Kissama National Park

Kissama Natioanl Park lies approximately 75 km. south of Luanda, the capital. The park was established in 1957 and was once teeming with wildlife throughout its 2.5 million acres or 1 million hectares (!). However the civil war that wracked the country for over 20 years took its toll. The population of elephants, rhinoceroses and buffalo was almost completely extinguished due to poaching and over-use of the vegetation.

Imbondeiro trees are starting to sprout

Efforts by the Kissama National Park Association to re-establish the animal population has taken place in the form of the project "Operation Noah's Ark" in which primarily elephants from neighboring Botswana, Namibia and South Africa were either airlifted or shipped to Kissama.

We headed to the park last weekend with friends and stayed in some small cabins inside the park which were just fine. It was a holiday weekend and there were many people there. We had originally scheduled a safari for the afternoon after we arrived, but they were over-booked, so we settled for a nice boat ride on the Kwanza river which was bordered by grasslands and beautiful hyacinths. We saw a small, baby crocodile, but no manatees. I spoke to one of the guards and he said that they had started to see younger generations of animals and that they were pleased that the different animal populations were growing.

I can live anywhere that has palm trees!

The next morning we woke up very early and already there were many people out and about. The manager assured me that there was room for our party of 11 since there would be using two vehicles. However, one of the vehicles would not start and it was a mad dash into the trucks. We got room, but the rangers were trying to get another family of five on by having us place the kids on our laps. We refused because of safety and eventually we headed out. At first we did not think that we would see any animals, but after about 45 minutes we met some giraffes eating their breakfast. They were rather close to the road and did not seem to be too bothered by us. After that, we began sighting antelope, bush bucks, elands and some pretty amazing birds.

The vehicles were open and we bounced around and I was slapped and whipped a bit by the overhanging branches since I sat on the side, but it was still really enjoyable. The temperature was perfect, but climbing steadily with the sun. My little camera is just not good enough for the shots I want to take!

As we headed to the river, we heard some trumpeting! Could it be? Yes, a single, young male elephant with small tusks, trumpeting at us through the trees. He was flapping his ears and making lots of noise, being a real show off! He was trying to scare us, but he never got too close. He followed us through the   trees and underbrush marking his territory as we observed each other for a good while. After all pictures were taken and everyone had had a good look, we headed to the river. Although my family has seen many elephants in Sri Lanka, for some reason, this encounter seemed more "real" and maybe it was the proximity as well as his behavior that made it thrilling.  Down by the river we saw water buffalo and wildebeests and as we returned many more antelope, bush bucks and elands.

There are supposed to be some ostriches and zebras in the park, but in small numbers and we never sighted them. A count conducted in 2008 found 15 ostriches, 55 elephants and 45 zebras. Given the sheer size of the park, we were lucky to see the animals we saw!

For a small taste of what it looks like, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Xc_psxi9U
For more information; http://www.wild.org/where-we-work/quicama-kissama-national-park-angola/

Street Manicure

Sprinkled throughout the down town area, sit young men with their manicure stalls. Two simple chairs, a fold-up table, a poster with a sampling of effects and an assortment of varnishes make their manicure stations. Some don't have chairs and the manicurist and customer find a convenient sidewalk or steps to sit on. Otherwise, they walk the streets with their stalls balanced on their heads and carrying their stools hoping to bump into customers. It seems like a pleasant encounter and I have caught snatches of conversation about the boyfriend, plans for the evening or the selection of color as I walk by.

I finally get up the nerve to get one at one of the nearby corners. This particular manicurist sits next to a woman selling fruit and usually one or two other young men are hanging out on the steps playing Chinese checkers.

I approach the stall and the manicurist is happy to paint any of the designs he advertises. I don't want anything too flashy and we settle on one of the more discrete colors and designs.

He files my nails, applies cuticle remover and gently removes the superficial skin. I tell him I don't want him to cut using scissors, but he does not use them normally he says.

I ask him why it is that it is men working as manicurists, but he says that there are women as well although I have never seen any. He says that he began out of curiosity. He observed another manicurist and was fascinated by the designs and started for himself. I wondered if he had sisters and if he practiced with them, but no, he is an only child. The number of customers he has a day varies quite a bit, but usually Fridays and Saturdays are his best days. I ask him why he works on the street, whether he would rather work in a salon and he says he wants to be independent and not have to pay the salon any fees. He is pleasant and quiet and life on the street continues as normal. People walk by and hardly glance our way, this is just an every day sight for them I imagine.

BEFORE                 

AFTER
(notice the tiny little hearts)

At 500 Kwanzaas or $5.00 USD this is a bargain. I payed 5 x as much at a "salon" and after two days the varnish peeled of completely. We'll see how much this one lasts...

The fruit lady wants me to buy fruit, but I have already done my shopping I tell her. I offer her a manicure if she lets me take a picture. She gets her toes done!

Medical Evacuation

The words medical evacuation strike a bit of fear in all expats, I am sure. Our experience was not critical and not an emergency, but it was definitely a medical condition that needed to be attended to.

It does sounds much more serious than it was, but I found myself back in South Africa for a medical appointment with one of my kids. About a week after our return from fantastic Cape Town, I was back on a plane to Johannesburg. The medical follow-up we had received in Luanda was not well-coordinated among some specialists and the treatment my child received is questionable. However, we met with a Dr. at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg and I was impressed with both his expertise and the overall service of everyone we met. The friendliness of South Africans is so refreshing and it was a pleasure to be there even under the circumstances. Fortunately, nothing serious was found, but more antibiotics were recommended. We will return if this does not solve the problem.

We stayed at two Bed & Breakfasts in a very pleasant neighborhood, Melville, full of gorgeous trees. The jacaranda trees were in full bloom and their lavender flowers adorned the city. Several streets had jacaranda trees on both sides and it was like driving under a lavender arch. We walked to nearby restaurants and never did I feel threatened although so much is said about crime in Johannesburg. We did take precautions like not take out money from the ATM at the airport and arranged for an airport pick up ahead of time. Also, we only used taxis known by the B&B's. There are neighborhoods and areas where one should be very careful and never venture in at night, but we had no need to go there. Most houses have high walls and almost all of them have stickers or signs advertising the security company that will respond with armed personnel.

The only experience which was a bit scary was using a taxi minivan when we were stuck at a shopping mall and had to return to the hospital. There were no taxis except for these crazy minivans and after some haggling, we ended up in a minivan full of women that had been waiting to leave and were not at all happy when they were told that we would be dropped off first at the hospital. The driver said "My sisters, I am sorry, but ... (switched over to another language) and the response was negative to say the least! We got off when we saw things were heating up between the ladies and the driver and then when the driver realized we were leaving, he got another minivan to take us. This driver was honking at everyone, shouting out the window and driving like a maniac while periodically smiling at us in the rear-view mirror. I was just about to ask him to stop, when I saw the hospital. Whew!

In between appointments, it was shopping for clothes, books, kitchen stuff and even Christmas ornaments which had already started coming out! In our little neighborhood of Melville, I found a nice little boutique where I got two beautiful, classic cut dresses (Yay!). Our hostess did us the great favor of buying us a Coleman cooler which we filled with our clothes and books as a piece of luggage. Good coolers are an absolute necessity in Luanda if we go to the beach or take any kind of road trip and I have yet to find a good one.

The food in Johannesburg was really good and we could pick among all sorts of food. A really good glass of wine with dinner was $4.00 and we ate some of the best lamb roast I have ever tasted. Red velvet cake is served everywhere and we shared a piece with a baked cheesecake bottom with one of my brother's friends whom met us and took us around one day. The world can really be small sometimes.

At the airport in Luanda we noticed that we were not the only ones coming back with Coleman coolers. Apparently, many people stock up on meat from South Africa. At the luggage carousel  there were several other coolers on the conveyer belt and I was really hoping that everyone would take the right one home. At this point our clothes and books are much more treasured than meat! Good meat is easier to find and of good quality while books in English are not found anywhere and clothes worth buying are crazy expensive.

All in all, I would call this an excellent medical evacuation and hope to return under different circumstances!