Afghanistan

I apologize for not creating an update sooner.  My life has been a bit crazy here lately!

I only ended up staying in Afghanistan for one month at the KTC.  I was there to provide relief for the veterinarian that is stationed there.  I had a great time and quite enjoyed it actually.  I met some absolutely AMAZING people there.  They took me in immediately like one of their own which made me feel at home.

I did a fair amount of traveling in the Kabul area.  I went off site maybe 2 to 3 times a week.  AMK9 has dogs at different sites around the city.  I don't have many photos as most of these compounds/bases do not allow photos to be taken in or around them for security reasons.

I went to HKIA which is a military base connected to the airport.  It used to be run by the US military but now it's run by the Turkish military.  There are troops from all over the world there.  It is quite the process to get onto the base.  I'm not sure I can adequately explain it.  Just know that one time I had to go through a retinal scan with one of the Turkish service members that didn't speak English and he couldn't get a read on my right eye. Why he didn't eventually try the left eye I'm not sure.  I couldn't adequately explain to him that I have a problem with that eye and because of that it he probably wouldn't get a read on it so I just stood there and watched him almost break the scanner slapping it when it wouldn't read.  I thought he was going to send me away but he eventually let me in with a huge sigh.  Good thing it wasn't working most of the times I went there or it would have become a problem.  On the base they have a few restaurants, a few small convenient stores (called PX-"post exchange"), some stores run by locals with local goods, a post office, a UPS office, a DHL office, and a spa.  It's pretty nice actually.  There is a military vet stationed there so I met him and he showed me his clinic.  AMK9 has a good sized kennel there for the dogs that are stationed on site and some outside "break" areas for them to run around freely.  It also has a swimming pool for the dogs but it wasn't filled when I was there.

I went to Green Village.  It is a small compound (bigger than the KTC where I was living) where expats that work in Kabul live. AMK9 has a few dogs stationed there.  This compound has a spa, a couple restaurants, a coffee shop, a PX, a couple stores with local goods.  I did go once for a pedicure and a massage. It was super nice.

Having coffee with Chris at Green Village

I went to Finest near downtown Kabul.  This is a giant 4 floor store that is owned by American expats.  Why they would want to live in Kabul is beyond me but whatever.  It is a huge store that has groceries, home goods, toiletries, local trinkets, clothes, etc.  The have quite a selection of things.  Many American food items.

I went to NKC which is the New Kabul Compound.  AMK9 has dogs here.  It used to be an American military base and it may still be.  I'm not sure.  I only went twice and once was to get my fingerprints done and the guy who did it was British military so ????  They did have a Green Bean coffee shop so I was able to get a treat while there!

Steph, Steph and me at Green Bean.  Who knew South Africans were so tall?? lol

I went to Nato HQ.  This is where the NATO-led Resolute Support mission is headquartered.  NATO took command of the United Nations-mandated International Security Assi stance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2003. Its mission was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that it would never again be a safe haven for terrorists. ISAF helped build the capacity of the Afghan national security forces. As these forces grew stronger, in agreement with the Afghan authorities, they gradually took responsibility for security across the country. ISAF’s mission was completed at the end of 2014 however, support for the continued development of the Afghan security forces and wider cooperation with Afghanistan continues.  This is a small base but quite nice.

I went to Hal's compound which is literally around the corner from the KTC.  I'm not sure what the proper name for this compound is but it's run by Hal who is a ex-Navy Seal.  He was part of Seal Team 6 (not sure if I am allowed to reveal this but it seems to be common knowledge in the area so I guess I'm OK).  Super nice guy.  Obviously very smart and driven.  He allows AMK9 to use his compound to help train the dogs (search buildings and cars, etc).

Building for searaching

More building space to search

My friend Zarko from Croatia and his search dog

Chris and Tjep searching the building

I went to Nowzad which is a British run animal rescue in Kabul to pick up some medications they sold to us.  I would love to have worked some with them.  Maybe another time. Please visit their website and read how the charity was founded and their mission.  It's quite the place!

http://www.nowzad.com/


Each time we left our compound we had to wear our bullet proof vests.  The vest does absolutely nothing to help you if there is a bomb explosion (IED) which is the most common type of "attack" you would encounter in that area but there is nothing you can do to protect yourself against that. It makes you feel somewhat safe though.  Being a woman I also had to cover my head when traveling outside the compound and I always had to sit in the back seat.

The weather was quite pleasant actually.  I was surprised.  Kabul is over 5,000ft in elevation so it's kind of like Denver's weather.  It was hot during the day but really high 80's to low 90's during the day and in the evening it would cool down.  A couple nights sitting out in the garden I needed long sleeves! It was nice!

The garden area at KTC

Grapes growing on the garden trellis

The day I left Kabul, Afghanistan to go to Basra, Iraq I had just made it to the Kabul airport and heard there was an IEC explosion near Nato HQ on the airport road.  We had just missed it....  Scary.  Will miss all of the good friends I met there in Kabul.  I hope to cross paths with them again.

Road to the airport

Saying goodbye to Frank at the airport

A few other random photos:

Playing ball with CWD Django

Common occurence:  begging in the street.  Usually it's just the kids.  They literally sit down in the middle of the street. UGH!

Dust storm

Driving through Kabul

Herding sheep

Next chapter, Iraq.  Will write more soon!


"Life is life a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy and some are exciting but if you never turn the page you will never know what the next chapter has in store for you."

KTC (Kabul Training Center)

After arriving in Kabul, I was driven to the KTC which is the Kabul Training Center.  This is where the majority of the working dogs are "stationed" that provide services to the surrounding areas.  The KTC compound is a small area.   I don't know the square footage but not big - AT ALL.

When you arrive there are three security gates you have to go through. The first one is just one of those red and white poles on a lever.  There is a guard there that will open it.  The next two gates are ECP (Entry Control Point) gates.  They are the large steel gates that slide open. Again, there are guards there to open the gates manually.  Yes, all the guards have AK47s.  A bit disconcerting.  Not sure how you ever get used to that.  Once you go in the first ECP you park the car and get out.  The guards check the vehicle and then you walk through the second gate (also an ECP).  You can also drive through the second gate depending on the situation (ie: transporting a dog).  In between the two gates off to the right side is a living area for the guards and the drivers.  Also, the laundry room is located there.

Staff housing is bascially converted shipping containers.  Sounds weird but they are actually pretty nice inside although the view is not the best - LOL. Think college dorm room.  They have A/C, a mini fridge, a bed, a desk, an armoir and my room has a bathroom that is shared with an adjoining room.  The adjoining room is the vet's room that I am covering for.  When she gets back we will be sharing it.  It looks like I may be here a while since my Iraqi visa has not come through yet and most people here don't think it will come through any time soon........

Bathroom

My view outside windown 1

My view outside window 2

Arnel, who is the lead administration person in the compound, had a nice silk scarf waiting for me on my bed.  He also got me some "American" type snacks for my room and some nice toiletries in a welcome basket.  It was so nice!

The are some shipping container rooms just outside the main building which is where some of the dog handlers live.  Next to and behind their rooms is a grassy area with a BBQ grill and some chairs where we can sit outside and hang out.   There area actually a few rose bushes out there too.  I guess every once in a while they will have an actual BBQ.  They also will let the dogs out there occassionally to run around and play.  One at a time.  The dogs are not allowed to socialize with each other.  There will be fighting.

BBQ area

My room is "inside" the main building.  When you walk into the main building there are stairs going up to the left or you can go by those stairs and into the training area. Upstairs is the conference room and some offfices.  Just beyond the stairs before you go into the training area there is an office to the left which is where Arnel is and some of the other admin staff have their office.  If you go to the right immediately after you walk into the training area there is the kitchen and our dining room.

The training area is like a large indoor arena.  It has six old delapidated vehicles parked there off to one side and then there are training boxes and holes along the side walls (for the dogs to train on).  The gym is in this area opposite the side where the cars are parked.  Then there are four small training rooms.  The handlers bring the dogs in here daily to work looking for explosives, narcotics, etc.  They use inert training devices.  Along the far wall is the housing unit where I live and some of the main compond people (those that stay here all the time).  There are two levels with 4 rooms on each side.  Each room has an NFL team or a rugby team plaquered on the door.  I got Tampa Bay Buccaneers which I thought was funny since I used to live in Tampa.  If I have to be here a while I may change it to the Denver Broncos :)  The "safe room" is about 2 doors down from me.

Training Vehicles

Training wall with holes for stashing narcotics, etc

Gym

Outside the training area is the vet clinic.  It is two shipping containers side by side so it's a long, narrow space.  There is actually a small surgery suite inside, a pharmacy area, a scale and lots of storage.  We do not have a blood machine so I am not able to run bloodwork but there is apparently the capability to do that on the army base with the vet that is stationed there.  I guess the base is about a 15 minute drive away.  I haven't been there yet but I am supposed to go there to meet the vet soon.

Front of the clinic

Across from the clinic is the kennel area.  They are broken up into blocks. They try to keep dogs that are used for the same contracts together. There are 72 dogs here at the moment but there is the capability of having up to 90 dogs here.

Small portion of the kennels

And......that's it.  Not much to it but I don't feel as cramped as I thought I would.  The people here are over the top nice which is amazing. They have all made me feel comfortable and welcome.  I am the only female here right now.  When the other vet comes back that will make two of us and there is one admin person that is female but she is on vacation right now. When she gets back that will make three.  Probably the most they've had here at once ever! lol The guys are from all over the world so it will be nice to get to know them and thier different cultures.  I am looking forward to this :)

Dubai to Kabul, Afghanistan

I arrived in Dubai at about 8:00pm.  It was a 14 hour and 40 minute flight from Atlanta.  The flight itself was smooth however, the guy sitting next to me was trying my patience!  He was an elderly man of Middle Eastern descent and did not speak English. That did not stop him from waking me up every 2 hours, poking me saying "ma'am", so he could get up to go to the bathroom.  Seriously, I was ready to strangle him!

When I arrived at Dubai International Airport my handler was there to meet me as I deplaned.  She was very nice but honestly, I didn't need her.  I had been to that airport before and could have found my way without her.  The best thing about having her though was the fact that I didn't have to wait in the enormous immigration line.  This "handling" company had it's own line which was empty.  Totally worth it just for that.  Once out of baggage claim Anthony, a member of the AMK9 team, met me and provided me with a ride to the Avenue Hotel where I was staying.  Anthony is from the Phillipines and had been working in Dubai for AMK9 for about 4 years.  Very nice guy.   As soon as we walked outside I was hit with a wall of heat/humidity.  It was about 108 degrees that late in the evening....UGH!

Avenue Hotel Dubai

By the time I arrived at the hotel it was just after 9:00pm.  I had to drop my bags off at my room and then head across the street to get some passport photos.  I would need one the next day for my Afghani visa.  It was a quick and rather painless process.  I then went to my room for a good night's sleep.

I awoke the next morning and had breakfast at the hotel.  They had some Americanized dishes but also some strange things I didn't recognize.  The important thing was coffee and they did have that.  I met Anthony and Ben (an American member of the AMK9 team) at 9:30am and they took me to the Afghanistan Consulate in Dubai so I could apply for my visa.  It was a strange experience.

The consulate is a tiny room with chairs like the DMV or something similar in the States with one guy behind a glass windown in the front of the room.  There was no taking numbers or anything.  It was free-for-all craziness.  I managed to work my way to the front of the line and hand my paperwork to the guy behind the window.  Apparently he doesn't like AMK9 very much because Ben is friends with this guy's boss and anytime he gives us a hard time Ben goes over his head.  Respect is huge for these guys so it pisses him off.  I just started talking to him and found out he is an MD from Afghanistan.  Why he is working there I have no idea.  But he also told me his brother in-law is a veterinarian in Afganistan.  So we had a little moment and then he approved my paperwork.  We then had to go to a different room and pay (about $50).  After paying we went back to the man behind the window where he took my receipt, my passport, a passport photo and my paperwork and told us to come back at 3pm to pick it up.  It was a bit unnerving to leave my passport there but I had to.

Ben and Anthony took me back to the hotel.  Ben said he would pick up my passport later and drop it at the hotel.  I decided to exchange some US dollars into AED (arab emirates dirhams) and head to the Dubai Mall about a 20 minute drive from the hotel.  I asked the hotel for a cab but it's not like the US or some other places I've been.  They don't call a cab for you.  You just stand outside and hail one.  It was pretty easy (thank God) because it was so freaking hot I didn't want to stand out there very long!

Dubai Mall

Once at the mall I just walked around.  I wasn't really up for buying anything so I people watched and went into some stores that we don't have in the States.  The mall is the 5th largest in the world.  It has an aquarium (inside the middle of the mall), an ice skating rink, a huge arcade with a bowling alley, a 22 theater movie cineplex, a hotel and it is next to the Burj Khalifa which is the world's tallest building.  They have huge fountains outside in front of the Burj that has a water show kind of like the Bellagio in Vegas.  I didn't stick around to see it though because it doesn't happen til after dark.  The mall is very Americanized with stores and restaurants that you see in most malls at home.  It was a little strange.

Aquarium in the middle of the mall

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa

Fountains outside the mall

Amazing waterfall inside the mall

Ice skating rink inside the mall

Even Arabs like Five Guys! lol

About 6pm I took another taxi back to the hotel.  Picked up my passport/visa at the front desk, showered, ordered room service, packed and went to bed.  My flight to Kabul left at 10:25am the next morning and I had to be at the airport by 8am.  Room service was weird.  I ordered spaghetti bolagnese thinking that would be safe to order but, not so much.  Why do they have to put cinnamon in EVERYTHING!  Really, who puts cinnamon in spaghetti sauce??  Not too tasty.

My Afghani visa

Ben picked me up in the morning and dropped me off at the Dubai Airport.  I got checked in, made sure I had an aisle seat, dropped off my bags and went off to wait at my gate.  I met a guy at the gate that was also heading to Kabul.  His name is Korey and he's an engineer from Texas.  He works for a firm that does contracts in the Middle East.  He had been back and forth from the States to the Middle East for the past 7 years.   He was really nice and told me to meet him at the baggage claim after the flight and he would wait with me until someone arrived to pick me up.  You don't want to be an American female standing around the Kabul airport looking like you don't know what's happening.  Once my AMK9 handlers arrived Korey took off.  I was so grateful he was there to help me.

Two AMK9 guys met me at the baggage claim.  They took my bags and helped me navigate the craziness of the airport and the parking lot.  Two more AMK9 guys were there waiting for me in the parking lot in an old Toyota Forerunner.  They threw my bags in the bed of the truck and off we went.  My driver was Zabi and the other guy was Frank.  You have not seen craziness until you have seen driving here. OMG.  I have no words other than chaos.  There are no stop signs, no traffic signals, no round-a-bouts,  no nothing.  There is traffic going every which way, there are people on bicycles and mopeds going in all directions, there are pedestrians crossing wherever they want.  I'm surprised no one got killed.  Yikes!  I absolutely will not be driving here......  Hopefully I will be able to get a video to post at some point. You have to see it to believe it.

I arrived at the compound in one piece. It was quite the experience.  More later!

"Don't let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to others, even if you don't like them."

New Adventure: The Middle East

I am taking off today for a new adventure.  I will be working for one year in the Middle East.  I decided to take a paid job for this year and will likely resume traveling as a volunteer veterinarian next year.

This job is with a company called American Canine (AMK9).  They are a United States based company that breeds and trains working dogs for the military and domestic and overseas corporations/facilities.

AMK9's website

I will be based in Basra City, Iraq and will be staying at Energy City which is a secure compound that houses civilian contractors (mostly oil and defense company contractors).  It actually looks like a pretty nice place - two gyms, a coffee shop, good food and 24/7 security.  If I have to leave the compound for any reason I will be given security detail.  The veterinarian that has been there for the past year contacted me and assured me that it was a safe place and she enjoyed her time there.  Needless to say, I won't be wandering the streets of Basra City so home will be the compound.  I'm guessing I'll be spending lots of time in the gym and the coffee shop :)

Iraq Energy City website

I have lots of books loaded on my Kindle and a couple of memory sticks with movies/TV shows loaded on them so that will help me pass the time too!

Basra City is Iraq's port city on the Persian Gulf.  It had an estimated population of 1.5 million of 2012. Basra is Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is handled at the port of Umm Qasr.  The city is part of the historic location of Sumer, the home of Sinbad the Sailor, and a proposed location of the Garden of Eden. It played an important role in early Islamic history and was built in 636 AD or 14 AH. It is Iraq's second largest and most populous city after Baghdad.  Basra is consistently one of the hottest cities on the planet, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 113 °F!  Yikes!  At least the humidity is low :)

I'm not 100% sure what I will be doing other than acting as the veterinarian for all the AMK9 working dogs at that location.  I was told there is about 60 dogs there.  I am assuming that I will be treating lots of dermatitis, otitis externa, heat stroke and bloat.  I was told that I will have limited supplies and no surgical suite.  If a dog needs surgery they medivac them to a veterinary clinic in the city.  Iraqi customs does not allow many of the medications and equipment that we need into the country.  It should be interesting......  More on that once I figure out what I'm doing.

I was looking forward to getting settled into Iraq before I had to travel and cover for one of the veterinarians in another location.  I knew I would need to do that at some point in time but it turns out that I have to do that first.  AMK9 has three locations in Iraq that have a vet stationed there and one veterinarian in Afghanistan.  So, I will be headed to Kabul, Afghanistan first.  I will be spending at least one month there.  The reason for this is that the vet there needs to take one of her leaves of absence (we get two-29 day leaves during our year) and also, my Iraq visa has not come through yet.  So, if my visa does not come through by the time my month is done there I will have to stay there until it does......I have no idea what to expect in Kabul.  The vet there has been in contact with me and she has given me quite a bit of information but I'm still not 100% clear as to my duties.  Oh well, que sera sera!  I will figure it out :)  I do know that it is not as hot there!  Thank you baby Jesus!   I do not really like hot weather!

So, as of now, I am sitting in the Denver airport awaiting my flight to Atlanta. I will have a 3 hour layover there and then I will go on to Dubai.  That will be almost a 15 hour flight.  I will be in Dubai 2 days to get my visa for Afghanistan.  I have no idea how this works.  Apparently (hopefully) I have someone meeting me there to facilitate this.  I then fly to Kabul on June 3rd.

That's all I know for now.  I heard the intenet isn't stellar in Kabul so I may not be in much contact while I'm there.  The internet in Iraq is supposed to be very good. I guess I'll find out when I get there.

I will blog as much as possible.  Hopefully there will be some good stories but I'm hoping it won't be a "stuck in Afghanistan" blog :)

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers :)

My LONG Journey Home

** ALERT - not many pictures attached to this blog.  Sorry! **

Leaving the African continent was truly bittersweet.  I loved the beauty of each country I visited.  I found the majority of people warm and welcoming. The wildlife was outstanding!  There is nothing like seeing animals in their natural environment doing what they were made to do.  Just incredible.  It brought me to tears many times.  All of that being said, I was tired and glad to be returning home.  I learned quite a bit about what not to do while traveling internationally; like don’t overstay your Visa :)

I awoke at 4:15 am on Monday morning, February 23rd to catch my shuttle to the Swaziland airport.  My flight was to leave at 8:00am.  I was flying to Johannesburg, South Africa to catch my original flights home to the States.  I was a bit worried about what would happen when I got to South Africa since I technically was not allowed to be there, you know being undesirable and all :)

I made my shuttle just fine.  Checked into my flight with South African Airways.  I was a bit annoyed because I wanted to check both my bags and they would only let me check one.  Turns out this was a good thing……more on that later.  So, I check my huge bag and then take the smaller “carry-on” with me.  Unfortunately, I forgot that I had bottles of wine in my carry-on that got confiscated when I went through security……UGH.  First problem of the trip.

I got to the gate and waited to board my flight and cried a bit.  I was tired, annoyed about my baggage and my wine, still upset I got stuck in Swaziland, happy to be going home and worried about what was going to happen to me when I got to South Africa.  Flight left on time and was overall pleasant.  I slept the whole way.  It was only an hour flight.  The weird thing is that every flight I took during this 4 month period of time where I left one country and went into another, the flight attendant (before take off) sprays the cabin with bug spray.  Not special bug spray, Peaceful Sleep (Africa’s version of OFF).  Peaceful Sleep, that’s funny :)  Anyway, it’s really annoying and makes me choke.  Is that really doing anything??

So, I arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa and try to go through immigration to get my bag so I can re-check it onto my next flight on Qatar Airways.  DENIED!  They would not let me through to get my bag.  They would not let someone escort me to the baggage claim to get my bag.  I was told I had to go to the international transport area and ask the person at the South African Airways counter to go get my bag and check it for me onto Qatar Airways.  Seemed simple enough.  Ummmm……..WRONG!  Nothing on the African continent is simple.  

I go to South African Airways counter and tell the girl my situation. She looks at me blankly and proceeds to spend 45 minutes trying to track down her baggage supervisor.  After 45 minutes with no success she tells me to go “sit over there” and wait.  She will get back to me.  The international transit area is basically no man’s land.  I can’t go into the South African portion of the airport.  I can’t go into the gate area because I have no boarding passes for my Qatar Airways flight (their counter is not open yet).  So, I sit in this area.  There is no food, no water, no nothing except for a bathroom.  Not even a vending machine or water fountain.  I have been up since 4:15am and have had NOTHING to eat or drink.  It is now 10:30am.  I wait until 11:30am and go back to the SAA counter. She says I have to have Qatar Airways go get my bag so I need to wait for their counter to open.  I go back and “sit over there” and wait. 

At 12:30pm finally Qatar Airways opens their counter. I go to this girl and repeat my story.  She goes to SAA and asks that girl about it and they confer.  Qatar Airways girl says she is working on it so go “sit over there”.  I do as she says and finally at 1:30pm (my flight leaves at 3pm) I go back to her and say how ridiculous this situation is.  Why is it so hard for someone, anyone to just go down and get my stupid bag and check it onto my flight?  Not to mention I have been stuck in this area since 9:30am with no food or water since I can’t go to my gate.  She was nice and said she would print my boarding passes so I can go through and get some food/water and that she will have someone meet me at the gate with my bag. Sounds good.  I get my passes and go through.  I get a bite to eat and a coffee.  Buy a couple things at the gift shop and head to the gate.  

I arrive at the gate and they are already boarding the plane. I tell the gate agent my situation since I don’t see my bag.  He says he needs to check everyone else onto the plane and then he’ll deal with me.  So I go “wait over there”.  Everyone has now boarded but me.  The gate agent has no idea what I’m talking about.  He calls the girl that was helping me and they confer for a bit and basically tell me that SAA has to bring the bag and they have no control over them.  Since they haven’t brought the bag over there is nothing they can do about it.  I need to get on the plane or they are leaving without me.  Now I freak out.  I start crying and yelling.  I tell them that I know that if I leave my bag here I will NEVER see it again.   I am not leaving without my bag.  Why is it so freaking (I didn’t say freaking) hard for someone to just go down to baggage claim and get my bag???  Really??  I tell them how shitty their customer service is.  The guy is unfazed and tells me to get on the plane or don’t.  He doesn’t care.  I ask if I can get put on the next flight while I wait for this situation to get resolved.  He says I can but it will cost extra.  I ask how much extra and he can’t tell me.  I ask him how I am supposed to make a decision if he can’t tell me a price.  He doesn’t care.  He tells me to get on the plane or it’s leaving without me.  I have no choice but to get on the plane. I am beside myself. I’m surprised I didn’t get arrested.  I throw my bags down the jetway cussing the whole way to the plane.  I can’t believe this was even an issue.  WTF. Does this sound like a hard thing to remedy to anyone else?  Go down and get the bag and bring it up here and gate check it.  Done.  Freaking Africa.  Seriously.  This is why it was good fortune on my part that SAA at Swaziland’s airport only allowed me to check one bag.  If I had checked both I would have nothing.

The flight from Johannesburg to Doha, Qatar was fine.  Long, but fine.  I arrive in Doha at midnight their time.  The airport was nice and modern.  I had time for a good coffee and then went to my next gate.  I only had about an hour to kill.  Next flight, also Qatar Airlines, was from Doha to Frankfurt, Germany.  This flight was also fine.  No issues.  I get to Frankfurt about 6am.  Next flight is at 10am.  I wander the airport, get some breakfast and coffee.  Then I have to go through security to get my flight from Frankfurt to Charlotte, NC.  The guy at security was a giant jerkface.  He looked through my bag of souvenirs I purchased in South Africa and managed to think my wine stoppers were weapons.  UGH.  Really?  I was so over this crap by now.  I started to get upset and the guy started laughing (wrong thing to do to me at this point).  He kept saying “calm down ma’am”.  He finally let me go through with my wine stoppers.  I never thought to use those as a weapon until he gave me the idea…….I wanted to poke his eye out!

I finally get to Charlotte and my sister, Heather, picks me up.  I was so nice to see her and I was relieved to be home in the States.  I was quite chilly and the only shoes I had were what was on my feet - my flip flops.  Literally, the only shoes I had.  Not cool.  First stop, Starbucks :)   Next day I went to Heather’s office with her and spent some time on my computer complaining to South African Airways and Qatar Airways and to anyone else that will listen to me about my horrible experience and my bag.  I also sent my paperwork to the South African government to appeal my “undesirable” status.  The fast internet was SO NICE after having shitty internet for the past 4 months!   After work we picked up my nephews from school and got to take them to dinner.  We had Mexican food because I had been craving it. Mexican food is not prevalent in Africa.  It was a good time.  We dropped them off at their dad’s house and then headed back to my sister’s.

The next day I woke up and was deathly ill.  I had been sweating off and on all night long.  In between the sweats I’d be cold/shivering.  I had a massive headache behind my eyes and I was nauseous I couldn’t even drink water.  I had severe muscle aches.  I was miserable.  My sister went to work and when she came home she was worried because I was still in the same position in the bed.  I hadn’t moved at all. That is very unlike me.  I NEVER lay in bed all day even if I am sick. She took my temperature and it was 101.6F.  We decided I should go to the hospital.

We get to the hospital and they start freaking out a little because I’m sick and I was in Africa.  I kept saying I was not in Western Africa but they didn’t seem to be listening.  Finally they realized I was not an Ebola risk.  First they thought I had malaria but the test came back negative.  They just treated my symptoms (ondanestron, morphine) ran me some fluids and then sent me home after a few hours.  We went home but I wasn’t much better the next day so I had to go back.  Long story short they (the ER doctor and the Infectious Disease specialist) think I had Dengue Fever.  Not easy to test for but it seems the most likely.

I missed my flight home (was supposed to be Saturday) so Heather had to book me a new flight for Monday.  I finally felt OK by Sunday so I got to see my nephews again, spend time with my sister, her boyfriend and his kids.  I wish I hadn’t been sick so I could have spend more time with them instead being in the hospital and in bed.  But, such is my life……

I arrive back in Denver and my car had a flat tire and a dead battery so I had to spend $600 on tires and $150 on a new battery.  UGH.  I had a HUGE stack of mail to go through and I was to start work in a few days.   I managed to catch a cold that then turned into bronchitis.  Sometimes I can’t win!  

Finally, four days after arriving home, a miracle happened.  My bag arrived at Denver International Airport!  Thanks a million to South African Airways for stepping up to make sure I got my bag. It arrived and everything was still in it.  AWESOME!  I thought for sure I was never going to see that bag again!

Reunited and it feels so good!

It was an amazing adventure but I am glad to be back.  For now.  I am already looking to my next adventure.  I am in negotiations with a private company that contracts veterinarians to the military to provide veterinary care to the military’s working dogs.  If I accept the offer I will be leaving in June for Basra, Iraq for a year contract.  It pays VERY well so I will be completely debt free (except for my student loans) when I return and I will have some significant savings too.  During my year stint I will get two, 29 day leaves to do whatever I want. One of my leaves will be to Mexico in  August so I can volunteer for the VIDAS spay/neuter clinic.  I’m hoping my other leave will be to Nepal or Morocco but that’s open right now.

Thanks to everyone who came along with me on this journey.  I was fun to share it with you.  If anyone plans to travel to Africa let me know and I’ll give you some pointers :)

“Focus on the journey, not the destination.  Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~ Greg Anderson

Just a Few of the Things I Did in Cape Town

Hiking Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa boasting an elevation of 3,566 feet above sea level.   It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 2 miles in length from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep of mountainous heights, together with Signal Hill, forms the natural amphitheater of the City Bowl and Table Bay Harbour.  You can either hike the mountain or take the cable cars up/down.

I hiked Table Mountain using the longest route.  I went with Elisabeth, Sarah and Tom all of whom I met during my short stay at Kwantu.  We got sort of what I consider a late start, 10am.  I am used to hiking very early in Colorado to get up and down the mountain before the storms roll in.  Here you need to be careful of the heat as there is very minimal shade along the route.  It was pretty hot the day we went.  The hike had a lot of steep sections and I definitely underestimated how hard it was going to be!  We made it up in the average time of 2.5 hours although we did stop quite a bit for breaks.  Once at the top we took in the amazing views.  There is a gift shop and a restaurant up there as well as the cable car station.  In that way it reminds me of Pikes Peak in Colorado. We met Ally and Emily (also from Kwantu and my Garden Route travels) at the top.  They took the cable car up.  We all had lunch and then took the cable car back down.  Its crazy that it can take you 2.5 hours to hike up and the cable car takes you down in like 3 minutes! lol

Hiking up a not so steep section

See those switchbacks??  Yeah, we went up that!

View from the top

View from the top

View from the top

Tom, Sarah, Elisabeth and me

Hiking Devil's Peak

Devil's Peak stands 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) high.  Slightly lower than Table Mountain.  The name Devil's Peak comes from a folk-tale about a Dutch man called Jan van Hunks, a prodigious pipe smoker who lived at the foot of the mountain circa 1700. He was forced by his wife to leave the house whenever he smoked his pipe. One day, while smoking on the slopes of the peak, he met a mysterious stranger who also smoked. They each bragged of how much they smoked and so they fell into a pipe-smoking contest. The stranger turned out to be the Devil.  Van Hunks eventually won the contest, but not before the smoke that they had made had covered the mountain, forming the “tablecloth” cloud that can sometimes be seen over the peak.

I hiked this peak alone.  There weren't many people hiking that day.  Again, I got a late start.  I needed to take a cab to the trailhead and since there are so many conventions in town this week I had a hard time getting a cab. I had the cab let me off at the base of the road going up to Table Mountain so I hiked a good 4 miles before I even got to the trailhead.

Once at the trailhead I powered my way up.  It took about an hour which I have heard is about an average time.  It was really steep near the top and the wind started to pick up.  I got some amazing photos of Table Mountain, Lion's Head and Signal Hill along the way.  I was sitting at the top taking in the sights and when the clouds rolled in blocking my view.  I was enjoying a peach when a lone hiker came upon me.  We started chatting and I found out his name was Lee and he's in his late 50s.  He is a contractor in England about 30 minutes outside of London.  The winter is his off season so he takes that time to travel.  He comes to Cape Town about twice a year and stays with friends.  He knows the trails pretty well as he hikes a lot.  We decided to descend together and he took me a different way back.  We ended up down lower on the mountain in a suburb and walked down the street to a little cafe and had some coffee.  I caught a cab from there back to my hotel.  We made plans to meet for dinner a few nights later.  It's nice to meet some new people.

Cool flowers that look like Easter eggs!

View from the top just as the clouds rolling in

Look how the petals look like feathers

Hiking Lion's Head

Lion's Head is a mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, situated between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. Lion's Head peaks at 669 metres (2,195 ft) above sea level. The peak forms part of a dramatic backdrop to the city of Cape Town and is part of the Table Mountain National Park.  In the 17th century the peak was known as Leeuwen Kop (Lion's Head) by the Dutch, and Signal Hill was known as Leeuwen Staart (Lion's Tail), as the shape resembles a crouching lion or a sphinx. Lion's Head is known for spectacular views over both the city and the Atlantic Seaboard, and the hour-long walk to the top is particularly popular during a full moon and to watch the sunset.

Elisabeth, Sarah and I did this hike together. We met one day at 5:30pm so we could hike up to watch the sunset.  It was AMAZING!  The hike was fairly easy until you got closer to the top.  There you had to do quite a bit of low-level bouldering (basically scrambling/climbing over the rocks) which was kind of fun!  This was the busiest peak we climbed. I found out later that Lion's Head is the most climbed peak in the world.  Not sure if it's true or not......

The hike took about 1.5 hours.  Once at the top we took photos and then watched the sunset.  It was incredible!  I have never seen more incredible sunsets than the ones I have seen in Africa.  Just after the sun went down we started our decent, in the dark.  We brought head lamps so that helped but we still needed to be very careful.  Especially the bouldering portions.  On the way down we were treated to some views of the full moon.  By the time we got down and got our cab it was about 9:30pm.  I was exhausted when I got back to my hotel and I crashed hard! What a great time!

Lion's Head to the left and Signal Hill (the tail) on the right

Two Oceans Aquarium

The Two Oceans Aquarium is an aquarium located at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The aquarium was opened on November 13, 1995 and comprises seven exhibition galleries with large viewing windows. The enchantment of this particular aquarium is its location, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.  My hotel gave me a free ticket to attend and so I went because free is good :)   I thought it was a rather nice aquarium.  Here are some photos:

Twobar Clownfish

Clown Triggerfish

A column of clownfish!

Sea urchin

Honeycomb Moray Eel

Geometric Moray Eel

Starfish

Knysna Seahorse

Perlemoen (a type of abalone)

Giant Spider Crab

African Penguins

Rockhopper Penguin

Mole Snake

Wine Tasting

South African wines are grown in one of the world's most special places – with ancient soils, two oceans, soaring mountains and unparalleled natural beauty. The South African winelands are renowned for their breathtaking scenery and the wines are as full of variety as the myriad of cultures that form this Rainbow Nation.

First stop, Anura Vineyards.

http://www.anura.co.za/

The Anura wine farm is located at the base of the Simonsberg mountain range. The estate is more than just a vineyard, with a complete animal farm, restaurant and function rooms. The wine estate had previously been a very small estate, with only a couple of small vineyards lying side by side. The current owners have worked hard to ensure that the wine farm has flourished, and there are now 150 hectares of vineyard, producing around 700 tons of wine annually.

The majority of the vines planted in Anura are of red grapes, including Petit Verdot, Grenache, Malbec, Petit Noir, Mouvédre, and Sangiovese. Some of these grape plants are rather rare in South Africa.

The many grapes which are grown on the estate are harvested by hand, and selected carefully for their ripeness. The nature of the grapes are also taken into consideration, since the estate believes in producing top-quality wines, and the grapes need to be treated in certain ways in order to enhance the flavor. Once the fruits have been hand-picked, they are then placed on a machine which removes the leaves, rotten berries, and any stalk matter. They are then turned to hand sorting in order to maintain the standard of the grapes. Once the best fruits have been selected, the grapes are then crushed.

At this winery we had a wine and cheese pairing.  It was incredible!  My favorite wine here was the Anura Malbec 2013 Limited Reserve.  So good! They also make their own cheese and deli type items (ie: chutney, balsamic reductions, salad dressings, relishes, etc).  I loved, and subsequently purchased, the Froggit Habanero Jelly.  I sure hope I can get this back home!

http://froggit.co.za/index.php


FairView Wine & Cheese

http://www.fairview.co.za/wine/

Fairview’s wine and cheese tasting room has become one of the most popular Cape winelands destinations, building on a reputation that stretches back to the 1970′s.  The tasting room comprises a number of tasting pods. This unique pod concept was implemented in 2009 and is aimed at creating a more welcoming and less rigid environment. The pods offer a tasting selection of 6 different wines  with dedicated hosts to guide and assist guests. There is a wide range of wines available to choose from, including a selection from the single vineyard range. Your tasting also includes a selection of 6 to 8 of Fairview’s Jersey milk and goat’s milk cheeses. These are tasted at our deli, allowing guests to enjoy their wine and then move across to the cheese section as they seek out interesting pairings and their particular favourites.

Once again, this place was amazing!  My favorite wines:  Fairview Viognier, Fairview Petite Sirah, and the La Capra Pinot Grigio.  We didn't taste any of their Goats do Roam brand wines but they do sell those in the US and they are readily available.

Spier Wine Farm

http://www.spier.co.za/wine

Spier Wine Farm is situated in the Stellenbosch region approximately 50 km from Cape Town, South Africa. The farm has enjoyed a long history which dates back to 1692. As one of the oldest farms in the region, it has long been noted for its cultural and historical significance particularly of its architecture.  Wine production and sales as well as leisure activities are the core business activities on the farm today and the farm has become well known for its sustainability initiatives.

We had a wine and chocolate tasting here.  It was outstanding!  Just incredible!  My favorite wines:  Spier Signature Pinotage and the Spier Creative Block 2.

There were MANY more wineries to visit but of course, we didn't have time to do them all.  What I learned is that South African wines are amazing.  If you haven't tired South African wine you need to!

"Wine is bottled poetry." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson