Another weekend in Africa

Wow, so another weekend eh. Time does fly.
Now because my mother has been requesting to know what flotation is, here is a link to a site about it http://archaeobotany.googlepages.com/ which incidentally was done by Dorian Fuller from UCL. Groovy.
And while I'm thinking about it a special hello to my Aunty Wendy who is reading my blog even without the internet. Hi Wendy! Hope you're well! xxx

So, back to the update. My Friday went okay. I was slightly impatiant with the flotation though, I just wanted to do stuff to get ready for Sudan so my heart wasn't really in it. In the afternoon though, Dave & I went through boxes from certain sites in the store cupboard to look for grinding stone stuff for Paul Lane, which was slightly more interesting. I think I would be happier with the flotation if we were doing the bucket method rather than using this tank which just seems to waste a load of water. Even more so than buckets. Anyway. That done we packed the bag for Sudan and then had mini party for Matt as it was his 28th on Friday. His wife, Laura, brought home-made cake and little chocolate cornflake cakes, and we sat around with all the staff and had drinks and cake. Then me, Dave & Hannah went with Matt & Laura to the home pub down the road for another drink, and then went back to theirs for dinner and wine. It was a really nice evening. Matt & Laura's flat is very nice! But yeah, just a generally pleasant evening with good drinks and chat and lovely food. It was really good.

So then Matt drove us home, which was ok as their are no laws against drink driving here. It was only around the corner anyway, but it's funny how your thoughts about these things change as soon as you get here. Anyway.

Saturday: Yesterday I went into town to do some clothes shopping. I walked in with Hannah & Sarah but then Sarah went off to the library (workaholic phd student) and Hannah went to talk to some DJs about the project she's working on, so I wandered off on my own and found a book shop. of course. I spent quite a long time in there, truthfully I was really only looking for the next book after Twilight (how sad) but got sidetracked by standing around for a while when the lights went out, wandering if they were going to go back on again or if I should leave the store, all the time keeping a firm hold on my bag. But then the lights came back and I found Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods. It was something like 1600shillings, which is about 15 pounds I guess. Far more than the 50p Ryz paid for his copy at the car show.
After my book shopping I found Mr Price, which i had been told was a good place to go to look for clothes. I went from a bustling african street, into Mzungu world. It was quite a shock. I wondered where they all came from as well, as there were barely any white people on the streets, yet suddenly it was like walking into New Look or Top Shop. Even the clothes were the same. Once I'd gotten over the shock i finally managed to find a pair of combat type trousers that were thick enough to wear through tangley undergrowth, but not too hot for humid african weather (I hope) and eventually cracked the crazy sizing and bought a pair that fit me. Then I went to a little cafe place down the road and bought lunch, which I was still waiting for when Hannah found me again. It was delicious though.

And that was my excitement for the week. A trip into Nairobi for the afternoon. Ooh. Then today was spent sorting stuff out for Sudan, doing last minute washing and packing my bag. And also trying desperately to find something to read. I'm settled on Mansfield Park and something Dave suggested. I decided against Iris although it took me a minute to recognise what it was about. Maybe when I don't want such a cheery book. I also got bored with Lady Chatterley's Lover, although everything about it suggests that I should read it. It was almost banned for goodness sake! But no, it's just too meandering for what I need at the moment. I was tempted by Hot Arctic Nights but decided that would just raise a few too many eyebrows. We also retrieved plastic chairs from the conference room in the intitute as Matt was in doing some work, so that we could sit outside as it was a really lovely day today. Then at about 6ish we all went to the pub again, dragging matt out with us. Another very pleasant evening, although I really fancy some ice-cream now. Damn.

Anway, I must get an early night tonight. We're leaving at 7am tomorrow morning, flying to Sudan and then staying in Juba for the night before travelling down to our camp the following day. We'll be somewhere between Juba and the Ugandan border looking for a couple of forts and surveying any that we find. Might be interesting. Although the camp we'll be in is managed and the tents even have electricity, I won't have internet and probably not phone reception, so I'll be in touch again in two weeks time!
Take care
xxx