You now have photos ( SCROLL DOWN ) – proof that we are still alive !
The last few days in South Africa were primarily spent near the south coast of South Africa and in Cape Town.
Simon's Town, approximately 1 hour south of Cape Town is home to the African JackAss Penguin. These funny little things stand ~2 feet high, and appear painfully awkward when on land. They waddle around, looking like those inflatable punching clowns from childhood, wobbling back and forth. But their 'cuteness-score' more than makes up for their awkwardness. They are also quite territorial, attacking other penguins that encroach on their space... Morgan Freeman told me so. They also mate for life (again, Morgan Freeman), and strengthen their bond by cleaning each other ( Morgan). Their distinctive black and white colouring is a vital form of camouflage - white for underwater predators looking upwards and black for predators looking down onto the dark water (thanks Morgan), and have a life span of ~10 years (M.F.). Of the 1.5-million African Penguin population estimated in 1910, only some 10% remained at the end of the 20th century. The uncontrolled harvesting of penguin eggs (as a source of food for Morgan Freeman), and guano scraping ( by Morgan Freeman), nearly drove the species to extinction.
The African Penguin is listed in the Red Data Book as a vulnerable species. Their predators in the ocean include sharks, Cape fur seals and, on occasion, killer whales (Orca). Land-based enemies include mongoose, genet, and Morgan Freeman - which steal their eggs and new born chicks.
But ! One of the things Morgan Freeman neglected to mention to us ... penguins smell bad. In fact... they downright stink ! I was quiteupset at Morgan Freeman for leaving this relevant and critical point out. And then I got to thinking... what else did Morgan Freeman conveniently 'forget' to mention to us? we'll forgive Morgan, but only because he has the sexiest voice of any human being...ever.
The BEST attraction in Cape Town - a movie theater... named " The Labia". ( the official name is "the Labia on Kloof", which is even funnier for those of us who were in Swaziland, but it's an inside joke and would take too long to explain). I can now say i saw Pan's Labyrinth in the Labia. We entered the labia, and closely examined the inner sanctum of the labia........ OK. that joke is now totally used up. Historically, ( and i'm not making this up), "This theater was presented to the South African National Gallery by Count Labia in 1985 in memory of his parents, Prince Labia (1877-1936) and Princess Labia (1879-1961)". Oh, what a brutal childhood that must have been for all of them.
One thing that Swaziland was missing was alcohol. Oh, sure, we did find one or two places that sold booze. And, sure, we snuck alcohol into a missionary hospital surrounded by Churches. And, yeah, we broke every cardinal rule by doing so, and probably would have been detained, excommunicated, beaten, then beheaded if discovered. Imbibing should not be that challenging. It should be a worry-free, painless process of liver destruction. To Swaziland's Yin, was South Africa Wineries' Yang.
Nearly 60 officially declared appellations cover more than 100 000 hectares, and tragically, we only had time to visit 3 of them. Probably because we were too busy drinking wine to bother moving to the next installation. The only better than getting drunk for free is.....well, nothing, really. I kinda' remember trying to get some pictures, but they're all out of focus and skewed. South African wine is, in my mind, better than the Okanogan wine. But my uneducated, and inebriated, opinion holds little weight. It probably tasted better cause' it was free. So we bought, like, 15 bottles. You all may have to take up a pool to bail us out of
customs detention at the airport.
Germany :
We flew from Cape Town, South Africa to Frankfurt, Germany, and caugh a train to Friberg. Germany is Awesome! so efficient and clean and beautiful... the exact opposite of Swaziland !! yesterday is was 34degrees here. i actually saw people burst into flames in the streets. Friberg was recently featured on a BBC special as the most ecologically friendly city in the world. Their parking meters are solar powered. They have wind turbine generators on the outskirts of the city. The downtown core is basically car-free, and instead is populated by bikes and trams. There are recycling containers everywhere... and even though it was 34degrees here yesterday, there was zero stench of smog. David Suzuki would be proud... although... there are no penguins here, so Morgan Freeman might be a little upset.
Yesterday we went to Titisee ( pronounced Titisee ) that has a big mountain fed lake and is on the on the edge of the 'black forest' - the black forrest is where the Neuschwanstein castle is ( the famous white castle on the Disney introduction). But we didn't go to the castle, as their security is way too tight and they throw hot molten iron on people trying to storm the castle walls. It's also guarded by Orcs illegally imported from New Zealand.
we sat at the lake water's edge and got horrible sun burns. I now no longer match the skin tone of my passport photo, so reentering Canada with my 15 bottle of undeclared wine could be a bit challenging.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Photos At Last !
here are a hand full of photos
1 & 2 ) Elephants at Addo Elephant Park (South Africa)
3 & 4) African JackAss Penguins at Boulder's Beach ( near Simon's Town, ~ 1 hour south of Cape Town)
5) Table Mountain / Cape Town
1 & 2 ) Elephants at Addo Elephant Park (South Africa)
3 & 4) African JackAss Penguins at Boulder's Beach ( near Simon's Town, ~ 1 hour south of Cape Town)
5) Table Mountain / Cape Town
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
South Africa continued
I suppose this should be called “SouthAfrican-Journal.blogspot” but you’re here now.
Our journey continues...We are making our way along what is known as 'the Garden Route'. An aptly named route, as it is very lush and green and beautiful – yet another stark contrast to the arid lands of the Swazi nation.
We have recently been to Port Elizabeth, which does not have too much to offer except as a jumping off point to the Addo Elephant National Park. A vest parkland, inhabited by approximately 430 elephants. I kind of assumed we would see a hand-full, since it is touted as being an ‘elephant park’... but we were amazed at the number of elephants we did see. At one point, we were heading towards one of their frequented ‘watering holes’ (read: man made pond), when a large heard of ~40 elephants emerged from the hill top and started making their way down to the pond. Our reckless driver decided to place us right in harms way, and the heard passed within less than 10 feet of our jeep. As you all know, elephants are very unstable creatures, and can snap at any moment, crushing tour jeeps with their feet and ripping tourists in half with their gargantuan ‘trunks-of-death’ ! They can also spray fire from their trunks… like a 15 foot flame-thrower.
Fortunately, we were not mauled nor burned in this escapade… so we went back for more. The park has paved roads where those tourist foolhardy enough to risk their lives without the accompaniment of an armed tour guide are able to drive their Toyota Cellicas around by themselves. So in we went, to laugh in the face of death by trying to stick our arms out the window and touch an elephant without it filling our car with napalm-like fire spray ( or worse ...elephant poop ).
Seriously, we did drive back in, and sat at the parking lot next to the watering hole and enjoyed one of natures most majestic ( and frighteningly huge) creatures.
It is also the location of one of natures most hilarious and awkward little creatures… ‘the flightless dung beetle’. See, because of all that elephant poop kicking around, the dung beetle thrives quite well. However, because of the dung beetle’s small population, is has the right of way on the roads. Imagine a 3000 pound car ( or 15,000lb tour bus) brought to a grinding halt and sitting there in the hot African sun whilst a tiny little beetle with a big ball of poo makes its way across the street. There are even signs warning against driving over mounds of elephants poo because the dung beetle lays it’s eggs in the dropping. Crazy dung beetles !
We are now in Cape Town. Home of... well, Capes! Well...where do you think Batman gets his capes from ? If only we were in Crepe Town.
This morning we hiked up Table Mountain. If you’ve never seen a picture, Wikipedia it. The trail was approximately 3.5km in length, but 1078m upwards. This puts it on par with the Grouse Grind. Our journey up was uneventful. No muggings or shootings. The view from the top was quite spectacular... and bloody cold. The winds were so strong, small children and elderly women were carried away on the breeze, never to be seen nor heard from again.
Tomorrow is the African Jack –Ass Penguins. Yes, I know it sounds like an oxymoron... but if God can invent beetles that push around spheres of poo, why not penguins that live in Africa. the African (Jackass) Penguins (Sphensicus demersus) are so called for the donkey-like braying sounds they make when on land.
there... you learn something new every day.
Our journey continues...We are making our way along what is known as 'the Garden Route'. An aptly named route, as it is very lush and green and beautiful – yet another stark contrast to the arid lands of the Swazi nation.
We have recently been to Port Elizabeth, which does not have too much to offer except as a jumping off point to the Addo Elephant National Park. A vest parkland, inhabited by approximately 430 elephants. I kind of assumed we would see a hand-full, since it is touted as being an ‘elephant park’... but we were amazed at the number of elephants we did see. At one point, we were heading towards one of their frequented ‘watering holes’ (read: man made pond), when a large heard of ~40 elephants emerged from the hill top and started making their way down to the pond. Our reckless driver decided to place us right in harms way, and the heard passed within less than 10 feet of our jeep. As you all know, elephants are very unstable creatures, and can snap at any moment, crushing tour jeeps with their feet and ripping tourists in half with their gargantuan ‘trunks-of-death’ ! They can also spray fire from their trunks… like a 15 foot flame-thrower.
Fortunately, we were not mauled nor burned in this escapade… so we went back for more. The park has paved roads where those tourist foolhardy enough to risk their lives without the accompaniment of an armed tour guide are able to drive their Toyota Cellicas around by themselves. So in we went, to laugh in the face of death by trying to stick our arms out the window and touch an elephant without it filling our car with napalm-like fire spray ( or worse ...elephant poop ).
Seriously, we did drive back in, and sat at the parking lot next to the watering hole and enjoyed one of natures most majestic ( and frighteningly huge) creatures.
It is also the location of one of natures most hilarious and awkward little creatures… ‘the flightless dung beetle’. See, because of all that elephant poop kicking around, the dung beetle thrives quite well. However, because of the dung beetle’s small population, is has the right of way on the roads. Imagine a 3000 pound car ( or 15,000lb tour bus) brought to a grinding halt and sitting there in the hot African sun whilst a tiny little beetle with a big ball of poo makes its way across the street. There are even signs warning against driving over mounds of elephants poo because the dung beetle lays it’s eggs in the dropping. Crazy dung beetles !
We are now in Cape Town. Home of... well, Capes! Well...where do you think Batman gets his capes from ? If only we were in Crepe Town.
This morning we hiked up Table Mountain. If you’ve never seen a picture, Wikipedia it. The trail was approximately 3.5km in length, but 1078m upwards. This puts it on par with the Grouse Grind. Our journey up was uneventful. No muggings or shootings. The view from the top was quite spectacular... and bloody cold. The winds were so strong, small children and elderly women were carried away on the breeze, never to be seen nor heard from again.
Tomorrow is the African Jack –Ass Penguins. Yes, I know it sounds like an oxymoron... but if God can invent beetles that push around spheres of poo, why not penguins that live in Africa. the African (Jackass) Penguins (Sphensicus demersus) are so called for the donkey-like braying sounds they make when on land.
there... you learn something new every day.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The Bends
Yep – I think we’ve got “The Bends”. Not in the CO2-poisoning sense of the word, but in the ‘decompression-sickness’ sense of the word. After all the stress prior to our trip (organizing, donations, packing, exams for Jenn ) and the stresses and strains of Swaziland (RFM hospital, communal living, the ever-present lingering smell of burning creosote, organizing and executing weekend trips away ), it has literally been 10 to 12 weeks of energy draining stress. Of course, no one realized at the time just how much strain one is under until the strain is lifted
- and then suddenly, it was all over –
tragically, it was not a gradual decompression, but a rapid one. Hence, the Bends.
The last few days at RFM hospital were both frustrating and liberating. Dr. Linda ( the Kiwi) did a few days in the ‘labour ward’. I wandered over labour one morning just to say hi and see what was going on. What was going on, you ask ? Women in deplorable ‘beds’ ( I use the term loosely) pretty much doing the deed by themselves. The ones having difficulty were given some assistance, and the midwives (who do 95% of the labour delivery assistance, as there are only 2 obstetrics physicians at RFM ) seemed to be hard at work with various ‘problem labours’. So there I was, minding my own business in a room full of totally exposed women with the knees pulled up against their chests and in various states of screaming or crying and pushing or staring at the ceiling waiting to be screaming or crying and pushing, when I saw a baby crown. And… um… I was the only one there. With her baby about to deliver… the only person the poor women had was…errr… me. In my loudest man-voice ( which, in a ward full of screaming women, really does stand out), I boomed “ Linda ! Help!!”. As said baby was making its grand entrance into the world, it was evident that the cord was wrapped around the neck multiple times. And so with Linda busy untangling the umbilical cord, I got to catch a baby. They are very slimy when they come out – not like on Grey’s Anatomy at all. Oh, and they’re slippery too… I guess it has something to do with exiting the uterus easier, but it sure does make holding them afterwards more challenging.
That day, there were 31 babies born ( no, I did not catch the other 30) – and the statistics for the day indicated that of that number, 20 of the mothers were HIV positive. However, due to changing regulations, it was mandatory that all pregnant women get tested to find out their status. This way, should they be positive, neviripine can be given to both mother and child to reduce the chance of transmission during birth.
Oh, and 2 days before we were to leave, I found out the pulse oximeter, graciously donated by Dr. Jason Waechter and St. Paul’s Hospital, worked !! We were not sure of its functionality prior to departure, and there was some concern with the voltage ( we are 110volts, Africa is 220volts ) and the amperage of the volts (??). this device is used to measure the pulse and the oxygen saturation of the blood – if the saturation falls, something is seriously wrong. So, a major trauma hospital in the heart of Swaziland now has a pulse oximeter ! They have one in the OR ( connected to the anesthesia machine), but that was it. Patients in the wards… nobody knew if they were getting enough oxygen. I’m not sure why it took 5 weeks to determine whether or not this thing worked, but hey… that’s Swaziland. Ironically, the same guy who came to try and fix our lack-of-hot-water problems was the same guy who got the pulse-ox up and running.
The same day we found out about the pulse-ox, I was in emerg when a young boy of about 3 was brought in with a wound to his scrotum and perineum. He had been attacked by an ox. The ox’s horn had torn his privates. Fortunately, there was power ( hence, lights available) in the OR, so I got to assist Dr. Koshy with …errr… putting him back together again. Had he come in the day prior, there was no power in emerg nor in OR – so I probably would have been holding the flashlight for Dr. Koshy. I’ve got a picture of the ER by candle light – it’s quite surreal.
Jo’Berg Airport: the only major international airport in the world with an “Enter At Your Own Risk” sign above the front door. I would have gotten a picture, but I was much too afraid to take my camera out. We made sure Andrea caught her flight to Tanzania, and hit the ground at 120km/hr. They say Johannesburg is very dangerous and crime-ridden and uncomfortable. But really, at 120km/hr, one really does not get the impression of a crime-laden city. I was not about to slow down to test my theory… we just wanted to get the hell outta’ there.
A mere 7 hours later behind the wheel, we arrived at the edge of the Drakensberg Mountains. The outlying ‘hills’ of the Drakensberg looked much like Ayers Rock in Australia. Large, isolated mounds of stone, with tops so flat and demarcated, it was as if God came along with a Samurai sword and cleaved off any sharp, pointy or irregular mountain top. The primary mountains of the Drakensberg were snow-topped wonders. Again, pictures will not do it justice, but wikipedia “Drakensberg” , and you’ll get the idea. The things with snow-topped mountains… they’re freakin’ Cold! I neither bargained for nor packed for freezing cold weather in Africa.
After 2 days of lack of sensation in my nose and fingers, Jenn and I packed up and headed for the coast. They say ‘all roads lead to Rome’. However, in South Africa, this isn’t exactly true. Due to a severe lack of road signage, we’re not sure where most of them lead. But we eventually found our latest accommodation, and I can see the Indian Ocean from our room and they have movies in town. We went to a film last night, and simply prayed to the Gods of Fate to help us find our B&B in the dark… perhaps next time we’ll end up in Rome!
We’re off to decompress some more. Hopefully Andrea and Ryan are not as affected as were were - but it's a hard transition back to civilization after 5 weeks in Swaziland.
- and then suddenly, it was all over –
tragically, it was not a gradual decompression, but a rapid one. Hence, the Bends.
The last few days at RFM hospital were both frustrating and liberating. Dr. Linda ( the Kiwi) did a few days in the ‘labour ward’. I wandered over labour one morning just to say hi and see what was going on. What was going on, you ask ? Women in deplorable ‘beds’ ( I use the term loosely) pretty much doing the deed by themselves. The ones having difficulty were given some assistance, and the midwives (who do 95% of the labour delivery assistance, as there are only 2 obstetrics physicians at RFM ) seemed to be hard at work with various ‘problem labours’. So there I was, minding my own business in a room full of totally exposed women with the knees pulled up against their chests and in various states of screaming or crying and pushing or staring at the ceiling waiting to be screaming or crying and pushing, when I saw a baby crown. And… um… I was the only one there. With her baby about to deliver… the only person the poor women had was…errr… me. In my loudest man-voice ( which, in a ward full of screaming women, really does stand out), I boomed “ Linda ! Help!!”. As said baby was making its grand entrance into the world, it was evident that the cord was wrapped around the neck multiple times. And so with Linda busy untangling the umbilical cord, I got to catch a baby. They are very slimy when they come out – not like on Grey’s Anatomy at all. Oh, and they’re slippery too… I guess it has something to do with exiting the uterus easier, but it sure does make holding them afterwards more challenging.
That day, there were 31 babies born ( no, I did not catch the other 30) – and the statistics for the day indicated that of that number, 20 of the mothers were HIV positive. However, due to changing regulations, it was mandatory that all pregnant women get tested to find out their status. This way, should they be positive, neviripine can be given to both mother and child to reduce the chance of transmission during birth.
Oh, and 2 days before we were to leave, I found out the pulse oximeter, graciously donated by Dr. Jason Waechter and St. Paul’s Hospital, worked !! We were not sure of its functionality prior to departure, and there was some concern with the voltage ( we are 110volts, Africa is 220volts ) and the amperage of the volts (??). this device is used to measure the pulse and the oxygen saturation of the blood – if the saturation falls, something is seriously wrong. So, a major trauma hospital in the heart of Swaziland now has a pulse oximeter ! They have one in the OR ( connected to the anesthesia machine), but that was it. Patients in the wards… nobody knew if they were getting enough oxygen. I’m not sure why it took 5 weeks to determine whether or not this thing worked, but hey… that’s Swaziland. Ironically, the same guy who came to try and fix our lack-of-hot-water problems was the same guy who got the pulse-ox up and running.
The same day we found out about the pulse-ox, I was in emerg when a young boy of about 3 was brought in with a wound to his scrotum and perineum. He had been attacked by an ox. The ox’s horn had torn his privates. Fortunately, there was power ( hence, lights available) in the OR, so I got to assist Dr. Koshy with …errr… putting him back together again. Had he come in the day prior, there was no power in emerg nor in OR – so I probably would have been holding the flashlight for Dr. Koshy. I’ve got a picture of the ER by candle light – it’s quite surreal.
Jo’Berg Airport: the only major international airport in the world with an “Enter At Your Own Risk” sign above the front door. I would have gotten a picture, but I was much too afraid to take my camera out. We made sure Andrea caught her flight to Tanzania, and hit the ground at 120km/hr. They say Johannesburg is very dangerous and crime-ridden and uncomfortable. But really, at 120km/hr, one really does not get the impression of a crime-laden city. I was not about to slow down to test my theory… we just wanted to get the hell outta’ there.
A mere 7 hours later behind the wheel, we arrived at the edge of the Drakensberg Mountains. The outlying ‘hills’ of the Drakensberg looked much like Ayers Rock in Australia. Large, isolated mounds of stone, with tops so flat and demarcated, it was as if God came along with a Samurai sword and cleaved off any sharp, pointy or irregular mountain top. The primary mountains of the Drakensberg were snow-topped wonders. Again, pictures will not do it justice, but wikipedia “Drakensberg” , and you’ll get the idea. The things with snow-topped mountains… they’re freakin’ Cold! I neither bargained for nor packed for freezing cold weather in Africa.
After 2 days of lack of sensation in my nose and fingers, Jenn and I packed up and headed for the coast. They say ‘all roads lead to Rome’. However, in South Africa, this isn’t exactly true. Due to a severe lack of road signage, we’re not sure where most of them lead. But we eventually found our latest accommodation, and I can see the Indian Ocean from our room and they have movies in town. We went to a film last night, and simply prayed to the Gods of Fate to help us find our B&B in the dark… perhaps next time we’ll end up in Rome!
We’re off to decompress some more. Hopefully Andrea and Ryan are not as affected as were were - but it's a hard transition back to civilization after 5 weeks in Swaziland.
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