South Africa #15: All the Small Things

Bigger doesn't always mean better.  If you keep your eyes open, you can find lots of interesting things above and below you.  Here are some photos of awesome little things from the African Bush.

Snail shell.

South Africa #14: Scream 2

I figured that I would get scared at some point during my trip, and I did.  In fact, there were two times when I screamed.  I was 20 to 30 feet away from a lion and lioness.  I saw big hairy spiders.  A hyena walked right next to me as I slept in my tent.  Bats flew above my head.  And I saw another volunteer almost get bit by a crocodile.  But no, these were not the times that I screamed.

South Africa #13: Where's my elephant?

Two of the volunteer tasks that I chose to do here were to collect data during elephant sightings and to work on elephant ID Kits.  I had no idea what exactly these two tasks entailed when I signed up for them, but I am here to learn.  The "training" here isn't the best, which appears to be due mostly to understaffing, poor planning and organization, and miscommunication.  The research "staff" is also very young, but I suppose they are doing the best they can.  After several days of confusion, I eventually became more confident in my understanding of and ability to do these two tasks.  And I have learned a lot more about elephants.

South Africa #12: Hallucinations

After being here for 2 weeks, I am happy to say that I have become pretty good at spotting animals while we are out on our game drives.  Sometimes I notice things that no one else saw until I pointed it out, which let's me know that my glasses prescription must be just fine.


However, for every good sighting that I have, I would say that I also make two times as many bad sightings...in my head, at least.  It is amazing how much the animals here are adapted to life in the African bush.  The animals come in so many shapes and sizes, but they all blend in perfectly with the landscape.  Even animals like zebras and giraffes, with such distinct coloring and patterns, camouflage perfectly into areas of vegetation.

South Africa #11: You don't have to...

If you've read my previous South Africa posts, then you probably have gotten the impression that there is a general disregard for safety here.  If so, you are not entirely incorrect.  I have been extremely shocked by the lackadaisical attitude here regarding matters involving health and safety.

South Africa #10: Raptors

For one of my data tasks last week, I chose to track raptors.  No, we are not working at Jurassic Park.  Raptors is another word for birds of prey.  It was weird to get used to saying that word at first, but now I can't look at a bird of prey in the sky without shouting "Raptor!"



Do you see it?

South Africa #9: Survival of the Fittest

Bright and early Friday morning one of the guides took us on a "survival drive."  The purpose was for us to have a hands-on lesson about survival in the African bush.

Another beautiful sunrise that morning.

South Africa #8: Get a Little Closer

This past week's overnight research outing almost didn't happen because of the weather. It poured down rain all morning, so the research coordinator said that the trip was cancelled.  But later on in the morning the weather started to clear up.  There was still a chance of rain later that day and the following day, but she decided to let us vote whether or not we should go.  Six of us chose to go...and it turned out that weather ended up being perfect! Just another reason why democracy rules.

Will it rain or not?

South Africa #7: Walk the Line

This past Friday and Saturday I went on an overnight bush walk trip.  The guide for this outing was one of the guides that works with the research program that I am volunteering with.  Five other volunteers also attended along with a guide who is currently interning at the game reserve we visited.

 

After getting settled at our camp site in the middle of the reserve, we headed out for our first walk.  First, we were told the rules.  We had to obey all orders given by the guide, without question.  We also needed to remain quiet.  Both of these rules were for the safety of everyone.

 

When going on a bush walk, everyone walks in a single file line.  This is so we look like only one person and not a huge group of people when approaching animals.  The guide remains in the front and every 15 to 20 minutes, the person behind the guide falls back to become the last person in line.

 

Our two guides.  They carried rifles which they would only use as a last resort if an animal was about to attack us.

South Africa #6: Grammar Lesson

There are so many random things that I am learning while here, some formally and some just by happenstance.  For example, today when asking about a bug that I saw, I learned that there is a difference between poisonous and venomous.  I never really thought about it before, but after it was pointed out, these two words really do mean two separate things.

The bug in question: a millipede.

South Africa #5: Weeding

Volunteering work can be enjoyable but a lot of the time it really is work.  Take Thursday and Friday, for example.  Part of our weekly agenda always includes removal of invasive species, which is a fancy way of saying weeding.  There are a few different kinds of plants that our program focuses on, and on Thursday it was lantana.

South Africa #4: Day & Night, Night & Day

The activities here range from relaxing to intense, and each day seems to be full of surprises.

South Africa #3: First Day of Work

Monday was my first day of volunteer work. I was anxious to get started but also a little nervous. The day began at 8am with an information session for all the new volunteers, which lasted a couple hours. There are five brand new volunteers at the moment, including me. In addition to the two I met on Saturday there is a girl from Canada and an older lady from the US who is Canadian. Three of four other volunteers are with another project that focuses on photography. The Mexican girl and I are both working with the Research and Conservation project. During our introductions, all of us were asked to say what our favorite African animal is. I hadn't really thought about that before, as I didn't come here because of any animal in particular, but I came to the conclusion that mine is the elephant since I would be most upset if I didn't see any elephants on this trip.

South Africa #2: Home Sweet Home

The journey to get to the project's lodge took 6 hours by van.  We traveled from Johannesburg to an area of Greater Kruger Area National Park that is located near the city of Hoedspruit.  There were some interesting sights along the way as we passed through countryside, open lands, mountains, and small towns.  There also were many humongous power plants.  I counted at least 4, though I didn't stay awake for the entire ride.

The landscape, and the buildings for that matter, didn't necessarily look like what I imagined "Africa" looking like in my head.  Even after arriving at our lodge, which has a safari look to it, I still didn't feel like I was actually in Africa.  I'm thinking perhaps that I won't get that feeling until I see giraffes or lions out in the wild.

South Africa #1: Out the Window

My journey from Phoenix to Johannesburg did not go according to plan. Not at all.

Here I go again (Alternate title: WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO!)

As I continue on this sabbatical, unemployment-on-purpose, gap year, mid-life retirement, or whatever you want to call it, I have been doing a lot of reading in addition to traveling.  And reading can be a dangerous thing...because it broadens your mind and makes you think.  You can learn about horrible and amazing things that take place in the world, which makes you want to learn more, do something to deter the horrible, and help with the amazing.

It has been 5 months since I returned from a volunteering trip/study abroad in Peru, and ever since then I have been fairly certain that I would take at least one more volunteering trip.  But where to?  I was not so certain about that.  The possibilities are almost endless and so many programs and destinations appeal to me.  I searched and evaluated over the past few months.  Coming to a final decision was very, very hard, but once I did (less than 3 weeks ago), the wheels were set in motion very, very quickly.

Peru #17: Last Week

The theme of my last week in Cusco ended up being "surprise," though I didn't know that at the time.  It sure made things dramatic and unpredictable!

Peru #16: Ruined Weekend

I spent my last weekend in Cusco visiting some of the Incan ruins in and around the area.  Before this trip, I had no idea how many of these sites existed.  It was nice to learn more about Incan history and explore different parts of the local area.

On Saturday, my sight-seeing partners were two of my Brazilian housemates, my Peruvian friend Diana, and two (male) Peruvian friends of one of the Brazilian girls.  Since we were a mixture of nationalities, we spoke both English and Spanish that day.

The three Peruvians live in Cusco, so they were able to explain a lot of the history behind the sites we visited, and they also knew the ins and outs of the places too.  We started by walking from the Cusco city center up to Saqsaywaman.  (It is also spelled Sacsayhuamán and various other ways, but all come out sounding like "Sexy woman" with a Borat-style accent.)

Welcome to Saqsaywaman.

Peru # 15: Shopping

One activity that almost everyone does when they travel is shop!  In Cusco, it is not difficult to "buy local."  It seems that almost every store and restaurant is independently owned.  Also, the prices are generally very cheap.  Between the tourist shops and local markets, Cusco is a great place to shop - even if it's just window shopping.  Though I doubt you'll be able resist to at least buy something.

You can even shop in the company of llamas! 

Peru #14: Volunteering is work...and fun!

My second week of volunteering didn't start off well.  On Monday I was still sick with whatever was bothering me during my excursion to Machu Picchu that weekend.  I had a horrible cough, sore throat, and just felt all-around miserable.  I ended up not going to Spanish class in the morning or to volunteering that afternoon.

I felt especially bad about not going to "work" because that was my Canadian roommate's first day volunteering, and she was selected to work at the same place as me.  She spoke very little Spanish, so I could only imagine how overwhelming it would be for her to be the only volunteer there on her first day.  When she came home that evening though, I was relieved to hear that it went well for her and she had a good time.

The following day, my roommate was feeling sick with stomach issues.  She decided to still go to work though.  I still wasn't feeling extremely well, and was not looking forward to making my sick body partake in the lesson that I had planned for that day: jump roping.  (Side note: I was a member of a competitive jump-roping team through my elementary school for several years when I was going up.)

Peru #13: "You'll love the food"

Before I left for my trip, one thing that almost everyone who had been to Peru before told me was that I would love the food.  I heard it so many times, I couldn't doubt that it was true.  But I really had no idea what Peruvian food was, other than ceviche.  I read that it was heavy on potatoes and rice, so I assumed that was pretty much what I would be eating everyday.

Well, I may have eaten rice and/or potatoes every day, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  They were done in so many different ways, and even when cooked in the simplest way they still had so much more flavor than plain old rice and potatoes.  So, after one month of living in Peru, I feel that I can safely say to anyone, "You'll love the food!"

Peru #12: "Walking" Tour

*I am very sorry for the long delay in my Peru posts.  I returned three months ago - my how time flies!  There was so much that I still wanted to recount, and so many pictures that I had to sift through, that I let the overwhelmingness of it all get to me once I got back to regular life.  (And really, I think I would only say that I have been back to "regular" life for the past two weeks.  It has been one busy summer!)  I'm picking up where I left off though, and plan to have all of my wonderful memories of my month in Peru posted within the next few weeks.

Upon coming to Cusco, one of the first places that tourists visit is the Plaza de Armas.  And within 5 minutes of being here, you will likely be approached by a person (or several different people) wearing a Free Walking Tour T-shirt.  They will hand you a little advertisement for a 2.5 hour walking tour around old town.  If you have any time to spare AND are in need of a killer leg workout...DO IT!

The Plaza de Armas.

Peru #11: Altitude Adjustment

The elevation in Cusco is a crazy 11,000+ feet!  To put that into perspective, the elevation in Colorado Springs (where I used to live) is roughly 6,000 feet and the top of Pikes Peak is at 14,115 feet.

Looking down on Cusco.

Leading up to this trip, I was very nervous about how the altitude would affect me.  So, I did the smart thing and obtained altitude sickness pills, Diamox, from a travel clinic prior to my trip.  I was instructed to take the first pill 12 hours before my arrival in Cusco, and to continue taking one pill every 12 hours until they were gone.  I believe there were around 8 to 10 pills total.  I must say, the pills worked for me.  I did feel very tired my first few days here, but that always happens when I travel, so I can't necessarily blame that on the altitude.  I also had some shortness of breath when climbing stairs, so that probably was a direct affect of the altitude.  I did not however feel nauseous or experience headaches, which is what I was especially worried about.

Peru #10: Mamá Mia

Just like in the US, Sunday May 10th was Mother's Day here in Peru.  There is a lot to say regarding this holiday, and mothers in Cusco in general, so here goes.

One of the first things that I noticed after arriving here was that mothers seem to take their children everywhere with them.  I came to realize (after looking at the women's faces) that most of these women are not actually the mothers, but the grandmothers or even great-grandmothers.  I also learned that teenage pregnancy is a problem here, so that is part of the reason why many children are looked after by other relatives.

Strollers are extremely uncommon here.  I would say of all the babies and toddlers I have seen, less than 5% have been in strollers.  This means that children are either hand held, forced to walk, or carried on the women's backs in traditional blankets.

This is a rare sight in Cusco.

Peru #9: Driving Me Crazy

I mainly posted this photo because I like the mural. 

Transportation here in Cusco is peculiar enough that it deserves its own post.  It is very cheap and easy to travel by bus and taxi.  (I've already talked about the bus system so I won't go into that too much in this post.)  Whenever you need a taxi, there is always one nearby.  And whenever you don't need a taxi, there are always one hundred nearby.  (While standing near a road or waiting for a bus, you will be honked at by nearly every taxi that passes by, which becomes very annoying very fast.)  Pretty much any car here is a taxi.  Some are official taxis, which are marked by signs on the top of the car roof.  Most however are unofficial/semiofficial taxis, which are marked by red and white stickers on the doors of the car.

Peru #8: It's a Wonder

When I told people I was going to Cusco, Peru, the very first thing most people asked me was whether I was going to visit Machu Picchu.  (In case you aren't aware of what it is, Machu Picchu is a "lost" Incan city from the 1400s that was rediscovered to the outside world in 1911.  A few years ago, it was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.)  My response was, "I guess so, since I'll be so close."  So, as you tell, I was ecstatic about this opportunity.

Seriously though, I was excited about the chance to visit Machu Picchu, but it was never high on my travel priority list, partly because I had no desire to EVER do the five-day Inca Trail hike to get there.  Thankfully, there are many other ways to get there, ranging from expensive to cheap, and easy to full-on ordeals.  Of course, the way I ended up getting there was a full-on ordeal.

Peru #7: Estudiante and Profesora

My new schedule started this past Monday.  My Spanish class is now from 9am to 11am Monday through Friday.  There are four students in my class - one guy from Washington, DC, one girl around my age from Minnesota/NYC, and one younger girl from Manchester, England.  Our teacher is a Peruvian named Robert, and he seems to be in his mid to late 20s.  He is a great teacher and makes the classes very fun, allowing us to joke around a lot (in Spanish and English.)  All of us seem to be at similar levels with our knowledge and mastering of Spanish, so it has been a great fit for all of us so far.

View from my new classroom, on the third floor.  There is actually a green bird (loro) that is a pet that hangs out at the house across the way.

Peru #6: It´s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

My home-stay in Cusco is located in a part of town known as Wanchaq, and in is in the Villa Periodista neighborhood.  We live on the third floor of a five-floor building.  I have called the home an apartment in a previous post, but I guess condominium would be more appropriate since the unit is owned not rented.  The building is located at the end of a small dead end street.  (Dead end streets seem to be pretty common here.)

At the beginning of our street. 

Peru #5: Ch-ch-ch-changes

I hadn't even been in Cusco for a week, and already there were many changes happening.

Peru #4: Volver

On Tuesday (last week), I still hadn't heard anything about my missing suitcase.  I did some searching via the United Airlines website and found out that my suitcase supposedly arrived in Cusco the previous day.  I had a (very friendly) staff member at my school help me make calls to find out for sure.  She first called the United Airlines number at Lima airport, and they stated that my bag arrived in Cusco that day and was sent via LAN Airlines.  (This confused me because I flew Avianca, not LAN, to Cusco, and LAN is not even in the same airline network as United.)  She then called the LAN Airlines phone number at Cusco airport, and they confirmed that my suitcase was there.  Yay!  They also confirmed that I would have to come to the airport to get it, as baggage delivery service was not an option.  Boo!

Peru #3: El autobús y más

For my second day of school, it was time for my roommates and I to learn how to ride the bus.  For the route that runs by our house, we have to ride the El Zorro bus.  The buses here have unique names and often cartoon figures on the windows to help distinguish one bus route from another.  Some of the other names I recall seeing are Batman, Chaska (star), Arco Iris (rainbow.)

El Zorro! 

Peru #2: First Day of School

On Monday morning, neither my roommates nor I wanted to wake up.  We had to get up very early to be at the school at 7am.  After getting ready and having a quick breakfast of pineapple juice, bread, and jam, the three of us took a taxi to school.

The school, Maximo Nivel, is located in the middle building.  (This picture was actually taken the following day.)  If you look closely, you can see words and pictures etched into the side of the mountains.

After arriving, we were placed in a room with all of the other new students, which only included the American boy I met the previous day.  We were given an orientation about the school and the local area.  Then it was test time!

Peru #1: Journey and Arrival

My journey down to Cusco went basically as planned, with a few surprises along the way. 

A New Journey Begins

 

There's no stopping time; it just keeps going by no matter if you're ready or paying attention.  We all know this, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves of this.  Last year, this thought seemed to hit me harder than it ever had before.  (It probably was a side effect of reaching my mid 30s.)  I was happy with what I had accomplished in my life, but I also expected more of myself.

After nearly 13 years in the same career, I excelled at my job, had done some very interesting things, and visited many unique places.  But in a way, I was playing it safe and was no longer growing as a person (or at least not very much.)  I came to the realization that I needed to move on, but to what exactly?  That, I wasn't sure of.  But I decided that I could not let that stop me.  I could not just sit and wait for the next opportunity to find me.  I needed to create a new opportunity for myself.  It was now or never.

Hello Lisa

Sometimes you don't have to go far from home to have one of the most unexpected and memorable experiences of your life.  I've already told the story of meeting one of my (male) music idols, and now I am pleased to be able to tell the story of meeting one of my female music idols.

A Trip Back in Time

My grandma and grandpa are no longer alive, but their house, which is just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, is still in my family.  Since my grandpa worked as a bricklayer for the first part of his life, it's only fitting that the house is made of red bricks.  They built the house sometime between 1945 and 1947.  And by they, I am referring to my grandpa and his father, along with a few other people they knew.

My grandparents on their wedding day in April 1940.  Adorable!

My dad as a baby with his favorite chair and teddy bear. (1948)

Me with my grandparents (at my house.)  They had been married 41 years at this point. (1981)

Nowadays when I am at their house, I love searching around to find old stuff of theirs that is hidden away.  It's kind of like treasure hunting.  Some of the stuff that I find I recall seeing or playing with when I was growing up.  Most of the stuff that I come across though, I have never seen or noticed before...even in plain sight.  As anyone would expect, there are still some old knick-knacks and furniture in the house.  They also had lots of old photographs, yearbooks, greeting cards, and other mementos - which are wonderful to look through.

I am amazed however at how many commercial items there are, even after all of this time.  My grandparents were very clean and neat people, and they were pretty strict with my father, so almost everything they owned was in pristine condition.  Here are some of the treasures that I have found (mostly from the first half of the 20th century.)

All By Myself - Part 5: American Travel Day

*Note: This is a boring post.  But all travel inevitably involves some unexciting periods.  I posted this mainly to give insight into some of the mundane aspects of flying, and how you can try to make the best of it.

I always look forward to going back home after a trip, but dread the actual journey.  The adrenaline and anticipation that I felt on the way to my destination is gone, leaving only antsiness.  I certainly was not excited about spending 24 hours to travel from South America to Central America to North America.

My flight from Santiago, Chile, left just before midnight on a Monday.

All By Myself - Part 4: Ups and Downs of Santigao

My last day in Chile was dedicated to exploring Santiago.  But first, I had to check out of my hotel because my flight was leaving that night at 11:40pm.  As usual, I was running late because I was very tired.  I made a 9:30am reservation for a bike tour, and didn't have much time to spare.  To my agitation, the check out process went ridiculously slow, and my invoice was hand-written!  I can't even remember the last time I received one of those!

In a frantic rush, I made it to La Bicicleta Verde (http://www.labicicletaverde.com/) five minutes late.  As I arrived, they told me they had just called my hotel to see if I was on my way.  I felt bad about my tardiness, but was glad that I hadn't missed out on the tour.  Turned out that I was the only customer booked on the tour, so I guess they wouldn't have left without me anyway.  (Side note: I want to commend the tourist businesses in Chile for accommodating single travelers and not cancelling tours when only one customer is booked.)

In addition to my tour guide, a new employee was in training, so I received two guides for the price of one!  Once again, I felt like I was receiving extra special treatment, which I happily accepted.

All By Myself - Part 3: Chile's Capital to Coast

I only had 3 days to sight-see while staying in Santiago, which made it difficult to decide what to do with my precious time there. Since I wasn't sure if or when I'd ever be back to Chile, I wanted to see as much of the country as possible too.  I was not brave enough to rent a car though.  After doing a lot of research online, I came to the conclusion that a bus tour would the best way to cover a lot of ground as easily and quickly as possible.  By no means was it the cheapest option though.  But when traveling, I have found that it can be worth it to sacrifice money for time.

Finding a bus tour that would accommodate a reservation for just one person, and hit the sites that I wanted to see, was quite difficult.  I wanted to visit a coastal town, stop in a handicrafts mountain village, see the countryside, and tour a winery...all in one day.

All By Myself - Part 2: Chilly in Chile

From Panama City, Panama, I took off at around 1pm for Santiago, Chile, on Copa Airlines.  This was the first time I ever flew Copa, so I did not know what to expect.  Due to some strategery by me during check-in, I once again got a seat in a row all to myself.  (It made me start to wonder if all these planes in Central/South America were flying half empty.)

My gate at Panama City airport.

All By Myself - Part 1: Panama Panorama

What to do when you have some time off of work and a boatload of frequent flier miles...and your husband doesn't?  In my case, I chose to travel on my own, all the way to Central and South America.  My decision confused many people, as most people assume that if you're married there is no reason why you should travel alone on vacation, or want to.  But I knew that this was the right decision for me and what I hoped to accomplish with this trip.

First things first, I had to determine my destination.  My goal was to travel the farthest as possible, to a foreign place that I had never been, for the least amount of frequent flier miles.  There were a few contenders, but I set my sights on South America since I had never visited the continent before.  The route I chose was 60,000 United frequent flier miles round trip, and I feel it was a terrific value since, in essence, I ended up with two destinations instead of just one.

UK - London by day

After two weeks of traveling around the UK, my last full day in the country was also my only full day in London.  There are literally thousands of things to do in London, but I had to narrow that down to a select few.  Having not done my homework properly, I still wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to see and do.

Breakfast at the hotel.  Nothing fancy, but still glad that breakfast was included...and I got to try what I assume was a real English muffin.

It seemed like the most British thing I could do was

UK - London at night

Before spending the night in London, I first needed to get there.  The drive down from York didn't end up being too bad, but that was probably only because of technology.  There were traffic jams galore, but thanks to Google navigation and Waze, the driving route was updated and rerouted frequently since there were many motorways to choose from.  So, somehow, I made it down without actually getting stuck in any of the major traffic jams.

Liters and Pounds.  You do the math.

UK - York

When planning my ambitious itinerary, I needed to choose an overnight stopping point somewhere between Edinburgh and London, since driving straight through would have made for a very long and horrible day.  For no particular reason, I chose York.  It ended up being a great choice as this little town had a lot to offer.

UK - Edinburgh

After an exhausting day of driving through the Scottish Highlands, I arrived in Edinburgh in the evening, and thanks to the stupid GPS, the route to the Bed & Breakfast was much more complicated than it needed to be.  Instead of choosing a route that circled town, it chose a route that went through the center of town, one-way streets and all.  Pooped out, my exploration of Edinburgh waited until the following day, which made it my one and only day to explore this town.

I stayed at The Cameron Bed & Breakfast (http://www.thecameron.co.uk/), which is located in the outskirts of town but within walking distance of the major tourist sites.  At the suggestion of the B&B hostess, the first item on the sight-seeing list in Old Town was