tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70021586832225689542024-02-18T18:51:54.992-08:00Field Notes: Life, Work, and TravelAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-89336264696956667962016-02-22T19:43:00.003-08:002016-02-22T19:48:33.618-08:00Santa Rosa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I went to Santa Rosa this weekend for the memorial service for Hal Mickens, a man who was like my second father for a large part of my life. He was a profoundly good man, happy, wise, and a seemingly endless font of stories. He had a remarkable ability to meet you where you were. I knew him from age two until this year when he passed away, and yet I never remember Hal being patronizing, insincere, or treating me less equally for being a kid. </div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hal is in my first clear memories from about age two-and-a-half, when I called him "Hally." I remember following him around the Mickens' house in Santa Rosa until my eyes and nose were running with allergies. He taught me how to do some woodworking to make cut-out puzzles with a skill saw, and to create a peg-jumping game. He and Nancy flew me down to Tijuana, Mexico with our church group when I was about 9. In return, he only asked for hard work. He didn't specify what that meant, and never made my efforts feel childish or foolish. As I got older, our conversations evolved to feel like I was talking to someone who considered me a peer, despite having known me as a small child. Hal always made me feel valuable and valid. Hal was a good mentor, a good leader, a wise man, and endlessly funny. I will miss him a lot. There is a tangibility to his passing that I haven't experienced before.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was interesting, too, being back in Santa Rosa. I grew up there for 10 years, and in a lot of ways, it is one of the places I most associate with home. I spent many summers in Santa Rosa after moving to Washington State. It wasn't until Hal's memorial service, however, that I was faced with so many people from that period of time growing up there. There were a number of people from our church at the time who I hadn't seen since I was 12 years old. They all remarked on how I had grown up. However, they seemed old to me at 12, so seeing them with the eyes of an adult, they didn't appear to have changed much to me. It is as though my concurrent aging allowed my perspective to reset. They stepped right out of my memory, names and all, and I made small talk with names from the past.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was a great trip overall, though too brief. It is a good reminder to not let go of the various pieces of my life. Even though parts of my life move forward at differing speeds, it is important to me to maintain the disparate pieces. Those myriad pieces are what have made me who I am. I am grateful to have spent a weekend with my parents and my brother, even under sad circumstances. I am so glad I saw Nancy and Deborah, and was able to meet more of their family. I am happy we were able to laugh on Saturday night, even in the wake of the service. There was a lot of love in that house on Saturday evening after the funeral, and it is probably that which sticks with me the most from the weekend. I feel honored to be connected to such good people.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOVVEaf2npz7cIjIlXQ4Ur1T-_uYTZghSo55fei6r04wGPcYsot8xsuIdHSq6Qs87e4Wk7LnoSdLO6PV_J8_nXZIFzMXRYsJ_jvbqOjzBxWjmI82TIG3q1qVdFnA78PMix12lA45-Dks/s1600/hal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOVVEaf2npz7cIjIlXQ4Ur1T-_uYTZghSo55fei6r04wGPcYsot8xsuIdHSq6Qs87e4Wk7LnoSdLO6PV_J8_nXZIFzMXRYsJ_jvbqOjzBxWjmI82TIG3q1qVdFnA78PMix12lA45-Dks/s320/hal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Que sigan viajando...</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-61552943460507710212016-01-03T18:08:00.000-08:002016-01-03T18:14:15.154-08:00New Year, Familiar Resolve<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the blog post where I again vow to post once per week. So here I go! This, if successful, will be one of at least 52 posts in 2016.<br />
<br />
Things are settling back in to normal after the holiday weeks. I had a really good time with my parents in town. I liked having them around for 10 days because it left room for them to see different parts of what we all do here in DC. They got to spend more time with Lee's parents, and it was so nice to get that opportunity. They got to meet some of my brother's friends, we did touristy things and we all got to spend time together. Much of it was low key, and low stress. Some of the more touristy activities were crowded over the holidays, but even those were great. My parents, my brother, Lee and I attended mass (candle light carol service) at the National Cathedral, we went to a few of the Smithsonian museums, they saw the constitution and the declaration of independence at the National Archives, and we all went to the top of the Washington Monument.<br />
<br />
I feel so lucky that I can now have my family spend time with Lee's family. I feel grateful that I could go to Lee's family's Christmas celebrations. For the last two years we tried to distill so many significant holidays, traditions, feelings, and moments into high pressure, high activity periods of time. This year was special for just being able to be together for the holidays. We decorated our first Christmas tree, decorated the apartment together, we made Christmas cookies for our super and our apartment manager, we went to holiday parties together and were able to enjoy so many facets (and so many stresses) that we had not been able to before. It felt like we were constructing something of our own, and that felt great.<br />
<br />
The new year is starting, and is bound to be a busy time. I think that both Lee and I are traveling a lot for work this spring. We are both headed to Mexico City next week for a few days of vacation (we didn't take any time at Christmas). We will be there for 5 days to eat, drink, shop, and see art. We found very cheap non-stop flights from DC, and very reasonable prices for a place to stay. It will be a sunny, warm escape just as DC is really becoming gravely cold. I hope to post from there.<br />
<br />
I am excited to see what the new year holds. I am excited for new adventures, more travels, more life lived with Lee, and new resolve for getting fit, cooking more, spending less, and reading more. 2016 promises to be a great year. More soon.<br />
<br />
Keep Traveling.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmbmFYWTqmld11jmPaeooKbaHT1stub9Hq9FMCFm-BF__vw58RKtdmpTEG76v-qzKO4ndeIjLLtYwmrkATyj6J-D_hT-6owUScRDnCAh1fMit7fhEX9_mXlTGrzkcFv57CdmqZn1e9yU/s1600/Family+Under+Arch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmbmFYWTqmld11jmPaeooKbaHT1stub9Hq9FMCFm-BF__vw58RKtdmpTEG76v-qzKO4ndeIjLLtYwmrkATyj6J-D_hT-6owUScRDnCAh1fMit7fhEX9_mXlTGrzkcFv57CdmqZn1e9yU/s320/Family+Under+Arch.jpg" title="Chinatown Arch" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-79756858627897495562015-11-29T08:27:00.000-08:002015-11-29T08:27:20.997-08:00Flying Out: Lima<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am at DCA waiting for my flight to Houston. In Houston I will connect to my flight to Lima. It is pretty simple; I fly 3 hours to Houston, then 7 to Lima. All told, it is a pretty easy flight route. It certainly beats the 24 hour slog to East Africa, though I do miss the the frequent flier miles from those trips to Uganda and Kenya. I also miss the chance to pop out of the airport in interesting and new places like Doha, Dubai, Amsterdam, among others. <br />
<br />
I am headed to Lima for a week for work. It is definitely going to be a busy trip. There are a lot of important meetings, looking to move work forward for the next few years. I am hopeful that my contributions this trip will amount to more than smiling and nodding. I mean, I was brand new for the last trip, and would not have had much to add, but still. I would like to speak. Speaking is an attainable goal.<br />
<br />
This morning I woke up at 7 to work out. It was cold, grey and raining outside, but I did it anyway. I felt like I was achieving something laudable by exercising this morning. Just by getting out of bed I had basically patted myself on the back just for being awake. I jogged a couple of miles in the rain, irritated that it was raining. I came back and made a breakfast of toast and yogurt, then got ready. Naturally, since it was 48 degrees outside, the heat in our apartment was auto-turned up to 80. So I was sweating in the apartment after showering--probably more than when I was running in the cold rain.<br />
<br />
I have come to accept that I will sweat when I get ready. Even if I give myself 4 hours of leeway for getting to my destination, I will still sweat because I am alive and thinking. That means that I just know I will sweat to the airport. Every trip, pretty much ever. So you are welcome future seatmates, I will be sweating next to you for a least the first 30 minutes of the flight.<br />
<br />
Now I am here and I can hear the United staff trying to lure 11 people off this flight with $500 vouchers and a promise of a later flight out. This always seems to happen when I cannot change my flight at all. It is a total bummer. But I am going to go see if there is anything they can do to still get me to Lima tonight and change my flight. If they can guarantee that, I would for sure take $500. We shall see!<br />
<br />
Keep traveling!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-67463062337171174742015-11-05T05:18:00.000-08:002015-11-05T05:19:01.502-08:00Update and New Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
New job. New jobs are tough. I have only been at this one about 8 weeks,
and I feel like I am just starting to know what questions to ask, when to ask
them, and why I should ask them. The
next step is knowing what to do with the responses. I catalog them in various ways. I scribble them into a note pad, then I type
them. Then I look through them
again. They strain through my
consciousness as though my brain were cheese cloth. I know I retain something
but what is it that passes through the fine mesh? That is the next next step--I need to figure
out what I don't know I am not retaining.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Good people at this
new job. I love working with the Forest
Service. It is a totally different
atmosphere than VE. I miss my VE friends
and family dearly, but I am excited to be in a new venture. International Programs at the Forest Service
sometimes has the feel of a start-up. It
is frenzied, fast-paced, high demand, and involves a lot of marketing and
relationships. Then sometimes you run
into the standard government barriers: i.e. 3 weeks to get fingerprints to and
from the FBI so I can get an ID badge with a chip that will allow me to log
onto my computer outside the office.
There is a lot of papeleo that I am learning to process. I have to be both flexible and detail
oriented; I am standard form driven and able to improvise--or at least that is
the goal I am shooting for. In any case,
it makes for an exciting work place.
Many of my colleagues are former PCVs and thus know the realities of
living abroad for several years on end.
Many have lots of development experience, and love IP for its ability to
eschew some of the rhetoric fatigue and get down to solid programming. It is a very cool place.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I am loving living
with Lee. It has been the rightest move
I have ever made. I love to know what
she thinks, what she does when she thinks she isn't doing anything at all. I love the routines and the new types of
adventures. I love 9:00 pm after work
when we decide to go to Mexico City for the hell of it. We can, we do, we are learning together what
works. It is pretty remarkable.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
All the while, DC is
cooperating too. The weather has not
turned its back on us yet. It is a bit
of an Indian summer with warm temperatures, soft breezes and pleasant attitudes. I love re-learning a place, and still having
solid friends around with which to accomplish that task.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Certainly there are
moments when I catch myself staring off and thinking of Uganda. I miss it.
I miss the light there, I miss the smells. I long for easy evenings on the porch with
the dog and the donkey. I even miss the
loud neighboor up the street with his loud parties that I still was never
invited too. I miss the thrum of music,
the whine of boda bodas, and the orchestrated semi functional calamity of the
place. Every day brought something
unexpected and outside my frame of reference.
I think I feel that space in my day to day at times. I don't need to go back right away, but it
feels nice to think about it. <br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I was just in
Chicago and New York, and I am headed to Peru at the end of this month. I will certainly write between now and
then. And I hope to update from Peru
this trip, too. The last trip was too busy to take time to write from there.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
So, I guess all this
is to say that I am happy and I am grateful.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
More soon.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Keep Travelling.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-17129975924005561322015-04-30T13:39:00.002-07:002015-04-30T13:46:03.682-07:00Nashville<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am in the Nashville airport after 4 days of great food, good exploring, lovely weather, and some quality music. I came down from DC with Evan for a couple of days. I work remotely right now, and I can just as easily work from Nashville as I can from DC, so I figured I would try to see something new.<br />
<br />
Nashville is a beautiful city. It is green and lush. The urban areas to not spoil the beauty of the setting. That is partly because the urban areas are small, and fairly unobtrusive, and partly because there is a lot of open space around Nashville. It is an interesting mix of southern hospitality, warm and welcome people, a modern urban food, art, and cocktail scene, honky-tonk and state capital. It mixes all these things pretty well (I say as 4-day expert). I enjoyed it very much.<br />
<br />
We arrived on Sunday night and took a driving tour of Broadway and the downtown strip. We went along 2nd street and the bars there, and then back through downtown. We had dinner at a Tex-Mex place called El Chico. It was not remarkable, but it was good. I am not an aficionado of Tex-Mex, given that it is not so popular in the West. It involves <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/11365-texas-queso-dip" target="_blank">queso</a> which is a definite Mexican tradition. Check it out. It is a funny cuisine. It is like middle America ran headlong into Mexico. After dinner we went to our hotel and then walked around the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. We were staying next door to the Grand Old Opry concert hall. It is an uninteresting brick building that is steeped in music history. EVERYTHING around it is named Opry something rather. <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bnago-gaylord-opryland-resort-and-convention-center/" target="_blank">The Gaylord Opryland</a> Hotel is a massive hotel and conference center that is like Disneyland for southerners. It is so strange and themed and landscaped and all indoors. It smells like a casino and Disneyland were blended together with lots of southern accents. After our walk we went to bed.<br />
<br />
During the days we mostly would exercise in the morning, then have a delicious lunch, work more in the afternoons, then go out for excellent dinner food. On Monday we worked from the Dell offices on their sprawling compound by the airport. We had massive burgers at Gabby's, worked more, then went for another walk prior to dinner at <a href="http://peglegporker.com/" target="_blank">Peg Leg porker</a>. It was amazing bar-b-que. The line at peg leg was long, but worth the wait. We had bar b que nachos, and pulled pork. The meat was so tender; sweet and savory with a delicious give to it. It was almost buttery. No one flavor dominated, not too seasoned or sauced, allowing the meat to speak for itself in concert with the other flavors. IT was awesome. I tried some local Yazoo beer, too. It was crowded the whole time we were there, but there was space for seating and we never felt cramped. It was in a cool part of town called The Gulch. It was a great experience eating there.<br />
<br />
From Peg Leg we went into downtown so I could see Broadway on foot, drink some beers and listen to music. We walked out to the midway point of the foot bridge and we took some great photos of downtown. We wandered into a bar and listen to Garth Brooks covers for a while. Then we continued on to Mike's Ice Cream for delicious hand-made ice cream. We walked out to the river and sat on benches along the river and ate our ice cream cones before heading back to the hotel for the night.<br />
<br />
Tuesday I was able to hang out in East Nashville and go to Barista Parlor for incredible coffee and workspace. I went into a shop called Fuselage where everything was expensive and too hip (4 sizes too small) for me. It was a well-curated store though. I just didn't need a $98 vintage union jack scarf, or $38 bespoke candles. We stayed in East Nashville for dinner, drinks and trivia night at the Hop Stop where they had many many beers on tap, and great food. It was a bar b cue centric menu with nouvelle takes on everything, but the food was still good. I drank too many beers, but we took 3rd in trivia and had a great time while doing it. My brother has some great friends and coworkers here.<br />
<br />
Wednesday I was working out of the Dell offices all day again. We took a trip back to East Nashville to eat incredibly delicious tacos at Mas Tacos Por Favor. They are the best street tacos I have had outside of Mexico or Los Angeles. I also had a rich and creamy cold-brewed iced coffee with horchata instead of milk. It was fantastic. I would say there are a few good cases of great coffee in Nashville, but overall the coffee game is lacking. That evening I went for a run along the Cumberland river. It was beautiful and green. I got almost as many stares as in Africa (fitness must not be as common? I had something on my face? I don't know...) But it was green and beautiful and the river made for a great backdrop.<br />
<br />
That night we went to Bricktop's which was only okay. But the best was having cocktails at Patterson house. They make hand crafted cocktails that all include many expensive ingredients and liquers, and are generally cocktails dressed to impress. The setting is a lovely old house with tin tile roofs inside, low dim lamps, ceiling fans, cozy booths, and hip people. It was a chic spot to get to hang out with Evan and his friends. We stayed for a couple of cocktails and then left before the place was too packed with well-heeled hipsters and Vanderbilt folks. We cruised down music row and then headed back out to the hotel.<br />
<br />
Now here I am at the airport, ready to fly back out. It was a great trip! I want to come back and dig in a little more. I still can't get my head around the accents. The southern drawl adds 3-7 extra syllables into everything and ranges from quaint to unintelligible. I want to see more music and understand that scene a little better. I would like to have hot chicken, which I missed this time. I want to do a little more shopping and eating and drinking. So, I am starting my next trip list now. Hopefully Lee can be with me on the next one, too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9unWaPmwS8FvWkGQYBUlOwvg04jD9aUWEcueGB1Cl_LS7t5PNM4hu95mRWO4JUUyJyRxhVrv85x6FYm5F9WrWNThYhiXf9EIoV_QlGmrEzZ3wBWg4CFAwu7-OmDSagASzUvbCzesLvU/s1600/IMG_6030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9unWaPmwS8FvWkGQYBUlOwvg04jD9aUWEcueGB1Cl_LS7t5PNM4hu95mRWO4JUUyJyRxhVrv85x6FYm5F9WrWNThYhiXf9EIoV_QlGmrEzZ3wBWg4CFAwu7-OmDSagASzUvbCzesLvU/s1600/IMG_6030.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-12102512592311051672015-04-28T15:22:00.001-07:002015-04-28T15:22:01.743-07:00Nashville Note: In Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0va0_0-3UTk6k2TCBR9nZ0OBGJ3U8YlZ5g6kYT34HXwo94lRkgjt6b9oy5yPJeY05O9h8Q7WQSSJjf_H-UuJnRAPb702Rw4ckUToZbEM9_WXBGy-BvP8ZuEfT3cQWc_a71u21n8AsxBU/s640/blogger-image--499480648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0va0_0-3UTk6k2TCBR9nZ0OBGJ3U8YlZ5g6kYT34HXwo94lRkgjt6b9oy5yPJeY05O9h8Q7WQSSJjf_H-UuJnRAPb702Rw4ckUToZbEM9_WXBGy-BvP8ZuEfT3cQWc_a71u21n8AsxBU/s640/blogger-image--499480648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7M_RAMhBKbgCd8Ks_S8uoPTKl8GnXzSTZ14cRP9YZ-U-4U0boc_hDgEKrnmNm9shfUFAT0TKyArqlL-rclr-c-Aazg95HZvl1fNCDV6ONILKYyOKk-cjXU6oIwvrlSG9kJW2Z-Cel4k/s640/blogger-image-1475699603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7M_RAMhBKbgCd8Ks_S8uoPTKl8GnXzSTZ14cRP9YZ-U-4U0boc_hDgEKrnmNm9shfUFAT0TKyArqlL-rclr-c-Aazg95HZvl1fNCDV6ONILKYyOKk-cjXU6oIwvrlSG9kJW2Z-Cel4k/s640/blogger-image-1475699603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lcYRKcmcyaBLaEKWiPvXLUnGLsrXL8DFtM6Yf0UEPGA5pJGuUNZ9Rx5oSomuHhCn69JIwI3J0bZtbyrywnjw5bJ833syfdh6M2105aPcomFiMj2hE2LdDUQPpbn0I7H4PqB7-k16IwA/s640/blogger-image-1396458465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lcYRKcmcyaBLaEKWiPvXLUnGLsrXL8DFtM6Yf0UEPGA5pJGuUNZ9Rx5oSomuHhCn69JIwI3J0bZtbyrywnjw5bJ833syfdh6M2105aPcomFiMj2hE2LdDUQPpbn0I7H4PqB7-k16IwA/s640/blogger-image-1396458465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcEWoG11UMGflOtnyloPs7PO0EnjBFCW8MQxVPaH37u7fGr2wuBhIScRgN4pv2Y5vq3Vh5CNk2p8WT0dMdkSqXslm4L5cqMG24R3B7Vj04HmO153w_WaCedNSW_wcHmqy3xmZB0orMF0/s640/blogger-image-1016073639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcEWoG11UMGflOtnyloPs7PO0EnjBFCW8MQxVPaH37u7fGr2wuBhIScRgN4pv2Y5vq3Vh5CNk2p8WT0dMdkSqXslm4L5cqMG24R3B7Vj04HmO153w_WaCedNSW_wcHmqy3xmZB0orMF0/s640/blogger-image-1016073639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcnKk_IA_4gkHJCvDzQUwZWpJy_gf3hJpn2Msx3EaXfkCez-Mkueh1-BMjPpooOuHZWhUfITB8Y-HV3bKm2qOyOVNVNrdw7sg4szALm6TyMua1hka2e8buxLg2sOC3y4c2sSu0TY_IQg/s640/blogger-image-474427256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcnKk_IA_4gkHJCvDzQUwZWpJy_gf3hJpn2Msx3EaXfkCez-Mkueh1-BMjPpooOuHZWhUfITB8Y-HV3bKm2qOyOVNVNrdw7sg4szALm6TyMua1hka2e8buxLg2sOC3y4c2sSu0TY_IQg/s640/blogger-image-474427256.jpg"></a></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcEWoG11UMGflOtnyloPs7PO0EnjBFCW8MQxVPaH37u7fGr2wuBhIScRgN4pv2Y5vq3Vh5CNk2p8WT0dMdkSqXslm4L5cqMG24R3B7Vj04HmO153w_WaCedNSW_wcHmqy3xmZB0orMF0/s640/blogger-image-1016073639.jpg"></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lcYRKcmcyaBLaEKWiPvXLUnGLsrXL8DFtM6Yf0UEPGA5pJGuUNZ9Rx5oSomuHhCn69JIwI3J0bZtbyrywnjw5bJ833syfdh6M2105aPcomFiMj2hE2LdDUQPpbn0I7H4PqB7-k16IwA/s640/blogger-image-1396458465.jpg"></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7M_RAMhBKbgCd8Ks_S8uoPTKl8GnXzSTZ14cRP9YZ-U-4U0boc_hDgEKrnmNm9shfUFAT0TKyArqlL-rclr-c-Aazg95HZvl1fNCDV6ONILKYyOKk-cjXU6oIwvrlSG9kJW2Z-Cel4k/s640/blogger-image-1475699603.jpg"></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0va0_0-3UTk6k2TCBR9nZ0OBGJ3U8YlZ5g6kYT34HXwo94lRkgjt6b9oy5yPJeY05O9h8Q7WQSSJjf_H-UuJnRAPb702Rw4ckUToZbEM9_WXBGy-BvP8ZuEfT3cQWc_a71u21n8AsxBU/s640/blogger-image--499480648.jpg"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-71828351289257044152015-04-20T06:08:00.001-07:002015-04-20T06:08:23.605-07:00Nationals Baseball<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf8golQ_RgI_zwZBr1K5dT64Rn6nFfRF9sjJsX08hDtXsTaEtIFLhHlh9QcCtewfy7UVSDB_4rP7n-ITBROylu1YMihcu6JEbz28JMmuEEBnPAHK_uJveq6O-Vgraiayx2kMHYYPBKCA/s640/blogger-image-1109697926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf8golQ_RgI_zwZBr1K5dT64Rn6nFfRF9sjJsX08hDtXsTaEtIFLhHlh9QcCtewfy7UVSDB_4rP7n-ITBROylu1YMihcu6JEbz28JMmuEEBnPAHK_uJveq6O-Vgraiayx2kMHYYPBKCA/s640/blogger-image-1109697926.jpg"></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-65656851638156729882015-04-17T06:16:00.001-07:002015-04-17T06:16:32.839-07:00Blossoms<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cJ8-vp-fVgjszetqFRCwrASroyto3Nmr1fMX1phkDkPsvSVPWLdSJAyQe4O0RHszh4J1JC_9RyKNk-TyaqRAdquhyNrISZ0bJXPI3dwGdC4JTc5faR16K6983URpe8ywNjddx1b2O3k/s640/blogger-image--1343048937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cJ8-vp-fVgjszetqFRCwrASroyto3Nmr1fMX1phkDkPsvSVPWLdSJAyQe4O0RHszh4J1JC_9RyKNk-TyaqRAdquhyNrISZ0bJXPI3dwGdC4JTc5faR16K6983URpe8ywNjddx1b2O3k/s640/blogger-image--1343048937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4OC5vVhMf1vmwAq0DRyk_Uxb4m9Uqd69xxOu0hWlU8x43uKHlNf_XqYcyIRU2_3aoEuP3FHMw0mUGtcMoT7_UgBU2BM-sojeYn8Psu3KNhltkNiAkDZB0bLmoCF2MGPkGN0Fm6E1ke8/s640/blogger-image-1066121923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4OC5vVhMf1vmwAq0DRyk_Uxb4m9Uqd69xxOu0hWlU8x43uKHlNf_XqYcyIRU2_3aoEuP3FHMw0mUGtcMoT7_UgBU2BM-sojeYn8Psu3KNhltkNiAkDZB0bLmoCF2MGPkGN0Fm6E1ke8/s640/blogger-image-1066121923.jpg"></a></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cJ8-vp-fVgjszetqFRCwrASroyto3Nmr1fMX1phkDkPsvSVPWLdSJAyQe4O0RHszh4J1JC_9RyKNk-TyaqRAdquhyNrISZ0bJXPI3dwGdC4JTc5faR16K6983URpe8ywNjddx1b2O3k/s640/blogger-image--1343048937.jpg"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-73972407981708660932015-04-17T06:07:00.000-07:002015-04-17T06:07:22.608-07:00Hitting the Gym...Sort Of<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since being back in
DC, I have been so happy to get to go running a lot. The weather has not always cooperated up to
this point, but now as we move towards May, things are only looking up. The trees are getting leafy, the flowers are
out, the weather is consistently not angrily blowing sleet directly and
personally at me while I run.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Running is lovely,
and with Meridian Hill Park across the street, there are great stair sets I can
run. However, I have been wanting to
find a gym where I can also lift weights.
I don't want to get ripped, just more fit and strong to help my running
and tennis game. I want something like
this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hannajerkins/5493762928/">ideal
body</a>. So, I have begun the gym
hunt. Fortunately for me there is a YMCA
a 5 minute walk from our apartment. It
seemed like a good place to start. I
think of the Village People happily costumed and festooned in flamboyant
sequined headdresses touting the benefits of such an affordable, supportive
place. This Y is a little different.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walked in the Y in
the brand new renovated building. The
lobby of the Y opens directly into Sweet Green.
For those of you who know DC, that should set off some warning bells. For those of you who don't, click <a href="http://sweetgreen.com/">here.</a>
It is a great place. I was
greeted by a woman who handed me a form to fill out. She asked me why I had been so lazy and never
showed up before. Okay not really she
asked if it was my first time in, and that she would set me up with a
tour. </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After filling out
the form, Chris, a young, fit black man came over to me and said "LOOK AT
ALL MY MUSCLES! WHY DO YOU EAT SO MUCH CAKE? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED PROTEIN
POWDER?" And after my brain's self judgement filter switched off, I
realized he actually introduced himself and offered to show me around. The gym was beautiful, not like any Y I had
seen in the past. It was full of young
20-somethings and early 30-ers, mostly white or ethnically ambiguous enough to
be hip and nonthreatening to the general populous, and wearing designer workout
clothes.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He showed me the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yPkrkn0Wk0">ecomill treadmills</a> that
are powered just by running, no electricity (why not just run outside?) and the
4 types of elliptical machines and 3 types of stationary bikes. It was all over whelming. So many bodies moving in a poorly timed
ballet, in sync but chaotic. It was
overwhelming. Behind the cardio floor
was the pool and the weights were below us.
It was new and clean and modern.
The locker rooms were spacious with nice showers, saunas, and steam
rooms. It was all very good. At the end of the tour he said, "So I
hope you feel pressured enough by all these young bodies to buy a membership
immediately! Thanks!" Then he directed me to the same woman as
before who asked about my laziness. She
smiled sweetly and explained membership options. I told her I would have to talk to my
girlfriend about it first. She nodded
her understanding and said, "alright then, enjoy quitting before you get
started this evening!" Then I used
my free day to work out.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I will get
used to all these things again. But the
gym just seemed like a lot. And it
seemed funny to walk outside to exercise inside after not doing that for two
years. And all those aggressively fit
and nicely dressed young people were intimidating! So many yoga pants! But I can do it. The gym search continues, and in the
meantime, I will be out for a run.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-69406199324543848192015-03-29T17:01:00.001-07:002015-03-29T17:01:08.080-07:00Washignton, DC Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am finally sitting down and having some time to write on here for the first time since being back. I have been back a total of 12 days. In some ways it seems like I have been here a lot longer, in some ways, the time is very short, and I feel like I just arrived. Either way, it is not that long, and musing over the actual perception to reality difference is a bit too meta to really be interesting.<br />
<br />
I arrived on Tuesday the 17th on a 15 hour flight from Dubai. It was rather unremarkable. I slept a lot, I ate 4 times, and watched a number of movies. When I arrived, customs and immigration was the quickest at Dulles that I have ever experienced. It took less than 45 minutes to go through immigration, gather my luggage, and pass through customs. It was refreshing. Usually, because of the ineffective way <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs-J2wmxeD8" target="_blank">Dulles shuttles people</a> from the international terminal to the main airport terminal, there are bottlenecks that are frustrating and interminably irritating after traveling from far-off parts of the world. Luckily, I was greeted on the other side by the smiling face of Winnie Auma, our Uganda country director and my good friend from Village Enterprise. By brother picked us from the the airport, and we began a crazy day.<br />
<br />
My brother treated us to lunch a local diner, and I was thrilled to eat a delicious club sandwich. Winnie ate biscuits and gravy for the first time (yeah I know, like the fattest American food, but it is legit). Then we went to his house where we prepared for a meeting by having a skype call with Ellen in Uganda. Then we took an Uber black car into the city, all the while I was deliriously pointing out monuments to Winnie. This whole time I was g-chatting with Lee who did not know I was in the US, and I was pretending I was in Kampala getting ready to come to the US. Surprises.<br />
<br />
The black car dropped us at FHI 360 where we had a preparatory meeting for a presentation we would be giving on that Thursday. From there we went to a meeting with the funder of our randomized controlled trial (impact evaluation) that is running on our program in Uganda. We met Konstantin in Dupont Ciricle (I was afraid Lee would catch a glimpse of me in the circle like one of those <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bigfoot&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&imgil=GUg1eJX8kOAoLM%253A%253BWd1s5mUx_sWvzM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fen.wikipedia.org%25252Fwiki%25252FBigfoot&source=iu&pf=m&fir=GUg1eJX8kOAoLM%253A%252CWd1s5mUx_sWvzM%252C_&usg=__NoI-I5uyyhD-0daAcBHkjNF3mb0%3D&biw=1278&bih=635&ved=0CEUQyjc&ei=To4YVYyXFYjggwSyx4Mo#imgdii=GUg1eJX8kOAoLM%3A%3B4DN_VyAGFOWqhM%3BGUg1eJX8kOAoLM%3A&imgrc=GUg1eJX8kOAoLM%253A%3BWd1s5mUx_sWvzM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fen%252F9%252F99%252FPatterson%2525E2%252580%252593Gimlin_film_frame_352.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FBigfoot%3B238%3B267" target="_blank">tabloid photos of bigfoot</a>) so I was trying my best to cover my face. Winnie, Konstantin, and I went to the meeting and then we walked down to Konstantin's office where my brother again met me for the grand surprise!<br />
<br />
Evan, Rebecca, and I all went to <a href="http://kapnosdc.com/" target="_blank">Kapnos</a> in the 14th Street area of NW where Lee was waiting, none the wiser that I was going to be showing up with Evan and Rebecca. It was so nice to see Evan and Rebecca pull up in front of Konstantin's office. It was surreal to be in DC, and I had only been there for 9 hours at this point, but I was excited to see Lee's face. We agreed that we would all walk into the restaurant, and I would come in last, somewhat hidden by Evan (I am easily hidden because I am dainty).<br />
<br />
Evan and Rebecca walked in first, and they both said hi to Lee and hugged her. She was beautiful in a floral dress, sipping a glass of champagne and absently thumbing through her hair. I was last in line to say hello and at first she simply said "hey!" and then it set in that I was there, and not supposed to be there, and surprising her, and that I was there, and for the next 10 minutes she laughed, while crying, and just saying "oh my god." It was a pretty spectacular reaction. We had a lovely dinner all four of us, and then we went back for my first sight of OUR APARTMENT!<br />
<br />
The apartment is lovely. It is just the right size, there are tons of windows that throw beautiful light on every space, and it is so nicely decorated. Lee worked hard and did an amazing job of setting the place up. It is compact, but spacious, and not cramped. It feels like our place, and it is such a comfortable, welcoming space. The building is lovely, and directly across the street from Meridian Hill Park. We are a close walk to the 14th Street strip, U street, Shaw, and Columbia Heights. It is ideal. We unfortunately did not even have time to do nothing and enjoy each other because we both had to work a lot.<br />
<br />
The next two days were filled with meetings, conferences, presentations, and courting potential funders, and current partners. But finally, over the weekend we had time to just be together. It was amazing to know that we could go to dinner, and not feel like we had to go all the restaurants we needed to. We could go out, stay in, go for walks, and not feel like there was pressure to try to do everything all at once. We shopped for the apartment, went out for tacos with a dear friend who I hadn't seen since Christmas, went to the National Zoo, and generally enjoyed being together with no hurry for the first time in two years. We cooked meals, made grocery lists, and planned dinners. It was such a nice thing.<br />
<br />
On a cultural note, the grocery stores here are insane. After coming from Hoima where there are 11 things to choose from. The grocery store here just makes me stop in my tracks. In 3 or 4 grocery trips, I have generally ended up with at least 7 random things (mostly cheeses or cheese products), and spent much more than intended. The tropical fruits in the store are stupid expensive and not ripe, there are more cereals than anyone could possibly eat, I can begin to describe how amazing it is to have whole grain and health food options. It is all overwhelming. And, no one tries to sell it to you! You just go and casually pick what you want. It is overwhelming.<br />
<br />
On another cultural note, everyone looks like me here. I know that seems obvious, but there are so many white 20 somethings who have facial hair and preppy clothes in this area. At the grocery store, the park, the bars, anywhere, there are so many of me around. I never confronted either my sameness, or that I could be so different based on the context. It is pretty amazing. The crowds of people, cars, options, and general transition have led to a few panic attacks, but those have been manageable, par for the course I suppose. Even if I am not actually dying, I feel like I am, and I think about how I could just be buried under varieties of cheese and hot sauce and suffocate under the pile, and then the panic seems all at once more tangible, but less threatening. Cheese is a double-edged sword. More on that later I s'pose. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-65758125951466948122015-03-07T02:02:00.000-08:002015-03-07T02:02:25.140-08:00Running through Foreign Lands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Yesterday I had a
profound realization. Well, a couple,
and all in the span of 38 sweaty minutes.
It was a big run for me for a lot of reasons. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
In general, running
in Uganda has some element of adventure associated with it. The roads leave a lot to be desired, when
they are there. There is a constant
gaggle (I will get back to gaggles…) of small children running, laughing,
pointing, generally creating chaos around you when running. Often there are myriad wild to semi-tame dogs that take interest in the activity.
There are adults that sporadically take enough interest to cast a lazy call of mzungu (white guy), and sidelong stare to indicate their general sense that
what I am doing defies logic. Then there
are geese.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
This is where I go
back to gaggles. On one particular
running route that I follow in Hoima, there is a gaggle of geese that torment
me. It started about 3 months ago. I first came running down there on a rainy
morning. There were two geese, a white
goose and a speckled goose. As I
approached them, jogging slowly along, they began to crane their necks and
ruffle their feathers. I moved to the
other side of the road and kept going.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The next few runs I
didn't see them. But then, about a month
ago, I was running, and as I got to that section of road, there were at least a
dozen geese, grazing the road where I was supposed to run. At first I thought, "they are geese,
they should see I am a superior animal, and get out of my way, like chickens
do." This was VERY incorrect. The geese tightened into a pack, craned their
necks, opened their beaks to expose razor-like rows of something akin to teeth
(<a href="http://www.mdavid.com.au/geese/geese.shtml" target="_blank">do geese have teeth?</a>) and HISSED at me!
They lifted their wings and jabbed their goose heads toward me. My heart was racing (I realize writing this
how pathetic it is, don't worry). My
heart was racing (I was running after all) and so I darted to the side of the
road, and sprinted past them. I also
hissed back. I don't know, it seemed
right at the time.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Then, yesterday,
again I was running, and not only did I time my run such that I encountered
every school child in Hoima leaving school for the evening, but the geese (more
like geese-stapo) were in the road again.
So after enduring 30 minutes of heckling by children (I mean I doubt
they are judging me, but I don't speak the local language, and really, they are
of course judging the giant white man running nowhere in particular) I got to
near the end of my road and again had to meet the geese. They are intent on adding an additional
component to my work outs by adding shots of adrenaline into my runs. This time, the side of the road was blocked,
because someone turned the shoulder of the road into a garden for growing sweet
potatoes and cassava. I couldn't trample
the garden. In my head I imagined
running through the garden, killing all the sweet potatoes, and a mother and 14
children all weeping, fists balled up against their eyes, wailing "what's to
become of us?" So I made the choice
to run through the geese. They moved.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
So all in all what
has happened? In sum, nothing. I dealt with running through crowds of curious
children and geese. I saved a Ugandan
family from starvation by not trampling their garden due to an unreasonable
fear of domestic fowl (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iujWxT3Lio" target="_blank">someone once told me that geese bite</a>), and I lived
another day. It is often curious running
in East Africa. There is always
something that reminds me how excited I am to run when I get back to the
US. At least I can take solace that in
Rock Creek Park there will be no attack geese, and the whole city of DC will
not be alerted to the fact that one white guy is running.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But really, why does
the owner of the geese just let them out like that?</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-28504137343300563352015-01-25T22:14:00.002-08:002015-01-25T22:14:49.476-08:00On Liberation and Decentralization<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems like a
common policy move for good governance initiatives in developing countries is
decentralization. It is touted as a
catch-all solution to the needs of a country, simultaneously empowering local
leaders while improving service delivery to poor, often remote constituents. I
would not argue that it is an ineffective tool, but perhaps it is not right in
all settings. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Uganda,
decentralization began after Yoweri Museveni took power from the military Junta
that followed the great and terrible Idi Amin.
In an effort to improve transparency and efficacy of government action,
a large-scale decentralization was put in place. <a href="http://www.eprc.or.ug/pdf_files/op31.pdf" target="_blank">This article</a> by political science students at
Makerere University provides good background and context for the policy. The government took action in the mid 90's by
passing a law to enact decentralization, and that is when it began to take
hold. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the primary
issues with decentralization is that there is not always sufficient training in
rural and underserved area to take on the new administrative burdens that come
with decentralization. Well trained bureaucrats
are reticent about leaving Kampala, and as such, people working in local
governments do not have the same levels of education or capacity that their
counterparts in the capital have.
<a href="http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01063.pdf" target="_blank">IFPRI's paper</a> about service delivery and decentralization touches on
this nicely.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what do you get
when you have local officials overburdened with bureaucratic tasks, not fully
supported by the central government, and lacking capacity? You get a lot of frustrated Ugandans who see
potential for elite capture, nepotism, and the opportunity to milk the
system. It is an unfortunate scenario,
but it is true. Of course not all
locally elected officials are this way, many serve the district and their
country honestly, with a lot of integrity.
I am writing about this, however, because of the most recent example of
some bureaucrats who did not act with the same decorum.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As part of the
Village Enterprise program we help form business savings groups. Business Savings Groups (BSGs) are similar to
<a href="http://www.seepnetwork.org/vsla-programme-guide--field-operations-manual-resources-813.php" target="_blank">Village Savings and Lending Associations</a> (VSLAs), except we are starting them
with income generating units. Those are
the village enterprise businesses. Each
BSG is comprised of 10 businesses. Each
business is comprised of 3 business owners.
That means each BSG has 30 members.
As a good practice, we encourage the BSGs to register with the
subcounty. This ensures them some legal
arbitration if there are disputes in the group, and it often facilitates the
group's access loans from formal financial institutions.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, I went to
visit a BSG near our office in Western Uganda, and I was told a very sad
story. The BSG went to register at the
subcounty, and the officials in the office charged the double the amount
required for registering. They looked at
our businesses owners, saw how they were dressed, and knew they were rural
villagers. As such, they told them the
price was double so that they could use the extra money to line their pockets,
assuming the business owners would be too illiterate in general, and especially
in local law to know they were being swindled.
However, when this was reported to their business mentor who had been
training them for months, he went straight to the subcounty and was able to get
their money back.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People are poor in
Uganda, and a government worker in a local office makes a very low salary. However, there is entitlement that comes with
that sort of position, and a perception of power and prestige. In the case of this BSG, all those things
were wielded to milk the BSG for extra money.
Poor were stealing from the extreme poor. Now, I am not advocating that taking away
decentralization as a policy would remedy this.
In fact, I am sure it would be even harder to get our BSGs registered
and backed as official organizations if there was no decentralized
government. However, decentralization
with no checks, balances, or training leads to corruption and vice.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am thinking about
all this as today is Liberation Day in Uganda.
The NRM took power from the military junta and returned to a
democracy. This is a loose
interpretation of democracy, given that the current president has been the
president since Uganda was liberated 29 years ago. It seems like there is still a lot of
liberation to be done. So, we keep after
it, one day at a time.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Calibri; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LPnN43LRHNbG4Ca6VITzb4DAW9kWbhn-yLjnn4KMDGa2Sa-4m4Fu-KyHFLlrQdFgAYk6k8LJhLWUn7f9zYhFLdNod_GVuIBdVkw4t80e_zbL-Zae6SnH6Huq6K3tyEN06pX2PrxkyXc/s1600/BSG+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LPnN43LRHNbG4Ca6VITzb4DAW9kWbhn-yLjnn4KMDGa2Sa-4m4Fu-KyHFLlrQdFgAYk6k8LJhLWUn7f9zYhFLdNod_GVuIBdVkw4t80e_zbL-Zae6SnH6Huq6K3tyEN06pX2PrxkyXc/s1600/BSG+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BSG in Training</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-88155827028963213162015-01-16T23:33:00.000-08:002015-01-16T23:33:04.242-08:00A Wonderful Winter Wedding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My wonderful older brother Evan got married to Rebecca on December 31st, 2014. That was the main impetus for going back to the US from Uganda this Christmas. It was a wonderful wedding, a fantastic ceremony, and such a great opportunity to see so much family, and so many friends. <br />
<br />
First, I feel like usually, no one really likes planning New Years Eve. So thanks to Evan and Rebecca for taking care of that for all of us. Second, everyone tries to make epic, fantastic plans for New Year's Eve, and they are often not as great as expected. Notable exceptions are now 1. a wedding 2. mistakenly ending up at a very local bar in Diani, Kenya. In both cases I did no planning. Third, it is great to get both friends and family on New Year's eve. Usually I have had to decide, but this year, this awesome wedding brought together both worlds. It was wonderful!<br />
<br />
Let me start from the beginning of the vacation. I went back to the US on the 19th. I got to see Lee briefly in DC when I dropped off Theo the dog. Unfortunately, I spent most of the 36 hours I was there pretty ill, and trying not to fall asleep at 7:00 pm, thanks to jet lag, and flying back to the cold and dark of mid-winter in the northern hemisphere. After flying to DC and resting for 36 hours I went out to California.<br />
<br />
I got to see my very close friend Bethany, who I have known since middle school. Beth has been there through a lot, and it was so cool to get to see her in San Francisco. I finally got to meet Joel in person, and we all ate some terrific Mexican food in the Mission district in San Francisco. My parents were with us and we all walked around the mission, and went to Mission Dolores Park. It was a great afternoon.<br />
<br />
I spent the next few days in Merced for Christmas. I felt warm, carefree, and so at ease seeing my family and spending the holidays with them. Evan and Rebecca flew in very late on the 23rd. We went to a very funny, homemade church service on the 24th. We upheld the Doty traditions of Christmas cookie frosting, and getting to hang a few ornaments. It was made even better having my sister and nieces there, too. I was so happy to see Julian and meet his lady Sibel as well. Christmas is just made better with more people. On Christmas day we ate, played games, went walking, and went to the movies. It was so satisfying.<br />
<br />
We went up for the bachelor party on the 26th. We spent two nights at the stunning Ahwahnee Lodge in Yosemite. We had a great time doing man things. We went for a 10 mile hike and drank scotch and had a wonderful dinner at the lodge. The rest is top secret.<br />
<br />
From there we headed down to Los Angeles at 5:30 in the morning. I picked up Lee at the airport and we drove straight to Disneyland. My brother and Rebecca were having a pre-wedding fun day there. Lee and I met Evan and Rebecca at the park along with my sister and nieces, my mom and dad, my cousin Harvey and his wife Lis, and their son Levi, Evan and Rebecca's friends Carlos and Pamela. We all had lunch at a great Mexican restaurant in Downtown Disney. Lee got to meet a lot of people right away, and was really thrown into the mix doing it all at Disney. I am so impressed by her aplomb.<br />
<br />
I was thrilled to see Harvey, Lis, and Levi. It was great to get too see them relatively soon after the summer. They are so much fun, and some of my favorite relatives. It was a blast to sit with them at lunch and catch up. I always feel like I can get right back into step with them, and we've never missed a beat.<br />
<br />
We all went into the park and all of us rode Soarin' Over California. A giant theater ride with seats that are elevated and move as though you are flying in a hang glider. The seats hang from long mechanical arms, and the effect is very real. My parents, Evan and Rebecca split off to go to bed, get coffee respectively. But Lee, sis, the girls and I continued to ride some fast rides. I tested Lee's aplomb by dragging her on the big roller coaster in California Adventure, as well as the tower of terror. There may have been some genuine anger at moments, but we made it, and are stronger for it. That night we crashed into bed at our hotel in Hollywood around 10:30.<br />
<br />
In the morning, Lee, my parents and I had a really nice quiet breakfast. We were able to talk and catch up without lots of other people around. I am so glad that they got to see each other, and that we could all be together without too much else going on.<br />
<br />
Things progressed in this way, an extraordinary stream of people and visits until the wedding rehearsal that afternoon. It was quick and well orchestrated. That night was the grooms dinner, which was a real highlight. So many friends and family came. I was SO happy to meet more of Rebecca's family and to finally introduce Lee to all of my family. It felt like the pieces were coming together into a lovely, family puzzle. It was so special to have all of these good people in one place.<br />
<br />
The next day was the actual wedding. I don't know that I have ever had so much fun at a wedding. Even the pictures were fun! It was a cold day for LA on the 31st. It was clear and crisp and sunny in the high 50s. We took photos at UCLA. Lee of course looked stunning. Evan and Rebecca were glowing, and their photos show it. UCLA was a stunning, austere, and lush backdrop for winter wedding photos in LA. It was a great choice.<br />
<br />
There were family photos at the synagogue leading up to the ceremony. Then the men split and we toasted Evan, enjoyed scotch, and had some time to just bullshit before we danced and sang him into the sanctuary to sign the kituba with Rebecca. There they signed their documents, and by that time it was about time to get set for the ceremony. I was compulsively feeling for the ring box this whole time in my pocket. At one point the photographer came and asked for the rings to take some photos with the documents. I followed her into the room and watched the whole time. She said "wow you take your job seriously." I said nothing. I wanted to intimate my seriousness.<br />
<br />
The ceremony was beautiful. It was in an outdoor courtyard full of olive trees. The olive trees were draped with lights. The Chuppa was lovely, and in part knitted by my aunties Beryl and Lindy. It looked amazing. I realize how many superlatives I am using, but the whole event just inspired superlatives. I had a blast. During the ceremony the Rabbi did a wonderful job. The blessings were beautiful, and I was happy that my dad and Michael both got to read blessings. It was great. I cried, though I tried to look tough while doing it. My mom cried, but I had to avoid looking, otherwise it would have been real waterworks! Then we walked out and Lee asked me if I was crying, which made me cry more. I have a lot of feelings, ok!? My big brother got married! But I was so happy she was asking me, and she was the one on my arm. I am so thankful Evan and Rebecca asked her to join the celebration in that way.<br />
<br />
The reception was beautiful. It was like a California princess ball. The decorations were great. I also got to sit with my cousins Brook and Cassy and Harvey and Lis. It was cool to have them all meet. I could hardly eat the fabulous dinner. I was nervous about my best man's toast (which went off very well, and I didn't even cry) and I was on a lot of adrenaline just excited to be there. The we danced the horah and lifted Evan and Rebecca and danced them in their chairs. Let me just say that I think Rebecca's side lucked out getting the daintier of the two of them. Evan was not so...dainty. But it was so great. I loved dancing in a ciricle with my dad and brother and the groomsmen and the Waterman men. It was such a nice melding of family and culture. I was honored and thrilled to be there.<br />
<br />
I was continuously swept off my feet by how beautiful Lee was, and how special it was to spend New Years together two years in a row. Especially having her at this event it was amazing to see how it can be when we are together all the time. We danced all night to a live band. We took breaks for desserts, drinks (many with Harvey and Lis), shots (thanks Abby and Cooper...) Water, spending tie with family, dancing with mom and neices, too. All the dancing at least kept me warm (I was cold ALL THE TIME) so that was wonderful inspiration, too. Turns out dancing in a crowded room in a tux is similar to African weather. We counted down midnight all together and rang in the New Year in wonderful fashion. It was one of the most wonderful New Year's Eves I have had. I will always remember it.<br />
<br />
Eventually we left the synagogue around 2:30, and made it back to Hollywood at 4:00 and again crashed into bed. It was such a terrific night, and I was amazed, honored, and proud to be a part of it all! Mazel Tov!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1nQ4_XiGU-nVwYCyMulG91D4smvJ5cGK0gLp3wSDiRy2J2Od7udcq-i4B0oiUKhN0_KLK_14Z6uZshe6TxMaD8A1i-8VU2p5uoRK339tIokZZLg8UQnHRV-HflUDGB2Zgb76AgfIpWQ/s1600/IMG_5350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1nQ4_XiGU-nVwYCyMulG91D4smvJ5cGK0gLp3wSDiRy2J2Od7udcq-i4B0oiUKhN0_KLK_14Z6uZshe6TxMaD8A1i-8VU2p5uoRK339tIokZZLg8UQnHRV-HflUDGB2Zgb76AgfIpWQ/s1600/IMG_5350.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bride and Groom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-17896180247851330902015-01-15T21:25:00.000-08:002015-01-15T21:25:25.323-08:00Back in Uganda: Kicking off 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am back in Uganda after three and a half wonderful weeks in the US. I am thrilled to be back in Uganda. It was such relief to step out of the plane into the warm, supple air in Entebbe, and not need a sweater for the first time since leaving on December 19th (except for two gloriously warm days in Santa Monica). I briefly hung out in Amsterdam on the way to the US, and that was the first temperature shock. But the worst was 9 degrees in DC at one point. 9 is just not enough degrees.<br />
<br />
It is a great feeling to be back with the team here. I was out in the field the last two days carrying out disbursements of our second grant. The recipients were part of our RCT, and were in a village that was randomly selected not to receive our full program, but instead just a cash-equivalent version of our program. Needless to say it was a pleasure to be back out in the field.<br />
<br />
It was an odd experience being in the USA on Sunday, shopping, going to target, eating Mexican food, and being American. I woke up in Dubai on Monday night, and by Wednesday I was deep in the field in rural Uganda. This is one of the sets of juxtapositions that has interested me most as I have been working in Uganda now for a year and a half, (only returning to the US in the last 6 months). It is really astounding how much freedom we have as Americans to move in the world. It is amazing that the excess of Dubai can coexist in some fashion with the sever underdevelopment of rural Ugandan villages. It is also to move from one day to the next through both settings. <br />
<br />
I think this time it forced me to think about why these sorts of inequalities persist, and where real change can come from. With Village Enterprise we are doing incredible work. We are fomenting economic growth in the lowest strata of the Ugandan and Kenyan economies. We are helping to build a base of economic growth that hopefully will lead to people creating sustainable business so people are equipped with the resources to eventually move out of poverty. But we can't do it all. We have many partnerships, and really, I think that developing more, and stronger partnerships is going to be important in development. NGO, Institution, and Aid collaboration and organization is going to be about the only thing that might promise real change. Siloing projects, organizations, and people from one another only ensures repetition (sometimes of bad projects and programs), lack of communication, and waste of resources. But who can work on aid collaboration? It is like a giant process evaluation, a very meta, but very needed job. I would love to see where some of the best efforts are if anyone has them.<br />
<br />
Regardless, I am happy to be back in Uganda. I am happy to get to go to the field, and I am looking forward to visiting our Kenya office next month. I am also looking forward to our innovation summit where I learn from our staff about how much I still have to learn from our program. The next two months are going to be very exciting and move so quickly. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dYM79IEQNDUrlnt7Hx_LB7Ml1JYX4PGF-CimzF2ebuREdlndhimS3E7hB94NmRSVw0fyc8RzZdwVP2sc-BSo33796_rYOAVjXcr6Bb-YCFAtRcy-CfCDJ3VTlpQsMXz5eUTcMgHfP3c/s1600/IMG_5451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dYM79IEQNDUrlnt7Hx_LB7Ml1JYX4PGF-CimzF2ebuREdlndhimS3E7hB94NmRSVw0fyc8RzZdwVP2sc-BSo33796_rYOAVjXcr6Bb-YCFAtRcy-CfCDJ3VTlpQsMXz5eUTcMgHfP3c/s1600/IMG_5451.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking in Santa Monica on Tuesday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH8KtUxgLgyskjn55-kD8xt4J1aSkLMP_VCvDEuBrkHoUJB-JQ22izUQL1LXbAKFKoa4brsqhEFDAS9-GFWmv1gI_ZrMzGVpzqKSRMJlazak3fvFf-MOhM4Rq0T6n-MIjZPkN-xGWCxc/s1600/Burj+Khalifa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH8KtUxgLgyskjn55-kD8xt4J1aSkLMP_VCvDEuBrkHoUJB-JQ22izUQL1LXbAKFKoa4brsqhEFDAS9-GFWmv1gI_ZrMzGVpzqKSRMJlazak3fvFf-MOhM4Rq0T6n-MIjZPkN-xGWCxc/s1600/Burj+Khalifa.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Dubai the following Monday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt8JKmdBvJLtvSturNCbk7cXZJDiktF0dC9LSwbOHS7DDW3f1IgemhpuHQ0lVHf59H80GduuTXbYbyzb0nojpvYzRoF9pRHa0egaQQDNbtitkVYr4bbCSTWJXtALmhWHt6MwFVCBpeYg/s1600/Nyamundeija+Cash+Only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt8JKmdBvJLtvSturNCbk7cXZJDiktF0dC9LSwbOHS7DDW3f1IgemhpuHQ0lVHf59H80GduuTXbYbyzb0nojpvYzRoF9pRHa0egaQQDNbtitkVYr4bbCSTWJXtALmhWHt6MwFVCBpeYg/s1600/Nyamundeija+Cash+Only.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the field in Nyamundeija for Disbursements</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-78636741551396101592014-09-29T12:52:00.003-07:002014-09-29T12:52:48.535-07:00Home Leave V: Banos and Puyo, the Last Stops in Ecuador<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Since we had arrived to Puyo at night, it was surprising to me to wake up in the morning and be surrounded by steep green mountains jutting into the mist. We were in a narrow valley, surrounded on all sides by verdant peaks. Banos is a small town nestled in the foothills of the Andes on the Amazon side of the mountains. It is an outdoor adventurer's paradise, and as such a major gringo locality. That has its pluses and minuses. Pluses: a range of fantastic food, both local and international. Minuses, it is a bit more touristy. But the town survives on this tourism focused around the rainforest, rivers, canyons, and mountains, as well as the natural hot springs, from which the name is derived.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqt3Cbq0hRZ84wOsu5HtWceMj8w-Om1tjD1gIyATXbtNgv97UrIlwRE-FsIVlhtM248rKVa-RCnyfnu8Avx9faT02XCJssj0Umv6SHNWOZWy0OsP7o_1uiYQsQLLH14avY-mlg80fNcw/s1600/IMG_5043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqt3Cbq0hRZ84wOsu5HtWceMj8w-Om1tjD1gIyATXbtNgv97UrIlwRE-FsIVlhtM248rKVa-RCnyfnu8Avx9faT02XCJssj0Umv6SHNWOZWy0OsP7o_1uiYQsQLLH14avY-mlg80fNcw/s1600/IMG_5043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Banos de Agua Santa</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We had a delicious breakfast at our hostel, which in and of itself was a fantastic place. We stayed in a hostel that was a working art studio and sculpture workshop. It was open and airy and massive with large fireplaces and many rooms clustered on two floors around the workshop. The woman cooking us breakfast helped us to iron out a plan to get up to the swing at the end of the world, and so after eating we set off to find a taxi.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A taxi took us up a steep winding road to the top of the mountains. He let us out, and we had to hike another 250 feet up or so to a small tree house that is built on the edge of a mountain ridge. There is an active volcano very near the swing at the end of the world, and the tree house was built as an observation point. Now, naturally, it serves as a place to swing out over a dramatically steep and deep valley floor, and feel the earth drop out from under your feet. It was a magical thing to swing out over a valley floor hundreds of feet below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiE-P8Wvp-TEtKqpeP_z2M_S2CkhJGrVrDeIPoCanYwb687yL0xjWqHygzzJgUM9mlaSHECR0w9wC2A_LMnkVZu-lwfbT01u9MVWntlk7420SCcsb_5AoWCpDkAOzcy4i3KNCGXu0k-g/s1600/IMG_5039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiE-P8Wvp-TEtKqpeP_z2M_S2CkhJGrVrDeIPoCanYwb687yL0xjWqHygzzJgUM9mlaSHECR0w9wC2A_LMnkVZu-lwfbT01u9MVWntlk7420SCcsb_5AoWCpDkAOzcy4i3KNCGXu0k-g/s1600/IMG_5039.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lee on the swing!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We hiked down the mountain to a terrific restaurant, and then eventually all the way down to Puyo town. It is an extremely steep and intense trail, but often provides breathtaking views.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BB5B8H4UG7h6jTFzN-Ahrbpt5oqk8kHkG5JiyOBFxmkM6MSgGi6MpIGRqjzSff7obqFlL70Mj0NX_Xli3fcMY1BiXx9GJNmrvj-dK2ILD-oB0PLH6d60w9ubel1pM2znLEQ72Zix7UY/s1600/IMG_5048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BB5B8H4UG7h6jTFzN-Ahrbpt5oqk8kHkG5JiyOBFxmkM6MSgGi6MpIGRqjzSff7obqFlL70Mj0NX_Xli3fcMY1BiXx9GJNmrvj-dK2ILD-oB0PLH6d60w9ubel1pM2znLEQ72Zix7UY/s1600/IMG_5048.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hiking down down to Banos</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That evening we went to the hot springs. That was an interesting cultural experience. There were so many people that you had to basically stand or squat pressed against all of Ecuador. We had to rent swim caps to avoid getting hair in the water. So we looked like a lunch lady convention had made it to the hot springs. The water was hot and soothing, though it smelled metallic. There were very cold plunge pools fed by the nearby waterfall, so we would soak until sweating in the hot pools, then jump into the cold water. Apparently it is good for circulation. When we left, after all that hot water and good circulation, I finally didn't feel cold in Banos (so far everywhere had been cold).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The next day we hiked to Pailon del Diablo, a stunning hike and gorgeous waterfall. We took a bus for about 40 minutes to a small town in between Banos and puyo. The trail head was a quick walk from the bus. We hiked for about 40 minutes to the valley floor, before ascending to the waterfall. once we reached the waterfall (nestled in mountains so green and lush that it was astounding) we had two options, climb through a tiny tunnel, army crawling to a platform where you can stand behind the waterfall and watch it roar down, or stand on the viewing platform. We decided we had to scramble up the rock birth canal to the top of the falls. It was very worth it. The sound of the water was deafening. It was impossible to stay dry, but so mesmerizing to stand behind such force. The cave climb was amazing too, dripping rock, squeezing on all sides with occasional cut-away views of the jungle-enrobed valleys and the falls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjly8aJ4Ub7qm7RIO6U3Vm6cFPYJCK4Fdqluqj8KwtLKmfuh_X4xpSaz0VnGQDii9jbPPpzbuMGlU0_fK2EW4n-Nhdz-mtBMgmb5Pex9B0PYFJZNUxvtSXpibD964bvzopM9Nn61ERhg/s1600/IMG_5066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjly8aJ4Ub7qm7RIO6U3Vm6cFPYJCK4Fdqluqj8KwtLKmfuh_X4xpSaz0VnGQDii9jbPPpzbuMGlU0_fK2EW4n-Nhdz-mtBMgmb5Pex9B0PYFJZNUxvtSXpibD964bvzopM9Nn61ERhg/s1600/IMG_5066.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">El Pailon del Diablo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After the waterfall we went back to Banos to gather our things for our quick trip to Puyo. We rode in the back of a truck with two exceedingly nice, and overly curious Canadians and an Argentine. We chatted them up, then went to our hotel when we arrived. We gathered our stuff, then hopped on a bus to Puyo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Travelling towards Puyo, the mountains gradually began to recede, and the rainforest began to grow denser and closer on all sides. After an hour and a half, the Andes and dissolved into a shadow behind us, and we were in the flatter Amazon basin, right on the edge in Puyo. We walked to Lee's house where she had been living with the ARP. I got to meet her coworkers, see where she had been living, see the place in person where she had skyped, and get a tour of her little compound. We spent a little time there, then we went to drop our stuff at our hotel and head to dinner. We went out that night to her local bar and I was able to meet some of the friends she had made there. It was awesome to see that she knew the bartender and had become a local at Desigual.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In the morning we woke up very early to take the bus out to the school where she had been working in a village called Esfuerzo. We rode the bus with some college kids volunteering for her organization. I slept as we drove out deeper into the rural amazon countryside. I woke up and was excited to finally meet these people I had heard so much about. I met Olguer, the school director at Esfuerzo. He was a lovely man. he showed us the gardens, the chicken coops, gave us fresh eggs, and told me all about his work in Ecuador. It was so neat to be able to just jump into conversation with him, and feel like I was really meeting a friend of Lee's in a different cultural setting. It was amazing. I met the kids she worked with and the kind Andean doctor who helped her when she was sick. People were genuinely curious about my work in Africa, and had a lot of questions for me. It was fantastic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I helped in the classroom teaching a lesson about public health, hand washing, parts of the body, muscles, and the skeleton etc. We played games and the kids were so adorable. They asked me endless questions about my life and about teacher Lee. I was lucky to meet some of their parents who were there to practice traditional dances with Olguer, and then at around noon, we headed back to the main road. This time we walked. It was hot and humid walking back to the bus stop on the main road. Just as we were all approaching, the bus passed, leaving us 50 meters from our ride back to town. Luckily, after not too much waiting we hitched a ride into Puyo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLlDS3gMJmUDEhLbZS0fix1iDECZZv6R2Y-prwj6tl1sq552FJ2c3IQkodyXMazhDD2WxTZHjX76gwzecqmg765W0PdmA2o7QyBFWwdTIDgaFD235ZHpoJMjMJ87hvLtc-tMB8FFkueM/s1600/IMG_5073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLlDS3gMJmUDEhLbZS0fix1iDECZZv6R2Y-prwj6tl1sq552FJ2c3IQkodyXMazhDD2WxTZHjX76gwzecqmg765W0PdmA2o7QyBFWwdTIDgaFD235ZHpoJMjMJ87hvLtc-tMB8FFkueM/s1600/IMG_5073.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lee in the classroom</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lee and I stopped for local brew and local food (steamed fish in a banana leave, and chicha). Then we cleaned up at the ARP office, packed her stuff and went to meet her ARP colleagues, Puyo friends, and school directors for Volqueteros. Volqueteros are plantain chips with tuna, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and ahi. It is a good snack. We all chatted for about two hours before we had to part ways so Lee and I could get back to Banos to leave for Quito in the morning. It was such an immense pleasure to meet Olguer and Carlos, the two school directors I had heard so much about. I was so happy being with Lee and seeing how happy she was. It was funny to be in this little town in the Amazon, but the people were fantastic, and I am already looking forward to going back to see them all again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-t-7w131w4Ng95AS1YXkDIjX-O-TdCO_yyd2CJffqUxUEHYYHMscUYJTXJRMq4aAnmrq_kn0gempTHqYRJYs0NEpe5zL_Wmg_bSvuOdoqP9PMOtn3xGMA5kLtAN9d1n90rrD4ISxqXM/s1600/IMG_5069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-t-7w131w4Ng95AS1YXkDIjX-O-TdCO_yyd2CJffqUxUEHYYHMscUYJTXJRMq4aAnmrq_kn0gempTHqYRJYs0NEpe5zL_Wmg_bSvuOdoqP9PMOtn3xGMA5kLtAN9d1n90rrD4ISxqXM/s1600/IMG_5069.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Downtown Puyo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We went back to Banos on the bus and spent time rearranging and packing our things. Then we went for a fabulous dinner of tapas at a Spanish restaurant in downtown Banos. In the morning we took an early bus back to Quito. We stayed at Lee's favorite hostel which had stunning views of town from the rooftop terrace. We went out for that dinner and I had the requisite dinner of Guinea Pig. It was a bit like greasy rabbit, or game-y rabbit. It was an interesting food, called cuy in Spanish. It is an important traditional and available source of protein in the Andes. While perhaps a bit off-putting in the presentation, the meal itself was awesome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGmM8ev1NbhB5iXrUBXIPEK86IGeRkyM5e1n0XDgTlh6p3Fb_YVYSBGecekuXOJzmfOrYgDojGxDmqX1Ma5AElypoYIXUHgRupq1kkrCHqXhIdmdvMpZzftFnyGmNe9yHkSwCfwlOK3g/s1600/IMG_5089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGmM8ev1NbhB5iXrUBXIPEK86IGeRkyM5e1n0XDgTlh6p3Fb_YVYSBGecekuXOJzmfOrYgDojGxDmqX1Ma5AElypoYIXUHgRupq1kkrCHqXhIdmdvMpZzftFnyGmNe9yHkSwCfwlOK3g/s1600/IMG_5089.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Guinea Pig (cuy)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We went to bed early as we had to be up at 4:30 to go to the airport for our flights to Bogota, then Cartagena! That will be for the next instalment.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-47386547460104284122014-09-13T05:46:00.000-07:002014-09-13T05:46:09.579-07:00Home Leave IV: Cuenca, Ecuador<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The trip to Cuenca
from Puerto Lopez was relatively easy.
First, I slept through a majority of it, second, it was not in the
middle of the night with a multitude of unnecessary stops in the middle of,
seemingly, nowhere. We took the bus from
Puerto Lopez to Guayaquil's terminal terrestre (bus station). The Bus station is located on the outskirts
of the huge metropolis, right next to the airport. The bus station itself was like an
airport. It was new, modern, several
floors, full of food options ranging from local food restaurants to KFC, Taco
Bell, and Mc Donalds. It was busy,
frenetic, and chaotic. After that of
Quito, it is probably the biggest bus station I have ever been in. We switched
buses there and hopped on a bus that would take us up over the Andes and into
the high mountain valley where Cuenca sits.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The voyage from
Guayquil to Cuenca was beautiful. We
passed cacao fields, passion fruit farms, sugar cane plantations, and banana
plantations. As we continually sloped up
the vegetation changed as we passed through rain forest, to high altitude
tropical forest, to tropical tundra. We
topped out at about 14,500 feet before the road sloped back down towards
Cuenca. That high up there were
beautiful, surreal meadows with mineral-infused lakes in many different
colors. The air was cold. The ground was covered in sparse grasses, and
rock formations jutted up, barren and cold into a bright blue sky. It was a fantastically beautiful bus ride.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We arrived in Cuenca
and it was cool and breezy. Cuenca sits
at about 8,500 feet. It is named for the
confluence of rivers that meets there (cuenca means confluence in Spanish), all
of which are fed by snow melt from the higher mountains. The town itself sits at the valley floor,
divided by rivers and surrounded on all sides by verdant mountains.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7_Gi4QV_4y5Nr0p2t3A-r8c2wcv0mQbwJJznmndoTsxXlzRKqFSC7xEDCAw_tWmHB5mP65pRGdUiIUg_2nOM4l7DFfosL9Poq2Y_tmyTUxoUZcu56N4UUMd9dHoHQK9bAMdGVKFxujw/s1600/DSCN0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7_Gi4QV_4y5Nr0p2t3A-r8c2wcv0mQbwJJznmndoTsxXlzRKqFSC7xEDCAw_tWmHB5mP65pRGdUiIUg_2nOM4l7DFfosL9Poq2Y_tmyTUxoUZcu56N4UUMd9dHoHQK9bAMdGVKFxujw/s1600/DSCN0177.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river walk in Cuenca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We took a taxi to
our hostel, which was housed in a pretty, old colonial building. Upon entering we walked into a very hip
café-restaurant where there many young Ecuadorians sipping cocktails and beers
and chatting in hushed tones. We tried
to gracefully pass through the maze of tables and chairs with our giant
backpacks (largely unsuccessful) to the desk where a girl with a partly shaved
head, adorned in black and lush leather greeted us, and showed us to our
room. The room was small and simple, but
clean, and decorated in bright clean tones.
The bathroom was large, with a beautiful tiled shower and copious
amounts of hot water. The 75 degree days
and 45 degree nights were much too cold for my African-adjusted body! The hot water was necessary. We were in the middle of the historic
colonial city center (the whole thing is a UNESCO world heritage site) and we
were paying $15 each per night. If you
want to go, its called La Cigale, and worth every penny.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr2ettUxzLVx6M-cSxuruDE5UOjvK5_EH4yvKUBr-oDgPWy-mCgIGRPiGJ643VbnpjUh2xGzrdSpaglKNYR6UrtLLQ_iJaMMMbyfopLSPbER48AuyGU76TrJVVN-ifRBoxMeMf6z6RwY/s1600/DSCN0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr2ettUxzLVx6M-cSxuruDE5UOjvK5_EH4yvKUBr-oDgPWy-mCgIGRPiGJ643VbnpjUh2xGzrdSpaglKNYR6UrtLLQ_iJaMMMbyfopLSPbER48AuyGU76TrJVVN-ifRBoxMeMf6z6RwY/s1600/DSCN0171.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our balcony at La Cigale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We had reservations
that night at a monastery that was turned into a chic restaurant. We went down for a plate of meats and cheeses
and a cocktail in the café of our hostel, and then set out into the night to
find the restaurant called Todos Santos (all saints). Cuenca's historic center
is beautiful at any time, but at night it glows in the light of street lamps,
cobblestones shining in the low lights, winding streets and alleys all the more
lovely, mysterious and inviting.
Beautiful neoclassical stairways lead down from the old town to the
river, well-lit examples of various stages of colonial architecture. We sauntered in the crisp air, bundled in
scarves and jackets, feeling like we were in fall in the East Coast, even if it
was 60 degrees.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN4ncUftZqf_8rVrkOsIsE2MQZxOY8Owb1SIv9PZc1qranYVYuaNvCYn1E3KWAR7R5cEa28Ooes-RuyAynT9xSw47HPV3GZlg52heMI3BJnORwn_QEYhKTeyIgO0Wd7cirmFy8uu6gMc/s1600/IMG_5009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN4ncUftZqf_8rVrkOsIsE2MQZxOY8Owb1SIv9PZc1qranYVYuaNvCYn1E3KWAR7R5cEa28Ooes-RuyAynT9xSw47HPV3GZlg52heMI3BJnORwn_QEYhKTeyIgO0Wd7cirmFy8uu6gMc/s1600/IMG_5009.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining room at Todos santos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We found the
restaurant and it was spectacular. The
food was amazing, and the ambience was something out of a movie. Heavy wooden beams were left exposed in the
centuries-old dining room. Panoramic
plate glass windows opened to views of the river, and the city lights
stretching out into the darkness. The
stone stairs leading down to the dining area were worn from hundreds of years
of use. The tones were muted and hushed,
and the handful of other diners spoke in casual whispers and appealing
mumbles. It was simultaneously old and
cavernous, while still being a warm space, inviting lots of wine and wonderful
food to be consumed over many hours of dining.
We ate meticulously prepared Ecuadorean traditional dishes with fusion
flares of Spanish, French, and Peruvian cuisines. We ate the softest, most tender pork</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The next day we
spent sightseeing. We wandered the
hundred year old plazas, ate ice cream in the squares by fountains, we enjoyed
bursts of warm sun and sprinkles of rain.
We had a nice coffee at a café outdoors in the afternoon. We enjoyed beautiful architecture, bustling
streets and lots of window shopping in the many stalls. We had to avoid some serious rain showers
during which time we examined a beautiful mosaic mural depicting the history of
Ecuador. It was so nice to just get
lost, and find our way many times over. We
stumbled upon a vibrant and fragrant flower market in front of an old
church. The colors and scents were a
brilliant chaos, perfectly suited to the maize of the historic center.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztlVspOtd5TdW0BxN0Cw6FzygTK-Bl1pIas65v8ksOI6KkqRS7fiGbBm5SxiWnISoW8mgeu4HnU_PAGnY0rflYibSxAGflNiFWkXgh4yFQlvlCmlHM89UEIH7ThDllhl2R2m-MwJv9ec/s1600/DSCN0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztlVspOtd5TdW0BxN0Cw6FzygTK-Bl1pIas65v8ksOI6KkqRS7fiGbBm5SxiWnISoW8mgeu4HnU_PAGnY0rflYibSxAGflNiFWkXgh4yFQlvlCmlHM89UEIH7ThDllhl2R2m-MwJv9ec/s1600/DSCN0194.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower market in Cuenca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Our last day in
Cuenca I woke up early and went for a run.
I wanted to see how much more difficult it was to go jogging at 8,500
feet. It made a difference! I ran along the gurgling river, through the
streets of the new city, and back up through the maze of the historic
center. We spent the day doing more
walking, ice cream eating, and touring the city. There is so much spectacular colonial
architecture to see, that you can fill whole days with that. We went for lunch in the municipal market
where we ate traditional Cuencan food on benches lined with Ecuadorean
families. It was pork slow roasted and
tender with hominy, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and sweet plantains. We wandered around looking for fresh juices
and tamales after lunch. Then we saw a
man fall off a curb and face plant, breaking his nose sending blood everywhere,
gathering a crowd of onlookers. We
called an ambulance and made sure he was cared for, and then we set off again,
as there was not much we could do.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnXPBgF5-KdRz9W0SB1KFgQOCbCzJzc6eocUP4-2sLryAawk_HB-Lfp1zogHgvN1Irnqej57ov6C4TsSCk105wo2x_6PQFWiElDLSU0yckWEA6rnxV9Lk38HKJQHbfq5UwpY6-5suhos/s1600/DSCN0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnXPBgF5-KdRz9W0SB1KFgQOCbCzJzc6eocUP4-2sLryAawk_HB-Lfp1zogHgvN1Irnqej57ov6C4TsSCk105wo2x_6PQFWiElDLSU0yckWEA6rnxV9Lk38HKJQHbfq5UwpY6-5suhos/s1600/DSCN0208.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigKya9_KpmBDxVI-SW1eWXqOilL-7nte1_4nTGLcghYNU3RXkzWEowce_mYmh1uAC15zb7oXZt8KNfFnYv9mFbvKI1pnmZPdeNRK1pxNAPrzYojaPePw1KRQWS_NB5w5SoX05m5dYeng/s1600/IMG_5025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigKya9_KpmBDxVI-SW1eWXqOilL-7nte1_4nTGLcghYNU3RXkzWEowce_mYmh1uAC15zb7oXZt8KNfFnYv9mFbvKI1pnmZPdeNRK1pxNAPrzYojaPePw1KRQWS_NB5w5SoX05m5dYeng/s1600/IMG_5025.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQFBZpTGfq1nrnhIW3xY5Z81XJpC09N9BJTj4ra5W5Txrlua2GKIlHZQkvadag6lczmeDSU9XiMTzTuvebWFCtwVHv5qTpaCpHOIazYmyg8Tg1TONBpUBEDDFXO1hER8Yx8RaRNi6gZ8/s1600/DSCN0209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQFBZpTGfq1nrnhIW3xY5Z81XJpC09N9BJTj4ra5W5Txrlua2GKIlHZQkvadag6lczmeDSU9XiMTzTuvebWFCtwVHv5qTpaCpHOIazYmyg8Tg1TONBpUBEDDFXO1hER8Yx8RaRNi6gZ8/s1600/DSCN0209.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
So we walked up a
broad boulevard to the base of a mountain where you can drive for spectacular
views of the city. The walk was much
longer than we expected, which was nice because we were preparing for another
overnight bus that evening.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We hired a taxi up
the mountain and gaped at the stunning views of all of Cuenca. Red roofs stretched on for miles, The flanked
by green mountains jutting towards the sky. Sunlight was streaming through the
clouds, and it washed everything it touched in a fantastic golden hue. It was cold and breezy on the top of the
mountain. We were trying to hail a cab
home, as our taxi driver had assured us itd be no problem. However, not a cab
was to be found. So we hitchiked back
down the mountain in the back of a pickup truck. They left us back at the main boulevard leading
to the old town where we had no problem getting a taxi. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15GiuDhdM_y8IE8fAHO7Iu6zUfqFlERoCpY_JxflYBSjaDqPh0XAE1MLN5JJ9BzI8LrWfxBJHke19Ak3Awq0XnWiiVezJIFM4kgF-pda3O2m5E84fhmgYDc-Hrq3GgS4-jC7uN_Svzeo/s1600/DSCN0223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15GiuDhdM_y8IE8fAHO7Iu6zUfqFlERoCpY_JxflYBSjaDqPh0XAE1MLN5JJ9BzI8LrWfxBJHke19Ak3Awq0XnWiiVezJIFM4kgF-pda3O2m5E84fhmgYDc-Hrq3GgS4-jC7uN_Svzeo/s1600/DSCN0223.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We took the taxi
back to La Cigale where we were snagged our luggage we had left, hired another
taxi, and tossed everything into the trunk so we could make it to the bus for
our 8:00 pm bus to Los Banos de Agua Santa, about 7 hours from Cuenca. This overnight bus required a stop in the
middle of the highway to switch buses in Ambato in the middle of the
night. We arrived early in Banos, around
4:00 am. Luckily our hostel let us in to
sleep.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Next stop, the Banos
and Puyo adventures!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-31454728860454854522014-09-11T08:05:00.000-07:002014-09-11T08:28:19.385-07:00Home Leave III: Puerto Lopez, Ecuador<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCvdOl_a1E3VOSagWm21knX5r5ZN9SCNqRnsa0NPu3BfkdH9UTXmvCor9H6kFhDaraaUM7viE4S_LavwmAtPrkYo-2bklXZQic2LYmSIOLlk1fP6YHhGIRrCmVkas4JbvfAAu0djIYgw/s1600/DSCN0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCvdOl_a1E3VOSagWm21knX5r5ZN9SCNqRnsa0NPu3BfkdH9UTXmvCor9H6kFhDaraaUM7viE4S_LavwmAtPrkYo-2bklXZQic2LYmSIOLlk1fP6YHhGIRrCmVkas4JbvfAAu0djIYgw/s1600/DSCN0106.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
In the pre-dawn
morning we rolled into the bus station in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. The bus terminal was empty, devoid of life
except for a few tuktuk (yes they have them there, too! They are just called
moto-taxis.) drivers out front waiting to scoop up arriving tourists and take
them to the handful of hotels in the town.
The air was salty, cool and damp, redolent with the scent of the
ocean. There was a slight breeze, and it
was actually quite chilly. Previously,
my experiences from mountains to coast in Latin America were in Costa Rica,
where you start chilly, and wake up in cloying heat. It was not the case here. I needed my sweater and jacket.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We hefted our bags
onto a tuk tuk that took us to our hotel about 1 kilometer north of the
downtown malecon (boardwalk). We had to
yell for some time to wake up the night guard, as it was still only 5:30 in the
morning. We even shook a rain stick, and
tried thumping the gate. Eventually he
awoke and let us in. We sat outside on
the deck of the hotel with our bags as none of the staff were there to open the
main building, and the room had not been cleaned because the previous guests
had not left. So we sat in roughly-hewn
wooden chairs. As the day became grey, then light out, we could see the waves
breaking just past a line of palm trees.
The ocean was in sight, not only just in sound! By about 7:15 the staff showed up and let us
into the main lobby/restaurant/public area of the hotel and showed us to an
area full of wicker couches with pads where we could sleep until our room was
ready. We took full advantage, sleeping
until nearly 11:00. We had some
breakfast, then went to our room which was finally ready. We had a lovely little cottage with a giant
porch, complete with hammock. The room
was open and airy, with only screens and glass doors. It was set back in a lush jungle-y
garden. We had a private bathroom, and
plenty of space, and it was only $30/night!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptsuZfHDfl2w4yRipV9HaIM2wfcUyZjabYIbrb59Iejc1lP8wkdQmxpocrA0lkuUnxgn-pSHi0Z-BjG-R-Vhbr2ibWBVsKArWpMjy9fmjn6v6FIlC2K1jEZWt56ot_FZurD35BqFxS6E/s1600/DSCN0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptsuZfHDfl2w4yRipV9HaIM2wfcUyZjabYIbrb59Iejc1lP8wkdQmxpocrA0lkuUnxgn-pSHi0Z-BjG-R-Vhbr2ibWBVsKArWpMjy9fmjn6v6FIlC2K1jEZWt56ot_FZurD35BqFxS6E/s1600/DSCN0108.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We put on swimsuits
(covered by shirts and shorts-it was still chilly, only 70 degrees!) and we
walked the distance to town to find some lunch on the malecon. We sat at a restaurant on the beach, our
chairs sinking slightly into the sand.
We had a view of the ocean and the pier.
We ate fresh ceviche, plantain chips, and drank fresh fruit smoothies,
all for about $3 each. Apparently this
was steep for Ecuador prices, but we were in a touristy little town.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We walked around
town, browsing the eclectic jumble of small artisan shops, clothing sellers,
and jewelry-makers along the malecon. We
crossed over onto the beach and we walked back our hotel following the
shoreline. We put our feet in the water,
and it was not cold, but not warm. The
day was still too overcast to swim, and a slight breeze was picking up again. For quite some time we watched gulls fly over
the water. We slowly ambled back towards
the hotel where there was a sign with hundreds of capital cities painted on
wooden signs pointed in the direction of those cities, with the distance in
kilometers from Puerto Lopez indicated on them.
Lee and I counted the places we had been separately and together.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW2ztoqgAtXsPWsDETu63bnFcNhRZ5XbVSO0iv93ojuB5UB6hyphenhyphenbMwC4gHnZlKD626TNt-uz5Rkjnn2bScfkXIoB-WN6vj9Q3b2-W1ROzP4HRyT7NpN3d8vH38iBQSt4E_k8GLvtaak5s/s1600/IMG_4991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW2ztoqgAtXsPWsDETu63bnFcNhRZ5XbVSO0iv93ojuB5UB6hyphenhyphenbMwC4gHnZlKD626TNt-uz5Rkjnn2bScfkXIoB-WN6vj9Q3b2-W1ROzP4HRyT7NpN3d8vH38iBQSt4E_k8GLvtaak5s/s1600/IMG_4991.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We had a pretty lazy
day overall, but traveling overnight, and sleeping/waking at odd hours had
taken it out of us. Later we went back
into town for dinner, appreciating the glow of the street lamps, the sound of
the waves, and the fine mist that made everything shimmer. We ate wonderfully fresh fish with rice and
limes, and enjoyed crisp local beers.
Then a random French girl and a Colombian came and played the guitar and
violin very badly and sang in Spanish.
She did all the talking, though her accent was very heavy and she wasn't
a native speaker. The Colombian boy said
nothing. It was weird to see the two of
the playing the instruments and asking for money together. Why a French girl? We wandered around a bit more in town, bought
tickets to go on a tour boat to Isla de la Plata the next day, then eventually
made our way back to our hotel for drinks on the porch before calling it a
night.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
In the morning we
woke up hoping for sun, but it was still overcast and cool. We ate a cheap breakfast ($3.00 each) and
then we were picked up by the tour company and driven down to the pier for our
adventure out to Isla de la Plata. Isla
de la Plata is known as the Poor Man's Galapagos, given that it has giant
tortoises, blue-footed boobies, birds with big red neck balloons, lizards,
fish, and all that other Darwin-esque stuff.
We got on a boat that sat 16 of us.
It was spacious and comfortable.
We headed out to sea into some pretty big waves for a boat ride that
took about an hour and a half. The
farther out to see we cruised, the clearer the sky became until it was hot and
sunny. On the way we stopped to watch
hump-backed whales hump out of the water and play only 50 feet from the
boat. They are so big and bulky and
graceful. Their movement was fantastic.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We arrived at the
Island, and only one side has calm enough water to disembark. We got out with our guides into crystal clear
water, and trudged up to a reception hall with nice bathrooms and shady sitting
areas. We were then taken on a 5
kilometer hike along the cliffs of the island.
We did a fair amount of hiking up to the top of the island, then
generally circumnavigated it along the cliffs.
It was beautiful. Apparently it
is called Isla de la Plata (Silver Island) due to how the cliffs are covered in
bat poop and shimmer in the moonlight.
Simultaneously romantic/terribly unromantic. We saw many birds, many boobies, beautiful
vistas, and got some good hiking in. It
was sunny and spectacular on the Island.
It was incredibly dry, in the lee of the mainland, and so all the
foliage except for the cacti was brown and crunchy. It made all the blue feet seem extra vibrant.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFJd-OTH7JhGae9wTS122XdBor0HTnX7wbQrppuckPaMKoAVXPOxGFfzMG8hyphenhyphenZ2ViwZJhdRnka9WIjZzeoctJ7HvW7NRDZ0LhAg6y4A_z01Y6ZClCvRPAL0m2tnSo8bCG2pVDq9QoGfo/s1600/DSCN0137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFJd-OTH7JhGae9wTS122XdBor0HTnX7wbQrppuckPaMKoAVXPOxGFfzMG8hyphenhyphenZ2ViwZJhdRnka9WIjZzeoctJ7HvW7NRDZ0LhAg6y4A_z01Y6ZClCvRPAL0m2tnSo8bCG2pVDq9QoGfo/s1600/DSCN0137.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
It was so fun to see
all of these beautiful creatures I had read about for the first time, and to do
it with lee! We walked holding hands,
took romantic pictures with dramatic views to the ocean behind us, shared zone
bars, and just enjoyed the simple things one cannot do when separated by two
continents and an ocean. After a few hours we headed back to the boat where we
got to go snorkeling just off the shore of the island. We swam next to turtles and enjoyed the cool
but pleasant water. They gave us some
small lunch, and then we headed back to the mainland over massive rolling
waves.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
We were tired when
we got back so we napped in the cool of our room, then went out for dinner in
the evening. The street was packed as it
might have been a Friday. There were many
young European tourists out to listen to live music and eat, and we struggled
to find a free table on the malecon.
Again we ate delicious, incredibly fresh seafood, and we chatted up some
locals who owned the restaurant. We
drank a few beers, then walked back to the hotel in the moonlight. We were in bed early because in the morning
we were setting off at 7:00 am for a bus back up to the Andes.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The next installment
will be about Cuenca!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-61636583418983098792014-09-06T03:42:00.002-07:002014-09-06T03:42:49.436-07:00Home Leave Part II: The Latin America Chronicles Quito to the Coast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was so excited to land in Ecuador. I knew that Lee would be waiting for me on the other side of customs and immigration. After months of waiting, being apart, skype calls, phone calls, g-chats, text messages, and every method of communication in between, we were finally going to have physical contact with each other. I of course wanted to do what I could to look put together, so I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on a spritz of my cologne before getting in line for immigration. The line was slow-moving, but I eventually made it through, got a stamp, picked up my bags, and headed out the sliding doors into official Ecuador territory. And there she was!<br />
<br />
She had written out a sign for me "el chico mas guapo en todo el mundo" and had a huge, beautiful smile on her face. We hugged and kissed, and generally made a romantic movie scene in the arrivals hall at Mariscal Sucre airport. Then we made our way into Quito.<br />
<br />
Quito is an amazing, sprawling city built primarily in a long valley in the Andes mountains. The elevation is very high, at 9,200 feet. The city is extensively built up, with sky scrapers lining the avenues of the valley floor, and neighborhoods clinging to the slopes of the steep mountains on all sides. It makes for beautiful views everywhere you turn. We went for a a coffee at Kallari Cafe in the Mariscal area of Quito, then we sauntered around, looking at different plazas and neighborhoods along the way. We walked through Parque El Ejido, a lovely park with plentiful green space, eucalyptus trees, pine trees, volleyball courts, and a whole walkway lined with artisan vendors. The sun was setting as we were walking, and it was amazing how the temperature began to drop as soon as the sun was going down. The elevation of Quito makes for VERY cold nights.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmed1jy-B26-K3g9tdbXjFE3ODx9GeKFItvMqjyljm3mIN1iDeencvkzuo3IUjHPesFwlNzVBFIwAPfZuotkra0rS522VDb5w32hAbGQCMzbgEra8mR8Z7hpjekvQ65PpEhkCC38sKrw/s1600/IMG_4966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHRsH93aly9SULbyGSyIA2snR0Ddtfw6CbMYABoBSM2iHk_jo3k9vNGQzs-LIL6cnVkREbc_2Jqk9xYoEcDwPPlh5YVnQhVq_5h49Hy14xtzwIrCFguJkOTpXGsStzU6j6TZGUlcVa30/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmed1jy-B26-K3g9tdbXjFE3ODx9GeKFItvMqjyljm3mIN1iDeencvkzuo3IUjHPesFwlNzVBFIwAPfZuotkra0rS522VDb5w32hAbGQCMzbgEra8mR8Z7hpjekvQ65PpEhkCC38sKrw/s1600/IMG_4966.JPG" height="200" width="150" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScCCk9oatWN41A5NehsfqdTXM4l2JbezsUXbKFgaimkEZQrFbpSaCNAjdxGIXywKXO0rAvjceDUtcY2AB7RJg4co73d3Kjqk4s80HLd6jE-jZe9WCluIQXaD0HL4PooYeGsVtptOvI10/s1600/DSCN0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScCCk9oatWN41A5NehsfqdTXM4l2JbezsUXbKFgaimkEZQrFbpSaCNAjdxGIXywKXO0rAvjceDUtcY2AB7RJg4co73d3Kjqk4s80HLd6jE-jZe9WCluIQXaD0HL4PooYeGsVtptOvI10/s1600/DSCN0008.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
That evening we went for drinks in a very cozy bar called El Pobre Diablo. It is known for live music, and an avant garde feel. There were plenty of young, hip Quitenos in the bar sipping cocktails and sharing plates of cheese, olives, and various meats. We enjoyed some national beers and also shared some appetizers while waiting for two of Lee's college friends to show up. They eventually made it, we had another round of drinks, and then made our way to an upscale sushi restaurant in the Bellvista neighborhood of Quito.<br />
<br />
We sat outside under heat lamps and ate delicious Japanese-Peruvian fusion sushi. It was great to get to know Lee's friends a bit better, and enjoy not travelling on a plane. I was tired as I had flown overnight, and the past two weeks of travel were catching up with me. Plus I was with Lee, and bundled up in many layers for the chill air, and finally felt like I was adjusting to a time zone. I was beat. We called it an early night, and then headed to our hotel for bed.<br />
<br />
In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast, and then we met up with Lee's friend KK to go to "La Mitad del Mundo," the place where the equator crosses through northern Quito. It was a 30 minute taxi ride out there, and I slept the whole way. The taxi driver tried to make conversation. He was a gruff guy with neoprene sleeves that made it look like he had tattoos. I was too tired though. La Mitad del Mundo was warm, windy and dusty. We took a tour where we were shown some of the interesting gravitational effects of being on the equator (draining water does not make a spiral, strength is different, sun clocks show different time) mixed with some information about traditional indigenous tribes in the area. It was an interesting and informative experience.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi66biGvpzISkZUafOvUE8-hpHw6aZ99LFIh6pY7BQ5PReDwC7LufoIlDHjFMkWxwo_NJu6kFwzNNWAqoGpvpeb_4oYvNQf6BufN2L8IPdD5Xxy4LgE9cmwTBlIqUS5TJl98n3DWqNOY/s1600/DSCN0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi66biGvpzISkZUafOvUE8-hpHw6aZ99LFIh6pY7BQ5PReDwC7LufoIlDHjFMkWxwo_NJu6kFwzNNWAqoGpvpeb_4oYvNQf6BufN2L8IPdD5Xxy4LgE9cmwTBlIqUS5TJl98n3DWqNOY/s1600/DSCN0046.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi66biGvpzISkZUafOvUE8-hpHw6aZ99LFIh6pY7BQ5PReDwC7LufoIlDHjFMkWxwo_NJu6kFwzNNWAqoGpvpeb_4oYvNQf6BufN2L8IPdD5Xxy4LgE9cmwTBlIqUS5TJl98n3DWqNOY/s1600/DSCN0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC5FROLTV0cFh7hdPQHFQNYXszGfAKxyXupsBOpS14gXEi8u4cID7r9wodxj3DfEJMwnb-nN8OZCJVBKTagvyq_k96zN_rCgUynrLPNSyCrYZA7FdcYfD6BS5-lr_G6NOJKT8k8xamPs/s1600/DSCN0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5gwpYLMcgJ2Ca8twFeMx0g5Yh-1P6_RAmrlGbp-Rpf5MU0AstL5Uag9jqUcWx4wz3vqFERS7wGrZ3H1Mx6auLJ4N30O-0p-rZioqh21yCLfcFhW5GpC5yIK8c_X8MT9FZsdm8rfhXWI/s1600/IMG_4980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5gwpYLMcgJ2Ca8twFeMx0g5Yh-1P6_RAmrlGbp-Rpf5MU0AstL5Uag9jqUcWx4wz3vqFERS7wGrZ3H1Mx6auLJ4N30O-0p-rZioqh21yCLfcFhW5GpC5yIK8c_X8MT9FZsdm8rfhXWI/s1600/IMG_4980.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>After La Mitad del Mundo, we left Lee's friend KK, and we headed over to the Centro Historico to tour the basilica, see the city from the heights, and wander around the city a bit before hopping on an overnight bus to the coast. The basilica itself, "La Basilica del Voto Nacional" was stunning. The views were even more breathtaking. We climbed hundreds of stairs to reach the top of the cupola high above the city. The stair climbing left me winded at that altitude, but the views and the experience were well worth the time. From above, the views appear as though you could reach out and touch the clouds. The mountains, the sky, and the city all seem so close together at that altitude. The city stretched in all directions, only bounded by the inclines of the mountain slopes. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDfNlw36nwekkEziLbqkDWDowHCFU3onbPUOWnNO8fAeOFw9UnqO_pOylonrD6hxEua7cKhG3Z2IKzSjqtpHhNNS2Owe2qS9KkL5A8-N88uS5AHESBNCIk_TgNDEDhM_nPpGFV29-lJs/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3EGdQqT8VAyDOa6KrhE3dV63-cZLe8s6L-an0z4VzKYc-SqUyQUq2nR2DU1eLsxhMBjb2GLc0po0Kgc3wP6b6rKFuw4hcNHjYwumdKWREi6hyfr2QK19UwavfvtS7gasvERlsxOYJpk/s1600/IMG_4989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3EGdQqT8VAyDOa6KrhE3dV63-cZLe8s6L-an0z4VzKYc-SqUyQUq2nR2DU1eLsxhMBjb2GLc0po0Kgc3wP6b6rKFuw4hcNHjYwumdKWREi6hyfr2QK19UwavfvtS7gasvERlsxOYJpk/s1600/IMG_4989.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
After a lovely stroll around the cathedral, and meandering through old town, we needed to make our way back to the hotel to pick up our bags before heading to the bus terminal. We went on a mad search for a particular empanada place called las medialunas de Abuelo. It was to take on the road. We gathered our belongings and hopped in a taxi with Lee's taxi driving friend Alex. We crawled north through rush hour traffic, fearing we would miss our bus to the coast. We arrived at the bus terminal (a large, modern, beautiful terminal reminiscent of an airport) and had to run through the chaos of people, out to the buses in order to get on the bus in time. Running with a 35 lb pack at 9000 feet is tiring, but we made our bus and we were on our way to the coast!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-53755555944312314012014-09-04T23:47:00.000-07:002014-09-04T23:49:07.856-07:00Home Leave. (Where is home, exactly?) Part 1. The US Section<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't think I realized that I had left Uganda until I was coming back into the country. I was waiting in line at immigration after 5 weeks away, explaining to some other tourists how to get a taxi and what to pay. I recognized the immigration official (the airport is not big at Entebbe) and joked with him about how he was the one who gave me my exit visa, too. I pushed through the crowds with a stack of luggage that had multiplied over my journey. I left with 1 bag to check, and came back with three massive bags. A driver from our favorite Kampala hotel, Red Chilli, was there to pick me up. The night was warm and damp, it had clearly begun raining in Kampala. I was back on the left as a passenger, and on the left side of the road. Suddenly it hit me that I had <i>actually</i> been away. This realization, about 5 weeks too late, sent a dizzying flood of emotion into my small brain, and I promptly shut off and slept until arriving at Red Chilli 45 minutes later.<br />
<br />
My trip started with a terrorist threat that was confirmed to be real and potentially very violent against Entebbe airport at the exact time I was supposed to fly out. We had the veracity of this published threat confirmed by a colleague who is a Member of Parliament, and head of the defense committee in parliament here in Uganda. He advised me, "fly out as soon as you can, or wait two days." Well. I wasn't going to wait two days, so I jumped in a taxi with a friend who was flying out that afternoon, rather than late at night. We arrived to the airport, bought a one-way ticket on Qatar airways from Entebbe to Washington DC (I was supposed to go to Seattle) and thought, well, I can figure the rest out in Doha. I just need to get clear of Entebbe. We spent a tense few hours waiting in the airport for either our plane to arrive, or the apocalypse. Fortunately the plane landed first. We boarded and were soon in the air on the way to Doha.<br />
<br />
We landed in Doha, and after some finagling at the transfers desk, I had a flight to Chicago in the morning, a hotel for the night, and meal vouchers. So my friend and I proceeded down to immigration and passed the droves of officials in traditional Emirati clothes, jelaaba and head scarf. We cleared immigration and set off into a 100 degree night at 1:00 am to our hotel. We arrived at the hotel at 2:30, decided to take our meal right then (meals were still going on for Ramadhan, so people could eat before fasting at dawn). We ate around 3:00, and at 4:00 we went outside to listen to the call to prayer echo around the canyons of dazzlingly elctrified sky scrapers.<br />
<br />
I caught about two and a half hours of sleep before getting a wake up call to come down for our transfer back to the airport. I took a quick cold shower, put my clothes back on and headed back to the glitzy, commercial chaos of Doha International airport. There was a ferrari for purchase in the duty free shops. I bought some chocolates and a coconut water (I was excited by these developed world choices) and then boarded my 14.5 hour flight to Chicago.<br />
<br />
Upon landing in Chicago, I knew I would miss my flight. The flight was already 35 minutes late, on top of a 1.5 hour layover to clear immigration, pick up my bags from customs, re-check them, and get to my gate. No chance. I still ran all through O'hare trying to do my best to make it, but I couldn't. I ran to the wrong gate, then had to retrace my steps, and just sit with the knowledge that I wouldn't get to Seattle before 10:00 pm. I Was sweating, tired, had been wearing the same clothes for 30 hours, and needed a shower, so I bought a clean shirt and undies at Brooks Brothers, and bought a day pass to the United Admiral's club. I got a nice long shower, and clean clothes. I had three beers in the club for free, then a bourbon, and then headed down for my flight to Seattle.<br />
<br />
<br />
Seattle was wonderful. It was so nice to spend time with my family. We went boating, saw art, ate at the top of the Space Needle, went to Pike Place Market, went walking around Green Lake, went on several nice jogs, grilled delicious burgers, caught up with dear friends (@maurawatts) and just generally soaked up my family. We even got to see the whole extended family and drive to the cascade mountains to our Cabin in the woods. It is a hodge podge place, a little bit of family chaos in the woods, but it has so many great memories attached to it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bQgPBxyc5YLkY5ZOC_x9VIvw14kTb4YUcTTvptS5EHP3JWAv03ghjFZYZTg-HYry7tf6msWxJLpIlQ9t7maKTOomPxDjLOyIL-2lQe1iIhMhYGLpPI3_zfXUuTkvmTDhlbXQPOCv6bM/s1600/P1050186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bQgPBxyc5YLkY5ZOC_x9VIvw14kTb4YUcTTvptS5EHP3JWAv03ghjFZYZTg-HYry7tf6msWxJLpIlQ9t7maKTOomPxDjLOyIL-2lQe1iIhMhYGLpPI3_zfXUuTkvmTDhlbXQPOCv6bM/s1600/P1050186.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From there we drove down the West Coast to Merced. I spent a very quick three nights in Merced. This whole time I was sort of a zombie. Up until midnight with work activities to stay connected to East Africa, and up early to check in before their work day ended.<br />
<br />
From Merced I went to San Francisco where I stayed with Genny, one of my besties, for a week while working out of the US Office of Village Enterprise. It was a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with the home base and refresh my perspective on Village Enterprise from that side of the operations. It is so crucial, and all my meetings with the Staff there gave me a renewed appreciation for how our field work can inform our US work and vice versa. In the evenings I went to lovely dinners, cooked with Genny and John, saw wonderful friends from Pitzer and AU, and was genuinely honored to be in the presence of such good people.<br />
<br />
From San Francisco I flew down to LA and spent an amazing weekend with Harrison Weinfeld, another one of my best friends. We ate amazing food, went to the beach, drank delicious scotch, stayed up far too late talking and catching up. He took me on tours of his neighborhood, and I was so happy to see how established he was in LA. It was such a pleasure. I also got to see Geraldine and we all went out for a night, and I met Harris' writing partner Danny at a nice little gathering in Hollywood. It was fun to be back in Los Angeles, and a good reminder of why I really wouldn't mind ending up there with Lee. Thank you Harris for a wonderful time. I spent an afternoon with my grandmother. It was so good to see her, as I am not sure if I will again. Then I had dinner with my aunt and uncle who shuttled me to the airport after great conversation and good food.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrUL9_RR36grm-c5IUZExotGMPligpj12EousnKgf6UfqjUjozimv1CqDpCBmHmtQtfZAb7bXIydRq3YqTFmDIuC9ZaZEAmZnvzXcgQ-AZJsqozs_YeLR0ciiRKdLMxwCo7wsZSf-dwo/s1600/IMG_4963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrUL9_RR36grm-c5IUZExotGMPligpj12EousnKgf6UfqjUjozimv1CqDpCBmHmtQtfZAb7bXIydRq3YqTFmDIuC9ZaZEAmZnvzXcgQ-AZJsqozs_YeLR0ciiRKdLMxwCo7wsZSf-dwo/s1600/IMG_4963.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
While in the car on the way to the airport, I got my last call before shutting off. I was on the phone as I checked in for my flight to Panama City, and up to going through Security. The phone call ended and I went straight through the security line to my gate. I boarded an overnight flight to Panama City. <br />
<br />
I woke up in Panama City, breezed groggily through the airport to the gate for my flight to Quito. I barely had enough time to snag a water and a coffee before I got on my flight to Quito. I slept again until we were landing in Quito. The turbulence was such that we were dropping steeply, and sharply. People were screaming. Then we landed to a burst of applause and I had made it to Ecuador.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-16579601905958309652014-05-08T13:23:00.001-07:002014-05-08T13:23:19.899-07:00The Wings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The wings are
everywhere. They are piled in corners
like silvery grey snow drifts. They have
accumulated in the dishes that are drying.
They have plugged the drains and they have filled the sink. They are floating in the toilets and they
have dusted the tops of tables. I tried
in vain to sweep them outside, but they stuck to my ankles and filled my shoes.
I made an effort in vain to wash them out of the shower, but they swirled
around my feet. Pairs of wings, single
wings, broken wings, wings with veins of silver thread, all as long as a ring
finger have filled the house. The swirl
in clouds when the doors are opened and shut, and the flit gracefully out of
drawers. The wings.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Last night it rained
epically hard. It was like being on the
set of a movie where they are using a rain machine. Except there was nothing contrived about this
rain. It rained biblically, and in turn,
there was an exodus of white ants (termites) that flowed forth from the
earth. It sounds dramatic, but at times
last night it was hard to hear the roar of the rain over the pounding flutter
of wings. The White ants were drawn
magnetically to our lights in the house.
They were pulled towards our safety lights outside as if by
gravity. They seeped through the cracks
in the doors and windows like water and many made it inside. They made it inside and rushed chaotically,
like a flooding river around the lights, and they lost their wings and began to
die.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I eventually shut
myself in my room in the dark to avoid the incessant flurry of insects and I
fell asleep to the sound of wind, wings, and rain. In the morning I came out to survey the
damage. The blizzard of wings had
settled. I began the process of sweeping
them up and moving them back to the outdoors.
I tried to eradicate the house but the wings were to feathery to sweep,
so I just pushed clouds of them as well as I could. Once they were outside (with the white ants
they had been attached to) I poured insecticide on them.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Then our colleagues
arrived and lambasted me for killing and
wasting a delicacy. Then I ate a
handful.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-4917023510770039882014-02-15T03:49:00.001-08:002014-02-15T03:49:07.761-08:00Veterinary Care in Africa: How I Inadvertently Adopted a Dog That Nearly Became a Vampire/Zombie <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Zombie/Rabid Dog
Watch. Day 1.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today is the 3rd day of watching Alfonso for signs of
rabies. He bit Sam on Wednesday when we
were trying to administer drugs to him.
The vet came to give him a follow up shot of antibiotics to control for worms. This poor dog was so sick. On Monday he was happy, frolicking, we ran
around the compound, I played tug o' war with him. Then Monday night he was
eerily quiet and sleepy. He just slept
like a little lamb all evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In the morning on Tuesday he was sleeping far from the
house. His little brown and white body
curled in the grass, or splayed out on his back, trying to alleviate stomach
pain. I saw him poop on Tuesday and it
was just bloody and clear. Not a health
sign at all. We called the vet to come
and check him out. He had acute worm
poisoning and was nearing death. The dog
needed 3 shots, one antibiotic, one heart worm, and another antibiotic for
worms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I thought this would be a calm and pastoral scene,
something like a James Harriot story. No
such luck. After the first injection the
dog knew what was coming, so he shrieked and howled and nipped and cried and
barked like he was insane. It was so bad
that we had to send the vet to go get a tranquillizer for the dog. We sweat chasing the dog in the 90 degree
African sun, dust clinging to our damp foreheads. The vet came back and we had to catch Alfonso
who had fled to a far corner to huddle in the dark and avoid the needles, get a chain
around his neck, then tie a towel around his head and then tie him to the guava
tree in the yard to immobilize him enough to get the tranquillizer in him.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Once he had received that tranquillizer, the
matter of getting the last two antibiotic shots was okay.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We tried calm words, gentle petting,
reassuring, force, pressure, and finally we just had to go for the tranquillizer.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The dog wobbled and
eventually just had to lie down because the drugs were too strong.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As he recovered he moved to the cement wall
around the compound, far from the house where he had been tortured into good
health.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Wednesday the vet came back for a follow-up to administer
the second dose of drugs. We had been
hoping that the second round could just be eaten with food, but no such
luck. He gave the dog that injection, but
in the meantime, the dog bit Sam's hand hard enough to draw blood, and then
exploded green diarrhea all over the porch.
We had again needed to tie him to the railing on the porch to get him
immobile enough to administer the shot.
Meanwhile his cries, yelping, shrieking, terrifying dog noises had drawn
every neighborhood child to our open gate to come and watch the torture that we
must have been inflicting on our poor animal.
15 dark smiling faces peered in at the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">trauma within our compound. After being bitten Sam washed
his hand with soap and water, cleaned it with alcohol, and bandaged it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">However, the vet told him (as well as his
mother who is an EMT) that he had to start the post-exposure prophylaxis for
Rabies.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So today he is going to get
shots. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Apparently you can also isolate your dog and make sure
that there are no signs of rabies for 10 days, and that is likely enough to
know that the dog doesn't have it, and thus could not have transmitted it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But, better safe than sorry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So here I am watching the dog for signs of Rabies, what I
equate with just looking like a zombie more or less. He seems fine so far...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Vampire/Rabies
Watch. Observation 2. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Turns out that my small bite was something to protect
against as well. So, since I had two small barely-noticeable puncture wounds, I
wound up getting the first of three injections as well. Apparently there are no side effects from
this, except a little light-headedness.
They say this can protect me, but do they really know? I may need to pack my hand in garlic tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The dog is napping in the shade of the porch. We are working on not letting him
inside. It is major progress that he can
lay there with the door open and not come in.
Granted this lasts for like 11 minutes at a time. Still.
The little village rascal can at least adhere to some rules if he is
making me get 3 shots totalling 150,000 shillings spread over three weeks. Oh Alfonso.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Dog-Zombie
Apocalypse. Observation 3.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Day five of the Alfonso watch. I think that he is still doing fine. His hips
seem to be a moving in a way that is funny, and his nose might be a little
runny. But other than that his temper
seems very fine. He is playful and
chipper and seems to be timid still. He
gets surprisingly feisty at night, and the fleas distract him from doing any
one thing for too long. He is still sort
of a mess, but we are working on him. I
am hoping that by Friday he will still be ok so we can be more relieved. And then we don't have to euthanize him and
cut his head off like a zombie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I watch him for fear of the sun (rabies=vampires). I watch him for signs of excessive panting
(it is 90 every day right now). What it comes
down to is I expect this dog to really become some sort of un-dead creature if
he gets rabies. Isn't that
possible? For a dog I didn't want in the
first place, I sure spend a lot of time, money, and thought on him. We have to be vigilant in these times…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Is the End
Near? Observation 4.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Alfonso watch day 6.
Apparently an excitable dog that then becomes more docile can also
indicate rabies. Basically anything an
animal does means it is rabid. This is
getting more and more difficult to monitor.
Now I am looking for signs of the un-dead in my (potentially) too-docile-formerly-excitable
puppy. I have decided that rabies is terrible. There is no good that will come of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I also blame this rabies situation, and our shitty dog
for nearly being run down by a boda and having to jump out of the way yesterday
afternoon during my run. I know the two
are not connected, but I have to be able to channel that rage I felt at falling
again towards something. Alfonso seems
to be the appropriate channel for that.
And of course because my knee is too damaged to run today, and likely in
too much pain for any good exercise, we will instead take the dog to get his
balls chopped off, injected against rabies and distemper, and hopefully adopted
to some family who doesn't find him so annoying. I am sincerely hoping that my opinion of him
changes once he is a fully vaccinated and cleaned eunuch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Making it out
Alive. Observation 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am in Kampala. I
have escaped the grip of the small dog in Hoima. It is now day 10 or 11 and
Alfonso still seems to be fully alive. There are no signs of rabies, and now he
has a rabies vaccine. Hopefully this means we don't need to start wearing
crosses made of garlic around our necks in the house. The problem is we have already invited him in
the house, so that means he can come and go as he pleases if he turns. That is what happens with rabid dogs, right? Maybe
that is vampires. Either way if there is
a surprise shift in un-dead status we are fucked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Meanwhile I got my second injection of verorab rabies
post-exposure prophylaxis yesterday. I
waited for nearly 2 hours with Sam at the clinic in order for them to realize
they didn't have it, send someone to town to buy it (which took 50 minutes)
then bring it back to the clinic. Sam
was nervously awaiting the shot (he hates them) and I was trying to work, which
was impossible given that Handel's Messiah was blasting over the clinic
speakers in Luganda. We waited on the
porch for the vaccines to arrive, sweating even in the shade and cursing the name
of Alfonso for putting us through this.
Who wants dogs? They are cute and
fun, and then that wears off and you realize you have a living thing with you
for years to come. Dammit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtvVlOMEWrJ05NcE79qQlgRYgq34CfBz10600_R1sKFaNlkATDKNzC2ctwnJv5XUbZ1zhF8OTfEMoo_t64witrhTOVgdPQqe49LpWFBsAHQQJd9m6BDh58ph57vRXDsn7mYy2jsOD1X4/s1600/alfonso+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtvVlOMEWrJ05NcE79qQlgRYgq34CfBz10600_R1sKFaNlkATDKNzC2ctwnJv5XUbZ1zhF8OTfEMoo_t64witrhTOVgdPQqe49LpWFBsAHQQJd9m6BDh58ph57vRXDsn7mYy2jsOD1X4/s1600/alfonso+2.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demon Dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU3up_OoaTORQwnoS3zQ90UVmbo2aXOlhBrkH1fp7lsy1TG3iYyFWip65im9yNOisKlk3rRSt9cydgBM9CaaLyPnG868UBwFCzjYQfEHhjxbdjCKwIpBsekWAcf-EbcxABG3KfIvbAR4/s1600/alfonso+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU3up_OoaTORQwnoS3zQ90UVmbo2aXOlhBrkH1fp7lsy1TG3iYyFWip65im9yNOisKlk3rRSt9cydgBM9CaaLyPnG868UBwFCzjYQfEHhjxbdjCKwIpBsekWAcf-EbcxABG3KfIvbAR4/s1600/alfonso+1.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zombie Creature</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-22731616061494806062013-11-02T01:59:00.001-07:002013-11-02T02:02:09.859-07:00Hoima Nights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I got in a fight with a Boda Boda (motorcycle taxi) driver. No fisticuffs, but many heated, slurred, (now forgotten) words were exchanged in the front yard of where I work. At 3:26 am. He tried to charge us 5,000 Shillings to come home! FIVE THOUSAND! I know now that sounds like a lot, right? Well it's not. It is $2. BUT the thing we are all discussing here is principle. PRINCIPLE! I mean would that boda driver try to charge an African 5,000? Never. He would be laughed out of town if he did. Right out of town. But what happened? As my Ugandan colleague said this morning when I called to relate the story to her, "He saw two whites who he thought didn't know." Well you know what? These whites did actually know a little bit.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
"You think we can't tell you apart?" Doug yelled? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
"Yeah I know you." I said. "I will not call you again. You know why? You don't give fair prices. Its not right."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
In the end, we paid 3,000 each. $1.20. That is the ok price for 3:26 am. I promised this boda driver I would call him in the morning once I spoke to my colleague who would verify he was ripping us off. I still have to call him to set the record straight.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The night before that was fun. We went to Spot On for some beers and to sit by the bon fires. We were hanging out with two 19 year old Ugandans who didn't drink. We bought them sodas. Their names were John and Keith. So we called one John Bosco and the other one Keith. Which makes sense. Then we went from there to the other side to go to TNT. TNT was crowded with people and the smell of armpits was rich in the air. We had some drinks there and then we ran into this large man who we had seen at Spot On and he had this rasta guy following him around sort of like a mascot or puppy or something. But it turns out the large man is a radio DJ from Kampala and everyone knew him and he got us into the VIP area with him. So that was fun. I also had a body guard following me around. I bought him a beer and he proceeded to follow me and procure things for me all night. When we eventually left, the rasta and the body guard put us on bodas (with whom we eventually had words). As we were about to launch into the cool night air, this total jerk took my dope hat (my purple trucker hat that says dope in neon green letters) off my head. RIGHT OFF! Then they tried to make us leave without it and I threw a tantrum of American proportions. "NOBODY JUST TAKES MY HAT. GIVE ME MY HAT BACK, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Note: I am yelling this while straddling a motorcycle and turned around yelling at a crowd of curious onlookers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Then the rasta got my hat, handed it to me and calmly said "Ey. Sorry, here is your hat."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
"We go," I growled to the boda driver. "But first we find rolex." We took a half turn down the street where the rolex (street food-an omelette rolled inside flat bread. so good) are and they had packed up by that time so we carried on.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
"I will eat left over pasta. We go now to Kaliyabuhire (my village)."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
So we began to make our way back and then we ended up where we started this story.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
It was fun, and I often go back and forth about whether I should fight over boda fares. But sometimes the principle of ALWAYS being charged mzungu price, and being treated like a walking wallet gets old. Last night I guess it got old enough to react. Needless to say, I probably will not call Matthew the Boda driver this morning (I made him save his number in my phone) to tell him how right I was. Probably not worth it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-19908178796223734792013-08-17T04:13:00.001-07:002013-08-17T04:13:05.008-07:00The Fade<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Today I decided I needed a hair cut. That's where everything started. Well really it started last week when I went into Warid hair barbering shop one night to see about the price of a haircut for men. He told me 4,000 shillings or $1.60. This seemed agreeable to me, so I told him I would be back in the morning. Well I came back a week later and the young guy cutting hair was just as wide-eyed and eager to welcome me.<br><br>I sat down and was sweating, so I toweled of my head. Well really, he did it for me and he mostly just shook my head a lot and patted the top of my hair. Then he turned on the fan in my face to cool down. I asked if he had clippers for the sides of my hair and he said yea. So I asked for a 4 on the side and the blended to the top with the scissors. He said ok.<br><br>First I should say that African English is not like American Standard English. There are funny things like how transitive verbs are not used, nor are gerunds. So "we are thinking of going to the pool" turns into "we go to the pool." It's more direct, but lacks some nuance. Also there is liberal use (usually non-use) of prepositions. As such there are miscommunications when Africans and Mzungus talk sometimes. So even if the Ugandans don't understand they will say yes or okay. This was a case where I told him what I wanted for my hair, he had no idea, then said yes only to acknowledge I made sounds. <br><br>So he dove into cutting my hair first with a 4 on the sides. That was going ok.... Then he started with the scissors. First he cut in an absolutely straight line the front of my hair. I suddenly was rocking the friar tuck look. <br><br>So I thought I would be helpful. I took the comb from him and said 'can I please show you?" And proceeded to demonstrate with his comb and scissors how to cut my own hair. He nodded enthusiastically and took the tools back. He combed up a finger full of hair and proceeded to trip it then daintily snip over the topmost hairs on my head. This clearly wasn't working.<br><br>"Can you just do my whole head with the clippers?" He smiled very big. "Yes." So he gingerly started clipping away. So I said "you can press down. Just shave it. 4 on top too, I just want it a bit shorter on the sides."<br><br>"Do you know fade?" He says. "Yes, I know what a fade is." "I can do that. I can do hair like that." So I said okay and he proceeded to give me a fade and just cut my hair like a Ugandan man's. then he pointed to the hair cut picture chart. "Number 50 please." I looked up and number 50 was the only non black guy on the chart. It was a Dominican dude for sure. My hair cutter smiled, "I am doing that and it will be good for you."<br><br>So he gave me this fade and was much more confident. Then at the end he brushed all the hair off with a towel. He checked to make sure I approved. It looked clean, and that was the most important. He then sprayed olive oil hair spray on my head in a sweet smelling cloud and proceeded to wipe my hair with a flat brush thing. It was a shoe brush. Then he baby-powdered my neck and face after trimming my beard and I was out the door.<br><br>Of course throughout this process there were people in and out to look at me while I was getting my hair cut. It was quite the exciting day for the Warid barber shop. I guess I am satisfied, though I have very little hair. But it was with the experience. And at least it will be good for hot weather.<br><br><br>Andrew (AJ) Doty<br>Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Fellow<br><a href="mailto:ajd@villageenterprise.org" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1/0">ajd@villageenterprise.org</a><br>Uganda: <a href="tel:+256%20794%20485%20228" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1/1">+256 794 485 228</a></span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfl07BMhBRvdtXS8_1EM2ilE8U4UOxYkaTvQv-sdSLfhLlGB_SYbjmZbXixRCxsrcaKHIPD_5-Zm_3wUsfRfaMoovvZn76NMwvgCphKzvxRz95x8eyJzHGP8pJo_8fV0C8AfKCfe5prqc/s640/blogger-image--496730117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfl07BMhBRvdtXS8_1EM2ilE8U4UOxYkaTvQv-sdSLfhLlGB_SYbjmZbXixRCxsrcaKHIPD_5-Zm_3wUsfRfaMoovvZn76NMwvgCphKzvxRz95x8eyJzHGP8pJo_8fV0C8AfKCfe5prqc/s640/blogger-image--496730117.jpg"></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-56682413763366514242013-07-28T03:20:00.001-07:002013-07-28T03:20:24.690-07:00Lights Out.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The power goes out a lot here. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. You can't really guess when it might go out or stay on. This morning it was on when I got in the shower, and off when I got out. Then an hour later, it was back. Sometimes when out to dinner the power will go off and suddenly the meal is shrouded in darkness. Sometimes when out at the club (literally the only club) the power goes off and a packed dance floor becomes lit only by the meager and erratic glow from cell phones. Most public spaces have generators that will eventually kick on, but the erratic darkness adds an air of adventure to every day activities like eating and cooking. Below is a picture when we were cooking in the dark last night.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ODfbSBrpyY0me7ECw7SsR40H22xxenfGphVfwkwLyAOEku4MRTw3EWbfdwiQdRvcbGm3V6f8b75iRrUwhWypGHIjLzAGm6sHGc_ghYXB1dCM895YEYjfP9gHHaLXWflcTUdRYgbV0Q0/s1600/P1020923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ODfbSBrpyY0me7ECw7SsR40H22xxenfGphVfwkwLyAOEku4MRTw3EWbfdwiQdRvcbGm3V6f8b75iRrUwhWypGHIjLzAGm6sHGc_ghYXB1dCM895YEYjfP9gHHaLXWflcTUdRYgbV0Q0/s320/P1020923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Then the power came back on so we ventured into Hoima Town to get a drink with some friends and colleagues. Even when the power was on, we were sitting outside in front of a bar called Natty and the light that was generated from within the bar was all that lit the patio. There are also no street lights, so the shops that remain open late also throw their blue glow into the public spaces. There was hardly enough light at the table to distinguish the faces of the people we were sitting with, so it was sort of like a weird dating game. You can't see my face until you agree t be my friend! The next picture is from inside Natty's.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN85J8s9GpA26MnPlKAQJxgJlxybbC_3ob04Y3ihcfSyt1AtuD310YZNtOPEvs7maL-P0-TOVseyPy3M2RrygGosar2X5MICxzUt387vYRzCVRqgWt964Y_ab5WL_SZEOsRICDIMwhw0/s1600/P1020930+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN85J8s9GpA26MnPlKAQJxgJlxybbC_3ob04Y3ihcfSyt1AtuD310YZNtOPEvs7maL-P0-TOVseyPy3M2RrygGosar2X5MICxzUt387vYRzCVRqgWt964Y_ab5WL_SZEOsRICDIMwhw0/s320/P1020930+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
the light doesn't do much to brighten things up, but the color is straight from a noir detective story, and who doesn't like a bit of ambience? Especially when you have no choice in the matter. Certainly the oddest thing to me is that there are no street lights. Occasionally you pass through weak pools of watery light that ward off the surrounding darkness. The approach of a boda throws some light on the road until it whirs past in a cloud of dust and exhaust, and then the light is gone. It makes everything sort of magical, mysterious and chaotic all at once. It's always a good recipe for an interesting night out. I will close with a picture of Hoima town at night. More later...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimaFglyAgPQ-H2dlY5VrN06ifpt3NFoXpUpdbPtQiakqmlpIvMVcFNiptrw67xbWXPk6FoTVimmM1OLaVtDJNncw0q6fj1ROQFKaZh_TJknAAXQdg19ib3tvvtsT48M1CgGvBHDxcqEU/s1600/P1020936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimaFglyAgPQ-H2dlY5VrN06ifpt3NFoXpUpdbPtQiakqmlpIvMVcFNiptrw67xbWXPk6FoTVimmM1OLaVtDJNncw0q6fj1ROQFKaZh_TJknAAXQdg19ib3tvvtsT48M1CgGvBHDxcqEU/s320/P1020936.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002158683222568954.post-3395982412947070382013-07-21T01:37:00.002-07:002013-07-21T01:37:32.944-07:00Street Food, and Hoima by Night<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaV1vzvwN0jfrDk8aTflxFJX8ZfLJ2iGeswfCaARH4PjV2piUZBuqb8SaaFIsRQHlqzxzgZYMhk9bgsnsHmkGKaBBd9xMkeiVDDNUDF8GwxBmpHCe1Ud4tZtwxnmJ_ZQSTnxRFXO4U-t0/s1600/P1020887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaV1vzvwN0jfrDk8aTflxFJX8ZfLJ2iGeswfCaARH4PjV2piUZBuqb8SaaFIsRQHlqzxzgZYMhk9bgsnsHmkGKaBBd9xMkeiVDDNUDF8GwxBmpHCe1Ud4tZtwxnmJ_ZQSTnxRFXO4U-t0/s320/P1020887.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoima streets at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhekfX1g80ru9zcsSBimPfk7HfIXsVPXiA8Is63se8XiN_KT4M4pK2cE3UKkEFtAxE-4w7bZxFdYYVXzgtnkwQE-4HQmAZJvdGnYmDP8TUeBSU50nW82Us1Hn9nO6JSkUDC8WZQHIIPU/s1600/P1020892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhekfX1g80ru9zcsSBimPfk7HfIXsVPXiA8Is63se8XiN_KT4M4pK2cE3UKkEFtAxE-4w7bZxFdYYVXzgtnkwQE-4HQmAZJvdGnYmDP8TUeBSU50nW82Us1Hn9nO6JSkUDC8WZQHIIPU/s320/P1020892.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Hoima's Club TNT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQuLCo7msTvxhn2tRCo-cqkMR_-Ade6CrHo-sXUPBlTErO3SxM97ihjnHQ19P9mrILE8Sz2Bnm3qrwA80SjQACToI4wVsfpAxtawbhlLggxNzLw9x2udUIiW_1hince_BzXUvDr3hTKg/s1600/P1020888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQuLCo7msTvxhn2tRCo-cqkMR_-Ade6CrHo-sXUPBlTErO3SxM97ihjnHQ19P9mrILE8Sz2Bnm3qrwA80SjQACToI4wVsfpAxtawbhlLggxNzLw9x2udUIiW_1hince_BzXUvDr3hTKg/s320/P1020888.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled chicken</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx50JTdr_6D_bjGrkYsC20jrqtsiuprb665M63sJEubo-uOU3RzOS8lNxthZtP9dTj5yMmg_fr2gIJM5ix8bNjkypGcnBBUaj57cU2WLvZUUW6DPPb3Fdc4WOODKkV9lY3MXv1lLud2I/s1600/P1020885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx50JTdr_6D_bjGrkYsC20jrqtsiuprb665M63sJEubo-uOU3RzOS8lNxthZtP9dTj5yMmg_fr2gIJM5ix8bNjkypGcnBBUaj57cU2WLvZUUW6DPPb3Fdc4WOODKkV9lY3MXv1lLud2I/s320/P1020885.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the makings for Roll-eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkehLipTJ5ttSiU-okt6WEZwBUlEpF6pzGIc8a7CgwiTAHumz0vVTAtiHJx45XTYPCPAb7RpNfSEfzPk9ADerVeJUVjtjEkvzJV_IsCB1hU6M3ixQNHchyphenhyphena2kpKRgxvqfSfPbOZbQFrU/s1600/P1020886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkehLipTJ5ttSiU-okt6WEZwBUlEpF6pzGIc8a7CgwiTAHumz0vVTAtiHJx45XTYPCPAb7RpNfSEfzPk9ADerVeJUVjtjEkvzJV_IsCB1hU6M3ixQNHchyphenhyphena2kpKRgxvqfSfPbOZbQFrU/s320/P1020886.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A street in Hoima Town at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18094112370845012695noreply@blogger.com0