Home Sweet Home

Our bags are packed. One more breakfast on the road. Did I mention breakfast is complimentary? One more 10k walk from our room to the lifts. So we say goodbye to the Marriott and London as we head for Heathrow International at 10:00am for our flight. We decided to have a car pick us up from the hotel and take us to the airport. Surprisingly it is cheaper than taking the train. And a lot less hassle.  After a short 11 hour flight we'll touchdown on good old San Diego. 

We have experienced much on this trip. What I will remember most are the people. Especially the people of Malawi. Their culture is genuinely friendly and respectful. Even the teenage gIrls are polite and respectfu!  Malawi has earned its title as the warm heart of Africa. The people of London have been very welcoming in a wonderfully stuffy British way. They were overwhelmingly helpful and even laughed at my jokes. Collectively they have helped to make this a great trip. 

I  felt called by God to go on this trip (Africa, not London) because I thought I could do something to serve people who are in need and to be blessings to others. God has blessed Ranie and me greatly materially, and more importantly, with tremendous family and friends. Because we are so blessed we know God wants us to find ways to be a blessing others. We try do that regularly and I hope we accomplished that on this trip. 

Our bags are packed. One more breakfast on the road. Did I mention breakfast is complimentary? One more 10k walk from our room to the lift. So we say good bye to the Marriott and London as we head for Heathrow International Airport at 10am for our flight. We decided to have a car pick us at the hotel and take us to the airport. Surprisingly, it was cheaper than taking the trains. And a lot less hassle!  After a short  11 hour flight we'll touch down in good old San Diego. Speaking of touchdowns. The Chargers can't score a touchdown from the two foot line? Seriously!? Sorry, took a little detour there. 

The trip to Heathrow took a little longer than expected. The rain was falling and a lot of roads were closed for some event but no one seemed to know what it was. The alternate route took us through some beautiful residential areas of central London. According to the driver a two bedroom apartment in theses areas would cost you about £1.5 million. They aren't kidding when they say London is an expensive place to live. 

Surprisingly, the airport wasn't crowded. And security was easy. The English, at least at Heathrow, have a much more organized method of moving people through the lines. It wasn't nearly as hectic or rushed as at Lindbergh. It's funny, each country has it's own security idiosyncrasies. In the African country they made everyone take their shoes off and completely empty their pockets but they didn't make a big deal about the metal detectors. I set them off with my watch, I assume that's what did it, every time and they never said a word to me. 

In London you could leave your shoes on, unless they were boots or high heels, but you had to put all your liquids in bags they supplied. We didn't understand that, probably the language barrier, so Ranie was pulled out of line and made to repackage her make up and hair products. The TSA agent we worked with was very nice and quite funny. In fact a lot of the Heathrow security guys are comedians. Even with the delays we spent over two hours waiting for our plane. I hate airports!

We decided to up grade our seats to British Airways World Traveler Plus seats. Just the name of the seats makes me feel a little pretenscious.  But the thought of 11 hours in an economy seat was more than we could bare. It was a good decision. The seats are wider.  Ranie could actually turn sideways in her seat for a little nap. They had a pop up foot rest and we were by the cross bulkhead so I actually had room to stretch my legs. I could even cross my legs if I wanted. The only glitch was the travel agent booked us seats in the same row but at opposite ends so we had two people between us. If I wasn't such a nice guy I would call him a dummy. But I'm too nice to do that. All worked out - another travel agent booked his clients with the two middle seats. They were more than happy to work a trade. 

This flight is so long I have already watched two movies, Man Of Steel and White House Down. I enjoyed them both. Channing Tatum is a hunk (that was Ranie). After the two movies, we still have 5 hours in the air. My butt is killing me!

The plane landed on time. Customs was a breeze and other than some traffic so was the drive home. Sure is nice to be home!  Ranie is happy to be with her daughter and her dog. 

I can't end this blog without telling you all what a great traveling partner Ranie is. She is unbelievably flexible, tremendously resourceful and great fun to be around. Even though she wasn't excited about going to Africa and was emotionall crushed to see how the children there live, she was always cheerful and helpful to our team mates. As the trip went on the others turned to her for leadership when our trip organizer was otherwise occupied. In London we had plans for each day and sometimes our plans didn't work out. She just goes with the flow and enjoyed what ever we ended up doing. I am tremendously blesses. 

This is the end of this series. Thank you for sharing our adventure with us. I hope you have enjoyed reading these posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them. 

London Day 4

It's our last full day in London and I have to say we're ready to go home. We've had such a great time I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe it. The incredibly emotional time in Malawi, the amazing experience of safari in Zambia dand the grandeur, history and civility of London have create the trip of a lifetime for me. But all good things must come to an end. The truth is I miss my daughters (and granddaughter), my dog, my house, my bed and San Diego in General. 

Both Ranie and I were feeling worn out this morning. We planned a pretty simple day. After another delicious breakfast (Did I mention breakfast is complimentary?) we made the short walk along the Westminster Bridge to Westminster Abbey. We took the self guided audio tour and learned a lot about the grand history of Westminster Abbey.  I had no idea the people who are buried there. Centuries worth of the most famous kings and queens are entombed there along with scientists, Darwin & Sir Issac Newton, the composer Handel, the author Chaucer. Even Oliver Cromwell, who led the successful civil war that brought down the Crown,was burried there. Of course that didn't last long. King Charles II was restored to the throne and he had Cromwell dug up, hanged and then beheaded. I guess those royals really know how to hold a grudge! Anyway the church is beautiful and full of history and we had a great time. Of course we hit the gift store on the way out and found a couple of nice souvenirs. 

On the grounds outside Westminster Abbey volunteers  were putting together a memorial to those who have lost ther lives fighting for and along side England in wars. A couple dozen volunteers were on their hands and knees driving miniature crosses into the ground. They won't complete their work until Thursday. When finished there will be 100,000 crosses in the grass in front of the church. It was a very touching display. 

We spent the rest of the morning walking in the Westminster area. Just across from the Abbey is Parliment Square with statues of famous statesmen and other notable individuals, including Abraham Lincoln. We had a little fun with a phone booth. You don't see phone booths in the USA much anymore but they are all over London. We strolled past the Whitehall building and garden (very pretty) on our way to the Jubilee bridges. A quick walk across the beautiful pedestrian bridge and a stroll through Jubilee Park. Then back to the room for Ranie. She wasn't feeling very well. Just a side note on Jubilee Park, it was very underwhelming. Although the park is pretty enough, I expected more from a park connected to the queen's jubilee. 

While Ranie was resting in the room I went looking for some photo opportunities. Specially, I was trying to catch some unique angles of Big Ben. Unfortunately the sun was making lighting very difficult and I lack the skill to get the quality of pictures I was hoping for. I attached a couple to give you an idea of what I was trying to do. I was absolutely enamored with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliment. The architecture simply captivates me so I went back out after dinner trying to get some night shots of Big Ben. Again it didn't go as well as I hoped. 

So we are almost completely packed and ready to leave for home in the morning. Of course we'll have time for breakfast before we leave. Did I mention breakfast is complimentary?

London Day 3

We woke to a beautiful sunny morning. We haven't seen the sun since we arrived. It's still going to be cool and windy but it's nice to see the sun. 

Our plan today is do some shopping on Oxford Street, which is known as London's shopping district. Ranie would like a break from all the walking today. I don't blame her. Her left foot and ankle are hurting and my back is acting up a little. I'm sure my discomfort is age related. Ranie is so much younger I'm sure her discomfort is the result of something else. 

A little bit of conflict today. I'd like to walk through the St. James, Green and Hyde parks. So we have come up with a plan to use the Tube to get to and from our destinations. We'll see how our plan plays out. For now, it's off to breakfast. And did I mention, breakfast is included?!

The plan came together beautifully. We hopped on the Underground and rode to St. James Park. A short walk later and we were at Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. We had a great spot right on the wall of the Victoria Monument. We got there at 11:00 as the crowd grew. The pomp and circumstance was to begin at 11:15. By noon, nothing had happened. Turns out there was no changing of the guard ceremony today. Oops. At least I got some nice photos of the Victoria Monument. 

After realizing we weren't going see the changing of the guard, we decided to wander through Green Park toward the Wellington Museum. The park was beautiful but cold. The leaves are falling off the trees and everyone is bundled up. At the end of Green Park near the museum are several monuments commissioned to remember different groups who served in various wars. They are quite impressive. Our plan was to get back on the Underground and ride to the shopping district. The parks were so beautiful we decided to continue our walk in Hyde park. 

Hyde Park is a 300 acre park was once used as Royal hunting ground. Serpentine Lake is a man made lake built in 1730 for Queen Caroline. There is no longer hunting in the park but people enjoy the lake in the middle of London's version of Central Park. We walked through the park to Speakers Corner where anyone can speak their mind about topics of the day or anything else. I noticed, just like in the United States, the only people speaking seemed to be crack pots!

We left the park, crossed the street and we were on Oxford Street. Oxford Street is an upscale shopping district. It was packed! People were shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalks. You could hardly move without bumping into someone.  Ranie had a good time visiting the stores. I had good time fighting through the crowds trying to keep up with Ranie. The highlight of our shopping experience was Selfridges Department Store. Selfridges has been at this location since 1909 and is still a family owned store. We learned about Selfridges through a series on PBS that portrayed the store as big, flamboyant and extravagant. It didn't disappoint. The store was incredible. It was huge and beautifully decorated for Christmas. Unlike stores in the U.S. there were helpful store staff everywhere. All the cash registers were open so, even though the store was packed, checking out was a breeze. 

We walked the length of Oxford Street until there were no more stores. We hopped on the Underground and headed back toward our hotel. We were looking for the Red Lion pub to have some original English pub grub. The Red Lion has been at its current location since the mid 1400s  and has been a pub the entire time. Prime ministers have dined there for years and Charles Dikens referred to it in his books. Besids all the history, the food was great. Ranie had the fish & chips and I had a meat pie. Of course Ranie sampled a local ale. We had a really nice time. 

London is a very international cosmopolitan city. Today we heard at least five languages spoken. In fact, the clerk who checked us into the hotel had an Eastern European accent, the concierge's accent was from Spain and the waitress in the pub was French. Seems hardly anyone we've met has a  British accent. 

Here are some picks from today. 

London Day 2

Well as it turned out we were too tired to watch a movie last night. It was dinner and into bed early. Which is good since we were up and at it again at 5:30 this morning. We are a little, emphasis on little, more organized this morning.  Our plan for the day is to grab another nice breakfast at the hotel, tour London in an open top double decker bus, go to Borough Market for lunch then later find a pub for a dinner of fish & chips. Yesterday, a woman gave us her ticket for the bus tour. She said she bought it before she realized she wouldn't have time to use it. That was incredibly nice of her. The cool thing about the bus is we can get on and off at any of the stops over a two day period. So we can do more in depth exploring if we wish. We'll see how our plan plays out. 

First we had to have breakfast. Did I mention it's complimentary?  Today's buffet was even better than yesterday. They added sausage and country potatoes to the menu. I must have eaten well because I felt full for the first time since we left San Diego. Did I mention breakfast was complimentary? 

After breakfast we headed out. On our way out we saw all the courtesy cars lined up for the people here for the pro tennis championships. When we checked in they let us know they couldn't give us the room we expected because they were prioritizing the players and support people from the tournament.  I was surprised the tournament was such a big deal. I didn't know anyone still watched tennis. But I digress. We caught The Original Tours sightseeing bus at Trafalgar Square. These are big double decker busses. The upper deck is open. The first thing we noticed was it was cold! Being in England we had no choice but to bundle up and carry on. The bus took us throughout all of London and the surrounding areas. We had seen many of the sights yesterday. We also saw sights like Hyde Park, the Duke of Wellingtons first home, the Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London for the first time. 

We hopped off the buss near the borough of Southwark, an upscale area southeast of London. Southwark is the home of Borough Market. The largest market in the London area. We wandered through this massive farmers market for about two hours. We enjoyed the best toasted cheese sandwich ever and bought a baguette, cheese and prosciutto ham for dinner in the room.

After the market we walked over to the Tower bridge. We came across some really cool areas along the River Thames.  Just across the bridge is the Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are keep.  Oh, also a whole bunch of people were imprisoned, tortured and killed. We spent well over an hour exploring there. We were shocked at how big the place is. I thought the Tower of London was just a medieval prison tower. Turns out it was a royal residence that happened to be used as a prison. When you look from the outside it is very deceiving. The only down side was it was super crowded. The line to see the jewels was huge. So we passed on that and went into the White Tower. White Tower is the main structure at the center of the compound. It was super crowded and once you're in you have to work your way all the way through. We started to feel like the prisoners of old thinking we would never get out.

 

We finally escaped the tower and waleked over to All Hallows by the Tower. It was of interest because it is the church in which John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States, was married. How's that for a little trivia? We were pretty wiped out so we didn't go in to look around. 

We'd had enough sightseeing for one day so we got back on the tour bus and headed back to to home base at the Marriott. All in all it was a great day. I have new appreciation for London. It is a beautiful city with beautiful, interesting architecture and historically significant buildings on almost every corner. 

Tomorrow is Sunday and we haven't decided what we are going to do. We'll let you know when we decide. 

London Day 1

Talk about culture shock! Yesterday morning we were in very rural and relatively uncivilized Africa. Today we're in super urban, highly civilized London. I'm not sure what I expected but good grief there are a lot of people here. Being slightly clostrophbic and highly clumsy I was on the edge of uncomfortable all day. Literally, there were so many people I couldn't move without bumping into someone. So enough griping. 

Today we explored London the Hunter way. We love to just go out and start wandering around. We awoke this morning and had our complimentary continental breakfast in a lovely library overlooking the Thames River. Love complimentary! Especially when it's good and this was good. Fresh made muffins, fruit and yogurt, pastries, eggs and toast. I've been craving bacon so was thrilled when I saw they had bacon. Then I opened the dish and found they boil bacon in England. It looked like a pot full of soggy ham. 

After breakfast, around 10:00am, we left and started wandering. We crossed the Thames River on the Westminster Bridge past Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Of course we forgot our Rick Steves book on London at home so we had to find a book store. We walked over to Trafalgar Square to a book store. You would be surprised how hard it is to find a tourist book about London when you're in London. But we found one. Then we needed to find a coat for Ranie. It's a lot colder here than I thought it would be. Especially when it starts raining. Again, we were successful. While taking care of these mundane tasks we walked past beautiful ornate buildings and monuments in really cool public squares. 

During our travels we took a couple of wrong turns and ended up in the red light district of Soho. This used to be the seedy part of London. Now it is becoming more trendy and the hub of London's music and entertainment district. But there are still lots of strip joints, gay shops and "registered" sex shops. Ranie keep wanting to go in but I had to put my foot down. (Ha ha)

Anyway, we walked from 10am to 6pm and came back to the room exhausted. During our travels we visited Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square (they have a four story M&M store there), St. James Park, Buckingham Palace (where we spent way too many pounds in the gift shop) and the National Gallery (beautiful paintings by Renoir, Rembrandt, Monet, Manet and other masters of the canvas). 

So this evening it's a movie in the room and early to bed. Have to rest up for another busy day tomorrow. 

On To London

We survived Addis Ababa!  We sure enjoyed having an actual hotel room last night. After a week sharing 12X12 huts with four other people, a spacious, air conditioned room with a king size bed and a shower and bath tub with hot water and water pressure was like being in heaven. Ranie took a shower and a bath and we both too showers before going to bed and again when we awoke. Even though it was only about  five hours later. We went to sleep about 12:30am and were back up at 4:30am. 

The hotel clerk recommended we catch the 6:00am shuttle to the airport so we would be to the airport two hours before our boarding time. Of course we were right on schedule so we breezed through immigration and security. So we had three fun filled hours in Addis Ababa's Bole airport. Actually closer to four if you count the 35 minute delay in boarding. The bright side to all of this is they switched our flight from a stop in Rome to a direct flight. That got us to London about 90 minutes earlier. 

Ranie didn't waste that time. She continued to make friends in airports. She renewed conversations with people she met on our flight yesterday,had a nice conversation with a young man from Ethiopia now studying in London and saw a western couple with what looked like a new born African baby.  she navigated over and found out they were a couple from Ireland, he's Irish, she's Spanish, who had just pick up their baby. The end of an eight year process for them. As we were boarding Ranie noticed a woman sleeping through the boarding call. She was a good Samaritan and tried to wake her with a gentle shake. After several attempts the woman didn't awake. I was beginning to think she was dead! By now several people were watching and encouraging Ranie to give the woman a good shake. So she did. The woman awoke with a start and was totally disoriented. It took her several seconds to realize she was in the airport. She was looking blanking at Ranie so Ranie asked, "Are going to London?" The woman said "yes", thanked Ranie and took off running for the gate. Everyone had a good laugh!

The fun didn't stop there. On the plan the woman across the aisle from Ranie was traveling with her two young boys. Ranie ended up holding the youngest on her lap for the first hour of the flight. I had a picture for you but I had a big brain fart and deleted the entire post.  this is a rewrite. I think it's from the brain damage I have from hitting my head so many times the upper bunk in the Malawi hut!

We are less than an hour from London so I think I can safely say I didn't get sick in Africa. Over half the team had at least one bout with "Zulu's revenge". I am shocked. I figured I'd be sick the first day and I'm such a baby I would have been sure I was dying of Malaria or some other dread disease. Of course I've probably just jinxed myself and I'll be sick the whole time we're in London. I hope not. 

I am very excited about this next phase of our adventure. I don't think it will be nearly as emotional as the Africa phase but as a history buff I can't wait to see places I've read so much about. I'll keep blogging and hopefully won't bore you. 

Landed in London at 2:50pm. Man that was a long fight! Screaming babies, flying very bumpy circles around Heathrow and a very old dirty airplane. I've had enough flying for a while. We took the train and the underground, London's subway, to Westminster bridge and walked across the bridge over the Thames, past Big Ben and the Eye to our hotel. Once we checked in, it took us a long to get to our room as it did to get here from the airport. I'm sure we walked several kilometers (notice the clever switch to metric?)from registration to our room. Nice room overlooking the Eye, Jubilee Garden, the Thames and Paliment. 

We are dead tired so no sight seeing today. We'll rest up and get started tomorrow. Since I don't have any photos from today I'll share a few more Africa pics.

Good Bye Malawi

Our time in Malawi has come to an end. I'm amazed at how quickly the time has passed. In many ways I am ready to go. In many other ways I am sorry to be leaving. I will miss the wonderful people of Malawi. They have been gracious hosts whom I now consider friends. I am particularly fond of Steven who is the village coordinator for Chilombo Village. He is a kind man who has overcome tremendous obstacles and now helps kids in the villages who  face what he has been through. 

The young women interns that helped us from the time we arrived were great. They helped us feel much more connected to the local population. They acted as our interpreters and cultural liaisons. They were the happiest most joy filled young ladies. They brightened every day for us. They are shining examples of what can happen when you invest in children. 

I think what I will miss are the children in the villages. They have almost no worldly possessions. The ones they do have are worn and dirty. Yet they are incredibly kind and engaging and gratefull for everything you do for them. Even if it is nothing more then hold ther hand or encourage them or pray for them. I am going to do my best to help them with some of the bare essentials like shoes, hygiene products and food. We can make a big difference with a small investment of time and remarkably little money. 

On the other hand, I won't miss the van rides. There is just no way for 17 people (or more) to get comfortable in a 15 year old Toyota mini van. I won't miss bumping me head half a dozen times a day on the bunk above me. And I definitely won't miss the power outages and cold showers. However it is those exact things that brought the team together. 

So this morning we loaded ourselves into the van one last time and headed to the airport. We said our bittersweet goodbyes and headed for the gate. Of course our plane had mechanical problems so we were delayed by nearly two hours. Of course Ranie found all kinds of interesting people to talk to while we waited. Including a Lebanese man who wants to build an amusement park in Malawi.  

We will part ways with the rest of our team when we arrive in Addis Abba. They will transfer to a flight to Rome and from there to the United States. We'll stay the night in Addis Abba at a hotel near the airport. I'm still a little nervous about that. Then tomorrow morning we take off for London and the final leg of our adventure. 

We made it safely to Addis Ababa! We pre paid for a room at a Radisson near the airport. Turns out it is a five star hotel. Too bad it's in Addis Ababa. We were met by a driver to take us to the hotel.  The drive from the airport looked like we were driving through a war torn area with bombed out buildings. At the hotel we had to X-ray our bags and they used a hand held metal dectoer on me before we could enter the lobby. I guess that's just a sign of the times. 

This room is quite a contrast to sharing a hut with four other dudes. The down side is we have get up in 5 hours to get to the airport. The bright side is will be in London at this time tomorrow. 

Back To Malawi

We ended our time at Kafunta River Lodge with another fantastic breakfast at 5:30am. Then back on the road at 6:00. I will always remember this experience and can hopefully came back some day. A short 6 hour ride and we were back in Njewa village, Malawi. After two nights in luxury, sharing a lodge with my beautiful wife, it's back to the 12X12 hut with four other dudes. Oh well it's only one night. Hard for me to believe the trip is over. We fly out tomorrow. 

We still had work to do before we left. COTN hosted a lunch for all of the children sponsored by our team members. Our team has committed to trying to find sponsors for another 20 kids when we get home. Ranie and I are looking for sponsors for four kids. Let me know if you're interested. Those 20 kids were invited to lunch also. 

We had a very nice time getting to better know our two sponsored kids, Binosi and Sevarina. We also learned about Maria, Falice, Rose and Betha. All girls looking for a sponsor. These girls generally get two meals a day, live in homes with no running water and if the have shoes, they have only one pair. We shared a nice lunch then gave Rose, Betha, Maria and Falice shoes or a clothing item before they had to leave. 

We gave Sevarina a bunch of school supplies in addition to a pair of shoes. We gave Binosi, who loves to play soccer, a soccer shirt and soccer ball in addition to his school supplies. Both of these kids are very shy but Sevarina couldn't help but smile. Binosi was literally jumping up and down he was so excited. These simple items are luxuries they would never see. I felt tremendous joy bringing some happiness into their lives. By the way, Ranie raided a Target sale before we left and paid less tha $20 for everything. 

After lunch we went to an outdoor market, called the post office, so people could by souvenirs. The "shops" are 4 or 5 foot long  3 foot deep spaces in the parking lot of several banks, near the Malawi post office (hence the name). These vendors are so aggressive they make lions look tame. When they saw a van load of Azungu (white people) pull into the lot it was like like a pride of lions after a buffalo kill. How do you like the safari references? Anyway, we all got out alive. Some even found bargains. 

We wrapped the day witha dinner hosted by the COTN Country Director at her " lodge". It was very nice with delicicious local foods. Then back to Njewa for lights out. 

I've attached a a couple photos from lunch. In the rush to leave for the post office, I forgot my camera and my phone was dead so I don't have photos of the feeding frenzy. 

For give my frequent spelling, grammar and format errors in this blog. Between writing late at night in bed and the auto-correct feature I have had a bit of a struggle. I was going to blame Ranie but figured you all know better than that!

Safari #3

Well I guess I've learned my lesson about shopping. I thought going shopping in a Zambin village would be more fun than shopping at home. Not so much. Ranie found a few nice things so it wasn't a total waste of time. When we returned to the lodge Ranie had a massage and facial while I sweat my way through a short nap. At 4pm it was time for our final safari. 

Safari #3 three started with us letting Abel,our guide, and Isaac, his spotter, know our goal was to see a leopard. Almost immediately upon our departure it started to rain. Turned out that was a good thing. Helped to cool things off quite nicely and didn't rain for long. We proceded to have wonderful encounters with elephants, giraffes and hundreds of Impalas ans bush bucks. But no leopards. We spoke with another safari group who said they had caught a quick glimpse of a leopard but they couldn't see it well. By the time we stopped for sundown drinks, and the sundown was awe inspiring, we'd still struck out on leopards. We did enjoy watching the hippos and elephants cross the river heading for night time grazing. 

Abel and Isaac were now on a mission to find leopards. The sun was down, clouds blocking most of the moonlight and Isaac was working the spotlight. Then it happened. In the distance, about 300 yards away the spotlight reflected off two spot in a tree.  It was clearly the eys of an animal. We approached to about 100 yards and we could see it was a leopard cub.  As we sat and watched we saw another cub in a tree ahead and to our right. Abel was determined to get us closer for a better look. 

Between us and the leopard cubs was a drying watering hole. The edges had mostly dried but there was still water in the toward the middle. Abel steered our Toyota Land Cruiser into the watering hole and stared to maneuver us closer to the leopard cubs. Of course we were all wondering where mama leopard was. The going was weary rough as as Abel tried to negotiate the deep ruts and holes left by hippos and elephants using the watering hole. In fact, we noticed a half submerged hippo about fifty yards to our right. As the Land Cruiser bumped to a rough stop, the leopard cub closest to us came ot of his tree and started exploring the watering hole. A short later the second cub left his tree and we lost sight of it. We watched the remaining cub play for about ten minutes as Isaac followed it with his spot light. 

When it was time to go Abel calmly announced, "Interestingly, we are stuck."  He them ask the men to get out of the Land Cruiser and push.  No big deal. We have two wild leopard cubs, a missing mama leopard and a hippo, the most aggressive of all the animals to humans, in our very immediate vicinity. So all us guys jumped out to help push. I had only taken two steps when I stepped in an elephant track. Not the stinky kind, just a big hole. The track was knee deed and I almost feel. The other guys were having similar problems. We were able to free the truck quickly and get back on our way with no loss of life or limb. However, one of the guys did fall and another saw something large drop from a nearby tree thought mama had come to protect her cubs. Thankfully it was a false alarm. 

Abel was now on the hunt trying to get us a better look at the cubs. Apparently seeing leopard cubs is very rare. Or find the mother leopard. After about 10 minutes driving through very heavy brush we spotted another set of glowing eyes. It wasn't mama but it was an adult male leopard. Abel got us into good position to the leopard walk across a field. Abel told us he thought the cat was heading for a nearby trail so he took us that direction.  We arrived where Abel expected the leopard to cross the road. When we stopped we noticed a lion and her cub walking in a drainage area to our right. The leopard was comic straight toward our truck. We all sat as still and quiet as we could. The big cat walked past us within five feet of our front bumper. I have to say this safari ride is definitely in the top five great experiences of my life. 

I tried to take pictures as all this was going on. I was able to snap one that isn't too blurry. I attached it for you. The video is better but I can't attach video. You can check it out when we get back. I've also attached a couple other photos from this evenings safari. 

This is our last night at Kafunta River Lodge. We had a wonderful time. The staff was friendly and helpful, the food great and views spectacular. If they could do something about the heat, this place would be perfect. 

Safari #2

UI'm sitting on the porch after our second safari watching the Baboons, Impalas and Wart Hogs graze just off the porch. We're trying to catch a little rest before brunch at 11:30. We have had a busy day so far. Up this morning at 4:30am. breakfast at 5:30. Safari at 6:00am and back to the lodge at 10:30. 

This morning the full group went on Safari. Before we reached the park we had seen a heard of Zebras and a family of Giraffe. We spent the next several hours watching Hippos, Elephants, Water Buffalo and a huge pride of Lions. I counted 16 lions lounging in the grass under a tree. They were all females and cubs. They were very lazy because they had recently killed a waste buffalo and had full bellies. Watching them reminded me of my house house after thanksgiving dinner! 

We went looking for the male and found him about five minutes later. He was off by himself relaxing in the shade of a bush. Our ride parked less than 15 feet from him. I stood to take a picture an that bothered him. He started to stare at us and let out a low growl. Abel, our guide, said that was our signal to leave. I wasn't too worried. I had Ranie and Rachi between the lion and me. 

We have one more Safari this afternoon/evening.  I hope we find a leopard this afternoon. Another group did see one this morning. The leopard is the only major animal we haven't seen. I think I said in yesterday's post that a jaguar had been seen in camp. I was mistaken. There are no Jaguars here. They saw a leopard wandering through camp. I wouldn't want to meet either one of them on my way to the bath room!

Before our next Safari, we're going into the village for some shopping. First time I've been excited about shopping since I bought my last set golf clubs. 

Here are some photos from today. 

Safari #1

The miserable trip in the van was worth it. The Kafunta River Lodge is beautiful. We arrived at about 2:30pm. Just in time for a delicious spaghetti lunch and a safety briefing. We can't walk at night without one of the staff because the animals come into the village. Last we it was two jaguars and a pride of three lions. The hippos are regular night visitors as are elephants. While we ate dinner hippos were grazing about 50 yards away. 

Four of us guys went on an evening Safari today. We left at 4:30 and returned at around 7:30. You ride in an open Toyota Land Cruiser with elevated seats. Our guide is Able and the spotter is Isaac. They did a great job. Within in 10 minutes we were watching giraffe graze about 10 yards away. That was just the beginning. We saw Impalas, Bush Bucks, Kudos, Hippos, Crocodiles, Lions, Elephants and a few small animals who's names I've forgotten. I was interrupted while I was writing this by an Elephant grazing on a tree five feet from our window. Mind you there is no glass in these windows. Just screen. 

By the way it is HOT here. It was still in the low 90's when we went to bed. 

Internet is very spotty here and very slow so I can't post too many pics. I did include a couple of my favorites. 

On Safari

We made it! Five and a half hours in a van with no air conditioning. About half the way was on bumpy dirt roads. Some of us guys are going out for our first Safari at 4pm. Here's a quick shot from our porch. 

Going on Safari

We're leaving for Safari, South Luangwa preserve, this morning at 8am. Plenty of time for me to get ready since I woke at 1am. I did fall back asleep a couple of times. The second time I woke, about 1:45, I was sleeping so hard I figured I must have been out for hours. You know that feeling like someone is smashing you into the pillow. I was disappointed I hadn't been sleeping longer but I had manged to create a huge drool puddle puddle.  So I had that going for me!  Anyway, I digress.  I decided to get up and write. I doubt we will have I nternet service at the park in Zambia so thought I would post something before we leave. 

I thought you might like to know a little about the members of our team.  I am amazed at how well we have gelled as a team. Most of us didn't know each other at all before this trip. So being thrown together in some difficult situations (tight living quarters, Rather primative conditions, emotional situations, not feeling well) people can either turn on each other or support each other. This team certainly chose to support each other. I thought you might like to meet the team. 

HOLLY: Holly is our team leader. She is a Regional Director for COTN. This is her second trip to Africa. She is very dedicated to serving needy children throughout the world. She organized the entire trip and all of our in country activities. Despite all of her responsibility to the team, she has shown she knows how to have fun. 

MIKE (AKA: Mookie): Mike, Holly's husband, is a youth pastor on his first trip to Africa. Mike and I have been friends for about three years. Mike is 6'6" tall and full of personality. He is a sensation every where we go because he is so big. Malawians are a realitively small people. Mike keeps everybody laughing. He spontaneously breaks into foreign accents (some real, some made up) or starts singing popular tunes with lyrics he makes up to fit the circumstances. 

MARCO: Marco is Mike's friend and a volunteer working with Mike's youth group in the U.S.  This is Marco's second time in Africa. As a child he lived in Mozambique. Marco is VERY funny and likes to goof around.  In fact I learned yesterday that he was a stand up comic in Los Angeles at one time. He is very insightful and loves the kids in the villages. Apparently they love him too because he always has one or two in his arms with several others clinging to his hands. 

LANA: Lana is a brand new COTN employee on her first trip to Africa. LANA is originally from Australia so we make fun of her accent. Lana in lovely inside and out (learned she was a professional dancer, Seahawks cheerleader and Lakers girl). The children in the villages flock to her. We generally find her sitting or kneeling with a flock of children around her. Apparently she doesn't like bugs. Every evening during devotions she squeals and jumps out of her seat at the sight or sound of any flying bug. Quite entertaining. 

RACHI: Rachi is from a small town in Ohio and is on her first trip to Africa. She is very creative and introspective. Rachi has become the team photographer and takes very creative photos and video. 

TOM: Tom is and independent business man from St. Louis. This is his second trip to Africa. Tom is married with two small children and sponsors three children in Malawi. Tom is bright, funny and listens more than he speaks. He is always willing to help out and is able to connect with the local teens and young adults despite the language barrier. Tom is a genuinely good guy. I like him a lot. 

JOCELYN: Jocelyn is a business woman on her second trip to Africa. She is married to Matthew. Jocelyn has a smile that lights up the room. Her heart for these children is obvious in every village and home we visit. Jocelyn is really fun to talk with. She and Matthew sponsor two children in Malawi. 

MATTHEW: Matthew is married to Jocelyn and they sponsor two children in Malawi (I know I just told you that). This is his first trip to Africa. Matthew works in the computer tech field. Sorry that's as much as I could understand. Matthew is the quiet thinker of the group. He is one of those people who doesn't say much but you'd be wise to pay attention when he does. He is a smart, insightful, funny guy.

RANIE: Ranie is my lovely wife who reluctantly came to Africa as a show of love to me. She really misses her daughters, granddaughter and of course Margaret the bulldog. The lack of internet and cell  phone service the first few days didn't help. Now that issue is worked out and she is feeling much better. Despite her home sickness you can see her heart melt for the village children as they flock to her. Ranie really connects with the teens and young adults. I am so proud of her for overcoming her fears and so blessed to have her as my wife. 

DONALD: Don a ruggedly handsome sinner trying to leave a meaningful legacy. This is my first trip to Africa. Ranie and sponsor one child in Malawi. For now at least. 

Day Five

 We started the day with another delicious breakfast (kidding).  We left the COTN compound at 8 am and headed for Chichere Farm, a home for 15 teenage boys and a 350 acre working farm.  The farm produces all of the food for COTN children's programs - including maise, peanuts, sunflowers, tomatoes and fruit. The boys work as assistants to the farm laborers during school breaks and during their gap year ( between high school and hopefully university). We met an 18 year old young man named Peter who was waiting for his exam results. He hopes to attend university and then law school. We learned that he needs a sponsor in order to attend university. Peter told us that he had visited San Diego in 2008 as part of a COTN group. He is so hopeful about his future.  There is so much need.  As we were leaving he asked Ranie if she was on Facebook.  They shared contact info and he promised to let her know when he receives his exam results.

Steven, our COTN coordinator, shared his history with the group during our return trip.  He was orphaned as a young boy and he and his younger siblings were raised by his older brother without resources.  They lived in horrible circumstances but he was able to attend school because COTN paid for his education through 12th grade.  He's a great example of what is possible when someone supports a Malawi child.

The highlight of our day was meeting our sponsor child in Mgawyi Village. We met Binosi, his parents and 2 brothers and sister.  They were a lovely family that was so grateful for the support they are receiving through COTN.  The mother thanked us for blankets, soap, clothing and Binosi"s education.  We walked through the village with Ranie holding Binosi's hand and carrying his sister.  He never let go of her hand.  We will be able to see him again on Tuesday when all the sponsor children attend a lunch.  We will be giving Binosi his gift at that event.  It was so amazing to see beautiful face.

There is a dance party this evening. We will likely be spectators because we are so tired. We leave for our safari tomorrow morning. It's a 4 hour drive so tomorrow will be another long day. At least the trip will be in a tour bus. Hopefully our days of 20 people in a Toyota van are over!

Africa's revenge has been making its way through the ranks. Four of or team members have been down with stomach problems. Fortunately I have been spared so far. For you folks at Ken Lee, I could fill a years worth of "News From Ken Lee" articles. 

Day Four

Today we had a chance to catch our breath. Although I have yet to sleep past 3am (today I was awake at 2),I am feeling energized. 

This morning we shared morning devotion with the students at the International Christian Academy, which is within the compound where we stay. The singing was inspiring. 

After breakfast we headed for the Crisis Nursery. This nursery houses children who lost their mothers during birth or who were abandoned. The nursery has about 6 months to find family to support the child. They work very hard to save these children from death or a life on the street. We were allowed to spend time, hold, play with the kids. We were all very touched. Several of our team members contemplated becoming international fugitives and smuggling a baby out with us. 

The exception to the six month rule is Toko. Toko is two and a half and clearly rules the roost at the nursery. He inherited HIV from his mom. Mom is still around so they trying to stabilize mom so Toku can go back home. 

I really thought visiting the nursing home would be hard emotionally. As it turns out, it was very uplifting. The home was immaculate and the babies were clearly well cared for and loved. 

Next we went to the Graduation ceremony of a long time COTN staff member. Then back to the compound for lunch and laundry. Meal times have been a real blessing. The team dines together, we laugh hysterically and really get to know each other. Laundry was ...different.  Fill a tub with water and some soap, agitate by hand, rinse in the sink, ring out and hang to dry. A lot harder than I thought. I was sweating like a pig!

We spent the afternoon with the high school seniors working with them on the strength finders curriculum. It was a lot of fun getting to spend some individual time with kids and learning more about them. 

We ended the day by going into Lilongwe for dinner. The staff found a very nice Italian restaurant. What a nice time being in a place a little more like home. We brought our driver and guide with us and treated them to dinner. It was a very small way of thanking them for all they've done for us. 

We stopped at 7/11 ( yes there's 7/11 in Malawi) and I traded $40 for 16,000 Kwacha. I'm rich!

Only 12 of us in the van this evening. There as so much room it felt like a stretch limo. 

Day Three In Malawi

We spent the entire day in Cholombo, the same village we did our immersion in yesterday. Today was project day so us guys helped put a roof on a home for a family. The women ran a day camp for village children. We had a great day and everyone is exhausted!

We replaced a rotting thatch roof with a corrugated tin roof. I've included some photos.  During the roofing project Ranie was is charge In charge of putting on a recreation program.  She planned for 100 children but nearly 400 children showed up.  The event was a success even though we were not able to implement the plan.  The big hit was leaving 4 soccer balls for the village.  The village chief came to the van at the end of our day to thank us for the balls.  The living conditions in Cholombo are really poor but the people are so full of joy. The children love to hold your hand and the adults are so appreciative of any help. It's so easy to fall in love with the children because they are so beautiful.  We left with heavy hearts and a trail of children a chasing our van.  If only we could do more...

For those keeping score, we set a new world record for people in a Toyota van that seats 7 - we had 20 adults in the van- quite a tight ride.  

Living Conditions

Thought you might like to know about our living conditions. The 10 of us are living in two 12X12 huts. Kind of like on Gilligan's Island only not quite as luxurious. The five guys are in one hut. The five women in the other. I thought married couples would have our own huts. Big swing and a miss there. 

The group rest rooms are 20 yards away for the men and 30 yards away for the women. Three shower stalls and several toilets. There is rarely any hot water. Yesterday day I awoke at 3am, pretty common for all us guys, and jumped in an early shower and had hot water. I guess there is only about five minutes so hot water because I told my team mates to hurry and shores because there was hot water. Apparently I had used it all because they all had cold showers. 

Yesterday's hot shower was a true luxury. This morning there was not water at all! Nope, that's not a typo. Turned on the faucets and got nothing but a gurgling noise.  Thank got for the shower in a towel body wipes Ranie packed.  We're starting our third day in Malawi and currently in the middle of of our 5th blackout. 

I promised daily blog updates. Kind of hard to do with no internet access. We bought wi-fi cards yesterday hoping with would be able to contact home.  Another swing and a miss. The power outages have apparently knocked out the wi-fi routers as well. Cell phones don't work either. Still can't figure that out. 

Oh well. As my brilliant daughter Alie once said, "It's all part of the adventure."