Cave Exploration

Through a well-established group, The Angola Field Group (AFG), we headed to explore caves in Matadi. The AFG is led by a Canadian couple whom have living in Angola for 17 years. He is a geologist, which is only an advantage on such a venture.

The convoy meets in town, not far from our apartment and we head out 06:30 with what turns out to be too little food!

First stop is the Mirador which is a look-out point high over the coast which reminds my husband and me of the Grand Canyon. At the point, we get a basic geology talk by the leader explaining the formation of the rocks and he points out that the area has many similarities with Bryce Canyon, Utah (we are not far off!)

On to the Municipality of Kissama where we meet up the the Soba, or the traditional leader of the area, and his nephew. The Soba leaders were in place before the Portuguese colonization and were assimilated into the administrative organization imposed by the Portuguese. Today, they are still respected leaders. The Soba is usually elected from a lineage which goes from Soba to nephew. The Soba is accompanied by a nephew whom explains that there are several nephews and that when the time comes, the clan will sit together and decide which nephew is the best suited to take on the role.

The Soba and his nephew

We set off for the caves which are about 15 km. eastward or inland. The convoy whirls red dust in the air and we can almost not see the car in front of us once we go off road. We arrive to the entrance of the caves which are a small walk from the cars. Before we enter, a person from each vehicle places an offering to the Soba as thanks. We give a pack of Norwegian cookies, others leave money, a cap, a bottle of what looks like wine and chocolates. After the offerings are placed on the mat, we proceed to the caves. Mind you, there have been no signs anywhere to indicate that there are caves here. We would have never found them on our own.

The cave was enormous! My camera is not able to capture the size or the formations. Nor only that, but it looks like it goes down forever. There is sand and much dust and the drop down is steep. We have flashlights, but I do not feel comfortable going down. My husband and son do along with the rest of the group, except for 7 others whom also feel it is too scary. One of the field members is a rock climber and he takes a rope down. After about 30 minutes, they are gone and we don't see or hear them!

Entrance 

About one hour later, everyone emerges. The cave apparently is enormous and eventually leads out to the ocean. The air had been stuffy and damp and most people were glad to come out again. Incredible that such pristine places exist in Angola and are just waiting to be explored!

Cape Town, South Africa

One of the perks of living abroad is the possibility of traveling in the region. For the last 9 days we have been in Cape Town, a fantastic city nestled between the Table Mountain National Park in the Western Province of South Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Table Mountain has been declared one of the seven wonders of the natural world and the setting is spectacular.

View from the top of Table Mountain

Lion's Head- a great hike to the top

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela served 18 years of his 27 year prison sentence, is seen from the city. He is probably the best known prisoner, but he served among other architects and leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. The island has been re-opened for visitors and former prisoners are guides  within what were the maximum security buildings. Former guards have also returned to work there.

It will soon be 20 years since the end of apartheid. Under the former system of apartheid, I would have been classified as a "colored" had I been born there because of my mixed heritage and would not have been allowed to live, study or work among the white population. Since Mandela's presidency, the ANC has been the ruling party. Unfortunately corruption abounds and the majority of South Africans living in rural areas do not have running water or electricity. Next year's presidential election will be interesting to follow. Mr. Mandela is in ailing health and many posters around the city asked for prayers on his behalf.

Nelson Mandela's cell

We headed down to Kalk Bay, a small bohemian fishing village down the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. We found several boutiques and art galleries offering something very different from the stores in shopping centers. This water buffalo head is made from scrap tin by a local artist and will soon be hanging on one of our many bare walls.

Kalk Bay lies within the greater False Bay which houses the most numbers of great white sharks in the world. Muinzinberg Beach, a 10 minute drive away, is absolutely beautiful with its white sand and turquoise waters and very popular with the locals for surfing. Up on the hills, "Shark Spotters" sit with their binoculars and radio down if any sharks can be seen. A flag system of black, green, white and red flags are in place. Since the "Shark Spotters" started operating, the number of shark attacks has decreased markedly. Last year a visitor from the UK ignored the white flag and lost both legs.

Since the water is so clear and the spotters are in place, and the waves looked great for a beginner, I really wanted to surf, but the water was freezing! Even with a wet suit, I just could not do it. My husband and son fared the frigid waters and surfed with full wet suits. I know I made the right decision when my son finally leaves the water after 1 1/2 hours with blue lips.

From Kalk Bay, we visit the penguin reservoir on Boulders Beach. The beach and number of penguins are small, but there is a concerted effort for their preservation.

We headed further south to the Cape Point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The waters are full of marine life and we actually saw whales jumping from the trails! They can be seen from August to October during their mating season.

Wild flowers are everywhere at this time of year. It kind of reminds me of Big Sur, California: beautiful water with dramatic ridges. The sky was blue and the wind was chilly, but it was glorious!

Wine tasting was also on the agenda as we headed to Stellenbosch and let's face it: the best way to do this is to hire a driver. Our driver, Chris was excellent, himself a lover of wine and he takes us to his three favorite wineries:

Hartenberg is known for its award winning Shiraz and we also buy a more special bottle: Gravel Hill which we will have with our Christmas turkey. This grape is grown in what amounts to solid gravel embedded in clay. The grape is smaller, sturdier, but with an exceptional taste. On to Thelema for Pinotage and their signature wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, "The Mint", which gets some of it flavoring from the eucalyptus trees planted along the vineyard. Then to my favorite: Tokara. Not only did I taste my favorite of them all, the Director's Reserve, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, but we buy olive oil and olives which they also produce. This part of the country was also incredibly pretty.

If I could have taken this beautiful flower home, I would have. The Protea is South Africa's national flower and it grows in the wild. For me it symbolizes the country with its intense color and striking beauty. I sincerely hope that South Africans will continue moving forward with their very young democracy. We met so many pleasant, helpful and dignified people of all skin colors and walks of life and I wish them all the best. Thank you for a great escape!

Search for The Elusive Antibiotic

One of my family members has been battling an infection pretty much since we arrived 6weeks ago. Finally, test results indicate that a fourth antibiotic is the answer. I set out at 09:30 am to find this antibiotic which the Dr. has told me might be a bit difficult to find. She suggests I try a private clinic's pharmacy and I get the name.

After a Google Map search and directions from a professional driver, I arrive at one of the oil company's laboratories. It turns out that this oil company has a medical clinic for its employees, but I arrive at the lab where they take oil samples. We are talking petroleum!

Incredibly, a driver for the company, who happens to be delivering something, pulls up and tells me to follow him to the actual clinic. This starts feeling like a treasure hunt.

The driver honks and waves off and I arrive at the "Farmacia" for the clinic, but  the pharmacist has not heard of this antibiotic. She directs me to another major pharmacy. This pharmacy directs me to another and so it goes until 12:30. Six pharmacies later, no antibiotic, and I am now feeling desperate. This is no longer fun.

Along the way I gather tidbits of information regarding the antibiotic: several pharmacists have never even heard of it, it is only used in hospitals says another,  only I.V. form is available, or not in stock say others. I hear that I should try the major pharmacies only, or, try the smaller pharmacies since they might have some boxes stored, or no, they don't know when they will get more in.

I need to head to the kid's school and there are 2 pharmacies which I leave for the next morning. Meanwhile, my husband is checking into the possibility of having the antibiotic shipped in from South Africa.

Today's morning search is fruitless as well.  Finally, after I plant myself in the clinic where we got the prescription and demand help, I start getting answers. It turns out that the antibiotic is only available in I.V. form which opens up another can of worms: to hospitalize or not and if so where? At this point I need sedation as well. Red wine and tiramisu gellato takes care of me at the end of the day.

Several people I have spoken to today say that this situation is not uncommon here in Angola. Unfortunately not all medications are available at all times and people resort to friends or colleagues coming back Luanda to be their pharmacological couriers. Also, hospitalization entails evacuation to South Africa. Living as an expat, this is one of the major challenges at times: medical help. Although I have met knowledgeable doctors that instill trust, the system surrounding care delivery can be chaotic, disjointed and not what we may be used to at home.

After many phone calls including a Dr. in Norway, the hospital's medical director, a pharmacist and the nurse working at the kid's school a plan is devised: I.V. medication as an out patient.

Fish Ladies

As they walk around the city calling out their wares, I have wondered about the freshness of the fish...

I see people buying the fish and I get the feeling that the ladies have their selling territories and regular customers. Early this morning on the Ilha, which is a nice, sandy finger off of Luanda, I saw where many of the ladies get their goods. The fishermen were long gone, but the ladies were busy sorting and packing their stock for the day.

                     

                                     

When they are packed and ready to go, they are taken by taxis (blue and white minivans)  to their destinations in and around Luanda.

My house helper, Maria, confirms that the fish is fresh and that we should get one of these ladies to start delivering to us. "If you can't pay one day, it is no problem, they will come back for payment. You just tell them what day you want the fish and they will bring it. I'll find one for us." When I tell her that I wish my daughter would eat more fish, she says "Ha, you just wait until I bake it in the oven. She'll gobble it up!"

Street Cleaners

Every day I see teams of men and women dressed in green or neon reflective vests cleaning the streets and avenues of Luanda. They sweep, haul and push their carts while they literally put their lives in danger. They breathe in fumes and dust and seem to be losing a battle in a city that seems to spit out trash as fast as it is cleaned.

They forge ahead in streets littered by plastic bottles, bottles, plastic bags, paper, you name it. We are still waiting for the rains which I am told are torrential. This will only aggravate the problem in drains that are already choked by litter and leaves. Open drains stagnate with algae in a country where malaria is a huge public health problem.

Luanda, as I have written, has its charms, but trash control, without a doubt, would give this city a face lift and improve health conditions. While I see the green workers, I feel that there is still hope....