African Drums, Part One: On Safari

There are just a few prices one must pay in order to experience East Africa on a budget.

One must:
Endure miles and miles of turbulent, bumpy roads;


Sleep in basic campsites in a 2-man tent;


Flap the dishes dry;
Taste poison on occasion when ingesting too much bug spray;
Remove layers of dust and dirt with baby wipes;
Or brave a “ish-ish” cold shower;

And bear the stench of a series of long drop toilets.


As grim as that may sound, that's all part of the fun when you travel over land to experience the REAL "Africa Africa"...and it was well worth it.

Much was covered along the 21-day journey around East Africa. The overland safari included a variety of bathroom stops, and curio shops along the way, with highlights marked daily. The tour started in Nairobi, Kenya, and moved straight to Lake Nakuru for some animal watching. Then, we stopped at Lake Naivasha and Hells Gate National Park on the way to Kenya’s most famous game park, the Masai Mara. Week two, we exited Kenya after seeing the elephants at Amboseli National Park, and covered Northern Tanzania’s two most popular game parks, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Changing gears, during week three, I traded my binoculars for my bikini and enjoyed the white sand beaches and Spice tour on Zanzibar Island.



(The Masai at dawn at Amboseli National Park)

WEEK ONE & TWO: SAFARI IN KENYA & TANZANIA
*Seeing the pink stripe of flamingos along Lake Nakuru and observing the dinosaur-like white Rhino.


*Spotting hippos while boating across Lake Naivasha and stopping to take a walk with the giraffes





*Biking alongside zebras and impalas at Hells Gate National Park and doing a challenging trek through the picturesque gorge (where they filmed Tomb Raider and where they did the sketches for the Lion King)



*Indulging in a lukewarm, but locally brewed, Tusker beer, overlooking the intriguing town of Narok



*Watching thousands of wildebeest hoofs thunder across the Masai Mara's rolling plains.


*Gazing at the most intensely-colored evening sunset (Masai Mara)

*Spotting Africa's "Big 5": lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino





*taking in the brilliant colors of the Masai women's brightly patterned clothing



*Watching the Masai warriors jump to win the ladies and listening to the unfamiliar sounds in song


*Chowing down on endless rounds of meat at Nairobi's famous Carnivore Restaurant (also considered one of the world's top 50 restaurants)


*Catching a cheetah kill an antelope at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and coming face to face with the African Elephant (Amboseli National Park)




*Observing ruffled feathers and exaggerated movements of ostrich mating in the Serengeti


*Witnessing hungry hyenas scavenge over a wildebeest carcass at Ngorongoro Crater


*Bargaining with merchants (and gaining a reputation for my negotiation skills & the "Stone Cold" face)


*Watching the booties on the dance floor


AND--
*Collecting African recipes from Noah, fighting like Jackie Chan, and learning the Swahili lyrics to "Jambo Jambo" (theme song of the trip)




...all to walk away,


charmed, to say the least!


I'd be lying if I said it was easy,

(William and his toothbrush)



but it sure was great.

(Serengeti)


(Mt. Kilimanjaro)

3 Cheers to my awesome Aussie Safari Crew!


Enjoy your t-shirts!


and a BIG shout out to my amazing tentmate Louise!

Happy Feet

Looking out the window

While driving across Kenya & Tanzania, I’m intrigued by the bright colors and exotic patterns worn by the women who walk beside the road. They balance large bags of fruit, giant bundles of sticks, and heavy buckets of water on their heads! There are many people walking along the street. The men pass by on push bikes with oversize baskets attached, while a few levy wooden carts, step by step. From time to time, donkey’s are necessary to share the load. Secondhand name-brand t-shirts and fluorescent pink eighties windbreaker jackets are seen on occasion. There are many young children sitting and playing in a small circle. When they see our gigantic overland vehicle, they happily spring up, smile and wave enthusiastically. The villages are simple. The people are housed in worn wooden shacks with tin roofs and thatched huts made of sticks and mud. Women wearing flip flops stand in their red dirt “front lawn” and hand-wash clothing. I again appreciate the vibrant designs hung on the clothesline.

Every village has a market, the most humble resembling a tattered lemonade stand with a limited selection of local produce. There is usually a Coca-Cola advertisement easily within sight and, a local cell phone company logo too.





It’s soothing to stare at the scenic views, taking in the variety of plains, mountains, and variety of unfamiliar flora, which is sprinkled with acacias and candelabras. There’s nothing but vast open space for miles and miles. And then, a single person is spotted walking with purpose. Where did they come from? Where could they possibly be going? They must have walked for ages.



Our truck stops on the side of the road next to a plantation of sisal plants. We set up the tables and begin cutting and chopping the fresh vegetables for our daily sandwiches. Within moments, we’re surrounded by a half dozen children oogling at the sight of our food. “Why aren’t you in school?” Our tour leader Martin asked. It was Saturday. There was an assortment of eighties and nineties fashions worn, likely second-hand stock sent over from America. Three of the kids were wearing mismatched flip flops. They looked as though they could use a good meal. As I bit into my sandwich, I felt guilty thinking about how their hunger was probably no comparison to ours. I wished we could have fed them all. We offered them a loaf of bread which they eagerly snacked on. Then, a few guys went into the truck and brought out some gifts, just some simple pens and pencils and balloons. They shared their gifts and entertained the kids with farting balloon noises. The kids loved it. It was very special to interact with them and see them smile with new gifts in hand. I wished I’d brought a whole suitcase of old clothes and gifts to give them.



How lucky we are to have as much as we have.

CAPE TOWN

Only a few miles away from home.

I knew I was going to love Cape Town before the plane even touched ground.

I got chatting with Chris, a local Capetonian, on the airplane after my deformed tray table failed to provide a good eating platform. Chris was in the shipping industry, accustomed to travel, typically spending 4 months at sea delivering containers to various countries worldwide, and 2 months home with his wife and kid, Robin. He was incredibly friendly and gave me a few suggestions of things to do, like go up Table Mountain, and have a look around Cape Penninsula. He also taught me a few words in Afrikaans! Buie Dankie! No, I don't want to buy a donkey. ha ha.

It was a pleasure to meet someone as kind and friendly as Chris. After we exited the airplane, Chris introduced me to his family and even offered to show me around Cape Peninsula himself! The offer was too good to pass up, so we planned to meet again and do our own tour on Thursday.

CHRIS & SHARON & COLE

It was a memorable day. We zipped along the penninsula, just four of us, Chris, his wife Sharon, and his nephew Cole. The highlights included seeing the Penguins at Boulders Beach, the gorgeous coastal scenery, and the view of the Cape of Good Hope.

BOULDERS BEACH
Boulders Beach is home to a colony of penguins! SO CUTE!





CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
Many people belive that the Cape of Good Hope is the southernmost point of all of Africa, and also the point where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet. Surprisingly, it is neither!


It was so cool of them to volunteer to show me around. What wonderful people.

My friend Ray told me that his sister owned a backpackers in Cape Town called Ashanti, which also happened to be the same place Chiara recommended I stay. It was a good place, and I enjoyed meeting the other travelers. I also was lucky to meet up with Ray's sister, Amy, and talk with her about her travels!

(PICTURED: Amy at Journeys) Amy was a real sweetheart and super interesting. She is an American, but she has been living in Africa for 7 years! She met a South African man and has been living in Cape Town ever since. I enjoyed learning about her life: she owns a clothing shop called Journeys, located on the famous Long Street, and she goes shopping in Thailand for stock! This, in addition to having her own cookie baking business while also taking care of her 3 year old son makes her a very busy, but happy, woman! It was nice of her to make time to show me around a little bit. She took me to one of her favorite local restaurants called Birds cafe.

I took the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain.
(PICTURED: A view of Table Mountain, Cape Town's most famous landmark, from the Waterfront)
I met another solo female and hiked across the plateau from the Cable Car to Maclear's Beacon.


And of course, I went shopping in Cape Town! My backpack is too small!!! I went up and down Long Street, the Waterfront, and still had some time to take a hurried stroll through the colorful Bo-Kaap neighborhood.


Bye Cape Town, see you next time!

Peace out HOYAH!

This is goodbye to Korea Part III.

Unfortuneately, my 40 hour / 6 day work week left very little room for blogging. I appologize for not posting more photos and pics. Thank you to Hoyon for assuming the role as social photographer and facebooker.

The REAL Crew: Me, Karim, Paul, Frank, Haej


THANKS for a great summer guys! Everything from the first weekend outing at NB to the very last Kogi Kogi.

To Paul: AHHH Freakout! You will forever be the King of the Wappi. And Norebang. Love your style.
To Karim: YOU ARE VERY DELICIOUS. Thanks for radiating positivity and happiness.
To David Son: "Hey guys, I'm gonna take a shower!"
To Haej: Hostess of the year award! Reunion 2007 was fun! See you 2008? Just kidding.
To Frank: It was fun sharing classes with you. Our kids rock. Purse lips.

To the Hoyah Crew

A toast to Mark (and yellow panda t-shirts)

The highlights go beyond Kiwi soju, yogurt flavored yogurt, and milkshake in a bag.

Ten days of treasured brother/sister time in the motherland.
A few memorable traces left behind...

A stroll around Gangnam



A few sights

Cheonggyecheon Stream / View from Namsan Tower

Bongeunsa Temple

Jogyesa Temple / Garden

Nami Island



A visit with "The Grandparents." The Shims are a friendly couple who I met on the airplane on my first trip to Korea. We have since had many dates traveling around Korea.

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress




Korean Independence Day
Korea National Independence Hall
\

The Hof & Hoesik




Sticker Pics!

Face to Face

It was a typical day doing what I do here on a summer's interim acting as “teacher.” Teaching test prep for iBT TOEFL has not been the most exciting job in the world, but I try to enjoy it for what it is, and learn new things from the educational content and interact with the kids.

Today’s listening problem on South Africa brought about an interesting conversation. The topic struck a chord with me, as I’m currently contemplating the opportunity to make a visit. The topic also struck a chord with one of my younger students, Greg, who was especially curious as well.

In 5 minutes, we learned about the social policy, population and economics of South Africa. Greg stopped me often to ask a questions: Where is South Africa? Is it a country? I, showing off my new Africa knowledge, explained them all. I didn’t realize why he was so curious, until later, when we dug deeper into the conversation. He wanted to know where South Africa was, so he could stay as far away from it as possible.

We talked about the Apartheid, the systematic segregation of blacks and whites, which was finally dismantled as recent as 1990. We discussed how, under the Apartheid, blacks couldn’t take part in government, how they could not vote, how they had to live in reserves, and how they couldn’t use the same toilets as the powerful white minority. To my surprise, Greg agreed.

He told me he didn’t think Africans should use the same toilets as him. He didn’t think Africans should mix at all. I asked why. He said Africans were dirty. Why are they dirty? They are poor. Why are they dirty? They have AIDS! “You can get AIDS in from sitting on the toilet!!!” he proclaimed. Apparently, he learned this fact in a Health and Living class, so it was a true fact. Greg believed one could just go to Africa and one would automatically get AIDS. Greg believed Africans were dirty.

I questioned him to know if this feeling was representative of all races or just Africans. I mentioned Raffe, the one white guy who works here this summer. How would you feel if you used the toilet after him? I don’t use the toilets here. Where do you study abroad in America? Surely, he must encounter people of other races there. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, “I live in Korea town.”

It was the first time in a long time I’d talked face to face with someone who had such opposite beliefs as me (And, if I go to South Africa, I will probably have many more discussions on the topic). The whole encounter just saddened me. It saddened me that he had such prejudice beliefs; that a young boy labels people based upon their race and even FEARS people of other races. It saddens me that he is so misinformed, and thinks he can get AIDS from a toilet seat. It saddened me that we didn’t have more time to talk about it.

It was this moment that I felt truly grateful for my unbiased upbringing. I felt grateful for my education; my general education and the diversity classes I was recommended to take as a LEAD Scholar; grateful for having friends from many countries and diverse backgrounds, and grateful my parents instilled fair beliefs and values in me.

The discussion also reminded me the about the general thoughts and beliefs about Africa as a whole, the ideas and stereotypes associated with Africa, and my own personal thoughts about it. It called attention the greater issue, the hot topic of race and diversity, and how it plays a part in everyone’s life. Finally, it reminded me to reevaluate my own motivations in going there.

We continued talking a few minutes after class until I was pulled away because my boss was waiting to ask me a question. I thanked Greg for sharing his opinion, and left with only one recommendation, ”I encourage you to learn more about this topic.”

I realize this one student’s values and beliefs cannot be generalized to Koreans as a whole, as these same values and beliefs can be found everywhere. But, it certainly does bring up the question, what are these kids taught in school? What are they taught at home? Is the feeling of racial superiority widespread? Considering yesterday, I listened to my doctor explain why the Meningitis vaccine I requested was not available because the disease is not prevalent in Korea. She went on to tell me how she personally believes Koreans are a superior race in terms of health, lucky me, because there are relatively few diseases within Korea compared with the rest of the world. How prevalent is racism within the morals and values among Koreans? Again, Americans, too, have their share of racists, but, confronting the issue here, I’m reminded me that we have so far to go collectively as a human race.

Let's Jump the Gun

I have been holding off on the big announcement—mostly because this decision has triggered a million other more pressing things to do with my time, and also because the “plan” is not yet finalized. So there’s really no reason in announcing something that isn’t quite ready yet, is there? However, it is desperately time for a blog update (I’ve been a very bad blogger, which I will make up for soon, I promise), so I suppose I should finally break the news: I just bought a plane ticket to Africa!

Phew. That wasn’t so bad. Just open my mouth and the words come out. I’m going to Africa. I am going to Africa. I am going to go to Africa.

WHOLY SHIT, I’m GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!!

It is all starting again--all the things that were missing when I booked my trip to Korea for the third time last May:

The anticipation. Waiting, just waiting for it all to happen. The stress. OMG there so many things to do before I leave! Buy a sleeping bag, find insect repellent, purchase travel insurance, update the vaccinations (all might be a little difficult to do while I’m in KOREA)... The fear. Is it safe? Will I get Malaria and die? Will I hate it? The unknowns. oh God, the unknowns. The research. What will it be like? How much will it cost? When should I go? And, most of all, WHICH FREAKING TOUR SHOULD I PICK!!!! (As usual, I’m driving myself MADDDDD with decisions). And last, but not least, the excitement! THE excitement. the EXCITEment. the exciteMENT. When does that kick in???

As magical as this idea once sounded in my head, it now stirs up a whole mix of emotions. I think that, in the name of my Mr. Clark-inspired classroom dance, it might be time to “Ahhhh, FREAK OUT!!!”

In dealing with the planning process, I’m finding it hard to get the kind of support I’m looking for:

My students ask when I’m going back to the states, and I tell them October. When they ask what I’m going to do for the month in between, their eyes bulge, blink two times, and then say, “WHAT???”

One has responded, “Take me!”

One responded, “WHY? I don’t want to go there. I only want to go to good country. You’ll get a disease.”

My mother asks me if I’ve ever traveled to a developing country before, you know, a really, really poor place. She worries I think it’ll be like backpacking Europe. I know it won’t be like Europe. I suppose that’s part of the allure.

I know it won’t be like Europe. It won’t be like Australia. It won’t be like Asia. Africa is it’s gonna be a whole different ballgame, and I think I’m ready for it.

Of course, it’s nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time, to travel to a place so few people in my personal network have BEEN to, let alone even THINK of going to before. Everytime I ask a friend about a decision, they have a difficult time helping me because they know so little about it.

So, yeah, that can be a little challenging. But, I know there’s a traveler circuit throughout Africa, in parts. Kenya and Tanzania both appear live and well on the traveler circuit, and there's a string of tour companies touring the place. The thing is, not a lot of Americans go to Africa. Maybe this reflects the poor political ties / the less desirable traveling and living conditions / fear / or perhaps just a general lack of interest, but not a lot of Americans go to Africa. There are more British and Australians going to Africa.

That being said, it would be cool to know know who these people are who are going to Africa! The only person I know who has ever done what I'm about to do, the overland tour, is my dear friend Jayne T. She did it about 10 years ago when she was about my age. When I visited her in England last year, I took a long look through her Africa photo album and decided maybe it was possible for me to do it to...

And now, here I am, one click away from signing up for my tour!

Anyways, I’d love to write more, but I should really get back to researching more details about choosing the right safari I want to book (yes, I know there’s not one “right” choice. That’s why it’s so hard!)

Wish me luck.
Tell me a story.

Departing August 27th. Seoul to Hong Kong. Arriving in Nairobi September 2nd.