LONDON: DAY TWO

Starting the day with a bus ride to the train station eating pastries and hot tea for breakfast while on the fifteen minute train ride into the city.


We arrived at Victoria station and walked a short way to the Westminster Cathedral...very large. Then another short walk back to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. (A lot of young men in red jackets with big, furry, black hats, taking a long time to change places!) It was fun getting pushed up next to the gate because others wanted to see!











We ate at a small pub called Bag O'Nails...I had a Jacket Potato...Basically a baked potato, and no one serves Coke...only Pepsi here.





More walking to see Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey--were more than 3,000 people are buried inside the church!


To end our wonderfully busy day...We took a double-decker bus from one end of the line to the other... 2 hours of seeing the suburbs of London! Then ate a healthy meal at McDonalds!

I am going to rest for another exciting day tomorrow!

LONDON

Flying in:
I arrived more than three hours before my parents and I waited in the airport for them. I was freezing. I put on socks and had two coats on while trying to sleep...but I was too cold to sleep. When my parents finally arrived, we took two underground "tubes" and then a train and then a taxi to get to the hotel! It was quite the adventure with all our luggage!

The First day:
I ate at a Krispy Kreme donut shop in the middle of a train and tube station! We were also very Europian and had hot tea with breakfast.
Next was Buckingham Palace and dad asked every worker if they were in university and if today was their last day...apparently all the workers are students! (all thinking this old man is crazy :)!)
Then we visited the original Hard Rock Cafe followed by a tour of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Very cool. I got to meet Prince William and Harry and mom and dad got to take pictures with the Queen!


So far it has been a great visit...who knows who I will meet tomorrow!

Baby Naming Ceremony
I am holding the smallest baby I have ever held in my life! I am all dressed up attending a baby naming ceremony. These celebrations happen about eight days after the baby is born and everyone from the village comes offering gifts and to eat food prepared by the family. It is a great time to visit and have weird conversations about food and village happenings.

Signs of malaria
The first wave of malaria hit me on my second day in the far desert of Niger. In the morning I felt well enough to walk the town and visit nationals. As guests it is good to visit friends and make a good impression for future work. The rest of the day I took it easy in the shade!

In Niger the women wear a head covering everywhere they go. So from the time I got up till I went to sleep I had something on my head...A totally new experience for me. (Yes, something on your head all the time is very HOT.)

SECOND WAVE OF MALARIA--IN THE HOSPITAL
So, I am drugged. This is me in the hospital bed with an IV in my left hand. (which would later swell up because the medicine started leaking into my arm...Gross.

If you get malaria and don't take it easy and have food poisoning along with it, you might end up in the hospital!

This is were I spent three days and two nights. I got used to the IV and was able to sleep quite a lot. I also had wonderful visitors who took care of me and the people who stayed around the clock with me. I had wonderful care and when I was coherent was very impressed with the doctors.

My favorite was the night shift doctor, he gave me drugs to sleep!

I have learned if you get malaria-Africa is a good place to get treatment.

Hope you have enjoyed these pictures. I am headed to London this weekend to see my PARENTS! YEAH! Will post pictures of my trip.