The Old Candle Factory

The falls were dramatic noisy magnificent and wet. The local chief Mukuni invited us to his enterprise allowing people to walk with L|ions. Scary stuff. I love feeling good honeat fear when inside you know you are safe. I ate crocodile curry on the banks of the Zambezi last night watching distant lightning dancing in great African clouds. And now I'm being called for the next flight with our 21 yr old pilot to Botswana. See you later..... Click on image for larger version.

yesterday I was invited to High Tea at the best Hotel in town on the banks of the Zambezi with Stephen and his girlfriend. It was simply the best tea I have ever had. Sumptuous colonial surroundings with a breathtaking choice of wonderful things to eat. And on the wall a quote from Livingstone - "Commend me to the merry midnight frogs." I know what he means! Here are some pictures which I HOPE will appear. The access to cyberspace is limited so no time to describe each image. You can enjoy guessing what on earth I was up to! Bingo! Online by the pool with my laptop and watching monkeys stealing food from unwary American tourists! I shall shortly have to go and film a sequence about 'walking with Lions' with the local tribe in the area surrounding these beautiful Victoria Falls. It is my earnest hope that I report back to you in one piece !!!

I am now enjoying some welcome luxury in the Zambezi Sun Hotel which offers internet connection - hooray! We arrived at the chosen launch site this morning before sunrise to fly Chief Mukuni over his Palace. The wind was a little stromg, but we laid out the balloon full of optimism ( with a measure of apprehension in there too). A clap of thunder and drop of rain was all I needed to call a halt and then came an experience which I shall never forget. I had to enter Chief Mukuni's Palace for an audience and explain about the weather. Tradition required me to squat and clap 3 times before entering a small round hut where the Chief was sitting on his throne beneath 2 ENORMOUS tusks. The film guys had to all do the same so you'll be able to see it on TV in a few months! Fate had dealt us a good hand I think because the Chief said we'd do it tomorrow instead and this time he'll supply dancers at the take off!! So watch this space! Meanwhile - the crew have gone off white wate...

I flew yesterday at Africa House in Zambia. Look it up on Google It is simply the best place I've visited for a long time. Such homely comfort after 3 days driving across Tanzania's testicle jarring roads and camping at night. The owner mentioned a clock tower. I asked if I could nip up and see the clock. It's a 19th century FRODSHAM turret clock.... very rare! I'm going to have to return and restore it for them in exchange for bed and board! I've amassed alot of pictures taken from the truck as we cross off the dusty bumpy miles. But to upload them is difficult until I get to a town. We're off to Livingstone today... this time by bush plane. A welcome luxury! Break fast time now.... and off to the airstrip. Our destination - the Captain tells me - often has elephants wandering across the airstrip!!

Just a quick note to say we had a fantastic meal in a very popular restaurant last night. Last one for a while. These pictures I like , and there are more but it's difficult to find time+internet to do it. Don't worry - I'll keep snapping away and find out things...like Kigali is so clean because the inhabitants use every last saturday of the month to clean up their city. And it works!

Click on a picture for a bigger size. I've arrived in Kigali, RWANDA and what a beautiful clean city it is. Lovely friendly people with a unique reason to display such a determined busy atmosphere. I'm just off on a recce and the electricity keeps going off. Don't know if it's the city or the hotel. Anyway - I'll do my best to upload pictures tonight. But I have to be up early to do the flight, then T H R E E D A Y drive to Zambia, and sleeping rough/in the open/camping. Going back a bit - this is the first landing in trees trying to not land in the forbidden Ngorogoro crater. I'll try and upload pics of the recovery soon as poss. It's getting busy here and I'm up at 5am again ready to fly, then drive 3 days . Whoopee!!! More pics of the rescue mission! Breakfast in the Serengeti after a wonderful balloon flight.

Not much time left on my allocation here in a computer room in a hotel in Mwanza on the shore of Lake Victoria. Oli and Phoebe almost in shouting distance! The cameraman and sound man are queuing up to use the pc so I can tell you that we are flying to Rwanda in the morning - KIgali is a lovely town and I'm looking forward to seeing the scenery. And witness the new approach to life taken by all the inhabitants. I am due to tether the balloon on thursday and take kids up from an orphanage, We enjoyed a commercial balloon flight in the Serengeti because my balloon was not allowed to fly. So the champagne breakfast tasted extra good with no responsibilities. The campsite that has been my home for 2 nights had the most spectacular sounds all around - particularly the hippos about 100 feet away in the river. Truly Africa! The guys are champing at the bit so I'm off to find tea, and will reappear before long....