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.
They say that Tolkien was inspired by his homeland of South Africa when he wrote The Lord of the Rings. How could he not be? We drove through dramatic mountain scenery in lush greens on our way from Knysna to The Cape Winelands.
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.”
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.
I must have gotten a little spoiled taking all those photos at International Women’s Day last week. Only 8 days later and I’m running from the law because of my damn camera.
Actually I don’t know if the man who stopped to yell and chase us ladies down was “the law,” but he sure thought he was.
Here’s what happened. Three of us girls decided it was a beautiful day and we wanted to take a little hike outside the gates. They let us go out last week and march all over town, right?? This ought to be fine. Continue reading
Normally it’s pretty difficult to take a camera into town. If someone sees you photographing the wrong person or place, they can make life rather unpleasant. Not so long ago it was illegal in Congo to take photos in public without a permit.
So it’s nice to get a “freebie” day every now and then, like International Women’s Day. Lots of people have their cameras out, and no one seems to mind. My first holiday here, 2011, I went kind of crazy. It was fun to photograph the kids, the beautiful ladies, the typical shops and the green, green surroundings. Continue reading
Today a group of us ladies went to tour the new clinic that the company has built, and help teach the ladies there how to do laundry in their new machines. But the highlight for me was an unplanned stop at a nearby school. All we had to do was peek in and say “Bonjour!” and the rooms erupted in returned greetings and laughter. Continue reading
Today I jumped in Merv’s truck for a chance to visit nearby Tenke village. He’s building a new wing for the clinic there, and needed volunteers to help paint. At the BBQ last night, a friend from the Social Department and I agreed to go. Continue reading
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
Arrival in Chiang Mai. We depart the train station and walk to a nearby hotel where we meet our tour guide and driver, who are taking us on a two-night eco-tour to the “hill tribes” north of the city. But first, we stop at a couple of sights within Chiang Mai. These are not on the itinerary, so we’re a little surprised. Continue reading
Adventures in Congo 