http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog More expensive than postcards, less convenient than phoning. Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:51:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In November, Trish went to Rumphi in Malawi.  We're funding a branch of the microloan bank that the wonderful Microloan Foundation is setting up in Rumphi and this was Trish's first opportunity to see how the initial set up had gone.  We were really pleased that loans are already being made and ... http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/270 Here's a great picture of the sossusvlei area and the dunes surrounding it. http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/266 Finally here is the last photograph album from the africa trip (posted from Windhoek airport). http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/265 5am start again!  There is a big issue here about "seeing things at sunrise" which is good once you get there but it is pretty rough when you have to get up.  We were driven by very chatty German/Namibian woman from the Namib Sky Balloon Safari company to the launch site which was ... http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/264 Because I'm such a teenager (!?) I was too lazy to do a blog for a while, but it's back to me for the second last day of our Africa trip (cue Mum - 'NO! DON'T LET YOUR MIND GO HOME!' Me - 'My mind is already home, sitting in my room, ... http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/250 The flight to Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge was on a tiny six seater Cessna. We arrived at Windhoek's "little" airport called curiously Eros Airport and met Dion (?) our pilot who grabbed our bags, walked out onto the tarmac and stuffed them in the back of the plane. This sure ... http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/241 We had to get up "hideously" early to get to Cape Town International at 6am.  The airport at Cape Town is a pretty big airport and nicely appointed but there were only 7 flights leaving all day.  Odd. One of the flights was ours to Windhoek in Namibia.  Landing at ... http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/230 One of the most widely spoken languages in South Africa is Xhosa or <click>'hosa.  If you click here, you can hear it said.  Xhosa imported a number of "click" sounds from the language of the Khoisan which is called !Xóõ.  This language is remarkable in that it has more phonemes than any ... http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/229 Another set of photographs have been uploaded for your enjoyment.  These are the photographs from Cape Town and Grootbos.  Not quite so many this time you'll be glad to know. http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/227 Back to Cape Town and stay at the Cape Grace.  Packed for Namibia tomorrow.  A quiet nothing day. http://www.thekirks.co.uk/blog/archives/228