Here are some shots from Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, the view from the patio at our inn, and the botanical gardens.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Photos from Cape Town
Here are some shots from Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, the view from the patio at our inn, and the botanical gardens.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Lesotho: Liberation Breast Pump
I never would have said it before, but the breast pump was an incredible invention. They don’t seem to exist here in Lesotho, and I never would have imagined the difficulty that creates for women.
Women in this country breastfeed, almost entirely. Even with the high prevalence of HIV here, breastfeeding is essential, because otherwise the rate of malnutrition rises in a dangerous way. Breastfeeding is free, and the 250 malutis (30 dollars) it costs to provide a month’s supply of formula is too much for most women here.
However, going back to work for a mother with an infant at home is not straightforward. If she goes back to work, she has to buy formula, which will eat up much of her paycheck. For a married mom, this is an easier option because there is dad’s paycheck coming in—so it is easier to either stay at home or buy the formula. For a single mother, this is very difficult. And, since the breast pump doesn’t exist here, continuing to use their own free milk isn’t an option. Hence—the breast pump could really liberate the single mom in Lesotho. (I suppose the lack of refrigerators could further complicate things as well, but I’ll ignore that for now).
Women in this country breastfeed, almost entirely. Even with the high prevalence of HIV here, breastfeeding is essential, because otherwise the rate of malnutrition rises in a dangerous way. Breastfeeding is free, and the 250 malutis (30 dollars) it costs to provide a month’s supply of formula is too much for most women here.
However, going back to work for a mother with an infant at home is not straightforward. If she goes back to work, she has to buy formula, which will eat up much of her paycheck. For a married mom, this is an easier option because there is dad’s paycheck coming in—so it is easier to either stay at home or buy the formula. For a single mother, this is very difficult. And, since the breast pump doesn’t exist here, continuing to use their own free milk isn’t an option. Hence—the breast pump could really liberate the single mom in Lesotho. (I suppose the lack of refrigerators could further complicate things as well, but I’ll ignore that for now).
The Scariest Haunted Hike
Rafe and I are at Hluhluwe-Imfolowzi, a game reserve in the Kwazulu-Natal state of South Africa. This reserve is 1/20th the size of Kruger (the HUGE park in South Africa that’s very well known), but has all the big five and has a “wilder feel”.
Big Five = Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalo, Rhinos
“Wilder Feel” = Less fences, in particular around the resorts
On our drive from the park gate 15 km to our camp, we saw rhinos, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, and (Rafe’s favorite) an elephant. Our first morning we went on a game drive, and saw more of the same, but much more close up (minus the elephant). We did more driving and exploring ourselves throughout the park, and Rafe even spotted two lions!
But, we wanted a bit more of an adventure, and Rafe wanted to connect with nature, so we signed up for a guided walk. I’m not really sure why I agreed to such a preposterous idea. The moment we got out of the car, our guide loaded up his rifle. At this point, I probably should have just gotten back in the car. He then explained the rules:
1. Always stay 1 meter behind the person in front of you, and NEVER go in front of him.
2. Don’t talk.
3. If you have a question, you can shoot your fingers (he meant snap).
4. If you see dangerous game—do not scream, do not run. Shoot your fingers, and say Elliot, there it is. And you can ask, after you shoot your fingers, Elliot, what is going on?
Once again, why I didn’t turn around right then, I can’t say. Other than Rafe really wanted to do it, and I certainly didn’t want him to go out there alone with Elliot.
We proceeded to spend the next, longest 2 hours of my life, going in circles, walking through the dung of many, many animals, following tracks, and getting a little too up close and personal with a few rhinos. My own bowels never relaxed; I sweat through all my clothes. I never stopped scanning my surroundings for lion eyes in the savannah grasses or leopard tails in trees. Elliot, he told us later, is much more concerned about elephants (the closest we got to them was some freshly broken trees and dung).
I have to admit, it was quite amazing. But, I will never do that again.
Big Five = Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalo, Rhinos
“Wilder Feel” = Less fences, in particular around the resorts
On our drive from the park gate 15 km to our camp, we saw rhinos, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, and (Rafe’s favorite) an elephant. Our first morning we went on a game drive, and saw more of the same, but much more close up (minus the elephant). We did more driving and exploring ourselves throughout the park, and Rafe even spotted two lions!
But, we wanted a bit more of an adventure, and Rafe wanted to connect with nature, so we signed up for a guided walk. I’m not really sure why I agreed to such a preposterous idea. The moment we got out of the car, our guide loaded up his rifle. At this point, I probably should have just gotten back in the car. He then explained the rules:
1. Always stay 1 meter behind the person in front of you, and NEVER go in front of him.
2. Don’t talk.
3. If you have a question, you can shoot your fingers (he meant snap).
4. If you see dangerous game—do not scream, do not run. Shoot your fingers, and say Elliot, there it is. And you can ask, after you shoot your fingers, Elliot, what is going on?
Once again, why I didn’t turn around right then, I can’t say. Other than Rafe really wanted to do it, and I certainly didn’t want him to go out there alone with Elliot.
We proceeded to spend the next, longest 2 hours of my life, going in circles, walking through the dung of many, many animals, following tracks, and getting a little too up close and personal with a few rhinos. My own bowels never relaxed; I sweat through all my clothes. I never stopped scanning my surroundings for lion eyes in the savannah grasses or leopard tails in trees. Elliot, he told us later, is much more concerned about elephants (the closest we got to them was some freshly broken trees and dung).
I have to admit, it was quite amazing. But, I will never do that again.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Basotho Kindness
The people of Lesotho, the Basotho, are amazingly friendly and kind. Now that it is coming time for me to leave, all of the local Basotho who work at Baylor are coming up to me and telling me how I will be missed. Their smiling faces were such a welcome when I arrived, and now they make it that much harder to leave.
The Basotho also really want to make sure that you enjoy their country. I was telling one of the drivers what a wonderful time I’ve had here, and how nice everyone is, and he responded, “Well, I would hope so. We cannot call ourselves a Christian country if we are not kind.”
The Basotho also really want to make sure that you enjoy their country. I was telling one of the drivers what a wonderful time I’ve had here, and how nice everyone is, and he responded, “Well, I would hope so. We cannot call ourselves a Christian country if we are not kind.”
100 km 27 Hours (Our Trek to Semonkong)
1. Estimated time of Departure = 3pm, Actual Time of Departure = 6pm
2. Flat tire in the middle of pitch-black mountains—never knew the flashlight my dad so carefully picked out at Target would be such a lifesaver (that and the men with a new jack who stopped to help).
3. About 10pm: with 25 km to go (of a windy dirt road in the mountains, so about 1 hour time), we cannot proceed any further . . . a semi-truck is jackknifed in the road and partially hanging of the edge of the cliff.
4. Since no one will be moving the truck tonight, we head back to the nearest lodge about 30 minutes back—it’s full.
5. So we backtrack about another hour, to a lodge in Roma. We are lucky, and they have rooms available because people cancelled at the last minute. We get in bed around midnight.
6. We head out the next morning because the lodge heard word that people were trying to move the truck. The truck, however, had not been moved, and we have to back track to get to cell phone service (at the top of a different mountain) to update them on this predicament.
7. The lodge plans to meet us on the other side of the truck, and we will carry our luggage and all the frozen meat and groceries (did I mention we were traveling with the lodge’s chef?) around the truck and up the mountain and leave the car behind.
8. This is successful, but by the time this all happens, we need to wait a bit more for a few more guests.
9. Rafe and I have a couple beers in the mountains and appreciate the view while we wait.
10. We all pile into the back of a very large truck bed, and finish those last 25 kilometers as the sun is setting beautifully over the mountains—As tired as I was, it was beautiful.
11. About 6pm: we pull into the lovely Semonkong Lodge and have a wonderful time pony-trekking, hiking, meeting fun people, and eating delicious food.
2. Flat tire in the middle of pitch-black mountains—never knew the flashlight my dad so carefully picked out at Target would be such a lifesaver (that and the men with a new jack who stopped to help).
3. About 10pm: with 25 km to go (of a windy dirt road in the mountains, so about 1 hour time), we cannot proceed any further . . . a semi-truck is jackknifed in the road and partially hanging of the edge of the cliff.
4. Since no one will be moving the truck tonight, we head back to the nearest lodge about 30 minutes back—it’s full.
5. So we backtrack about another hour, to a lodge in Roma. We are lucky, and they have rooms available because people cancelled at the last minute. We get in bed around midnight.
6. We head out the next morning because the lodge heard word that people were trying to move the truck. The truck, however, had not been moved, and we have to back track to get to cell phone service (at the top of a different mountain) to update them on this predicament.
7. The lodge plans to meet us on the other side of the truck, and we will carry our luggage and all the frozen meat and groceries (did I mention we were traveling with the lodge’s chef?) around the truck and up the mountain and leave the car behind.
8. This is successful, but by the time this all happens, we need to wait a bit more for a few more guests.
9. Rafe and I have a couple beers in the mountains and appreciate the view while we wait.
10. We all pile into the back of a very large truck bed, and finish those last 25 kilometers as the sun is setting beautifully over the mountains—As tired as I was, it was beautiful.
11. About 6pm: we pull into the lovely Semonkong Lodge and have a wonderful time pony-trekking, hiking, meeting fun people, and eating delicious food.
Update
Rafe and I have been traveling since my last post, and this is the first that I've had internet (or much electricity, in fact). So, I'm going to intermix some old posts from my work and some currents from traveling . . . hope you enjoy!
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