Day 1.

So after 26 hours we're finally here. Get us - we had Nigel Havers (I'm a celebrity and I did get out of here) on the plane, did no one tell him there is no jungle here!

Interesting airport Nairobi - there isn't a lot to it, a couple of luggage belts. We were met by Victor from the Born Free foundation, who be our guide until we board the plane. First challenge is fitting 21 bags of luggage into 2 Land Rovers! Luggage on roof - case solved. First near miss - as we're loading the handbrake was not on in one of the cars so John nearly got his legs crushed!

First stop, see the baby orphaned elephants, very cute, must wonder what the hell a huge group of adults is doing just stood there gorming at them though. They get very attached to their keepers apparently so they have to have "families" so people can actually have a day off now and again.

Next, lunch overlooking the national park and some baboons, naughty little monkies. I of course went for a T-Bone - well, it was the final final last supper with…. Kenyan Tuskar Beer!

Next stop a 9 seater plane over to Kisi; we were allowed 1009 kilos. And to check we're not a kilo over we all have to stand on the blooming scales with our hand luggage, how humiliating.Of course I leaded the list coming in at 106k (with hand luggage I will add!) - well I had just eaten a T-bone after all ;)

One-by-one, we literally squeezed tight into our plane, and Derek (mr Grumpy) told us to listen up and put our 3-point belts on! A very small plane it has to be said, good take off, slightly worried when the pilot put his oxygen on though - ok, why you ask… well, I think it had something to do with Polly throwing-up on her own lap!!! OMG the stench! Where was our oxygen masks!

So we landed on a tiny airstrip, and couldn't fail to notice the hundreds of people that stretched the entire length! A plane landing is a rare site - they didn't know who we were - they were just so excited to see a plane, and what surprises were inside! As we came out onto the tarmac there were hundreds of kids lined up on the edge of the strip - all being held back by "the man with the stick"! With more than enough sweets for Hope & KIndness, we had to give some out there and then, so we brought out half-a-dozen bags. What happened next was overwhelming - swarms of children's hands stretched out for sweets - a sea of hands is all you could see, oh and Tania's faces - a mixture of joy & shear panic!! There was never going to be enough to go round - and you couldn't see who'd had what. The man with the stick suddenly raised his namesake and for a few seconds order was restored, only to be broken as the children knew the bag was nearing empty.

It was then a matter of squeezing our 21 bags into another Land Rover as we squeezed into a Matatu (Toyota people carrier - they're everywhere!), which for the next 2hrs would take us along the bumpiest of roads any of us had experienced. It was to be a fascinating journey… a non-stop mixture of shops littered our route - everything from furniture shops (well, huts actually), food/market stalls, mobile phone top-up shops, "shopping centres" (which were one small room shops), "hotels" (small snack bars)… and all the way people were shouting "Mouzungu's!!", which is a friendly way of saying white people.

We arrived at Hope And Kindness into an amazing reception - all the children were there to great us, all full of song, hand waiving and chanting - very very over-whelming! It took quite some time to go round and greet everyone - so many happy faces, so many hands to shake and so many names to remember! Many of the children were quite shy - though I'm sure that'll change, especially when we get our sweets out :)

After a while it was time to get the children to settle down - the teachers took them into their classrooms for story telling time and time for bed.

Dinner for us was ugali (corn maize flour) and talapai (a local white fish from lake Victoria), plus….. several dashes of the tobacco i'd brought! It went down just great - though no one asked for more! I just hope the tobacco bottle lasts the week!

Evening entertainment mostly consisted of my Terminator - the mozzie tennis racket fryer! My forehand was better than my backhand, although I did manage a multi-kill from a back-hand lob! Problem was everyone wants to play a game of mozzie frying - good job we brought 2 so we can have a game of doubles :) We were just getting into it when the electric went out - we quickly wound up our lanterns, and all agreed we needed an early night - after all, it was turning 9pm. We were going to start opening up the laptops which had arrived (bought from the kind donations we'd rec'd) and talk about the week's itinerary, though we were all bushed! That could wait till breakfast.

We'll all sleep sound tonight - and think about the days ahead. It's going to be a rollercoaster of emotions - I know that sounds such a cliche, but already we've experienced the hard reality of living in these extreme conditions - when tiny things we take for granted back home can bring such joy, and seeing the joy and laughter of the children is a high like no other. I still can't take in the fact that all of these children have no parents - I have to try and put that out of my mind, otherwise there's a danger of getting so depressed that you're not in the right frame of mind to enjoy the experience; hearing the giggles & laughter of the children quickly snaps you out of any thoughts of despair. Can't wait for tomorrow :)

Good night all…


ps… just been told we mistakenly have brought mr Gumpy's laptop with us! Oooops ;) Oh well, he can have it back when we get back to Nairobi on Saturday.