We all know a clean house makes us happy... things in their place... ample room to roam about... all that. But discovered while preparing for this trip that getting rid of all those things feels way better. It was one of the biggest "ah-ha" moments in my life.

Started by selling all my nick-knacks one by one. As each one shipped to its new owner, felt a sudden rush of happiness... greater than the shopper's high experienced acquiring it.

But after so happily & so easily selling the little things, a great fear set in over selling the furniture & artwork so carefully purchased over decades. Still not sure if the fear was more about the ill-perceived sentimental value or the fear of actually undertaking this trip. Either way, after that first item left, the fear completely disappeared & couldn't have been happier. As each item walked out the door, felt physically lighter, freer than I'd ever felt before. It was amazing.

Love beautiful items in an ascetically pleasing room. Used to study decorating magazines & everyone that came to my home would comment on how perfect it was. While still appreciate that beauty, after having experienced the incredible high of being alone in a room with just the needed items, never want all those things again.

Thanks to a hotel owner's crush on me, now in a room that should cost 3xs what I'm paying... a huge room with lots of real furniture, pleated curtains with coordinating sheers, not to mention a satellite tv in the room. Complete luxury in comparison to the $4 shoebox rooms with only a bed on a floor & a few nails in the wall to hang clothes. And yet, don't like it here. Feel uncomfortably alone in the big room & am constantly distracted by the tv & even the furniture. Maybe the amount of one's happiness is inversely proportional to the amount of one's possesions.

Just had one of the scariest flights of my life.

Killing time on a layover in Doha, where there's free wifi, decided to Skype some friends. Frist thing the first friend says is that Colombo, where my next flight's headed, has just been bombed & a plane shot down. Sure enough, check the web & the BBC adds that the airport's also closed.

Run to talk to the airline but they haven't heard anything about it. And the flight's still on time.

When my flight starts boarding...which does relax me some...figure that's a good sign... the news spreads like wild fire amoung the passengers & I get nervous all over again. But again, the flight's on schedule. And on the plane, no scary announcements from the crew.

The plane finally lands & at the right airport. Find out the airport was closed for 5-6hrs & the plane that was shot, it was actually two, were both rebel planes not anything like I was on.

And as for the city being bombed... don't know. Decided not to go there. The capital Colombo is an hour away from the airport & closer to a beach town. So I went to the beach... & literally, I'm on my way to the beach right now to wash my worries away~

Sorry you haven't heard much from me lately. I've been a very busy bee rapping up loose ends here in Nairobi & getting ready for the next leg of my journey. Promise you'll hear from me on Sunday from hot sunny Sri Lanka.

After the Congo plans dissolved, needed to pick the next destination. Sounds so simple really. The world is my oyster & all. But it's not. It's nothing like throwing a dart at a map. Weather, visa restrictions, wars, flight costs. All things that gotta be worked out & in the proper order before a decision is made.

Originally wanted to do West Africa next. But between the flights being $800 (one-way for just a few hours!) & having already been in Africa for the past 5 months, think it might be time for a continental drift.

Was also toying with Madagascar despite flights being a ridiculous $700. But then heard about the revolution. Ruled that out.

Again, probably time for a continental drift. But getting a flight anywhere from Africa is soooo expensive. Except on the discount airline Air Arabia. And they fly all over South Asia, my true love.

Been going back forth with the Indian Embassy here in Nairobi. Had to return 4 times already! But hope to have an Indian visa on Tuesday & then head to Sri Lanka on Friday. Still tentative, waiting for the visa before booking the flight.

So now, probably off to Sri Lanka for a month. That's how long the visa's good. And very excited to get there before the war ends! Next will be India. Seen a lot of India on previous trips but it's such a huge country, there's tons left to see. And thinking about Bangladesh. And of course, can't be in that area without returning to Nepal. All so exciting!

Didn't want most of you to worry, but had been planning on crossing the Congo. Not stupid enough to do it alone, found another brave soul. That's why I've been sticking around this area for so long, waiting for him to get here. And now, 2wks before he was to arrive, changed my mind.

For those of you that don't know, the Congo has suffered from a child-like government since its independence 50yrs ago. While the rest of the world's modernizing, the DRC has descended back to the stone age. The jungle has eaten the roads, corrupt officials stolen the money needed to fix broken electrical systems & even the famous Congo river doesn't transport much anymore because the government no longer dredges the sand barriers. There's no transport. No electricity. And at least 4 major rebel groups vying for control of the valuable diamond, gold & cobalt mines. And because of these rebels, about 1,200 people dieing EVERYDAY. Plus this lovely place has an active tribe of cannibals. Needless to say, it's now one of the world's top 10 most dangerous countries.

Sounds like a delightful holiday no?

But it did to me. Was willing to risk life & limb to find out first hand what is actually happening there. Wanted to be one of the few whites people had ever talked to. Wanted to spend weeks on a cargo boat floating down the Congo River.

But then read the book "Blood River" by a guy that just did this same trip. And basically he spent all his time with other white people. Not by choice. But because the white aid workers are the only ones that have any form of transport from city to city. And he had to sleep at churches & UN offices because the locals are too scared to have a white person staying with them less the rebels find out & rob the local family. And again, the river isn't even transporting goods or people anymore.

Finally decided with all the reasons I wanted to go gone, it just wasn't worth taking the risk. (So my friend, stop sending me emails "Don't go to the fucking Congo!")

Soooo hope people read beyond that title! Because it really makes me sound like a bitch! But that's kinda the point...

Random man/boy on the street: "Hello. Want to marry me?"
Me: "Sorry, I only like very rich men."

So simple, yet so effective! Eureka, finally found a way of shutting up the visa seeking suitors!

The words are simple, even the most basic English speaker can understand. It makes me sound like a royal bitch no one would even want to talk to. And 99% of the guys instantly proposing are dirt poor & only want a foreign wife to take them to a rich country where they think they'll be instantly rich.

Been testing it out for the past month & it works like a charm! Now if only I could find a way off stopping the guys that shout out their proposals from across the street...

Came back to Kenya to find a lot of sad things had happened... all involving people burning to death from someone's stupidity.

TWICE, IN ONE WEEK & IN THE SAME TOWN an oil tanker fell over & people ran over to steal the oil & one person decided to light a cigarette while doing so. Twice, in the same week, in the same town! 300 people dead. Stupid stealers & even more stupid smoker.

(Side note: All over the world I've had to yell at cabbies to put out their cigarettes while getting gas.)

And in Nairobi, a grocery store I went to all the time brunt down. But that's not the bad part... when the fire started, tons of people ran in to steal things so the security guards locked all the doors. Locked all the doors with people inside! 50 people dead because people were trying to steal. Not to mention the stupidity of the guards.

When I do something... I do it right. My first whitewater rafting trip, on the Zambazie River (Zimbabwe) - the most dangerous river in the world. And since I subscribe to the Mae West philosophy of "I'll try anything twice", had to go rafting again. (One exception is skydiving, once was enough!) But after the Zambazie, just any ole sissy river wouldn't do... the Nile in Uganda, supposedly 2nd to the Zambazie, sounded perfect.

Plus the Nile in Uganda is the begining of the Nile & since I saw the end of it in Alexandria, Egypt... it was great being able to see the whole thing.

The actual trip... very cool. Three class 5 rapids & four class 4's. (Class 5 being the hardest possible.) Like my previous trip, flipped twice. And banged my legs on some rocks pretty bad the 2nd time. But unlike the Zambazie, there were no crocs nor a near death experience. So, the Zambazie's still my fav.