Into Africa - Messages Home Continued

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Sunday 6th August 2006 ~ Text from Julian Teece:-

06.45 (GMT) - We have been up since 5.30 am!! It is absolutely freezing despite wearing all our clothes. The students are currently on their activities i.e. microlighting, helicopter etc and having fun.

Monday 7th August 2006 ~ Email from Julian Teece:-

17.22 (GMT) - As well as completing little jobs at the school we chilled out in the afternoon and rounded off another good day with take away pizza and chips which involved a 50 min round trip into Livingstone to collect!

Sunday was adrenaline adventure day with a 5.30 am start, and was it cold. All the students did their booked activities and everyone raved about them. Tiger Moth, micro light and helicopter flights over Victoria falls were superb as were fishing on the Zambezi river in the morning. In the afternoon the Jet boat down the lower Zambezi was mental, the canoeists went through a few small rapids and another group went fishing in the afternoon and saw a full on baboon fight. We had roast chicken and re-told stories around the fire.

Today has been awesome, not the American description to promote rubbish action films, but truly awesome in all the amazing, spectacular, jaw-dropping meanings of the word. We got to the Vic Falls and had 90 mins to take in one of the natural wonders of the world. Even at low water levels the power and noise of the falls was breath taking. We returned to the entrance to meet 50 children from Twabuka school who had arrived in a coach that we had hired. Our students then gave each child some gifts and guided them around the falls. It is very difficult to imagine their impressions as none of them will have left their village. As they drove through Livingstone they couldn't contain their excitement, so what they must have thought of the Falls I cannot comprehend. Our students excelled themselves again as they carefully guided their charges around, holding their hands and helping them across what was probably their first bridge which had a several hundred foot drop to the bottom of the gorge. At the end we put them back on their coach and said goodbye with heavy hearts. As they drove off they sung us their welcoming song:

"Welcome visitors, feel at home
This is our home and your home too"

We then went to the local craft market and the students suddenly got their business heads on and commenced haggling. Their success levels would put Romford market out of business if repeated there!

We are off tonight for another 'eat all you can' buffet at a three star hotel next to Vic falls and start the journey home tomorrow. We look forward to seeing you all at school at 9am on Wednesday. This is my last email, I will text if and where appropriate.

This has been an expedition of a lifetime.

Julian

Text from Julian Teece:-

18.36 (GMT) - Sorry no calls tonight. Hotel food stunning.

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Tuesday 8 th August 2006 ~ Text from Julian Teece:-

12.45 (GMT) - All checked in at Livingstone and ready to fly. As we left the farm a herd of twenty elephants came and grazed 3 metres away on the other side of the campsite wall.

Wednesday 9th August ~ Message from Webmaster

I have not heard anymore since yesterday's text message from Mr. Teece. However, it would appear their flight from Johannesburg (SA234) left slightly later than scheduled - take off having been delayed by 34 minutes.

According to the BAA Live Flight arrivals, the plane landed at Heathrow, Terminal One at 06.43hrs this morning.

May I also take this opportunity to say that I will be keeping everyone in my thoughts and my fingers crossed hoping that everyone gets the A & AS level results they are expecting.

Laura

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