Benin

Then at the Benin border the police were soo lovely then we made our way to Tanguieta I was sick eww but we spent new years at Baobab Hotel they had music and stuff so it was okey. Then we made our way to Natitingou by then Maddy left us. We got to Le Vieux Chevalier hotel and dumped our bags then got a zed from the hotel to town in search of a internet cafe we didnt find one so went to have a drink and there were these scary men watching us so we went back up to the hotel then we went back out for dinner. All we had was an omlet each and the son of the owner came out with us for dinner. We were getting strange looks and felt uncomfortable so we got up early then got a car to Boukoumbe, the border going past the Tata Somba villages. Although CG told the taxi driver to stop at the police station he kept on going and said it didn't matter, so from the next taxi station we had to get zeds (motorbike taxis) to the police station 5minutes away. The police stamped us out of Benin and our zed drivers drove us back but the taxi met us half way.

The taxi was extremely full, stacked up with sacks very high, we had to get in the front and I had to sit on the drivers seat and one foot was on the passenger side and one was where the drivers foot was. After a long 10minute drive we got to a checkpoint and the policeman said we couldn't get our passports stamped there but we would have to go down to Kande, and then about 2kms up we arrived in Nadoba and bought some gifts in the market and got another taxi to Kande.

Burkina Faso

CG found a lovely driver to Diebougou were we spent the night at 'Le Relais' then we walked a kilometre with our packs on to the bus station to get a bus to Bobo Dioulasso . While we were having breakfast in the street stall, we met two Germans who were on the Ouagadougou bus but heading for Boromo, they were talking to us and while they were talking their bus took off and they went running after it and fortunately they caught it. We got our bus to Bobo but there were no seats, but there was a lovely lady who was the Headmistress of a primary school said that I could sit on her knee.

We got to Bobo Dioulasso we found a restaurant to dump our stuff and took it in turns to go to see the mosque. We got lots of hassle while CG and I were looking at the mosque there was a man following us saying you have to pay me 1,000CFA each for looking and taking photos of the mosque but he wasn't anyone official, but CG went off in Japanese at him and he didn't understand and left us alone!!!
Karfiguela Falls video

Then we got a bus to Banfora and stayed the night at a lovely hotel Hotel de la Comoe with Fatima a little girl of 6 who was the owners daughter. The next day Maddy hired a car with another lovely driver called Ima we went to the domes of Fabedougou they were nice but we didn't want a tour; we went onto the most gorgeous falls, you have ever seen it was so cool, Karfiguela Falls. We had a picnic then we went down to the bottom where I swam and rock climbed at the side of the waterfall. We visited a few villages with Ima and sugar cane plantations. Maddy & I got a dug out canoe to go looking for hippopotamus's but we didn't see any close up.

Kids chasing our taxi near Banfora

The next day we went to Ouagadougou for the night; we went to the bronze market where I bought presents for family then we went to lunch with a lovely guy called Issaka and his family, Issaka is the President of the Burkina Chamber of Commerce and a friend of CG's. In the afternoon we got a bus to Fada N'Gourma and arrived late at 'La Belle Etoile'.

Parade on our first day in Ouagadougou 29-12-07


DVD of Burkina Faso photos - 26th December to 31st December

Ghana pics on DVD

Ghana

GHANA
We arrived in Newtown, wanting to get to Olivier and Danielles www.busuainn.com, so we bought our tickets for the tro-tro (minibus) and we were first to buy so that meant we had to wait another however long it takes to sell 11 tickets. We got so fed up with waiting and the guy could tell so he called a friend to pick us up and he got us a tro-tro to Half Assini then we got another tro-tro which was a disaster beacause we paid for 4 seats and he sold 1 of our tickets twice so there was a big yelling spree and by that time we were half way out of town so the driver drove us all the way back to the station after an hour of waiting the lady who sold us the tickets gave us back the money for one. We made it to Takoradi and caught a taxi to Busua on the way to Busua at 10pm Maddys door flew open and she nearly fell out.

After arriving at the hotel late that night starving so Danielle wipped us up a cheeseburger and fries. The next day was our day to relax without any business beacause the day after that we had to make it all the way up to Tamale but CG ended up going up to town (Takoradi) because she needed a SIM card and to change euros to cedi but Maddy and I stayed on the beach and had a lovely day bodyboarding and sun bathing.

The next day it was time to go north to Mole National Park for Christmas we got a taxi to Takoradi then a tro-tro to Kumasi 5 hours listning to political speeches then we got another tro-tro to Tamale by then it was 9 and we had to find a hotel to stay at we found one close to the station. So me and maddy went to look at the room it was foul we said no and soon found out it was a brothel then we found this nice chinese place with a tv WOW lol!!! In the morning we went shopping and bought some necklaces caught a bus to mole in the afternoon after a long wait. We met two lovely Danes on the bus, Aksel & Marie. A man decided to sit on me for 2 hours CG and I spat the dummuy at him and it hit him in the eye we arrived to a lovely room on christmas eve at Mole Motel but there was a warthog blocking our way to our door!

In the morning we went on a walk at six we didn't see any elephants though but we did see a croc and antelope, warthogs, baboons & monkeys. After the walk a lady saw an elephant (the hotel is on a hill so you get a good view of the main watering hole in the park) so one guide took us all down the elephant was big it was so cool I was 30 metres away from it.

In the morning we got a bus from Larabanga to Wa, there was a witch doctor that got on our bus, who was putting on a show for everyone telling us about his magic rope that stops pregnancy and his rock that helps scorpion - he had a little scorpion crawling around his head! He had everyone cracked up.

We got to Wa where we had lunch in the bus station then a tro-tro to Hamale the border of Burkina Faso. First a guy who seemed quite nice at the tro-tro stop in Hamale showed us to immigration and customs, but then after that he wouldn't leave us alone. He couldn't cross the border so then he got another annoying friend to walk with us 500m to the Burkina Faso immigration. He said that his brother would take us to Diebougou (60km) for 40,000CFA (61euros) but first of all he said he's the only taxi and that CG had to go to his house to negoiate the price. So CG and Maddy said no and asked the Mauritanian owners of the shop where were having a drink where the taxi station was; the Mauritanian told CG to go up the street and while CG was gone the other guy came back and started yelling at the Mauritanian saying why did you tell her to go, they could have got a ride with my brother. After that he drove past on a scooter and yelled 'I'm going to burn your shop down'.

Ride in the pick up to the Ghana border along the coast

Gorgeous coastline





Very bumpy ride though!

Assinie, Cote D'Ivoire

ASSINIE
We got to Assinie late at night hungry after a long bus ride, we were going to JBs place on the beach we stayed at a malaysians holiday home they have forgotten about it, it was lovely, even though the door wouldn't lock, it was very late but we still went down to the village along the beach for something to eat, CG, maddy and JB had a few beers and JB was drunk it was funny.
We walked back along the road thinking it was safer but having to dodge the dropping coconuts soon after an hour on the beach we went to bed beacause the tide was coming in rapidly.

We had a nice sleep on the shore but woke up to find the house was flooded in various parts; we went for a quick swim before we had to catch a taxi to assinie mafia to catch a pinasse (dug out canoe with a motor) to cross the border to Ghana then we caught a taxi for another 4 hours on a terrible road but the view was divine. On the way we had to stop at a check point a police man was drunk on palm wine and he said he was going to keep me Ii was terrified then the car broke down, we got to the real border poast and the police had never seen a passport before it took one hour to get three stamps.

DVD pictures in Cote d'Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire

We are here!

CASABLANCA
Leaving toulouse at -5° very cold waiting to get into the heat, actually leaving 2 hours late with the french foreign legion (the army type people)then arriving in casablanca with 4 hours to kill we quickly went to see the mosque and a quick look through the shops.


I tried mint tea it was actually quiet nice,then on our way back to the airport our taxi driver hit a bicycle and after that every time we stopped at lights he would drive past on his bike and pull the fingers it was really funny.

BASSAM
After ariving in Abidjan 2 and a half hours late thanks Royal Air Maroc, Marvin picked us up from the airport (he had been waiting since 2am when we were supposed to arrive until 4.30am) and we stayed his house the night beacause the hotel was full he had a pool that wrote marvin it was so cool. Then the next day we went to his hotel and he drove us around and showed us Bassam where I tried my first african pineapple it was delicious then the next day we came to Abidjan with JB a lovely guy CG got talking to in france he helped us a lot. We had to go to Abidjan to get our visas for Ghana and the 5 country visa that we needed for burkina,benin,togo and niger even though we didn't actually go to Niger beacause we would run out of time.

We stayed with one of JBs French friends called Nicolas, an awesome surfer and a lovely guy.The following day we met Maddy another travller searching for adventure, she also had to get a visa for Ghana beacause were she lives there is no Ghana embassy but she did have a 5 country visa but we had to spend another day in Abidjan because of Tabaski the muslim sheep festival. They were slitting sheeps throats on the road it was disgusting. The next day we got our visas and we wanted to go straight away but we had to then wait for JB because he was with his dad (his dad was very sick)and as soon as he got back we went straight to the bus station......

P.S. yes dave,there is chocolate in Africa beacause Nicolas is the manager of a cocoa plantation and they are in the harvest season now

AWESOME FIGHT

This weekend is the national telethon weekend france so the canoe and kayak club held a triathlon i done 10km and i was sooooooo tired after then after that we were invited to the savat box world champion francaise it was sooo cool we were VIP's it was awesome heres some pics...






FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





















victory for france

In the news again!

GETTING CLOSE

its really getting close to africa im excited.
this weekend i stayed at lynns on friday night with her french friend i cut her ponys hair its awesome, but lindsay left on sunday it was sad but hopefully he will come back soon

Us at the airport i also got to go up to the tower because CG works up there with the guys and i met the coolest controller steffan well they are all cool anyway this is lindsays plane

and this is the cool planes fire truck

this week

on monday in pe i fell over and a girl was running towards me, she run into me and i couldnt breath then we went to school on wednesday beacause we had a strik on tuesday anyway she came back in cruches and a castn and i started hip hop on friday soo nothing really happend this week. I heard this really cool song in freanch called PAMM if you go on youtube and type that in you will find it its really funny.

THIS WEEKEND

SATURDAY
Friday night i stayed at leas house we watched movies and had a good time but i had to wake up early on saturday because my mum was calling me soo i raced home and very pleased to hear my mums voice first in the morning. today i went kayaking and i got speacial private classess for the big race on sunday it was with chris and it helped me alot.
SUNDAY
today i had to wake up realy early to go to the club beacause i was raceing it was a long drive up, when we got there i was really nervous then we loked on the sheet for the catergries and i was in one by myself i was pleased when we go to were we started my number was 6 and i had the france champion follew me beacause each child had a adult with them it was very good and fun and very fast my time was 18.40 and before i knew it the was over and i gained my first kayaking medal and good it was gold lol. and to make my day even better i found ouyt we got strike on tuesday today.

weekly update

This week started with LRs b-day party but was full of little kids, then Chris and Chris had a bonfire for Guy Fawlkes then I started school again. Lindsay came kayaking with me on Saturday. Today was the memorial for the people who died in world war one and today was also Aurelies 19th birthday she had a party

L'Independant (left) & La Depeche (right)

Half Term Travels

FRIDAY I stayed with Yvonne, Kelisse & Jordan (Jay) at their holiday house near here. We each had a pizza for dinner. Jay & I stayed out till 11pm in town with his friends, it was fun but CG made me report in every hour and she contacted Yvonne!

LA CITE
After i got back from Marseille me and Lindsay went to la cite
I got a chocolate croissant and a hot chocolate and Lindsay bought me an axe for Halloween and i think La Cite is very nice castle and i love hearing about history.


WEDNESDAY
Today we got up early again to catch the metro a fast train that's like bus to the centre of town to get our visas for the Cote d'Ivoire were we are going for Noel we were in the room the lady said could we see your tickets please and so CG had to call the travel agent and get them to send it a big panic came on and when they arrived she said no they are for you i don't want them so we got our visa and went home.

TUESDAY
Monday night i stayed at my friend Keiras house the night it was really quiet boring. Anyway i had to wake up early so CG could pick me up we were going to Marseille, after a long drive that took ages we were there. We met Yvonne and her two children Kelisse and Jay we were staying at there house the night, later on in the afternoon we went shopping i went with jay and CG went with Yvonne and the Kelisse. Jay is my age anyway i brought a cool red long sleeve top and some cute denim shorts. after shopping we went home and had Vietnamese for dinner then we played Wii a cool game i recommend.

MONDAY - ANDORRA!
I had to get up early to go to Andorra almost 2hrs away with Kurt's friend Paul & Lindsay. After arriving in the freezing cold we went to see Pat a guy who owns a http://www.hotelpasdelacasa.com/ hotel who's from Brisbane, Australia. After a hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant CG & I went shopping and the boys went to find their things. I got a ball full of chewing gum and a massive tube full of mentos and a massive bar of Toblerone. After our shopping was complete we went back to Pats cafe and he shouted us a hot chocolate & coffee each. Then CG gave me some money to buy some awesome sunglasses I had spotted for 5euros!!!

ROCK CLIMBING

On Sunday i went rock climbing with Lindsay LC and her family and Michou after doing a quick starter i went straight to 6b but i would say it was a 9a it was a massive over hang it took me 50 mins just to get to the top but i did this awesome foot lock that looked like Katie Brown it was soo cool

end of school term

today friday i woke thinking YAY MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL i was so tired from the long days and all the home work,the day just flew bye like air.At the end of the day i went home to meet one of CGs good friends Stewart he was a very nice man he took us out for dinner at this nice restaurant in LMX the room that we ate dinner in was like heaven it was just so beautiful i ate this oyster dish for a starter a lovely french pie thing for main it was delicious thing I'm not quite sure what it was but it was soooooooooooooooooo good and it had lots of flavour

Canoe experience at Collioure

Today i had to wake up at 7am on a Sunday. EO, LC step father came to pick me up at 7.45 it was quiet early and i was very tired, he stopped into the bakery and got us a chocolate croissant each and it was very nice. Then drove us to LMX were our canoe and kayak club is it was chilly and i was very cold. Eventually we got into the van [there was two] me and LC had three seats to shear but the down point was we were the only two girls in our van and the boys kept on pestering us it was so annoying. When we got to Collioure we unloaded a whole load of boats and they were really heavy because they were two man canoe after getting all those boats of the trailers me and LC dipped our legs in the sea it was nice after a long stuffy van trip excepted one wave was so big it drenched my pants so then i gave up and just got changed into my wet suit ,when we were finished getting changed lunch was ready we had this really nice boneless chicken [ well i think it was chicken it tasted like chicken] and then after lunch we got on our canoes and went out it was hard to first get over the waves but we managed half way threw our route to the second bay they had to put a boy on our canoe because we were so slow after arriving we were so tired we got in the vans and drove us home [we did get changed first lol] it was nice day

UPDATE

Today I went rock climbing but it was so windy I flew off the cliff and sliced my leg open it hurt, and I got to lead for the first time [its when you basically solo]. Tomorrow I'm going to Collioure for the day with canoe and kayak I'm getting quiet excited. This week I felt a bit down, I have noticed I have improved my French but it is still not where I want it to be.

Photos of climbing with Michou, Lindsay & Mael

On the road with Mael a neighbour to a new area a few kilometres from home & climbing 'La Cuisse' a 4b and 'La Yes' a 5a

AND THEN THEY LOST....dun dun dun dunnn

After getting so much grief on monday because NZ had lost and they just rubbed it in that france had won none even said it was a good game and it was don't you think? So i was upset that they were soo rude but in the end the boys from the village said sorry, it cane around to Saturday very quickly to the semi final France & England of course I was for france my face was blue white and red packed with face paint, I was wearing my French top and Marc gave me a blue afro wigg and this massive flag. There was this tiny group of english shouting for England. The first drama the TV in the salle de fetes wouldn't work and Serge the guy who was running it was sooo upset and CG had a spare TV in the car for work so she raced to get that when she arrived everyone was very thankful, then it was a very tight watch but unfortunately France lost every one was sad, and Charly who was the first boy to rub it into my face that new zealand had lost was in tears so i went over to him and gave him a hug and said it was ok France is still the big boss as they call it.

ROCK CLIMBING

THE FIRST ROUTE
lindsay my instructor

me going up..





















me going down






















Mecho...
















THE SECOND ROUTE
me going up...

me going down...


the tooth brush is for cleaning rocks and the bag is chalk

















mecho.........














THE THIRD ROUTE
this was the hardist one there were no cracks to hold on to

me going up...














In freanch gradeing sistems the highest is 9a i am climbing 6b im quite inpressed are you?

SPORTS

CANOE & KAYAK
this week they took us down 4km away from the base soo we kayaked down it was so fun!!
and i have my canoe and kayak licence so i can race for france.

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007
last night we watched the rugby world cup france VS nz with most of the village at serges house [he has the bigggest tv in the village], me and CG and lindsay [an australian that is staying with us] unfortunately australia lost earlier that day so lindsay decided to cheer for nz anyway we were all geared up in nz things, this is a friends daughter AR who joined us with Venus the 'All Black' Dog


































our kiwi sofa at serges no one else would sit with us

serge and zaa zaa did the table and food

















everyone was intensely watching because nz was doing soo well


and then we lost and the boys, Boris and Mathieu came to rub it in















and since it was serge's 42nd birthday and france won grrrrrrr he and marc decided to shave their heads hahaserge ownes the shop were i buy my pain au chocolat every saturday marc even cleaned the floor

paul

this is paul kurt [my brother] his best friend

COOL WEEKEND

On friday i stayed the night at my friend LC's house my first sleepover [she is irish] we watched two irish movies both really cool about the IRA [irsh republican army] i cried in one it was sad, In The Hands of the Father and The Wind Shakes the Harly or something. Then we watched Mean Girls and after that it was 2.35 in the morning LC was sleeping on the couch so i tried to wake her up and tell her to go bed but she was dead to the world. I woke up at seven and there she was walking into the bedroom but ran into the door it was sooo funny so I went back to sleep and woke up again at 8.35. We made pancakes and thick layers of nutella on top yum!!!!!! After that we got dressed and came back down the hill on our bikes [the live up on a really high hill above the village] it was lots of fun!

Then we went shopping i got some new jeans and leggings and a wetsuit for canoe and kayak.

A good start to weekend if you ask me.

School lunch

• school lunch here is so different back home we have to take our lunch to school or order it, but here we just go to the canteen and its ready for us. Most of the time its nice but sometimes its nice my fav so far would have to be mussels and French fries. Today i started extra French which i have been waiting for for a while the lady seems very nice.

nothing

• nothing really happend this week i got a little upset on friday because two friends were having a fight and i was stuck in the middle and a boy kept on calling me roast beef i was just fed up and i burst into tears and i'm at the stage of missing my best mates back home.
• anyway if you like the rugby world cup check out the france and irish game if you look at the water the french are drinking thats from the village.

canoe & kayak

On Saturday LC my friend from the village we went to the open day for canoe & kayak we really enjoyed it, we got to go in the canoe, the two man kayak and on the paddle boats, got each other soaked and eventually i jumped in the water was could but it was lovely.then we went again today 2nd time it was great i capsized but it was all in good fun i think i'm going to join it will be great.

MAD DAY

today i woke got redy for school i was soo tired. i got to school felt soo bad i felt like i had no friends no1 liked me and every one was fed up with trying to help me [yes it was monday]i got on the bus nearly crying just very sad and lonely. i got home and cryed my eyes out C.G asked me wot was wrong i explaned to her what had happend.
the next day was much better i have now sorted out who i want to spend the next year with [for friends] i think thesee girls are the ones that wont goo off and have little primry school girl fights i dont have the time for that .

1st month

I have now been living in france for one month now. i can speek a little and understand a bit it will come more in a few more months. i have started at french school and have friends but at the moment i dont know who to be friends with yet {at school}. im fitting in well with the kids in the village. when my brother was here doing the same thing as i am, all the kids looked up to him and now im here they all look out for me and that is very good, one of the fathers said to me [he was my brothers french dad and is the same for me] he said he was very happy because i've made myself part of he band.

SCHOOL

Well I started school on a Tuesday i was sooo scared ahh! I had a sore tummy because of nerves I had to take the bus i went to early to the bus stop and thought it had left of course you would think that u would be nervous. and then LR came and was all better. When we arrived I sat with goosebumps waiting for the bell to ring. and before i knew it i was sitting listening trying to understand the French at lunch i sat with LR and then back in class i was soo scared i would get told off because i couldn't do any thing but it was fine! i had Wednesday off and school was fine on Thursday and Friday i felt like i fit in which was good.

St Raphael

After a long 4 hr drive me and CG were looking down one of the main streets of St Raphael for CGs cousins house we slowly stumbled across the number her cousin claimed to be her house. It was like a castle it was sooo big. And since CG didn't believe it because it was sooo beautiful she called her cousin ,and her cousin opened the gates WOW!!!! It was soo big and beautiful.
So we said hello and she showed us around we both thought we had died and gone to heaven.

She introduced us to her husband and step daughter who of course were French but she was half Brazilian, and she spoke Spanish, French , Portugese and English.

So we went into our rooms i had a pool side room and CG had a 600 euros a night suite it was beautiful anyway i went for a quick dip in one of the two pools before our 3 course dinner.
SATURDAY
That morning CG and I had I lovely basket of pastrys and milo for breakfast made by their gormet chef who cooked our every meal. after that i went for another quick dip and then we had lunch by the seafront after that MG (our host) her husband took me her step daughter and her friend , out on the donut it was soo fun. Then we had dinner yum!!
SUNDAY
We quickly had breakfast, dip in the pool lunch,and then it was time to say goodbye to MG and her family for they had to catch a plane!

Soo me and CG stayed till 4 in the pool .while we were there we meet 2 kiwis like me on a trip of France they were lovely!!

Link to CG's cousins house in St Raphael
www.villa-mauresque.com

ALB

Arriving in ALB scared but excited.

After a few days C,G said i was going to meet someone who was most likely going to be my my new best friend and now she is. Anyway i was scared and nervous because i couldn't speak to her. What if she didn't like me??? I thought. Well she grew up with no one her own age and now I'm here and apparently she was excited. it didn't quite turn out as i thought it would it was much much better we went swimming and we have been swimming nearly every day of the summer apart from the cold days. Soon i'm going to St Raphael

Spain

After arriving in Barcelona we went to Alberts house i quickly changed after two days in the same clothes. For a dip in the sea, we went to Saint Pol del Mar. The water was very nice perfect temp but after my first two hours in Barcelona i was in first aid with two cuts in my feet from the rocks in the sea. this photo is of Sandra and Albert sun bathing>>














this one is of me Albert and Pol .



After hours of flying, playing at the beach i was back in the car to go to my new home ALB.