HOW TO KISS AN ELEPHANT

The answer? Very, very carefully.

Today we enjoyed the Walk With The Elephants  at the Elephant Sactuary at Hartbeesport Dam, South Africa. I'm not a fan of wild animals behind enclosures but this is an enclosure with a difference. At the moment they have five elephants but have had up to twelve. This sanctuary provides an up close and  personal (a bit too personal in my case) experience with rescued elephants who, if they were left in the wild, would have been killed. They have been recued from poachers or from elephant-human conflict in villages. So, instead of being dead these elephants live a protected life in which they are cared for and they help to educate the public. They also contribute their share of excitement and humour. 

The visit began with a guide presenting a talk - with props - about elephant behaviour and anatomy. When he arrived at the part describing the enormous size of the elephant's 'snot box' (sinuses) I should have listened to the little warning light that clicked on in my mind. However, being enthralled by the whole 'up close and personal' thing I just proceeded in my usual Pollyanna way. I was ready (I thought) for the encounter. 

Observing the elphants up so close was amazing. These rescued elephants are not even full size yet but still have a massive size and incredible power. We watched as one of them actually climbed the fence, placed one leg over the other side, and then start pulling leaves off a tree and eating them. Over time these rescued elephants have become used to human contact and are wonderful ambassadors for their kin. I was really pleased to see that the handlers avoided having the animals do any 'entertaining' tricks. 

As a group we all waited under a veranda while each person had their time with an elephant. My first encounter was with Kubu, a very large, trunk swinging, dusty female. The texture of her skin was like textured leather with red dust caught in the skin folds and crevices. The trunk is actually very large and I was lucky that she was tolerant of me giving it a big hug. Kubu even allowed me to examine her tail up close. It is much like a thick, flexible leather rod with long, coarse hairs protruding from near the end. That first encounter was so amazing that my guard was down when it came to 'kissing time'. 

We had been warned but I don't think any of us took the warning too seriously. And of course in any group there is a lucky one - the person who gets to experience the unusual event. So off I trotted to elephant Timba to get my 'kiss'. The idea was that the elephant would plant a big one on the side of the face and latch on for a moment. Hmm; funny how animals often have ideas other than what we expect. Before I could blink I was kissed allright. Timba blew a huge snort of elephant snot onto my nose and lips, forcing a signficant amount into my mouth and lungs. E-ew!!!! And before my brain could even register that I was filled with a disgusting nasal fluid he latched his trunk onto the side of my face for the actual 'kiss'. Elephant snot is neither delicious or refreshing. 

After much coughing, heaving and then face and mouth washing I still could taste the 'kiss' and some of it's remnants continued to rattle in my lungs. More heaving and rinsing. Then, after three breath mints, a small bag of chips and a cappucino I finally was able to breath clearly and be rid of most of the taste. But the effects lasted a while. I must admit that no kiss ever in my past left me that affected and breathless and hour later. Thank goodness. Luckily I have a rather warped sense of humour and managed to see the funny side of this 'kiss' just as soon as I could breath again. And it does make for a good travel story.

Our final encounter with the elephants was a walk, trunk in hand, or so I thought. We actually held onto the trunk by placing our fingers inside it and holding on. So now I had to put my hand into the same trunk that had lubricated my face and mouth. Actually the sensation was interesting. The inside of an elephant's trunk is thick and fleshy with a spongy texture. Nice in an icky sort of way. But of course my elephant was Timba again. And Timba decided to add insult to injury. In the middle of our walk he stopped, with all his boy parts very visible, and relieved himself from both places. Charming, but also very funny. That done, we continued our walk. 

My time at the elephant sanctuary was interesting, surprising and funny. I remain in awe of these massive beasts and their beauty. And that trunk. What a useful appendage it is. Just think, one body part for eating, drinking, breathing and showering. And, of course, snorting into the faces of unsuspecting tourists. 

www.elephantsanctuary.co.za

HAGGLING, BARGAINING, NEGOTIATING

It's an art, a chore, a frustration, and a game. What? I'm referring to the proces of buying goods at public markets in Zambia. Why bother? Why not just pay the asking price? After all, these folks are just trying to make a living. Well there are several reasons that I saw that would be reasons to negotiate prices enthusiastically and with determination.

Firstly, the vendors expect you to bargain. If you just pay the asking price they seem to lose respect for the buyer. And other nearby vendors are definitely listening to see what you are interested in and how firm you are in your bargaining so they can have a go at you as well. They know a soft touch when they see one. And finally, the asking prices are almost always a lot more than what the vendor is actually willing to accept. What follows are a few of the tips that I discovered worked for me in Zambia when I was buying products in the markets, and even twice when I was looking for a taxi.

 - Always be prepared to be accosted by vendors who are very persistent. If you pause to look they will be more persistent. Just be firm and polite. It's OK to say "no thank you", "maybe later", "not what I'm looking for", or "I have no cash" (a polite lie is necessary sometimes). 

- For the really persistent ones I often fell back on "no cash, only American Express". These vendors rarely take credit cards and never American Express.

- Providing the coast was clear of female vendors I also often said "sorry, only buying from women today". Be prepared to defend this statement though. I would tell them that the women of Zambia were more poor than the men and needed more business; a very true statement that they could not refute. Outside our hotel in Livingstone I became known as the "lady who only buys from women". And I did try to buy from women rather than men when I could. They had more products that I liked, such as fabrics, and when they heard me say my little piece to the men they were effusive in their thanks. 

- Be prepared for long memories. These vendors move around and if they have seen you in another location they will remind you as if you now owe it to them to buy something.

- Have a sense of humour. Being accosted, followed, and bargained with could be stressful. Negotiate with a light heart and be ready to laugh at the process. 

- Be firm. If you don't want to look or to buy make yourself clear. Walk away. And if you are negotiating be firm in your offers. A sign of wavering is like a red flag to a bull in bargaining.

- Get involved in the process and stick to your guns. Be ready to walk away if your negotiating is unsuccessful - there will be a similar or identical products not far away. Ask the vendor's price. Then react as they expect you to with visible shock at such a high price that you could never pay. This will repeat a couple of times as you try to get their price down - do not, repeat, DO NOT, make an offer yet. After a couple of the vendor's offers s/he will ask what you are prepared to pay. Here you need to be reasonable but very firm with a low offer - one that you are prepared to raise a little. The seller will express shock, tell you that they have children to feed, that you will not find quality product like theirs anywhere else, that they walked all the way from the village today and cannot sell anything, and many other versions of why your offer is very poor. But they will slowly bring their price down, reluctantly. When they have come down a reasonable (and this varies) amount you make another, higher, offer. But make it an offer that is not too close to their low one. They will say no. You prepare to walk away. They will change their price a little. You will then either repeat your offer or go up a small amount. And then stick to that amount even if you lose the sale. Do not waver. Almost always you will get what you want for the price you finally offered. And remember, if you are buying more than one item you must seriously remind them of that and insist on a further discount. 

- Never feel guilty or embarrassed about bargaining in the public markets. 

- Finish your negotiations and the sale on a polite and pleasant note. Enjoy the interaction because it is all a part of your cultural immersion. 

- If you are accosted or followed by a vendor in a way that is intimidating or harrassing, make it clear to them that their behaviour is not acceptable. A security guard (they are everywhere in Zambia and they carry guns) or your guide can be very helpful. But also speak for yourself. I didn't have to do it often but I did fall back on two "go away" strategies a few times. One was, "stop following me because I am going over to that police officer to tell him". The other was, "stop following me. If you continue I am going to scream loudly and say I am being attacked". Both of those actions worked effectively.

And my taxi story? Well one morning my son and I had walked from the Zambian Border, over the International Bridge, and to the Zimbabwe Border. Total time was about half an hour. It was an easy walk despite the 36' heat. Later in the day, after ziplining and viewing Victoria Falls, we decided it would be nice to take a taxi back to the Zambian Border where our own favorite driver would pick us up. Well the border taxis that cruise between the two border posts are a bit like bees on a honey pot - loud, persistent and annoying. The apparent 'head guy' approached us and told us it would be $10 US to get a ride back. Tired though I was I politely informed him that we had walked over and would be happy to walk back because $10 was too much; we would pay no more than $6. Mr. Taxi was very persistent and slowly came down to $9, then $8, and I continued to say no and began walking towards Zambia. A moment later he came back to me and said "come with me". Mr Taxi led us to a battered looking cab and we got our ride back for $6 US. 

ZIPLINING THE ZAMBEZI

Visiting Victoria Falls is a thrilling experience. And it can be made even more thrilling by hurling yourself off a cliff over the Zambezi River. Over the past four years I have become totally addicted to ziplines. I have gone from an eyes closed, white knuckled tight hand grips, screaming, heart palpitating experience to eyes open, waving and still screaming, but for the fun of it. My ziplines have included the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Grouse Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Argentina, and three in Alaska. This year I added the two ziplines at Victoria Falls. They are very different from each other but each has its own unique thrills. 

Our first zip was a short but fast ride from a clifftop on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River. What makes it unique is where you finish, which is beneath the opposite side of the International Bridge and inside Zimbabwe. So cool; a country to country zipline. And, short though it was, the views are spectacular. Also, from my limited experience, this was by far the most comfortable and safe feeling harness I have ever worn on a zip.  Landing in the arms of two charming young men who helped me to clamber over the bridge structure to the landing platform was an extra perk. 

The second zipline is more expensive but definitely full of thrills. The company provides transportation from the National Park entrance to their site. Again a heart stopping leap from a clifftop. But there is no landing on the other side for this one. The line is about a mile long and dips down, down, down, into the gorge of the Zambezi River, before it begins a climb back up the other side. However, despite reaching a speed of 106 km/hour there is no way you will reach the other end. You come to a stop on the final upswing and then gently glide backwards to about 140ft above the river. This is one zipline on which there is lots of time to take photos - of the river, the distant International Bridge, and the precipitous island in the middle of the sharp bend of the river. After a short time hanging and enjopying the view I looked up to find myself staring at a pair of boots, and then at the young man attached to them. On this zipline one of the crew actually travels a parallel line to your position where they hook you to their harness and you both get winched back to the starting platform.  Again, the harness I wore was comfortable and I had confidence in the safety of their operation. Their sense of humour was a bit ribbald and warped, but hey, so is mine. 

If you are visiting the area contact

http://www.shearwatervictoriafalls.com/activities/bridge-slide/     - for the Zambia to Zimbabwe zipline

http://www.wildhorizons.co.za/highwire/#zip_line - for the fast and deep gorge zipline on the Zimbabwe side

A HABITAT HOUSE IS MORE THAN BLOCKS AND MORTAR

Habitat for Humanity Global Village in the local community determines who will receive a house.The family who receives the house will have undergone a waitlist and selection process. They must prove need but they also have committments. One committment is to qualify for a low or no interest mortgage that they repay over a set period of time. The mortgage is affordable despite low income. The other committment is called 'sweat equity'. Each family who receives a Habitat house gives 500 hours of their own time back to Habitat by helping with building their own home and/or helping with another home. My experiences with Habitat Global Village have been in Maui, in the Hawaiian Homelands, and in Lusaka, Zambia. 

Our build was in the Mlanga section of the Kamanga compound in Lusaka, Zambia. Our group of twelve Canadians divided into two groups and each six person group focused on building one house. But house building is not the only part of volunteering. We enter  the community to form bonds, learn about the culture, and to share of ourselves. The work is hard and sometimes the days seem long. The sharing of yourself comes easily though as you learn that the family and the community are not only curious, but they also welcome you into their lives and their culture. 

A typical day starts at about 6.30am when we climb out of bed, have breakfast and prepare ourselves (and our sunscreen) for the day ahead. If we are lucky there is water in the taps and the toilet flushes. At 7.30am we leave the lodge in a passenger van for the 30 minute drive to the compound. The drive itself is an adventure as Lusaka awakens. Street vendors begin setting up their kiosks, cars zip in every direction according to their own rules, pedestrians do much the same. Women trek along the roadside with large bundles of anything from cartons of eggs to bundles of goods to sell, perched confidently on top of their heads. Taxi drivers shout from the roadside soliciting fares, trucks pass loaded with workers sitting and standing on the open back, and business men stride along swinging their briefcases as the dusty soil blows around. Mothers stroll along together with their babies tied to their bodies with large fabric slings. And at every traffic light vendors stroll between the cars selling water, sunglasses, tomatoes, newspapers, and numerous other goods. A morning drive in Lusaka is a journey through a noisy, dusty, hive of humanity. 

Arrival at the build site is always an event. Children of all ages erupt from behind mud houses, fences, doorways, and latrines to greet us and accompany us to the build site. The women are awake and going about their chores cooking on outdoor charcoal burners, carting water, washing babies and laundry. By mid morning lines all over the compound are decorated with clothes and blankets drying in the hot sun. Our day starts by drinking water to hydrate in the quickly heating day and then piling our packs on the red soil against the wall of our family's mud hut. 

Now the work begins. Hours of hot, dusty, back breaking labour. Mortar is mixed, cinder blocks are moved closer to the site, and we survey the job to come. Hour after hour of mortar mixing, mortar delivery to those of us building walls, trowelling mortar onto the next level, hefting 25 pound cinder blocks into place, and then levelling them and filling the spaces with mortar. Children hang around and watch, waiting for us to take a break to play with them. Adults just watch, or help. The quiet becomes regularly interrupted by calls of "more dagga (mortar)", "dagga here", and "out of dagga". As the heat rises to the usual 32' to 37' we take short shade or water breaks and we mop the dripping sweat from our faces. 

At around 12.30pm we all pile back on the bus to travel to the local community center for lunch and toilet. If the urge has seriously taken us on site we may have had to use the community latrine; an experience most try to avoid. A hole in the ground over which one must squat while hoping that the flapping bags, cloths or cardboard surrounding the  experience provide some semblance of privacy. At the community center we line up to use the facilities and wash our hands. Lunch is cooked by the local ladies and consists of rice, vegetables, nshima (maize meal patties), sauce, chicken in sauce, and lots of water. We wash, we eat, we drink, and then we all collapse in the shade to rest before the afternoon's work. 

The afternoon's work is much the same as the morning, only hotter and dustier. Finish time at 4.30pm seems a long time away. So what are the rewards? Well, getting to know the family for whom we are building is a huge reward. Just to know that eight people currently living in an 8ft x 8ft mud hut with a tin roof and no windows will soon have a house of three well-built rooms that will not be in danger of leaking or collapsing in the winter rains is reward enough. And they will have a door they can lock; and windows they can open.  

But there are also the less tangible rewards. Getting to know the family. I received a   personal cooking lesson from Eznat; she taught me how to prepare nshima from start to finish. On my first day a young mother offered me, for no reason of which I was aware, her freshly washed tiny baby to hold and hug. This  heartwarming cuddle session became a daily routine until the house dedication on our last day. Then I danced happily with the wee one to the lively Zambian music. 

And there were always children watching, waiting, calling us, waving, smiling, and ready to play at any time. Some of us played frisbee, skipping rope, bubbles, colouring pictures, and silly but fun games. An interaction with one little one usually ended with a crowd of arm waving children wanting to play and be recognized. And they all wanted their photos taken. Anyone with a camera would be surrounded by shoving youngsters all wanting to be in a picture and then see that photo on the camera screen. The youngsters were our joy and our heartbreak.  Their smiles, joy, warmth and trust added much delight to our days. However, seeing tiny little ones walking barefoot over broken glass and garbage, watching them play with rocks and debris in place of toys, and experiencing their spontaneous hand holds and hugs as they craved attention, put a lump in my throat every time. One pair of teen boys spent hours playing checkers on a board of scrap plywood with almost invisible markings. All it took was a black marker and a black crayon from my kit for the oldest to painstakingly create a new and playable board. 

The final day was the best but the hardest. It was almost impossible to leave the build site as the children followed us and held on to us not wanting us to leave. Angel, who had become my special little friend, clung to me telling me not to go. And then she kept saying that she wanted to come to Canada. I was totally choked up and a couple of other volunteers on the bus were in tears. The lesson that will stay with me is that I must never forget the contribution we bring to the community and the contribution that the community gives to my heart and my learning. 

After this tearful farewell our whole team, plus the two families and their friends, met at the community center for the dedication ceremony. There was singing, dancing and joy. I know I will never perfect the hip wiggles of the native Zambians but it sure was fun trying. And as speeches were made the most poignant ones were given by the two women for whom the houses were built. Their sincerity and claims about how their lives would change for the better humbled me greatly. We gave but a few days and yet we were being credited with making a life changing impact. 

The heat, dust, dirt and hard work were a small price to pay for not only having the privilege of building for these families, but also for being welcomed into their lives. The Zambian people have warmed a special place in my heart. And the families and children of Mlanga will occupy that place forever. 

KAMANGA COMPOUND - COULD YOU LIVE THERE?

If you can, try to imagine living in a mud or cinder block one to two room house (and I use the term house very loosley), just a few feet from neighbours on all sides, in a community of thousands of people who are all poor, and often so poor that hunger is a constant presence. Add to this having to cook outdoors on a small charcoal burner, eat outdoors, and wash dishes outdoors. Your toilet is a hole in the ground surrounded by some sort of privacy screen. If you are lucky this might be a small mud outhouse with a hanging cloth for the entrance. Most likely however the hole-in-the-ground (squat toilet) is shielded only by some posts to which cloth or old cement bags or sheets of cardboard have been precariously attached. There is no roof and the walls are disconcertingly low (about 4 to 5 feet) for those of us who like a little privacy. You have a nearby tap, if you are very lucky. Otherwise you have to buy your water from a vendor and carry it to your home. And washing your laundry is done by hand in a bucket, outdoors. Then the laundry is hung on a rope to dry. Electricity is a luxury for a very small minority. 

Now while you are living in the above residence consider that there is garbage strewn all around in numerous piles because there is no garbage collection. A small tree for shade from the hot Zambian sun is also a luxury. You are always surrounded by children, yours or those of your neighbours. If you are very fortunate and able to pull together the cost of the mandatory school uniform then your children may get to go to school. If not, your children will remain uneducated and spend their days playing barefoot with makeshft toys or with items found in the garbage. There are no store bought toys here. A truck can be made from wide guage wire and copper wire with carved plastic for wheels. A square of old plywood marked with plain and crayoned squares makes a great checker board when accompanied by white and blue bottle caps for the checkers.

Lastly, try to imagine this style of living taking place in the hot African sun with red dust being regularly blown all around. And then see yourself still living in the compound in the very wet rainy season when the red dirt turns to mud, garbage floats around from where it was dropped, and your mud house becomes so waterlogged that it either leaks or actually collapses into you when you are sleeeping.

Can you see yourself living and thriving in these conditions? I can't. I would never survive what these people endure on a daily basis, year in year out. That's where Habitat For Humanity Global Village comes in. The organization sends volunteers out to needy communities all over the world to build homes for families in need. As volunteers we pay our own airfare, lodging, meals, and also make a considerable donation to the local Habitat affiliate. We work long hours in difficult conditions to provide a family a home. My next post will decribe our build in Lusaka, Zambia. But in the meantime you might want to check the website www.habitatglobalvillage.ca/ Maybe you will find a build meant just for you, 

A VISIT TO LILAYA ELEPHANT NURSERY

Lilaya Elephant Nursery is operated by Game Rangers International near Lusaka, Zambia. 

There are many good reasons to visit this baby elephant sanctuary. First, no entrance fee is asked. There is a donation box to help with their work, but you decide on your donation. If you are tired of tourist traps and tourist hordes then you will be pleased. There is no restaurant or souvenier shop. There is just the viewing platform from which you peacefully observe the orphaned elephants feed, bathe and play for an hour and a half.  And there is a friendly guide there to explain all about the nursery and each of the elephants. Finally, this is a wonderful and deserving place to support, with your presence, and hopefully your donation. 

This sanctuary is the home of baby elephants who have become orphaned as a result of the mother being killed by poachers, or being killled when there is unfortunate interaction with people and their crops or their vilage. Some of the babies arrive very young and often injured. But Lilaya will become their home until they are ready to be released into a  protected game park. This process takes several years because an elephant is a baby until about 2 to 3 years. And, being babies, they need to be cared for and also learn about how to be an elephant. That is the job of their keepers who work 12 hour shift rotations and become surrogate mothers to the babies. They even sleep in the roof above where the babies are housed at night. It is the keepers job to nurture the babies but to also create an environment whereby the elephants slowly ease out of that bond and learn to live and forage like wild elephants. For this reason the babies are housed together and are together all the time until they are old and mature enough to either go to a second stage sanctuary or be released into the wild. 

Our visit to Lilaya was a wonderful experience and one I would happily repeat. The viewing platform is open from 11.30am until 1pm. As you wait the guide explains about the elephants, their histories and their habits. And then at 11.30am a procession of little elephants crosses the road from where they live and trots into the viewing area. The viewing area for the elephants means bottles of milk formula each, followed by a drink from a barrel and then playtime in the pond. During the viewing the keepers retreat to allow the babies to just be elephants, and the public watches from a raised platform that keeps human interaction to a minimum. 

The elephants are funny and entertaining as they topple the water barrel, scratch on the trees, drop sideways into the pond for a refreshing mud bath, or just huddle together like friends do. And of course, they repeatedly approach their keepers who represent their mother at this time. Do visit Lilaya if you visit Zambia. These folks do wonderful work rescuing and releasing the elephants, and they provide a great experience for the public. And do leave a nice donation. It is the fault of humans that the elephant population is declining. Donate a few dollars or Kwacha so that this good work can continue. You can learn more by going to  Game Rangers International at www.gamerangersinternational.org/  Please consider donating or adopting a baby elephant. 

THE ROAD TO LILAYA

A visit to Lilaya Elephant Nursery is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to Africa. This animal sactuary is just a 30 minute drive from Lusaka and worth every Kwacha for the taxi. Our driver was Joseph. A lovely man who shared cultural stories with us and helped us to see the sights and the people from a Zambian perspective.

We learned that the groups of families, from young to old, who walked across the fields carrying bags were there to gather food. After the crop has been removed by the farmer these folks walk the fields searching for edibles that have been left behind. We saw small children seated on the dirt picking out individual grain seeds from the ground to help feed the family. 

Every so often we would see small wooden, plywood, iron or cardboard structures that looked like a puff of wind would send them flying. These were kiosks, small businesses that sold everything from fresh produce, to car tires, to clothes, to live chickens, to hot food. Even if the seller only had a few items to show they would stilll be there. Any sale is better than none when hunger is the motivation.

 We even got a front seat view of Joseph's athletic prowess. An unfortunate quail crossed the road in front of us. Joseph hit the brakes and was out of the car in seconds. The quail took off as if his life depended on it, and it did. Joseph zigged and zagged between the grass and bush with awesome skill, and then he disappeared. A moment later our proud driver emerged carrying a very subdued bird by its legs, which were soon tied together when it was placed in the trunk of the car. Fresh quail was now on the menu for dinner for Joseph and his family. 

In Zambia, where 70% of the population is devastatingly poor, a business  can be created by anyone, selling almost anything, in order to feed the family. Putting food on the table is a luxury because, even if there is food, there is often no table to put it on. Cooking outside and sitting on the ground to eat or perform tasks, is commonplace.

The road to Lilaya is crowded with cars, vans and pickup trucks packed with riders in the open back. And there are bicycles everywhere, many of which are loaded scaringly high and wide with firewood, wordly goods, and just about anything else that could be carried on a bike. And there are walkers, many barefoot. Some with children, many children alone, and women expertly balancing impossibly large loads on their heads. 

One travels the road to Lilaya to get to the elephant nursery. But if you are open to experiences, and have a wonderful driver like Joseph, the road to Lilaya is an adventure and education in its own right. 

LANDS OF CONTRAST

I was surprisingly impressed with Dubai as a whole. I thought it would be tacky but it is not. The city is very much money driven but the buildings are architecturally amazing. Dubai airport is - according to my son - like a cathedral. It is all glass, shiny metal, and other materials that gleam and glisten. Dubai is a vast, enormous testimony to wealth. You actually take indoor trains between airport terminals and all the bus stop shelter are fully air conditioned. Today we arrived in Lusaka, Zambia. We waited at passport control in a very hot and crowded room. Got to read an Ebola warning poster on the way from the plane. Baggage claim is one small area full of confusion. The buses stop where ever there is a passenger, causng loud honking and traffic chaos. We went from ultimate wealth in Dubai to ultimate poverty in Lusaka in seven hours. What a world we live in.

WALLS THAT KEEP SOME IN AND OTHERS OUT

So, what is the big similarity that I have noticed so far between Dubai (one of the wealthiest places in the world), and Zambia (one of the poorest places in the world)? No Idea? Well it is the walls - yes the tall, solid, stone walls surrounding where people live. In Dubai there are walls surrounding the Royal Palaces (there are many of them), the villas of the extremely rich, and also many hotels and wealthy homes. Those walls are ornate and often heavily decorated.. In Lusaka there are walls too, The fancier, cleaner walls, with some decoration, surround the homes of the richer citizens. Their walls are frequently topped with broken glass. The poor people live behind walls too. In their case those walls are called compounds. They are very plain and utilitarian. However, in all cases in Dubai and in Lusaka, the walls are there to keep the 'bad guys' out. In Dubai they also have the money for the luxury of being able to build their walls for privacy. There is much more we have seen and learned in just a couple of days. But that is for another post. Right now we are sitting in the dining room of our lodge after dinner and listening to a thrilling tropical storm. After a very hot and humid day we are being treated to lightning, thunder and torrential rains. Now won't that be fun in a few days when we begin to build the house that we came to volunteer to build? Off to bed soon singing "Mud, Glorious Mud, dah da da dah ..."

WHEN THESE GUYS SAY "OFF ROAD" THEY REALLY MEAN IT

And the company name, "Canal Fun", is certainly an accurate reflection of what to expect from your day with them. When I signed up for this 4x4 off road adventure I somehow expected a large 4-wheel drive bus and a back road adventure of a scenic but slightly sedate nature. When two young men driving two rattly jeeps arrived I had a moment of trepidation. Then when some of the passengers had to sit in side seats in the back of the jeeps I began to wonder what we were in for. Well, I was soon to find out.

The two jeeps, one filled with Spanish speakers and one filled with English speakers, all thankfully possessing a sense of adventure and humour, headed north out of Ushuaia and up into the Andes. The first stop was a toilet stop - a wise decision considering what was to come and the fact that it was the last toilet we would see for the rest of the day. 

As we climbed higher into the mountains we approached a viewpoint - ah, a photo,stop. Not so. Right before the viewpoint the jeeps turned off the highway and steeply downhill on to a rough dirt track. "Everybody out!" Now we had our photo op, and an unexpected walk. We were told "see you in 15 minutes" as our jeeps took off down the hill and disappeared from sight. So we walked, very steeply down this gravel track, enjoying the vast views of the very beautiful Lake Fagano and Lake Escondido. By now I had definitely figured out that the day was to be an adventure and to expect the unexpected. I was not disappointed.

After our walk we all piled back into the jeeps and braced ourselves for fun and adrenalin. Over the day our guides proved not only to be a little crazy, but also amazing drivers, knowledgable guides and great cooks. I had no idea that any vehicle could do some of the things they had those jeeps do. The track went from rough, to deeply rutted, to steep, to cliff hanging, to almost sideways, to rocky beach, to lakeside water, and even to a water crossing that the water splashing around the floor inside the vehicles. Those drivers had so much fun scaring the heck out of us. Travelling in a jeep that is moving at a sideways 45 degree angle, with me on the underside, certainly had my heart in my throat. And racing each other through the water along the edge of the lake seemed to be the maximum thrill until our guide yelled "hang on, this is a big hole" as the jeep dropped down in the water and then popped up again.

The ruts were so deep in places that the only way to travel was perched precariously on top of the dried, narrow mud bulges, or to give up vehicle control and just let the jeep move along the deep ditches of previous vehicles. On one of these 'let the jeep do what it wants' sections our guides played with our sense of belief. The front driver left his jeep moving along in the ruts as he climbed out and walked back to chat to our driver. Then the next thing we knew our driver also left our jeep rolling along and climbed out and ran forward to talk with the passengers in the first vehicle. Both jeeps just kept travelling, driverless. And at the last minute the drivers jumped back in in time to gun the engines and take the vehicles up a rise and (OMG - this road drops almost vertically) over the top to descend very fast and terrifyingly steeply onto the narrow beach at the edge of the lake.  

Our whole trip followed this similar pattern of craziness, screams, laughter, and adrenalin. And then we were set to walk again along the lake as our drivers went ahead. We walked and enjoyed the scenery, the lake, and the birds until we reached the jeeps. Here we were escorted into the bush and to a hidden refuge (hut) where our guides had a fire started and the delicious aroma of BBQ teased our senses. After so much adrenalin this feast was very timely. They served Argentinian Malbec wine, cheese, pickled vegetables, bread, and of course barbecued beef sausage and steak. As if that wasn't enough the repast was followed by tea, coffee, and chocolate brownies. Full tummies were nice after so many adventures, but there was one more surprise to come. Our camp was visited by Juanita, an adorable and very tame grey fox and her more timid and nameless partner. Juanita visits the refuge every day that the guides have a group there. She receives a little raw meat but that is all. We were instructed to not feed her so that she would remain wild, as she should. This little fox stayed around the site for about an hour and made for a delightfully unexpected visitor. 

With lunch over it was time to continue our adventures. Still adrenalin-pumping but slightly more tame. A visit to an active beaver dam highlighted the journey home to Ushuaia. One thing I must mention here is driving in this part,of the country. Perhaps it is a factor of being so far down in the wild and isolated south, I don't know. But being a passenger in the Tierra del Fuego is a lesson in road rules, or the absence of acknowledging them. Be warned, traffic rules down here appear to be merely a suggestion, and perhaps not even that. Crosswalk? It makes a nice pattern on the street but seems to serve more as a target for in attentive pedestrians than a safety zone for them. Speed limits? Definitely a nice idea, and definitely not enforced. Guard rails at mountain pull-offs? Don't be silly, you can see the edge of the cliff; don't fall over. And double yellow lines? Definitely a great spot to crunch the accelerator and get past that slowpoke that's holding you up. 

So, if you are ever in Ushuaia please remember the Canal Fun tour company. You will not have a minute's boredom and your sense of fun, no matter your age, will be grateful for the adventure. Their motto "Excurciones no Convencionales" says it all.  You can reach Canal Fun at    http://canalfun.com/en/ushuaia

And say hi to them for me.

A DAY CELEBRATING LIFE AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Having spent the past two weeks at the bottom of the planet exploring the driest and coldest continent on earth I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do for a follow-up. The Antarctic magnificence is seared into my memory and with just two days left in Ushuaia I knew that nothing could compare with the experiences of the past two weeks. So rather than seeking out more dramatic experiences I decided to opt for the unusual. 

Ushuaia is the southern-most city in the world. Every sign you see reads 'fin del mundo', or "end of the world". So today I joined a tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park for a day of celebrating being at the end of the world. The mood for the day was set for an end of the world experience as we left the end of the world city and travelled on gravel roads into cold weather and snow. Summer has only just ended and already the winter is peeking around the corner. 

The first activity of the day was a ride, for about an hour, on the End of The World Train. This narrow gauge railway is built upon the same route as a previous railway that was used by prisoners who were incarcerated in Ushuaia. Although chilly, we at least had comfortable seats and got to enjoy the views and narration. Those long ago prisoners were less fortunate as they travelled on flat, uncovered cars on their way to collect logs and transport the lumber to the prison. We enjoyed views of green forests, the meandering Pipo River, peat bogs, and distant snow capped mountains. 

After the train ride it was time to head further into the national park on the southernmost section of the Pan American Highway, National Route 3,  that starts in Alaska and ends at Bahia Lapataia (Lapataia Bay) in the Beagle Channel, Argentina. So here was another end of the world experience as we travelled to the southernmost point of the road and then walked to the viewpoint where we could see a vista of mountains, water and distant islands. At one time this beautiful area was the home of the Yamana people, an indigenous society now, sadly, extinct due to illness and persecution brought upon them by soldiers, explorers, and early settlers. 

Our next port of call was perhaps the most unusual end of the world experience of the day. I have a soft spot for people with a sense of humour who like to push at the edges of the system. And at Isla Redonda on the Beagle Channel there is such a person. Without permission, and against the rules, this gentleman operates the Fin Del Mundo (End of the World) Post Office. In order to operate his business and not get closed down by the authorities this self appointed postmaster has built his post office on a pier out over the water of Isla Redonda on the Beagle Channel. Inside, as the postmaster enjoys his mug of mate (Argentinians favourite tea), you can choose your postcards and write a message to your friends. Then he will stamp his own postmark on the cards and mail them for you from this special little post office. 

Not long after this little adventure it was time for our tour to head back to Ushuaia. But not before we were held up following a glorious fuegian red fox trotting along the middle of the road as if it was his own. Cameras clicked as the fox dutifully posed for the passengers. 

As we entered Ushuaia I decided to end my day by continuing with the end of the world theme. So off I went to the Museo del fin del Mundo, or End of the World Museum. This museum has two sites that exhibit artifacts from Ushuaia's early days and the culture of the original indigenous peoples, the Yamana and the Selknam.  

So if you are ever in Ushuaia you may also find it interesting to enjoy an 'end of the world' day by exploring the town of Ushuaia, then riding the End of the World Train, travelling to the end of the Pan American Highway, visiting the End of the World Post Office, and finishing your day at the End of the World Museum. 

ANTARCTIC PEACE

Have you ever had the feeling, for a moment or for longer, that you are where you are meant to be and all that exists is what you are experiencing at that very moment? Just four days ago I experienced that feeling. Down here, in Antarctica, at the bottom of the world, for about an hour. I experienced a profound contentment and wonderment regarding myself and my place within this incredible  landscape. The experience was at once a feeling of just how insignificant I am in the seas surrounding the Great White Continent. Yet at the same time I felt very much at ease as if I had become an integral  part of this frozen place. 

There were ten of us, plus driver, in the zodiak. We had heard that there might be whales about a mile from the ship so off we went. On our way out to our little piece of ocean we passed very close to an exquisite iceberg where a leopard seal was cavorting in the water. He was very curious and kept bobbing up to peer at us and giving us a wonderful view of his big eyes and dog-like snout  When we arrived in the chosen area our driver, Hadley, turned off the motor and we silently sat and watched. There we were bobbing gently on the sea surrounded on all sides by snow and glacier covered mountains and islands, with enormous sculpted icebergs in the distance. The only sounds were water lapping at the sides of the zodiak, the occasional crack of a glacier calving, and the awesome and eerie wind that zipped around and between the stark mountains. As if by common agreement no one spoke. We just watched and listened. At times we could see a flock of penguins, all in line like little soldiers, porpoise diving in and out of the water. Sea birds flew past us. And in the far distance bobbed the head of a sleeping elephant seal.. 

Then a sudden and very loud "WHOOSH" caterpaulted us out of our reverie. The sound was immediately followed by the sight of an enormous dark grey humpback whale rising up out of the water, diving again, and then swimming under our boat where we could see it just below water level. Had the whale been a few feet closer we would have been able to reach out and touch it. We felt no fear, just wonderment as we watched this enormous mammal continue to surface and dive around us. 

What a privilege it was to be in such a place and observe its beauty and the wild creatures on their terms rather than our own. That moment, and that piece of frozen heaven, are imprinted in my memory as the highlight of this Antarctic adventure. 

HALFMOON ISLAND BEAUTY

Two weeks in Antarctica. All ice and snow, and mountains and icebergs and glaciers and wildlife. No big stores, no restaurants or coffee shops, no beachside walkways, no hotels, and no movie theatres. For two weeks the only colours outside of the ship are white, shades of blue, grey, brown and black. Such isolation and limited colour palette could cause one to experience boredom and a feeling of never ending sameness. 

But such is not the case. Around every corner there is a new and spectacular sight. Every zodiak landing has its own unique quality. And to land the zodiaks you must travel over open water, or wend your way through chunks of pack ice or spectacular icebergs. And often upon the icebergs are resting seals or penguins. Sometimes the air is calm and restful, at other times the wind whips up to a point where it is challenging to even stand. The atmosphere is regularly punctuated with loud cannon-shot sounds of glaciers moving under pressure, and giant chunks of ice falling from them into the sea (this process is called calving). Out on the water one can see seals swimming and levitating onto icebergs, whales surfacing and diving in search of food, and penguins 'dolphining' their way in and out of the water in search of food. There is no opportunity for being bored in this imposing, spectacular place. 

Half Moon Island is a small island within a group of islands called the Shetlands. It is still a part of Antarctica but very different to many other Antarctic places. The island is exactly as named; it is shaped like a half moon. And when you climb the rise of the hill and you look west you can see the vast icefield and glacier that is Livingstone Island. 

There is much to see here. The island is constituted of boulder strewn beaches, sheer rocky pinnacles, and a relatively flat saddle-like area between the zodiak landing site and the infrequently used Argentinian Camera Station in the distance. And it is here that one is finally able to see the chinstrap penguins. They are just as cute and interesting as the Gentoo and Adelie penguins previously observed further south on the Antarctic Peninsula. To identify this penguin one looks for a black line across its neck below the beak; this is the 'chinstrap' . The beach was littered with Antarctic fur seals who were either sleeping or getting up to 'seal antics'. The seals were adolescent males who were showing off their prowess by roaring and fighting with other seals. Much like a bunch of teenage boys would do. 

The remains of an old wooden boat lie upon the beach, having been left there years ago from a tourist ship. It used to be that tourists were transported to shore, not in zodiaks, but in rather precarious looking wooden boats. 

Halfmoon Island is a stark and rugged place with its sheer pinnacles, steep slopes, and rocky flat areas. There is no colour except for the black of the rocks and the penguins, the white of the snow of the penguins, and the deep brown of the seals. And all this is surrounded by a choppy ocean that smacks waves onto the shore in every direction. 

THE DRAMATIC DARKNESS OF DECEPTION ISLAND

When one has been cruising though Antactica for the past ten days it is easy to think that there could be no more dramatic surprises. How wrong you would be. 

Deception Island is situated in the South Shetland Islands just north of the Antarctic Peninsula. This circular shaped island has been formed by volcanic activity over time. There is only one entrance to the harbour and that is through the Devil's Bellows, a narrow channel with high winds and precipitous cliffs on either side through which the ship must pass through very carefully. Once inside the harbour you are actually floating within the caldera of an active volcano that last erupted in 1967. All around are dark, stark cliffs and snow covered slopes. The beach of Whaler's Bay  is formed of the cinder detritus of previous eruptions.  

On the beach are the remains of two bases from the past. Norwegian whaling activities in the early 1900's left behind huts, huge fuel tanks, and other materials. Through the 1950's and 1960's the beach was the site of a British Antarctic Survey Base which was evacuated due to the last eruption. Buildings and even an aeroplane hanger scattered over the beach remain standing and serve to increase the starkness of this dark, volcanic place. Three graves with crosses and rock cairns serve as a reminder that not all who came to Deception Island made it home again. 

Today the only residents are the Antarctic fur seals, interrupted by the occasional visits of travellers such as us. Even the penguins shun the beach. One solitary penguin did swim ashore, took one look around, and promptly went back into the water.  

This island does, unlike others, have some scant vegetation. Bright orange algae coats some of the rocks and there are drifts of green moss across parts of the beach. 

This is a desolate, dark, windswept place where it is easy for one to imagine the extreme hardships of the whalers and researchers who inhabited this island long ago. 

USHUAIA - GATEWAY TO ANTARCTICA

Ushuaia, the southernmost town in the world and the gateway for Antarctic cruises. Interesting, friendly, touristy and totally unique. It is the only area of Argentina that lies on the east side of the Andes. It is still summer here but it is not like a summer with which I am familiar. Most days the temperature is about 4' to 12' ; 15' if it is really warm. I'm told it can, on occasion, get all the way up to 23'. I asked the concierge in the hotel what it's like in winter. He summed it up succinctly, "it's like Antarctica". 

The houses are built to weather the conditions. In large part they have corrugated metal roofs or rounded tiles - I guess the snow can slide off easier. Newer houses appear to have double pane windows. But most homes are older and have one of two types of windows. They have their regular window, and about 6 inches out they have a whole second set of windows. Which does tell one how thick the walls must be. Others have wooden shutters attached to the outside oftheir windows and which they close at night. 

Not only do the homes have to withstand the incredible cold in the cold seasons, but the wind is ferocious. What I have read about Ushuaia tells me that the winds are softened by Martial mountain range to the north. However, just sitting in the cafe in my hotel yesterday - a new hotel - the wind was so strong that the windows rattled the whole time and we could see trees swaying wildly. 

And the people here? Well of course there are tourists of every nationality. And there are fit, young adventurers who are here to climb, hike, explore the mountains and glaciers, kayak, and generally do adventurous stuff without care for life, limb, or weather. Good for them. And you can join bus tour that will take you, over about two or three weeks, over the Andes, through Patagonia, and up to Santiago in Chile.

The locals are on the whole very friendly. They laugh at my Spanish, or the lack of it. I laugh with them. And then there are the 'rappers' as I call them. Young people - usually young men of course - in old beat up cars cruise the main  street with car windows open and stereos blaring some Argentinian version of rap or hip hop. The town is surrounded by the Andes mountains - beautiful with the fresh snow that fell last night. And this is summer? And opposite the mountains is the water of the Beagle Channel that flows out into the southern ocean and the infamous Drake Passage. Most of the streets and roads are dirt with only a few paved ones. I imagine that it would be way too costly to continually repair pavement every year considering the harsh winters. 

Just out of town, an inexpensive cab ride, is the Martial Glacier. The area is popular for hiking, taking the chairlift to the top, and for speeding along one of the ziplines. 

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SHOPPING IN ANTARCTICA

Wonderful, amazing, precipitous, challenging, changeable, icy, scenic, foggy, snowing, bouncy, wild, isolated -  just a few more adjectives that can describe this frozen continent. We are truly experiencing Antarctica in all its majesty. 

Today we were fortunate to be able to land at three sites. We landed at Goudier Island,  Jougla Point and Culverville Island. And what a treat that was. Port Lockroy on Goudier Island is home to a restored British Antarctica Survey hut, museum and gift shop. Yes, that's right, a museum and gift ship in Antarctica. For those of us who love 'retail 'therapy' this was an unexpected but delightful surprise. Never did I think that part of my going ashore preparation would be to add my MasterCard to my gear. The gift shop was well supplied and people were buying up the postcards, t-shirts, calendars and other gift items. Port Lockroy is also the site of an Atarctic post office where tourists can mail their postcards and receive an Antarctic postmark. However, mail sent from here can take from a few weeks to several months to reach its destination as it travels from place to place before it finally arrives at a regular post office where it will complete its final journey to the chosen address. 

The museum at Port Lockroy shows the conditions under which the researchers of the BAS lived while stationed here between 1944 and 1962. Conditions were basic but adequate. There is a workshop, kitchen, bunk room, toilet, eating room with a bar and a  radio room. Heating was minimal but enough to keep the researchers relatively comfortable. 

The site is populated each year, for four months, by several staff whose job it is to keep the museum and gift shop functioning and to keep the buildings in good repair. As at all other sites we have landed at there are multitudes of Gentoo Penguins. However, at this particular site the penguins are the subject of a long-term research study and there are control areas within which tourists must not enter. The study is monitoring the long term impact of tourism activities on the penguins. 

Jougla Point is a rocky peninsula with rocky beaches and small coves. It is populated with Gentoo Penguins, blue-eyed shags, kelp gulls, skues and Weddell seals. This was once the site of whaling activities so part of the area is littered with whale bones left over from those times. 

Lastly, but certainly not least, was Cuverville Island, home to the largest (about 4,800 breeding Pairs) of Gentoo penguins in the area. And of course there is other wildlife to spot such as kelp gulls, Antarctic terns, south polar skuas, snowy sheathbills, and southern giant petrels. This rich wildlife lives amongst the snow, freezing waters of Errera Channel, and the vertical, moss covered cliffs that rise 650 feet from the shoreline of this rocky island.

JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD

I'm on a cruise and I'm loving it. Now what kind of cruise is it when the pool is closed, the sun deck is only used for short walks outside, and shore excursions are done by piling on the layers of warm clothing, being taken ashore in a zodiak, and landing on a rocky beach where the aroma (of penguin guano) makes the nose wrinkle? 

The answer - a Quark cruise to the frozen continent of Antarctica. 

As I write this I am sitting in the forward lounge and enjoying views on three sides. The ship is gently drifting in the Errera Channel just off Danco Island. In every direction lie enormous blue-white icebergs, stark precipitous mountains and deeply crevassed glaciers. Above the subtle hum of the ship's engines one can hear the occasional bird call and, if luck is on our side, the cannon-shot sound of glaciers compressing or calving. This is solitude at its most spectacular. 

We have been cruising here in Antarctica now for five days with just another three to go before we head back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia and then back to our home countries. And I, for one, will remember this cruise always because this place is like no other that I have ever been or can ever hope to visit. 

Antarctica is a place where the adjectives - majestic, stark, black, cold, white, precipitous, beautiful, blue, isolated, windy, snowy, grey, harsh, changeable - cannot come close to describing the visual and emotional impact of being here. Photographs cannot capture the emotions and the emotions one feels here cannot be photographed or even described. 

This is the frozen, seventh continent at the bottom of the world. Many have died in the exploration of this place. Others have perished while working in research stations and outposts, or passing through the waters. The wildlife one can see is restricted to penguins, birds, whales, seals and sea lions. Vegetation, except for lichens, mosses and algae, is mostly absent. There are two small flowering plants in one location on the Atarctic Peninsula. And in the waters exist krill and plankton, both important parts of the Antarctic food chain. Ashore there are just a few specias of insects and mites.  

There are certainly many reasons not to visit Antarctica. The cost and the distance to travel are both good reasons to stay away. Add to those the need for special clothing, possibility of sea sickness, the climate, and the incredible isolation. All very good reasons to consider a nice safe and warm cruise in the Carribean or Europe. 

Antarctica is not a place for the nervous or faint-hearted. But if you should decide to visit I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. 

I am here on an expedition ship operated by Quark Expeditions. And while I cannot comment on other companies that bring tourists down here, I can say that they would have a very difficult time exceeding the benefits of travelling with Quark. Quark provides a friendly and efficient crew, cleanliness (so critical on a cruise ship), safety, fun, education about this majestic place, and a desire to make the cruise a positive experience to remember. In the future I plan to visit the Arctic and I know that Quark will be at the top of my list of cruise lines to choose from.