The Front Room

After flying for 16 hours to Joburg, we were on a quick 2-hr hop to Cape Town, seated next to a South African lady.  She was clearly very professional and clearly knew that we were tourists, restless from hours of travel and itching to start our vacation.

As I picked through my fresh fruit and salad (unable to actually eat any of it), G struck up a conversation with her and she wanted to know where we were going to visit.  When we told her we were starting with Cape Town, she nodded, told us what a beautiful city it is, and then said rather nonchalantly, "You know, Cape Town is not very representative of Africa.  The rest of the continent is so...different."

Cape Town view from the base of Table Mountain

A stunning view on our drive around the Cape

After a few days here and a few days on safari, we were wondering what was in store for us in Zimbabwe.  We expected to be impressed by Victoria Falls, and we were.  Keep in mind, these pics are from the dry season.

On one of our last nights in Zimbabwe, our van driver was asking about our trip, and after we gave him our Cape Town/safari overview, he nodded and said very politely and cheerfully, "Ahhh, I see!  You have seen Africa's Front Room, eh?  Now in Zimbabwe, we show you the Back Room."

He wasn't kidding.  Zimbabwe is one of the poorest countries in the world, and I think it is accurate to say that we have seen the very best part of it, and even that was...eye opening.

On the drive from the airport to our (secluded - isolated by an electric fence) hotel, we saw police officers in full uniform, complete with weapons, hitch hiking on the side of the road because they had no vehicles.  People walked along the road, layed down almost indiscriminately, leaned against trees, swatted at flies and at children...

In preparing for the trip, we read country summaries provided by our travel agency and they mentioned the fall of the Zimbabwe financial market in 2009.  I knew it was bad, but I have such a limited concept of economics that I almost had no frame of reference.  They experienced a five billion percent inflation.  Billion.

One of our local tour guides was willing to answer some of our questions about it and he said that overnight, he lost his entire life savings.  Poof.  Because of the inflation of currency, he was considered a quintillionaire, and the computers simply would not register all the zeroes involved in how much money he owned, so the bank just gave up and his money was gone.  Not only did he have to start over from scratch (along with the rest of his countrymen), but he started off in debt because the bank converted all mortgages, loans and other debts into U.S. currency.  It just didn't bother to convert anyone's money along with it.

In all honesty, Zimbabwe was a good place to finish up our trip because it was an easy place to leave.  Peddlers surrounded you as soon as you left the hotel grounds, trying to sell $50 Billion dollar bills of their currency because it is so worthless.  Some stores sold coffee mugs with decoupaged $20 Billion dollar bills on them for decoration.  It was mind boggling.

We were not entirely sure if it was safe to walk around town, but our tour guide told us that he could guarantee that although the peddlers would hassle us, they would not touch us or try to steal our stuff.  He actually said, "Oh, stealing from you would be their death sentence."  He then explained that the country is so desperate for the money brought by tourism, that stealing will land people in jail.  And jail is likely to get them killed.  A jail cell designed to hold 20 people is more likely to fit 60 or more, and if a person spends more than 3 months in jail, their chances of dying from disease increase exponentially.

I realize this is a buzzkill compared to our other posts, and yet I have to include this.  If I left it out, I wouldn't be giving you the full picture.  This move has pushed my limits and I found myself, even half a world away, mentally calculating expenses and stressing about money coming and going over the next few months.  So, that said, Zimbabwe really put things into perspective for me.  Not just about finances, but about things like literacy and access to clean water and real medicine.  To fruits and vegetables that are safe to eat.  A space like this blog to express myself and my experiences.  The ability to own pets and actually have the resources at hand to take care of them.

More Africa stuff to come.

Remember me with good hair

This is my last weekend in VA and true to form, it is packed.  Today I'm getting my hair done (for the last time with my hairdresser of SEVEN YEARS!) but before that, I'm saying goodbye to a friend. 

Unfortunately, during my last meeting with my friend, my hair is going to look awful.  A few months back I decided to grow out my bangs and it's just not working out.  I miss them terribly.

I spent the entire African vacation looking like this:

or this:

The entire point of my decision to grow out my bangs was so that they would cascade alluringly down the side of my face, making me look soft and seductive.

I'll give you a minute to stop snorting.

Needless to say I always yank them back into a bobby pin and pine over my long lost bangs, so today, I'm getting them back.

So as I say goodbye, I'm gonna be like, When you remember me, remember me with good hair!

{This is what they like to call a first world problem.  I know.}

TGIF, people!

Random Africa Facts

Ten things we learned about Africa while we were there, in no particular order:

1.  Zimbabwe has 350 (!) different breeds of mosquito, but only one carries malaria.

2.  The Cape of Good Hope was originally called "Cabos das Tormentas", or "Cape of Storms", by Bartolomeu Dias, the first European to sail around it (apparently he had a pretty rough voyage).  Dias returned to his native Portugal and recounted his tale to the King, who declared that it should be called the Cape of Good Hope, as it was seen as a good sign that a trade route could be opened to lands farther east.

3.  Game animals--kudu, impala, nyala, wildebeest, etc--only sleep for 10-15 minutes at a stretch.  Day and night mean nothing to them; their lives consist of eating, procreating, sleeping for very brief periods, and trying not to get eaten.

4.  Lions--because they are apex predators--sleep for 20-21 hours per day.

5.  Cape Town looks like a European city.

6.  If you collected the water that flows over Victoria Falls during the wet season--about 1.7 million gallons a minute--for three days, you could supply New York City with fresh water for a year.

7.  Elephants' stomachs can only process about 60% of what they eat, which is why they have to eat so much to stay healthy.

8.  Cheetahs don't have collar bones, which gives them a very long stride while running.

9.  The zebra's closest structural relative is the rhinoceros.  Go figure.

10.  Giraffes--for all their size--can be nearly invisible when standing next to a tree.

The very best pic

This morning I slept in until 4:30.
That would be A.M.

I am no longer feeling any effects of jet lag (or of the meds from the trip) except the sleep issue; I stay awake just fine during the day, even at work.  And I crash around 10:00 p.m.  Sure enough, I'm awake by 4:30 every morning.

If I could just sustain this level of energy, I would be a very productive person.  I give it until Thursday and I'll be dragging myself out of bed around 6:00.

So I'll just blog since I've been dying to show you the best picture ever.

Here it is:

That cage?  G IS IN IT.

I'm waiting for National Geographic to call and offer me a job.

Sooooo, the Great White Sharks.  The shark cage was one of the first things we did in South Africa, located about 2 hours from Capetown.

These are the winter months in South Africa (actually, while we were there, they began the spring season) and the water is very cold.  All people getting into the cage must wear a 7 mm wet suit.  As it happens, I decided to opt out of the cage.  Believe it or not, I didn't decide this out of fear, but more out of practicality.  I was expecting the water to be murky, and it really was.  I didn't want to wrestle myself into a wet suit and endure the freezing water just to get a view of one tooth or something.

So, I had a come to Jesus moment and decided, that's it, I'm out.

And I'm very, very glad I made that decision.  I was able to go to the top of the little boat, have a seat, keep my balance through the wild swells, and snap away.

The cage is attached to the boat and five adults go in at one time.

G's view from inside the cage.

Here are some pics from the boat:

The Jaws references abounded.  Hollywood has no borders.  The small boat held about twenty tourists and they were from all over.  There was a handful of Americans, some Brits, some Germans, and some others.  Language barrier?  What language barrier?  People were like, WE'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT.

Compared to sharks we have seen before in Hawaii, Great Whites are much different.  Obviously they are bigger.  The ones we saw ranged anywhere from 8 feet to about 15 feet.  I would say that most of them fell within the 12 foot range.

I asked the boat captain about their size and he said that they range from like 2-4 meters.  Which means nothing to me.  I was like, you guys and your metric system.  Feet!  How long are they in feet?!  I'm sure they love Americans.

He said that these were the, and I quote, "Little Guys."

Other types of sharks we have seen will sort of linger around the boat and the cage.  They are not fed and they are not baited; but sharks are curious and have incredible senses, so if you make a lot of noise and throw some yummy fish bits in the water, they'll come check it out.

Great Whites, though, don't stay around for long.  Perhaps five to seven seconds, tops?  That's why my claim-to-fame picture is so miraculous; it's so hard to tell from these still shots how quickly the sharks were moving.  I would hold the camera in front of my chin and not even bother to look through the peephole; I would watch the shark so I could enjoy it and basically shoot pics as fast as I could at random.

For all of our jokes about being crazy to get in the cage (G) or wanting to see them up close, they really are marvelous.  They are the perfect killing machine and efficient in every way.  Their design and their capabilities amaze me and I'm so, so glad we were able to experience them up close.

In trying to attract sharks to the boat, I figure it is smart to do exactly the opposite if you ever find yourself in the water and want to avoid them.  Basically, don't bleed.  Don't make abrupt splashes or movements.  Stay quiet and stay still.

We're gonna need a bigger boat.

The Big 4.5 - and life on safari

You might wanna break out the Lion King soundtrack for this post.

So, as you know, we are bigtime animal junkies.  Throw an animal - any animal - our way and get ready for a luv fest.  Our love of animals was the driving force behind this vacation.  And boy oh boy did we see some biggies.

 

In South Africa, the "Big Five" safari animals are:
*Cape Buffalo
*Lion
*Leopard
*Elephant
*Rhino

We asked our guide who decided that these, of all the animals, are the Big Five?  I mean, why not hippos?  Giraffes?  He said that the British hunters, back in the day, coined this term for the five toughest game animals to (1) hunt, and (2) try to deal with when they are angry or otherwise perturbed - as a result of say, being hunted (?!?!)...?

So, of these, we consider ourselves to have fully seen and experienced a whopping four-and-a-half.  After several days of tracking a leopard - and let me tell you, they are elusive - we did manage to hang out with one and stare at her rump for about half an hour.

Here are some of our best shots of our 4.5:

Of all of our experiences on this vacation, the highlight was our four-day stay at a safari camp located on a private game reserve next to Kruger National Park.  We wanted to give you a "Day in the Life" description of a typical safari day.

A Typical Day on Safari

5:00 A.M.     Wake Up

5:00 A.M. in the safari camp

5:30 A.M.     Tea & Coffee

The dining lodge where all of our meals were served

6:00 A.M.     Morning Game drive

The bush

9:00 A.M.     Back from game drive - Breakfast

Dining and drinks lodge

10:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.     Do your own thing and grab lunch

3:30 P.M.     Afternoon Refreshments

4:00 P.M.     Afternoon Game Drive

Our game tracker, on the front of the truck, was Moshi.  Our ranger, in the foreground of the pic, was Richard.

8:00 P.M.     Dinner

Richard ate with us every night and entertained us with stories and lots of African info.

The game drives occur early in the morning and late in the afternoon because that is when the animals are active.  In the mid-day hours, when the sun is highest and the temperature soars, the animals take refuge in the bush and conserve their energy.

While the animals were definitely wild, they were also used to the vehicles.  We were very surprised that the noise of the engines did not seem to faze them whatsoever.  Richard said that from birth, these animals are used to the vehicles and the people; they have grown to understand that neither will bother them, get in their way, intrude upon their space, or interrupt anything that they set out to do.  There were times when we were in the middle of elephant herds (~40 elephants) and they would practically rub up against our truck.  We were instructed to stay still and silent.  We didn't mess with them, and they didn't mess with us.  The same with the lions; they continued to sleep or play even though we were about 5 feet from them.  Every now and then they would glance at us and yawn, or perhaps flick their ears a bit.

When seated in the truck, the people blend in and form a coherent silhouette for the animals.  Therefore, we were told never to stand up.  If a person were to suddenly stand up, it would change the shape of the overall silhouette and either spook or provoke the animals.  Needless to say, we were Butt-in-Seat the entire time.

We had our own tracker and ranger for the duration of our safari stay.  This helped us get used to the same people and their game drive & tracking styles.  We were incredibly lucky because Richard had been leading game drives for almost a decade.  He was incredibly attuned to the animals and could predict their actions in advance.  One morning we watched a herd of elephants for a long time and he said that he wanted to just go wait at a close-by water hole.  He said he had a feeling they might go there.  We went and parked in a prime photo spot, and sure enough, about ten minutes later the water was full of the herd.  It was also clear that he truly respected the animals and nature.  Regardless of whether we were looking at baby elephants, bathing hippos, or ancient cape buffalo munching on wild grass and glaring at us, he would utter the same thing:  "Oh, would you look at that!  Beautiful, isn't it?  Just beautiful.  Have you ever seen anything like it in your life?"  And we would be like, "Yes, it sure is lovely, Richard..."

So there you go.  We hope you are adequately prepared for your next safari!

Out of Africa

Well hello there.

Africa was every bit as awesome as we expected.  Due to our grueling travel schedule on the way back home, we have been in five countries within the last 24 hours:  Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Senegal, and finally the U.S.  Got a bit of the ole jet lag going on, but we wanted to say hello to you peeps and let you know that we are back, safe and sound.

Home sweet (temporary) home.

Of course we went straight from the airport to Starbucks this morning where, to my utter delight, I discovered that my lover the pumpkin spice latte has returned!  I got a venti and told myself it was to stave off the jet lag.  However, if SB offered a size larger than venti, I would have ordered it.  I'm just sayin.

I am happy to report that we made it through all of our travels and adventures with no major health problems.  Though we did discover that after taking the malaria pills (malarone) for about a week, it does weird things to your stomach.  It's not too bad, but it causes some discomfort for a couple of days, enough to make you think that something's not quite right, then it goes away.

Let me just say that it is a weird thing to totally avoid fresh fruits and vegetables for two weeks.  When they are at your disposal, it's no big deal.  But when you are faced with a variety of them and know that you are not supposed to eat any of them - at all - your senses actually become heightened and you feel deprived as you stuff your face with breads and other carbs.  It actually got to the point that I could walk into a room and smell fresh fruit from several meters away, before I could even see it.  At 4:00 this afternoon (which is technically 9:00 p.m. on our jet lagged schedule) we joined the senior citizens at Outback and literally stuffed our faces with salad and meat.  G didn't even use salad dressing, people.  He goes, "I want to enjoy the full taste of the vegetables."

Otherwise, there were no snafus, no unpleasant surprises, no crazy dangers, not many iffy situations.

The animals were amazing - God truly delighted us - and the people were among the nicest I have ever, ever been around.  They took the terms "hospitable" and "gracious" to a whole other level than I have experienced.

As it happens, we packed all the right stuff with us, and ended up using almost all of it.  The layers of clothes were a good idea, as we passed through some chilly parts and some incredibly dry and hot parts.

More to come in the next few days!  At this point we are busy doing laundry, loving on the bun bun, and sleeping heavily.  Thanks for the prayers and thoughts!  In a way, it feels like we've been gone and out of touch for forever.  In another way, it feels like the whole trip went by in a flash.