Linnet Clough Service Team: May 2011

Well hello all, I thought I'd be doing a follow up blog to the trip but i didn't think it would be this early!!

The delayed flights are not the start to our "end of trip hic-ups", it actually began last night. We sadly had to say goodbye to Gabrielle who had been with us for the bulk of the trip and was replaced by Joseph and a different coach.

The morning went well with a trip to the Nairobi Scout Shop and the city centre for some lunch and last minute shopping. We returned to Wildebeest to pack bags, various cries were heard from tents shouting "how the hell am I going to get all that in there", I'm seriously hoping they were talking about the bags and their clothes.

So 6.00pm arrived and off we went for a last night supper; restuarant choosen in a lovely setting alfresco, and when the drinks order was about to be taken we then found out that the restuarant was alchohol free, well done Brendon, the only Irishman to find the only alcohol free resturant in Nairobi!!

The meal, despite the lack of alcohol (sorry Brendon, won't mention it again) was lovely. As the hour approached for the bus to pick us up we left the restuarant very sober (sorry couldn't resist

it!) and awaited our chariot.

9.30pm came and went and 10.00pm was fast approaching and no sign of the bus, alsorts of plans and solutions were formulated but we shouldn't have worried our trusted driver with bus arrived and whisked us off for a good nights sleep.

So plans were put in place for the bus to pick us up at 4.30am, load the bags and off to the airport. The first stirrings occurred at about 3.45am with the steady beat of the local rave wafting across the site people started to rise and appear complete with bulging bags ready for the trip to the airport.

4.30am arrived and passed, so did 5.00am but there was no sign of Joseph and the bus. By the time we got to 5.15am a new plan was hatched, "Martin Tom do you fancy popping up to the garage at the corner to see if somebody up there knows where we would be able to get a bus from?"

So dispatched through the security gate Martin and Tom went off in an attempt to locate transport. Two minutes later they returned with news, "for cash in hand a couple of blokes would get a coach and take us, we just need to take our bags up to the petrol station"

Everyone jumped into action, bags were grabbed and off we went to load a local bus; all the bags

were thrown in the back and we all piled on. There was a slight moment of concern when somebody had to show the driver how to start the engine, but it was too late now we were on our way.

I think this driver was a trainee of Schumaker, I'm convinced we went around a couple of corners on two wheels. Arrival at the airport was announced by the sound of the bus hitting the bus shelter, the driver was awarded a stop and go penalty of 200 shillings, but we were there at the airport and a sense of relief was felt by most.

Boarding was on time and we sat there waiting, 30 minutes later after the last of the passengers were boarded we were pushed back and our journey home started.

As you will all now know we missed our connecting flight and will be returning to Manchester via Liverpool airport. Everybody has been fed and watered with 10 euros being provided by the airline (but we were told not to tell anyone) and 10 from the trip funds.

Hopefully the rest of the trip will pass without incident and we can all meet up again later.

Linnet Clough Service Team

Thursday, 5 May 2011

What a journey we had!

Monday, 2 May 2011

Sunday, 1 May 2011

Here we are in Schipol again!!