Øyvinds African Adventure

In only one week I will get my deserved summer vacation, and it will be nice to again be able to do whatever I want, but it is with mixed emotions that I am now finished with my second year at Soltun. It is nice to get a vacation, and we have nice weather these days so I know I will enjoy the coming weeks, but I will miss my students. We shared so many nice memories throughout the school year. I also got a friend who will be a life long friend. You know who you are:)

Well, I guess I have to tell a little bit more about my plans for the summer? Around the 2nd of June, I will go to Trondheim. Finally you may say? It has been almost a year since I was in Trondheim now. The city of big mustaches will always be in my heart, and if some higher powers wants me to, I will probably move back to Central Norway in the near future. I hope I can live at my sisters place, but if she's not in town, I guess some of my friends will make room for me. The 7th of June I go to Værnes to board a plane going to Amsterdam. I wish I didn't have a fear of flying, but the need for travelling outweighs my fear. From Amsterdam a plane will take me to Lilongwe. For those of you that do not know, Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi.

So, my firste couple of weeks in Africa will be spent in Malawi. The country with the big lake with most of the fish swimming around in aquariums all over the world. The country which is famously called "the warm heart of Africa". I hope I will be able to track down Thokozani while in Malawi, but if not I will probably have a good time anyway. I support SOS children villages in Lilongwe, and may go for a visit, I will definetely go to Zomba and Cape Maclear, and hope to have some time to go to Mt.Mulanje, but seriously doubt that I have time.

Due to some stupidity when planning the trip, I have to go to Zambia to obtain a visa for onward travelling into Tanzania. I hope to have a couple of nice days in Lusaka while waiting for my visa, and I already contacted Ephraim about meeting him. Don't know what else to do while in Zambia, as it is already far away from my initial travel route, but I have an open soul and heart.

Tanzania will be a country that I only travel through, but I may stop in Moshi to get a glimpse of Kilimanjaro. I didn't plan on going to Kenya at all, but after speaking to some people at the school, I kind of decided to go visit the childrens home Nuru, in Nairobi, in which two of the bps-classes did some volunteer work. We would like to improve the connections, and I may get some students from that place next year, so why not?

Uganda is the main goal of this trip. The diamond of Africa, and one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I will stay there approximately three weeks, with a short trip to Kigali in Rwanda also on the programme. Kampala should be an interesting enough place given the history of Idi Amin, but I also plan to go to Murchison Falls which is supposed to be the most powerful waterfall in Africa, and to Lake Bunyonyi which is supposed to be stunning. If I can afford it I may go on a mountain gorilla safari trek.

It will be an adventure, and I hope to meet many interesting and nice people, but it will also be very tough, as I am planning to travel long distances by bus. Some up to 36 hours...

The 21st of July I go back to Trondheim, and start on a short road trip down to Bergen to meet some old friends of mine (Hild and Steinar), and probably some new friends (Kristine and Lisa). I have only been to Bergen once and that was in 2007. I will bring my tent, and maybe do one night in Sogn og Fjordane as well. After Bergen, I go back to Trondheim to have some quiet days and do some shopping at Platekompaniet. I didn't plan the last three weeks of the summer, but those will probably be spent in Northern Norway. A week in Svolvær with a hike up Fløya, and the rest at Soltun...

So, now you're well informed about my plans and I promise to write a much more interesting article next time;)

Lots of hugs from Øyvind