Today might be termed our adrenaline day as we engaged in all manner of pulse-pounding activities. Our day started off early as I had an appointment to take a microlight flight on the Zambian side of the river. We met our van at the no-mans land on the other side of the Zimbabwean border station and were driven to the other side of the bridge. The sun was finally out after two days of high, thick clouds so we had a lovely view of the mist generated from the falls. We bought a single entry visa to Zambia for $30; African passports do not need a visa (another reason I need to get in on my clever Swaziland passport scheme).
We were driven through Livingstone, Zambia to the airfield which is outside of town and upriver a ways. We had a lovely view of the back of the falls with a rainbow above. I expected Zambia to look much more prosperous than Zimbabwe but it looked much the same. The roads had many potholes and the road signs were faded.
The airfield offered microlight and helicopter flights. A microlight is basically like a hang glider with a small motor. The aircraft is controlled by a horizontal bar held by the pilot. To turn, one pushes the bar right or left and the wings dip accordingly. I was given a quilted unisuit to put on to keep me warm, as the pilot and passenger just sit on open seats with no wind break or other protection. Sadly, the uni was much less Top Gun as more of a giant, baggy snow suit type thing.
The microlight is quite efficient, one pilot lands and the passenger gets out, and then the next passenger is assisted in. I was given a pair of headphones and a helmet so I could communicate with the pilot. I was strapped in with a seatbelt and off we went! To take off, the pilot lifted the bar and the ascent was quite swift. As we flew off, I could see some elephants feeding on some trees just past the end of the runway.
We headed over the Zambezi above the falls and saw elephants swimming across the river. They looked like whales to me as I could see their wide backs and little puffs of water as the breathed through their trunks. We came over the falls from the Zambian side and I saw a rainbow that arced from one side to the other--all 1.7km long! The pilot asked me who I would describe the sight to my friends and I said it was indescribable but I will try to do so here. The span of the falls in incredible, at least a mile wide. The water cascades over the edge in enormous frothy sheets and mists billow up from the chasm. After the falls, the gorges head south in a fantastic zigzag pattern. The mist also forms sparkling rainbows that sprung out in the early morning sunlight. We had a perfect view of the border station and the hotel. My pilot pointed out Livingstone Island in the middle of the falls, which is where Devil's Pool is located. In the dry season, the river shrinks to the island and you can hike over and swim in the pool overlooking the drop off. Thebwater level is definitely too high right now for that!
We banked back to get one more view of the falls and did a spiral over it. We then headed back upriver and I got to steer the plane! I put my hands on the bar and turned us left and right. The force required to turn was surprisingly strong. I saw the elephants in the river below again as well as a pod of hippos and an enormous crocodile, at least 5m long, sunning himself on an island in the middle. We came in for a landing and I hopped off, thrilled. I had so much fun that Jimmy decided to go up himself. He is also a commercial pilot so he was quite excited to try it out. When he got back, he was similarly exhilarated and thrilled.
As to the microlight vs the helicopter, I was glad I did the microlight. You have a 360 degree view of everything and you are just up there with the pilot. The downside, however, is that you can't take your camera. It's too windy to take photos anyway and you could drop your camera. They do take photos for you with a camera mounted on the wing and purchasing the photo cd is $20. I did buy it because of the rainbow photos and the elephants. The helicopter allows you to take your camera but you can only take photos out a small window and for the time the falls are on your side. Additionally, there is a helicopter with three seats across so you could end up in the middle with no way to take photos. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to each. Both are the same price, however.
After we were all safely back on the ground we had the van drop us off at the Victoria Falls park on the Zambian side, which is just next to the border post. My parents had recommended it because of it's superior view of the falls, the knife edge bridge and access to the boiling pot whirlpool. Entry for non locals is $20. We walked along the gorge wall back in the direction of the bridge and had fabulous views of the falls when the mist occasionally cleared. We then headed back and walked down into the gorge to the boiling pot. The first half of the hike is stone steps but when you reach the floor of the gorge it follows a pretty stream past palm trees and small waterfalls. The trail comes out next to the giant whirlpool visible from the bridge. We had a spectacular view of the falls and the bridge. We could see bungee jumpers swinging in the breeze and my stomach clenched a bit to think of myself up there soon enough. We clambered over some rocks to touch the water and found that it was chilly! We also spotted a small crocodile, only three feet long, sunning himself by the edge. Nick tried to get a closer look but the croc spotted him and jumped into the water. We also saw a little monitor lizard who had literally flattened himself on a rock to get more sun. He seemed to have collapsed his ribs to put more surface area in the sun's rays.
We walked back and found it quite warm at the base of the gorge. The hike up the stairs was pretty sweaty. Just below the top we ran into some baboons, one of whom perched on a vine just above the trail. He stared unconcernedly at us as we scampered beneath him, and even flashed some hikers heading down the trail.
We then decided to brave the knife edge bridge that is just behind the falls. I knew that it would be extremely wet so I had brought flip flops and a rain coat in preparation. Nick and Jimmy did not, and try ended up getting crazily soaked. The park cleverly has ponchos for hire so I would recommend it as you will be thoroughly wet by the end.
The knife edge bridge connects the Zambian bank with a rocky promontory that overlooks the falls. It is very narrow and about 25m long and is absolutely bathed in mist and what feels like heavy rain drops. I was incredibly glad for the raincoat! On the other side, the mist and water droplets form a mini tropical rainforest. One can walk on the falls side and all we could see in either direction was thundering white water. The noise of the falls was so loud it made it hard to talk. The mist was so thick that we couldn't use our cameras. We walked all the way to the end and were awed by the incredible view. You could barely see the bridge through the mist and we had brief glimpses of the Zimbabwean side of the falls view as well (it appeared similarly wet also!).
When we emerged back onto dry ground, we were soaking wet. Jimmy and Nick looked like bedraggled cats and I had to use my scarf to towel off. Luckily my coat had kept everything dry, but Jimmy's money and passport, which he had kept in his pockets, were wet through. We must have looked a sight to the Zambian border guard who stamped us out. He teased Jimmy about his wet passport, holding it up like a dead rat and asking, "what happened to this!?" Jimmy answered with, "Victoria Falls happened to it!" which made the guy laugh.
As soon as we hit the no-mans land on the Zambian side of the bridge, the hawkers came out in full force. Jimmy got some copper bracelets for his nieces, but I didn't need any $1 trillion bills or carvings so I passed. I went up to the bungee registration and heard they were closing jumps as the bridge was getting busy (not sure what that really meant, as in people busy or traffic busy) so I piped up that I had prepaid already. Good thing, as I was the last person let on for the afternoon. They weighed me (64kg) and wrote the number on my arm in magic marker. I then walked to the middle of the bridge where a crowd of interested locals and foreigners were watching the fools flinging themselves off the bridge towards the rushing water below.
I had to wait for two people doing the gorge swing to go, plus one more bungee jumper, and then it was my turn. I did inspect the equipment and it was well maintained, in good condition and new. They use a foot harness and a chest/waist harness as backup. The safety briefing was comprehensive and matched what I had been told the last time I jumped back in the US. As sketchy as it sounds to jump off a bridge spanning two developing African countries, I can say that overall the crew did a great job and I was impressed.
I was led up to the edge, which really is right on the side of the bridge, and the handler counted down from five very quickly, not giving me time to back out or falter. He also gave me a helpful push at the back but I was already moving of my own volition. I flung myself out towards the center of the canyon in a swan dive. The Zambezi rushed towards me and I could see a rainbow in the spray with the roar of the falls in my ears. As locations go for a bungee, this was pretty damn amazing. I bounced up and down and swung around and eventually was caught by a staff member and hauled back up to the arc at the bottom of the bridge. I then walked on the walkway underneath back to the Zimbabwean bank and climbed up a short ladder to get back onto the road. It was really interesting to see the underside of this historic landmark. The good news is that it looks to be in decent shape.
I met Jimmy and Nick back at the bungee hut, I was excited and in a good mood. I returned the harness and we walked back to the hotel. After a quick shower and change, we snarfed down some high tea and watched the Germans smash Argentina. Definitely a good day so far! For dinner we will likely go back to Mama Africa and then watch the game in the hotel again.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Botswana Day Trip to Chobe National Park
Victoria Falls is located near the confluence of four countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. One could count Angola as well, but that's a bit trickier to visit. One of the many popular day trips in the area is to go to Chobe National Park in Botswana to cruisenthe Chobe River and see some of the famously large herds of elephants the park has to offer. I had convinced Nick and Jimmy to join me on this trip since they had never heard of Chobe, but having just returned I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it was a fabulous ay and Im so glad we went!
Our day started off with an extremely hearty breakfast at the Vic Falls buffet. I had some of everything, including a made to order omlette and it was all fabulous. Another standout was the lemon sugar crepes they had as well. We met our transport van at 7:30am outside the hotel and we were whisked away to the border wi Botswana, about 80km away. We drove through a game park on the Zimbabwean side, but did not see any animals besides baboons and a huge bird called a red roller that looks like a toucan crossed with a turkey. We were dropped off at the Zimbabwean border and were met by the tour operator's Botswanan counterparts on the other side of the gate. We had to all walk through a foot and mouth disinfectant bath before officially entering the border station and getting our passports stamped. US passport holders do not need a visa to enter Botswana, which is nice.
Our group was then driven to the Chobe Marina Lodge, which was our base of operations for the day. The lodge is on the bank of the Chobe River, which flows into the Zambezi. We could see Namibia across the river. The lodge was located in a leafy grove full of vervet monkeys. They amused us with their antics as they scampered around. We noticed that some monkeys were missing hands and we learned that was from crocodiles in the river. Yikes!
We took a river boat cruise up the Chobe for the first part of our tour. The boat fit 10 of us and was a flat bottomed houseboat style craft with a 40hp engine and a canvas roof. We passed an island that belongs to Botswana now, but Namibia and Botswana both laid clamp it and the dispute was actually arbitrated by the Hague. An independent investigation revealed that the channel on the Botswanan was considered the "dominant" channel and thus there is now a Botswanan flag planted on the island as buffalo graze and ducks and geese fly nearby.
We saw several Nile crocodiles sunning themselves on the island as well. The crocodiles were about 3m long and had their mouths open. This was my first time seeing crocodiles so I was really excited. We also saw hippos lying in pods, numbering about 20. On the Botswanan bank we saw warthogs, an elephant, monitor lizards and buffalo. The river cruise was a really unique way to view the wildlife and was very pleasant. The river is also a birders paradise. We also got close to about 10 elephants drinking at the bank. They would suck up water in their trunks and then squirt it in their mouths. We were about 20 feet away! Even though it was a bit chilly with the breeze we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our guide even let us hop off the boat on the Namibian bank, so we have all now been to Namibia unofficially!
On the way back it was much breezier, so I got very chilly. I would highly recommend anyone doing a river cruise bring a warm coat especially if it is not full sun. We spent about three hours on the river and then returned to the lodge for lunch. We were served some tasty food as well as a sumptuous dessert spread. The sun finally came out after we finished eating so I took the opportunity to sit in the sun and warm up before our afternoon drive.
For our afternoon activity we were driven around Chobe National Park by the same guide who piloted the boat for us. Our drive was jam packed wit incredible sightings. We started off with some lions who had just finished a kill! Unfortunately they were about 200m off the road, hiding in some shrubs so we couldn't get that close. Jimmy was estatic, as they hadn't seen any lions in Kruger, but for me having seen a lion kill up close last year it didn't compare. As we drove further towards the riverbank, we saw a herd of elephants numbering about 65! There were females and adolescent elephants and some tiny babies. They were all going to the river to drink as well. We followed them and saw some of them swimming across the river to the other side. It was a crazy sight to see those giant animals gracefully swimming to the other bank!
As we drove on we got close to another elephant pod, this time they were wallowing in a huge mud puddle. Some rolled and others splashed mud on them. Some babies were there too, and they were mostly just rolling around and making a mess. I thought we would get sprayed with mud as one female didn't limpke us and trumpeted and flapped her ears at us. Luckily we emerged unscathed. Later we even saw a newborn elephant who was so young it didn't know how to use it's trunk to drink! It just waded in the water and drank with it's mouth.
I could have stayed and watched the elephants all day but eventually we had to leave. On the way out we saw more lions, from the same pride we saw earlier. This time we saw the male with his majestic mane. He was far off the road as well. We also saw a big journey of giraffes, the landscape in Chobe is less overgrown compared to Kruger so it was easy to spot the giraffes,
We had to drop a few members of our group off at the Zambian border first, which was fascinating as it is a ferry crossing. There is a huge line of trucks waiting to cross into the no mans land where the ferry is, at least 100 of them. The car ferry fits 2 trucks at a time, so these guys could wait days at our guess as the river looks to be at least 2k wide. There is also a speedboat ferry for passengers.
We then went to the Botswana-Zimbabwe border and were driven back to town. We got back with enough time to watch the end of the Brazil vs Holland game and it was great to see Brazil lose. For dinner we went to the Spur in the Kingdom, the hotel next door. We caught the Ghana game at a local bar, the only one we could find in the whole town as I'm sure you van imagine, the place went completely went nuts when Ghana scored first. People were dancing, screaming, singing and high fiving. We fit right in as we were supporting Ghana as well. The end was a bummer as Ghana should have scored on that handball penalty and then missed the penalty shot in extra time and lost on penalty kicks.
Tomorrow I go up in a microlite plane at 8 am to see the falls and then bungee jump later. I'm excited!
Our day started off with an extremely hearty breakfast at the Vic Falls buffet. I had some of everything, including a made to order omlette and it was all fabulous. Another standout was the lemon sugar crepes they had as well. We met our transport van at 7:30am outside the hotel and we were whisked away to the border wi Botswana, about 80km away. We drove through a game park on the Zimbabwean side, but did not see any animals besides baboons and a huge bird called a red roller that looks like a toucan crossed with a turkey. We were dropped off at the Zimbabwean border and were met by the tour operator's Botswanan counterparts on the other side of the gate. We had to all walk through a foot and mouth disinfectant bath before officially entering the border station and getting our passports stamped. US passport holders do not need a visa to enter Botswana, which is nice.
Our group was then driven to the Chobe Marina Lodge, which was our base of operations for the day. The lodge is on the bank of the Chobe River, which flows into the Zambezi. We could see Namibia across the river. The lodge was located in a leafy grove full of vervet monkeys. They amused us with their antics as they scampered around. We noticed that some monkeys were missing hands and we learned that was from crocodiles in the river. Yikes!
We took a river boat cruise up the Chobe for the first part of our tour. The boat fit 10 of us and was a flat bottomed houseboat style craft with a 40hp engine and a canvas roof. We passed an island that belongs to Botswana now, but Namibia and Botswana both laid clamp it and the dispute was actually arbitrated by the Hague. An independent investigation revealed that the channel on the Botswanan was considered the "dominant" channel and thus there is now a Botswanan flag planted on the island as buffalo graze and ducks and geese fly nearby.
We saw several Nile crocodiles sunning themselves on the island as well. The crocodiles were about 3m long and had their mouths open. This was my first time seeing crocodiles so I was really excited. We also saw hippos lying in pods, numbering about 20. On the Botswanan bank we saw warthogs, an elephant, monitor lizards and buffalo. The river cruise was a really unique way to view the wildlife and was very pleasant. The river is also a birders paradise. We also got close to about 10 elephants drinking at the bank. They would suck up water in their trunks and then squirt it in their mouths. We were about 20 feet away! Even though it was a bit chilly with the breeze we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our guide even let us hop off the boat on the Namibian bank, so we have all now been to Namibia unofficially!
On the way back it was much breezier, so I got very chilly. I would highly recommend anyone doing a river cruise bring a warm coat especially if it is not full sun. We spent about three hours on the river and then returned to the lodge for lunch. We were served some tasty food as well as a sumptuous dessert spread. The sun finally came out after we finished eating so I took the opportunity to sit in the sun and warm up before our afternoon drive.
For our afternoon activity we were driven around Chobe National Park by the same guide who piloted the boat for us. Our drive was jam packed wit incredible sightings. We started off with some lions who had just finished a kill! Unfortunately they were about 200m off the road, hiding in some shrubs so we couldn't get that close. Jimmy was estatic, as they hadn't seen any lions in Kruger, but for me having seen a lion kill up close last year it didn't compare. As we drove further towards the riverbank, we saw a herd of elephants numbering about 65! There were females and adolescent elephants and some tiny babies. They were all going to the river to drink as well. We followed them and saw some of them swimming across the river to the other side. It was a crazy sight to see those giant animals gracefully swimming to the other bank!
As we drove on we got close to another elephant pod, this time they were wallowing in a huge mud puddle. Some rolled and others splashed mud on them. Some babies were there too, and they were mostly just rolling around and making a mess. I thought we would get sprayed with mud as one female didn't limpke us and trumpeted and flapped her ears at us. Luckily we emerged unscathed. Later we even saw a newborn elephant who was so young it didn't know how to use it's trunk to drink! It just waded in the water and drank with it's mouth.
I could have stayed and watched the elephants all day but eventually we had to leave. On the way out we saw more lions, from the same pride we saw earlier. This time we saw the male with his majestic mane. He was far off the road as well. We also saw a big journey of giraffes, the landscape in Chobe is less overgrown compared to Kruger so it was easy to spot the giraffes,
We had to drop a few members of our group off at the Zambian border first, which was fascinating as it is a ferry crossing. There is a huge line of trucks waiting to cross into the no mans land where the ferry is, at least 100 of them. The car ferry fits 2 trucks at a time, so these guys could wait days at our guess as the river looks to be at least 2k wide. There is also a speedboat ferry for passengers.
We then went to the Botswana-Zimbabwe border and were driven back to town. We got back with enough time to watch the end of the Brazil vs Holland game and it was great to see Brazil lose. For dinner we went to the Spur in the Kingdom, the hotel next door. We caught the Ghana game at a local bar, the only one we could find in the whole town as I'm sure you van imagine, the place went completely went nuts when Ghana scored first. People were dancing, screaming, singing and high fiving. We fit right in as we were supporting Ghana as well. The end was a bummer as Ghana should have scored on that handball penalty and then missed the penalty shot in extra time and lost on penalty kicks.
Tomorrow I go up in a microlite plane at 8 am to see the falls and then bungee jump later. I'm excited!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Just a few days before I arrived in Africa, my parents took a trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. They returned full of praise for the trip and their photos raised my interest as well. After chatting with friends of mine who had also been to the area, and given the accessibility of Botswana's Chobe National Park, I decided to visit myself before I left Africa.
The flight from Johannesburg is short, only two hours. As you descend, the pilot banks the plane so that both sides can see the falls from the air. You can see a great gash in the earth with mist billowing upwards. It is quite a view! Visitors have the choice of flying into Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe or Livingston, Zambia to access the falls--we chose the Zimbabwean side because we wanted to stay at the Victoria Falls hotel.
The airport immigration setup is typical. There are two officers handing the whole line, but each has a separate job so your visa requires two people to stamp and sign. We originally had been seated at the back of the plane but I had been warned in advance about the line so we moved up once the plane was in flight. We also filled out the visa forms ahead of time which also helped a lot. We still waited about 30 minutes, but beat most of the people on our flight. A double entry visa for US passports is $45; Zimbabwe recently dollarized so they accept greenbacks. A single entry is $30 but since you can walk to Zambia from the town I felt the double entry was definitely worth it.
After finally making it past immigration, we caught a taxi into town. Our driver chatted with us and told us to keep our eyes open for wild animals crossing the road. There was even a sign warning of elephants crossing! The land here is quite flat and covered in scrub brush and acacia trees. I couldn't see any mountains, or elephants for that matter.
The drive to town took about 25 minutes. Our hotel, the Victoria Falls Hotel, is a gorgeous Colonial era historical building that has absolutely retained its charm. The staff are friendly and helpful without being obsequious and the rooms are decorated in an Edwardian style. My four poster bed even has a mosquito net, although I suspect that's more for ambiance than need this time of year. Nick and Jimmy, my traveling companions (whom you might remember from my post about the USA vs Algeria World Cup game) have a double room that overlooks the gorge and the bridge to Zambia, so we definitely lucked out!
We had high tea on the veranda overlooking the gorge where the Zambezi River flows after it goes over the falls and admired the ambiance and scenery. We had a local Zimbabwean tea that reminds me of a mix of Roiboos and English Breakfast and a tower of tasty eats. There were finger sandwiches (cucumber, lox and ham), scones with jam and clotted cream, and a plate of dessert cakes. The best cake in my opinion was definitely the carrot cake! I felt very posh sitting on the beautiful veranda, overlooking one of the natural wonders of the world and enjoying a thoroughly English tradition.
After the indulgence of high tea, we walked to the bridge to look at the falls. The hotel has a private path to the Zimbabwe border station as well as a security escort. Our guard, Raymond, wax walking with us through the scrub brush just outside the hotel when we heard something large trampling through the bushes and making a squeaking noise. It turned out to be some male warthogs fighting! Raymond led us through the brush until we were about 20 feet away from the warthogs. They were trotting around, tossing their heads and squealing. I wondered if this was a bad idea to be so close, but the warthogs didn't seem to mind. Eventually they moved off and we kept going on the path.
I had been warned to expect a barrage of hawkers selling curios and there were a few but they weren't bad. They virtually ignored me and beelined for Jimmy, I think because he is the oldest and they probably assume he has the most money (sorry, Jimmy, but you do look more dignified than Nick or I!). One guy had a nice elephant carving for only $5 opening price, which temped Jimmy. Raymond told us that the hawkers usually buy their items somewhere else so you can get the same thing for cheaper in a local market and he said their money usually goes straight to drinking. We probably won't buy anything from these guys, but if there are kids selling on Saturday I'll probably try to barter some of the old clothes i brought.
Visitors can leave Zimbabwe and go to the bridge without sacrificing one of their visa exits as long as you do not go through Zambian immigration on the other side, so it is a good chance to view the falls. I also wanted check out the bungee jump, which I want to do. The walk to the bridge from the Zimbabwean border station is about two kilometers, some of which was wet and misty from the falls. We wee walking around 4:30pm so there was almost no vehicular or foot traffic.
We walked across the bridge past the sign in the middle indicating we had technically entered Zambia and gazed out over the falls. Victoria Falls is wider and taller than Niagra Falls so it is truly a wondrous sight. The mist billows up and the air is cool and damp. The roar of the water makes it hard to talk. The walls of the gorge are slick with moisture and thick vegetation. We felt very tiny!
After taking some photos we walked back to the hotel. The border guards checked passports to make sure we hadn't entered Zambia, although the inspection was somewhat cursory. Raymond met us at the railroad tracks and escorted us back to the hotel, the warthogs were now rooting around on the lawn of the hotel in front of the veranda where we had tea. They seemed peaceful enough but there was a staff member with a rifle keeping an eye on matters just in case.
For dinner we ate at Mama Africa based on many recommendations and it was delicious. For appetizers they served us tiny dried fish, dried worms (a black grub of some kind, tasted like salty beef jerky) and boiled peanuts. I had a chicken stew with a peanutty flavor and it was amazing. It came in a tiny cast iron pot. I also tried the local beer, Zambezi, which was watery but complimented the food well enough. We were also treated to live music and a native dance show. Prices were reasonable and I was quite happy with the meal. Weirdly, we had been warned that the place would be crowded but we were one of only four tables at the restaurant. Maybe town will fill up over the weekend but right now it feels deserted.
We were pretty tired so we walked around the grounds a bit to work off dinner and then headed off to bed. Tomorrow we have a day trip to Chobe in Botswana and I am really looking forward to that!
The flight from Johannesburg is short, only two hours. As you descend, the pilot banks the plane so that both sides can see the falls from the air. You can see a great gash in the earth with mist billowing upwards. It is quite a view! Visitors have the choice of flying into Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe or Livingston, Zambia to access the falls--we chose the Zimbabwean side because we wanted to stay at the Victoria Falls hotel.
The airport immigration setup is typical. There are two officers handing the whole line, but each has a separate job so your visa requires two people to stamp and sign. We originally had been seated at the back of the plane but I had been warned in advance about the line so we moved up once the plane was in flight. We also filled out the visa forms ahead of time which also helped a lot. We still waited about 30 minutes, but beat most of the people on our flight. A double entry visa for US passports is $45; Zimbabwe recently dollarized so they accept greenbacks. A single entry is $30 but since you can walk to Zambia from the town I felt the double entry was definitely worth it.
After finally making it past immigration, we caught a taxi into town. Our driver chatted with us and told us to keep our eyes open for wild animals crossing the road. There was even a sign warning of elephants crossing! The land here is quite flat and covered in scrub brush and acacia trees. I couldn't see any mountains, or elephants for that matter.
The drive to town took about 25 minutes. Our hotel, the Victoria Falls Hotel, is a gorgeous Colonial era historical building that has absolutely retained its charm. The staff are friendly and helpful without being obsequious and the rooms are decorated in an Edwardian style. My four poster bed even has a mosquito net, although I suspect that's more for ambiance than need this time of year. Nick and Jimmy, my traveling companions (whom you might remember from my post about the USA vs Algeria World Cup game) have a double room that overlooks the gorge and the bridge to Zambia, so we definitely lucked out!
We had high tea on the veranda overlooking the gorge where the Zambezi River flows after it goes over the falls and admired the ambiance and scenery. We had a local Zimbabwean tea that reminds me of a mix of Roiboos and English Breakfast and a tower of tasty eats. There were finger sandwiches (cucumber, lox and ham), scones with jam and clotted cream, and a plate of dessert cakes. The best cake in my opinion was definitely the carrot cake! I felt very posh sitting on the beautiful veranda, overlooking one of the natural wonders of the world and enjoying a thoroughly English tradition.
After the indulgence of high tea, we walked to the bridge to look at the falls. The hotel has a private path to the Zimbabwe border station as well as a security escort. Our guard, Raymond, wax walking with us through the scrub brush just outside the hotel when we heard something large trampling through the bushes and making a squeaking noise. It turned out to be some male warthogs fighting! Raymond led us through the brush until we were about 20 feet away from the warthogs. They were trotting around, tossing their heads and squealing. I wondered if this was a bad idea to be so close, but the warthogs didn't seem to mind. Eventually they moved off and we kept going on the path.
I had been warned to expect a barrage of hawkers selling curios and there were a few but they weren't bad. They virtually ignored me and beelined for Jimmy, I think because he is the oldest and they probably assume he has the most money (sorry, Jimmy, but you do look more dignified than Nick or I!). One guy had a nice elephant carving for only $5 opening price, which temped Jimmy. Raymond told us that the hawkers usually buy their items somewhere else so you can get the same thing for cheaper in a local market and he said their money usually goes straight to drinking. We probably won't buy anything from these guys, but if there are kids selling on Saturday I'll probably try to barter some of the old clothes i brought.
Visitors can leave Zimbabwe and go to the bridge without sacrificing one of their visa exits as long as you do not go through Zambian immigration on the other side, so it is a good chance to view the falls. I also wanted check out the bungee jump, which I want to do. The walk to the bridge from the Zimbabwean border station is about two kilometers, some of which was wet and misty from the falls. We wee walking around 4:30pm so there was almost no vehicular or foot traffic.
We walked across the bridge past the sign in the middle indicating we had technically entered Zambia and gazed out over the falls. Victoria Falls is wider and taller than Niagra Falls so it is truly a wondrous sight. The mist billows up and the air is cool and damp. The roar of the water makes it hard to talk. The walls of the gorge are slick with moisture and thick vegetation. We felt very tiny!
After taking some photos we walked back to the hotel. The border guards checked passports to make sure we hadn't entered Zambia, although the inspection was somewhat cursory. Raymond met us at the railroad tracks and escorted us back to the hotel, the warthogs were now rooting around on the lawn of the hotel in front of the veranda where we had tea. They seemed peaceful enough but there was a staff member with a rifle keeping an eye on matters just in case.
For dinner we ate at Mama Africa based on many recommendations and it was delicious. For appetizers they served us tiny dried fish, dried worms (a black grub of some kind, tasted like salty beef jerky) and boiled peanuts. I had a chicken stew with a peanutty flavor and it was amazing. It came in a tiny cast iron pot. I also tried the local beer, Zambezi, which was watery but complimented the food well enough. We were also treated to live music and a native dance show. Prices were reasonable and I was quite happy with the meal. Weirdly, we had been warned that the place would be crowded but we were one of only four tables at the restaurant. Maybe town will fill up over the weekend but right now it feels deserted.
We were pretty tired so we walked around the grounds a bit to work off dinner and then headed off to bed. Tomorrow we have a day trip to Chobe in Botswana and I am really looking forward to that!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Lesotho: Africa's Other Mountain Kingdom
When I was actively competing in geography competitions (yes, I was an extremely nerdy child), Lesotho stuck out to me because it was one of the few countries in the world that is completely surrounded by another. I always wondered why countries such as Lesotho or the Vatican chose to remain independent. This past weekend I finally had the chance to visit Lesotho during my weekend trip to the Drakensberg mountains.
As a prize from my charity swim the day before, I won a free horseback ride with Khotse Horse Trails. At 8:30am I promptly set off for a morning adventure with Emmanuel as my guide atop Midnight, the laziest pony in all of creation. Midnight was so slow and recalcitrant that Emmanuel actually gave me a stick to use as encouragement (NB: I used to ride horses as a child and a light tap with a crop or stick does not hurt the horse, it serves as a reminder to stay on task). Two others were supposed to be on my ride, but they did not show up, so I was happy to have a private session. Emmanuel picked up right away on the fact that I actually knew how to ride, so we cantered off over the brown fields of the berg, with spectacular Monk's Cowl above us. We rode all the way over to the dam where I swam the day before and back. The trail took us through some forested areas, over hills and down dales. I hadn't ridden a horse in a long time, so it was a great experience for me, despite my slow Lesotho pony.
I got back a little stiff, but exhilarated from the early morning exercise. We hopped in the car and headed out of the berg and towards Clarens. Clarens is an artist's town located in a spectacular sandstone butte landscape that reminded me of Arizona. En route, we drove through Golden Gate National Park, which features some of the best red sandstone formations in the area. With the brown fields of the dry season surrounding the cliffs, I felt as though I were in the American West. We drove through around lunch time, but at sunrise or sunset the rocks take on a gorgeous red color. Some of the formations reminded me of an awning overhang, showcasing the sedimentary nature of the rocks. It was altogether unexpected to find it in the middle of Africa to be sure.
Clarens was busy and full of families on Sunday excursions. We stopped at the Purple Onion to get some gourmet foodie stuff (and a decent coffee) and bought some oranges from a vendor who brought them all the way from Brits (up the road from my parent's house in Joburg). They were sweet and juicy.
After enjoying the atmosphere in Clarens, we headed towards Fouriesburg and Lesotho. The nearest border crossing is Calendonspoort and it takes about 40 minutes to reach there from Clarens. Unlike the Swazi and Mozambique border crossings, Calendonspoort is sleepy and quiet. You don't need to show your car registration papers and the Lesotho road tax is only ZAR20. As soon as we crossed the border, we saw plenty of young boys tending flocks in the fields as well as people walking wearing the traditional conical Basotho hat and colorful capes. Lesothans have round, thatched roofed huts like the Zulu, and most villages have both a modern square house with an accompanying round hut next door. We didn't have much time in Lesotho so we decided to drive a ways towards AfriSki, the ski area in the mountains, just to see some of the scenery. It turned out to be a spectacular drive! The mountains are rugged and jagged-shaped. Most fields are terraced, and I suspect in the wet season they would be lush and green. People waved to us as we drove by, and the roads were two lanes, but well paved. Overall I wish we had more time to experience the country, especially since we almost made it to the ski area!
The drive back to Joburg lasted about five hours. We were able to listen to the Germany vs. England World Cup match on the radio, so we only heard about the now infamous "Blunder of Bloemfontein" missed goal call. All in all it was a great weekend, and I suppose if I had the chance I would swim in the dam again.
As a prize from my charity swim the day before, I won a free horseback ride with Khotse Horse Trails. At 8:30am I promptly set off for a morning adventure with Emmanuel as my guide atop Midnight, the laziest pony in all of creation. Midnight was so slow and recalcitrant that Emmanuel actually gave me a stick to use as encouragement (NB: I used to ride horses as a child and a light tap with a crop or stick does not hurt the horse, it serves as a reminder to stay on task). Two others were supposed to be on my ride, but they did not show up, so I was happy to have a private session. Emmanuel picked up right away on the fact that I actually knew how to ride, so we cantered off over the brown fields of the berg, with spectacular Monk's Cowl above us. We rode all the way over to the dam where I swam the day before and back. The trail took us through some forested areas, over hills and down dales. I hadn't ridden a horse in a long time, so it was a great experience for me, despite my slow Lesotho pony.
I got back a little stiff, but exhilarated from the early morning exercise. We hopped in the car and headed out of the berg and towards Clarens. Clarens is an artist's town located in a spectacular sandstone butte landscape that reminded me of Arizona. En route, we drove through Golden Gate National Park, which features some of the best red sandstone formations in the area. With the brown fields of the dry season surrounding the cliffs, I felt as though I were in the American West. We drove through around lunch time, but at sunrise or sunset the rocks take on a gorgeous red color. Some of the formations reminded me of an awning overhang, showcasing the sedimentary nature of the rocks. It was altogether unexpected to find it in the middle of Africa to be sure.
Clarens was busy and full of families on Sunday excursions. We stopped at the Purple Onion to get some gourmet foodie stuff (and a decent coffee) and bought some oranges from a vendor who brought them all the way from Brits (up the road from my parent's house in Joburg). They were sweet and juicy.
After enjoying the atmosphere in Clarens, we headed towards Fouriesburg and Lesotho. The nearest border crossing is Calendonspoort and it takes about 40 minutes to reach there from Clarens. Unlike the Swazi and Mozambique border crossings, Calendonspoort is sleepy and quiet. You don't need to show your car registration papers and the Lesotho road tax is only ZAR20. As soon as we crossed the border, we saw plenty of young boys tending flocks in the fields as well as people walking wearing the traditional conical Basotho hat and colorful capes. Lesothans have round, thatched roofed huts like the Zulu, and most villages have both a modern square house with an accompanying round hut next door. We didn't have much time in Lesotho so we decided to drive a ways towards AfriSki, the ski area in the mountains, just to see some of the scenery. It turned out to be a spectacular drive! The mountains are rugged and jagged-shaped. Most fields are terraced, and I suspect in the wet season they would be lush and green. People waved to us as we drove by, and the roads were two lanes, but well paved. Overall I wish we had more time to experience the country, especially since we almost made it to the ski area!
The drive back to Joburg lasted about five hours. We were able to listen to the Germany vs. England World Cup match on the radio, so we only heard about the now infamous "Blunder of Bloemfontein" missed goal call. All in all it was a great weekend, and I suppose if I had the chance I would swim in the dam again.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Drakensberg Dam Charity Swim
My father swims with a Masters' swimming club based in Joburg called Wahoo Masters. They participate in outdoor open-water swims around the country and provide some social outlets for the "old folks" so to speak. My dad heard about a charity swim taking place at the Drakensberg Peak Resort in the Central Drakensberg. The course was either 100m or 25m in a dam (aka pond) on the resort property, proceeds would benefit the local SPCA. My father and I had visited this part of the Drakensberg before and found the scenery spectacular, so we decided to return to show my mom around and because we could check out Lesotho as well.
The drive from Johannesburg to the Drakensberg is somewhat boring at the beginning, as you head southeast on N3 through Orange Free State, which is rolling farmland (and brown this time of year). Once you leave N3 at Harrismith, however, things get much more interesting. You pass Sterkfontein Dam, the largest dam in South Africa. It reminded me of Lake Mead since it is surrounded by rocky cliffs and has deep blue water. Just past the dam you pass from Free State into KwaZulu-Natal province. The border is marked by a spectacular and somewhat hairy descent from the highveldt into a rocky valley. You can see the large peaks of the Drakensberg rising in the distance as you wind you way down the escarpment. I had to really pay attention when driving not just because the road is winding, but because a troupe of baboons live in the area and love to sit in the middle!
We got to the resort just before the race began and met up with the rest of the Wahoos participating. The dam was picturesquely located in a valley at the foot of Monk's Cowl mountain. The resort was somewhat "rustic", but there was a fun spirit in the air and lots of people had brought their dogs. Luckily for us the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny, around 24C. The water was about 10C, but the warm temps gave us hope that we would survive! We found out the 25m course was supposed to be for kids only, so we decided to brave the 100m event.
When I put my hand in the water, it didn't seem that cold, so I just jumped in. Well. It was bloody freezing! I started swimming from the shore where we started towards the boma in the middle of the pond that served as the finish line. The water burned and stung my skin. It was too cold to put my face in, so I swam with my head out of the water. About halfway through I felt like I was having an asthma attack. My breath was wheezing and my arms stopped working. I seriously considered asking for evac from the rescue kayak, but decided that would be pretty wimpy so I kept going. Once, when I was much younger, I fell through the ice at Lake George. I managed to pull myself out immediately, so it wasn't that scary or cold, I just remember being soggy and freaking my mother out completely. Well, now I know a little bit what it feels like to drown in icy water because it was sort of like this swim.
When we stumbled out of the water we made a beeline for a big bonfire that was throwing off all kinds of lovely heat. Everyone was a little clumsy, red and blotchy from the cold. We all talked about how that was the worst idea ever! The good news is that we raised a lot of money for the local SPCA and donated several hundred kilos of animal food to them.
The event also had some prize drawings that ranged from free waffles at the Waffle Hut in Winterton to a free weekend at a local resort. Lucky me, I won a free one hour horseback ride at a nearby stable! I arranged to cash in the next day. My dad was quite jealous as they had a lot of donated prizes, but he didn't win anything.
All swimmers got free gluhwein, hot soup and a roll so we snarfed the snacks and lay around in the sun with the whippets that one lady brought. They seemed a bit mystified at our insanity to go in the water. After a while, I punted around the pond on a raft with two of the kids who also participated from the Wahoos. We used a bamboo pole and had a fine time. I felt like Huckeberry Finn and Tom Sawyer with my jeans rolled up an our raft. We saw some fish in the water, including a large one about 16" long. The kids were quite funny, always insisting that they knew exactly how to punt, even though we mostly spun around in circles. We tried to land on the island in the middle of the pond, but it was covered in sharp grass so we hopped back on the raft. "South Africa isn't for wimps," said one of the kids.
We watched South Korea lose to Uruguay in our rustic cabin, which was disappointing but somewhat inevitable. For dinner the swim team had a huge braai. I contributed some beef mince patties, which I had mixed with my super-secret ingredient, Mrs. H.S. Balls chutney. We also had boerwars sausage, shish-ka-bobs, some really good potato salad and one of the Tracys made more gluhwein. Since the temperature dropped considerably after the sun went down, the warm drink was definitely welcome.
One of the other Tracys had brought her four whippet dogs along, all of which were attired in purple fleece jackets. Tracy made a nest on the porch for the dogs with pillows and blankets and they spent the evening happily snuggled together like sausages.
Eventually it was time for USA vs. Ghana. Most of the team were supporting Ghana, as they are the last African team left in the tournament. Apparently they were fated to carry the hopes of the continent as they outplayed the US and won in extra time. We went to bed somewhat disappointed that the US team's World Cup run was over, even though they performed very well and made the second round.
The drive from Johannesburg to the Drakensberg is somewhat boring at the beginning, as you head southeast on N3 through Orange Free State, which is rolling farmland (and brown this time of year). Once you leave N3 at Harrismith, however, things get much more interesting. You pass Sterkfontein Dam, the largest dam in South Africa. It reminded me of Lake Mead since it is surrounded by rocky cliffs and has deep blue water. Just past the dam you pass from Free State into KwaZulu-Natal province. The border is marked by a spectacular and somewhat hairy descent from the highveldt into a rocky valley. You can see the large peaks of the Drakensberg rising in the distance as you wind you way down the escarpment. I had to really pay attention when driving not just because the road is winding, but because a troupe of baboons live in the area and love to sit in the middle!
We got to the resort just before the race began and met up with the rest of the Wahoos participating. The dam was picturesquely located in a valley at the foot of Monk's Cowl mountain. The resort was somewhat "rustic", but there was a fun spirit in the air and lots of people had brought their dogs. Luckily for us the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny, around 24C. The water was about 10C, but the warm temps gave us hope that we would survive! We found out the 25m course was supposed to be for kids only, so we decided to brave the 100m event.
When I put my hand in the water, it didn't seem that cold, so I just jumped in. Well. It was bloody freezing! I started swimming from the shore where we started towards the boma in the middle of the pond that served as the finish line. The water burned and stung my skin. It was too cold to put my face in, so I swam with my head out of the water. About halfway through I felt like I was having an asthma attack. My breath was wheezing and my arms stopped working. I seriously considered asking for evac from the rescue kayak, but decided that would be pretty wimpy so I kept going. Once, when I was much younger, I fell through the ice at Lake George. I managed to pull myself out immediately, so it wasn't that scary or cold, I just remember being soggy and freaking my mother out completely. Well, now I know a little bit what it feels like to drown in icy water because it was sort of like this swim.
When we stumbled out of the water we made a beeline for a big bonfire that was throwing off all kinds of lovely heat. Everyone was a little clumsy, red and blotchy from the cold. We all talked about how that was the worst idea ever! The good news is that we raised a lot of money for the local SPCA and donated several hundred kilos of animal food to them.
The event also had some prize drawings that ranged from free waffles at the Waffle Hut in Winterton to a free weekend at a local resort. Lucky me, I won a free one hour horseback ride at a nearby stable! I arranged to cash in the next day. My dad was quite jealous as they had a lot of donated prizes, but he didn't win anything.
All swimmers got free gluhwein, hot soup and a roll so we snarfed the snacks and lay around in the sun with the whippets that one lady brought. They seemed a bit mystified at our insanity to go in the water. After a while, I punted around the pond on a raft with two of the kids who also participated from the Wahoos. We used a bamboo pole and had a fine time. I felt like Huckeberry Finn and Tom Sawyer with my jeans rolled up an our raft. We saw some fish in the water, including a large one about 16" long. The kids were quite funny, always insisting that they knew exactly how to punt, even though we mostly spun around in circles. We tried to land on the island in the middle of the pond, but it was covered in sharp grass so we hopped back on the raft. "South Africa isn't for wimps," said one of the kids.
We watched South Korea lose to Uruguay in our rustic cabin, which was disappointing but somewhat inevitable. For dinner the swim team had a huge braai. I contributed some beef mince patties, which I had mixed with my super-secret ingredient, Mrs. H.S. Balls chutney. We also had boerwars sausage, shish-ka-bobs, some really good potato salad and one of the Tracys made more gluhwein. Since the temperature dropped considerably after the sun went down, the warm drink was definitely welcome.
One of the other Tracys had brought her four whippet dogs along, all of which were attired in purple fleece jackets. Tracy made a nest on the porch for the dogs with pillows and blankets and they spent the evening happily snuggled together like sausages.
Eventually it was time for USA vs. Ghana. Most of the team were supporting Ghana, as they are the last African team left in the tournament. Apparently they were fated to carry the hopes of the continent as they outplayed the US and won in extra time. We went to bed somewhat disappointed that the US team's World Cup run was over, even though they performed very well and made the second round.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Goals by Ginger #4: USA vs. Algeria Game Report
Team USA's dramatic injury time win over Algeria was exhilarating and fun! Check out my game report over at Posts By Panos.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Goals by Ginger #3: USA vs. Slovenia Game Report
I have completed my third "Goals by Ginger" feature over at Posts by Panos detailing team USA's exciting come from behind tie (and what should have been a win) against Slovenia. Check it out!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Collective History at the Apartheid Museum
June 16th is a holiday in South Africa, Youth Day, so I had the day off from work. I decided to go to the Apartheid Museum as I had not yet been and I wanted to make sure I visited before going back to the US. A visit to the Apartheid Museum is not enjoyable or fun, but is a must-see for anyone visiting South Africa as it presents the struggles experienced by South Africans from early history of the African continent up to the elections in 1994.
I did not know this when I planned my visit, but Youth Day is celebrated to remember the victims of the Soweto Uprising that took place on June 16, 1976, when students joined a peaceful protest march in Soweto to Orlando Stadium. The South African Defense Force ended up firing on the crowd and 13 year old Hector Peterson was killed. He now has a memorial in his honor in Soweto, and the image of a bleeding Hector being carried by a fellow protester, with his sister sobbing next to them is one of the long-standing symbols of the anti-apartheid movement.
The entrance to the museum is prefaced by large columns that display the central tenets of the new South African constitution: democracy, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom. Then, the actual entrance is split into two categories. Each visitor is randomly assigned an entrance card that leads you to either a "Whites" or "Non-Whites" door. Each door leads to different introductory displays with varying information, however each corridor is viewable through spaces in the exhibit, thus furthering the feelings of division and separation. After this section, the actual museum is accessed via an uphill walkway that features life-sized photographs of modern South Africans superimposed onto mirrors. In order to look at the faces of the subjects, each visitor will also see their image reflected back. This area emphasizes the personal reflection and introspection that will take place over the course of the visit.
The museum is built on a raised area in Johannesburg that is the remnant of a gold mine tailing. This historical location underscores the history of Johannesburg as a mining town. When gold was first discovered in the area, the prospectors who flocked to the area were of all races and lived communally. However, as large mining companies moved in and received concessions, they forced out white workers and hired unskilled black workers. Meanwhile, both Dutch and British governments feared the racially diverse communities that were springing up and began to specifically enact legislation that specifically prevented racial mixing and intermarriage. While there is not one specific root of the apartheid policy, this introductory exhibit implies that this was one major cause.
The museum continues by highlighting many aspects of apartheid, from its supporters to its victims, to acts of violence and non-violence and eventually, its resolution. Most of the exhibits are upsetting in that they showcase a violent and prejudiced world that existed in our lifetimes. For someone who grew up in the United States, living in the world of apartheid seems incredibly remote and hard to grasp. Even having the proper capacity to process such an experience is difficult and I am still having problems expressing how the museum made me feel. The museum also allows for visitors to share their stories of oppression and protest which contributes to the emphasis on a shared experience. The museum ends with a peaceful garden to encourage reflection and introspection. It was the perfect place to end an upsetting, moving and eventually emotional experience.
Thankfully in the sun it was warm, so I sat in the garden for a while and read while waiting for my parents to pick me up. I appreciated the time to myself. South African has come a long way and I am thankful to be here now and that they were able to host the World Cup this year to show the world just how far they have come.
I did not know this when I planned my visit, but Youth Day is celebrated to remember the victims of the Soweto Uprising that took place on June 16, 1976, when students joined a peaceful protest march in Soweto to Orlando Stadium. The South African Defense Force ended up firing on the crowd and 13 year old Hector Peterson was killed. He now has a memorial in his honor in Soweto, and the image of a bleeding Hector being carried by a fellow protester, with his sister sobbing next to them is one of the long-standing symbols of the anti-apartheid movement.
The entrance to the museum is prefaced by large columns that display the central tenets of the new South African constitution: democracy, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom. Then, the actual entrance is split into two categories. Each visitor is randomly assigned an entrance card that leads you to either a "Whites" or "Non-Whites" door. Each door leads to different introductory displays with varying information, however each corridor is viewable through spaces in the exhibit, thus furthering the feelings of division and separation. After this section, the actual museum is accessed via an uphill walkway that features life-sized photographs of modern South Africans superimposed onto mirrors. In order to look at the faces of the subjects, each visitor will also see their image reflected back. This area emphasizes the personal reflection and introspection that will take place over the course of the visit.
The museum is built on a raised area in Johannesburg that is the remnant of a gold mine tailing. This historical location underscores the history of Johannesburg as a mining town. When gold was first discovered in the area, the prospectors who flocked to the area were of all races and lived communally. However, as large mining companies moved in and received concessions, they forced out white workers and hired unskilled black workers. Meanwhile, both Dutch and British governments feared the racially diverse communities that were springing up and began to specifically enact legislation that specifically prevented racial mixing and intermarriage. While there is not one specific root of the apartheid policy, this introductory exhibit implies that this was one major cause.
The museum continues by highlighting many aspects of apartheid, from its supporters to its victims, to acts of violence and non-violence and eventually, its resolution. Most of the exhibits are upsetting in that they showcase a violent and prejudiced world that existed in our lifetimes. For someone who grew up in the United States, living in the world of apartheid seems incredibly remote and hard to grasp. Even having the proper capacity to process such an experience is difficult and I am still having problems expressing how the museum made me feel. The museum also allows for visitors to share their stories of oppression and protest which contributes to the emphasis on a shared experience. The museum ends with a peaceful garden to encourage reflection and introspection. It was the perfect place to end an upsetting, moving and eventually emotional experience.
Thankfully in the sun it was warm, so I sat in the garden for a while and read while waiting for my parents to pick me up. I appreciated the time to myself. South African has come a long way and I am thankful to be here now and that they were able to host the World Cup this year to show the world just how far they have come.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Guest Blogging
Given my current location in South Africa, I've been asked to guest blog for two of my friends, Panos and Phil. Panos is heading up the excellent Posts by Panos blog, utilizing his soccer expertise and his penchant for intelligent discussion. Phil is including World Cup coverage on the Schadenfreude Chronicles with his characteristic wit and humor. You can check out my "Goals by Ginger" and live reports from the field on both blogs.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Swazi Secrets
On our last day in Swaziland, Norman stayed in the house to prepare a big braai. We tried to get him to let us stay and help but Faith assured us that Norman would do best on his own and suggested that she take us around to see some of the sights in Swaziland.
We got into a different SUV than the Rexton with Faith and Naomi and headed out to House on Fire, a local performance space and restaurant. House on Fire hosts a big music festival every year that is world renowned (we just missed it by two weeks!) and also features a great shop called Gone Rural that features some of the beautiful crafts and products for which Swaziland is famous. My mom went totally nuts over the beautiful basketry, weaving and tinkery available and I picked up some bottles of marula oil which have miracle skin restorative properties. Faith told me that she used marula oil on her skin during all four of her pregnancies and has no stretch marks! That was enough of a recommendation for me. The marula oil in Swaziland is manufactured by Swazi Secrets, a company that is dedicated to sustainable harvesting and local organic co-ops so I was happy to purchase their product.
We wandered around the House on Fire performance space, which is sculpted in a very vibrant and whimsical manner by a local artist and enjoyed the warm sunshine and clear air. We had a wonderful view of the mountains which was a nice change from the haze of Johannesburg.
We then went to the Swazi Candle factory, which was packed with families visiting for the large mountain bike race that was held on Saturday. I didn't know what a Swazi candle was before visiting, but as soon as I walked in to the factory store I knew I had seen them before. You know those psychedelically swirled candles that are in every head shop and hippie house? They glow when you light them and are probably much more fascinating when accompanied by illegal inhalation? Well, they were invented in Swaziland and (of course) eventually stolen and mass produced by the Chinese. The factory store had candles in every shape imaginable, including African animals, as well as delicious smelling soaps. My dad was quite taken with some chocolate soap so my mom got it for him so he would stop exclaiming, "Wow, this smells just like chocolate!" The factory also has a worker who will mold the warm wax into any shape you want and it was fascinating to see him start with a random blob and make it into a pretty rose (per Naomi's request).
We got some delicious scones for breakfast at Linda's cafe and then drove around for more sightseeing. Naomi regaled us with a hilarious anecdote about her old riding instructor who always served beans for lunch, thus resulting in her unfortunate farts during trotting lessons. I found this to be an opportune time to engage in a little cross-cultural sharing, so I recited one of my favorite Bart Simpson poems:
Beans, beans, the musical fruit
The more you eat the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel
So beans, beans, for every meal!
It was well-received, as I'm sure you can imagine.
WE ended up back at the house just in time for Norman's extravagant feast. He had prepared several kinds of barbecued meats (the ribs were to die for) as well as potkjie, which is a sort of lamb cabbage stew cooked in a Dutch oven, fabulous cabbage (boiled in broth, the secret to tasty cabbage), the sweetest carrots I've ever had and saffron rice. We ate entirely too much and loved every minute of it. Naomi also introduced me to cream soda that came in a violence fluorescent green color--it tasted the same as cream soda in the US but looked like Midori liquor.
After the fabulous lunch we somehow rolled ourselves into the car and departed for the drive back to South Africa, after thanking our hosts profusely. We had an incredible time and definitely experienced many things that we wouldn't have if we had visited ourselves.
The border crossing was as expected--leaving Swazi was friendly and easy, getting through South African customs was a pain in the butt. We had a classic case of lots of people cutting the line, which made it longer for people who were following the rules. Eventually we gave up and just cut the line and no one seemed to care!
We stopped to get gas and for a bathroom break right as it got dark at a rest area off the N4 but when we got back into the car my mom realized that my dad's backpack (which we had foolishly left in the back seat) was gone! We looked around and didn't see anyone with it so we decided to just keep driving. The thieves somehow got into our locked car and stole the bag, but left everything in the trunk. We know we had the bag with us at the border because it had the car's registration papers inside. It was a total mystery and kind of put a damper on the trip. The thieves got a really ghetto digital camera, my dad's Speedo and goggles, my dad's sun hat (totally unfashionable) and our registration papers which are useless as they have my dad's photo on it and I doubt that the thieves are elderly men with a gray mustache and a giant noggin (so they probably won't get use out of the hat, either). My dad ended up having to go to the police station to make an affidavit of the loss, and then to the local South African equivalent of the DMV (known as the Licensing Department) but that was taken care of later in the week without too much difficulty. My dad did report, however, that the employees at the Licensing Department were just as surly as their American DMV counterparts and that the system was typically bureaucratic and slow moving. Additionally, he tried to get a photo from a guy who had set up shop on the lawn outside the licensing department with an umbrella, digital camera and printer, but the printer was broken so he had to go elsewhere. A "This is Africa" classic!!
We got into a different SUV than the Rexton with Faith and Naomi and headed out to House on Fire, a local performance space and restaurant. House on Fire hosts a big music festival every year that is world renowned (we just missed it by two weeks!) and also features a great shop called Gone Rural that features some of the beautiful crafts and products for which Swaziland is famous. My mom went totally nuts over the beautiful basketry, weaving and tinkery available and I picked up some bottles of marula oil which have miracle skin restorative properties. Faith told me that she used marula oil on her skin during all four of her pregnancies and has no stretch marks! That was enough of a recommendation for me. The marula oil in Swaziland is manufactured by Swazi Secrets, a company that is dedicated to sustainable harvesting and local organic co-ops so I was happy to purchase their product.
We wandered around the House on Fire performance space, which is sculpted in a very vibrant and whimsical manner by a local artist and enjoyed the warm sunshine and clear air. We had a wonderful view of the mountains which was a nice change from the haze of Johannesburg.
We then went to the Swazi Candle factory, which was packed with families visiting for the large mountain bike race that was held on Saturday. I didn't know what a Swazi candle was before visiting, but as soon as I walked in to the factory store I knew I had seen them before. You know those psychedelically swirled candles that are in every head shop and hippie house? They glow when you light them and are probably much more fascinating when accompanied by illegal inhalation? Well, they were invented in Swaziland and (of course) eventually stolen and mass produced by the Chinese. The factory store had candles in every shape imaginable, including African animals, as well as delicious smelling soaps. My dad was quite taken with some chocolate soap so my mom got it for him so he would stop exclaiming, "Wow, this smells just like chocolate!" The factory also has a worker who will mold the warm wax into any shape you want and it was fascinating to see him start with a random blob and make it into a pretty rose (per Naomi's request).
We got some delicious scones for breakfast at Linda's cafe and then drove around for more sightseeing. Naomi regaled us with a hilarious anecdote about her old riding instructor who always served beans for lunch, thus resulting in her unfortunate farts during trotting lessons. I found this to be an opportune time to engage in a little cross-cultural sharing, so I recited one of my favorite Bart Simpson poems:
Beans, beans, the musical fruit
The more you eat the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel
So beans, beans, for every meal!
It was well-received, as I'm sure you can imagine.
WE ended up back at the house just in time for Norman's extravagant feast. He had prepared several kinds of barbecued meats (the ribs were to die for) as well as potkjie, which is a sort of lamb cabbage stew cooked in a Dutch oven, fabulous cabbage (boiled in broth, the secret to tasty cabbage), the sweetest carrots I've ever had and saffron rice. We ate entirely too much and loved every minute of it. Naomi also introduced me to cream soda that came in a violence fluorescent green color--it tasted the same as cream soda in the US but looked like Midori liquor.
After the fabulous lunch we somehow rolled ourselves into the car and departed for the drive back to South Africa, after thanking our hosts profusely. We had an incredible time and definitely experienced many things that we wouldn't have if we had visited ourselves.
The border crossing was as expected--leaving Swazi was friendly and easy, getting through South African customs was a pain in the butt. We had a classic case of lots of people cutting the line, which made it longer for people who were following the rules. Eventually we gave up and just cut the line and no one seemed to care!
We stopped to get gas and for a bathroom break right as it got dark at a rest area off the N4 but when we got back into the car my mom realized that my dad's backpack (which we had foolishly left in the back seat) was gone! We looked around and didn't see anyone with it so we decided to just keep driving. The thieves somehow got into our locked car and stole the bag, but left everything in the trunk. We know we had the bag with us at the border because it had the car's registration papers inside. It was a total mystery and kind of put a damper on the trip. The thieves got a really ghetto digital camera, my dad's Speedo and goggles, my dad's sun hat (totally unfashionable) and our registration papers which are useless as they have my dad's photo on it and I doubt that the thieves are elderly men with a gray mustache and a giant noggin (so they probably won't get use out of the hat, either). My dad ended up having to go to the police station to make an affidavit of the loss, and then to the local South African equivalent of the DMV (known as the Licensing Department) but that was taken care of later in the week without too much difficulty. My dad did report, however, that the employees at the Licensing Department were just as surly as their American DMV counterparts and that the system was typically bureaucratic and slow moving. Additionally, he tried to get a photo from a guy who had set up shop on the lawn outside the licensing department with an umbrella, digital camera and printer, but the printer was broken so he had to go elsewhere. A "This is Africa" classic!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Mozambican Ferry Shuffle
As promised (or threatened?) by Norman, our day trip to Mozambique began promptly at 7am. All 6 of us piled into their Ssang Yong Rexton, a Korean SUV with a Mercedes-built engine. This car has a 100 liter diesel gas tank, so we were able to drive all the way to Maputo and back on one tank. We were joined by Norman and Faith's youngest daughter, Naomi, who is twelve years old. Her older sister Johanna stayed behind as she had to work at the pharmacy.
We drove through Ezulwini and then through Manzini, the industrial capital (such as it is) of Swaziland and then headed out further east towards the border. We passed an enormous sugar cane plantation with cane in various stages of readiness for harvest. When the cane is cut, it is first burned to get rid of the extra vegetation that is not needed for the processing portion. When the cane fires are lit, apparently all manner of creepy crawlies come dashing out of the plants, including many snakes such as the deadly black mamba! We could smell the sugar cane plant long before we could see it--the stench reminded me of the International Paper mill in Ft. Henry, NY. It stunk!
We reached the Swazi border with Mozambique after about an hour of driving and duly had our passports stamped for exit with no problem. However, we ran into a spot of trouble at the gate that officially let us out of Swaziland and into the Mozambique side of the border station. The Swazi guard didn't want to let us out because Norman only had the title of the Ssang Yong car, and not the registration. Norman argued in Swazi very agilely with the guard but he seemed adamant. I was quite stressed, as I definitely wanted to get to Mozambique, and it was so close! Finally the guard let us through, claiming that my father with his gray hair was too old to be kept waiting. Faith later explained that Swazis revere the elderly. I'm quite sure my dad was none too pleased to be counted among the elderly, but at least we got across the border!
The Mozambique side was considerably less organized than the Swazi side. Illegal money changers swarmed our car trying to get us to exchange for the Mozambique currency, the metical, but their rates were too low for our taste (4.2 to 1 SA rand). There were also hawkers advertising Mozambican car insurance. Norman bought some from a guy he knew as he explained that South African insurance companies often took a long time to process your claim, and you might have to spend the night in Mozambican jail, whereas if you got a local insurance company to handle it, your claim would be processed much quicker. I guess it is very much like driving your car into Mexico!
We all had to fill out embarkation forms, even Faith and Naomi who were traveling on Swazi passports, and our US passports were taken away so they could check to see if we were on Interpol and to issue the visas. They were very cheap at this crossing, only 130 Rand. Had we gone to the embassy in Pretoria we would have paid over $100, as they base the cost of the visa on what it would cost for a Mozambican to go to the US. What a deal! After waiting about 10 minutes, the guard came back with our passports newly stickered and stamped. We piled back into the car and headed out into Mozambique!
We took the road down towards Maputo and the coast that used to be called the "Hell Run" during the days of the civil war. Armed brigands would hide by the road and attack cars with RPG weapons. Norman said that sometimes he would hear that friends had gone to Mozambique for the day and just wouldn't come back as they had been killed. Cars would travel through this corridor in a caravan with armed escorts. It was mostly deserted and peaceful so it was hard to imagine such things happening. Norman also mentioned that once he was driving on this road and his bodyguard at the time pulled over to pee and stepped on a land mine. The explosion resulted in a leg amputation. Much of Mozambique is still peppered with mines and travelers must take caution when venturing off roads.
The drive to Maputo was very interesting. The land flattened out and we headed down towards the Indian Ocean. We saw a lot of flourishing business but also signs of the old Communist regime--statues of stars, hammers and sickles, ugly utilitarian buildings and even some bombed out buildings left over from the war. We also stopped for breakfast at a hotel near the border where I had some truly delicious coffee and a sort of cheese egg sandwich on a fluffy bread.
When we got to Maputo the early start caught up with me; I napped while we got stuck in a traffic jam. I missed our trip through the southern part of Maputo and awoke when we reached the ferry dock for Catembe Island. The ferry dock was an utter madhouse, as you can imagine. Our car was swarmed with vendors offering shoes, jewelry, clothing, watches, wallets, belts, CDs and DVDs. I smartly negotiated for a nifty pair of flip flop sandals with the Mozambican flag on the footbed as I had only brought my sneakers. Faith bought three counterfeit Bafana Bafana jerseys for her family and Norman insisted on a Timex watch that we were pretty sure had been stolen.
We waited in the ferry queue for about 30 minutes for the ferry to arrive, it seemed to take much longer loading on the other side than it did crossing the channel from the island. This would prove to be prophetic. I have traveled on car ferries before, but they are the kind where you drive into the cargo area and then the upper decks are passenger areas, such as the Jadrolina ferries that depart from Split to other Croatian Islands. Well, in Mozambique you get probably a 4th or 5th hand ferry that has been through the wars, literally, where 14 vehicles are crammed like the world's most busy parking lot along with as many passengers that could squeeze on while the ferry operators are performing their remarkable conducting dance to get all the cars fit onto the deck. We were amazed that so many cars could fit in so small a space! At last, a huge cement truck lumbered into the center space and we were off. The ferry tilted somewhat precipitously when the truck drove on, but I tried not to think about what would happen if we were to sink. Luckily, the channel between Maputo and Catembe is relatively narrow, and I promised my mom that I would help her swim to shore if it was necessary.
We climbed up to the deck next to the bridge for a nice breeze and a good view of the madness below. In order to access the top deck, we had to climb up into the passenger area and go through a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only." The "authorized personnel" in the bridge didn't bat an eyelash when I climbed up in there, so I just went out the side door and enjoyed the fresh air. We got a great view of some traditional fishing dhows, with their bright paint and colorful sails, as well as the smaller water taxis that ferry pedestrians who don't care to wait for the car ferry to fiddle about with loading and maneuvering.
When we got to Catembe the unloading process was slightly less chaotic, although the passengers just streamed off the ferry with little regard for the cars so we moved at a snail's pace. The island seemed very untouched by the modern world, with small bungalows, sandy roads and tons of fruit trees everywhere. We drove around enjoying the view and tried to get to the opposite side of the island, but missed the turn off, so we ended up at Hotel Marina on the beach to get a late lunch. The hotel had a gorgeous view of the Maputo skyline (which is nice as it is on a peninsula) so we sat on the veranda enjoying a drink and the sunshine.
I climbed down to the beach, which had a fine sand and clean water. There were plenty of neat shells to poke through and even some ghost crabs scuttling about. Except for an old fisherman mending an enormous net and a young boy herding goats, I was the only one on the beach. A dhow looked to be making land just in front of me, and I wanted to see what they had caught, but then the wind changed so they had to make for another area of the beach to land. I went back up to the veranda of the restaurant just as much large order of buttery, lemony, spicy prawns arrived. Bliss! The restaurant also had some funny stray cats who hung around obviously expecting the scraps from our seafood feast. Eventually they were rewarded with some snapper from Naomi and some fish skin from me.
We got back in the car to try to make the 6pm ferry back to Maputo and we did make it, although there was quite a bit of excitement with the loading as there were several light trucks gumming up the works as well as a bakkie overloaded with furniture and a trailer. Eventually we made it across and were back in downtown Maputo just as the sun set. Norman gave us a great tour of the city, showing us Embassy Row, the fancier houses, the fish market, the coastal road, the Costa del Sol hotel and even a stop at a patisserie where we got some snacks for the long drive home.
We made the border with Swaziland around 10pm and had to rouse Naomi from the nest she had made in the far back seat of the Rexton. We all trooped into the border station where we had to fill out the exact same embarkation card we had in the morning. On the way out I found someone's Mozambican passport on the ground. Alas, I did not resemble the person at all (named Ignacio something or other) so I gave it to the man in the border station. He seemed peeved that I had potentially created extra work for him.
The Swazi side was of course much friendlier and they joked that we were guest of the king. I must give them credit, they noted that my father had driven in with a car registered in South Africa and why did we not have it with us now? Norman explained that he had driven us and that the car was still in the house in Ezulwini. We paid our 50 rand road tax and headed back into the night.
The road was foggy as it was so late and we had gone back up into the mountains. It was noticeably cooler as well. We passed the checkpoint for hoof and mouth disease where a soldier is supposed to check your car for illegal bush meat, but due to a recent incident where a disgruntled citizen put laxatives in the meat, which was then grilled and eaten by the inspectors who then had quite a bad night of it, the inspection has become much more cursory.
We made it back to the house quite late, around 11:30, and all tumbled into bed exhausted after a long day. I made sure to grab a quick bite in the main house, however, as Johanna had made a delicious creamy broccoli bake and some fabulous, spicy fried chicken. I'm normally not a big night eater, but the chicken smelled so good and I wanted to make sure I got some of it before it disappeared!
We drove through Ezulwini and then through Manzini, the industrial capital (such as it is) of Swaziland and then headed out further east towards the border. We passed an enormous sugar cane plantation with cane in various stages of readiness for harvest. When the cane is cut, it is first burned to get rid of the extra vegetation that is not needed for the processing portion. When the cane fires are lit, apparently all manner of creepy crawlies come dashing out of the plants, including many snakes such as the deadly black mamba! We could smell the sugar cane plant long before we could see it--the stench reminded me of the International Paper mill in Ft. Henry, NY. It stunk!
We reached the Swazi border with Mozambique after about an hour of driving and duly had our passports stamped for exit with no problem. However, we ran into a spot of trouble at the gate that officially let us out of Swaziland and into the Mozambique side of the border station. The Swazi guard didn't want to let us out because Norman only had the title of the Ssang Yong car, and not the registration. Norman argued in Swazi very agilely with the guard but he seemed adamant. I was quite stressed, as I definitely wanted to get to Mozambique, and it was so close! Finally the guard let us through, claiming that my father with his gray hair was too old to be kept waiting. Faith later explained that Swazis revere the elderly. I'm quite sure my dad was none too pleased to be counted among the elderly, but at least we got across the border!
The Mozambique side was considerably less organized than the Swazi side. Illegal money changers swarmed our car trying to get us to exchange for the Mozambique currency, the metical, but their rates were too low for our taste (4.2 to 1 SA rand). There were also hawkers advertising Mozambican car insurance. Norman bought some from a guy he knew as he explained that South African insurance companies often took a long time to process your claim, and you might have to spend the night in Mozambican jail, whereas if you got a local insurance company to handle it, your claim would be processed much quicker. I guess it is very much like driving your car into Mexico!
We all had to fill out embarkation forms, even Faith and Naomi who were traveling on Swazi passports, and our US passports were taken away so they could check to see if we were on Interpol and to issue the visas. They were very cheap at this crossing, only 130 Rand. Had we gone to the embassy in Pretoria we would have paid over $100, as they base the cost of the visa on what it would cost for a Mozambican to go to the US. What a deal! After waiting about 10 minutes, the guard came back with our passports newly stickered and stamped. We piled back into the car and headed out into Mozambique!
We took the road down towards Maputo and the coast that used to be called the "Hell Run" during the days of the civil war. Armed brigands would hide by the road and attack cars with RPG weapons. Norman said that sometimes he would hear that friends had gone to Mozambique for the day and just wouldn't come back as they had been killed. Cars would travel through this corridor in a caravan with armed escorts. It was mostly deserted and peaceful so it was hard to imagine such things happening. Norman also mentioned that once he was driving on this road and his bodyguard at the time pulled over to pee and stepped on a land mine. The explosion resulted in a leg amputation. Much of Mozambique is still peppered with mines and travelers must take caution when venturing off roads.
The drive to Maputo was very interesting. The land flattened out and we headed down towards the Indian Ocean. We saw a lot of flourishing business but also signs of the old Communist regime--statues of stars, hammers and sickles, ugly utilitarian buildings and even some bombed out buildings left over from the war. We also stopped for breakfast at a hotel near the border where I had some truly delicious coffee and a sort of cheese egg sandwich on a fluffy bread.
When we got to Maputo the early start caught up with me; I napped while we got stuck in a traffic jam. I missed our trip through the southern part of Maputo and awoke when we reached the ferry dock for Catembe Island. The ferry dock was an utter madhouse, as you can imagine. Our car was swarmed with vendors offering shoes, jewelry, clothing, watches, wallets, belts, CDs and DVDs. I smartly negotiated for a nifty pair of flip flop sandals with the Mozambican flag on the footbed as I had only brought my sneakers. Faith bought three counterfeit Bafana Bafana jerseys for her family and Norman insisted on a Timex watch that we were pretty sure had been stolen.
We waited in the ferry queue for about 30 minutes for the ferry to arrive, it seemed to take much longer loading on the other side than it did crossing the channel from the island. This would prove to be prophetic. I have traveled on car ferries before, but they are the kind where you drive into the cargo area and then the upper decks are passenger areas, such as the Jadrolina ferries that depart from Split to other Croatian Islands. Well, in Mozambique you get probably a 4th or 5th hand ferry that has been through the wars, literally, where 14 vehicles are crammed like the world's most busy parking lot along with as many passengers that could squeeze on while the ferry operators are performing their remarkable conducting dance to get all the cars fit onto the deck. We were amazed that so many cars could fit in so small a space! At last, a huge cement truck lumbered into the center space and we were off. The ferry tilted somewhat precipitously when the truck drove on, but I tried not to think about what would happen if we were to sink. Luckily, the channel between Maputo and Catembe is relatively narrow, and I promised my mom that I would help her swim to shore if it was necessary.
We climbed up to the deck next to the bridge for a nice breeze and a good view of the madness below. In order to access the top deck, we had to climb up into the passenger area and go through a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only." The "authorized personnel" in the bridge didn't bat an eyelash when I climbed up in there, so I just went out the side door and enjoyed the fresh air. We got a great view of some traditional fishing dhows, with their bright paint and colorful sails, as well as the smaller water taxis that ferry pedestrians who don't care to wait for the car ferry to fiddle about with loading and maneuvering.
When we got to Catembe the unloading process was slightly less chaotic, although the passengers just streamed off the ferry with little regard for the cars so we moved at a snail's pace. The island seemed very untouched by the modern world, with small bungalows, sandy roads and tons of fruit trees everywhere. We drove around enjoying the view and tried to get to the opposite side of the island, but missed the turn off, so we ended up at Hotel Marina on the beach to get a late lunch. The hotel had a gorgeous view of the Maputo skyline (which is nice as it is on a peninsula) so we sat on the veranda enjoying a drink and the sunshine.
I climbed down to the beach, which had a fine sand and clean water. There were plenty of neat shells to poke through and even some ghost crabs scuttling about. Except for an old fisherman mending an enormous net and a young boy herding goats, I was the only one on the beach. A dhow looked to be making land just in front of me, and I wanted to see what they had caught, but then the wind changed so they had to make for another area of the beach to land. I went back up to the veranda of the restaurant just as much large order of buttery, lemony, spicy prawns arrived. Bliss! The restaurant also had some funny stray cats who hung around obviously expecting the scraps from our seafood feast. Eventually they were rewarded with some snapper from Naomi and some fish skin from me.
We got back in the car to try to make the 6pm ferry back to Maputo and we did make it, although there was quite a bit of excitement with the loading as there were several light trucks gumming up the works as well as a bakkie overloaded with furniture and a trailer. Eventually we made it across and were back in downtown Maputo just as the sun set. Norman gave us a great tour of the city, showing us Embassy Row, the fancier houses, the fish market, the coastal road, the Costa del Sol hotel and even a stop at a patisserie where we got some snacks for the long drive home.
We made the border with Swaziland around 10pm and had to rouse Naomi from the nest she had made in the far back seat of the Rexton. We all trooped into the border station where we had to fill out the exact same embarkation card we had in the morning. On the way out I found someone's Mozambican passport on the ground. Alas, I did not resemble the person at all (named Ignacio something or other) so I gave it to the man in the border station. He seemed peeved that I had potentially created extra work for him.
The Swazi side was of course much friendlier and they joked that we were guest of the king. I must give them credit, they noted that my father had driven in with a car registered in South Africa and why did we not have it with us now? Norman explained that he had driven us and that the car was still in the house in Ezulwini. We paid our 50 rand road tax and headed back into the night.
The road was foggy as it was so late and we had gone back up into the mountains. It was noticeably cooler as well. We passed the checkpoint for hoof and mouth disease where a soldier is supposed to check your car for illegal bush meat, but due to a recent incident where a disgruntled citizen put laxatives in the meat, which was then grilled and eaten by the inspectors who then had quite a bad night of it, the inspection has become much more cursory.
We made it back to the house quite late, around 11:30, and all tumbled into bed exhausted after a long day. I made sure to grab a quick bite in the main house, however, as Johanna had made a delicious creamy broccoli bake and some fabulous, spicy fried chicken. I'm normally not a big night eater, but the chicken smelled so good and I wanted to make sure I got some of it before it disappeared!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A Drive to Swaziland
My dad has made friends with a South African/Swazi couple named Norman and Faith. Norman used to be CEO of a guarantee fund who was one of USAID's local partners for my dad's project, and he and my dad got to be friendly. Norman was always inviting our family to visit their home in Swaziland, so we were lucky enough to be able to go this weekend now that I was in Africa as well.
Swaziland is a small kingdom, one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies, located on the eastern edge of South Africa and bordering Mozambique. The kingdom is a small part of the ancestral Swazi land holdings, which used to reach through Mpumalanga province and part of Kwa-Zulu Natal as well. Even Maputo and the surrounding area used to be part of Swaziland. Now King Mswate III rules and famously has 14 wives, the youngest of which was 17 when they wed and the wedding took place during a 5 year sex ban for younger people in the country, in an attempt to lower the shockingly high AIDS infection rate.
I had a meeting in Sandton on Friday morning, so we left around 9:30am, and of course got stuck in morning traffic heading to Pretoria (after getting stuck in hideous traffic getting to Sandton, which resulted in me and my boss being late for our meeting). Once we got on the N1 towards eMahelene (can't they just say EAST??) traffic thinned out and we were treated to a long drive of rolling wheat fields and power lines. Yup, that's Gauteng province. Eventually we passed into Mpumalanga (my favorite province name!) and left the highway for two lane local roads. The last 50k or so before crossing the border into Swazi takes you through an enormous tree farm with acres and acres of pine trees and sawmills. It's pretty country, despite the uniform lines of trees marching across the horizon.
The South Africa-Swazi border is a pain in the ass to cross, mainly because the South African side of the border station is a pathetically crappy and depressing low-ceilinged corridor with not enough windows open. The line goes down the hall, out the door and into the road. Commercial truckers are mixed in with regular passenger cars and there is only one customs window open for SARS declarations, hence the long line. We had to declare our car and show the registration number as well as any electronics we brought in. I didn't feel like looking up the serial numbers of our cameras so I just made them up. Yeah, I'm a scofflaw!
Then, once your vehicles and electronics are declared, you then must shove into the masses at the immigration windows. The woman who handled our passports simply could not find my parents' long-term residency permits in their passports and had to call over her supervisor, who of course found them immediately. I guess she was confused by the Slovak and Croatian long-term residency permits which were also in their passports, as well as the multiple passport pages extensions. Once we cleared South African customs, we then had to get back in the car and drive across the no-mans land to clear Swazi customs, which were much simpler. The Swazi border station is a bright and airy room with friendly employees and only a 50 rand road tax, which seems fair. There is no visa fee to enter Swaziland and we all had our passports stamped with no issues.
We were pleased to note that the Swazi road system was excellent, with a large, divided multi-lane highway as well as well-maintained local two-lane roads. My only grump is that people tend to drive extremely slowly, 60km even in 120km sections. Even the minibus taxis drive slowly! After playing Gran Turismo: Johannesburg edition for so long, it was refreshing.
Central South Africa, including Johannesburg, is located on a high plateau. Swaziland is where that plateau begins to head down to the sea, although the country is decorated with many picturesque mountain ranges. Our hosts' house is in a down called Ezulwini, which means heaven. It is an apt name, as it is located in a mountain valley with two impressive mountain ranges on either side. They have a clear view of Execution Rock, which is where the old king used to push offenders off, including political activists who wished to do away with the monarchy!
Our drive took us six hours, so we were quite tired when we arrived. After a chance to nap and freshen up, Faith and Norman took us to their friend's Portuguese/Mozambiquan restaurant for dinner. We had a fabulous meal of prawns, fish, chicken, livers, pork sausage and spicy, spicy curries. We met the proprietress, Auntie Nan, a dynamic, hilarious woman who was wearing a very glamorous caftan sewn by King Mswate III's tailor himself and her enormous and quiet husband, Justin. Her restaurant was hopping with locals who all stopped by our table to say hello as well as plenty of out of towners who were in Swazi for the big mountain bike race to be held on Saturday. Faith and Norman call Swaziland "Smallville" because everyone knows everyone else with the population under 1 million citizens.
After our long dinner, fueled by much sangria consumption, we rolled off to bed with the warning that the day trip to Mozambique would start at 7am and we had to be ready and well rested!
Swaziland is a small kingdom, one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies, located on the eastern edge of South Africa and bordering Mozambique. The kingdom is a small part of the ancestral Swazi land holdings, which used to reach through Mpumalanga province and part of Kwa-Zulu Natal as well. Even Maputo and the surrounding area used to be part of Swaziland. Now King Mswate III rules and famously has 14 wives, the youngest of which was 17 when they wed and the wedding took place during a 5 year sex ban for younger people in the country, in an attempt to lower the shockingly high AIDS infection rate.
I had a meeting in Sandton on Friday morning, so we left around 9:30am, and of course got stuck in morning traffic heading to Pretoria (after getting stuck in hideous traffic getting to Sandton, which resulted in me and my boss being late for our meeting). Once we got on the N1 towards eMahelene (can't they just say EAST??) traffic thinned out and we were treated to a long drive of rolling wheat fields and power lines. Yup, that's Gauteng province. Eventually we passed into Mpumalanga (my favorite province name!) and left the highway for two lane local roads. The last 50k or so before crossing the border into Swazi takes you through an enormous tree farm with acres and acres of pine trees and sawmills. It's pretty country, despite the uniform lines of trees marching across the horizon.
The South Africa-Swazi border is a pain in the ass to cross, mainly because the South African side of the border station is a pathetically crappy and depressing low-ceilinged corridor with not enough windows open. The line goes down the hall, out the door and into the road. Commercial truckers are mixed in with regular passenger cars and there is only one customs window open for SARS declarations, hence the long line. We had to declare our car and show the registration number as well as any electronics we brought in. I didn't feel like looking up the serial numbers of our cameras so I just made them up. Yeah, I'm a scofflaw!
Then, once your vehicles and electronics are declared, you then must shove into the masses at the immigration windows. The woman who handled our passports simply could not find my parents' long-term residency permits in their passports and had to call over her supervisor, who of course found them immediately. I guess she was confused by the Slovak and Croatian long-term residency permits which were also in their passports, as well as the multiple passport pages extensions. Once we cleared South African customs, we then had to get back in the car and drive across the no-mans land to clear Swazi customs, which were much simpler. The Swazi border station is a bright and airy room with friendly employees and only a 50 rand road tax, which seems fair. There is no visa fee to enter Swaziland and we all had our passports stamped with no issues.
We were pleased to note that the Swazi road system was excellent, with a large, divided multi-lane highway as well as well-maintained local two-lane roads. My only grump is that people tend to drive extremely slowly, 60km even in 120km sections. Even the minibus taxis drive slowly! After playing Gran Turismo: Johannesburg edition for so long, it was refreshing.
Central South Africa, including Johannesburg, is located on a high plateau. Swaziland is where that plateau begins to head down to the sea, although the country is decorated with many picturesque mountain ranges. Our hosts' house is in a down called Ezulwini, which means heaven. It is an apt name, as it is located in a mountain valley with two impressive mountain ranges on either side. They have a clear view of Execution Rock, which is where the old king used to push offenders off, including political activists who wished to do away with the monarchy!
Our drive took us six hours, so we were quite tired when we arrived. After a chance to nap and freshen up, Faith and Norman took us to their friend's Portuguese/Mozambiquan restaurant for dinner. We had a fabulous meal of prawns, fish, chicken, livers, pork sausage and spicy, spicy curries. We met the proprietress, Auntie Nan, a dynamic, hilarious woman who was wearing a very glamorous caftan sewn by King Mswate III's tailor himself and her enormous and quiet husband, Justin. Her restaurant was hopping with locals who all stopped by our table to say hello as well as plenty of out of towners who were in Swazi for the big mountain bike race to be held on Saturday. Faith and Norman call Swaziland "Smallville" because everyone knows everyone else with the population under 1 million citizens.
After our long dinner, fueled by much sangria consumption, we rolled off to bed with the warning that the day trip to Mozambique would start at 7am and we had to be ready and well rested!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Africa the Long Way
I flew out of Burlington "International" airport after having a nice brunch with my good friend from forever ago, Jon, who was kind enough to drive me to the airport (and drop off Pete the cat at my aunties' house). I was on Delta through Detroit and then Amsterdam, so it was a little less convenient than flying direct from JFK like the last time.
I got to Detroit around 5pm and went to my gate and found they had another flight leaving for Amsterdam right then. They asked me if I wanted to go, but I told them I'd only go if they could put me in business class. "Sure!" says the guy. Um, YES PLEASE. As you might imagine, business class is wonderful! Lie-flat beds, personal entertainment screen, delicious food and space. I opted not to sleep, since I had napped on the Detroit flight and I didn't want to miss a minute of my luxurious time in the air.
I landed in Amsterdam around 7am local time, so I had about two hours to kill before my flight to Johannesburg. I stopped by the transfer desk and asked if I could get an emergency exit row seat for the flight and they said sure, no problem! So, I got the seat I wanted. I then went into the first class lounge, which was quiet, and just read some books on my new iPad. As a reader I like it, but some people don't. Not my problem.
I found some eyedrops and my favorite Stabilo pens at the shopping area and then went to my gate. Amsterdam-Schipol has this stupid system where you have to go through another security check before you get on the plane, even though you've already gone through airport security to get to the concourse. It means that just before boarding, you have to queue in a long line, go through security again and be stressed.
Before you can even sit down in the gate area, they scan your ticket. When mine scanned, they said, "Oh, your seat has been changed to 31D." I explained that I had asked for Emergency exit row and I wanted to make sure that seat hadn't been taken away from me. I had to wait for the supervisor to check and he was a nasty little man who clearly had woken up on the wrong side of the dyke this morning. He interrogated me as to why I hadn't paid 50 euros for the seat, which made me defensive and stabby. He told me that I didn't have a good enough excuse to get emergency exit row and I asked him if he'd care to measure my inseam to check the length or if he'd like to have an arm wrestling contest to see how strong I was. He told me that he'd seen people who were taller and stronger. What a jerk! I'm sure something very unpleasant, such as a bird pooping on his head, will happen to him soon. Anyway, I got my (free) emergency exit row and swanned onto the plane with as much dignity as yoga pants and a Tyrannosaurus Text shirt will allow.
It has been a long time since I flew KLM and let me tell you, they have really gone downhill. The plane was shabby and worn. My seat had a weird lump on it. The food was crappy and the flight attendants more indifferent than normal. I was very tired so I slept for most of the flight, missing my kosher meal and awaking in time for the snack before landing.
As expected, my bag did not make it on the flight from Amsterdam to Joburg, so I exited customs since I didn't see a bag check desk, but unfortunately it was in a different section of the baggage claim area, so I had to go back inside through the employee entrance (which was rather terrifyingly easy) and then make a claim. They had a printout with my name on it showing that they knew in advance that my bag was on the flight (jerks!) so it was coming on tonight's flight, which meant that I wouldn't get it until Wednesday morning. Awesome. This is Africa!
Anyway, after a rather eventful drive home where the entrance to the N3 north was completely blocked off with no warning, necessitating a short trip on N3 south with an unmarked exit to cross over to the other side, we made it back to Cedar Lakes and I slept for about 12 hours. When I woke up this morning, I had spent about 18 of the past 24 hours asleep.
This weekend we hit Swaziland and Mozambique, can't wait!
I got to Detroit around 5pm and went to my gate and found they had another flight leaving for Amsterdam right then. They asked me if I wanted to go, but I told them I'd only go if they could put me in business class. "Sure!" says the guy. Um, YES PLEASE. As you might imagine, business class is wonderful! Lie-flat beds, personal entertainment screen, delicious food and space. I opted not to sleep, since I had napped on the Detroit flight and I didn't want to miss a minute of my luxurious time in the air.
I landed in Amsterdam around 7am local time, so I had about two hours to kill before my flight to Johannesburg. I stopped by the transfer desk and asked if I could get an emergency exit row seat for the flight and they said sure, no problem! So, I got the seat I wanted. I then went into the first class lounge, which was quiet, and just read some books on my new iPad. As a reader I like it, but some people don't. Not my problem.
I found some eyedrops and my favorite Stabilo pens at the shopping area and then went to my gate. Amsterdam-Schipol has this stupid system where you have to go through another security check before you get on the plane, even though you've already gone through airport security to get to the concourse. It means that just before boarding, you have to queue in a long line, go through security again and be stressed.
Before you can even sit down in the gate area, they scan your ticket. When mine scanned, they said, "Oh, your seat has been changed to 31D." I explained that I had asked for Emergency exit row and I wanted to make sure that seat hadn't been taken away from me. I had to wait for the supervisor to check and he was a nasty little man who clearly had woken up on the wrong side of the dyke this morning. He interrogated me as to why I hadn't paid 50 euros for the seat, which made me defensive and stabby. He told me that I didn't have a good enough excuse to get emergency exit row and I asked him if he'd care to measure my inseam to check the length or if he'd like to have an arm wrestling contest to see how strong I was. He told me that he'd seen people who were taller and stronger. What a jerk! I'm sure something very unpleasant, such as a bird pooping on his head, will happen to him soon. Anyway, I got my (free) emergency exit row and swanned onto the plane with as much dignity as yoga pants and a Tyrannosaurus Text shirt will allow.
It has been a long time since I flew KLM and let me tell you, they have really gone downhill. The plane was shabby and worn. My seat had a weird lump on it. The food was crappy and the flight attendants more indifferent than normal. I was very tired so I slept for most of the flight, missing my kosher meal and awaking in time for the snack before landing.
As expected, my bag did not make it on the flight from Amsterdam to Joburg, so I exited customs since I didn't see a bag check desk, but unfortunately it was in a different section of the baggage claim area, so I had to go back inside through the employee entrance (which was rather terrifyingly easy) and then make a claim. They had a printout with my name on it showing that they knew in advance that my bag was on the flight (jerks!) so it was coming on tonight's flight, which meant that I wouldn't get it until Wednesday morning. Awesome. This is Africa!
Anyway, after a rather eventful drive home where the entrance to the N3 north was completely blocked off with no warning, necessitating a short trip on N3 south with an unmarked exit to cross over to the other side, we made it back to Cedar Lakes and I slept for about 12 hours. When I woke up this morning, I had spent about 18 of the past 24 hours asleep.
This weekend we hit Swaziland and Mozambique, can't wait!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Africa Kickoff
Today I depart for Johannesburg, South Africa. I will be there for five weeks, working for WIZZIT Bank again as well as attending World Cup matches! I have tickets to USA vs. Slovenia and USA vs. Algeria. Look for me on ESPN waving a giant American flag!
I also have a lot of travel planned; I am for sure going to Swaziland and Mozambique as well as tentative plans for Angola, Tanzania/Zanzibar and Zimbabwe/Zambia. Stay tuned!
I just got a new iPad so I am excited to keep my attention occupied on my horrible flight itinerary from Burlington to Detroit to Amsterdam to Joburg. I am almost hoping my flight out of Detroit is delayed enough that I get to spend the day in Amsterdam and not have to jump right on another flight. We'll see!
Talk to you all on the flip side of the world!
I also have a lot of travel planned; I am for sure going to Swaziland and Mozambique as well as tentative plans for Angola, Tanzania/Zanzibar and Zimbabwe/Zambia. Stay tuned!
I just got a new iPad so I am excited to keep my attention occupied on my horrible flight itinerary from Burlington to Detroit to Amsterdam to Joburg. I am almost hoping my flight out of Detroit is delayed enough that I get to spend the day in Amsterdam and not have to jump right on another flight. We'll see!
Talk to you all on the flip side of the world!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Road Trip East Day 7: Schenectady, NY to Shelburne, VT
This morning I had breakfast with my brother at a diner called the Blue Ribbon. I had eggs benedict and he had a cinnamon roll. Their coffee was excellent. We chatted about school, classes and friends and it was nice to see him so animated and happy.
I drove him back to campus and then headed out of town to take I-87 north out of Albany. I took this road so many times to and from college that it was quite odd to be heading this way again. I even remembered where to exit (Ft. Anne, NY 149), then US 4, then VT 22A. The weather was sunny and clear and the drive through the Adirondacks and then with a clear view of the Green Mountains was beautiful.
The Aspen seeds are in the air in VT so the air seems to snow with fluffy white puffs. It was warm earlier this week, in the low 90's. I drove straight to my relatives' house and ended up talking with them and their friend named Ah Ha. Ah Ha is short and round, like a cannonball, and speaks very loudly. She is quite funny, so her name is very appropriate. She doesn't speak English so we conversed in Mandarin. My aunties insisted that I eat lunch, so I left quite stuffed.
I made it to the house and unloaded my car. I also drove to Champ's Car Care Center to wash off 14 states worth of bugs and road grime. Having the roof racks on the car makes it a pain to go to a regular touchless car wash so I did it myself. Champ's has this super high pressure water hose that amazingly blew all the bugs away! I think the car iscleaner than it's ever been!
I'm so glad to not have to get on the road tomorrow!
I drove him back to campus and then headed out of town to take I-87 north out of Albany. I took this road so many times to and from college that it was quite odd to be heading this way again. I even remembered where to exit (Ft. Anne, NY 149), then US 4, then VT 22A. The weather was sunny and clear and the drive through the Adirondacks and then with a clear view of the Green Mountains was beautiful.
The Aspen seeds are in the air in VT so the air seems to snow with fluffy white puffs. It was warm earlier this week, in the low 90's. I drove straight to my relatives' house and ended up talking with them and their friend named Ah Ha. Ah Ha is short and round, like a cannonball, and speaks very loudly. She is quite funny, so her name is very appropriate. She doesn't speak English so we conversed in Mandarin. My aunties insisted that I eat lunch, so I left quite stuffed.
I made it to the house and unloaded my car. I also drove to Champ's Car Care Center to wash off 14 states worth of bugs and road grime. Having the roof racks on the car makes it a pain to go to a regular touchless car wash so I did it myself. Champ's has this super high pressure water hose that amazingly blew all the bugs away! I think the car iscleaner than it's ever been!
I'm so glad to not have to get on the road tomorrow!
Road Trip by the Numbers
1 girl
1 VW Jetta
7 days
3136.5 miles
14 states
10 interstate highways
87 gallons of diesel gas
1 VW Jetta
7 days
3136.5 miles
14 states
10 interstate highways
87 gallons of diesel gas
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Road Trip East Day 6: Charlottesville, VA to Schenectady, NY
Smitha and I got up relatively early (8am) and headed out to the Tavern, which is a classic country diner. The roof advertises that the Tavern is where "Townspeople, Students and Travelers come to Mingle" and that is definitely true. There were some huge preppies, true hicks and old people in there. Smitha had chipped beef, which is kind of like small pieces of corned beef in a gravy with biscuits, and then a side of grits. I had a pecan waffle, which is a crispy waffle with chopped pecans. They even had real maple syrup, so it was pretty good.
I then got on the road to Maryland. Google Maps directed me to take local roads, not the highway, so I got a real tour of some of the prettiest country I've seen so far. I was on US routes almost the whole way, except for a short portion of county road. The drive north mirrored the Skyline Parkway of Shenandoah National Park, which I have made once before in college. The mountains were spectacular when viewed from my perspective, and it was a nice change to be actually driving instead of mindless interstate. The drive from Charlottesville to Middletown, MD, where Grant's family farm is took about three hours. I got delayed because I was stuck behind a line painting truck for about 30 minutes, that was frustrating.
When I arrived at the farm, Grant was busy packing because he was leaving for Luanda, Angola tonight, which was a surprise to him as well as me as he just got the call to leave a few hours before I arrived. I saw his brother Luke who is at Harvard now, and his mom, who looks exactly the same as the last time I saw her seven years ago! He showed me the boat he has been building, it is a Chesapeake Bay boat that will have two sliding seats for rowing and he's putting in bulkheads for storage. He has built boats before, so it's nothing totally out of the ordinary for him, but he wants to go row around Alaska! Apparently he is thinking about leaving his job so that might actually become a possibility. I told him that he wasn't Grant unless he had a crazy scheme.
We had a nice time catching up, and then I had to get back on the road and he had to drive to DC to fly out for London, then Johannesburg, then Luanda. We were laughing at the crazy lives we led!
I then got back on interstate highways to drive up to Schenectady, NY, to visit my brother at Union. The drive from Maryland to Binghamton, NY, on I-81 was stressful. There was a lot of traffic and congestion and only 2 lanes going each way. Once I got on I-88 towards Albany for the last 120 miles it cleared up and I had a nice drive with almost no one on the road.
It was nice to see my brother at college, I met his roommate and some friends. We ate dinner (or at least, I did) at Five Guys burgers, their fries are so ridiculously good! We then shot some hoops outside because the weather is quite nice and cool here. Tomorrow we will have breakfast, and then my odyssey will finally be over as I will arrive in Vermont!
I then got on the road to Maryland. Google Maps directed me to take local roads, not the highway, so I got a real tour of some of the prettiest country I've seen so far. I was on US routes almost the whole way, except for a short portion of county road. The drive north mirrored the Skyline Parkway of Shenandoah National Park, which I have made once before in college. The mountains were spectacular when viewed from my perspective, and it was a nice change to be actually driving instead of mindless interstate. The drive from Charlottesville to Middletown, MD, where Grant's family farm is took about three hours. I got delayed because I was stuck behind a line painting truck for about 30 minutes, that was frustrating.
When I arrived at the farm, Grant was busy packing because he was leaving for Luanda, Angola tonight, which was a surprise to him as well as me as he just got the call to leave a few hours before I arrived. I saw his brother Luke who is at Harvard now, and his mom, who looks exactly the same as the last time I saw her seven years ago! He showed me the boat he has been building, it is a Chesapeake Bay boat that will have two sliding seats for rowing and he's putting in bulkheads for storage. He has built boats before, so it's nothing totally out of the ordinary for him, but he wants to go row around Alaska! Apparently he is thinking about leaving his job so that might actually become a possibility. I told him that he wasn't Grant unless he had a crazy scheme.
We had a nice time catching up, and then I had to get back on the road and he had to drive to DC to fly out for London, then Johannesburg, then Luanda. We were laughing at the crazy lives we led!
I then got back on interstate highways to drive up to Schenectady, NY, to visit my brother at Union. The drive from Maryland to Binghamton, NY, on I-81 was stressful. There was a lot of traffic and congestion and only 2 lanes going each way. Once I got on I-88 towards Albany for the last 120 miles it cleared up and I had a nice drive with almost no one on the road.
It was nice to see my brother at college, I met his roommate and some friends. We ate dinner (or at least, I did) at Five Guys burgers, their fries are so ridiculously good! We then shot some hoops outside because the weather is quite nice and cool here. Tomorrow we will have breakfast, and then my odyssey will finally be over as I will arrive in Vermont!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Road Trip East Day 5: Knoxville, TN to Charlottesville, VA
As I continued northeast out of Tennessee into Virginia, the landscape became even more mountainous and similar to Vermont. The highway passes entrances to Shenandoah State Park and also follows the Great Smoky Mountains. There is a byway of the same name that follows 81 north, but of course it is much slower.
Virginia looks a lot like Vermont with rolling green hills and little farms. I reached Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, around 3pm. I had visited once when I was looking at colleges but that was a long time ago and I only remember the main campus plus a trip to Monticello. The interstate that takes you to Charlottesville, I-64, heads over a large mountain that has several scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and is very pretty. The weather was perfect, about 75, partly sunny and very comfortable.
I hadn't seen Smitha in person in about eight years so it was nice to catch up and hang out. We went to get an oil change for my car, since I didn't get one before I left, and then we ate crepes and sat outside enjoying the weather at a pedestrian mall that reminded me of Church Street. We met up with some of her friends from law school and chatted for a while and then she and I had dinner at a French place called Bizou. I have been craving vegetables and fresh food as I have had a lot of protein and heavy sauces the past few days! Bizou did not disappoint with a beet salad, blue cheese and walnut salad, tuna ceviche and shrimp and grits. To finish it off we had apple fritters.
I received a late message from my friend Grant who is staying with his family in Frederick, MD right now, so I will drive up there and have lunch with him. It's not out of the way so I might as well see him since he and I won't be able to meet up while he is in Africa this summer.
Virginia looks a lot like Vermont with rolling green hills and little farms. I reached Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, around 3pm. I had visited once when I was looking at colleges but that was a long time ago and I only remember the main campus plus a trip to Monticello. The interstate that takes you to Charlottesville, I-64, heads over a large mountain that has several scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and is very pretty. The weather was perfect, about 75, partly sunny and very comfortable.
I hadn't seen Smitha in person in about eight years so it was nice to catch up and hang out. We went to get an oil change for my car, since I didn't get one before I left, and then we ate crepes and sat outside enjoying the weather at a pedestrian mall that reminded me of Church Street. We met up with some of her friends from law school and chatted for a while and then she and I had dinner at a French place called Bizou. I have been craving vegetables and fresh food as I have had a lot of protein and heavy sauces the past few days! Bizou did not disappoint with a beet salad, blue cheese and walnut salad, tuna ceviche and shrimp and grits. To finish it off we had apple fritters.
I received a late message from my friend Grant who is staying with his family in Frederick, MD right now, so I will drive up there and have lunch with him. It's not out of the way so I might as well see him since he and I won't be able to meet up while he is in Africa this summer.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Road Trip East Day 4: New Orleans, LA to Knoxville, TN
I woke up at around 9am this morning and went for a final walk around the French Quarter. My friend Jeff has been to NoLa a few times and he introduced me to beignets, which are a deep fried square doughnut topped with an avalanche of powdered sugar. I texted him and asked for the best place to get beignets and he told me to head to Cafe du Monde. It's just across from Jackson Square, so I headed over there and found a table in their immense outdoor seating patio. The place is crowded and I can see why--their beignets are fantastic! You get 3 per plate and they arrive piping hot, steaming, and drowned in powdered sugar. Everything is sticky because the sugar gets everywhere. I also had a New Orleans style cafe au lait with chicory coffee, which was strong but delicious.
After I snarfed my beignets, I walked around a bit more but it was already very hot and sweaty so I went back to the hotel and checked out. I was so sad to leave the W, but I had to press on. My drive out of New Orleans took me further east on I-10 over the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. I can see why the two main routes out of New Orleans were clogged with traffic during Katrina, as they are only two lanes each way and there's no other way to escape the area. There are signs on the causeway that say "Hurricane Evacuation Route" but that's not going to do any good if everyone else in the city is trying to go the same way as well.
I left I-10 behind after 4 days of only heading east and turned northeast on I-59. About 40 miles outside of New Orleans, you cross the border into Mississippi. The further away from the coast I got, the more the landscape changed. The land became rolling instead of pancake flat and there were pine trees lining the road. The dirt was an orange yellow color that was very bright and unique. 59 goes through Hattiesburg, which is the site of Southern Mississippi University.
I then passed into Alabama, and the landscape became even greener with big trees lining the highway and the road even more hilly. I went through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Both had higher traffic than outside the cities, but no traffic jams. A lot of construction, however, which was sort of annoying.
After Birmingham, the road goes through Georgia for about 20 miles and then crosses into Tennessee. Overall I covered 5 states today! The scenery in Tennessee is very pretty, with tree covered hills and green valleys. It reminded me of Vermont or upstate NY. At one point I saw some hills that look like Mohonk.
The only reason I have heard of Chattanooga, TN is because of the Glenn Miller jazz song, "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", but apparently it is a real historical train. It was just around sunset when I arrived in Chattanooga and I saw a billboard advertising Sugar's Ribs, Voted #1 in 2008! I knew I had to try this place. Sugar's is located on a high cliff overlooking the valley and the highway so it had a great view of the sunset. I had a half rack of pork ribs, cornbread and corn on the cob. It was so good! They had all different kinds of sauces to try, including super hot, vinegary, sour and sweet. My favorite was the Tennessee sweet style sauce. I also got to watch some of the USA/Czech exhibition soccer game on ESPN weirdly enough.
After the ribs I got back on the road and ended up in Knoxville, TN for the night. Just as the sun was setting I kept seeing these little flashing lights by the side of the road and I couldn't think of what they were, until I realized they were fireflies! It's been so long since I saw them!
Tomorrow I will spend the night with my friend who just graduated from UVA Law. She lives in Charlottesville, VA.
After I snarfed my beignets, I walked around a bit more but it was already very hot and sweaty so I went back to the hotel and checked out. I was so sad to leave the W, but I had to press on. My drive out of New Orleans took me further east on I-10 over the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. I can see why the two main routes out of New Orleans were clogged with traffic during Katrina, as they are only two lanes each way and there's no other way to escape the area. There are signs on the causeway that say "Hurricane Evacuation Route" but that's not going to do any good if everyone else in the city is trying to go the same way as well.
I left I-10 behind after 4 days of only heading east and turned northeast on I-59. About 40 miles outside of New Orleans, you cross the border into Mississippi. The further away from the coast I got, the more the landscape changed. The land became rolling instead of pancake flat and there were pine trees lining the road. The dirt was an orange yellow color that was very bright and unique. 59 goes through Hattiesburg, which is the site of Southern Mississippi University.
I then passed into Alabama, and the landscape became even greener with big trees lining the highway and the road even more hilly. I went through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Both had higher traffic than outside the cities, but no traffic jams. A lot of construction, however, which was sort of annoying.
After Birmingham, the road goes through Georgia for about 20 miles and then crosses into Tennessee. Overall I covered 5 states today! The scenery in Tennessee is very pretty, with tree covered hills and green valleys. It reminded me of Vermont or upstate NY. At one point I saw some hills that look like Mohonk.
The only reason I have heard of Chattanooga, TN is because of the Glenn Miller jazz song, "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", but apparently it is a real historical train. It was just around sunset when I arrived in Chattanooga and I saw a billboard advertising Sugar's Ribs, Voted #1 in 2008! I knew I had to try this place. Sugar's is located on a high cliff overlooking the valley and the highway so it had a great view of the sunset. I had a half rack of pork ribs, cornbread and corn on the cob. It was so good! They had all different kinds of sauces to try, including super hot, vinegary, sour and sweet. My favorite was the Tennessee sweet style sauce. I also got to watch some of the USA/Czech exhibition soccer game on ESPN weirdly enough.
After the ribs I got back on the road and ended up in Knoxville, TN for the night. Just as the sun was setting I kept seeing these little flashing lights by the side of the road and I couldn't think of what they were, until I realized they were fireflies! It's been so long since I saw them!
Tomorrow I will spend the night with my friend who just graduated from UVA Law. She lives in Charlottesville, VA.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Road Trip East Interlude: New Orleans, LA
I started my time in the Big Easy by wandering around the French Quarter. Since my hotel is on Chartres Street, I was well located to do so. I went to Jackson Park, where there is a huge statue of General Andrew Jackson (we are in the Deep South after all) in front of St. Louis cathedral. I also saw the gold statue of Joan of Arc but she's pretty shiny and sparkly. Wandering around the French Quarter is fun, the buildings are picturesque and pretty with their wrought iron balconies and decorations. Chartres Street is not as ticky tacky as Bourbon Street; there are a lot of cute shops and galleries. I did the requisite walk down Bourbon just to see it, there are a lot of bars with funny names, shops selling Mardi Gras beads and strip clubs.
I ate lunch at Cafe Maspero's, which is a New Orleans staple and is housed in the old slave auction building down by the Mississippi river. I had a muffaletta sandwich, which is a heart attack disguised as a sandwich with salami, ham, melted provolone, olives, garlic, anchovies and spicy sauce all on an italian roll. It is enormous, filling and delicious.
After my lunch I decided to take the street car to the Garden District, which has beautiful, tree-lined streets, a cemetery and is close to Magazine Street, which is a cool un-touristy shopping district. The street car stop is at the end of Bourbon Street at where it meets Canal, and then the street car continues west from that point. It costs $1.25 to ride one way and you have to get off at the termination point, no riding back. The street car is a real antique--it rattles and bags furiously as you clatter along and it squeaks hideously around turns. The inside is almost all lined with wood and the seats switch backs for when the car heads back the other way. The drivers are all funny and friendly and some of them even spout off random sayings. One of mine pointed out to everyone, "Life's not that bad, hunh? You're in New Orleans and it's a wonderful day!"
I got off at the 6th street and St. Charles intersection in the garden district and walked to Lafayette Cemetery. The houses in this area are all beautiful plantation and southern style homes with verandas, porches and little yards. They are all really cute and have a lot of character. I saw lots of really nice houses and I wished I could call one of them my own!
Lafayette Cemetery was founded in 1833 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Some of the graves looked familiar to me as scenes for the movie Interview With the Vampire were filmed here. Various interesting characters from area history are buried here and the cemetery is also said to be haunted. The atmosphere is certainly mysterious and a little sad, with the tombs above ground for all to see. It was very hot and humid, so I was sweating profusely as I wandered around the tombs just poking around. It was definitely a picturesque, although creepy, place.
After my time with the dead I walked to Magazine Street and got an iced sweet tea since I was so hot and thirsty. Magazine Street has some cool little shops and restaurants and is just a neat little funky neighborhood. I found a cool tshirt shop called Storyville (which is a nickname for New Orleans) so I bought two shirts. I could have bought half the items in the shop but restrained myself!
I then walked back to the streetcar and went back to the W to swim in their little pool and rest a bit before dinner. The afternoon thunderstorm did not happen, although a large thunderhead did build up and I heard thunder at one point. As I was sitting by the pool the sun came back out so that was nice. The pool was empty except for a pack of Frenchmen who sat in one of the bungalows and chatted animatedly in French whilst smoking. You can smoke in public (and in bars) in New Orleans, which is not so great, but at least I couldn't smell their smoke and it wasn't blowing onto me.
After my time at the pool I showered (this is a horribly humid place) and then made plans for dinner. I got several recommendations from friends, including several traditional New Orleans fancy places in the Quarter, such as Antoines or Galatoire's, but I wanted something less fancy and more jovial. Let's face it, when you are traveling alone eating by yourself at a fancy place is kind of boring and awkward!
My friend Matt, who went to Tulane, recommended a place called Jacque-imo's which has traditional New Orleans style food but in a very convivial atmosphere. It is in the Uptown district which is on the same street car line I took before but past the Garden District. Uptown is where Tulane is so it is another fun, non-touristy area. I got back on the street car and rode it almost to the end to Oak Street. Jacque-imo's is a couple of blocks west on Oak.
The place was very crowded and I was offered the chance to sit at the bar without a wait. I took it, of course. I ended up chatting a lot with the bartender, Chris, who was blown away by my solo cross country trip (he said it was "ballsy") and then even more blown away by my plans to go to South Africa for World Cup. I told him to look for me waving a big American flag on ESPN.
For an appetizer I had the famous Alligator and Crab "Cheesecake" which is really a crab cake made with alligator as well served in the shape of a cheesecake. It comes with spicy stewed beets and a delicious creamy tomato sauce. As you can imagine it was rich yet amazing! Chris kept laughing at my faces as I pretty much inhaled the whole thing. Then, I had a spinach salad that came with a fried oyster, which I did not eat, but the fresh, crisp spinach was a welcome change from my road food and lack of veggies. The salad came with two fabulous cornbreads that seemed to be mostly butter, but totally tasty. They had a spicy jalapeno salsa on top as well! For my main course I had the paneed duck with sweet potato and shrimp sauce with mashed sweet potatoes and more of the stewed beets. It turns out paneed is apparently a fancy creole word for "breaded and fried" but it was of course also very, very good. I totally stuffed my face and was extremely full, but very satisfied. I washed down my meal with a classy can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I'm so glad I decided to take up my friend on his recommendation as the place was exactly what I wanted!
I then took the trolley car back to the French Quarter and walked from one end to the other to get to Frenchman Street, which is a relatively unknown to tourists section known for its bars and music venues frequented by real locals. I'm glad I went there as once you pass the road that marks the edge of the French Quarter the atmosphere changes and you see crowds of clearly non tourists hanging out in the street and outside of bars. There were even several people grilling hot dogs or selling bbq from their cars! I ended up at Cafe Negril where a band was performing bluesy rock, just what I wanted. After two songs, the drums player got up and the guy sitting next to me stepped in! It turns out that this band allowed people to sign up to come and play with them--how cool is that? It was like a giant jam session! I drank a tasty Abita Raspberry Wheat beer and enjoyed the show. At one point a guy showed up in a pith helmet and started playing blues harmonica along with the band! He brought his own amp and a special microphone that includes a handle so you can play the harmonica and hold on at the same time. He also had a box full of multiple harmonicas! How mysterious!
After about an hour of local music I was tired, so I intended to take a cab back to the hotel (as per local recommendations) but there was a large crowd of people heading back in the direction I was going so I followed them on foot. In the French Quarter, Decatur Street where we were is pretty safe, but I figured safety in numbers was a good idea.
I'm now about to go to bed after a wonderful day in New Orleans. I wish I had more time to explore this city further--I'll have to come back!
I ate lunch at Cafe Maspero's, which is a New Orleans staple and is housed in the old slave auction building down by the Mississippi river. I had a muffaletta sandwich, which is a heart attack disguised as a sandwich with salami, ham, melted provolone, olives, garlic, anchovies and spicy sauce all on an italian roll. It is enormous, filling and delicious.
After my lunch I decided to take the street car to the Garden District, which has beautiful, tree-lined streets, a cemetery and is close to Magazine Street, which is a cool un-touristy shopping district. The street car stop is at the end of Bourbon Street at where it meets Canal, and then the street car continues west from that point. It costs $1.25 to ride one way and you have to get off at the termination point, no riding back. The street car is a real antique--it rattles and bags furiously as you clatter along and it squeaks hideously around turns. The inside is almost all lined with wood and the seats switch backs for when the car heads back the other way. The drivers are all funny and friendly and some of them even spout off random sayings. One of mine pointed out to everyone, "Life's not that bad, hunh? You're in New Orleans and it's a wonderful day!"
I got off at the 6th street and St. Charles intersection in the garden district and walked to Lafayette Cemetery. The houses in this area are all beautiful plantation and southern style homes with verandas, porches and little yards. They are all really cute and have a lot of character. I saw lots of really nice houses and I wished I could call one of them my own!
Lafayette Cemetery was founded in 1833 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Some of the graves looked familiar to me as scenes for the movie Interview With the Vampire were filmed here. Various interesting characters from area history are buried here and the cemetery is also said to be haunted. The atmosphere is certainly mysterious and a little sad, with the tombs above ground for all to see. It was very hot and humid, so I was sweating profusely as I wandered around the tombs just poking around. It was definitely a picturesque, although creepy, place.
After my time with the dead I walked to Magazine Street and got an iced sweet tea since I was so hot and thirsty. Magazine Street has some cool little shops and restaurants and is just a neat little funky neighborhood. I found a cool tshirt shop called Storyville (which is a nickname for New Orleans) so I bought two shirts. I could have bought half the items in the shop but restrained myself!
I then walked back to the streetcar and went back to the W to swim in their little pool and rest a bit before dinner. The afternoon thunderstorm did not happen, although a large thunderhead did build up and I heard thunder at one point. As I was sitting by the pool the sun came back out so that was nice. The pool was empty except for a pack of Frenchmen who sat in one of the bungalows and chatted animatedly in French whilst smoking. You can smoke in public (and in bars) in New Orleans, which is not so great, but at least I couldn't smell their smoke and it wasn't blowing onto me.
After my time at the pool I showered (this is a horribly humid place) and then made plans for dinner. I got several recommendations from friends, including several traditional New Orleans fancy places in the Quarter, such as Antoines or Galatoire's, but I wanted something less fancy and more jovial. Let's face it, when you are traveling alone eating by yourself at a fancy place is kind of boring and awkward!
My friend Matt, who went to Tulane, recommended a place called Jacque-imo's which has traditional New Orleans style food but in a very convivial atmosphere. It is in the Uptown district which is on the same street car line I took before but past the Garden District. Uptown is where Tulane is so it is another fun, non-touristy area. I got back on the street car and rode it almost to the end to Oak Street. Jacque-imo's is a couple of blocks west on Oak.
The place was very crowded and I was offered the chance to sit at the bar without a wait. I took it, of course. I ended up chatting a lot with the bartender, Chris, who was blown away by my solo cross country trip (he said it was "ballsy") and then even more blown away by my plans to go to South Africa for World Cup. I told him to look for me waving a big American flag on ESPN.
For an appetizer I had the famous Alligator and Crab "Cheesecake" which is really a crab cake made with alligator as well served in the shape of a cheesecake. It comes with spicy stewed beets and a delicious creamy tomato sauce. As you can imagine it was rich yet amazing! Chris kept laughing at my faces as I pretty much inhaled the whole thing. Then, I had a spinach salad that came with a fried oyster, which I did not eat, but the fresh, crisp spinach was a welcome change from my road food and lack of veggies. The salad came with two fabulous cornbreads that seemed to be mostly butter, but totally tasty. They had a spicy jalapeno salsa on top as well! For my main course I had the paneed duck with sweet potato and shrimp sauce with mashed sweet potatoes and more of the stewed beets. It turns out paneed is apparently a fancy creole word for "breaded and fried" but it was of course also very, very good. I totally stuffed my face and was extremely full, but very satisfied. I washed down my meal with a classy can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I'm so glad I decided to take up my friend on his recommendation as the place was exactly what I wanted!
I then took the trolley car back to the French Quarter and walked from one end to the other to get to Frenchman Street, which is a relatively unknown to tourists section known for its bars and music venues frequented by real locals. I'm glad I went there as once you pass the road that marks the edge of the French Quarter the atmosphere changes and you see crowds of clearly non tourists hanging out in the street and outside of bars. There were even several people grilling hot dogs or selling bbq from their cars! I ended up at Cafe Negril where a band was performing bluesy rock, just what I wanted. After two songs, the drums player got up and the guy sitting next to me stepped in! It turns out that this band allowed people to sign up to come and play with them--how cool is that? It was like a giant jam session! I drank a tasty Abita Raspberry Wheat beer and enjoyed the show. At one point a guy showed up in a pith helmet and started playing blues harmonica along with the band! He brought his own amp and a special microphone that includes a handle so you can play the harmonica and hold on at the same time. He also had a box full of multiple harmonicas! How mysterious!
After about an hour of local music I was tired, so I intended to take a cab back to the hotel (as per local recommendations) but there was a large crowd of people heading back in the direction I was going so I followed them on foot. In the French Quarter, Decatur Street where we were is pretty safe, but I figured safety in numbers was a good idea.
I'm now about to go to bed after a wonderful day in New Orleans. I wish I had more time to explore this city further--I'll have to come back!
Road Trip East Day 3: Lafayette, LA to New Orleans, LA
I left the Holiday Inn in Lafayette around 10am since I knew it wouldn't take me that long to get to New Orleans. I have to say the drive between Lafayette and NoLa is one of the most interesting that I have had so far on this trip. The countryside is true Louisana Bayou, with flat land, tall trees lining the road and multiple little bayous that you can see from the road. I wished for a small boat so I could explore. Just before reaching Baton Rouge, there is a stretch of causeway that runs through a swamp for about 5 miles. The water was perfectly still, reflecting the sky and clouds. The swamp was full of tree stumps and live trees, which made me wonder how they could survive submerged. It looked so mysterious! In addition, the causeway was perfectly straight, so you could see for miles. At one point I even saw a huge bird fly above me that was bright pink. At first I was confused, but I looked closer and realized it was a flamingo!
When you reach Baton Rouge you cross the mighty Mississippi, which is indeed large and fast-flowing. You get a quick glimpse of some barges for shipping, but not much else of Baton Rouge as the 10 splits off and heads southeast towards NoLa. As you get closer to the coast, the road passes Lake Pontchartrain, which is huge. The road passes along the southern coast of the lake and I couldn't see the other shore. There are also more swamps and bayous.
I am staying at the W in the French Quarter which is just too nice. I know it is more than I have been spending for other hotels, but their service is utterly top notch and they really make me feel welcome. Anytime I call for something they always call me Miss Mitchell and the staff are going overboard to keep me happy. I would just like to point out that the last time I stayed at the W in Scottsdale, I was not impressed with the service, but here they have so far been excellent.
I am off to lunch at Cafe Masperos and to walk around the French Quarter so as to enjoy this gorgeous day! I will update more later!
When you reach Baton Rouge you cross the mighty Mississippi, which is indeed large and fast-flowing. You get a quick glimpse of some barges for shipping, but not much else of Baton Rouge as the 10 splits off and heads southeast towards NoLa. As you get closer to the coast, the road passes Lake Pontchartrain, which is huge. The road passes along the southern coast of the lake and I couldn't see the other shore. There are also more swamps and bayous.
I am staying at the W in the French Quarter which is just too nice. I know it is more than I have been spending for other hotels, but their service is utterly top notch and they really make me feel welcome. Anytime I call for something they always call me Miss Mitchell and the staff are going overboard to keep me happy. I would just like to point out that the last time I stayed at the W in Scottsdale, I was not impressed with the service, but here they have so far been excellent.
I am off to lunch at Cafe Masperos and to walk around the French Quarter so as to enjoy this gorgeous day! I will update more later!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Road Trip East Day 2: Ft. Stockton, TX to Lafayette, LA
I had very grand plans of waking up at 7am and getting on the road early but that didn't really go so well--I forgot about the 2 hour time difference and was still on Phoenix time. 5am was not happening, so I went back to bed and woke up at 9. I grabbed my free breakfast (bacon, a biscuit and grits--totally unhealthy but filling!) and hit the road by 9:30. The mountains I had seen the day before were gone, replaced by flat mesas that were only 100 feet high or so. As I continued east, the landscape became less arid with scrubby brush and more green. It even rained at one point, which I had forgotten actually happens in other states besides Arizona!
I stopped for gas in the morning and continued towards San Antonio. The countryside was not as boring as I thought it would be and I was keep entertained by a steady stream of cheesy rock hits from my iPod.
I arrived in San Antonio at 2pm and drove straight to the Alamo. The downtown area is quite small and the square around the Alamo is very touristy, with cheesy tourist trap museums around. The Alamo itself is smaller than I expected. Photography is not allowed inside, as it is a shrine to those who died defending it against the Mexican Army, led by General Santa Ana. The two most famous dead on the US side were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (inventor of the Bowie knife). The inside is run by the Daughters of the American Revolution and there are docents aplenty should you have any questions. Behind the Alamo is a nice garden with plenty of pretty flowers in bloom. It was warm and humid, but not too unpleasant in the shade.
After walking around and having lunch at Subway (second day in a row, argh), I got back on the road towards Houston. The drive from San Antonio to Houston was actually quite nerve wracking as there are only two lanes but a lot of traffic. The passing lane was crowded and prone to sudden slowdowns. I wasn't able to cruise like I had been for the past day and a half. Once I got to Houston around 5:30 the road widened out and became huge--10 lanes! The space was nice! But then, once you pass the downtown, the road is back to 2 lanes and is very small and crappy. Weird.
The landscape past Houston flattens out completely and is filled with pine trees. As I-10 approaches the Louisiana border you see tidal rivers and bayou country. By my calculation I-10 is 880 miles long in Texas! Wow!
I ate dinner in Sulpher, LA, which is about 20 miles across the border from Texas. I was drawn in by a bill board off the highway promising crawfish. Some Louisianan classmates of mine had a crawfish boil a few months ago and it was so delicious I figured I'd better have some now while I could. Well, I found the restaurant, called the Boiling Point, but it was closed. I decided that if I couldn't have Cajun seafood, I'd have BBQ instead, another Louisiana specialty. I found two BBQ places on Google Maps that sounded promising, but both were closed also! I guess 8pm on a Sunday night in bumf*ck, Louisiana is not the time to be eating.
I finally found a non-chain restaurant that was open, called Cajun Charlie's. I got 3lbs of crawfish for $12. SO WORTH IT. I stuffed my face with every single one. They were spicy and salty and just delicious! I'm so glad I kept with my restaurant search!
I'm now in Lafayette, LA, which is about 150 miles from New Orleans. I should get there around noon tomorrow and I'll have lunch, then check in to the hotel. So psyched to be staying in the French Quarter!
I stopped for gas in the morning and continued towards San Antonio. The countryside was not as boring as I thought it would be and I was keep entertained by a steady stream of cheesy rock hits from my iPod.
I arrived in San Antonio at 2pm and drove straight to the Alamo. The downtown area is quite small and the square around the Alamo is very touristy, with cheesy tourist trap museums around. The Alamo itself is smaller than I expected. Photography is not allowed inside, as it is a shrine to those who died defending it against the Mexican Army, led by General Santa Ana. The two most famous dead on the US side were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (inventor of the Bowie knife). The inside is run by the Daughters of the American Revolution and there are docents aplenty should you have any questions. Behind the Alamo is a nice garden with plenty of pretty flowers in bloom. It was warm and humid, but not too unpleasant in the shade.
After walking around and having lunch at Subway (second day in a row, argh), I got back on the road towards Houston. The drive from San Antonio to Houston was actually quite nerve wracking as there are only two lanes but a lot of traffic. The passing lane was crowded and prone to sudden slowdowns. I wasn't able to cruise like I had been for the past day and a half. Once I got to Houston around 5:30 the road widened out and became huge--10 lanes! The space was nice! But then, once you pass the downtown, the road is back to 2 lanes and is very small and crappy. Weird.
The landscape past Houston flattens out completely and is filled with pine trees. As I-10 approaches the Louisiana border you see tidal rivers and bayou country. By my calculation I-10 is 880 miles long in Texas! Wow!
I ate dinner in Sulpher, LA, which is about 20 miles across the border from Texas. I was drawn in by a bill board off the highway promising crawfish. Some Louisianan classmates of mine had a crawfish boil a few months ago and it was so delicious I figured I'd better have some now while I could. Well, I found the restaurant, called the Boiling Point, but it was closed. I decided that if I couldn't have Cajun seafood, I'd have BBQ instead, another Louisiana specialty. I found two BBQ places on Google Maps that sounded promising, but both were closed also! I guess 8pm on a Sunday night in bumf*ck, Louisiana is not the time to be eating.
I finally found a non-chain restaurant that was open, called Cajun Charlie's. I got 3lbs of crawfish for $12. SO WORTH IT. I stuffed my face with every single one. They were spicy and salty and just delicious! I'm so glad I kept with my restaurant search!
I'm now in Lafayette, LA, which is about 150 miles from New Orleans. I should get there around noon tomorrow and I'll have lunch, then check in to the hotel. So psyched to be staying in the French Quarter!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Road Trip East Day 1: Phoenix, AZ to Ft. Stockton, TX
Day one of my road trip odyssey did not start all that fortuitously--I received an email on my Blackberry while I was gassing up in Phoenix about the death of one of my good college friends, Tristan Campbell. Tristan and I met in Prof. William Chester Jordan's European History class freshman year and we took another class of his together. He also attended Episcopal services with me and I always looked forward to his passage readings. Tristan was from NYC by way of Jamaica, but he was an Anglophile through and through. I will always remember his kindness, his intelligence and sharp wit and his beautiful soul. Once he told me that my nose was "mathematically perfect" and sometimes he would just send me Facebook messages that said, "Ginger, you are awesome. I love you." They were meant in the most non-creepy way and I always smiled when I saw them. We'll miss you terribly, Tristan, and I hope you are somewhere finding all the answers to the questions you had in Prof. Jordan's history class. The email mentioned there may be a memorial service during reunions, so if I can make it I will try to get to NJ for it.
My route today was very easy: I-17 South to I-10 West towards Tucson. Driving through Tucson was surprisingly fast. After two years in the Phoenix metro area I forget what normal towns are like. I saw a sign for the Saguaro National Monuments and I wished I had time to stop. I wanted to get to Ft. Stockton, TX, however, as it's the best stopping point between El Paso and San Antonio. After Tucson, all the signs on I-10 point to El Paso, which is pretty exciting.
The interstate past Tucson takes you through some pretty rugged country. This part of the state was used as Cochise's hideout when he was fighting the US Army, guerrilla style. Once I hit the New Mexico border, however, the road got very straight and very flat. There's not much in New Mexico until Las Cruces, which is only 50 miles from El Paso. Surprisingly the scenery in west Texas was much more interesting than New Mexico.
El Paso is the US city equivalent to the famous Ciudad Juarez, which is currently in the news due to the drug violence plaguing the city. If I had time I would have tried to go to Mexico, but New Orleans calls.
I stopped at the Lucchese outlet in El Paso to get some cowboy boots, I got a fabulous chocolate patent leather pair for $139, bargained down from $269, original retail price $600. I love shopping!
After El Paso the scenery continued to be pretty, but boy, is it empty! All I hit was a US Border Patrol checkpoint outside of Sierra Blanca. They were stopping all trucks and cars. I got asked if I were a US citizen which got me thinking if that was legal or not (since they don't have a suspicion that I am an illegal alien). I guess in Texas driving while half-Asian is not a problem.
I ate dinner in Van Horn at a restaurant called Chuy's, which advertised good Mexican food and free wi-fi. My enchiladas were very tasty and they did in fact have wi-fi! I got back on the road and kept going, but I forgot that most of Texas is on central time so suddenly it was 9pm instead of what I thought was 8pm. I did make Fort Stockton eventually, rolling in around 10:30pm. The last part of the drive there was a gorgeous lightning display next to me. It never rained on the road but there were huge streaks across the sky and from clouds to ground. I'm in a suite at the Holiday Inn, since all the other rooms were full. The guy gave me a good deal on it, though, and there's free wi-fi here and free breakfast, which is all I care about. Oh yeah, and a king size bed. Party in room 219!
Tomorrow: I plan to remember the Alamo in San Antonio and will hopefully make it to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
My route today was very easy: I-17 South to I-10 West towards Tucson. Driving through Tucson was surprisingly fast. After two years in the Phoenix metro area I forget what normal towns are like. I saw a sign for the Saguaro National Monuments and I wished I had time to stop. I wanted to get to Ft. Stockton, TX, however, as it's the best stopping point between El Paso and San Antonio. After Tucson, all the signs on I-10 point to El Paso, which is pretty exciting.
The interstate past Tucson takes you through some pretty rugged country. This part of the state was used as Cochise's hideout when he was fighting the US Army, guerrilla style. Once I hit the New Mexico border, however, the road got very straight and very flat. There's not much in New Mexico until Las Cruces, which is only 50 miles from El Paso. Surprisingly the scenery in west Texas was much more interesting than New Mexico.
El Paso is the US city equivalent to the famous Ciudad Juarez, which is currently in the news due to the drug violence plaguing the city. If I had time I would have tried to go to Mexico, but New Orleans calls.
I stopped at the Lucchese outlet in El Paso to get some cowboy boots, I got a fabulous chocolate patent leather pair for $139, bargained down from $269, original retail price $600. I love shopping!
After El Paso the scenery continued to be pretty, but boy, is it empty! All I hit was a US Border Patrol checkpoint outside of Sierra Blanca. They were stopping all trucks and cars. I got asked if I were a US citizen which got me thinking if that was legal or not (since they don't have a suspicion that I am an illegal alien). I guess in Texas driving while half-Asian is not a problem.
I ate dinner in Van Horn at a restaurant called Chuy's, which advertised good Mexican food and free wi-fi. My enchiladas were very tasty and they did in fact have wi-fi! I got back on the road and kept going, but I forgot that most of Texas is on central time so suddenly it was 9pm instead of what I thought was 8pm. I did make Fort Stockton eventually, rolling in around 10:30pm. The last part of the drive there was a gorgeous lightning display next to me. It never rained on the road but there were huge streaks across the sky and from clouds to ground. I'm in a suite at the Holiday Inn, since all the other rooms were full. The guy gave me a good deal on it, though, and there's free wi-fi here and free breakfast, which is all I care about. Oh yeah, and a king size bed. Party in room 219!
Tomorrow: I plan to remember the Alamo in San Antonio and will hopefully make it to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Living in a Post-Galapagan World
When I came back from Ecuador I fell into a minor depression for several days. The stark reality of life in Glendale, AZ was such a contrast to the vibrancy of the islands where I had been just hours before. My friend Yulia came back yesterday from two weeks in Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong, and we have the same problem: we close our eyes are are someone else, but we don't want to open then because when we do, we know we'll still be stuck in Glendale.
As trite as it sounds, the trip was a life-changing experience for me. I know that right now, in my life, I won't be happy in one place. I won't be happy tied down to one company, going from day to day at the same grind. I need excitement, variety and travel to stay happy. I want to see new places and experience new things as much possible. As a result, I have a quasi plan for the next few months, which is to pursue short term consulting work overseas, and to travel in the interim. I have the travel bug bad right now!
Some upcoming trips include: driving cross country from Arizona to Vermont, with stops in New Orleans for sure, South Africa for World Cup (staying with my parents, of course), Swaziland, Mozambique and hopefully Angola to visit a fellow Tbird.
As trite as it sounds, the trip was a life-changing experience for me. I know that right now, in my life, I won't be happy in one place. I won't be happy tied down to one company, going from day to day at the same grind. I need excitement, variety and travel to stay happy. I want to see new places and experience new things as much possible. As a result, I have a quasi plan for the next few months, which is to pursue short term consulting work overseas, and to travel in the interim. I have the travel bug bad right now!
Some upcoming trips include: driving cross country from Arizona to Vermont, with stops in New Orleans for sure, South Africa for World Cup (staying with my parents, of course), Swaziland, Mozambique and hopefully Angola to visit a fellow Tbird.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tiny Tortoises and Tortuga Bay
For our last full day in the islands, Lee and I joined the elderly Italian couple for a drive to see the Wall of Tears, Flamingo Lagoon and then we took the boat back to Isla Santa Cruz. The rest of our tour got a horseback ride up one of the 5 volcanos on Isla Isabella because their tour was for a full week instead of 5 days. Too bad, as that sounded fun, but it´s definitely something to keep in mind for next time!
The Wall of Tears dated from the mid-20th century when Isabella was used as a penal colony. As punishment, the inmates were forced to build their own prison out of the endemic lava rocks on the island. We drove to the wall for about 20 minutes out of town, passing another beach with lovely sand and waves and about 5 tortoises who were just hanging out on the road. We had to be careful not to run them over! These varieties were smaller than the ones we had seen the day before, maybe only 2 feet in length. They sure were cute, though!
Apparently the prison stopped being used after there was a mass breakout in the 60's when the inmates had enough and stole some boats to sail to the mainland and to Venezuela. But, as our guide pointed out, often news travels faster than boats, so when the inmates sailed into shore there were plenty of policemen waiting for them! Oops!
We then drove to see some flamingos that are native to the Galapagos, but they look exactly like flamingos everywhere else so it was pretty tamada. We did all get a laugh out of the fact that Lee was wearing some swim trunks that were the same color as the flamingos, however!
The boat ride back to Isla Santa Cruz was a bit miserable as I tried to nap but was bumped around a bit by the rough ocean. We were all given the chance to take seasickness medicine before each boat ride and I'm glad I did as nothing stinks more than seasickness!
After two hours we got back to the familiar Red Mangrove lodge in Puerto Ayora and were upgraded to a gorgeous room overlooking the ocean. Bonus! The last part of our tour itinerary included a trip to the Charles Darwin Reasearch Station, which is where tortoise breeding and genetic research is carried out and one can view its most famous inhabitant, Lonesome George, who is the last of his giant tortoise subspecies. George has been alone since 1975 and they have been trying to (unsuccessfully) get him to breed with other lady tortoises. In 2008 a member of his harem did lay eggs but they were, sadly, all unviable. Lee and I were mildly interested in seeing George, but after four full days of tortoises, we decided to skip it and do our own thing. We were also pretty sick of touring around and waiting for slow walkers. As tour groups go our group was pretty good, but sometimes it's nice to do your own thing, you know?
As it was a perfect, sunny day, we decided to revisit Tortuga Bay, which was the beach we boated to on the first day. However, since we didn't have access to a boat, we had to take a taxi to a paved trail entrace and then hike in for 2.5km to access the beach. The taxi was only $1 (love the cabs in Ecuador, they are just so cheap!) so we grabbed our suits and our sunscreen and hopped in. The walk was very pleasant, although hot as it was only partially shaded, and the path was fully paved and walled somewhat remeniscent of the Great Wall of China, although on a much smaller scale. We walked past plenty of small, green lizards who were doing pushups on the path in front of us. Visitors to the beach have to sign in with a guard and we smartly purchased several bottles of ice cold water for the 30 minute walk in.
Since the beach is so remote (you can't even take a bike in on the bath) it explains why the bay was so deserted when we arrived. When we sited the ocean after hoofing it past mangrove thickets and giant prickly pear trees, it was an incredibly welcome site. Even more welcome was the fact that we were the only two people on the beach except for 5 surfers in the water. We picked a spot by the edge and enjoyed the pure majesty of azure water, cloudless sunny sky and powdery white sand. I was so incredibly happy that we blew off the last part of the tour to come to the beach! The water was wonderfully clear and we saw some schools of large fish being pursued by some sea lions (who also surfed in on the waves) as well as some predatory birds scooping fish out of the water. I think Tortuga Bay is probably the nicest beach I have ever been to in my life!
Around 4pm it got cloudy, so the walk out was quite pleasant and cool. We made it back to the hotel and decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant that looked good and was always crowded when we walked by. The food at Red Mangrove is very tasty, but menus are set so we wanted some variety. Boy, was I glad we ate at Il Giardino... Lee had a beef lasagna and I had Galapagos Lobster and it was AMAZING. The lobster was only $20, too, which is a great price. It was cooked in an orange coconut sauce which is as good as it sounds.
We also did our souvenier shopping so I got a teeshirt that says ¨I Love Boobies¨ on it and features two blue boobie feet on it. Pretty funny! We then got some gelato for dessert, so it was a really perfect day.
The Wall of Tears dated from the mid-20th century when Isabella was used as a penal colony. As punishment, the inmates were forced to build their own prison out of the endemic lava rocks on the island. We drove to the wall for about 20 minutes out of town, passing another beach with lovely sand and waves and about 5 tortoises who were just hanging out on the road. We had to be careful not to run them over! These varieties were smaller than the ones we had seen the day before, maybe only 2 feet in length. They sure were cute, though!
Apparently the prison stopped being used after there was a mass breakout in the 60's when the inmates had enough and stole some boats to sail to the mainland and to Venezuela. But, as our guide pointed out, often news travels faster than boats, so when the inmates sailed into shore there were plenty of policemen waiting for them! Oops!
We then drove to see some flamingos that are native to the Galapagos, but they look exactly like flamingos everywhere else so it was pretty tamada. We did all get a laugh out of the fact that Lee was wearing some swim trunks that were the same color as the flamingos, however!
The boat ride back to Isla Santa Cruz was a bit miserable as I tried to nap but was bumped around a bit by the rough ocean. We were all given the chance to take seasickness medicine before each boat ride and I'm glad I did as nothing stinks more than seasickness!
After two hours we got back to the familiar Red Mangrove lodge in Puerto Ayora and were upgraded to a gorgeous room overlooking the ocean. Bonus! The last part of our tour itinerary included a trip to the Charles Darwin Reasearch Station, which is where tortoise breeding and genetic research is carried out and one can view its most famous inhabitant, Lonesome George, who is the last of his giant tortoise subspecies. George has been alone since 1975 and they have been trying to (unsuccessfully) get him to breed with other lady tortoises. In 2008 a member of his harem did lay eggs but they were, sadly, all unviable. Lee and I were mildly interested in seeing George, but after four full days of tortoises, we decided to skip it and do our own thing. We were also pretty sick of touring around and waiting for slow walkers. As tour groups go our group was pretty good, but sometimes it's nice to do your own thing, you know?
As it was a perfect, sunny day, we decided to revisit Tortuga Bay, which was the beach we boated to on the first day. However, since we didn't have access to a boat, we had to take a taxi to a paved trail entrace and then hike in for 2.5km to access the beach. The taxi was only $1 (love the cabs in Ecuador, they are just so cheap!) so we grabbed our suits and our sunscreen and hopped in. The walk was very pleasant, although hot as it was only partially shaded, and the path was fully paved and walled somewhat remeniscent of the Great Wall of China, although on a much smaller scale. We walked past plenty of small, green lizards who were doing pushups on the path in front of us. Visitors to the beach have to sign in with a guard and we smartly purchased several bottles of ice cold water for the 30 minute walk in.
Since the beach is so remote (you can't even take a bike in on the bath) it explains why the bay was so deserted when we arrived. When we sited the ocean after hoofing it past mangrove thickets and giant prickly pear trees, it was an incredibly welcome site. Even more welcome was the fact that we were the only two people on the beach except for 5 surfers in the water. We picked a spot by the edge and enjoyed the pure majesty of azure water, cloudless sunny sky and powdery white sand. I was so incredibly happy that we blew off the last part of the tour to come to the beach! The water was wonderfully clear and we saw some schools of large fish being pursued by some sea lions (who also surfed in on the waves) as well as some predatory birds scooping fish out of the water. I think Tortuga Bay is probably the nicest beach I have ever been to in my life!
Around 4pm it got cloudy, so the walk out was quite pleasant and cool. We made it back to the hotel and decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant that looked good and was always crowded when we walked by. The food at Red Mangrove is very tasty, but menus are set so we wanted some variety. Boy, was I glad we ate at Il Giardino... Lee had a beef lasagna and I had Galapagos Lobster and it was AMAZING. The lobster was only $20, too, which is a great price. It was cooked in an orange coconut sauce which is as good as it sounds.
We also did our souvenier shopping so I got a teeshirt that says ¨I Love Boobies¨ on it and features two blue boobie feet on it. Pretty funny! We then got some gelato for dessert, so it was a really perfect day.
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