5 Things you MUST do in Barcelona! #1 - Magic Fountains

I love these five things posts, here's five reasons why I love these five things posts:

1. You know what you're getting - five things
2. Normally I like things in threes, but three isn't always enough

Yep, I've run out of reasons. This is awkward. Well I started this post with the intention of shoe-horning all these things in one post, but I've decided to split them out in to separate posts. It's my blog and I'll do as I please :)

ANYWAY! I was in Barcelona a few weeks ago and had an incredible week. I realised that quite a lot of people tend to go there on a city break for maybe 3 days/2 nights, but we were lucky enough to go there for a week. Barcelona is expensive, so you have to know how to play it.

1. Magic Fountains of Montjuic - They're called magic fountains for a reason ok? It's a free water show that takes place between 9-11pm. So basically, you think 'Oh right, well I'm short of cash and I quite like a water fountain anyway, so I'll pop along and check it out.'

You get the Metro to Placa Espanya and see some fountains in the middle of a huge roundabout and feel a big anticlimax. BUT WAIT! Those aren't the fountains you've come to see! Turn left and you'll walk up an avenue that is lined with loads of fountains.

- It's at this point you realised you forgot to pee and there's A LOT OF WATER AROUND THAT IS NOT HELPING. Uh oh.

Make your way up to the top and you'll be greeted with a huge crowd all staring at a giant water fountain. You're underwhelmed aren't you? Well take a look at these photos and see what I mean! My camera is 100% not waterproof, so I couldn't take too many as the spray is everywhere from the fountains!

But being that far away isn't fun and you can't really hear the excellent music that plays in time with the jets. Move closer and prepare to get soaked. Now that's the fun part.

 

Great fun and all without spending a penny. However, it will leave you needing to spend a penny if you forget to pee beforehand.

I'll always treasure the memory of Queen's 'Barcelona' starting up and everyone just going crazy to it getting absolutely soaked. You definitely don't need to pay loads of money to have the most fun.

Fountains of fun! Here's a link to the site with more info on times and dates of shows etc.

My Favourite Blogs Right Now...

I love blogs. That is partly why I have a blog of my own. Duh.

I love clicking on to someone's page and seeing what they have to say, but I am massively guilty of bouncing straight off again if I don't feel like sticking around. Apologies if you have high bounce rates, that would be my fault.

I especially love blogs that make me laugh out loud or talk about cats or give me money saving tips (because I have no money and therefore need to save money) or are just plain random. Love it. I like to think this list below gives some kind of blueprint of my brain...

Here's my list of my current favourite blogs/sites:

Just general chitchat and excellent use of swear words:
http://luvandhat.tumblr.com/ - My absolute all time fave right now. Two writers, one topic or object. One loves said object/topic, one hates it. Brilliant. Read it and read it again. The only negative is that it's not updated as often as I'd demand, but it keeps me going back for more. Just like a drug addict.

Just hilarious travel:
http://roymarvelous.com/ Laugh Out Loud score is a healthy 8/10, very well done Roy. Almost got busted for reading it in the office but IT IS WORK RELATED I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW. Back off. It's about travel and I work in travel. Roy has a great writing style and has had a lot of fun on his travels so far, read it please.

Just pretty things:
http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/ Crikey - I've spent so much time getting lost on this blog, but I justify it because it keeps me out of mischief. I'd just be scribbling on walls, supergluing coins to the pavement or posting Josh's credit cards through the floorboards if I wasn't reading blogs. Plus, it's mega creative and full of good tips. And photos of pretty shoes. All very important stuff.

Just love the writing style:
http://25pillsaday.wordpress.com/ You might have seen Mary's blog post '15 things white girls like to do on facebook' which went viral a year or so ago, I've been following it since then. I love her writing style and she has the cutest dog called Monty. I'm not even a dog person but Monty makes my heart melt. Nice work, Mary. You have the ability to make light of a tough situation and I applaud you for that.

Just because:
http://maddieonthings.com/ Yeah that's right, when I've had a hard day at the office I like to come home, take a bath and then look at Maddie the dog and all of the things she can stand on ok?! This dog is incredible.

No one has paid me for any of these recommendations, but I have no issue with taking bribes to get your site on this list. I'm just kidding. (Email me)

No, I actually am kidding, just looking to share a little blog love in this cyber world.

Ok see you later!

Taking photos of clouds: My new obsession...

I have a fairly addictive personality, but I'm aware of it so I can channel it in the right direction. I get little obsessions and I'm loyal to them for as long as it takes to get bored of them and toss them aside.

So, I'm a little surprised that I'm married :)

My previous obsession was a game called Bejeweled on the iPhone. I didn't even HAVE an iPhone at the time, but I blame my sister Beth for getting me hooked on this game, she's like a pusher. She gave me a taste of it and then I was addicted. One time I played it for three hours straight and only stopped when Josh threatened to cut off my supply (it was his phone) and divorce me. When I stopped looking at the screen I could still see all the jewels... not good.

Check out my super high score though! (it came at a price...)

So... I was talking about clouds, not Bejeweled... My latest obsession is taking photos of clouds. And trees. I just love them. Give me a photo with clouds AND trees AND Instagram and I'm all over that.

Hell to the yeah.

On with the cloud love!

I've always loved clouds, even before I'd been in a plane (I first flew when I was 14 I think, to Holland) and I wondered what it would be like to fly through one.

I can name loads of different clouds too, yeah. Cirrus, stratus, cumulonimbus... errrr. Fluffy ones, giraffe shaped ones... well you don't have to know everything about something to appreciate it, I say.

I'm hoping to actually experience what falling through a cloud is as I'm doing a charity parachute jump soon. Good Lord that even frightened me to type that.

Hope you like my cloud pictures! I love Yorkshire.

I don't know what to write about first!

What a mental July I've had.

Presented an idea in front of 12 serious suits at the HQ of the company who owns the company I work for (big smiley face logo, you know the one) in the hopes of winning £1,500 towards another trip somewhere (can you guess where I'd go?!)

Kenya - I might have mentioned it.

Barcelona - For a week, for my birthday. Lots of tapas. Countless sangrias. Sun! Vitamin D ahoy! Rooftop pool, couldn't be more different to Kenya...

York. Just because I fancied getting on a train.

I'm getting closer and closer to home with my trips it seems. Time to go away again.

So there's plenty of things I have to write about and I REALLY enjoy writing. I just need to try and put it down in a way that doesn't make any sense to you whoever you are, reading this. I mean it barely makes sense at best anyway...

What I will do is this... because I haven't done it for ages:

Things I'm excited about!

(I can't remember if I used to do bullet points or numbers and I HATE being inconsistent) *quick check confirms it was bullets*

• Ooh! I might be doing a parachute jump for Lunahome in Kenya which I'm sh*tting myself really excited about. Why wouldn't you be excited about throwing yourself out of a plane?

• On that same note, there's talk of us climbing Mount Kilimanjaro too next year to raise money. Oh God. I'm really going have to start taking the gym seriously aren't I?

• The Olympics. That's right. I'm on board. GB! GB! GB! Although I'm also cheering on Kenya and Uganda at every opportunity.

• Going camping this weekend to see my lovely little sister's wedding venue. Exciting. We're off to the Lake District. PLEASE DON'T RAIN. I'm not good at camping in the rain, I get very grumpy.

I'll be back with more stories from far and near. Stick with me.

x x x x

10 Reasons Why I Love Kenya...

So, I've been to Kenya three times now and had three VERY different experiences there. Here are just a few of the reasons I love this wonderful country...

Can't I just say one reason and hit the beach?

1. The Kenyan Olympic runner Ezekiel Kemboi stabbed a man in Kenya and was on trial for this crime, but they still allowed him to compete in the Olympics. I love Kenya.

2. Nyoma choma is a meal where you order meat in kilograms, wash it all down with beer and eat it with your hands. Carnivore heaven, veggie hell. Meat and beer, you can't beat it.

3. When I was following a truck load of men all wearing the same clothes sitting in the back of a pickup truck, I asked if they were the local football team... the reply? 'No, they're prisoners'. They were riding in the back of the open pick up truck. Oh, ok then *locks car door*

4. Public transport? You have a choice of a boda-boda (get on the back of a motorbike and cling on) tuk-tuk (3 wheeled rickshaw thing which I think runs on AA batteries) or a matatu (a 9 seater minivan which normally has a minimum of 15 passengers at any time PLUS at night time, they turn in to mobile disco vans pumping out vintage Britney Spears and Ace of Base) Your guidebook will tell you avoid them all at all costs, but don't you dare avoid them! Otherwise you're paying well over the odds for a private taxi, and that's no fun. What the hell does the Rough Guide know about anything anyway...

5. Talking of tuk-tuks, it's so easy to flag one down and being a tourist, what I find the funniest is that even if they already have a passenger AND they're going in the other direction, they'll pull a u-turn and chuck out their passenger so that they can charge me over the odds for a ride.

6. Mazungu means 'whites' in Swahili. So, 'white person'. You'll be walking along and hear 'hey, Mazungu, how are you?' or 'Hey Mazungu, you give me fifty bob' which just has me in stitches every time, I don't get mad at that. Unless it's said in a derogatory way in which case I act in typical Brit fashion and curse under my breath and walk away.

7. The music. I just love it, it gets under my skin and everyone that I've met just seems to love music and dancing and dance without shame. I don't have natural rhythm, plus I have hips, so that doesn't make for a great sight on the dance floor all the time but I don't care.

8. I'd move to Kenya just for the beer, NO! Sorry, not for the beer, for the Tusker brand of beer. I'm not a beer drinker at home, but it's cheap and cold and sooooo refreshing. I can just picture it now with the condensation running down the neck. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, when is the next flight to Kenya?

9. I'm teaching myself Swahili and it's not going so bad. I managed to have an argument with a tuk-tuk driver in Swahili, so I must be learning it... It's a great language and I loved it EVEN MORE ONCE I REALISED THAT THE LION KING IS BASED ON SWAHILI! Simba is ACTUALLY lion in Swahili... woah. This changed EVERYTHING.

10. They sell Top Deck chocolate bars in the supermarkets. Remember Top Deck? It was from Cadburys and was milk chocolate with white chocolate on top. Good Lord that stuff is magic.

Hmmm, so it seems that most of these points are around food and drink. Ooops. I'll be back with more food and drink political and religion based points next time. (I won't.)

Asante sana and kwaheri x

Where Your Donations Went...

Jambo!

I wanted to put a post together so that I didn't fill up your inboxes with an email with fifty million pictures attached. You think I'm kidding? I'm kind of kidding, lets try seven hundred photos perhaps.

So, while I was away, I got on the ol' interweb and sent a fairly emotional email back home to you folks and you were kind enough to send a total of £550 across - which is amazing, thank you. I can't tell you how much I cried when I saw the total! It helped hugely that I was there right then and there and could go and spend it and photograph it, but I have huge faith and trust in Ashleigh, who is out there right now, and Georga who lives in Ireland and manages the account you paid money in to.

Ashleigh is in the floral dress, Georga in the blue top

I'll tell you a little bit about Lunahome, the house where the children live. Ashleigh and Georga were ex- i-to-i volunteers who'd never met each other before last July and they kindly invited me (or I gatecrashed, I'm not sure) out to dinner on my second night in Kenya. I loved listening to the two of them, they're like a married couple, despite Georga being married to a lovely guy called Connor...

They told me that the original project they worked at with i-to-i had some horrific abuse (both physical, sexual and mental) and the owner of the home was involved in a huge amount of corruption. I won't name any names here as its an ongoing thing sadly. To cut an extremely long story short, Ashleigh and Georga could have buried their heads in the sand, but they chose to do some digging, chose to completely turn their own lives around in the hopes of helping the children at the home.

They went to the police, they went to the Children's Department, they went everywhere and came up against a whole lot of red tape, but refused to back down and fly home knowing that they had children depending on them.

Sadly, things don't run that fast in Kenya anyway, and when there's corruption involved, it takes even longer. So Ashleigh and Georga have opened a beautiful home of their own, Lunahome, and are happy to say that 15 children have now been taken off the streets and are in their care. Amazing.

No money from the government goes towards the home, it exists purely from donations, so the money you sent is amazing. Thank you again.

It's fair to say this place has stolen quite a large part of my heart and I can't wait to go back and see everyone again. Here are some photos of where your money went. Enjoy:

Ashleigh and I went shopping!

 

We ordered quality wooden furniture

We painted aforementioned wooden furniture!

And made a mess...

More toys!

More furniture!

Your cash in Kenyan Shillings! It made it over safely :)


I could go on for a lot longer but I'll leave it there for now. You've made 15 children very happy and of course it doesn't have to end there! You can make a donation of any amount whenever you can via this link http://www.mycharity.ie/donate_charityIndex.php?charityID=628


Asante sana and kwaheri (thank you and goodbye) Katie x x

Sorry About The Silence, I've Been in Kenya...

Wow. I'm back in England.

I'm not allowed to say Kenya anymore because I've been talking about it so much I've been banned from saying it out loud.
What a difference a week makes. I spent one week in Kenya and I went with absolutely no plans other than to make the most of a week away from my desk.

It was easily one of the best weeks of my whole life! Everything just fell in to place and worked out so well, I met some amazing people, some amazing little people and visited amazing places.

In one week I:

• Navigated my way around Mombasa alone on public transport
• Hand fed a giraffe
• Drank countless Tusker beers and tequila shots
• Met 15 amazing children at Lunahome Children's Home
• Raised £600 in donations from friends and family back home for Lunahome
• Spent a very pleasant afternoon drinking whiskey in a safari park and playing cards
• Ate roadside chicken and regretted it
• Blagged my way into a 5 star hotel saying it was my birthday
• Had an average of 4 hours sleep a night
• Sang 'Sweet Child of Mine' on a micrphone with the first butch Kenyan lady I've seen
• Learnt even more Swahili and managed to argue with a tuk tuk driver in Swahili :)
• Feel even deeper in love with Kenya

I have to go back and quickly. 15 children have stolen my heart and I don't mind one little bit. I'll tell you about them all in another post as I'm too emotional about the whole trip to even try and sum it up.

I just loved being there and feeling so independent. It helped that this was my third visit, but I felt smug for some reason when chatting to people who were flying there and had no plans to leave their resort. As they were being bussed there in their air-conditioned buses, I was in a tuk-tuk on my way to the supermarket to get some fruit and Top Deck chocolate - do you remember Top Deck? White chocolate and then milk chocolate at the bottom? Anyway, I digress.

Here's a few picture highlights of my trip:

That's all for now, but trust me, you haven't heard the last about Kenya on this blog :)