A Quick Trip to Brussels

Just before New Year I planned a surprise trip for my boyfriend and I to Brussels. I had never considered how easy it really is to just hop on the Eurostar and within 3 hours be in a completely different country.

The Galapagos Islands- Day Seven & Eight

Santa Cruz and back to Ecuador
Heading back to Ecuador meant that we had to be up at 6 am but first we went looking for pacific green sea turtles at Black Turtle Cove. It was such a magical place and so unbelievably tranquil. The turtles sleep in the red mangroves at night and leave in the morning so we got to see lots of turtles. They are so beautiful. We also got to see some Rays and blue Boobies! After returning to the boat we had to finish packing. The flight left at 10.45 back to Ecuador. The flight took 3 and a half hour as had to stop on the way before returning the Hilton. Even though I was no longer on a boat I was still rocking for another 2 days which was very bizarre. Our last night was quite relaxed, after a drink at the bar we went for a buffet dinner.

The Last Day
Banks in Equador seem to be difficult to extract money out. Instead of going to the 0'0'' point on the equator we wandered all around the markets and down little streets to the banking district where we had coffee at a lovely cafe in the sun before returning to the hotel and then leaving for the airport.

The trip truly was magical and I would love to go back some time in the future preferably when I have a diving certificate, as although the birds are beautiful, the marine life is so diverse that not getting to see it all again would be a shame!

Namibia - Day Thirteen, Fourteen and Fifteen

Solitaire
It took an hour and a half to get to Solitaire from Neuras and it was a beautiful resort with the sweetest dogs around especially the two puppies called Socks and Bear and then a really fat terrier called Jackie who's belly practically drags along the floor! Then there was the huge ridgeback called Butch and a really ugly bull dog called Spike. All of them were crazy too.
For enrichment we had made an elephant and a dinosaur and after placing meat in them we went into the massive enclosure. The two boys called Teddy and Illa met us and they were given the dinosaur. Teddy managed to get his head stuck in a box due to not being the brightest of cats but it did give an incredible comedy moment when he stuck his head up with the box on it. After feeding them we went and found Laura the mother and Rusty her daughter and they were given the elephant. They seemed to struggle to find all the meat but at least they didn't seam to get their heads stuck in the box.
Next we tracked Sparticus then Pepper using the Radio Tracker which was good fun listening to the beeps and learning how they work. After finding and feeding them huge chunks on meat we headed back to Solitaire where we had lunch before heading to the actual town of Solitaire homed to an amazing bakery called Moose McGregors Desert Bakery which apple pie has become famous due to Ewan McGregor talking about how its the best he ever had in his program which he biked through Africa. I do have to say the apple pie is amazing but then so are their chocolate chip muffins as well! Solitaire is such a quaint little town with really just a petrol service station and the bakery but all makes a very quaint and quirky stop when travelling.
After travelling back to Neuras we went for a lovely sun downer and watched the lion king. At 8pm we went on a short night drive where were got to see a very elusive African Wild Cat, Kudu, Jackels, Hares, Zebra and Steembok so was quite successful even if I was falling asleep due to being so tired!

The first group leave Neuras :(
Whilst everyone else was waiting to head back to the animal sancuary Kathryn, Alice and I went with Matt to do some Leopard footprinting. The idea of footprinting started with trying to identify Rhino by their footprints as the collars that they wore seemed to have an effect on their mating success. Since then the company are trying to come up with algarithms for cheetahs and leopards so that each individual cat can be identified by their paw print and for unidentified animals it will let you know  things like whether the animal is male/ female, the weight and the age of the animal as well. When we got near the sight which was where the footprints were we discovered that the leopard that had been in the area was right where we were trying to go and so we had to come back instead. We did get to use the radio signal tracker though which was cool and to here the beep out in the wild does give you a bigger surge of adrenaline than you are expecting! On the way back we spotted a Crested Eagle, I never knew that they were that big until I saw one in the sky. They are enormous!! 
he rest of the morning was spent relaxing and going through Camera trap pictures until the new group arrived.

At lunch we heard some loud grunting noise which was very close. We thought it was just cattle until Kate came over and told us that she thought it was the male leopard that stays close to the farm that they have been trying to collar and it was probably only 50-100m away!!
After lunch we all headed out in search of the leopard that we had been close to in the morning. We tracked her to the top of a hill but by the time we reached the top she had already disappeared into a river bed so we didn't see her which was a shame especially as we were so close in the morning. 
We had a braie again for dinner but I concluded that I prefer Springbok meat to Kudu as its not as tough.

Camera Traps

So on Sunday we did more camera trap work visiting 5 sites. The first 2 we could drive to, one was a water site and another dry. The 3rd was a natural water site which we watched 1.5km to get to. There were signs of leopards there and a tree which Matt things the leopard may use as a hide out. He also explained about Ostrich's getting stuck in the fence and dying from the heat or being killed. The 4th site was a digging site where animals find their own water. On the way we saw really fresh hyena track but they unfortunately didnt go past the camera.
After lunch we went on a game drive but we didnt really see anything var Kudu and Springbok but we did see some ground squirrels which are cute.

The Apple pie

leopard tracking

Hyena Track

Leopard Footprinting

Namibia- The Packing List

So here is what I thought i would need to take with me to N/a 'an ku se, it turned out that I took far to much stuff with me for my 3 week trip but at the time because I didn't know how good laundry was going to be I definitely over compensated.
Clothing
18x Tshirts - You probably only need around 10-15 maximum
04x Bottoms - At night the temperatures plummit so having warm trousers to sleep in and walk around is                         crutial
04x Shorts
02x Leggings - Great for Game Counts
02x Shoes - Trainers and nice sandals are good for town trips at the weekends.
01x Walking boots - I took trainer type ones but normal are in some ways probably better.
01x Flipflops - For the mad dash back from a tepid shower at night
03x PJs
02x Fleece - VERY IMPORTANT, its cold at nights and in the morning so you will want to sleep in one.
02x Hoodie - If you don't sleep in a fleece you will sleep in a hoodie at night, also when you have a baby baboon they are better when they are zipped into a jacket close to you so a zip up hoodie is perfect for them
20x Knickers- like the tops I didn't know about washing, only about 10-15 is needed.
02x Nice outfits - for the weekend
01x Bikini - If you're brave enough like me to go in the freezing cold pool!

Other things to take
Sleeping bag liner
Sleeping bag- You will be so grateful you have it!
Blanket - I used the one from  my flight and i was relieved i did
Sun cream -Factor 30 is  fine in June-October as it's their winter.
Watch
Torch and Head torch - No lite walk ways at night
Rucksac
Ipod
Adapter - South African Adapter, I got miss sold an Indian one so had to borrow for the trip, there are some English plug sockets to.
Sewing Kit - Baboons do like to make holes in your clothes
Mosquito Repellent - I didn't see any mosquitoes whilst I was there!
Ear Plugs - Sometimes it can be really noisy at night due to monkeys, ear plugs are the best way to get a good nights sleep, just ask someone to wake you when they get up!
First Aid kit - for blisters and thorn scratches (You get plenty)
Hand Sanitizer- who knows where those baboon hands have been?
Towels - one for face and one for body
Gardening Gloves- for when you're on project work
Camera - Not that you ever would forget!!