I had to go to Vegas on business recently. a few weeks ago to be precise, it's halloween tonight, so mid-october-ish. at the last minute a meeting in Davis, CA was thrown in. that meant getting up at 3:30a.m. to catch an early flight out of the new hampshire airport.
by the time i got to vegas it was around midnight and i had been up what was hovering aroun 24 hours. i was fucking tired. i wanted to cry. first i wanted to shower, then i wanted to cry.
i had booked a room at the flamingo, a GO room. Javier had discovered them, they are newly remodeled with hi-tech amenities like an ipod doc. i was excited. when i arrived to check-in, confirmation number in hand the woman at the front desk explained to me that they were over booked and i would be walked over to Bill's. Bill's is the casino formerly known as the Barbary Coast.
she also explained to me that because the room would be comped, i would not be provided with cab fair, but i could leave my car at the flamingo and walk down the alley. it's a short walk. it's right next door. i was so pissed i went and stayed at the hampton inn. i was not going to walk down some alley where i would probably get lost, even if it was right next door. and if i was going to bother to get back in my car, i would not waste time circling blocks around the strip. it was time to take decisive action.
my hampton bed was there, clean and soft, and utterly comfortable. i love you hampton inn. with my cereal for breakfast and free wi-fi...and always shampoo and separate conditioner.
i think now i will never get to stay in a GO! room. i will not be able to bring myself to book a reservation at the Flamingo.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The World Series
I am here in Denver on business. I was not with it enough to get a ticket to the game tonight, so I really am just here on business. So far I have seen the airport and the inside of my airport friendly Hampton Inn. I am waiting for my cab to take me to the Hyatt Regency Convention Center where I'll spend the rest of my chilly Denver nights. It is colder here than in Boston, for the moment.
I flew here last night direct from Boston on a plane full of many Red Sox fans and a couple of Rockies fans. Those poor guys. They are getting their asses whupped. I kept my TV (gotta love JetBlue) tuned to Meercat Manner and I could watch the action on my neighbor's tv.
I love the meerkats because the remind me of dogs. Little dogs, and I do love little dogs. I should mention, i love terriers. little dogs that were bread to hunt and kill rodents. i don't want unfamilar rodents anywhere near me.
the sox swept the rockies and it's been funny all week telling people i live in boston. i get a funny look or a comment. they don't need to know i'm really a giants fan, and neither does anybody i work with.
I am here for the geological society of america conference. to hang at the booth and try to help sell analyzers. i was much busier than at past geo-meetings. that is good. but i am tired. too much fatty food and wine didn't help. good wine, but a lot of it.
i got to see some people i went to school with. it's always fun to run into mark and i can't wait to visit him in wyoming. he has a six bedroom house that cost half as much as my 1200 square foot condo. of course i am moving to the bay area, and if we end up in SF proper, 1200 sq ft might feel like a palace.
had some bad food in denver. the chop house sucked, especially for the money. we were told it's the best steak house in denver. it is certainly priced like it. but the drinks were too sweet. my lamb was overdone on one side and underdone on the other. my colleagues 36 dollar steak wasa extremely overcooked. the other was under cooked. giant piles of potatoes. nothing fresh or light. it had me dreaming of the mediteranean restaurant i ate at in durango this summer. jamba juice and mad greens were my favorite.
that's right, jamba juice. we don't get it in boston. there is no space with all the dunkin' donuts.
this town has a starbucks on every corner, like DD in boston. i miss the 'buck. i don't like the overpriced coffee being replaced by cheaper, crappy coffee. i did run into yet another native new englander who tried to explain that people go there (DD) for the coffee, "nobody eats the donuts" they say. hmmm....as if bad taste in coffee can explain away all those donut shops... :)
this person lives in MI and explained that the closest DD is 45 minutes away. i tried to think of anything i miss from the west coast that i would drive 45 minutes for. Nordstrom. that was my answer. i miss nordstrom. i went there tonight and bought a top. then i went to see a movie to keep me from spening more money.
we now have a nordstrom in Natick. whereever that is.
I flew here last night direct from Boston on a plane full of many Red Sox fans and a couple of Rockies fans. Those poor guys. They are getting their asses whupped. I kept my TV (gotta love JetBlue) tuned to Meercat Manner and I could watch the action on my neighbor's tv.
I love the meerkats because the remind me of dogs. Little dogs, and I do love little dogs. I should mention, i love terriers. little dogs that were bread to hunt and kill rodents. i don't want unfamilar rodents anywhere near me.
the sox swept the rockies and it's been funny all week telling people i live in boston. i get a funny look or a comment. they don't need to know i'm really a giants fan, and neither does anybody i work with.
I am here for the geological society of america conference. to hang at the booth and try to help sell analyzers. i was much busier than at past geo-meetings. that is good. but i am tired. too much fatty food and wine didn't help. good wine, but a lot of it.
i got to see some people i went to school with. it's always fun to run into mark and i can't wait to visit him in wyoming. he has a six bedroom house that cost half as much as my 1200 square foot condo. of course i am moving to the bay area, and if we end up in SF proper, 1200 sq ft might feel like a palace.
had some bad food in denver. the chop house sucked, especially for the money. we were told it's the best steak house in denver. it is certainly priced like it. but the drinks were too sweet. my lamb was overdone on one side and underdone on the other. my colleagues 36 dollar steak wasa extremely overcooked. the other was under cooked. giant piles of potatoes. nothing fresh or light. it had me dreaming of the mediteranean restaurant i ate at in durango this summer. jamba juice and mad greens were my favorite.
that's right, jamba juice. we don't get it in boston. there is no space with all the dunkin' donuts.
this town has a starbucks on every corner, like DD in boston. i miss the 'buck. i don't like the overpriced coffee being replaced by cheaper, crappy coffee. i did run into yet another native new englander who tried to explain that people go there (DD) for the coffee, "nobody eats the donuts" they say. hmmm....as if bad taste in coffee can explain away all those donut shops... :)
this person lives in MI and explained that the closest DD is 45 minutes away. i tried to think of anything i miss from the west coast that i would drive 45 minutes for. Nordstrom. that was my answer. i miss nordstrom. i went there tonight and bought a top. then i went to see a movie to keep me from spening more money.
we now have a nordstrom in Natick. whereever that is.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Caipirina. Cachasa. Beer.
maybe there were things that didn't shock me so much, and i'm not even sure why they suprised me. i think it's because i'm officially here on business travel, so i put myself on the "i will be appropriate because i am at work" mode. lately when i am out of the U.S. i am working.
funny things about brazil: teenagers making out everywhere, even in the hall at the tradeshow.
Men in Brazil. I can think of a few people in my life who have written poems for me or about me (or certain parts of my body, thank you John). but nobody has ever recited their poetry to me in public in a language i can't understand while the rest of the people i'm with try without much success not to laugh. i never really thought of myself as one who inspires poetry, expletives when i'm driving, of course, poetry, no. but then my colleagues explained that the poem was very bad and well, that helped keep my ego in check.
also, he was talking to me after he read the poem and he said something about a viking woman. i think he meant it as a compliment, but i took that to mean i'm a big giant girl with light hair.
maybe there were things that didn't shock me so much, and i'm not even sure why they suprised me. i think it's because i'm officially here on business travel, so i put myself on the "i will be appropriate because i am at work" mode. lately when i am out of the U.S. i am working.
funny things about brazil: teenagers making out everywhere, even in the hall at the tradeshow.
Men in Brazil. I can think of a few people in my life who have written poems for me or about me (or certain parts of my body, thank you John). but nobody has ever recited their poetry to me in public in a language i can't understand while the rest of the people i'm with try without much success not to laugh. i never really thought of myself as one who inspires poetry, expletives when i'm driving, of course, poetry, no. but then my colleagues explained that the poem was very bad and well, that helped keep my ego in check.
also, he was talking to me after he read the poem and he said something about a viking woman. i think he meant it as a compliment, but i took that to mean i'm a big giant girl with light hair.
Dull Traveler
I'll try to avoid scatalogical humor and inuendo, but it seems i am already snickering to myself...Maybe because on my trip to Argentina this year when the toilets seemed so normal i had given up on seeing new and interesting toilet fixtures. it's been years since i assumed the position and held on to the pole in the Dolomites and I quickly mastered the double buttons in Australia. But today, in what qualifies as the ugliest city i have ever stayed in, Belo Horizante, Brazil (Belo what?where? you might be asking yourself, exactly) the toilet in my hotel room has a pot filler on the wall, in the perfect convenient location. and we all know what for. i didn't realize this particular device was for filling pots until it was demonstrated to me back home. i thought it was for cleaning the sink. i guess my pots have always fit into the sink. you know that little spout that acts like a nozzle next to the spigot on your kitchen sink. at least on every kitchen sink i have seen on the east coast, i do not think they are as prevalent on the west coast. well, there it is right next to the toilet. it's a new one for me. it seems like a good idea and cheaper than a bidet...maybe i'll call the plumber when i get back to Bean Town.
this place is far from the pillow menus of yore. it's a budget friendly hotel. paying under 40 bucks a night for a hotel makes me worry. but this place so far is great. exactlly the kind of place i would hope to find if i were vacationing. it's got wi-fi :) :) :) in my room. before i traveled much on business i would have thought that kind of thing to be de riguer for business travel, but i think that's if you always stay in nice places. the holiday inns of the world (or at least those in florida) leave much to be desired.
wish me luck in this place, i mean brazil. my first run in with a charascaria has resulted in quite a bit of stomach discomfort. was it the salad bar or the meat? that funny little bitty hard boiled egg? the tiny chicken leg? the arugula?
i know nothing about brazil, but i do know that if you don't speak portuguese, it kind of sucks.
this place is far from the pillow menus of yore. it's a budget friendly hotel. paying under 40 bucks a night for a hotel makes me worry. but this place so far is great. exactlly the kind of place i would hope to find if i were vacationing. it's got wi-fi :) :) :) in my room. before i traveled much on business i would have thought that kind of thing to be de riguer for business travel, but i think that's if you always stay in nice places. the holiday inns of the world (or at least those in florida) leave much to be desired.
wish me luck in this place, i mean brazil. my first run in with a charascaria has resulted in quite a bit of stomach discomfort. was it the salad bar or the meat? that funny little bitty hard boiled egg? the tiny chicken leg? the arugula?
i know nothing about brazil, but i do know that if you don't speak portuguese, it kind of sucks.
Dulce de Leche in my Hair
Another title could be, ?por favor, puedo tocar tu perrito? if this has
sexual overtones, please don't tell me, or do, i don't know.
Hola de Buenos Aires, home of the largest urban doggy population i have
ever seen. and i don't think i am tainted by my current obsession with a
certain 15 week old brit breed terrier. so what if we watched Best in
Show together the saturday before i left. there are dogs everywhere and
always on lead. i see doggy walkers at lunch time 10 dogs deep. it's
fascinating. i tried to find out how much this service costs here, but
no luck. you know, i guess in case i move. just kidding mom.
I arrived May 1 which is a holiday here as it is in most of the world?
not much was open but there was a craft market. i have been to craft
markets on 4 or 5 continents and they seem to sell the same stuff.
there are a few differences. for example, here there are many people
selling mate, the cups for sipping yerba (sounds like jerba) mate from
those straws. i don't like mate myself, but in Australia i should have
bought more shoe bags. it can be tough to find a useful souvenir, but
shoe bags are great for the traveler. here i bought a scarf. it's autumn
here, and boston is a 3 season scarf town, i don't care what the locals
say.
i am in a fancy pants hotel. i use Louis Vuitton as a landmark to get
home at night. Among my favorite things are the pillow menu (that's
right) and the outrageously fantastic breakfast buffet. i thought i
liked the Hampton Inn with its mini yogurts and raisin bran. this place
has Chandon on ice, mini pastries, yogurts with a selection of mix-ins,
pancakes, waffles, the good bacon, breads, cheeses, salmon...
this is my 5th continent and i am hoping to visit my 6th (Asia) this
summer. somehow i will have to get to antarctica, but i'm not sure how
just yet.
Things i am taking home that i did not arrive with:
un paraguay
un botella (pronounced boe-tay-ja here) de malbec vino
5 more pounds (mas o menos) and not in equipaje (is that right?) but
probably in empanadas an even greater appreciation for people who can
effortlessly switch languages a few argentinian pesos a toiletry gift as
part of the "Woman Travelling Alone" package at this boutique hotel. i
also get 20% off massages.
Things I have learned not to pass up when i travel to other countries:
The bacon
ice cream/all dairy products
checking the price of luxury goods. no luck yet.
opporunities to try and speak other languages, even those i did not
study in school: rendevous anyone?
if the country grows coffee, skip it. if there is no way the country
grows beans, drink up silly, it's probably good look at the mcdonald's
menu. go ahead, go inside. even if you don't eat there. that's where the
bathroom is. in BA there is volcano cake on the menu, in Frankfurt deep
fried cheesy bacon stars. i think i need to start eating these things so
i can blog about them.
when i leave for business trips i am sad to report that i often do not
know what the local currency will be, let alone the exchange rate.
when you are not paying for much, the exchange rate often makes no
difference. this hotel is over 200 a night (which is way more than i
usually spend on hotels when i travel) but i did not choose it and i am
not paying for it. i have to say though if i come here on vacation i'd
hate to stay anywhere else. i'll finally get to have my champagne with
breakfast if i stay here. maybe it would be under 2 hundy if there were
no breakfast. desayunos. desayunos. although i would rather be with my
little Thatcher. i haven't told people her name. before i left i read an
article in the Economist about what Ms. Thatcher did in the Falklands,
i'll pretend i named her Spike.
necesito hablar espanol mucho del tiempo. it is extra work, but i think
i have already improved. my colleagues are great about it. maybe because
Martin decided i speak better spanish than he does english.
we'll see?
besos, laura
p.s. i did/do have dulce de leche in my hair. it's what i get for
finishing a giant glass of wine with dinner then promptly getting ice
cream. oh, and there are little pots of dulce de leche with breakfast,
like jam. does it get any better?
sexual overtones, please don't tell me, or do, i don't know.
Hola de Buenos Aires, home of the largest urban doggy population i have
ever seen. and i don't think i am tainted by my current obsession with a
certain 15 week old brit breed terrier. so what if we watched Best in
Show together the saturday before i left. there are dogs everywhere and
always on lead. i see doggy walkers at lunch time 10 dogs deep. it's
fascinating. i tried to find out how much this service costs here, but
no luck. you know, i guess in case i move. just kidding mom.
I arrived May 1 which is a holiday here as it is in most of the world?
not much was open but there was a craft market. i have been to craft
markets on 4 or 5 continents and they seem to sell the same stuff.
there are a few differences. for example, here there are many people
selling mate, the cups for sipping yerba (sounds like jerba) mate from
those straws. i don't like mate myself, but in Australia i should have
bought more shoe bags. it can be tough to find a useful souvenir, but
shoe bags are great for the traveler. here i bought a scarf. it's autumn
here, and boston is a 3 season scarf town, i don't care what the locals
say.
i am in a fancy pants hotel. i use Louis Vuitton as a landmark to get
home at night. Among my favorite things are the pillow menu (that's
right) and the outrageously fantastic breakfast buffet. i thought i
liked the Hampton Inn with its mini yogurts and raisin bran. this place
has Chandon on ice, mini pastries, yogurts with a selection of mix-ins,
pancakes, waffles, the good bacon, breads, cheeses, salmon...
this is my 5th continent and i am hoping to visit my 6th (Asia) this
summer. somehow i will have to get to antarctica, but i'm not sure how
just yet.
Things i am taking home that i did not arrive with:
un paraguay
un botella (pronounced boe-tay-ja here) de malbec vino
5 more pounds (mas o menos) and not in equipaje (is that right?) but
probably in empanadas an even greater appreciation for people who can
effortlessly switch languages a few argentinian pesos a toiletry gift as
part of the "Woman Travelling Alone" package at this boutique hotel. i
also get 20% off massages.
Things I have learned not to pass up when i travel to other countries:
The bacon
ice cream/all dairy products
checking the price of luxury goods. no luck yet.
opporunities to try and speak other languages, even those i did not
study in school: rendevous anyone?
if the country grows coffee, skip it. if there is no way the country
grows beans, drink up silly, it's probably good look at the mcdonald's
menu. go ahead, go inside. even if you don't eat there. that's where the
bathroom is. in BA there is volcano cake on the menu, in Frankfurt deep
fried cheesy bacon stars. i think i need to start eating these things so
i can blog about them.
when i leave for business trips i am sad to report that i often do not
know what the local currency will be, let alone the exchange rate.
when you are not paying for much, the exchange rate often makes no
difference. this hotel is over 200 a night (which is way more than i
usually spend on hotels when i travel) but i did not choose it and i am
not paying for it. i have to say though if i come here on vacation i'd
hate to stay anywhere else. i'll finally get to have my champagne with
breakfast if i stay here. maybe it would be under 2 hundy if there were
no breakfast. desayunos. desayunos. although i would rather be with my
little Thatcher. i haven't told people her name. before i left i read an
article in the Economist about what Ms. Thatcher did in the Falklands,
i'll pretend i named her Spike.
necesito hablar espanol mucho del tiempo. it is extra work, but i think
i have already improved. my colleagues are great about it. maybe because
Martin decided i speak better spanish than he does english.
we'll see?
besos, laura
p.s. i did/do have dulce de leche in my hair. it's what i get for
finishing a giant glass of wine with dinner then promptly getting ice
cream. oh, and there are little pots of dulce de leche with breakfast,
like jam. does it get any better?
Cape Town Highlight Number 1
There is a big party at my guest house (where the cottages are)
and I am not sleeping. I gave up when they started playing "We Will
Rock You". I looked out my window there were half naked men with beers
chillin' in the fountain. It is a fountain, not a hot tub. I think
they are some kind of team. When I was in Oz, I ran into a famous
local rugby team that was staying at my hotel. I ended up in the lift
with them. They were hot, mostly. They were a highlight, these guys
are not.
Highlight number 1: The German couple I was staying with (at their
guest house) took me to black church on sunday. Since I am in Africa,
black church is just where the black people go for services. Black
people are not to be mistaken for colored people, which are people of
mixed race. It was a Catholic Church so everything was very familar
even though most of it is in a local language called a word that
sounds like Kwolzo (with a cluck in the beginning, this language has
clucking sounds). I whipped right into the "Peace Be With You's" on
cue. Even though I haven't been to church since my sister's wedding
last September.
The choir was amazing and there were instruments too. They looked like
xylophones made out of wood (are they made of wood elsewhere?
unfinished wood here). There were also some improvised drums. It
sounded like everyone in the church was singing together. It was
beautiful. My companions thought I was falling asleep when I closed my
eyes, but really I was just trying to feel something. Trying to be
moved. There is movement in that music.
At the end one of the older women got up to speak about AIDS. I only
picked up the few words of english, but you got the message. A couple
of young girls got up to make an announcement about a youth group they
are trying to start. Kids with birthdays got blessed. I took some
photos. Children came up to shake my hand. I had been announced and
asked to stand so I could be introduced as a visitor from the U.S.
The church is in the middle of the Guguletu Township. The townships
are like shanty towns. it's where the black and coloreds live. as far
as you can see there are shacks made out of what looks like corrugated
metal, sometimes painted. There is electricity and phone line. No
indoor plumbing. The people must go to central locations where there
are water facilities. This is a step up from anything I saw in the
DRC.
I am not used to being around Germans. Nine, I don't sprechen deutsch.
I am not used to black, coloreds, nigger, etc. being thrown around in
the way the people I am with here use those words. The tone, the
circumstance, the lack of explanation. I don't think it's a language
gap type problem. Do I understand that I must grab my purse when the
the black people walk by so they don't take it, amazing the hips on
that woman (all those women), those cabs are not for white people.
Cultural exchange is not always soft and pretty.
Fwd: Kneel. Sit. Stand. Repeat if Desired.
Hello, Here I am in South Africa. I got here Friday night and have not
had internet or time for much lately. I spent the weekend in Cape Town
and there were 3 highlights.
but, since i am in the middle of the courtyard where i am staying
(don't worry, guards and gates, etc. it's night) so i can have
internet, i'll have to tell you all about them later. no internet in
my hut/cottage. it has a thatched roof. birds must be nesting in it,
it smells like sewage instead of lovely grass, and people are loud at
this place! there are also a few chow chows that got a shave today and
like to growl at me.
finally had a good meal here, italian.
and I am not sleeping. I gave up when they started playing "We Will
Rock You". I looked out my window there were half naked men with beers
chillin' in the fountain. It is a fountain, not a hot tub. I think
they are some kind of team. When I was in Oz, I ran into a famous
local rugby team that was staying at my hotel. I ended up in the lift
with them. They were hot, mostly. They were a highlight, these guys
are not.
Highlight number 1: The German couple I was staying with (at their
guest house) took me to black church on sunday. Since I am in Africa,
black church is just where the black people go for services. Black
people are not to be mistaken for colored people, which are people of
mixed race. It was a Catholic Church so everything was very familar
even though most of it is in a local language called a word that
sounds like Kwolzo (with a cluck in the beginning, this language has
clucking sounds). I whipped right into the "Peace Be With You's" on
cue. Even though I haven't been to church since my sister's wedding
last September.
The choir was amazing and there were instruments too. They looked like
xylophones made out of wood (are they made of wood elsewhere?
unfinished wood here). There were also some improvised drums. It
sounded like everyone in the church was singing together. It was
beautiful. My companions thought I was falling asleep when I closed my
eyes, but really I was just trying to feel something. Trying to be
moved. There is movement in that music.
At the end one of the older women got up to speak about AIDS. I only
picked up the few words of english, but you got the message. A couple
of young girls got up to make an announcement about a youth group they
are trying to start. Kids with birthdays got blessed. I took some
photos. Children came up to shake my hand. I had been announced and
asked to stand so I could be introduced as a visitor from the U.S.
The church is in the middle of the Guguletu Township. The townships
are like shanty towns. it's where the black and coloreds live. as far
as you can see there are shacks made out of what looks like corrugated
metal, sometimes painted. There is electricity and phone line. No
indoor plumbing. The people must go to central locations where there
are water facilities. This is a step up from anything I saw in the
DRC.
I am not used to being around Germans. Nine, I don't sprechen deutsch.
I am not used to black, coloreds, nigger, etc. being thrown around in
the way the people I am with here use those words. The tone, the
circumstance, the lack of explanation. I don't think it's a language
gap type problem. Do I understand that I must grab my purse when the
the black people walk by so they don't take it, amazing the hips on
that woman (all those women), those cabs are not for white people.
Cultural exchange is not always soft and pretty.
Fwd: Kneel. Sit. Stand. Repeat if Desired.
Hello, Here I am in South Africa. I got here Friday night and have not
had internet or time for much lately. I spent the weekend in Cape Town
and there were 3 highlights.
but, since i am in the middle of the courtyard where i am staying
(don't worry, guards and gates, etc. it's night) so i can have
internet, i'll have to tell you all about them later. no internet in
my hut/cottage. it has a thatched roof. birds must be nesting in it,
it smells like sewage instead of lovely grass, and people are loud at
this place! there are also a few chow chows that got a shave today and
like to growl at me.
finally had a good meal here, italian.
Into Africa
I am sitting here in a Roxy Africa t-shirt, roxy
undergarments, Billabong socks, and Jeep (!) Brand pants. I am at the
Intercontinental Hotel at the Johannesburg airport. I did not realize
that the answer to my question: What to wear in Africa, would be
whatever I could find at the airport. My bags did not arrive. none of
them. they may not get here until Monday. I am supposed to leave for
the DRC tomorrow afternoon. If I am lucky my bags will get to JoBurg
tomorrow and arrive in Lubumbashi Monday. Unlucky=bags here Monday
then DRC Wednesday. South African Airlines does not fly to Lubumbashi
everyday. If I am even less lucky, I may never see them again.
On the up side, waxing services are super cheap. A leg wax = about
twenty bucks. unheard of. This hotel is super fancy. It is also
georgeous. the decor is traditional africa in a modern way? No animal
heads (the guy on the plane next to me explained that as typical?) but
lots of natural materials (sticks, wood, grass, quills, pretty rock
everywhere) and traditional beading motifs.
I got to fly business class on the way here. which pretty much
amounted to my best long flight experience ever. there was a cheese
course for gods sake. and a bed. my seat went all the way down. i
actually slept. not the best, most restful sleep. but many hours of
it. i only watched 1.5 movies. this was a 16 hour flight. contrast
with the 5 movies i watched on the way home from Australia (13ish
hours).
When I was in Mexico I hit my head an overhang at a local house and
this little girl said, "Giant white people", to no one in particular.
I feel like that here. I am a good head above most of the people
working at the hotel, at least the ones I've gotten close to.
What I have learned so far: sparkling apple juice is popular. I think
that's it. I hope to do better as the week goes on. But I have only
spent time in line waiting to find out about my baggage, had room
service and a drink at the bar, went back to the terminal to buy
clothes, and I am doing laundry in my sink using shampoo as detergent.
I already knew that everything is slow in Africa because Madonna said
so in her Oprah interview.
I will try to see cool things and take lots of photos.
undergarments, Billabong socks, and Jeep (!) Brand pants. I am at the
Intercontinental Hotel at the Johannesburg airport. I did not realize
that the answer to my question: What to wear in Africa, would be
whatever I could find at the airport. My bags did not arrive. none of
them. they may not get here until Monday. I am supposed to leave for
the DRC tomorrow afternoon. If I am lucky my bags will get to JoBurg
tomorrow and arrive in Lubumbashi Monday. Unlucky=bags here Monday
then DRC Wednesday. South African Airlines does not fly to Lubumbashi
everyday. If I am even less lucky, I may never see them again.
On the up side, waxing services are super cheap. A leg wax = about
twenty bucks. unheard of. This hotel is super fancy. It is also
georgeous. the decor is traditional africa in a modern way? No animal
heads (the guy on the plane next to me explained that as typical?) but
lots of natural materials (sticks, wood, grass, quills, pretty rock
everywhere) and traditional beading motifs.
I got to fly business class on the way here. which pretty much
amounted to my best long flight experience ever. there was a cheese
course for gods sake. and a bed. my seat went all the way down. i
actually slept. not the best, most restful sleep. but many hours of
it. i only watched 1.5 movies. this was a 16 hour flight. contrast
with the 5 movies i watched on the way home from Australia (13ish
hours).
When I was in Mexico I hit my head an overhang at a local house and
this little girl said, "Giant white people", to no one in particular.
I feel like that here. I am a good head above most of the people
working at the hotel, at least the ones I've gotten close to.
What I have learned so far: sparkling apple juice is popular. I think
that's it. I hope to do better as the week goes on. But I have only
spent time in line waiting to find out about my baggage, had room
service and a drink at the bar, went back to the terminal to buy
clothes, and I am doing laundry in my sink using shampoo as detergent.
I already knew that everything is slow in Africa because Madonna said
so in her Oprah interview.
I will try to see cool things and take lots of photos.
Parts of Africa
Hello from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
After a most heinous flight on the oldest airplane I have ever had the
displeasure of passengering on and a giant bounce of a landing I have
made it. I am scheduled to return on a modern airplane with South
African Airlines to go back to S.A. on Friday.
I had to surrender my passport on entry and have just thankfully
gotten it back. My bags are set to arrive this afternoon!
I am staying at someone's house here, her name is Kim and she is from
Connecticut. She is an exploration geologist. This place used to house
the ambasador to DRC from South Africa. It is huge with a ton of
bathrooms, high-speed internet, a pool, a working oven and a US size
fridge (these last two are highly uncommon in this entire country, or
so i have been told). The windows all have bars, rain drives through
them during the storms and pools, and the wall that surrounds this
place has curly cues of razor wire. The razor wire really complements
the armed gaurd who hangs out 24/7. Lights are always on around the
house. There is a house keeper, cook, gardner, and pool man. They are
not live in. There is no land line phone. I have been told there are
no land lines in Congo. i don't know if that is just in people's homes
or in general. There are some tall (2 or 3), say 10 story buildings i
saw from the plane. most people live in huts or brick housing that may
only be partially constructed. walls go up first, then a roof, if they
get enough money. people here do not have enough to eat. generally.
miners dig by hand, not everywhere, there is big machinery too. at
some mines they just dig holes straight into the ground. there is no
shoring and they often collapse, killing the person inside. i don't
think i'll get to visit a mine while i'm here, maybe in South Africa.
and no mom, i will not be going in the hole, i do not work in geotech
anymore.
Everyone speaks french. Power comes and goes. sometimes it's on,
sometimes it's not. I guess then there are not lights on around the
house always.
There is no walking around freely for me, except on the golf course.
There is a really lovely golf course around the corner. I am taking
private lessons every morning while i am here. this will cost the
equivalent of 20 or so USD. the instructor is really good, he looks
like he's floating when he swings. I think I look like a chicken.
I do not know what might happen to me if i were to go out on my own?
i might run into some people or police who might demand money. of
course this would be in french. my french vocab consists of si voo
play, bon soir, bon jour, ah doo twah, encore, viola, dificil, facil,
voo le voo cooshay avec moi, pardon, scuse emoi, soup du jour, steak
au puove, escargot...that's about it. and no, i do not think i can
spell in french. i might not actually get what's going on. unless
perhaps fire arms were involved. at the airport in Johannesburg
(Joburg for short) there is a place to go to check your weapon. i'm
not kidding, there's a big sign. maybe you have to leave it in S.A.,
maybe they take care of it on the plane for you? i'll ask. maybe they
mean machete?
in the mean time i am getting some sweet swings in. or whatever, i do
not know golf lingo. mostly the instructor says, voila, encore,
perfect (that does not happen mostly, but occaisionally). he mostly
speaks french, some english. he tells me how to correct my swing, or
shows me.
work is going well, but nobody wants to hear about the least
interesting part of this voyage. :)
After a most heinous flight on the oldest airplane I have ever had the
displeasure of passengering on and a giant bounce of a landing I have
made it. I am scheduled to return on a modern airplane with South
African Airlines to go back to S.A. on Friday.
I had to surrender my passport on entry and have just thankfully
gotten it back. My bags are set to arrive this afternoon!
I am staying at someone's house here, her name is Kim and she is from
Connecticut. She is an exploration geologist. This place used to house
the ambasador to DRC from South Africa. It is huge with a ton of
bathrooms, high-speed internet, a pool, a working oven and a US size
fridge (these last two are highly uncommon in this entire country, or
so i have been told). The windows all have bars, rain drives through
them during the storms and pools, and the wall that surrounds this
place has curly cues of razor wire. The razor wire really complements
the armed gaurd who hangs out 24/7. Lights are always on around the
house. There is a house keeper, cook, gardner, and pool man. They are
not live in. There is no land line phone. I have been told there are
no land lines in Congo. i don't know if that is just in people's homes
or in general. There are some tall (2 or 3), say 10 story buildings i
saw from the plane. most people live in huts or brick housing that may
only be partially constructed. walls go up first, then a roof, if they
get enough money. people here do not have enough to eat. generally.
miners dig by hand, not everywhere, there is big machinery too. at
some mines they just dig holes straight into the ground. there is no
shoring and they often collapse, killing the person inside. i don't
think i'll get to visit a mine while i'm here, maybe in South Africa.
and no mom, i will not be going in the hole, i do not work in geotech
anymore.
Everyone speaks french. Power comes and goes. sometimes it's on,
sometimes it's not. I guess then there are not lights on around the
house always.
There is no walking around freely for me, except on the golf course.
There is a really lovely golf course around the corner. I am taking
private lessons every morning while i am here. this will cost the
equivalent of 20 or so USD. the instructor is really good, he looks
like he's floating when he swings. I think I look like a chicken.
I do not know what might happen to me if i were to go out on my own?
i might run into some people or police who might demand money. of
course this would be in french. my french vocab consists of si voo
play, bon soir, bon jour, ah doo twah, encore, viola, dificil, facil,
voo le voo cooshay avec moi, pardon, scuse emoi, soup du jour, steak
au puove, escargot...that's about it. and no, i do not think i can
spell in french. i might not actually get what's going on. unless
perhaps fire arms were involved. at the airport in Johannesburg
(Joburg for short) there is a place to go to check your weapon. i'm
not kidding, there's a big sign. maybe you have to leave it in S.A.,
maybe they take care of it on the plane for you? i'll ask. maybe they
mean machete?
in the mean time i am getting some sweet swings in. or whatever, i do
not know golf lingo. mostly the instructor says, voila, encore,
perfect (that does not happen mostly, but occaisionally). he mostly
speaks french, some english. he tells me how to correct my swing, or
shows me.
work is going well, but nobody wants to hear about the least
interesting part of this voyage. :)
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