Sensational South Luangwa

Sunday morning we packed our bags and headed to the airport for our next adventure, a safari in the South Luangwa. We headed to the airport and jumped on one of the teeny tiny Proflight prop planes and were on our way to Mfuwe. When we arrived, the first thing that I noticed was that this was the smallest airport I had seen in my life, and as we walked off of the tarmac I read, “Mfuwe International Airport.” How is this possibly an international airport? We were greeted by Shaddy, who would be our tour guide for the next 4 days, and were on our way to Kapani Lodge, a luxurious safari experience that is part of Norman Carr safaris. As we drove by the small villages we enjoyed the lush greenery and hot, sticky weather that seemed a stark contrast from the cooler, rainier weather in Lusaka that we had left.

Upon arriving at Kapani, we were greeted by some cold drinks and were escorted to our rooms, which were absolutely wonderful. We each enjoyed a spacious log cabin to our ourselves, complete with two comfy beds surrounded with a canopy of mosquito netting, several chairs and a couch for lounging, a stocked mini bar, snacks and a coffee maker, what a treat! Also, since we arrived during the middle of the rainy season and it is a less popular time to go on safari, we had the resort to ourselves. We immediately headed out for our first game drive in our uncovered Toyota Land Cruiser. (Although we would have liked to go on a walking safari, since it is the rainy season it is not safe because the bush is too thick. More on this later.)

As we entered the South Luangwa Park (and Ron serenading us with “oh weem oh wey oh weem oh wey… in the jungle the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight” which was one of the many songs that we sang, much to the dismay of our tour guide) and crossed the river we were greeted by several families of baboons who were jumping around the gate and it seemed, posing for our cameras. Many of their young had just been born, and the mothers protectively scooped up their young and carried them on their bellies as they scooted away. As soon as we entered, we began to notice the immense variety of wildlife. The South Luangwa, especially near the front gates, is full of elephants and hippos. We immediately saw elephants in the distance and Shaddy stopped the car so that we could take some photos. Over the course of the next few days, we saw so many elephants and hippos that we didn’t stop any more to look. “Oh just another elephant” we said. How quickly we adapted to our new environment, it seems surreal to think back on it now. We asked Shaddy about the locals who walk the streets and he said that it happens occasionally that the elephants or hippos will trample humans because they are startled. It amazed us that the locals would walk by nonchalantly with buckets of water on their heads or carrying a pile of firewood. Even the kids seemed unfazed, what a place to grow up!

That night at dinner, as I was reflecting upon our first game drive, I was amazed that we were able to see so many animals that I had only read about in books or seen in movies. I kept thinking that this seems like a cross between Jurassic Park and The Lion King. We were completely putting our lives in the hands of our (very capable) tour guide. As a matter of fact, Shaddy was able to answer our every question about eating habits of wildlife, identifying birds by their call, insects, reptiles, and the landscape. He was an amazing wealth of knowledge and we learned that becoming a guide is quite a grueling experience that takes several years of training and education. Apparently Shaddy has been doing this for 12 years and is one of the most seasoned guides.

One of the employees shared a story with us when Shaddy was leading a walking tour, Shaddy led the way while the rest of the group followed in a single-file fashion with the armed ‘scout’ following behind. Shaddy said, “stop” and the group stopped in place and stood there for a long 5 minutes. All of a sudden, they heard the jarring sound of jaws crushing bone. As the team began to walk again (trembling I’m sure), they turned the corner to see a pride of lions killing a hippo. Although we were not fortunate enough to see a kill, we were on the prowl to see a leopard (the only animal we weren’t lucky enough to find) and instead found an empala (cousin of the antelope) that it had killed, propped neatly on the branch of a tree for a snack later. The leopard itself seemed to be hiding, although I have to say that I was a bit relieved. The guys, on the other hand, probably would have walked into the bush themselves to get the picture. We were told that we were by no means allowed to get out of the vehicle (unless we were stopped in a clearing for a snack break). With all of the standing water around, it was possible to step on a crocodile (who camouflaged themselves quite well) or an offending snake. One night when we stopped to admire the sunset Ron ventured out and got a bit too close to a buffalo, who looked annoyed and for a moment we were not sure if he was going to charge towards us. Luckily, he walked away and seemed unconcerned. Ron likes to say that he scared away the buffalo, but we all know the truth.

On safari, the best times to see the animals is at sunrise and sunset, so we would be awoken every morning by the “night guards” at 5:30 and lathered up with DEET and sunscreen before heading out at 6am. Mid-morning we would stop to stretch our legs in a clearing and enjoy a snack and tea. We would be out until about 11am, and then return for brunch and an afternoon of relaxing and rest by the pool. We really lucked out with good weather (despite it being the rainy season) so we were able to lounge and enjoy the nice weather. At 3:30, they would bang the drums to announce mid-afternoon tea and snacks before we headed out at 4pm for our afternoon game drive. We would be out until about 8, at which point we would return for a delicious 3-course dinner and then retire early, when we would be escorted back to our rooms by the night guards. We were warned not to leave our rooms without the night guards, since animals frequented the grounds at night and sure enough, the first night an elephant wandered through the grounds. As I lay in bed the first night staring at my whirring ceiling fan and wondering how mosquitoes still made their way into my mosquito-netting covered bed, I stayed awake listening to the eerie sounds of the bush. Although I could not place the sounds, I learned the next morning that the loud sounds included hippos (they seemed to be the loudest), elephants, and hyenas (of which make the strangest sound, it sounds almost human). Neither Ron nor I slept well that first night, but eventually got used to the strange sounds and by the second night either we had adjusted or sheer exhaustion took over because we were able to sleep much better.

To us, the lions looked quite lazy. We were driving along the road the first evening and came across a pride of 7 female lions lounging in the middle of the road. They didn’t seem to be bothered by us, and yawned lazily as though bored. We thought, maybe the male lion is out hunting, he must be fierce. Apparently not (or not when he’s just eaten?), as we learned later when we came across the male lion asleep (he looked dead, but he opened one eye when he heard us approach, and then closed it again, what a life!). Later that day we saw him on the other side of the road in the shade, we were amazed that we were able to get so close (about 1 meter away!) and he was not fazed by us. As a matter of fact, most of the animals just stood there and were bored with us. The only exception was the elephant, who when we got too close (especially with the baby elephants around) they would flap their ears, roar, and look as though they were going to charge the car. The first time this happened, our group huddled together in fear, and then sighed in relief as the elephant quickly turned on its heel (or as quickly as a 3-ton giant can do) and trotted away in the other direction.

Among the many animals that we saw included puku, empala and bush backs (sp?) (all relatives of the antelope), elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, geckos, baboons, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, wild boars, wild dogs, and birds to numerous to mention. On our way to the airport yesterday we stopped at Tribal Textiles, which is a company that provides sustainable work for the locals. They hand make beautiful tapestries, pillow cases, napkins, placemates, table runners, and other various crafts. I was happy to purchase a few items and help to support the local Zambians.

As we boarded our flight (and left 45 minutes early, that for sure would not happen in the States!) I was happy to have enjoyed such an amazing journey. I have so many wonderful memories from Zambia and here is my top 5 list of things that I will miss:

5. “Zambian time” – always a relaxed atmosphere, no one is in a rush
4. Having our own “personal driver”
3. Being able to buy fresh produce or other souvenirs at discounted prices while at a stoplight. It gives a whole new meaning to “one stop shopping”
2. Warm weather
1. The kind & generous people that we have met

And here are the top 5 things that we have missed the most while living in Lusaka:

5. Sidewalks
4. Drinkable tap water
3. Showers without lizards crawling on our feet
2. High-speed internet
1. Our friends & family

Hope that everyone enjoyed hearing about our travels, we have really enjoyed keeping a blog and documenting our adventures. We'll send you all a link to our (many many) photos when we return to the States. Thank you!

Ronny G's final blog

So this is probably the last post till I get back to the US

So we just got back from Safari and just wanted to state some highlights:

Well I wanted to take a photo of this buffalo. He stood up as if he were about to attack, but I stood my ground! The big buffalo is no match for strong Ron!

Other highlights included the continuous noise every day by the hyenas and hippos that just continued to sing while I was trying to get some shut eye

We were lucky enough to be greeted every time we went on a game drive by a swiss girl, who always said “Wow, you saw lions”, “Wow”, “hello” blah blah blah. She annoyed me so much!
So then after a couple of days and a repetitious adventure jingles were going left right and centre. We got to see Pumba and Simba (from the lion king). Chris Rock from Madacscar, and other animals.

After a couple of days we got to meet another person in the lodge, that was a German lady, who for some reason decided that selling her car would be worthwhile in order to travel to South Luangwa for her 2nd time (I don’t this she has all of her marbles).
She was so fashionable, she had white/grey hair but at the front she wanted to dye her hair blue and wanted to match her eye brows with the same colour. Wow, what style, she is well ahead of the rest of the world. You never know, maybe one day this fashion will move to the US and even Australia.

Another interesting thing to see was this elephant, but this elephant was bigger than the others and I don’t mean in weight. This elephant had 5 legs!!!! Well the 5th leg was between his 2 back legs and I am sure he would make the other elephants in the jungle jealous. I also think that for some reason, he would be a lady elephant man, catching all the female elephants. What a stud!
What else, I was so upset that I could not run in the jungle. The guides were saying that it is too dangerous, but seriously, not running almost killed me.

My teammates made fun of me. You see being in the bush, I thought one should use the “facilities” of the bush. So, I went every so often to the real toilet, a tree or a plant. My pioneering led the guide to do the same. I think the team discovered what a small bladder I have. (I guess what is small is made up by a big……….hmmmm.. talking about the 5th legged elephant)

My regret was not to bring a football to kick, there was so much open spaces that it would have been fun to play, and if monkeys or elephants or zebras or even lions wanted to join us, I would not object (after all, they are bigger than me)

So, we were treated like kings here. Because we are Mazungos (white people), many assumed us to be rich. And looking at the villages in Mfuwe (near South Luangwa) and Lusaka, it breaks my heart to see how they live, knowing that I have it better. I hope that eventually Zambia will become a more sustainable country with people living more Western lives. Overall, the people here are very friendly and want a snack to eat. Many are very laid back, which means things don’t always run on time, and things occur later.

Overall, the clinics, the falls, the safari/jungle, the villages have been an eye opening experience. Africa has been a great experience. While Lusaka is not the most happening place in the world, Zambia is fascinating and I am glad my team and I decided to undertake this journey. Anyway, the team was great, the project was a success and now it is time to Diedre (to go in Nyanja).
Now I am leaving the heat after being away from the cold for 6 weeks, and while I am looking forward to fast internet, drinkable tap water etc, I am dreading the Boston cold.
I will always remember this African experience!

Welcome to the Jungle!

Last Sunday, still sad because Beth had left us, we started the trip that we were waiting since we got here: The safari!! The place: South Luangwa National Park, a 9,000 km2 park located in the eastern region of the country, near the border to Mozambique, and with the Luangwa river (subsidiary of the “Mighty Zambezi”) as the water source giving life to an incredible variety of fauna and flora.

Many people recommend visiting the park during the dry season, specially because the animals are easily spotted in those areas where there is some water remaining, so one can find hundreds on each herd. The rainy season (no doubt for us that we are in the rainy season) brings dense bushes and water everywhere, so it is more difficult to find the animals. Fortunately, the rain took a break during our visit to the park, and we had a gorgeous weather, with some clouds but with very little rain, that allowed us to enjoy some sun and a wonderful starry night that I hadn’t seen for many years.

Our trip began with the news that our flight in gold class (no idea what that means) will take only an hour rather the 2 hours that our reservation stated. The reason, the flight leaving Lusaka can be either to Mfuwe via Chipata or to Chipata via Mfuwe, depending on who knows whom makes the last minute decision. Fortunately, our host has a vast experience in this unpredictable schedule and was ready to pick us up at the Mfuwe International Airport (really impressive that this tiny airport can hold international flights!!).

The trip from the airport to the lodge was quite of an experience. This 30 km approximately route has a really busy transit, not from cars but from bicycles and pedestrians that move from one village to another for many different reasons, but the most important is to get some water that can’t get from the nearby rivers as they are infested with crocodiles. (Will try to upload some pictures if our connectivity allows us).

Once we arrived to the Kapani lodge, our home for three days, we rapidly threw our light packing in our rooms and with no rest we headed to our first encounter with the wildlife. Obviously we were so excited that every animal we saw received the full attention of our cameras, no matter how bad our photos were. Elephants, hippos and baboons were the first (and most common) targets of our trip. By the second day we were so used to their presence even bother to stop and look at them.

After a break in an open space where we waited for a sunset accompanied by some Mosi (the local beer) we started the search of the nightlife in the wild. Apparently the park turns into a very active place during the night, especially because predators come into scene to get some food. Unfortunately, the only animals that we were able to see were the other visitors of the park unsuccessfully trying to catch with a small array of light what is going on behind the dense bushes in the immensity of the jungle.

Once we got back to the camp we quickly learned a local and centenary tradition in the region: the sound of the drums announces that the food is ready. One note regarding the drums: The person playing them didn’t seem to be very enthusiastic in his job, producing just a vague, uncoordinated sound, that makes me think that if the local people depended on someone like him to know when the food was ready, they definitely would starved to death!

The night came with the advice of not leaving the room because wild animals usually walk around the camp at night time. What we first thought as an exaggeration was confirmed the following morning when the Shady (our guide) showed us the footsteps of an elephant that has passed by the front of my room. The night was accompanied by a variety of sounds (a weird band formed by hippos, hyenas, baboons, and others) that prevented some of us (not me particularly) from having a deep sleep, so after our doors were knocked at 5.30 am, Ron and Heather showed up with clear signs of being sleep deprived.

By our second day we realized that every trip will be more of the same: Lots of elephants, hippos resting in the water, baboons waiting for us in the park entrance, impalas everywhere and some new animals. Little by little the we were checking all the boxes with giraffes, buffalos, hyenas, wild dogs, lions (very cute cat when it is quietly resting by the side of the road, but I ask myself if it wasn’t drugged and placed in that strategic location so that everyone would be able to watch him, something that definitely would suspect if the park were located in the US!!). The only animal that we couldn’t cross from our list was the leopard, although we were able to see one of its prays, an impala killed a couple of hours ago that was hanging in a tree.


Another curious experience was our way back from the park to our lodge. The road, with many animals around, brought us a group of approximately 15 women carrying over her heads piles of wood that were twice their height. We crossed along with these women every noon and they didn’t seem to be scared at all from the elephants grazing a couple meters from them. Shady told us that time to time elephants attack people, specially bikers that get scared and from some reason the wheels make the elephants crazy and they start stepping over everything that moves. Another reason for not going running in the area!

The rest of the trip continued with the same rhythm, a little bit monotonous I would say. In our last night we had the opportunity to see the sunset over the Luangwa River (not a 100% clear sky, but fair enough). Our trip back to the airport brought us again the image of the people coming and going along the road. A little stop in a shop for local fabrics, everything has its price marked, so no bargaining this time ☹.

When we got to the airport we learnt why they recommend you to arrive there an hour in advance. It is neither because going through “security” will take you a lot nor because there will many people for checking (although checking in six people in our outbound flight took more than 25 minutes). Once we got our boarding card (not a printed boarding pass but just a card that we had to return 2 meters away from where we received it) we found out that our flight was leaving 45 minutes EARLIER than what was expected. Zambia keeps surprising us everyday!!

Team Awesome, Minus 1

It was a sad morning – as we waved goodbye to Beth we realized that our African adventure is soon coming to an end. Beth is heading up to Nairobi today to start her Kenyan biking adventure, while Ron, Fernando and I are heading to South Luangwa tomorrow for our safari. I was reading on-line yesterday that there are 50 hippos in every square kilometer of the Luangwa River, and since it is the rainy season this is the best time of the year to bird-watch. We promise to blog when we return, and hopefully upload a picture or two. The modem-only internet here is quite temperamental, which means downloading or uploading photos takes several hours, and uploading video is completely impossible. We promise to upload our photos when we return to the States, collectively we have accumulated quite a collection of them.

After seeing Beth off this morning, I dragged the boys to Kabwata Cultural Center to pick up souvenirs. The cultural center is set in a dirt field, with thatched roof huts housing wares that include teakwood tongs, marble sculptures, handmade bags and purses, earrings, and many other handicrafts. We were greeted by shouts of “madame, please come here… I give you good deal… First customer of the day.” We were quickly swarmed by all of the locals selling their wares and eager to “make us good deal.” I had plenty of practice negotiating as I picked up some souvenirs for friends and a few trinkets for myself. As I walked into the “womens’ tent” my heart went out to this group of women who had such an amazing assortment of ornate crafts and who encircled me to tell me what I should buy. I would have bought twice as much, if only I had enough room in my bag…

So now we’re back at home, enjoying the sun (finally, it hasn’t rained yet today!) and hoping for good weather on safari. Check back on Wednesday for our next update!

A Bittersweet Final Day

As we are reaching the end of our project, we decided to bid farewell to our client by taking them to dinner on Thursday. They recommended a German restaurant called Garret’s, which they promised was the best dining in Lusaka. When we got there, we were not disappointed with the selection of foods that they offered from traditional German fare of schnitzel to a few curries and various other options. We started with some bread and hummus (quite tasty, something we were all craving, and T promised us that they occasionally have it at Shop Rite but we have scoured high and low and have yet to see it). We enjoyed a relaxing dinner and then we proceeded to make the mistake of ordering dessert. Some advice to anyone traveling in Lusaka: DO NOT ORDER TIRAMISU. The tiramisu tasted like they either used spoiled cream, or sour cream. We think that they could use some advice from our Italian friends. But all in all, still a delicious meal and a great way to end the week!

So quickly Friday has arrived, we are amazed that it is already the end of our project! During lunch today we took a walk to one of the local villages where people turned to stop and stare, as Ron and were on the prowl for some tasty produce. A woman came up to us and shook our hands and said “I’m hungry, I’m hungry, please I want some rape” (which is a local green leafy vegetable, looks like kale, although we haven’t tried it yet) and it was selling for only 500K ($.10) so Ron gave her the money to which she graciously accepted and thanked us profusely. We continued our walk, walked by a school where we saw the kids dressed smartly in their green and yellow uniforms. There were a group of older girls walking behind us who kept saying “mzungu” and laughing, until we turned around and smiled and waved, to which they giggled even louder. As we returned back to the office (our conference room) I realized that this is the last time that we would smell roasting corn wafting from the kitchen around lunchtime or purchase our beloved mangoes and bananas from the lady at the stand down the street.

Our final presentation was received by a room full of nods and smiles. We’re hoping that we met their expectations; we definitely enjoyed the past 3 weeks and have learned so much about healthcare in Africa and the challenges with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At dinner on Thursday, our client said that when the health clinic nearby first opened its doors a few years ago, people were being brought in wheelbarrows because they were too sick to walk. Today, the patients walk in and receive their medications; it is amazing what a difference the local organizations have made to the lives of the Zambian people. This whole experience has been eye-opening and we are grateful to have met such generous, kind people who have welcomed us to their country.

Lusaka in Pictures

Heather and Fernando outside of our house, #28 of no-name road in Lusaka.

A Team on a Mission

Last night, we were in search of the best pizza place in town. Since the inauguration coverage started at 7pm here, we initially decided that we would order our $5 pizza special from Debonair’s and enjoy watching from our living room couch, but read online that Debonair’s pizza is quite disappointing. Therefore, we decided to grab a quick dinner out (still had our hearts set on pizza though) and then head home to watch the coverage on tv. Since we were also running out of water at home and desperately needed a wine bottle opener (ok, some of us were more desperate than others, and tried to open the wine bottle with various dull knives in the house, but don’t worry, there were no injuries as a result), we decided to head to Arcades where we could stop by Spar, one of the large South African chain grocery stores in Lusaka. On our way there, our cab driver started talking about Obama and was asking us what we thought about him. It has been amazing to see how in Zambia (and we hear most of Africa) the citizens are so proud to see an African-American president of the US.

At Arcades, we had several dinner choices, including Rhapsody’s (where we have become frequent guests), The Ocean Basket (which Ron nixed, he’s not a seafood fan), Arabian Nights (a bit pricey) and the infamous Subway. We finally settled on an inexpensive Italian restaurant since they served a wide variety of pizzas. We ordered dinner and a basket of bread (for Ron, our anti-Atkins teammate). The server took our orders, and we were leisurely enjoying our glasses of wine and good conversation. (We have learned here that most everything runs on “Zambian time.” This means that a 9am meeting might start at 9:03, 9:33, or 11:33. There’s not much of a rush for anything, and the same goes for dinner.) So after “a while” our server returned and said, “We have a problem with the basket of bread. We do not have any bread” which caused us to immediately burst out laughing, for several reasons. #1: There is a grocery store at the other end of the strip mall, where I’m sure that they have ingredients such as flour and yeast. #2: Isn’t bread made out of the same ingredients as pizza dough? #3: We were the only people at the restaurant. Anyways, we finally received our pizzas (and Ron received his spaghetti Bolognese, in line with his anti-Atkins diet) and everything was quite delicious.

In other news, the rainy season is officially in full swing. It has literally rained here for the past 5 days. Now I know that all of you surviving the -50,000 degree temperatures and 12 feet of snow are thinking, “we have no pity, it is freakin’ cold here and we have been shoveling for the past 3 weeks” well, I don’t blame you for hating us. But you must also keep in mind that there are no “sidewalks” here, and so the ground becomes a muddy mess everywhere we go. I am amazed that people make it to work without ruining their suits. When we first arrived we were wondering why the locals carry umbrellas everywhere they go, and now we totally understand. We’re just hoping that it clears up before we leave for safari this weekend!

We have a car wash right outside of our workplace:

Here's the fruit stand that we stop by each day during our lunch break:

Just another weekend in Lusaka...

It’s amazing how quickly you adapt to your environment when you stay in a new place for awhile. For instance, it now seems normal that whenever I turn on the sink, I hear the water gushing outside. Or the lizards that live in our house (they eat the bugs, so we leave them alone). Or that our “automatic washing machine” has two compartments and is not automatic at all. Or that we can get anywhere in Lusaka by taxi for less than $5. Or, that food here is outrageously cheap. When we go to ShopRite, we are now appalled to find chicken that costs more than $3 a kilo, or mangoes for more than $.25 each. Or that no one here ever has change for a 50K bill. If you purchase something from a vendor, they will often disappear to “ask a friend” for change because they never have any. We have no idea what has happened to the 20K, 10K, 5K and 1K bills but we think that they might be in some kind of shortage. It's a mystery to us.

We are also used to the fact that showing certain parts of the body is completely inappropriate. It is a little surprising though which parts are allowed: Cleavage, for instance: Totally acceptable. Thigh, or any leg above the knee: Completely inappropriate. This might be why when Beth and I are running outside (don’t worry Mom, we always bring the boys with us) people sort of stare. Someone today actually turned all the way around to stare as I ran by. Ron told me to take it as a compliment. I figure, at least it makes me run faster.

Today, we went to Arcades to check out the Sunday market, and Beth purchased some very nice handmade bags. Then we headed to Kibwata Cultural Center, which also has a crafts and produce market, but it was quite deserted by mid-afternoon, and it was pouring outside and the grounds had turned to mud, so we headed home (Welcome to Zambia in the rainy season). Finally, we decided to walk around Lusaka and take some pictures before dinner. This almost got us into big trouble (long story, more on that later, apparently photographing monuments is not allowed according to the Zambian Police) But all ended up well, and we are home safely ready for our final week at work. I can’t believe that the weekend is already over!

Halfway Done Already?

Yesterday we had a successful interim presentation with our client to provide them with our progress thus far. Anjali (our professor) also visited us for the day and sat in on a couple of meetings with us. Last night we went to Muskaan’s, a yummy Indian (& Chinese) restaurant down the road. I enjoyed some delicious aloo paneer and we all enjoyed some relaxation and good conversation.

After dinner, we popped in Madagascar 2 to watch our movie in Russian with English subtitles, only to find out that it must have been translated about 12 times because the subtitles said things like, “and she he flew into million car baby” which made the movie very difficult to watch. The movie quality was also not quite up to Disney standards, so we’re thinking that the 20,000kwacha that Ron paid is actually not such a good deal after all.

Anjali mentioned that while she was in the cab yesterday she saw someone cross the street and get hit by a car. As awful as that is, it apparently becomes a big scene here. The driver stopped and carried the woman into his car, but then all of the bystanders began to argue about which hospital they should take her to. After a “very long time” (according to Anjali) many of the bystanders proceeded to all climb into the car with this poor injured woman to escort her to the clinic, which was quite a scene since they were all smooshed in the car. Anjali was quite shocked and disturbed by this series of events and made us all promise that we would be careful when we crossed the roads here. I usually try to stay close to Ron, since they drive on the left-hand side of the road here I’m always looking the wrong way when I’m trying to cross. And we all know how clumsy I can be.

Last night we had the worst lightning storm that I’ve ever seen in my life. Even with my eyes closed, I could see flashes of light from outside my window. Every few seconds thunder was booming overhead. A few times, I was certain that our house was going to be struck by lightning or water was going to come pouring through the ceiling. After several hours of this horrible storm and staring at the ceiling, the rain subsided and all I could hear for the next 4 hours was a dog barking next door. Oh, and that d*^# rooster that crows at all hours of the day. I thought that roosters were only supposed to crow in the morning? Well this one is either blind or stupid because we can hear the stupid thing ALL OF THE TIME.

Today we are back at the office, collecting some more data and building the extensive database. We are very thankful to have a spacious (air-conditioned!) conference room. One of our favorite excursions is to venture out to the local market so that Ron can get his beloved Coke Light and we can check out the mini-mart. I didn’t believe him at first, but he’s right, the Coke here just tastes better. I think it has something to do with using real sugar instead of corn syrup, but whatever it is, it’s quite tasty. Then we usually stop by the roadside stand to purchase some mangos and bananas and maybe top up our mobile phones. Apparently we have a mango tree at home but our guard and gardener usually eat all of the mangoes before we get a chance to enjoy them. It’s ok though, the mangoes here are so cheap, only about $.25 each!

In other news, I just want to give a shout out to my other Sloanie ladies Anju and Grete! Beth and I want to say that we (only hate you a little bit because you are getting custom made boots in Cambodia for less than $60) but we really miss you and can’t wait to see you back in Boston in a few short weeks!

Satellite TV, and TMI about Ron

So our team is busy at work with our project. We have promised that we will compile a presentation for tomorrow morning which has involved a significant amount of data collection, analysis, and synthesis into a cohesive message. We have learned so much over the past week and are excited to hear how H will react to our suggestions. We also met Anjali for lunch today and had some good discussions. We are hoping to incorporate some of her suggestions into our analysis and next steps.

On another note: It’s very hot out there. We just got home and it’s probably only 80 degrees outside but it’s like 1000% humidity. I just thought I would mention this considering I see the weather in Boston is like -2,573 degrees or something equally ridiculously cold.

In other news: Ron knows a lot of jingles. We’ll be at the grocery store, and he’ll see some food like Milo (sort of like powdered chocolate milk) and he will start singing the jingle out loud (which is probably 15 years old, and everyone will be staring at us, not only because we are the only white people in a 50 mile radius, but because they must think we are crazy). His knowledge of pop culture and music is also outdated by about 15 years. Beth and I have been trying to give him some lessons, but he still thinks that Beyonce is in Destiny’s Child and Christina Applegate is in Married With Children. Watching the Golden Globe Awards last night Beth and I were trying to educate him. It was a lost cause.

One of these nights we’re planning on getting pizza delivery from Debonair’s, which is supposed to be the best pizza place in town (and quite possibly the only one). I think it’s like $5 for a pizza (including delivery) so we’ll let you know how it is. Ron and Fernando have decided that they want to try boerewors, (a South African beef sausage) which Beth and I have decided will be the same night that we will be trying the Indian restaurant down the road. Of course, Ron is not yet ready for Indian food, considering his stomach situation. We’re not sure if it was the mysterious chicken concoction at the African restaurant in Livingstone or all of the Zambezi River water that he drank, but we have all heard way too much about his bodily functions and finally convinced him tonight to start taking some medicine so he will be back to normal again.

So last night we stopped by our local market, and while Beth, Fernando and I were bargaining with the locals to buy some bananas and apples (ok, not so much haggling, we always just pay full price) Ron decided that he wanted to see Madagascar 2. Interestingly enough there are these street vendors with, I’m sure, completely legal versions of many popular movies. So Ron came back, all smiles, saying that he had gotten a bargain, paying only 20,000 kwacha ($4 USD) for an array of 40 movies. The rest of us looked at each other, completely skeptical but decided to take a chance on it anyways. So we got home, and as I made dinner they popped in the DVD to find that most of the movies had both Russian, Japanese and English versions. Of course, Madagascar 2 was THE ONLY ONE that did not have an English option. Actually, to be fair, it has a Russian version with English subtitles and that’s on our agenda to watch tonight. Satellite tv is great and all, but there’s only so much Cashmere Mafia that the guys will put up with.

Loving Livingstone

So we just arrived back to Lusaka after our weekend adventure in Livingstone. We flew in on Friday on Proflight, a local airline carrier. Initially we were planning on flying Zambian Airways but our travel agent recommended that we not travel with them because they have been cancelling a lot of flights lately. Proflight was on time and convenient (and even served snacks on a 1 hr flight!) even if it was like flying on a large, loud, hot bus. It was also better than the bus, which apparently is a 7-hour ride on bumpy, potholed roads. So we arrived in town and checked into our bed and breakfast, called Zigzag. Not bad, the rooms were clean enough and it had a comfortable common area (with wi-fi, which we wish we would have known, since none of us brought laptops).

We immediately headed to Victoria Falls, and it was quite a sight to see. We started out by walking down the steep trail to the “Boiling Point,” where you can get a glimpse of the Falls to the right, and straight ahead can see the bridge to Zimbabwe. It is only open for part of the year, because in a few weeks, the water will be too high and it will be entirely flooded. Interestingly enough, the Falls only a month and a half ago were a mere trickle, since it was only the beginning of the rainy season, so we’re glad that we were able to enjoy them at the right time of the year!After a “hike” through the woods (Note: You should definitely bring more than flip flops. Ron and I were having some difficulty maneuvering the slippery rocks and at one point Ron almost lost a flip flop), we reached the bottom and observed the beautiful serenity of the landscape. Along the way, we also noticed a huge iguana (that was about 3 feet long) and several ginormous wild baboons (they had to be 80 pounds) who seemed to mind their own business and we stayed to our own side of the path. One of the Americans we met mentioned that he also saw a Mambo, which is one of the deadliest snakes in the world, but luckily we did not see any of those.

After a few minutes of repose, we headed back up to the cliff walk, which takes you in front of the falls to enjoy some breathtaking views. We didn’t even mind that we were getting sprayed with the water from the falls, since it was quite hot outside! We took many photos of the sights, and promise to upload them when we get back to the States. (By the way, I know that many of you are wondering why we haven’t uploaded any pics yet – the internet connection here is as slow as molasses, and we can barely send e-mails, let alone view or upload pics).

After our excursion, we enjoyed a lovely Zambian meal at a local restaurant, which included roasted chicken, pumpkin leaves with pine nuts, and the local staple, nshima, and then headed back to Zigzag. Upon returning, I attempted to lock my door, and as I turned the key in the lock, the key broke off into the lock. After freaking out, I called Beth and had to share a room with her (luckily, her single room had 3 beds, so this was quite convenient). The next day they somehow managed to jury-rig a locking system (apparently the local hardware stores are missing some key tools) and the new lock includes a “pirate key” as Beth calls it. No such thing as a sophisticated security system!

We decided that as part of our time in Livingstone, we wanted to go white water rafting on the “mighty Zambezi” river, so we woke up early on Saturday and ventured out with one of the local touring companies. After getting our safety briefing we climbed down the path to the river, directly south of the Boiling Point. We formed our team, which included our foursome and in addition Tim, from Holland, and Sophie from London. (Ironically, Boyd kept saying, “let’s go teeeem” which sounded much like “let’s go Tim” so for the first hour or so we thought he was talking only to Tim.) We started at Rapid 8, with our guide Boyd who seemed mildly psychotic but seemed to know what he was doing. Of course, we started to second-guess his abilities when we flipped on the first rapid. Several of us got stuck under the boat and I began to completely panic. After the initial shock wore off and my wobbly legs carried me from the boat to shore on the Zimbabwe side of the river, we walked past rapid 9. Boyd explained that this was a class 6 rapid, and that it was “not good for business” (not sure if that’s because he’s lost clients in the rapid, or what…) Anyways, we proceeded to rapid 10 (which had parts A-D, with D having the name of Suicide Slope or something awful like that) and proceeded to immediately flip over on part A. We have a great photo that was taken of Ron, Sophie and I dangling from the boat as it flipped over us. Poor Beth and Fernando were swept down the river and proceeded to bob their way down the other 3 rapids and finally were delivered into one of the rescue boats. (Above pictured, from left to right, are Sophie, Heather, Ron, all holding on for dear life) After that rapid, Boyd took pity on the ladies on our boat (Sophie, Beth and I were giving the guys nasty looks, and were adamant that we didn’t want to flip again) and promised that we would not flip over again. Somehow, we still spent most of the time in the Zambezi River (which Sophie assured us does not have cholera, and we are all hoping that’s true considering how much water we inhaled when we flipped over). After we made our way to dry ground, care of the cable ride back up the mountain (which allowed our hearts to beat normally again) we all decided to rest for awhile in our rooms.

Before dinner, we noticed how each of us had gotten quite sunburned, largely due to the fact that Beth was trying to look out for us by carrying the sunscreen in her lifejacket. At Rapid 10 she lost the sunscreen, actually she said that it was either the sunscreen or her paddle and she now regrets having chosen the paddle. All of us received burns on our arms and legs, except for Ron, who claims that he is “nearly brown” although when the locals hear this they laugh hysterically and say that he is still “m’zungu” just like the rest of us, which means “white people” in their native Nyanja language.

Last night we headed to a South African restaurant chain with locations in Zambia, South Africa and Ghana. I am pleased to say that we enjoyed some delicious food (we agreed the best that we’ve had since we’ve arrived!)

So now we’re back in Lusaka, mostly unscathed (aside from a few upset stomachs, not sure if that’s from the Zambezi River or from some mysterious food) and thoroughly exhausted from our adventures. We are back to work tomorrow, and will post more later in the week.
Other things that we’ve learned here in Lusaka:
The phone plans are all pay-as-you-go. The main carriers are MTN and Zain (Zain being more prevalent in this area). There are Zain “top ups” everywhere, which means that you can add minutes to your phone by purchasing a card and programming the number into your mobile. It is quite hilarious, because these “top up” stations are everywhere, including yesterday as we were in our rickety bus travelling back from the falls and all we saw was thatched roof huts, and yet there were still Zain top up stations around.

A Sobering Experience

Yesterday we had the opportunity to travel through some of the health clinics around Lusaka and it was quite a sobering experience. Beth and I went together in one truck, and were speechless with what we saw: The clinics were sparse and yet the staff welcomed us with open arms. At several of the clinics, patients were waiting outside or in the hallways, and they had been waiting all day to see a doctor for testing or their medicines. Oftentimes these clinics are 50km from their houses. Because it’s now rainy season, many of the villages were flooded and people were walking through the muddy streets with suitcases on their heads, attempting to escape from their homes. The dirt roads had “puddles” that were 3’ deep and there were several times that I wondered how we were ever going to get back if the truck got stuck in the mud.

Many of the compounds were so densely populated, and it was uncommon to see anyone over the age of 40. In Zambia the average life expectancy is less than 40 years, mainly due to the high incidence of HIV. Despite the occurrence of HIV in much of the population, there is still such a stigma with the disease here and one of the nurses explained to us that people are still dying at home because they (or their families) are too ashamed to go to the clinics to get the life-saving medicines. Many people miss appointments at the clinics because of funerals for loved ones. At one clinic, we met a kind doctor who said, “When are you returning? Then you can help us by working here.”

As we climbed a hill to get to one of the clinics Beth asked what the tents in the fields were for. Our driver explained that they are for the quarantined people who have cholera. And yet, the children were running in the streets, playing in the muddy water and oblivious of the hardships they face. I arrived home last night, overwhelmed by what I had seen, and yet hopeful knowing the spirit of the local people and the tenacity of the local organizations to improve life for the Zambian people.

Ronny G's 2nd blog

So, 1st day on the job and it was an eye opener I guess.

As I reached the lab, 1st thing I saw were patients waiting for testing or treatment.

Apparently, some come at 5am in the morning and wait all day. However, our client ensures us that many used to be even unable to walk to the lab (had to be carried), now things have improved.

We had a tour of the route of one of the couriers, and we spoke to the driver about drinking and pubs. He said Zambians like a drink (probably not much unlike Aussies I guess).

Most of the clinics we visited seemed ok and interesting, however, there was one that he called a “ghetto”. It was extremely poor, and was outside this market. I wanted to buy something there to contribute to the economy but did not.

The nicest clinic was funded by the Danish government in kalingalinga.

Other than the day, today, it bucketed down. As there is no pavement or footpaths, I had to run on sliding mud. To my surprise there were a lot of runners but they ran on the road, (I did not have the guts). My fellow team members wanted to run 2, but instead they slept, while I got drenched in the rain.

Last night I also discovered that I have aircon in my room. This discovery amazed me because the night before I woke up as I was too hot. It also works really well.

I have not taken many photos, but so far this trip has been amazing, keep u posted,

Ron

4 for 4: A Complete Team!

We are happy to say that our team is finally complete! Fernando arrived tonight from Johannesburg and we were surprised to see that even his bag arrived! We all voyaged with our client H back to the airport to pick him up and were excited to share all of our stories with him. The first was a quite comical episode from last night:

At around 2am, Beth walked into my room (we have adjoining rooms) because she heard some noises (which was me, since I had a bit of jetlag and was up, but she also mentioned she heard something drop, and that was definitely not me). About 10 minutes later, I saw a light go on in the hallway, and about 10 seconds later it went off. I immediately ran into Beth’s room, only to scare the daylights out of her. When she realized it was me, I asked her if she saw the light, and when she said no, I said, “I think someone is in the house.” For a few moments we contemplated how we could get out of the house, or at least lock our doors, and then we decided we needed to find out if Ron was the culprit. (Meanwhile, you must realize that our house is about as secure as Fort Knox. We have a guard, a concrete wall around the house, and electrified barbed wire. AND the doors all have double locks) So instead of venturing into the oh-so-scary hallway we decided to call Ron (who was across the hall) only to find out that he had turned on the light in his room, and all was secure in the house still. Of course H heard the whole story and I’m sure that he thinks Beth and I are complete basket cases now.

So far, I have learned many things about my teammates, spending lots of quality time with them. First, I have learned that we have very different eating habits. Beth prefers low-carb and lots of veggies, Ron prefers anything meat and high carbs, and I would prefer vegetarian. Nonetheless, we have managed to enjoy some delicious meals both at home and at some restaurants. Today we enjoyed some shawarma at Manda Hill, another strip mall which apparently has a much better Shop-Rite (yeah for fresh produce) and a store called “Game” which is basically equivalent to Wal-Mart. We also saw Woolworth’s and “Blockbusters” (yes, that is spelled correctly) along with some nice bakeries and bookstores. After we finished lunch we found a Subway that has the exact same food as the States but you can get a sandwich for less than $2. With the exchange rate of 5000 kwacha = $1 USD, most of our excursions are quite a good deal.

Ron has also befriended a friendly taxi driver, who has agreed to be our personal driver (well, sort of...) while we are here. This is especially convenient since he knows where we live. You might think that this is a minor issue, but let me explain further: We don’t have an address. I know that we live on #28 of no-name road, somewhere near Los Angeles Avenue and it’s located in Lusaka on some dirt road. It is very interesting to call a cab (actually, not too hard, since we’re right near a hospital, so that’s a good landmark, which reminds me that they’re having a party outside right now and there’s some really loud music, have you ever heard of a party at a hospital, it’s quite random).

So back to my story: Interestingly enough, when we asked the cab driver what else we should see in Lusaka, he looked at us quizzically, and said, “Lusaka? Um, I don’t know…” But he was quick to point out the gravesite of the former Zambian president. Apparently he doesn’t think that there’s too much to see here, but we beg to differ!

Other things that we have learned: The fruit here is ok to eat. Beth and I nominated Ron as our test case, and he seemed normal (or as normal as Ron gets). After he purchased some apples and peaches at the store, Beth and I convinced him to eat a peach and decided to observe him for the next 24 hours. Since he did not appear to have any negative effects, we have been enjoying some of the local fruits. We have a guava tree and a mango tree out back so we’re hoping to enjoy it! Also, we have learned that insect repellant comes with varying levels of DEET, such as mild, moderate, and toxic-grade. I chose the latter since, well it’s Africa and I’d prefer not to arrive home with malaria. We also have mosquito netting in our rooms but I realized that I can’t turn on my fan while the mosquito netting is around my bed, and I’d rather get some sleep than suffer the excessive heat and humidity.

We are also happy to report that our Professor, Anjali, will come and visit us next week in Lusaka. We’re hoping to have completed some of our data analysis and provide an interim analysis to our client by the middle of next week, which will be very exciting.

Ronny G's blog post - Day One

So I am in Zambia, and I don’t normally write blogs.

I have been placed in a big house with a swimming pool.

I have a guard and a gardener, and apparently a house keeper but I have yet to meet her.
I keep on feeding the guard and the gardener, as I feel bad. Today was the first time the guard called me by Ron rather than Sir. I don’t like being called Sir, Ron is really fine.
I went for a walk today, everyone is so friendly.

Here is like a small Thailand, where people sell illegal merchandise.
The streets here are far more under developed.
While it is green and it buckets down due to the rainy season, the paths get so muddy. My new shorts got so dirty, I tried to wash them, but as I did not buy stain remover, there are still stains.

Two things amazed me: Whites do not walk, they only use taxis. I prefer to walk though. The second thing struck me on my way back home from a small shopping centre on the corner of Los Angeles and Haile Selassie. This one guy was riding his bike, he stopped. He asked me if I needed a guard or a gardener. I really wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t. CIDRZ is paying for my living and I really wish I could have given him a job. I feel like as a white, people see me as their superior. I feel like I am in apartide where there is a difference of white and black, and the way people should be treated. Just because the colour of my skin I am treated differently to many.

I hope to provide some of my dinner and daily food to the guard, gardener and house keeper, and hope that my team will agree.

I actually like this place. Food is similar to British food that is found in Australia, such as Milo and Wheat Bix. It amazes me how friendly people are.

Landing in Lusaka: 3 for 4

Well, it is Day 2 of our Zambian adventure, and 3 out of 4 of our team members have arrived. We are still awaiting Fernando, who will be arriving on Monday evening.

My travels were fairly mundane, except for a few funny/exciting stories: First, the NWA ticket agent must have taken pity on me because she decided to upgrade me to business class. I have three words for you to describe business class: Flat Reclining Seats. That, along with the amazing food and extra attention. It was quite a rude awakening to return to economy class with my knees in my mouth for the long flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi. And then when I switched to Kenya Airways in Nairobi (by the way, Kenya Airways has the politest flight attendants I have ever met) Anyways, before we took off, the flight attendant said, “and per regulations we are required to spray the interior of the plane with insecticides. If you cannot breathe, just cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief and the spray will dissipate. This is not harmful to your health.” (Which Ron has affirmed, he said they used to do this in Australia years ago). They did, however, serve a hot meal on a short 2 hour flight. Score 1 for Kenya Airways!

Upon arrival at about midnight, I was greeted by our client H and my teammate Ron at the airport. After a short car ride we arrived at our new home for the next month. By G-Lab standards (we were warned that many locations that there would be no running water) this is luxury. We each have our own bedroom, there are 3 bathrooms, a common room with satellite tv, a full kitchen with two stoves, and a pool out back. Not to mention the 2 guards, a housekeeper & gardener. We are so thankful to our client for providing us such great amenities!

Saturday morning, Ron and I ventured to the local “strip mall” where I took out cash from Standard ATM (there is still a very British influence in Zambia, this was right next to the Barclay’s ATM) and ventured into the small market. When we returned at noon we woke up Beth (she had arrived early in the morning, and was a bit jetlagged) we took a cab downtown to find lunch. After stumbling across many fast food locales, we decided to take the “safe route” and eat at the upscale Protea Hotel, which still was less than $10 per person for a filling, hearty lunch of nshima (a local dish made of rice, tastes a bit like grits), chicken and vegetables. We made a quick stop at a local internet café and then headed back home. During our journeys, we have been pleasantly surprised that the locals are so friendly and kind to us. They constantly say hi to us in the streets and say “welcome to our country.” Yesterday during our ventures we needed to ask directions and the gentlemen that we asked were so polite and helpful. Apparently Zambians are some of the friendliest people in the world!

This morning, we awoke to find another hot, sticky day but decided to brave the weather (and some of the funny stares) by going for a run. I took a good fall, there are no sidewalks here per se, they are more like dirt paths with lots of rocks, (and those of you who know me know how clumsy I get) but luckily only got a few scratches on my arm.

Today we’re planning on heading to the Arcades, a mall that has a large market, some shops, a bowling alley and a movie theater. Apparently it’s where many of the Westerners spend their time. Tonight we’re heading to our client’s house (he has been so generous!) for an early dinner. We are looking forward to exploring Lusaka a bit more and are very anxious for our ventures to Livingstone next weekend to see Victoria Falls.

Hope that everyone is having a great weekend!

Our Journey Begins

After a low-key New Year's eve involving watching Rockin' New Year's Eve (I don't know why I continue to watch that show, which is more annoying than entertaining) my best friend J and I were awake early this morning. We decided to venture out into the post-storm snowiness outside, accompanied by temperatures of 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but with wind chills of -1. As my face is finally thawing, I am thinking, what a perfect time to visit Zambia. I just checked Accuweather and when I arrive in 2 days it's expected to have a high of 80 with a heat index close to 90. Yeah for escaping Boston for the month of January!

Right, so I probably should tell you a little more about our upcoming trip. As part of the B-school experience at MIT Sloan, we have the option to take a class entitled Global-Lab Global Health Delivery where we travel to developing countries to help a company in need. We are working with a company with a focus on HIV/AIDS research and are very excited to meet our client after several discussions over Skype. The rest of my team includes Ron, an Aussie with a background in telecom and a runner extraordinaire. He has promised me that he will wake me up early each morning to go running in Africa, I'm not sure if I should be happy or hate him just a little bit. Our next teammate is Fernando, who is from Argentina and a veterinarian by training. He has promised to dazzle us with his cooking abilities (yeah, a designated chef!). And finally there's Beth, our finance guru from Ohio who has decided to bravely bike through Tanzania while we are all enjoying our safari. Isn't she courageous? Unfortunately we are traveling from different cities so I will have to entertain myself on the nearly 2 day voyage to Lusaka.

As I started my packing yesterday, I thought to myself, "do I really need those water purification tablets?" Luckily, J was looking out for me (and the whole team) and stopped by her local outdoors store to pick some up for me. "I definitely don't want you dying in Zambia, either by drinking the water, or getting eaten by a lion." Thanks J! (By the way, I have promised J to be careful while on safari, and not get too close to any hungry-looking lions)

I have somehow managed to fit all of my clothes for my month-long adventure in a modest carry-on luggage (we'll see if KLM considers it a carry-on). Not sure how long that 3 oz container of shampoo will last but thank goodness for those strip malls in Lusaka that everyone tells us about!

Well I'm signing off for now, hope to write more when I arrive in a few days and meet up with the rest of the team.

Happy New Year!