Holy moly those are giant snow flakes outside my window! Quite a wintery day here in Cincinnati, which has caused me to fantasize about warmer places...
3 trips coming up:
1. Austin for Christmas. I fly out on the 20th.
2. Jamaica for New Years. I'll be there Dec 29 - Jan 6.
That's right, I caved. AND, joining me, will be my friend Maria (who I know through Cincy's couchsurfing community). We're flying into MBJ, not sure where we're staying yet, but are looking at volunteering with Mustard Seed Community while we're there -- helping handicapped, abandoned kids. Exciteddddd!
3. Salt Lake City for Sundance Festival and skiing. This'll be from Jan 20-23. Granted, not a warmer place, but just too awesome to pass up. Plus, skiing is the one case in which I will put up with this weather.
OH! And how can I travel without a greencard? I ended up being able to get my driver's license, my SS card is on its way, and I got a temporary stamp in my passport that will serve as a green card until I get the official one :).
Driver's license also allowed me to buy a car -- a blue 2007 Toyota Yaris. It's stick! One month later... I'm getting the hang of it, finally. I've found out I can't have bad mood days because it directly translates into how good of a driver I am that day too. However, now I can officially drive a car wherever in the world I am.
So after these trips, I have 13 vacation days left for next year... of course I mentally use them all up before the year has even started:
I'd like to go to Paris with the girls at some point. It's cliche, but I've never been there and I can't let it stay that way. I also want to go back to Indonesia with my mom, sister, and cousin so we can revisit our roots. My dad just moved to Abu Dhabi... dunno if I'll get that in this year. Oh, and I think there's a couple of weddings next year that I have to account for.
I know I'm lucky.
Though it may seem that I'm just a travel addict and choose to spend a big chunk of my income on it, what's it worth? It's more than just an addiction... or well, maybe it's an addiction BECAUSE of what I get out of it: growth. Each experience shapes me and adds another definition to who I am. And the fact that there is still SO much out there I HAVEN'T seen, drives me crazy and makes me anxious to get to it. I'm addicted to continually unearthing the person I am and shaping the person who I will become.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
NAWWWLINS!
A pretty funny story to a not-so-funny situation. But in chronological order first:
Came back from New Orleans yesterday -- flew in Friday night and flew back Monday morning. Friday everyone had gone to Voodoo Fest, so when they got back to the hotel, they crawled straight under the covers. Poor gals.
Saturday. First things first: let's start off the day with drinking at Margaritaville. For the first time ever did I see Mariam drinking faster than I. She was on a mission. Had good food too, which on the way back to the hotel we gave to a couple of homeless people. I was heartbroken when I realized I had put my leftover fudge in that bag too (SO good ...I'm a fatty). Then off to Voodoo Fest! What a blast -- saw Crystal Method, Paul van Dyk, Drake, Ozzy. Then back to hotel to get ready for our first Halloween night. Mariam dressed as a champagne bottle, Kelly as a lime, and me as a tequila bottle... to compliment the lime ;) Headed to Bourbon st. for the night and drank these ridiculously strong Hurricanes at Pat O's. Then to another bar (erm, name? can't remember) and were dancing it up like crazishizness.
Now for the funny story:
Someone stole my wallet (also with Kelly's ID and credit card), camera, and phone while I was dancing (and it was ON me!). Ok, I know this doesn't sound funny, but wait for it. First thing I do is cancel my credit cards and ask if there's been any recent transactions. Yes! At Deja Vu. "That's a strip club!" says Mariam and we start hauling ass down Bourbon. Let me remind me you that we are all in costume and drunk. running. We get to the strip club and the guy in the front is a complete dbag -- won't let me explain my situation and keeps yelling at me to give my ID and pay him. "I don't WANT to get in! I don't HAVE an ID OR MONEY!" Guy's still not listening and threatens to hit me. I got pissed and yelled back at him. A cop comes in (high school friend of one of ours apparently) and we explain the situation. He looks up the info and says no one used my card there. "Oh! But there IS also a Deja Vu bar & grill down the road!" Wtf. Fary and Ali take off running in that direction. Kelly and I really need to pee, so we try to go into the bars. No can do -- no ID's. We try to use the restroom at an Italian restaurant and the owner won't let us. Another dbag. I plead with a bouncer again and tell him I'll pee on him if he doesn't let us in. Finally we get to pee. Then back to running -- "it's on the left side" "WHICH left side??" we just keep running until we find out we're 6 blocks the wrong way. Poor Mariam with her impossible heels, Kelly in her lime costume. Amber calls to tell they're talking to the waiter who served the person who used my credit card and that we need to find a cop to bring with us. First cop I find is on a horse, so I ask him. He doesn't care a rat's ass about my story, but while I'm talking to him, his horse whips Kelly in the face with its tail. Her reaction was priceless -- complete astonishment and then anger, so she starts yelling at the cop about his horse. He yells back at her. We give up, and continue to run. Run into everyone else who had just left the Deja Vu bar & grill. The thieves were gone already, but the waiter who served them gave us a copy of their receipt:
1 Shrimp Platter w/ Mashed Potatoes
2 Shrimp Poboy
1 Spicy Wings
1 2 Eggs w/ meat (wtf???)
scrambled
grits
white
sausage
TO GO
Total with a $10 tip: $78.74
These 2 big girls pigged OUT. Fary texted my phone (which we assume they had) that she hoped they would choke on the fatty fried foods, fat asses. And right after they apparently spent $15 in a clothing store (??). In total, about $95 for a ridiculous night running Bourbon. Not too shabby.
So, in retrospect, that part was funny. Now the not so funny part: my wallet contained my driver's license and green card. I had lost my SS card in South Africa this summer. To replace a driver's license, I need a SS card. To replace a SS card, I need a green card. To replace a green card, I need to go through the application process again, wait for an appointment, do the biometrics portion, and pay $330. And this process will take a couple of months. FML. Looks like I'm not buying a car any time soon or getting to leave the country.
However, still had a great time Sunday sans all that stuff. Attempted to get beignets, back to Voodoo Fest: The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Macy Gray, Paul Oakenfold, Deadmau5, Interpol, and MGMT. Another night out and this time to Frenchmen st dressed as Carmen Sandiego -- more awesome costumes and party in the streets. Stayed up all night to leave for the airport at 5 am for our 6:30 flight. Got questioned to prove my identity with the police report I had gotten. He asked me who my neighbors were, what car I drove, what insurance I have. Apparently the government knows quite a bit about you...
Flight back went fine. I ran into the same 2 guys who were on my flight out, so that was fun. After getting a new phone and calling all the ID depts, I crashed relatively early last night.
Kyle's coming tomorrow for a week! Thankfully, I still have my passport to use as an ID to go out...
Came back from New Orleans yesterday -- flew in Friday night and flew back Monday morning. Friday everyone had gone to Voodoo Fest, so when they got back to the hotel, they crawled straight under the covers. Poor gals.
Saturday. First things first: let's start off the day with drinking at Margaritaville. For the first time ever did I see Mariam drinking faster than I. She was on a mission. Had good food too, which on the way back to the hotel we gave to a couple of homeless people. I was heartbroken when I realized I had put my leftover fudge in that bag too (SO good ...I'm a fatty). Then off to Voodoo Fest! What a blast -- saw Crystal Method, Paul van Dyk, Drake, Ozzy. Then back to hotel to get ready for our first Halloween night. Mariam dressed as a champagne bottle, Kelly as a lime, and me as a tequila bottle... to compliment the lime ;) Headed to Bourbon st. for the night and drank these ridiculously strong Hurricanes at Pat O's. Then to another bar (erm, name? can't remember) and were dancing it up like crazishizness.
Now for the funny story:
Someone stole my wallet (also with Kelly's ID and credit card), camera, and phone while I was dancing (and it was ON me!). Ok, I know this doesn't sound funny, but wait for it. First thing I do is cancel my credit cards and ask if there's been any recent transactions. Yes! At Deja Vu. "That's a strip club!" says Mariam and we start hauling ass down Bourbon. Let me remind me you that we are all in costume and drunk. running. We get to the strip club and the guy in the front is a complete dbag -- won't let me explain my situation and keeps yelling at me to give my ID and pay him. "I don't WANT to get in! I don't HAVE an ID OR MONEY!" Guy's still not listening and threatens to hit me. I got pissed and yelled back at him. A cop comes in (high school friend of one of ours apparently) and we explain the situation. He looks up the info and says no one used my card there. "Oh! But there IS also a Deja Vu bar & grill down the road!" Wtf. Fary and Ali take off running in that direction. Kelly and I really need to pee, so we try to go into the bars. No can do -- no ID's. We try to use the restroom at an Italian restaurant and the owner won't let us. Another dbag. I plead with a bouncer again and tell him I'll pee on him if he doesn't let us in. Finally we get to pee. Then back to running -- "it's on the left side" "WHICH left side??" we just keep running until we find out we're 6 blocks the wrong way. Poor Mariam with her impossible heels, Kelly in her lime costume. Amber calls to tell they're talking to the waiter who served the person who used my credit card and that we need to find a cop to bring with us. First cop I find is on a horse, so I ask him. He doesn't care a rat's ass about my story, but while I'm talking to him, his horse whips Kelly in the face with its tail. Her reaction was priceless -- complete astonishment and then anger, so she starts yelling at the cop about his horse. He yells back at her. We give up, and continue to run. Run into everyone else who had just left the Deja Vu bar & grill. The thieves were gone already, but the waiter who served them gave us a copy of their receipt:
1 Shrimp Platter w/ Mashed Potatoes
2 Shrimp Poboy
1 Spicy Wings
1 2 Eggs w/ meat (wtf???)
scrambled
grits
white
sausage
TO GO
Total with a $10 tip: $78.74
These 2 big girls pigged OUT. Fary texted my phone (which we assume they had) that she hoped they would choke on the fatty fried foods, fat asses. And right after they apparently spent $15 in a clothing store (??). In total, about $95 for a ridiculous night running Bourbon. Not too shabby.
So, in retrospect, that part was funny. Now the not so funny part: my wallet contained my driver's license and green card. I had lost my SS card in South Africa this summer. To replace a driver's license, I need a SS card. To replace a SS card, I need a green card. To replace a green card, I need to go through the application process again, wait for an appointment, do the biometrics portion, and pay $330. And this process will take a couple of months. FML. Looks like I'm not buying a car any time soon or getting to leave the country.
However, still had a great time Sunday sans all that stuff. Attempted to get beignets, back to Voodoo Fest: The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Macy Gray, Paul Oakenfold, Deadmau5, Interpol, and MGMT. Another night out and this time to Frenchmen st dressed as Carmen Sandiego -- more awesome costumes and party in the streets. Stayed up all night to leave for the airport at 5 am for our 6:30 flight. Got questioned to prove my identity with the police report I had gotten. He asked me who my neighbors were, what car I drove, what insurance I have. Apparently the government knows quite a bit about you...
Flight back went fine. I ran into the same 2 guys who were on my flight out, so that was fun. After getting a new phone and calling all the ID depts, I crashed relatively early last night.
Kyle's coming tomorrow for a week! Thankfully, I still have my passport to use as an ID to go out...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
"Why are you wearing sunglasses at night??"
I've been frolicking around the US for the past 2 weeks and now have some time to reflect...
New Haven:
Idyllic. I felt like I was on a movie set and all the actors were taking a lunch break. It's so comfortably quaint -- the beautiful old houses, the parks, the churches, the clean streets, the university. Spent some time lying in the grass, looking up through the trees, finding shapes in the clouds in the blue sky. Shopped at a local grocer, watched college football, ate frozen yogurt, and pondered about the mysteries of the Skulls & Bones building.
New York:
Electric Zoo -- giant electronica dance party! No better vibe than dancing your butt off with 30,000 other people. Didn't know much about the music, but you really don't have to... Met up with Todd (who I hadn't seen since Cape Town!), and Jackie and co. Fun fun times. 6 stages of pulsating music traveling through your veins.
We had never been to Central Park so wandered over for a day and chilled on the lawn. This city park may be the coolest ever: rock climbing walls, playgrounds, sports fields, statues, bike paths, open lawns, it's got it all.
Austin:
I was there for 4 days and I got a hybrid rental car (super cool!). However, it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to start it, ha! The thing doesn't have a real key! You stick the entire thingamajig in there! And you have to hold down the brake in order to power it on! Anywho, I loved it. Totally getting a hybrid as my next car, now that I've got it down.
As always, it was great seeing everybody :) Spent the night at Emi's the first night and my dear goddaughter has my name down: Nadi-AH! She's adorable -- so talkative and almost 3. Played with her in the jumping fountains (I won't lie, I'm glad I got to use her as an excuse to play in them... they're way too fun). Also played giant Jenga and Connect 4, and Skee Ball at a bar with Suzy. Social nights and got to see all my favorite people. My mom wasn't in town this time, so didn't get to see her, but paid my dog a couple of visits!
Baack in Cincy now. Somewhere in between the plane rides, I caught a cold. I'm also too stubborn to nurse myself back to health because I think it will magically disappear (it might!) so I've had it for about a week now. I need to catch some sleep soon though.
OH! Did end up buying a ticket to New Orleans for Halloween :D After the Electric Zoo concert, I figured Voodoo Fest would just be too good to miss out on. Plus, can't let a good time with friends slide by, right? :)
...And I'm still thinking Jamaica for New Years. Need to find a cheap ticket...
New Haven:
Idyllic. I felt like I was on a movie set and all the actors were taking a lunch break. It's so comfortably quaint -- the beautiful old houses, the parks, the churches, the clean streets, the university. Spent some time lying in the grass, looking up through the trees, finding shapes in the clouds in the blue sky. Shopped at a local grocer, watched college football, ate frozen yogurt, and pondered about the mysteries of the Skulls & Bones building.
New York:
Electric Zoo -- giant electronica dance party! No better vibe than dancing your butt off with 30,000 other people. Didn't know much about the music, but you really don't have to... Met up with Todd (who I hadn't seen since Cape Town!), and Jackie and co. Fun fun times. 6 stages of pulsating music traveling through your veins.
We had never been to Central Park so wandered over for a day and chilled on the lawn. This city park may be the coolest ever: rock climbing walls, playgrounds, sports fields, statues, bike paths, open lawns, it's got it all.
Austin:
I was there for 4 days and I got a hybrid rental car (super cool!). However, it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to start it, ha! The thing doesn't have a real key! You stick the entire thingamajig in there! And you have to hold down the brake in order to power it on! Anywho, I loved it. Totally getting a hybrid as my next car, now that I've got it down.
As always, it was great seeing everybody :) Spent the night at Emi's the first night and my dear goddaughter has my name down: Nadi-AH! She's adorable -- so talkative and almost 3. Played with her in the jumping fountains (I won't lie, I'm glad I got to use her as an excuse to play in them... they're way too fun). Also played giant Jenga and Connect 4, and Skee Ball at a bar with Suzy. Social nights and got to see all my favorite people. My mom wasn't in town this time, so didn't get to see her, but paid my dog a couple of visits!
Baack in Cincy now. Somewhere in between the plane rides, I caught a cold. I'm also too stubborn to nurse myself back to health because I think it will magically disappear (it might!) so I've had it for about a week now. I need to catch some sleep soon though.
OH! Did end up buying a ticket to New Orleans for Halloween :D After the Electric Zoo concert, I figured Voodoo Fest would just be too good to miss out on. Plus, can't let a good time with friends slide by, right? :)
...And I'm still thinking Jamaica for New Years. Need to find a cheap ticket...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Official August post
Because I don't want August to feel left out and not have a post, this is my sympathy post.
Been back for a month now. Everything's completely back to normal -- I no longer feel like a tourist in Cincy and SA almost feels like a distant dream (sad). Back in a comfort zone, but it's been good too. There's something to say about having consistent friends around :) Grass is always greener...
Some small travels coming up though! (Like you thought that was going to stop...)
This weekend is Labor Day weekend, so I'll be heading up to Connecticut to visit a friend and we're going to hit up Electric Zoo (electronic music festival) in NYC on one of the days. Should be an awesome time -- plus some other friends will be there too!
Then, next week will be flying back to Austin for some pre-recruiting + personal time :) I'll be there from the 8th-12th. The actual recruiting stuff is only on the 9th and 10th, so the rest of the time is fun time. Emi's letting me crash with her on Wednesday night and Clare's taking me in Saturday night (other nights I'll be in the Embassy Suites -- thank you P&G). And yes. I will be eating a chicken stuffed avocado at some point. No doubt.
October is quiet for now... was thinking of going to New Orleans for Halloween with friends, but not sure I want to go all 3 days to Voodoo Fest. So I may be out on this trip (rare, I know). Was THIS close to buying a ticket to Jamaica for New Years ($349 ROUNDTRIP!!!!), but didn't know if I'd be flying out of Cincy or Austin and then prices went up :( Will keep monitoring though... I somehow need to escape the cold here at some point in the winter...
Been back for a month now. Everything's completely back to normal -- I no longer feel like a tourist in Cincy and SA almost feels like a distant dream (sad). Back in a comfort zone, but it's been good too. There's something to say about having consistent friends around :) Grass is always greener...
Some small travels coming up though! (Like you thought that was going to stop...)
This weekend is Labor Day weekend, so I'll be heading up to Connecticut to visit a friend and we're going to hit up Electric Zoo (electronic music festival) in NYC on one of the days. Should be an awesome time -- plus some other friends will be there too!
Then, next week will be flying back to Austin for some pre-recruiting + personal time :) I'll be there from the 8th-12th. The actual recruiting stuff is only on the 9th and 10th, so the rest of the time is fun time. Emi's letting me crash with her on Wednesday night and Clare's taking me in Saturday night (other nights I'll be in the Embassy Suites -- thank you P&G). And yes. I will be eating a chicken stuffed avocado at some point. No doubt.
October is quiet for now... was thinking of going to New Orleans for Halloween with friends, but not sure I want to go all 3 days to Voodoo Fest. So I may be out on this trip (rare, I know). Was THIS close to buying a ticket to Jamaica for New Years ($349 ROUNDTRIP!!!!), but didn't know if I'd be flying out of Cincy or Austin and then prices went up :( Will keep monitoring though... I somehow need to escape the cold here at some point in the winter...
Friday, July 30, 2010
Good bye, South Africa
I’m back in the US – currently sitting in the Detroit airport. I’m too cheap to buy the internet here ($7.95/hour?? Seriously?!) and have about 20 min til boarding to Cincinnati. Silly me forgot my US phone charging in South Africa. Bah… frustrating. I hope all works out and Pete’s not trying to reach me telling me he has an emergency (erm, skateboards on sale or so?) and can’t pick me up.
I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing my friends. I’ve missed them mucho. However, I’ve got the heart tug thing going on already… I’m feeling slightly over emotional (can you be SLIGHTLY and OVER emotional at the same time?) and am already reminiscing about what I experienced the past 2 months. I had this sudden urge to bawl on the passenger next to me when we landed, haha.
What I’ll miss:
The Kitchen’s Love Sandwiches and salads
Bobouti
Walking everywhere (and everywhere being walkable)
Meeting people from all over the world on a daily basis
Meeting different people from all over South Africa
Being internet deprived (yes… because I spent so much more time on other things, like writing, drawing, reading, socializing, discovering the city)
Zola’s car rides into the townships and to my meetings
Watching World Cup games with friends at Fanfest/3 stories/bars
It being acceptable to be completely dressed in fan gear when going to work
Being called “sis”
Trying out a lot of chocolates not sold in the US
Helena’s pancakes
My flexible work schedule (not having to use an alarm!)
Ikamva mamas loving to hold my hand
Randomly running into people all over Cape Town
Reading the news headlines tacked onto street posts
Rooibos tea when I get into work in the morning
Reading in the Company Gardens
Using the internet at bars and cafés
The people at Ikamva
The new friends from Cape Town
…I realize a lot of them are foods… ha. Shows where my passion is ;)
I’ll be back at work on Monday – crazy how quickly things will go back to normal. Time to catch up on everything I’ve missed out!
P.s.
OH! ALSO! I got to see my mommy in Amsterdam Schiphol airport for a whole 5 minutes (I had a tight layover there and she got there 2 days ago). So sweet. I miss her a lot too, so it was good to see her again, even if it was just short and sweet.
I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing my friends. I’ve missed them mucho. However, I’ve got the heart tug thing going on already… I’m feeling slightly over emotional (can you be SLIGHTLY and OVER emotional at the same time?) and am already reminiscing about what I experienced the past 2 months. I had this sudden urge to bawl on the passenger next to me when we landed, haha.
What I’ll miss:
The Kitchen’s Love Sandwiches and salads
Bobouti
Walking everywhere (and everywhere being walkable)
Meeting people from all over the world on a daily basis
Meeting different people from all over South Africa
Being internet deprived (yes… because I spent so much more time on other things, like writing, drawing, reading, socializing, discovering the city)
Zola’s car rides into the townships and to my meetings
Watching World Cup games with friends at Fanfest/3 stories/bars
It being acceptable to be completely dressed in fan gear when going to work
Being called “sis”
Trying out a lot of chocolates not sold in the US
Helena’s pancakes
My flexible work schedule (not having to use an alarm!)
Ikamva mamas loving to hold my hand
Randomly running into people all over Cape Town
Reading the news headlines tacked onto street posts
Rooibos tea when I get into work in the morning
Reading in the Company Gardens
Using the internet at bars and cafés
The people at Ikamva
The new friends from Cape Town
…I realize a lot of them are foods… ha. Shows where my passion is ;)
I’ll be back at work on Monday – crazy how quickly things will go back to normal. Time to catch up on everything I’ve missed out!
P.s.
OH! ALSO! I got to see my mommy in Amsterdam Schiphol airport for a whole 5 minutes (I had a tight layover there and she got there 2 days ago). So sweet. I miss her a lot too, so it was good to see her again, even if it was just short and sweet.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My 6 Day African Adventure
I came back from my 6 day long trip to JoBurg, Mozambique, and Swaziland last night. Wow. Just… wow. Asmaa and I used every minute of this trip to its max so that it actually felt like this trip was 10 days long. Without further ado…
Day 1/2 – JoBurg
Our flight left at 9:30 pm and we got there close to midnight. Asmaa’s friend Moekitse (sp?) and his friend picked us up from the airport. Our bus to Mozambique wasn’t leaving until 8 am… Mission? Stay up all night. Mission accomplished: They showed us around the various parts of the city at night, saw the art district with all the beautiful graffiti murals (didn’t take pictures… :( next time), headed to Melville for some bars and more bars, then set out to try to make it to the top of a hill in time for the sunrise, which was harder than it sounds. We made it. Poor Moekitse and his friend were exhausted, but the view was spectacular enough to stay awake for it. It was getting close to 7, so they dropped us off at the bus station.
Day 2 – trip to Maputo and first night there
So, Asmaa and I didn’t get our visas for Moz ahead of time because the consulate in Cape Town told us that if we got them at the border, they’d be cheaper (R175 vs R600). However, the bus company won’t let you ON the bus all the way to Maputo if you don’t already have a visa, so we bought our ticket to the border, thinking we’d catch a minibus from there. Asmaa made friends with the bus people and it turns out that recently the visas at the border are ALSO now R600. They told us they would wait 20 min for us to try and get the visa and get back on the bus to Maputo. At the border, Asmaa and I, along with a couple other tourists, hauled ass to get this done. There was a guy who “helped” us by cutting the queues and filling out our papers (I had read about this… of course they want to get compensated for their efforts). I had told him I wasn’t going to pay him from the beginning and didn’t need his help, so when all was finished and Asmaa and I didn’t pay him, he threw a hissy. Oh well. We made it back on the bus (they had threatened to leave us already) and made it to Maputo at around 5 pm. We had made friends with a Mozambican named James, who invited us to dinner at his house with his family the next day. We had also made friends with Matias (one of the other tourists trying to get a visa), who didn’t have a place to stay, so I suggested he ask our couchsurfing host, which worked out. Emanuel, our gracious host, picked us up, got some food, and headed back to his place. He informed us that there was a Brazilian party in town that night, so off we went (Asmaa and I were crying a little on the inside due to our lack of sleep). At the party, we ate Brazilian food, drank caipirinhas, and learned how to dance fojo (sp?). It was a fun night and after our feet were worn out and our minds almost were incapable of working from being so tired, we headed back to sleep.
Day 3 – Inhaca Island and Isla Portugesa
Woke up at 6 am in order to catch the 7:30 am ferry to Inhaca. Matias and Emanuel joined us and after a mad dash in the morning, we got there just in time. The ferry trip was delightful – the sun was shining and Asmaa and I cozied up outside on the deck and passed out for a little while. The ferry ride was about 2 hours long and the views were spectacular. We even saw dolphins! Since the waters were too shallow to dock, we had to hop into a smaller motor boat to get to the dock. And at the dock, security officers insisted we pay them to get ON to the island. This is ridiculous. As James had called it, we were getting “skin taxed”. MTC200 for the ferry = awesome. Then MTC15 for the motor boat (uh, ok, shouldn’t that be included?), MTC100 for “entering the island”. No. I walked straight past them and ignored their calls. We met a group of Brazilians on the boat who suggested we go to Isla Portugesa, which is right next to Inhaca. I had read how beautiful it was and totally uninhabited. So off we went (another R100 per person). Goodness… as I said, totally uninhabited, completely peaceful. Just endless beaches and plants growing straight out of the sand. I found what I needed and plopped down my towel and absorbed. (Side note: Emanuel is a chiropractor and masseuse… which really came in handy at this point, haha.) After a couple of hours, headed back to Inhaca and got some overly priced lunch there (eh, figures). Heading back to the boat, the “security officers” once again stopped us and wouldn’t let the boat leave until we paid up. They spoke no English, and my Spanish wasn’t really helping the situation, so frustrated, we finally gave up and coughed up the money. It wasn’t even that it was much (MTC100 ~= $5) BUT IT WAS THE PRINCIPLE, DARN IT! I later found out that the MTC100 was only necessary if we had entered the bio reserve in the middle of the island, which we didn’t. Oh well. They have to make money on an island some how. Warm day and lovely ferry ride back, we got to Maputo during the sunset. Got some groceries and Luciana (a lovely Brazilian lady) made us dinner at Emanuel’s complete with chocolate fondue dessert (that’s right, I’m salivating just thinking about it). Afterwards, we headed to Nucleo d’Arte, an amazing venue with live music, art, and bar. It was the first place in Maputo that I saw such an eclectic mix of people – all races, all ages, all types. Another wonderful night in Mozambique, then we headed back home for some sleep.
Day 4 – Discovering Maputo and our chapa adventure to Swaziland
Got to sleep in a little today and eventually made it out to go figure out where and when we could take a chapa bus (van type bus) to Swaziland. The last one leaves at 6pm, so we would aim to take the one at 5. We’re meeting James at Costa del Sol at 1, so we take a tuk tuk there. We walk to his house and are introduced to his beautiful family. The area we are at is outside the city, right along the beach, but perhaps a poorer community. While his house has a barren yard and simple features, I think they are relatively quite well off (he and his wife have traveled the world extensively for work). We make friends with James’s son, Raul, and his friend Fernando, the artist. We walk to his “studio” (a small room in his mother’s house) where he shows us his amazing art and a mural he did for a neighbor. He hopes to one day go to art school. We then head back. They buy fresh crab and calamari that JUST came out of the fishing boats and we have a feast. Poor Asmaa, my vegetarian friend, is horrified when they show her the live crab (and his leg falls off in the process) and then crack it open once it’s cooked. Won’t lie though… it was delicious. Now it’s past 3 and we need to start hurrying. Raul takes us back to the chapa stop (not before we give in and spend most of our money on arts & crafts at an outdoor market). We make the bus that’s to leave at 6 pm, but doesn’t end up leaving until 6:30. It’s supposed to be a 2 hour ride and Asmaa’s friend Sabe would be waiting for us in Manzini starting at 8:30.
So. The chapa trip. Perhaps the most memorable portion of the trip. Of course first we get “skin taxed” and they try to get an additional R20 out of us for our bags, which we refuse. We get to the border and get our passport stamps. Then, we wait an additional 2 hours for them to go through the giant bags of clothes (I’m talking bags as big as me) and count each article (each article gets taxed R3) and to check for drugs. KC, a Swazi guy we make friends with on the chapa, tells us that these clothes had been donated during the flood disaster in Mozambique a few years ago. Instead of the government giving them to those who need it, they sell it off for a profit to those who then resell it in Swaziland. Another example of corruption in Mozambique. After the 2 hours, they pack up and we literally drive a few yards past the border and get stopped again. A guard asks me to open my window and shortly after asks me to be his wife (I would get free trips back home, he promised, haha). Apparently his flirtations saved us another inspection, a lady on the bus told me. The victory doesn’t last long because not another mile later, we get stopped AGAIN. There’s another chapa bus in front of us that’s getting inspected (again). The passengers in our bus pass me money to give to the driver for a bribe to get us through faster. Since I’m anti-corruption, I felt somewhat dirty just being the transferee, ha. The driver gives the guard R150, but we can’t leave until the bus infront has gotten fully inspected. The guard retorts that R150 cannot be split evenly (uh.. what? Hi math) and that they want R200. We still are forced out of the chapa and searched (dude, it’s cold outside!) and while Asmaa and I were THIS close to objecting, we figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to talk to men with guns in the dark of the night like that. So, a few hours and a bunch of inappropriate comments later, we are off once again. We finally make it to Manzini at 12:30 am. Poor Sabe. While this adventure may sound inconvenient, I kind of loved the experience in hindsight. We got to experience the REAL Mozambique and Swaziland, plus get to know some amazing characters in the chapa bus and learn about corruption first hand. KC was an incredible person to meet with the frustrations of his country on his heart. Thank you for informing us.
Day 5 – Swaziland!
Sabe and his sister live on an incredible farm on the top of a hill that they inherited in Mbabane. We woke up, met his sister and Jen (a US masters student doing her dissertation), and then we saw the views. The rolling hills, the calm life. Sabe just graduated from studying law in London and has come back to his homeland because he wants to help his country. Swaziland is Africa’s last absolute monarchy and it has shaped them well overall. There’s little turbulence and less poverty than its neighboring countries. Sabe takes us to a breathtaking restaurant, with the plan to take a horse ride in a game reserve after. Unfortunately, we took our time too much and missed the last horse ride at 4. So instead, we toured around a little, met some friends, and headed back up to the farm house for a night of board games, wine, friends, and a fire. Things got competitive with Pictionary, 30 Seconds, and Mafia and political debates (isn’t there a rule this isn’t allowed to be discussed during parties? But the wine helped).
Day 6 – last of Swazi and racing to JoBurg
Sabe is so amazing that he’ll DRIVE us to JoBurg (usually a 8 hour chapa ride). Our flights at 4:30pm, so we need to leave BY 11, the latest. Asmaa meets her good friend’s mom and so Sabe and I get breakfast at an art store/restaurant. It’s past 11 now and I’m trying to not show my nervousness since Sabe told us to trust him he’d get us to the airport in time. Get gas, get munchies, and head back to South Africa. This time, the border stop goes quickly and without much ado, we’re on our way. Some more great conversation (I act as the “translator”/peace keeper a lot because sometimes things get lost in translation with English not being Asmaa’s first language), and while we left at 12, we made it to the airport at 3! So back to Cape Town we go…
This was an overly exciting trip. While we definitely weren’t in each place long enough, at least we got a taste (and a taste that makes me want to come back some day). Now, I have a week left in Cape Town, which is the perfect time to catch up on sleep and finish doing (hopefully) all the things I have left to do. Of course these day accounts were only snippets and I can’t fill it with all the wonderful people we met along the way. But thank you, Africa, for this.
Day 1/2 – JoBurg
Our flight left at 9:30 pm and we got there close to midnight. Asmaa’s friend Moekitse (sp?) and his friend picked us up from the airport. Our bus to Mozambique wasn’t leaving until 8 am… Mission? Stay up all night. Mission accomplished: They showed us around the various parts of the city at night, saw the art district with all the beautiful graffiti murals (didn’t take pictures… :( next time), headed to Melville for some bars and more bars, then set out to try to make it to the top of a hill in time for the sunrise, which was harder than it sounds. We made it. Poor Moekitse and his friend were exhausted, but the view was spectacular enough to stay awake for it. It was getting close to 7, so they dropped us off at the bus station.
Day 2 – trip to Maputo and first night there
So, Asmaa and I didn’t get our visas for Moz ahead of time because the consulate in Cape Town told us that if we got them at the border, they’d be cheaper (R175 vs R600). However, the bus company won’t let you ON the bus all the way to Maputo if you don’t already have a visa, so we bought our ticket to the border, thinking we’d catch a minibus from there. Asmaa made friends with the bus people and it turns out that recently the visas at the border are ALSO now R600. They told us they would wait 20 min for us to try and get the visa and get back on the bus to Maputo. At the border, Asmaa and I, along with a couple other tourists, hauled ass to get this done. There was a guy who “helped” us by cutting the queues and filling out our papers (I had read about this… of course they want to get compensated for their efforts). I had told him I wasn’t going to pay him from the beginning and didn’t need his help, so when all was finished and Asmaa and I didn’t pay him, he threw a hissy. Oh well. We made it back on the bus (they had threatened to leave us already) and made it to Maputo at around 5 pm. We had made friends with a Mozambican named James, who invited us to dinner at his house with his family the next day. We had also made friends with Matias (one of the other tourists trying to get a visa), who didn’t have a place to stay, so I suggested he ask our couchsurfing host, which worked out. Emanuel, our gracious host, picked us up, got some food, and headed back to his place. He informed us that there was a Brazilian party in town that night, so off we went (Asmaa and I were crying a little on the inside due to our lack of sleep). At the party, we ate Brazilian food, drank caipirinhas, and learned how to dance fojo (sp?). It was a fun night and after our feet were worn out and our minds almost were incapable of working from being so tired, we headed back to sleep.
Day 3 – Inhaca Island and Isla Portugesa
Woke up at 6 am in order to catch the 7:30 am ferry to Inhaca. Matias and Emanuel joined us and after a mad dash in the morning, we got there just in time. The ferry trip was delightful – the sun was shining and Asmaa and I cozied up outside on the deck and passed out for a little while. The ferry ride was about 2 hours long and the views were spectacular. We even saw dolphins! Since the waters were too shallow to dock, we had to hop into a smaller motor boat to get to the dock. And at the dock, security officers insisted we pay them to get ON to the island. This is ridiculous. As James had called it, we were getting “skin taxed”. MTC200 for the ferry = awesome. Then MTC15 for the motor boat (uh, ok, shouldn’t that be included?), MTC100 for “entering the island”. No. I walked straight past them and ignored their calls. We met a group of Brazilians on the boat who suggested we go to Isla Portugesa, which is right next to Inhaca. I had read how beautiful it was and totally uninhabited. So off we went (another R100 per person). Goodness… as I said, totally uninhabited, completely peaceful. Just endless beaches and plants growing straight out of the sand. I found what I needed and plopped down my towel and absorbed. (Side note: Emanuel is a chiropractor and masseuse… which really came in handy at this point, haha.) After a couple of hours, headed back to Inhaca and got some overly priced lunch there (eh, figures). Heading back to the boat, the “security officers” once again stopped us and wouldn’t let the boat leave until we paid up. They spoke no English, and my Spanish wasn’t really helping the situation, so frustrated, we finally gave up and coughed up the money. It wasn’t even that it was much (MTC100 ~= $5) BUT IT WAS THE PRINCIPLE, DARN IT! I later found out that the MTC100 was only necessary if we had entered the bio reserve in the middle of the island, which we didn’t. Oh well. They have to make money on an island some how. Warm day and lovely ferry ride back, we got to Maputo during the sunset. Got some groceries and Luciana (a lovely Brazilian lady) made us dinner at Emanuel’s complete with chocolate fondue dessert (that’s right, I’m salivating just thinking about it). Afterwards, we headed to Nucleo d’Arte, an amazing venue with live music, art, and bar. It was the first place in Maputo that I saw such an eclectic mix of people – all races, all ages, all types. Another wonderful night in Mozambique, then we headed back home for some sleep.
Day 4 – Discovering Maputo and our chapa adventure to Swaziland
Got to sleep in a little today and eventually made it out to go figure out where and when we could take a chapa bus (van type bus) to Swaziland. The last one leaves at 6pm, so we would aim to take the one at 5. We’re meeting James at Costa del Sol at 1, so we take a tuk tuk there. We walk to his house and are introduced to his beautiful family. The area we are at is outside the city, right along the beach, but perhaps a poorer community. While his house has a barren yard and simple features, I think they are relatively quite well off (he and his wife have traveled the world extensively for work). We make friends with James’s son, Raul, and his friend Fernando, the artist. We walk to his “studio” (a small room in his mother’s house) where he shows us his amazing art and a mural he did for a neighbor. He hopes to one day go to art school. We then head back. They buy fresh crab and calamari that JUST came out of the fishing boats and we have a feast. Poor Asmaa, my vegetarian friend, is horrified when they show her the live crab (and his leg falls off in the process) and then crack it open once it’s cooked. Won’t lie though… it was delicious. Now it’s past 3 and we need to start hurrying. Raul takes us back to the chapa stop (not before we give in and spend most of our money on arts & crafts at an outdoor market). We make the bus that’s to leave at 6 pm, but doesn’t end up leaving until 6:30. It’s supposed to be a 2 hour ride and Asmaa’s friend Sabe would be waiting for us in Manzini starting at 8:30.
So. The chapa trip. Perhaps the most memorable portion of the trip. Of course first we get “skin taxed” and they try to get an additional R20 out of us for our bags, which we refuse. We get to the border and get our passport stamps. Then, we wait an additional 2 hours for them to go through the giant bags of clothes (I’m talking bags as big as me) and count each article (each article gets taxed R3) and to check for drugs. KC, a Swazi guy we make friends with on the chapa, tells us that these clothes had been donated during the flood disaster in Mozambique a few years ago. Instead of the government giving them to those who need it, they sell it off for a profit to those who then resell it in Swaziland. Another example of corruption in Mozambique. After the 2 hours, they pack up and we literally drive a few yards past the border and get stopped again. A guard asks me to open my window and shortly after asks me to be his wife (I would get free trips back home, he promised, haha). Apparently his flirtations saved us another inspection, a lady on the bus told me. The victory doesn’t last long because not another mile later, we get stopped AGAIN. There’s another chapa bus in front of us that’s getting inspected (again). The passengers in our bus pass me money to give to the driver for a bribe to get us through faster. Since I’m anti-corruption, I felt somewhat dirty just being the transferee, ha. The driver gives the guard R150, but we can’t leave until the bus infront has gotten fully inspected. The guard retorts that R150 cannot be split evenly (uh.. what? Hi math) and that they want R200. We still are forced out of the chapa and searched (dude, it’s cold outside!) and while Asmaa and I were THIS close to objecting, we figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to talk to men with guns in the dark of the night like that. So, a few hours and a bunch of inappropriate comments later, we are off once again. We finally make it to Manzini at 12:30 am. Poor Sabe. While this adventure may sound inconvenient, I kind of loved the experience in hindsight. We got to experience the REAL Mozambique and Swaziland, plus get to know some amazing characters in the chapa bus and learn about corruption first hand. KC was an incredible person to meet with the frustrations of his country on his heart. Thank you for informing us.
Day 5 – Swaziland!
Sabe and his sister live on an incredible farm on the top of a hill that they inherited in Mbabane. We woke up, met his sister and Jen (a US masters student doing her dissertation), and then we saw the views. The rolling hills, the calm life. Sabe just graduated from studying law in London and has come back to his homeland because he wants to help his country. Swaziland is Africa’s last absolute monarchy and it has shaped them well overall. There’s little turbulence and less poverty than its neighboring countries. Sabe takes us to a breathtaking restaurant, with the plan to take a horse ride in a game reserve after. Unfortunately, we took our time too much and missed the last horse ride at 4. So instead, we toured around a little, met some friends, and headed back up to the farm house for a night of board games, wine, friends, and a fire. Things got competitive with Pictionary, 30 Seconds, and Mafia and political debates (isn’t there a rule this isn’t allowed to be discussed during parties? But the wine helped).
Day 6 – last of Swazi and racing to JoBurg
Sabe is so amazing that he’ll DRIVE us to JoBurg (usually a 8 hour chapa ride). Our flights at 4:30pm, so we need to leave BY 11, the latest. Asmaa meets her good friend’s mom and so Sabe and I get breakfast at an art store/restaurant. It’s past 11 now and I’m trying to not show my nervousness since Sabe told us to trust him he’d get us to the airport in time. Get gas, get munchies, and head back to South Africa. This time, the border stop goes quickly and without much ado, we’re on our way. Some more great conversation (I act as the “translator”/peace keeper a lot because sometimes things get lost in translation with English not being Asmaa’s first language), and while we left at 12, we made it to the airport at 3! So back to Cape Town we go…
This was an overly exciting trip. While we definitely weren’t in each place long enough, at least we got a taste (and a taste that makes me want to come back some day). Now, I have a week left in Cape Town, which is the perfect time to catch up on sleep and finish doing (hopefully) all the things I have left to do. Of course these day accounts were only snippets and I can’t fill it with all the wonderful people we met along the way. But thank you, Africa, for this.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
And so the World Cup comes and goes...
Going to the semifinals with Netherlands playing Uruguay is in the top 5 most exciting things of my life… that game was AMAZING! And the VIBE! RIDICULOUS! Asmaa, Silke, and I got there and ditched our Category 3 seats behind the goal and replaced them with beautiful Category 1 seats in the center of the field. After the owners coming to claim them and us acting dumb (“Oh! Sorry! We must be on another row… oops”), they were nice enough to share them with us, haha! AND AFTER THE GAME! Us Dutchies stayed for another half an hour after the stadium cleared to party behind the goal. Crazy costumes, drums, singing, chanting… it was FANtastic (ha… pun!). Alas, we lost to Spain in the Final on Sunday… but I can deal with that loss. The better team definitely won.
So I’m going to Mozambique (and Swaziland)! Instead of the hectic 11 day long trip with the bus down the Garden Route, we’re flying into JoBurg on Friday, staying up all night to catch a bus in the morning to the Mozambique border, getting our visas there, then taking one of those chicken buses to Maputo, the capital! There we’ll be for 2-3 days, then take the bus to Swaziland for a day before heading back to catch our flight in JoBurg. Still quite hectic, but at least I’ll have another week left in Cape Town before I head back home. I’ve heard amazing things about Mozambique… on one of the days, we’ll be taking a 2 hour long ferry to Inhaca Island, which is supposed to be beaaauuutiful. SO excited also for some warmer weather.
So… time is fluid in South Africa, so my meetings keep getting cancelled or delayed. At this point, I don’t think I’ll be able to finish up my drip irrigation and greenhouse projects :(. At least they have everything they need to get it implemented when I leave. I’d like to continue the transcription of the Mama’s stories even when I’m back in the U.S. I love doing it and it’ll be a good way to stay connected to Ikamva. I’ll need to talk to Nicole about that.
Even though I still have 16 days before I leave Cape Town (11, if you subtract my Moz trip), it feels like time is dwindling quite fast. I feel like there’s so much I still need to do… like:
Go on a wine tour
Eat at more awesome restaurants
Go to a comedy show
Buy souvenirs
Green Point flea market
Go to Llandudno beach
Visit the Association for Visual Arts – (actually did this yesterday!)
Rhodes Memorial
Robben Island
Aquarium
Hour long cruise
Gold of Africa museum
Climb Lion’s Head
Surfing at Muizenberg
Eat at Mzoli’s
And then besides that, just enjoy the local life (like eating, ha). Zola was also going to take me to one of his soccer matches in the township at some point. Need to ask him about that. Thursday a couchsurfer, Jerome, is taking me up the west coast while he meets customers for his business, but will be able to show me some of the towns and sightseeing as well. He’s picking me up at 6:30 am (oy), so need to be up in time for that…
So I’m going to Mozambique (and Swaziland)! Instead of the hectic 11 day long trip with the bus down the Garden Route, we’re flying into JoBurg on Friday, staying up all night to catch a bus in the morning to the Mozambique border, getting our visas there, then taking one of those chicken buses to Maputo, the capital! There we’ll be for 2-3 days, then take the bus to Swaziland for a day before heading back to catch our flight in JoBurg. Still quite hectic, but at least I’ll have another week left in Cape Town before I head back home. I’ve heard amazing things about Mozambique… on one of the days, we’ll be taking a 2 hour long ferry to Inhaca Island, which is supposed to be beaaauuutiful. SO excited also for some warmer weather.
So… time is fluid in South Africa, so my meetings keep getting cancelled or delayed. At this point, I don’t think I’ll be able to finish up my drip irrigation and greenhouse projects :(. At least they have everything they need to get it implemented when I leave. I’d like to continue the transcription of the Mama’s stories even when I’m back in the U.S. I love doing it and it’ll be a good way to stay connected to Ikamva. I’ll need to talk to Nicole about that.
Even though I still have 16 days before I leave Cape Town (11, if you subtract my Moz trip), it feels like time is dwindling quite fast. I feel like there’s so much I still need to do… like:
Go on a wine tour
Eat at more awesome restaurants
Go to a comedy show
Buy souvenirs
Green Point flea market
Go to Llandudno beach
Visit the Association for Visual Arts – (actually did this yesterday!)
Rhodes Memorial
Robben Island
Aquarium
Hour long cruise
Gold of Africa museum
Climb Lion’s Head
Surfing at Muizenberg
Eat at Mzoli’s
And then besides that, just enjoy the local life (like eating, ha). Zola was also going to take me to one of his soccer matches in the township at some point. Need to ask him about that. Thursday a couchsurfer, Jerome, is taking me up the west coast while he meets customers for his business, but will be able to show me some of the towns and sightseeing as well. He’s picking me up at 6:30 am (oy), so need to be up in time for that…
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