Charlotte's web........log

Where to start on this already epic journey??? Europe was cold, expensive and monotonous. I developed a liking to “granny napping” (you know the type, when your Nan nods off in exactly the same position that she was sitting in and then feigns that she was just “resting her eyes”. By the way sunglasses are a brilliant aid in this master case of foolery!) and a fear of going to the toilet (or passing wind!) amongst the lads (and we all know if the latter doesn’t happen then you explode to your death!). I “decided” to pick up an injury to my right knee after a night sleeping in the back of the car on top of the equipment (Switzerland being uber expensive to our budget) and spent the day locked in the back of Lady Jane with my leg stretched out, worried that my journey had ended without even touching African soil!

 

Twenty-four hours later, overly priced food, a smaller hobble and a deserved shower, Football Africa had made it! Tunisia and Libya was, for the better word, boring, thus leading me to being a Jedi of my developed “granny napping” technique, the ability to sleep upright without aid or the annoyance that my head will do the “bob” that inevitably wakes the nodder up. General annoyances here were men who just stare and our Libyan guide, who didn’t speak a word of English, didn’t have a clue about direction and took advantage of a hospitable friend of Howie’s by using the washing machine without asking and then proceeding to hang his clothes over our cars-Useless!

 

We all know the story about Ed eating an “unknown” source HALF eaten burger and chips… well he finally finished the meal, 6 months later in Egypt, with my half eaten ice cream, again in front of witnesses with no remorse! Note for self survival, never leave food unattended if in a mile radius of Edward! Egypt also bought us the Sphinx Guest House and the most amazing view of the Sphinx and Pyramids and an eager Charlotte to watching the sound and light show on the first night in three different languages to finally hear it in English only to find that if she had waited a night the first language was ENGLISH! Duh! Before leaving Egypt I had had my first shakra, my third eye cleansed, an introduction to orbs and the “New World” and had JJ shake on 100 camels for my hand in marriage to a large Arab man-euuww!

 

Sudan was hot, long, hot, bumpy, sweaty, long, hot, over heating, no water, hot, hot, sweaty, hot drive to Khartoum, where paradise waited in the form of Ed’s friends dad, Karam! Food, water, AIR CON and television were all gratefully and humbly received and ravished. To be fair, with all that I had read about Sudan, I was slightly terrified about the prospect of having to spend time there but I found the Sudanese people polite and giving in their nature. A warming visit to a Sudanese home and the offer of dates and Nile water led to good relations and bowel movement in all!

 

One final night in the desert, the easiest crossing so far, (no payments AT ALL!?!) a short drive to Gonda and it was “welcome” Football Africa to Ethiopia! It may have been nights of cockroach infested walls (me sleeping one night with the light on-till Andy had enough, and the rest with the comfort that if I shone my torch on them they would frazzle and melt out of existence. By the way that does not work!) but I really enjoyed it! The staff and associates from Link Ethiopia (company that links schools from Europe to Ethiopia to aid the education of pupils in both) were amazing and helpful into all our needs and questions. We even had our own “tracker” called Million (mum named him after he had 1/10000 chance of survival at birth) who was definitely the man on the street to know!

 

We are currently in Wim’s Holland House, Addas Abiba. A gorgeous little oasis in what seems like a cruel place after hearing a couple both in their late 50’s early 60’s tell us that they had had attempted mugging by five locals in the middle of a busy street! For Football Africa we are meeting with a link for Tackle Africa and  hopefully have a football game lined up for us in tomorrow just in time for us to get our stuff together and move on to Kenya!