The 5 things I always regret packing...

I'm really bad at travelling light ok? I'm really trying to get better at travelling with just hand baggage for three reasons:

1. It costs less if you just travel with hand baggage (yippee!)
2. Waiting at the baggage carousel for checked in luggage is probably where I'm most angry in life
3. I'm TRYING to convince myself that clothes and shoes are just materialistic and as long as you have your passport you will have everything you need... butttt my shoes are SO PRETTY. Whimper.

My top five items I ALWAYS seem to fall into the trap of packing and not needing at all are:

1. Too many clothes

The Barney toy, the whiskey and the cat are ESSENTIALS ok?

This one gets me EVERY time. I guess I'm gripped by panic that I NEED that skirt, that dress, those shorts AND that other dress so I won't run out of clothes. But really why do I need all these things? If I took half of the items, they could be worn in different ways with different combinations or can easily be washed and dry quickly in sunshine, so why is it necessary for me to take two outfits for each day? (true story)

2. Unnecessary toiletries

I worked in travel for five years and repeatedly told customers not to bother taking toiletries with them as there are plenty of shops and supermarkets to stock up on when they arrive... and yet... when it comes to me packing my bag, I can't help but throw in a shampoo... and conditioner (NECESSARY).. and mosquito repellent... and deodorant... and a razor... and before you know it I've clocked up a kilo on toiletries alone, and that's just the miniatures! Calm it down and hit the supermercado.

3. Too much makeup

When will I learn that there is NO POINT putting foundation on in a hot country that a) doesn't match my patchy red sunburnt skin tone and b) slides off my face with the heat anyway when I do put it on? From now on I'm only going to throw in a mascara, eyeliner and THAT IS IT. Oh, maybe an eyeshadow too. And possibly blusher. BUT THAT IS IT.

4. One pair of shoes I tell myself I will wear but never do

You know the pair, slightly glitzy, maybe a heel on them, strappy perhaps. But lo and behold, heat + lots of walking = swollen, unsexy feet that will not appreciate being shoved into a glitzy pair of wedges. I know I prefer plain ol' flip flops anyway, so this one shouldn't be a hard habit to kick. Shouldn't.

5. Too many guidebooks

Too many?

In this day and age with wifi all over the world, there is simply no excuse for carrying this many guidebooks... and yet, I am a bookworm. I love having a book to take with me that contains a full history of a country I'm going to, a basic language section and plenty of other gems. This small Swahili book goes with me on every trip to East Africa and it's so tattered now but I wouldn't be without it. Plus, it's more reliable than the internet. Good old books.

So that's my guilty list, what's on yours? 

It's been one year since my career break*

It's been one year since I packed my suitcase, ready to leave my life as I knew it to go and live in Kenya for three months.

It's been one year since I said the most emotional goodbye to The Boy and a year since he walked out the door and didn't look back for fear of not letting me go.

It's been one year since I was shaking from crying so much and wondering what the hell I was doing leaving my entire life, my marriage, my friends, my job... everything.

It's been one year since I dragged my suitcase over the road to the bus stop, crying the whole time and easily getting my own seat because no one wanted to sit next to the crying lady with all the bags

It's been one year since I stumbled my way through departures at Manchester Airport alone, called all my family and then boarded my first flight on a journey that would take 19 hours and three planes to eventually reach Mombasa, exhausted.

It's been one year since I stepped off the plane, breathed in the hot, dusty and exciting night time scent of Kenya, one year since I was met at the airport by my friend Alice and her daughter, and one year since everything slotted into place.

It's been one year since I knew I'd made the right decision. One year since realising that life was too short not to grab opportunities when they arise. Three months is three months, you have your whole life to be together at home. Mombasa is like a second home to me.

It's been a year since arriving and I still know leaving was the best decision I've ever made, I had the most amazing three consecutive months of my life and spent every day living life, feeling alive and having the most unbelievable zest for life and most importantly, steering me in the right direction.

I don't regret a thing. I don't regret changing my flight twice and paying through the nose for doing so (screw you, Emirates). I don't regret getting a tattoo to mark the significance of everything I risked to go there. I don't regret quitting my job to try something new (sorry i-to-i, it's true!) I don't regret spending everything in my savings account on the trip, because it's just MONEY. You can replace money, I can't replace the experience I had.

Oh, Kenya *sigh* what is this hold you have over me and when can I see you again? Am I being too clingy, Kenya? Are you thinking of me too? Call me.

Until next time... here's shitloads of some photos.

 *Disclaimer - my tenses are all over the place in this post and I don't care.

You don't HAVE to wear head to toe khaki on safari, asshole

I saw the funniest thing on my latest trip to Kenya while staying at Shimba Hills National Park.

I was sat outside our banda having breakfast overlooking the whole park, here was my view:

Sa-weeeet view man

Breakfast was going down very nicely until a safari jeep pulls up and a family of German tourists jumps out and I see that they are ALL wearing HEAD TO TOE KHAKI clothing. Including the toddler they had with them. They looked like idiots quite the sight.

I think when they read the 'Visit Kenya' guide there must have been a line in there saying they should wear khaki on safari, so they went to town and bought EVERYTHING KHAKI. There must not have been anything khaki left in the store after they visited.

It makes me laugh how some tourists stick to the 'rules' on holiday. I'm sure the guidebook only suggested wearing khaki coloured clothing on a walking safari to avoid scaring any animals because let's face it, when you're in a loud, rickety, white safari vehicle... it doesn't matter if you're wearing a turquoise top REALLY.

I could imagine Kenyans laughing so hard at them in their wake "hahaha these tourists are so funny, we are so glad we wrote in the guidebook about wearing khaki to see who would actually do it!". I've met many hilarious people from Kenya and they do enjoy practical jokes...

This was especially hilarious to me sat at the breakfast table wearing purple shorts and an orange top (shut up, it looked better than it sounds...) I guess you could call me a rule breaker.

5 top moments from my latest trip to Kenya

My last trip to Kenya was full of surprises. When I booked my last minute ticket, I promised myself that seeing as I was going back for a FIFTH TIME, I would try and do as much as possible that I'd never done before in Kenya.

I wanted to try new things, go to new places, meet new people, learn even more Swahili and try new foods.

As a result, I'm close to saying that I think I enjoyed my two week trip to Mombasa more than I enjoyed my three month experience there earlier this year... I think the attitude you have when you're only there for a few weeks is more intense and appreciative.

Consequently it's hard to narrow my experience down to five top moments but here we go:

1. Going to my first Kenyan wedding:

On arrival in Mombasa, I was invited to a Kenyan wedding ceremony and I was so excited! Saturday rolled around and I realised it was going to be OUTDOORS. In the SUN. At the HOTTEST part of the day. Uh oh - I was going to get back-sweat in my pretty dress. We turned up a little late to the location (pictured) and grabbed a seat in the shade (hurrah!) and chatted among ourselves while the wedding party had their photos taken in another location. So far, not so different from other weddings I've been to in England. 

Then the wedding party arrived and everything changed. Car horns blared, everyone cheered and ran over to the bridal car. The bride emerged from the car and performed a dance with all the women from the wedding party. Then all the women attending the wedding had to trail behind the bride dancing and I got dragged up to dance (and sweat). It seemed I something of a novelty as the only foreigner there... I didn't even know the bride but she welcomed me so warmly, it was great.

It was an amazing afternoon to be a part of and a real highlight of my trip.

2. Karaoke. But better.

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS. You might already know that I'm obsessed with karaoke, to the point where it's not even funny. So when my friend took me to a Go Kart track saying we were going for karaoke, I was skeptical to say the least. Never fear. When I arrived, there was a live band who gave out laminated sheets with songs on them THAT YOU COULD SING WITH THEM WITH THE BAND. Jesus, for me it doesn't get any better. I went three nights in a row and sang my heart out. I'M WITH THE BAND Y'ALL.

3. Sleeping in Shimba National Park

When I finally put the microphone down, I got out of Mombasa central and away from the humid coast. After I camped in the Serengeti once and FREAKED OUT, I told myself I'd never camp in a national park again. So this was a little different.

We stayed in a wooden banda cabin in the middle of the park, the picture above is the view directly outside the bandas - pretty special eh? We all had so much fun sitting around a campfire, listening to music and drinking whiskey right underneath the stars. It was the most special night of my trip for sure.

4. Overhearing a conversation in Swahili and UNDERSTANDING it

Who's a clever girl then?? Now I wouldn't call myself a Swahili speaker as such, I understand one in every 25 words but I really enjoy hearing people speak Swahili, it's such a fascinating language. I was in a bar with one of my friends who was on the phone. I had nothing else to do BUT listen in to the phone conversation (I'm nosey, ok?) and when the call ended, I made an enquiry about the conversation. My friend was like 'Oh shit, you really are starting to learn a lot of Swahili, I can't talk about anything private in Swahili around you anymore!'

Oh yeah. Listen in to people's phone conversations people. You learn stuff!

5. Learning how to make Ugali. Win.

Source http://www.pinterest.com/pin/497225615080404462/

Ugali is a curious thing. The white food in the photo above, it's a food staple in Kenya because it's cheap and filling but it's mostly tasteless. I really love it and I ate so much of it on my three month trip there that I'd easily sink in the sea. But when I got home, I thought it'd be easy to try and make myself but I I failed. I ended up with a big white lump with powder in the middle.

This time I knew I wanted to learn how to make ugali with success. I watched a pro and then had a go myself and I did it! My muscles ached from all the stirring needed, but it tasted gooooood. Now I need to try it back in England...

Overall, I wish I'd set myself goals and challenges during my three month trip to Kenya. I don't have any regrets per se, but there's a lot more I could have achieved in that time.

OH WELL, I'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK AGAIN.

I've been to Kenya AGAIN

I know, I KNOW there are plenty of other places to visit in the world, so why did I head back to Kenya for a fifth time???

The answer is that I really wasn't expecting to go back again after I left in April. I'd had three amazing months there and had the time of my life, but I didn't think I'd be going back again.

One day I was bored and decided to check out flights to ANYWHERE in December (a hobby of mine) and I happened to notice that flights to Mombasa were cheap.

Super cheap. £250 return cheap.

So........ I booked it.

And you know what? It was easily the best trip I've had to Kenya so far...

I did so much in the space of two weeks, I was on such a high just being back there and soaking up every second of my trip. I drank far too much for one human being and I got a million mosquito bites but I didn't CARE.

This time I know I'll be going back there again. I love it too much to say I probably won't be going back there.

I miss...

Sunday Photo Album... On Monday Again

Oh who am I kidding? I'm never going to remember to post a photo album on a Sunday. I'm just going to call it Photo Album and not give it a day of the week.

I was just talking to The Boy about Zanzibar, so I fancied revisiting that photo album from my trip there in 2010.

For some reason we decided not to venture from Kenya to Zanzibar while we were both in Mombasa earlier this year. I think the flights were expensive and the bus would have taken DAYS so we decided to explore more of Kenya instead and save some cash.

I want to go back to Zanzibar for many reasons but mostly for this reason:

I can't lie. I'm changing the picture size on this album from medium to large on this one.

WOULD YOU JUST LOOK AT HOW BLUE THAT WATER IS???!

I only spent five days in two different parts of Zanzibar, Stone Town and Nungwi so I know there's plenty more to see but I really enjoyed it and respected the amazing amount of culture there is to see there. 

I hope you enjoy this album!

Not so keen on this fella... spider from Zanzibar

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh when's the next flight out there?