Diary Entry: 13 Nov 2010

...at the Okavango River Lodge...I've been able to comingle and cavort with all sorts of people. ... I will talk about 4 of them. (1) Barman at ORL - Leo. 23 yo guy who is surprisingly well traveled for a Botswanan (he admits his countrymen don't get out much). He's completed high school, but doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, and lived at his sister's house for a while not doing anything. Then a friend invited his dad to Mauritius to work there, and he volunteered to take his dad's place, so he could get out of Bots...the family friends were sure enough surprised when he arrived instead of his dad! (apparently the letter describing the substitution was still in the mail...) He spent 1.5 years there working as a barman, then returned to Bots, moved to his mother's homtown (Maun) and began working here. He's studing for the driver's license exam because he wants to be a mobile safari driver next. I was impressed by his (relative) wanderlust, and dedication to career advancement -- which I actually haven't seen much of here. (2) Marlene, from Ohio -- a ~71 yo white woman, originally from the Deep South, who has spent her life traveling. All 48 contiguous states by 40 yo, then all of them again with her 2 cats and mobile home over 12 years before deciding to take the show abroad. She's retired (I never got her former profession) and has blocked off 5 months for "Southern Africa." She has no real itinerary, and backpacks everywhere, staying in youth (!) hostels. It's quite impressive but I do have to say she was one of the more annoying Americans I met -- extremely cheap, always complaining how expensive everything is, trying to haggle everything and get things for free while not spending much, and basically expecting everyone to drop what they're doing for her. Which they do, by the way...she told me a story of how she was taking a bus into Mozambique, refused to pay the visa fee, hitchhiked to a gas station at the border, where she met a nice local friendly woman who took her home, fed her, and arranged for a backdoor visa traveling through a neighboring African country -- all for free. Which is great/cool/impressive (especially for a 71 yo!) but she was more expectant than appreciative of this type of service... (3) EmDee, my tour guide on the 2 d/overnight mokoro/camping trip. He's 28, but had been in a mokoro since age 8, and has 2 families -- wife and 2 kids in a far away village in the Central Kalahari, and girlfriend+kid here in Maun. He just built a house here inthe Delta -- mud + sticks, with empty beer/cola cans to mimic bricks. I felt bad for him because he had a cold ("flu" he called it) but took us on the tour anyway -- I guess he couldn't really afford to take a "sick day" :(. He never finished school, and learned English purely through tourists, but he actually paid someone to teach him to read/write Setswanan, whichi I found extremely impressive. He also had a good heart -- shared his food with others, always tried to see if he could help with anything. He had really ratty hiking boots, and even rattier socks, which were more hole and sock! I gave him my socks as a present, but in retrospect wished I gave him a larger tip :( (4) Brendan -- a 70ish ultraconservative British aviator who was a Yankophile but had a lot to talk about re: USA (specialty = ~1830-1882). He told me about flying bush planes (and the undiscovered benefits of owning a Cessna); flying helicopters in LA (and celebrity sex scandals that occurred *in* his choppers); a detailed description of the play-by-play events at the gunfight at the OK Corral; and expositions on "Why Africa [as a continent] will fail." Did I mention he's conservative (though married to a very nice GP, Claire, who may not share *all* his views)? He believes "AIDS" is more "environmental" than a real biologic disease. He has a whole theory backed by "three well done Canadian studies" about needing "lifestyle," "constitutional," and "exposure" -- all 3 mind you, not just 1 or 2 -- in order to get HIV or develop AIDS. I had to politely change the discourse ASAP! He was rather witty, very well read, and very entertaining to listen to though some things made me cringe...

What am I doing here?

Oops, forgot to include my mission statement in the introductory post.

Given that I haven't actually started working yet, I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing for the next 4 weeks (other than certainly traveling a lot over the weekends!). There is a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Botswana (BUP) that facilitates exchange of ideas, resources, and training manpower. Because the University of Botswana medical school and training program are relatively young, Penn has been providing faculty guidance and advice for development. As part of this, one Penn resident (in past years more) rounds with one inpatient medicine team daily for a month. That will be me starting tomorrow! I'll be working with one attending, one "Medical Officer" (trained at the level of an intern, but in actuality may have had many years of medical practice since then), and one medical student. I'll be responsible for some teaching (morning report, resident report, journal club, etc.) but in the beginning I'm sure *I* will be the one learning -- how the hospital system works, HIV basics, etc.

I do this for the 4 weeks, 7.30a - 5.00p daily, with no overnight call, and no weekend responsibilities. Hence the wide travel plans...

Jyoti comes today; I'm excited to go pick her up from the airport. Maybe I'll have a swim in the pool this morning as a bit of a workout (we're spoiled here, aren't we?). :)

The Okavango Delta

Hi everyone! I'm typing from a cute internet cafe ("Internet Cafe," across from the Engen gas station in central Maun) after a leisurely breakfast of muesli and yogurt at the Okavango River Lodge, where I've been the last three nights. I will later transcribe some of my diary that I wrote over the past few days, but in the mean time -- pictures are worth thousands of blabberings from me, so I will get right to it -- my trip to the Delta!

I got here on a random Wednesday morning with not much planned (which I realized is a big mistake...too many things to do, easy to get distracted and do nothing...). I met up with Michael, a UPenn medical anthropology grad student, and we hit up the crocodile farm. This is Okie, the oldest known crocodile at a whopping 87 years old. He's the one with the open mouth. It's pretty darn amazing how well adapted crocodiles are to their environment -- apparently no big mutations/genetic changes since the time of the dinosaurs!

I stayed at the Okavango River Lodge, where I met a barman named Leo (of whom, more later). I stayed in a chalet, which is essentially a thatched-straw roofed hut, open to the environment (but with a screen wire meant to keep out the pests). I had my first experience with a mosquito net...hopefully I put it on correctly. I'm not really sure if I was supposed to tuck in the net *into* the bedding, but I figured better safe than sorry!

I had a fabulous veggie burger with "chips" and a salad for dinner (chips = fries, apparently the ORL is run by a hybrid Canadian/British couple). I met interesting person #2 (Marlene...see diary entry) over dinner, but she was making her own food, and she "detested" the smell of the citronella lanturn, so she left after ordering a glass of ice. That was fine by me, as I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, the great '70s - '80s tunes (when was the last time you heard "Hungry like the wolf"?), and the beautiful view of the Delta. I played around the the few setting I have on my point-and-shoot, but these pix were nice:

Leo convinced me that an overnight camping trip in the Delta was the only way I would *truly* experience the Eastern Delta, so I signed up for a

2 d mokoro (canoe) trip with an overnight stay on one of the islands. Given the 40 deg (C) weather, I would soon realize that even a few kilometers of walking on flat land was utterly exhausting...we did 6 km the first day (saw 4 elephants, 2 of whom I spotted for the group; and 1 antelope, and 3 wild hogs [apparently the Setswana word for which is "poombah"!]. however, my dinky zoom is so bad that it's not even worth posting pictures yet...let me work on photoshopping it first). We did 12 km the next day! But we also saw zebras cavorting with wild buffalo and a whole lot more elephants. In fact, we stumbled upon 2 grazing elephants quite by accident, and were (un)fortunately only about 20 yards away from them! This is apparently really close, too close if the elephants decide to attack, and I was quickly shooed away by the tour guide -- but I did manage to shoot this picture. :)

Our hike ended with a quick stop at a real live Baobab Tree (of de Saint-Exupery fame). It was the most glorious shade I have ever had...even with long sleeves and a recently purchased safari hat, the sun was brutal. Baobab was our friend, but we were soon off to return to camp before the *real* heat came out at noon, when the sun is the highest. I had stupidly forgotten my water at ORL, but was able to make do with boiled river water (which tasted faintly of dirt...clay?). The only problem is...boiled water never really cools when it's 40 deg outside! But I did have a nice dinner of Upma, which itself had about 750 ml of water in it, so I think I stayed relatively hydrated. :) Also, my fellow campers were kind enough to share their water with me when the going got tough (they had brought over 10 L for just the two of them...).

Upma cooking on the fire:

Finally, despite all the trials/tribulations of African Bush Camping (who knows how many critters I slept with in my tent that night...) I would say the views of the river at sunset made the entire trip worth it. I was camping with 2 German engineers, one of whose father was a professional photographer, who had serious digital SLRs...they've promised to email me the pictures when they get back to Germany, but here's the view from my camera. Enjoy!

Southern Africa

Welcome! It's been a while since I've written (last post on "Pdogg's Pages" was 4/22/08, a beautiful memory of Oasis Chiyu in Central Guatemala!). I seem to only find time to write when I'm traveling, so I've named the new Blog appropriately.

I am now in Southern Africa (Botswana x5 weeks; South Africa x2 weeks). It's my first time south of the equator, and I am eager to test the Coriolis Effect.

After a grueling 28 hour journey I finally arrived in Gaborone, the capitol city of Botswana, a full 25 minutes early. This meant that my driver (commissioned from the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, or BUP) was not there, and I had some time to kill. A large, loud, fun-loving Gujarati family was on the plane (one dadima, two uncles, two auntis, and two kids) from Joburg to Gaborone, and there was much rejoicing when another family (one uncle, one aunti, and four kids) came to pick them up at the airport. I didn't want to feel left out, and I was new and alone in this large (hah) city, so I went up to the uncle (Harshad Uncle) and introduced myself. He let me borrow his cellphone and I called the driver, who confirmed he was almost there, and got myself (and Jyoti) and invitation to their house for dal-baath whenever we wanted. His son goes to college at UChicago, and I promised to email him when I got back.

This story may seem bizarre, but as I've traveled all over the world, I have to agree with my dad when he says that Indians can be among the friendliest group of people -- certainly true for other Indians, but really towards anyone. I'm looking forward to seeing the Indian influence and culture here in Africa. I do get to spend 3 days by myself in Durban at the tail end of the trip (27% Indian!).

Re: travel plans within Botswana, I think Luke has convinced me that the Okavango Delta is a region that cannot be missed; and given how far away it is (taxi=>plane=>taxi=>plane=>canoe) Jyoti and I figured it won't be possible to do in just a weekend trip when she gets here. So I decided to fly out to Maun tomorrow, and spend a few days exploring the flora/fauna of the Delta. I'm very excited, and should be able to take a bunch of pictures to share soon.

Speaking of pictures, here is the first installment.

My humble abode, Pilane Court in Botswana.

The computer lounge whence I am typing.

Our gated community.

More pics to follow...

Oasis Chiyu

Nosotros fuemos al un randon finca en Alta Verapaz se llama "Oasis Chiyu." El hombre que manaja esta finca se llama "Filipe." Esta loco. Ve las imagenes (si, el esta fumando marijuana cerca del rio...).
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We also went to a random farm en Alta Verpaz, called "Oasis Chiyu." The guy who runs it is named "Filipe." He's crazy. Look at the pictures (yes, he is smoking marijuana near the river...).
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For a link to all the beautiful pictures from our trip (hiking "2 rivers" on day one; exploring the caves on day 2; jumping off a 30 foot waterfall on day 3) click below. I think the coolest video is the cave, when Jyo was showing off her musical skills! :)

Oasis Chiyu

Mas aventuras #2.

Ahora yo trato publicar un album en todo en il mismo tiempo.
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Now, I will attempt to load the whole album at the same time.
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From Tikal - Be sure to check out the cool videos (especially ziplining through the rainforest!!!)

Tikal 12-04-08 to 14-04-08

Mas aventuras! #1

Lo siento para no publicar entradas hace dies dIas! Jyoti y yo fuemos al Tikal, entonces al un finca en la esquina de tres departamentos (como estados en Guate - Alta vera paz, Peten, y Isabal). Fue muy desfrutado. Voy a entrar muchas fotos "ahorita" pero quiero tratar usar "Picasa Web Albums" por que "Picasa" no me sirve bien. :( Entonces, esta es la primera prueba.
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Sorry for not publishing anything for the last ten days! Jyoti and I went to Tikal, and then to a random farm at the corner of three departments (like states in Guatemala - Alta vera paz, Peten, and Isabal). It was really fun. I will upload a bunch of photos "in just a minute" but I want to try to use "Picasa Web Albums" because last time, "Picasa" didn't work so well. :( Well then, this is the first test.
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Link to random photo of Jyoti and me posing in the Tikal ruins (Templo I):

Estoicismo

Hola!
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Primero, se permite introducir un nuevo compaNero: Miguel, que es de Ingletaria, en el lado izquierdo. Buenos lentes...
Segundo: hace mucho tiempo desde mi ultima entrada. Lo siento...pero, a veces no hay internet, a veces nosotros fuimos al el lago atitlan, y otra veces trabajamos mucho (jaja) entonces nos ponemos muy consados. Aqui son imagenes de Atitlan (fin de semana pasada):




Tercero, se permite venir al el punto de mi entrada. Vi mucho pacientes en los puestos y la hospitalita (el CEMI). Mas de ellos son niNos , bebitos, O mujeres. Quiero hablar sobre los niNos por unos segundos. Nosotros ellos pinchamos, damos codazos, damos instrumentos en sus oidos, bocas, y anos tambien! Hasta inyectamos con vacunas y otras cosas tambien. TodavIa, los niNos no gritan, ni nos morden, ni lloran mucho! Que estoicismo! No se porque, pero quizas no pueden quejar mucho durante niNez, si no padres griten a ellos ni golpeEn tampoco! Sin embargo, es increIble cuando nosotros dar vacunas o suturamos cortas y los niNos no quejan nunca. No todo los niNos, pero mas de ellos. Porque? Es un pregunta mas interesante.
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Hello!
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First, allow me to introduce a new student: Michael, who is from England, on the left side of the photo. Nice shades...
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Second: it's been a long time since my last entry (>1 week). I'm sorry...but sometimes there's no internet, sometimes we go places like Lake Atitlan, and other times we work a lot (haha) and then we get tired. Here are some pictures from Atitlan (this past weekend):
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Third: allow me to come to the point of this entry. I have seen many patients in the puestos and the little hospital (the CEMI). Most of them are kids, babies, or women. I want to talk about those kids for a few seconds. We poke them and prod them, and insert instruments en their ears, mouths, and anuses too! We even inject them with vaccines and other things too. And yet...those kids don't shout, bite us or cry too much! What stoicism they have! I don't know why, but maybe it's because they can't complain much during childhood, or else their parents shout at them or hit them. Anyway, it's incredible when we give them vaccines or suture their lacerations and the kids don't complain at all. Not all of them, but most of them. Why? It's an interesting question.

Prueba #2

Second Round of Picasa blogging
(N.B. - did not work, had to redo it...boo picasa...)

Preciosa Jyoti. :)
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Cute Jyoti.

Espere...ella sonrisa a fuera, pero que maldita a dentro!
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But wait! She smiles on the outside, but what evil lurks within?Procesiones de la noche.
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Night-time processions.

Prueba

Esta es un prueba de "Picasa," para veer si esta es mejor de el blog para entrar las imagenes.
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Un poco contra-vestir accion? :)

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This is a test of Picasa, to see if it is better than just the blog for uploading pictures.
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A little bit of cross-dressing action? :)

Imagenes#2

De semana santa en Antigua:








Un video de los procesiones:

Imagenes#1

Como promitI, los imagenes!

Primero, del Lago Atitlan: