Extra-Congo Affairs

MalaMala Safari (or, Don’t Pet the Cats Here)

South Africa, May 2011, , , , View all 21 comments

This story is dedicated to Ethan, who turns 7 years old today. Happy birthday, sweet nephew! May you have many excellent safaris in your future.

Bellies full and Table Mountain crossed off our to-do list, we left Cape Town and flew 2½ hours east to begin the next phase of our vacation in South Africa: an actual, honest-to-goodness, wild animal safari in the bush. We were headed to Kruger National Park, or rather just outside it, where many people opt for a self-drive safari. Us, on the other hand… we didn’t like the idea of wandering aimlessly around a savannah loaded with dangerous animals. We kind of wanted an expert to handle that.

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Cape Town (or, Every Town Needs a Mozzarella Bar)

South Africa, May 2011, , View all 4 comments

Tearing ourselves away from the delicious enclave of Franschhoek, we continued driving towards Cape Town with a slight detour to check out the nearby whale capital of Hermanus. This is the bay where hundreds of whales settle between June and November to court, mate, and birth. The town is so well known for the whales that there’s even a town crier whose job it is to roam around with chalkboard and bullhorn, directing everyone’s attention to the right spot.

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Knysna (or, Getting There is the Hard Part)

South Africa, May 2011, , View all 5 comments

My protective and well-intentioned husband who’s sure I will lose my passport if left in charge of it keeps it in his safe at work. When it needed to be sent to Kinshasa for an updated visa, he took my stapled-in yellow fever vaccination card out before sending it on. Normally, a good idea. When my passport came back from Kinshasa with the updated visa, I wasn’t even allowed to see it. “It’s in my safe, it’s safe! Don’t worry,” he assured me. The night before we left for South Africa, he brought both our passports home. I admired my new visa for a few moments and put it away in my travel bag for the trip.

The next afternoon we landed in Johannesburg. At the immigration check they asked me for my yellow fever card. It’s stapled in the back, I said, instinctively. No, it’s not, they answered. I asked to see it. There’s the mark of the staple, where it used to be. Confused, I checked my bag, thought for a few moments, then looked over at Seb, who was just getting the green light at his immigration check and heading on through. “Where’s my yellow fever card?” I hollered. Also confused, he thought for a few moments, then remembered: “Oh, shit, it’s still in the safe.” I stared at him, dumbfounded. This can’t be happening. He came over and we tried explaining the situation to the immigration gal. She clicked her tongue and shook her head and said, “It’s gonna be a long trip back to Congo.”

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2 Weeks in South Africa

South Africa, May 2011, View all 3 comments

You would think living in the heart of Africa we would get to see lions, zebras, and hippos on a regular basis. Nope. Congo has been without any large animals for a few decades now. Apparently war, poverty, and hunger can do that to a place. A farmer who lives nearby told us that once upon a time elephants and giraffes roamed his property. The last time he saw anything like that was in the 1980s.

So apart from the Lubumbashi Zoo (which was, surprisingly, a fun little trip), we have to leave the country to go on a proper safari. We chose South Africa as the first recipient of our tourism dollars on this continent, cleverly timed to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

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Chiang Mai

SE Asia, December 2010, , View all 4 comments

Soiphet and driver (I wish I could remember his name) drop us off at our final hotel for our final 2 nights.  The Rachamankha is extraordinarily beautiful, and so peaceful.  Like a museum, actually.  That night we have dinner in an open, tree-filled courtyard, while a musician plays ancient instruments.  I feel existential for a split second, like, Wow, I’m really somewhere right now. Continue reading →

Two Nights in Bangkok

SE Asia, December 2010, , View all 2 comments

From Phuket, we head to Bangkok.  Here’s where I broke my no-within-country-flight policy.  To travel overland would take us a day and a half, and we just don’t have that kind of time.  So instead, we jump on a Thai Airways flight, and arrive in 85 minutes for about $100 per person.  With a full lunch and wine served in-flight, of course, in keeping with the Asian hospitality theme.

Bangkok.  There’s something about that name, like Kuala Lumpur, that sounds all exotic and mysterious to me.  I can’t wait to see it.

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