Keeping it Classy, Cape Town

Woah! I'm going to say it again,  sorry for leaving those in limbo who are wondering where my life has been lately. My mind is flustered right now in trying to put something together in this blog; so much has happened these last couple weeks: exams, Lea in town, goofy weather, locals taking advantage of my Americanism, good company, caving...Let's put it this way, I've been adventuring in my own back yard here. Not to mention it's all been one hell of a good time. Heres some news in the latest through a mind that tends to think about things too much.

Weather: So long days of warmth and sunshine. Today was the first real wind/rain storm of the season. Things have cooled off, cloudy days are now a common reality, throw in rain and lots of wind, and we've got ourselves a Cape Town winter. I often find myself cold now. My South African tan is fading, jeans and long sleeves are my new wardrobe (although I hardly packed much of this.)  However, my sandal usage won't change, despite my cold feet.  Nope, Doesn't feel like summer here anymore, although temps. still range in the low/mid 60's day and low 50's high 40's at night. I hope to be greeted my warm(er) Minnesota temps in just a couple weeks.

University: No more essays! Whew, wasn't sure if I would pull through with the amount of writing that was choked down my throat. (We all know how sensitive my stomach is.)- But, I have learned a lot through the process this semester.- I have already taken 2 of my 3 exams. FYI: Exams here are ridiculous, they're 50% of your grade. Essay based. 2-3 hours. I don't understand why they weigh so much of one's grade in one sitting. I feel it is the progress and development/work ethic and work done through the semester that should play more of an emphasis. In my opinion, that is when most of the learning is taken place. Anyways, I  have one final 3 hour exam next Wednesday. Then I'm all done.
 Exams are 3 weeks long, much more spread out than the states. (UCT also rotates lecturers every 3-4 weeks, so one will not have the same prof. the entire semester.). This new system of final exams  has given me lots of play time aside from my studying.

Lea's Here!: Lea arrived last Sat. night; my host family here threw a welcome braii (barbeque) for her. I also cracked open a bottle of 2011 Sauvignon Blanc from a vineyard I cannot remember the name of. It has been challenging to balance my studying and adventuring around town with her here, but the brunt of things is over, and her presence has been enjoyable thus far. Gavin and Diane (host rents) have also lent a hand in playing tour guide while I played good student and studied. We've done a lot, however, since her arrival. Caving in Kalk Bay, vinyards, shark cage diving, touring campus and everywhere else in Cape Town, dining with the host rents, playing with penguins, night life, etc. She's here until Friday- and the itinerary for the week is packed. (Another blog post soon to follow.)

Vinards: Toured 5 more vinyards (hardly remember the names of them), 28 varieties of wine, great company, lots of laughs, wine, and memories most of us can't remember. Things got a bit out of control come vineyard 4 and 5. What an experience last Monday was!

Shark Cage Diving: Epic.

Cape Town: Well, I was 'mugged' 2 Fridays ago. I pulled out a map in Cape Town to find a store I was looking for. BOOM = Tourist = Lets rob them! Well, I told the guy who claimed he had a gun under his jacket t there was no gun- rather it was his hand. I caught him in the act. (I gave him 10 Rand before I knew this.) Afterwards, I should have just beat the S*&% out of him rather than let him walk. Oh well.

This afternoon, on the train ride home from Penguin Colony (Boulder's Beach), 3 Capetonians approached both Lea and myself. They were hackling us- exclaiming they are going to take our bags and a bunch of other jargon that I couldn't understand coming out of their mouths. (In the meantime, my expensive camera was resting in my backpack, frightened for its life). After some edgy moments, we gave them a few rand, which is what they wanted. This was the first time I had ever had trouble riding the train here in Cape Town. Afterwards, I realized what I had done wrong: These people were sitting near Lea and myself while we waited for the train. They had overheard our American voices as we were scrolling through pictures/taking pictures on Lea's camera. We had exposed our American identity (which shouldn't really matter, but in Cape Town,  one must be careful especially around public transport areas where one can easily be robbed/mugged.) Americans are targets for theft, as we often have money and valuables written all over ourselves. All is good, camera is doing fine. (Oh, and so is Lea).

I feel as though I've become a tourist again, trying to do and see as much as I can before I leave in only 2.5 weeks. That short amount of time hasn't hit or phased me yet, as I feel like I live here now. I've settled in, and I'm content with my life here. I'm anxious about returning home, I've been trying my best to prepare. However, as the days come nearer, I find myself more and more not 'ready' to leave quite yet. (This comes contrary to just a few weeks ago, where my excitement to return to the states was higher.) On the flip side, I'm looking forward to seeing the family, the dog, mom's cooking, the cabin, and more sunny days and warm weather. I'm also going fishing when I get home, which will help the adjusting process. I really am going to miss a million things about this place though- including my new family here.

I'm going to blog a couple more times before I depart the Mother City. Keep an eye out for more frequent updates. Enjoy the plethora of photos, I couldn't help but showcase a scrapling of the good times that are being had on my side of the world.

All the best.

Fall/winter is here!

In the caves, thousands of bats everywhere! - Round 2 (Photo Courtesy Lea Abrahamson).

Kalk Bay fishing Harbor. (Photo Courtesy Lea Abrahamson).

My host parents, Gavin and Diane Van Schalkwyk.

Stormy seas at Bloubergstrand Beach. Table Mountain in the far distance.

Remember Home Alone 2: Lost in New York? The crazy Bird Lady? Well, Lea and I found  her, I mean him, hiding out in Company Gardens downtown Cape Town.

Cookin' crapes for the family.

This little guy and I were playing tag; he'd run after me, then I would do the same for him. The whole thing continued for 5 min. or so. (Photo Courtesy Lea Abrahamson).

'Austin Powers' Pizza with Avocado at Primi Blue, a restaurant Gavin and Diane took both Lea and myself to this past Sunday. - Blourbergstrand Beach. 

South African (Jackass)Penguins!

In the clouds: Exploring Kalk Bay caves with Ilana: round 1. (Photo courtesy Ilana Caplan)

The 'crew' at one of 5 vineyards. (Photo courtesy Ilana Caplan).

Here's many toasts. (Photo Courtesy Ilana Caplan).

Seidelberg vineyard. (Photo Courtesy Ilana Caplan).

Sums up the rest of the afternoon. (Photo Courtesy Ilana Caplan).

The 'crew': Shark Cage Diving: Somewhere near Hermanus. (Photo Courtesy Ilana Caplan).

We drank all of this.

Great white.  Proud to say I am the only one who never got sea sickness on the boat. (Photo Courtesy Ilana Caplan). 

Like sand through an hour glass, so are the days of our Lives

Greetings fellow blog mates,

I'm going to scale down what I had originally had planned to write on here, as my fingers are stiff, sore, numb, etc.. from the amount of essay writing this past week. I also have an essay yet to start that needs to be completed by the end of this week, so I must conserve my finger muscles as best I can. Fortunately after that I have 3 exams  spanning until the 8th of June. . These exams count for 50% of my final grade, and you must pass them to pass the course. They are essay based, and 2-3 hours long. Wish me luck. And then thats it. I can't even believe it.

I understand there has been a significant lapse from my last blog. Here's an update from a few weeks ago:

I pursued an unforeseen adventure over the Easter holidays to the Drakensberg Mountains--the tallest and largest mountain range in South Africa---, a 15 hour drive north and east of Cape Town. (Closer to Johannesburg.) There were a plethora of public holidays (workers day, Freedom Day, and Family Day) which gave me another 11 day vacation. (Jealous, I know.) It was me and 3 other Mountain and Ski Club members who pursued a 5 day Mountaineering/hiking trip in the 'the berg'. It was my longest mountain hiking trip yet, and arguably the most beautiful. At over 3000m, I was somewhat physically, but way more mentally tested, in terms of exposure and risk to serious  possible catastrophic consequences of doing myself harm. For example, the 3rd night we slept in Rolands Cave (the most epic cave ever. Ever.), but to get at it we had to navigate ourselves along the edge of an escarpment, or cliff wall, with no path, nothing to hold onto, and me and one hell of a drop below. Yes, I was shit scared., but I had never felt so much pure Ecstasy  and feelings of being alive. The views were incomparable to anything I had seen before. The mountains still had their lush velvet coating of green, as the rainy season was just coming to an end. It was cold, the waterfalls were already partially frozen, signaling winter is just around the corner. Since being back in Cape Town, I've been experiencing heavy doses of Mountain Fever. Lucky for me a hike in the mountains is only a train ride away.

I've acquired a new hobby in South Africa, drinking wine. I have been a devoted member to Wine Society at UCT, where the vineyards come to campus every Friday... and well, we taste wines. I was just at another vineyard today through the abroad program. Two weeks ago I went to 4 vineyards out in Stellenbosch and Paarl with some friends. As many of you know, South Africa is very well known for its wine, and in the Western Cape alone, there are 100's of vineyards that one can tour and sample various wines. As my palette continues to strengthen, so does my obsession. I plan on bringing a few bottles home with me.

I toured a township last weekend, Guguletu, and then headed to Mzoles afterwards, a must experience restaurant right next to the township that serves meat. Thats what you eat at this place, meat.Served on Giant plates, and lots of it. You also provide your own alcoholic beverages, and eat with your fingers. I had a great time being three years old again; eating steak  chicken, sausage, and pap with my hands. The eccentric,  atmosphere and experience is nothing like I've experienced before. That was Mother's Day.

Last weekend I also did some Cave exploration in the mountains in Cape Town. Who knew?! Another epic experience to add to the list.

There was a fire in Masiphumelele, another township, a few weeks ago. 1500 homes were burnt to the ground, displacing over 5000 people, who lost everything of what little they had. I thought I would include this because the majority of people living in Cape Town live in Townships, in poor and unsanitary living conditions lacking very basic needs. (I am learning so much right now about vulnerability and people's livelihoods related to vulnerability in my Sustainability and Environment class-- how they can be assessed, and adaptation strategies to improve their situation.)

Aside from academics beginning to wrap up (this last week was hell), I am fully aware my time left here on this end of the world is not long. I have roughly a month left in Cape Town. Ignoring the idea of leaving and saying good byes is unavoidable. I happen to find myself reflecting about my abroad experience and myself as a multi cultural citizen (along with a crap load of other things) more and more everyday. I won't go into specific details now, as my fingers are hurting again, and I'm tired.

Next week I have the lady friend (Lea Abrahamson) coming to visit, along with my new camera :). I'm excited to show her around and for her to experience a taste of a completely unique culture to that of the states.

One last thing:
For the first time (this past week) since leaving the states,  I've found myself wearing Jeans and a sweater. The leaves are changing colours, the sun is setting earlier and earlier, and the days are cooling off. With more and more days of clouds and fog, winter is almost here. I miss those warm days back in Jan-March. I am aware, however, my sense of cold has changed since living here, as I have fully acclimated myself in terms of what I consider warm/cool temperatures.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and the photos. Cheers!

South Africa's finest vineyards. Thank you Monday holiday for  yet more play time . 

Mzoles!

Drakensberg Mountains. Taken at the very beginning of the hike. We summited Cathedral Peak  at the top right corner of the photo, and then hiked the Bell Traverse afterwards. You can see the bell in the distance. This trip was surreal.

On top of Cathedral Peak (Over 3100m). We ended up summiting just after 4 PM. We were not able to spend much time on the peak because we had to get down, as nightfall was quickly approaching.

Nostalgia of winter time in the states. Never thought I'd be eating icicles in South Africa. 

Morning View from Roland's Cave.

Roland's Cave.

Guguletu Township. Most people's only access to water is through a communal tap where they have to walk distances to get water. On the weekends, the demand can be so high that the water supply runs out. 

An Insightful Lecture Series

Howzit!

It's been a while since I've last been on this thing, so to those of you who are often refreshing the page in hopes of another update, sorry for the delay. And apologies for the lengthiness of this. Bear with me.

I just got back from the Cape Institute for Architects in downtown Cape Town. I attended one night of a 4 part series of speakers who are distinguished architects,  involved with a project entitled 'Frontiers of Integration'. It deals largely with architecture reengaging  human needs. Enlightened I was. A bit on the presentation I attended:

Italian born architect Fabrizio Carola, born in Naples Italy (1931), and graduate of University of Naples in Architecture (1961), presented his work mainly of his Hospital Kaedi in Mauritania, which is near Algeria. (In Africa). He spent much of his career focusing on bio-climatic architecture. [I should mention that Carolas, who spoke a variety of languages including French, Italian, Spanish, and not very good English, used a translator to present his work this evening.]

His philosophy was developing a more humane, people focused architecure that was environmentally friendly, focusing on the African People who lived in the area.

Carola designed a series of domes, or vaults, out of materials readily available and plentiful. This eliminated several material possibilities, such as concrete and wood. He used Earth as his material choice, in which he fired in a kiln he designed- using rice husks as fuel. (Wood was not readily available, nor a sustainable approach, while the rice husks were a natural, inedible waste.)

The hospital itself consisted of a series of vaults, interlocking, and erected from a tool called a compass. Congestion was an issue with visitors coming in and out of the previous facility. Carola incorporated a design strategy in which patients rooms were accessible from both inside and outside, so that families could at will from the outside, allowing visitation. Space outside was also designed for these families to camp or dwell while their loved ones were ill.

These elliptical cupolas were designed with a double skin feature (air gap between outside/inside wall) that allowed for a natural system in controlling temperature. - This technique is often applied in today's architecture. I was lucky to hear him speak, he's a guy with good insight. I thoroughly enjoyed  an after reception of wine and higher class hour`derves  afterwards.

I also had some architecture fix earlier in the day, as I listened to a former UCT architecture student give a presentation on 'What kind of City Does a Street Make?'. Living in London for 8 years, she studied socio patterns of of ethnical and cultural diversity in relations to capital globalization and small scale economies. Her talk had lots of relevance as to what I am studying in my Environmental Science class.

Reading an educational summary of today's activities may not be highly appealing to all of you, but I though I would share a thing or two on an area of interest important to me.

In other news: Things I've been up to these last several days:


1. Hiking. A nice 40K hike, called 'The Roof', stretching a sunrise and sunset, unbearable heat, little wind, but glorious views of Cape Town.
2. Exploring. Company Gardens (a shady green oasis full of flora/fauna species, pigeons, squirrels, and other critters in the heart of Cape Town.), South African National Gallery, and Robben Island (where Mandela was imprisoned for 16 of his 27 years.)
3.Wine Society. A great way to start of the weekend by drinking, or flavoring, lots of wine on campus, for almost FREE! Unlike NDSU, UCT is not a dry campus.
4. Working. Lots of readings, research, and more readings and research. And then writing. I actually do give a damn about my academics here. The material I am learning is quite interesting.
5. Not writing in this. Have you ever tried blogging? Yea, its time consuming.

Happy Easter or Passover to everybody. (Or whatever other holiday you celebrate at this time, if any.)

Before Sunrise on 'The Roof' hike.

Sunrise on 'The Roof' hike.

Hiking.

Robben Island. Can't really see Table Mountain in the distance because of fire smoke.

Fabrizio Carola- Architect.

Side View of Nelson Mandela's Cell on Robben Island.

Hospital in Maritania (Africa)- Architect Fabrizio Carola.

Architect Fabrizio Carola.

Architect Fabrizio Carola.

Sala Kahle! (Stay Well) [A much less knowledge learning blog to come.]
 
 
 

The call of the Wild (Up Norte)

Hey guys (and girls),

'9 days, 3 countries, 4 currencies, 2 backpacks filled with more than was necessary, 1 trip of a lifetime.

I had an absolutely incredible, 'epic' adventure (I need another word as a descriptive synonym to describe events in my life - but in reality, that's what my week was. Epic.) exploring a small portion of the heart of Africa (not everyone may consider this the heart of Africa, but it felt like it.). These countries are beyond surreal in beauty, culture, climate, wildlife, and natural landscape. A friend of mine, Sydney, from New York, and myself decided it would just be the two of us. We thought that the more people one adds to the type of adventure we were looking for, the more difficult it was going to be to meet people. Because of circumstances of this trip, and what lay ahead of us, we decided not to travel with a bunch of our friends here (although we did run into them on several occasions), and rent a car- as it would make it harder for us to step outside of our bubble and interact with other travelers. 9 days.

 We flew into Livingstone, Zambia, where we then headed to Botswana via taxi, bus, and hitchhiking (in which one has to pay a small fee in Botswana). After a few days in the Okavango Delta and a game drive in Chobe National Park, we made our way to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. We ended our trip back in Livingstone. We had the opportunity to see Victoria Falls from both sides. Sydney was a great traveling companion- a very easy going and laid back person, which made for a successful trip. Arriving back in Cape Town, I really noticed a difference in cooler weather. The leaves here are starting to change on campus. It's April, and autumn is just about here. Weird!

Instead of going into detail about everything, I'm going to jot down a few quotations from my personal journal entries that I find more beneficial in sharing my experience. 

 "Jollyboys Backpackers Lodge is a paradise from paradise. The atmosphere is very 'chill', with lots of sprawl out space filled with large ornate cushions that offers one flexibility to create his/her own relaxation pad."

"In reality, there really is no way to describe the place I'm in right now, this city, this backpackers lodge, this country. I'm minutes away from one of the 7 natural wonders of the world (Victoria Falls) ."

"Fireflies- haven't seen those in a long time. The intense chatter of the frogs reminds me of home, and summer. And really good nights rests. A massive thunder storm and lightning show made its way over our camp tonight. The view was spectacular. I feel like I'm living the Nat Geo or Discovery channel right now. Life out here is so surreal. It's so surreal. I must come back- I will come back."

"On our hike this evening, we could hear grunts. Deep, thundering grunts and other unfamiliar noises to my ears. Hippos."

"I feel as though I've returned to my element, except this is nothing like what I've experienced in my element before. Africa. Exotic bug species I never knew existed- crawling all over me as I write this, my and hand this journal  foreign objects paving the way for exploration."

"It's currently 5:30 AM in the Delta. Lions can be heard in the distance (claiming their territory), hippos grunting meters from us. Epic. We're about to leave for one hell of a morning walking safari. Holy S*$% these hippos are noisy! Whatever explanation for the noise they're making, its so (insert swear word here) awesome. I think our plan is to mokoro to the main island, where we're going to do some walking, serious walking, to spot beasts of nature."

"I managed to flag down a guy last last minute headed for Maun- all the while haulting the massive passenger bus departing, to remove my bag from the under carriage compartments."

"It was roughly a 3 hour bus ride. We ended up stopping roughly half way for a checkpoint. 'Everyone off the bus'. We were instructed to dip our feet into a sanitation pit (more or less a bunch of muddy water), and get our bags searched.The whole purpose of this fiasco was to prevent foot and mouth disease."

"We ended up getting heavily stuck in the mud along the driveway to a Backpacker's Lodge. The entire scene was beyond comical. Charles (our driver) was beyond words, panic stricken. I thought the entire thing made the long day quite humourous."

"I suppose I better put a shirt on, not sure how many mosquito bites my malaria pills can endure."`

"I've been giving myself time to reflect on stuff thus far-  my experiences here in Africa, my family back at home, architecture, school, Morgan, LIFE. A cleansing moment in time."

"Adventure: with adventure comes the idea that one needs to let all preconceived notions go and slip away. That anything can happen. Prepare for the unexpected. Don't be startled or shaken by the unexpected. With adventure comes obstacles or challenges. Challenges don't go away on vacation. Instead, vacation provides opportunity for one to look at these challenges differently, as adventures in themselves, as realizations, as life experiences. Experiences that provides opportunity to grow and learn."

"Both visits (to Vic Falls) provided complementary showers with admission- which did wonders for me, and the environment- as I haven't showered  [intentionally] once this entire trip. Nor have I hardly changed my clothes since last Saturday."

"The experience in itself was mystifying....to be standing in its presence. To witness its grandeur."

"I could see nothing as I made my way across the bridge. Heavy rainfall and gravity defying spray that created a white cloud engulfed me.."

"Walking next to baboons, monkeys, and warthogs is a norm in this part of the world. For me, however, these experiences, these 'foreign' animals to America, will never get old."

"Upon departure from Livingstone, I had a good chat with some 'older' British travelers. 2 couples, who 'like to keep it kinky- even at our age!'".

"I'm starting to lose it, my brain is now in sleep mode, its last generators have failed in any last attempts to jot down a few more ideas or thoughts. Tomorrow---"

Relaxin'

A local's life via mokoro transport.

My attempt at giving this mokoro navigation a shot. This stuff is much harder than it looks.

Pre-sunrise in the Okavango Delta. 

Sydney and I. 

Dipping shoes in sanitizer to prevent foot and mouth disease. 

Chobe National Park- morning game drive.

The mighty Victoria Falls. I was lucky to see this during the wet season, where the falls are most intense.

The area surrounding the falls is rain forest. A perfect breeding ground for plant and specie diversity.

60 Degree Temps- The 'New' Sweatshirt Weather

Delicious Braii Dinner I had with my weekend host family while in Ocean View Township for the weekend.

A little behind schedule as I headed off with Diane and Gavin for a sunset pic-nic at Camps Bay. This pic was taken from the car.

Jammie Plaza, University of Cape Town. 

Hex River Mountains- sunrise.

We hiked along the edge of of the canyon walls, that plummeted as far as the eye could see. Epic. 

Natural, freshwater pools/falls. The water was so clean you could drink the water you swam in. Nothing beats some swimming/playing in the nude- especially in nature, in the mountain, in South Africa, in Africa.

My weekend home-stay family/extended family. A hilarious bunch, I have never laughed so hard in one weekend, ever. This was taken in Hout Bay, where fisherman can often be seen unloading snoek.

Zavior, my weekend home-stay brother in Ocean View Township, and a little neighbor boy on my shoulders. I never figured out his name, but seemed to 'hang out' with the family the entire weekend. We are cheering on the Cape Argus Bicycle Race---the 'Tour de France' of South Africa. Lance Armstrong came in second last year.

I'm writing this post while waiting at the train station, the sun beating down heavily on me, but feels mighty good as the weather these past few days has been mostly overcast and breezy. The weather lately has hinted that fall is on its way (although the seasons here don't change much except for some cooler weather and rain- which is still often mixed with sunny days.), while I've found myself a bit chilly in 60 degree weather. Sounds absurd for a Minnesotan to think. It's crazy how fast one can acclimate to a new climate- especially Cape Town.

The view  where I'm writing from, only one living in a a flat plain such as Fargo can dream of. Diamond's Peak stretches itself above the train depot and university dormitories in front of me, providing a pleasant backdrop silhouette when the sun sinks beneath the mountain. I've had the opportunity to witness this on more than one occasion.  

It has been the little things, the 'mundane' things, that have been perking my interests lately; surprising me, and making my time here that much more meaningful. In absorbing my surroundings of everyday life, I have nearly cruised on the train right past Varsity, missing my stop more than once. (Same as when I'm riding the Jammie Shuttle-the on campus bus system). My mind will often get lost in time, which is happening more and more here while taking in  this everyday life style. It is the kind of things one sees, hears, tastes, etc. everyday that you don't really think about, but when you do, you slow down and attempt to savor the experience. Just to name a few: The overcrowded, jam packed train carriages (Esp. during the 5 o'clock hour), little babies whaling on the train, [this may not seem enjoyable, but it really adds to the whole experience of someone who utilized public transit in Cape Town- one of the things that I will miss come June.). Beggers on the train. Noticing a patch of  giant cactus  that I walk by frequently, yet never realized its presence. Spicy Chutney on Rooties (A  S. African Favorite). Nearly stepping on doves while walking to class, never 'fully out of your way', and always watching for the wind to blow your sandwich out of your hand. (They're all over campus, cleaning up people's leftover lunch crumbs.--Reminds me of what Boone used to do.), taxi drivers yelling 'Wynberg' or 'Cape Town' out of the window, with a flick of a whistle. Crossing the street while cars speed by right next to you (this process has taken me about a month and a half to get good at.).

I finally started volunteering this week. I am not volunteering in an orphanage, or underprivileged school, or township, or hospital, like most people think of when volunteering in Africa. Instead, I am working with Young In Prison. Juveniles who are trying to turn their life around. I will be working with them through  creative writing/dance/art in ways that they can express themselves. It was a very real experience the other day- I am fortunate my living facilities are what they are. 

I went on a 4 day hike/traverse through the Hex River Mountain Range. It was something out of this world, something I couldn't believe I was seeing and experiencing, and something that is one of the highlights of my time here so far. 

Cape Town is a hot spot for celebrity spottings. Celebrities often vacation in Cape Town. Right now, Denzel Washingtion and Ryan Reynolds are filming a movie here. These people have been seen by several of us abroad kids here, not including myself.

As for my academics, whoa! Things have been wild lately, trying to scramble in reading, papers, tests, and studying prior to vac which starts tomorrow- a week off is sounding pretty tempting right now. However, I have papers, presentations, and projects due the first week back from break. Still figuring out how I'm going to manage to get all of that taken care of, as I am leaving at 3 in the morning for Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, where some serious adventure is about to be had. (and won't be back until the following Sunday evening).

April is quickly approaching, the time here is zipping by-and that scares me. Where did March go?