After a last-minute panic about how I was going to get my bagpipes on the plane and a few anxious moments, I was ready for the trip of a lifetime.  Twenty-eight of us set off from Inverness Royal Academy at 11 pm on the start of our Tanzania adventure.   Getting some sleep on the coach to Edinburgh Airport might have been a good idea but nerves, excitement and Jack’s playlist put an end to that.  The first flight to Amsterdam took us closer to the big plane ride to Kilimanjaro airport.  Nine and a half hours gave us time to…

The April General Home Building Expedition to Tanzania arrived safely last night (Sunday) in the dark, with all luggage except Fiona's.  'Enjoyed' a bumpy bus ride to Moshi, but lovely waking up to heat this morning (although no power at present). Heading off for breakfast - pancakes and eggs.  All is well, The April General Home-Building Team Sunday 1st April  We started the day with a late breakfast, despite most of us being awoken at 3am by the call to prayer. We spent a lovely afternoon at MCCC (Moshi Children's Christian Centre)  playing football, making loom bands and face painting. It was great to…

1/4/2019   21/3/2019 Back in Iquitos. End of trip celebration meal and buying some presents for family. This has been the experience of a lifetime.   14/3/19 Busy morning here at Characama village. Ros is moving in between triage and assisting the doctors in their clinic today. She enjoys interacting with the patients as they arrive on the boat and says she has finally found some people who really understand her slapstick sense of humour, which transcends language barriers! The Peruvian doctor starts the day by giving a talk to assembled local people about the parasites which are present in the…

The last time I saw Forth Hope, she was departing Rosyth for her epic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. It was a truly special moment when I caught my first glimpse of her on the Puinahua river as we approached after 3 hours in the speedboat. The contrast of this modern vessel and the surrounding area she serves is striking; she is unique, unlike anything else we saw on the river. Upon boarding you soon realise there is even more to her than meets the eye. The ingenious design of the interiors helps her feel as though she is a…

Moshi moshi from Moshi. I know that's Japanese rather than Swahili but I can't overlook a bit of wordplay. For those who do know a bit of Swahili, Jambo from Moshi. It's Sunday night as I write this...apologies for the delay. I had written a verbose piece with lots of wordplay but you've all been spared that because I had to get a local SIM to upload this and I lost all of my musings. I'm writing this on my phone so please excuse any typos and forgive me for phonetic interpretations of Swahili. To all the parents at home…

As the Babcock team return to work and slowly adjust to the rather drastic change in temperature, our team members are able to begin to reflect on the incredible experience they lived together for two weeks in Tanzania. The last days in Moshi were a whirl-wind of early mornings, safari drives, rare animal sightings and emotional goodbyes. It started with a 6am departure towards Ngorongoro Crater. The team were taken aback by the spectacular views as we reached the top of the crater basin, made even more atmoshpheric by the sheet of rain that was quickly moving across the plain as…