hit up a Wildlife park where I will be petting cheetahs, and white tigers. After that I will be attempting to ride an Ostrich at one of the many Ostrick farms that we came here to see. Wish me luck everyone!! Ha ha!!

Tomorrow afternoon I catch the bus to Capetown where we get in quite late. Then for May 1st I will be taking a tour to Stonetown, I think is it, to see the penguin colony. Then for the evening up to the top of Table Mountain to watch the sun go down over the 2 oceans that meet.

It's been a busy few days, but I am having a great time. Not really looking forward to the 2 days of airplane rides but am really looking forward to coming home.

Talk to you all soon!!!

Love you B

Alas, I had to leave Coffee Bay. I could only spend 2 nights there because the 3rd night they were fully booked in my hostel. I could have stayed somewhere else but the Coffee Shack was the place to be. My second day there I went down the street to another hostel where some people I had met before were staying. Hung out for the afternoon and got into some drinking... it was an interesting walk back to my hostel for sure. Ha ha.....

After a mandatory stop in Port Elizabeth for one night, I caught the Bus again to Jeffrey's Bay. What another awesome place!!! Soo nice!! I met an English girl named Becca, ha ha, and we have decided to travel together for a bit. We shopped our buts off in Jeffrey's Bay at the factory shops for Billabong, Quicksilver, and Rip Curl. Jeffrey's Bay is the place to be if you want to surf for sure!!! Then we had some dinner at our hostel and played some pool with some locals...

Today we came to Storms River, which is like a completely different country. We are in the middle of a forest, that reminds me a lot of BC. Becca is gone on a Canopy Tour amoungst the trees, but I'm just going to relax this afternoon and hang out. Tomorrow we are heading to Knysna, where in the afternoon I'm going to go to an Elephant Park, where you get to feed and pet them. And get a ride if you're lucky!!! Sweet!! Our hostel looks over a huge lagoon apparently so I'm sure that is going to be super beautiful.

5 days left... I can't believe it is almost over. I am ready to come home though, and am so happy I had the opportunity to experience this whole trip.

Chat soon guys!!

Becky xo

Hey all!!! So didn't make it to Coffee Bay when I expected to. I had a bit of a mix up with the Bazbus and ended up taking the Greyhound after 2 nights in Durban. But it was all good in the end. I got to do some laundry in an actual machine, and Felix (Swiss), and Christina (Danish), and I went to the aquarium for the afternoon on the beach. It turned out to be a good day.

So after a long day on a Greyhound, I had another hour and a bit down the worst pothole road in history to get to Coffee Bay. But trust me guys... the wait and the travel was well worth it for sure!! This place is absolutely gorgeous. It's like something out of a movie... Rolling green hills, high as can be, ending in huge black boulders and rock beds that the waves crash into over and over. It's honestly like something out of a movie. Breathtaking!! I was only going to spend 2 nights here but I think I may spend 3. I just can't get over the beauty. The hostel and the poeple working here are great poeple as well!!! Soo nice. Last night we all played a game of killer pool, and then some locals came and had a jam session with drums for us. Sweet!! Tonight is a harvest festival that the locals have so I can see things getting a bit crazy ha ha!!

I have mixed emotions about Capetown though for sure. I have heard so many bad stories and so many good stories as well. Both from locals and from travellers. I guess I will have to wait and see for myself.

That's all for now though, can't wait to see everyone!! I can't wait for my own bed and shower. And to not have to live out of a bag anymore.

Love you all!! Ima go explore the beach some more!!

xoxo B

Hey guys... I made it to Jo'burg today!! Woop woop!!! But first let's talk about the crazy thing I did yesterday!!! I bungi jumped the 3rd highest jump in the world. It's off the bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe, over Victoria Falls. It's 111m, so over 300 feet!! It was absolutely the scariest thing I have ever done in my life!! Of course the girls all voted me to go first and holy moly!!! I wanted to be tough so I didn't hesitate, although I made the guy promise he wasn't going to push me ha ha ha!! The first few seconds I was like ok now I am going to die, but once you reach your drop speed you feel better and just like you are floating... And I got the dvd so you can all see and laugh at my face ha ha!!

Then last night the whole truck went on a booze cruise because it was the end of the trip for a lot of us, and also a few birthdays. That was great fun too.. we saw more hippos that were being shy, which is weird of hippos. After a bunch of sad goodbyes I got to the airport and made it here to Jo'burg. The flight was good and the food was even better, I was soo hungry!!

Tomorrow I get on the 'Bazbus', and make the drive to Durban, where I will stay for a night or two. We'll see. Jo'burg was really weird to look at from the plane. You would see subdivisions with pools in every backyard and then a highway, and then all the sudden slums for miles and miles. Kinda sad really....

So I'm off to dinner, and then to re-pack my bag. It was a little hard to do this morning in the tent. I know I can pack it better. And I am just overweight at 22.7 kg.... ha ha ooopsy!!

Can't wait to see everyone soon!!! And can't wait to sleep tonight in a nice bed with sheets and 4 walls!!! And no mosquito net necessary ha ha!

Talk to you all soon, love you babes and bubs and fams....

xoxo B

So sadly we had to leave the beach, well not too sadly... it rained the one day we were there.... all day!! UUGGGHHH!!!

We stayed at one campsite for a night in Malawi before crossing the border the next day and staying pretty much on the border to Zambia for one night. Then we stayed in the capitol of Zambia, Lusaka, for one night, and now we are finally at Victoria Falls!!

Wow what a place!! We spent the afternoon at the falls today... and holy cow!! They are amazing. The water is high right now so the falls are hard to see because of all the mist. It's like Niagara x a million!!! Just standing there looking at the falls you get absolutely drenched because of the mist. It's like you're in a rainstorm!! HA HA, it was super hot today so none of us minded too much! :) Tomorrow a bunch of us are going to bungy jump over the falls woo hoo!! And then tomorrow evening the whole truck is doing a booze cruz down the river, yeah!!

Tuesday I leave and fly to Jo'burg where I start my journey to Cape Town. I can't say I'm not happy to be off the truck and on my own for a bit....

I was sick for a few days and the guides, Richard, Mark and Emma, almost took me to get a Malaria test, but thankfully today I am feeling much better!! No malaria for me ha ha ha!!

Sooo... Anita.. Get mom to call Peggy at H&R Block again because I still haven't received my tax return, and could you book Bubba in to the Petland by Futureshop on 32nd for a wash, for one of the days after I'm home please?? HA HA putting you to work for not saving up my money!!

Talk to you all in another few days!! Love you all!!!

xoxoxo B

Hey all!! Right now we are at Kande beach in Malawi. What a place.... we are on Lake Malawi and it has waves crashing the shore like the ocean would. Apparently the lake is 350 km across and 56 km wide or something. We can see Mozambique from our shore, but just the mountains there off in the distance. We've been here a few days and unfortunately a lot of ppl have gotten a bit of a stomach virus. Everyone's been using the toilet.

Just next door to our campground though, is a lady by the name of Robyn Casey. She is a mom of 4 grown children and she is from Australia. She came here in 2004 to do a year long work term with her church and now lives here!! She has built 10 small nursery schools along the beach, where kids come from 7 am to 11 am, and also feeds about 1000 children porridge every morning. She also has a women's weekly meeting on Fridays and the men come on Sunday mornings befor church. They talk about all community issues, with HIV and malnutrition being the biggest concerns. Women will also come by if their children are sick in search of help. AND she has done all of this wonderful work by donation only. She said for as little as $300 a month that will provide breakfast for all 1000 kids or so that come, and keep one nursery school employed and running. She was granted her land from the cheif of the village and it's amazing to see what she has done with the place, all out of the kindness of her heart. She employs 56 local people to help her, and satistics here show that by employing 1 person it effects 40 others. She is amazing. So please check out her website... www.mphatso.org. And you can email her at: contact@mphatso.org.

When she first started here the locals called her "mphatso" which she though oh great.. they think I'm fat.... but really mphatso means gift in the local language. Soo sweet.

But we leave this place tomorrow and start our way down to Victoria Falls, Zambia. Sadly I only have 2 nights there and then I leave everyone and fly to Jo'burg. I'm looking forward to having some time on my own and be free to do my own thing for a few days. And I am happy to get out of here soon to see my beloved and my puppy. And yes everyone else too.... lol!! I need to get out of here soon because I'm already going to have to get rid of a lot of my clothes in order to fit all my souveniers ha ha ha!!

Anyways, that's all for now guys... catch ya later!!

xoxo

Hey everyone!! I know it's been a while since I posted anything but the internet is getting to be slim pickings these days.

So we spent a night at a snake park in Arusha, Tanzania. It's basically like a zoo for snakes, crocodiles, tortoises and birds. It was neat there because we all played this drinking game and then toured the snakes. It's open untill 3 am.

Then it was off to the Serengeti National park, passing through Ngorongoro Conservation area, where we spent one night in the bush (serengeti). That was a little scary to say the least because you could hear large animals making noise at night!! It almost sounded like they were walking right by the tent. And we couldn't have any food in the tent because the bush pigs will come in to get it. Ahhh!! The serengeti was really cool! There were seriously millions, not thousands, millions of Wildebeast and Zebras in the valley!!! Crazy!!

After 2 nights in the park we moved back to the Ngorongoro. We camped out on the rim of an inactive volcano, that is now just called the crater. That was super nice, the view was amazing. We had a huge male elephant walk right through the camp as well. A little scary but he was playing shy, which was weird because he was soo massive and his tusks were unbeleivable. We toured down into the crater for the next days morning activities, and got to see some more Rhinos and a lion family with 3 big males!! AMAZING!!

Then we were back to the snake park for a night then made the long haul to Dar es Salaam on the Indian ocean. One night there and then on the fairy to the island of Zanzibar, and white sand beaches!!! We spent one night in Stonetown a super Muslim place, and we are just on our second night here at a beach hotel. You guys should see my tan now!! Woop woop!!!

Tomorrow sadly, we go back to the mainland. Boo!! But being on the island was definitely a nice break from tenting. HA HA!!

So that's it for now... I'm still alive, and kicking!! Hope everyone is doing well back home and the baby hasn't forgotten about his favorite aunty?!?!?!? I miss my darling Bubba more than words can tell, but a lot of the places here have pets so it helps. And yes my junks too!!!

Love you all, see you in 25 days!!!! xoxoxoxox

B out!

Hey guys!! So the Masai wasn't really what I was expecting. Apparently on our travels somewhere else we get to be with the natives and see them sing and dance and stuff. This time we just went to another national park.

We saw Elephants, Buffalos, Lions, a cheetah and lots of wildebeast and antelope and deer type things. Hyeina's (not sure of the spelling ha ha), and wart hogs. The lions were 3 momma ones and 7, yes 7, babies!! Wait till you see my pics!!! Soo cute!!! Up in the trees lounging around and stuff. Awww.....

So we are back in Nairobi today after 2 nights out there in the park. Tomorrow we leave for Tanzania and won't be back to Kenya again. So buh bye to the first half of my trip. Only about a month left... kinda sad but still enjoying everything!! We spend another night in a park I think, and then off to Zanzibar to lounge on the island beach for a few days... Ahh relaxation!! We apparently sleep in huts right on the white beach!! I'm already super tanned but can't wait to see how much darker I can get!

There are 24 people now on the tour so a FULL bus. And we only picked up 2 more guys, so there are 6 guys and the rest are girls. From all over the world, Irish, Aussies, and English. One America, another Canadian... oh and some kiwi's.

It's all fun though and everyone seems super nice so far. The accents are hard to understand sometimes but it's all good.

Ta ta for now guys... still can't wait to show you all my pics and tell you all more stories!!

XOXOXO Becky out!

So we finally made it back to Nairobi yesterday afternoon. After a brutal 3 straight days on the truck. Ugghh!! Not fun at all.

We went to our driver Letaloi's, bar last night for an awesome dinner. We got 2 sheep legs (I know it was a little weird to eat that but it was really good), a bowl of this salsa type stuff, mashed potatoe with sweet corn in it and pumpkin leaves, and this super common dish that is like a flour dough stuff. You eat it all with your hands too, so it was a fun/interesting dinner. Then we all partied it up because Hanco, our trainee tour guide, is leaving us now here in Nairobi. We will only have Richard and Letaloi now, but I'm sure it will still be good fun!

Tomorrow we leave for the Masai Village and stay out there for a few days. We also pick up the rest of the passengers for the tour. We've been pretty spoiled on the truck with only 7 of us for 24 seats. But tomorrow we are going to be at full capacity, which is going to suck I think. Oh well. The Masai people are still really native and tribal, and they live now today as they have for centuries. It should be an interesting few days with them. And hopefully out there we will see some lions!!

Missing home a little now. It's hard to see the poverty everywhere you go and not have it effect you. It definitely makes you appreciate everything you have.. possession wise and also friends and family.

So that's all for today... catch you all again soon!!

xoxo

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been soo long since I wrote.. we didn't have any internet in the mountains in Uganda.

So rafting down the Nile was absolutely insane!! When we flipped I thought I was going to die because the water is so strong and turbulent! It was a great day nonetheless! Got a little sunburned, but it's all tanning now.

Then we traveled to the mountains and saw the gorillas... holy cow! You guys are going to love my stories. Let's just say the second in command to the silverback was about an arms length away from me, but he surprised me so I almost peed my pants!! I had tears streaming down my face I was soo scared!! They are breathtaking animals and so passive and peaceful.... as long as you don't startle them haha!

Now we are on route back to Nairobi and then we will go to the Masai Mara village for a few days. The people there are very native and still live like the natives have for centuries. Like they wear loin clothes for clothes and stuff. So that should be really fun and really cool to see the culture!

Hopefully I will be able to get on here a little sooner than how long this took next time. Hope my bubba is doing well.. give him my love!!

Missing you all, love you all!! Talk to you soon!

xoxo

Hey everyone!! So the trip is going good so far... our first day we saw rhinos, giraffes, african buffalo and cows, lots of birds, and baboons and monkeys. No lions or and big cats yet, but that's ok... I sill have lots of time. Our first night we stayed in a national park camping. That was a little nerve-wracking... we didn't see any lions but they are out there! Then we stayed in a campground for one night. And now we are here in Uganda for 3 nights.

The campground is cool though, they always have bars, pools, little shops and proper showers. And you can upgrade from camping to a proper room but we just pitch our tents on the grass. Last night we got here and all got a little silly in the bar.. ha ha didn't go to bed until 4. There was an Irish band playing all night, so it was weird. The bar looks out over a cliff to the White Nile river. I can't even describe the view! There is a white and a blue nile that connect here in Uganda to form the Nile river, that runs all the way through Egypt to the red sea. It's the only major river that runs from south to north in the world. Pretty cool! It was weird getting drunk in a bar in Uganda, looking over the nile river, listening to an Irish band!! HA HA!!

Tomorrow we are going white water rafting down the Nile and the whole thing is either level 4 or 5!!! Woop woop!! It's going to be nuts. Then the day after we head to another town called Kampala, then shortly after that off to seek out the gorillas in the jungle!!

It's stinking hot again... but I'm surviving. Would love to do my hair for once, and maybe put on makeup, but no girls do sooo I fit in at least. lol!!

Miss you all!! Probrably won't be able to write until next week or weekend sometime so don't worry if you don't hear.. I will just be in the middle of nowhere for a while.

Love you all!! Missing everyone tons!!

Hey everyone!! So the flight to get here to Nairobi was interesting. I was basically on a plane from 9 am until 1230 am. With 2 stops but only about an hour lay-over at Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. It was freezing there too, it was only 17 and coming from 47 I was so cold in the airport. The first night I just went to bed, and forced myself to get up early and go to town. It is not what you really think it's gona be like here. People are very friendly and it is actually a very safe city. You have to be aware there are some purse snatchers around but otherwise everyone wants to know where you are from and what you are doing here. After town I went and lounged by the pool with some drinks and then met a couple local girls who took me out dancing. Oh what a night! Sure fun and found a lot of white people surprisingly!! LOL! And now you guys are going to be jealous. Today getting up with a bit of a hangover was hard, but I had to because I went to an Elephant orphanage. Oh yes, I did..... Soooo cute!!! All the babies have had their mothers killed by either poaching or some illegal way, and this place looks after the babies. The have one as young as 2 months old!! Got good video of them all playing in a puddle with a big bouncy ball after they ate lunch. And I also went to a giraffe park where I got to feed them... soo cool. They are soo big but so gentle.

So now just had dinner at the hotel and going to my tour meeting at 6. Then off tomorrow onto the tour!! Woo hoo!!

Oh and I got a cell phone.... the number is 7 16 813 687. Remember I am 10 hours ahead of you guys right now, so feel free to call but do the math!! You would dial 254 7 16 813 687. They want about $7 a min from the hotel here to call Canada and a cell is just way cheaper and easier to do it this way.

Talk to you all when I get a chance, love ya all miss ya tons!! Hope my bubba is doing well?

Hey everyone... wow got internet 2 days in a row!! Thanks for all the replies... lets me know some people are still there ha! So uploading pics on here is slow... maybe it's just because I'm in Burkina... will try in Kenya, maybe it will be quicker. But I am going to try and get some on facebook too!

Chat soon! Anita do you remember you are picking up those peeps on the 18th???

xoxoxoxo

Hey everyone!!! Soo sorry I haven't been on here yet!! 3rd world country and all!!!

Lets start with Paris.... ummm gorgeous!! The architecture is out of this world!! Soo old fashioned and soo romantic. Got lots of pics. But everyone smokes!!! It's weird to see every person you walk by on the cobble-stone streets to be smoking. It was cold unfortunately and kinda rainy so I got a sore throat. But, I was a smart girl and got meds from the doc befor I came for that. The mona lisa is nice but a huge exaggeration... kinda lame actually. But the louvre museum is nuts. There is this whole wing that is set up exactly how Napoleon III had it when he lived there. (The museum used to be the castle where all the kings and royalty lived. Absolutely huge!!! It spans like 12 city blocks or something.)

Enough about Paris though..... Africa is amazing!!! Everyone should try and come here for sure. Its really 3rd world and it's sad when you really think about it, but these people are so happy and hospitable. They give you everything they have to make you comfy.... It has been sweltering here. This past week in the village of Boura, on the Bridges of Hope compound where we are staying, it's been 44 degrees celcius or more the whole time. Thank goodness there is "siesta", - where everything shuts down from 12-3pm because of the heat. So we can sleep it off. You feel great when you get up. The sun comes up around 4 am when the rooster crows, ugh. And goes down around 7.It takes a bit to get used to the donkeys too, ha ha, they scream all night long, it's kinda weird. None of us can figure out what their problem is? (Hee haw, hee haw donkey!! Right mom, haha!!) The compound has an infirmary, sewing school, kitchen house (where we stay, well some of the team, the rest of us sleep outside in a hut under bug nets cause it's too hot), an orphanage, a school, a library, and a malnutrition building. Keep in mind though none of these buildings are really finished and are all in need of supplies.

The school is in Yuro just down the road a bit. And guys I can't even describe how perfect it is. There are these huge 40 foot tress all around it, and it is just soo serene and quiet and beautiful. I lost it the first day I saw it, of course. It's amazing... The walls are all up. I have so many pics and stories to show and tell you all! The people are amazing and the children are unbelieveable. They call us Na-sara, which means white lady. They like to stare and just want you to acknowledge them that's all.

Soo many pics!! I don't have time to upload them now.. but when I do I will add some. Thanks Anita for letting me know bubs is ok. I miss that big galute so much, he's my shadow and it's gone. Don't forget you gotta pick these guys up from the airport that day... and someone show mom that I wrote finally? sorry guys 3rd world country. And yes I miss my junky plums a lot too. I am definitely in need of some TLC and cuddle time.

But I gotta go, love you all and I will write again maybe on the weekend when I am in Kenya and be able to add some pics then too!!! xoxoxoxo

PS- ya we watched the gold medal game in Paris in our hotel room on the tiny tv!! Woop woop for Canada, I almost died when the US tied it with 24 seconds left!!!

Holy!!! 3 more sleeps and I'm going...... I am super excited.. yet a little apprehensive. Thanks to everyone who helped me get to this point in any way at all!! You all have no idea how much it is appreciated. And dad, hope you're ready to see the African continent. XOXOXOXOXO

18 days!! Holy smokes!!

Details of my trip.

So leaving the 26th of February, the first 3 days will be spent in Paris, France with my Bridges of Hope team. We then travel to Burkina Faso, Africa. There I will spend 10 days getting to help build the school I am creating as a legacy to my late father Jim Barton. Also we will be touring some orphanages and hospitals along the way. And we get to spend a day with our foster children. I have 2 Adiara and Loukmane. The main goal of this trip to Burkina is to experience life over there to be able to spread the word back home about how we can help and aid the 3rd poorest country in the world. (Pics to come.)
When I leave Burkina I will be going on a 36 day tour with Acacia tours. It starts in Nairobi, Kenya, and ends in Livingstone, Zambia. On this tour I will travel into Kenya, Rwanda/Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. In Rwanda/Burundi I will do a 1 day hike to see Gorillas in their natural habitat. We will be traveling to numerous national and big game parks including the Serengeti, Bwindi, Masai Mara, Olduvai Gorge and many other places and parks. Livingstone is where the world famous Victoria Falls are and I spend a few days there before flying out to Johannesburg. From here I have another 12 days to back pack across South Africa, where I will come home from Cape Town on May 2nd, 2010. (Of course pics to come!)

Making this blog

Ok so don't really know what I'm doing here but giving it my best shot!