Posting issue

So no idea why the pics aren't showing. I'll try and fix it when
I'm in the State's next week. Here are a couple of views from another
trip I took here a couple of years ago to tide you over :)














This is from when I hiked the Citadel. It's the oldest fortress in Haiti built to guard against the return of the French just after Haitian independence. Most of the views are from the top, the one of the facade was from the hike up. The little boy followed us everywhere, really sweet boy who lives there. His Uncle is the "caretaker". And the house is from the village on the side of the mountain as we hiked back down.

Haiti, the best kept secret in the Caribbean

Well Howdy Folks,

I am on the road, again. This time back to
Haiti. I'm here for the week at the local partners forum. We bring all
the clinics/hospitals together a couple of times a year to share best
practices, get technical updates, etc. It is good and hot, not quite
Africa hot but hot none the less. And every day at about 5pm it rains.
I'll be in Port-au-Prince for this whole trip so not a lot of field
time, but it's nice to be back and see everyone again. Here's a little
local flavor for you.



This is a "tap tap", the local bus. They are
brightly painted as you can see, fit 30 - 40 not so comfortably, and
often have big iron artwork welded to the tops. The most common I see
are big long airplanes welded to the top of the "bus". The locals can
tell where the tap tap is from in the country, or even where it Port-au-Prince it is going by the way it is painted.



Sugar cane is for sale everywhere. It stave's off hunger so there are wheelbarrows just like this on every corner, sometimes two. And yes, that is a very large pile of pots and pans on her head. That's nothing, I've seen queen size bed frames before too.

Ok, that's it for now. See you all stateside!

K.

Huts, baskets and more trees...oh and livestock

The huts in the villages are pretty varied. Some are square, others round. Many are built atop tight packed dirt or even concrete and then large tree trunks hold up the edges of the thatched roofs giving a wrap around porch. They are also often painted, some with wonderful designs and patterns.

We stopped at "the bridge" on the way there and back to pick up drinks and snacks.




Then of course, if there is not charcoal by the side of the road, there is livestock...generally crossing as you approach at high speed.



Lots of trees, more hills and lots more of the Great East Road in reverse.

That's a huge baobab tree on the side of the mountain we were driving through.

Then more people carrying heavy tubs of water.


A very random "bus stop"

And beds on top of an already overloaded truck...

And then back in Lusaka for a couple of days.


That's about it for now. More posts from my next location!!!

Love,
K.

A few more days then 6 hours back

Here is some more scenery. The mountains were great, every now and then there would be a huge baobab tree or some fiery red thing. Tons of mango trees. And of course the ubiquitous charcoal for sale along the side of the road. Along with a random bed or two and doors. Just doors. It wasn't until we ran across some new brick structures with door frames and no doors that the random door sale made sense. See a need fill a need I guess!

Ok, the internet is acting up again. I'll edit more in the morning.

Goodnight from Zambia!

Beer Run

Dear Luci and M,

So by Tuesday night we were ready for a couple of beers. I got directions from Shelia, the medical director at St. Francis. Mother of 6 ranging in age from 15 to 2 (the last one she delivered herself because her labor progressed faster than she thought it would!), great kids, great family. Really wonderful to be around. Here are the directions:

Turn right towards Mozambique.
Go over 2 speed humps and then after about a kilometer you will see a Ministry building on your right.
Just past that on the left there is a really big pile of sand.
Hidden just behind the sand is Patrick's place. He sells beer.

So we went the wrong way. Best quote of the week was Miguel pulling over after we had gone a good 1/2 hour towards Malawi. The guys came over to the car, we all did the local greeting and then Miguel says..."Which way to Mozambique". We never did find the beer place that night, but we did have a great dinner at Malo Gardens. And Cara couldn't resist the lady selling produce because she had a baby with her so we got a really big bag of onions to boot!

It was a lot easier during the day light the next day so Wednesday was beer and card night. Cara made spaghetti. Of course we didn't have enough things to eat on or with so we emptied the butter holder that had the kids Lego's in it and washed it out for an extra plate and I got the lid to the pot. Spaghetti with a spoon is tough, especially since I'm not allowed to cut it since my Grandmother told us it was bad luck. But we had a blast! After three days of chart reviews and 100's of patients and the heat; beer, cards and pasta in a pot lid felt just like home.

More pictures soon.

Cheers,
Kik.

Company is always nice...

So, they are called racing spiders and boy are they quick.


It was a nice little dance around the tub each time to keep the proper distance between me and Harry.

Definately not Kunduchi Beach Resort

So, since I got soooo much sympathy for the rough environment from my last trip to the coast of Tanzania, with the great beach and cold beer I thought I'd share the five star accommodations from this foray into the bush.

Here is my "shower". Most of the time we had water, and trust me, a scoop from a bucket really does feel quite good after sitting in a room for 9 or 10 hours sweating to death.

Love,

Kik

St. Francis Hospital

So, wedged between Malawi and Mozambique sits the eastern edge of Zambia. St. Francis Hospital is actually rather large with an inpatient unit, surgical unit, pediatric in patient and a huge, and I mean huge, ambulatory wing. They have about 3,800 patients on HIV treatment and another 5000 in care currently. The kicker is there are currently 3 doctors serving this population, and 2 of them leave to go back to Australia after a year here next week. It's a pretty amazing place. By about 5:30 am people begin arriving at the entrance en-mass. By 7 am the waiting areas, open courtyards ringed by exam rooms, are filled with people. 20 people to a bench that about 5 Americans would sit on. People sitting in front of them with their feet dangling into the concrete well in the middle. The very sick lying down. Somehow order is maintained. People file one at a time into the exam rooms as others file out. Just about every woman has a baby on her back. Many men are also carrying young children. We sat in one of the rooms where a community health worker administered the patient survey. Four of us around a 2x2 table on chairs and stools, the top stacked high with charts and water and coke bottles. 110 degrees outside but we kept the door closed so the patient would have some level of privacy. The people here are so gentle and friendly. I didn't take any pictures inside the clinic, I always feel like an unkind voyeur when I do that. Like their suffering is somehow a tourist stop, a brief holiday for the mzungu to bring home and show around. So the pictures of people generally come as I pass them at 120 km per hour. But here is a look at the grounds. You can see a bit of the purple jacaranda flower carpet below the tree.

road and more road...and people walking

Here is a shot of the jacarandas. I wish the purple came out better, they really are a brilliant violet color. The flowers have started to fall and the ground underneath looks like a long violet carpet. The drive was long, and a little warm but as I mentioned the scenery was wonderful!




The road is called the Great East Road. Very aptly named. It runs east, and then further east and then still further to the east. We passed huge stretches with nothing there, then there would be a few huts visible, then small villages, then a "town" and then nothing again for a very long time.


As in all places I have traveled over here, you will be driving through the middle of nowhere (which did I mention I spent six hours driving through?) and suddenly the road is full of people walking. No idea where from or where to, but they are walking or biking and usually carrying very very heavy things or have two other people on their bike. I can't get over how physically demanding the lives of the people here are. I really am in awe.



Yes, note there is nothing around. I really really want to know where they are going.



Yes, that is an oil drum on her head....

We finally made it to Katete in time for the Zambian sunset...

I wish the pictures could do this place justice. I really is a beautiful country. That's all for this post. More to follow as I catch you up on the week. Miss you all!!

Love,

K.

Good news...there was a road all the way there

Howdy from Zambia,

So, we were up and ready to leave by 9 am on Sunday. Of course, we got on the road right on time...about 12:30. It's about a 6 hour drive from Lusaka to Katete where St. Francis hospital sits just on the outskirts of "town". 120 km per hour in the back of the truck perched sideways on benches. The secenery was amazing!!! It's coming into summer time here and the jacaranda trees are in full bloom with beautiful purple flowers. It makes up for the 110 degree heat for sure. We drove through nowhere to get right to the edge of the Zambian border tucked between Mozambique and Malawi. I'll write more later, having internet trouble.

K.

On the road again...

Hey Luce and M,

Six whole weeks at home, it went by so quickly. I'm off again, back in Zambia. I arrived in Lusaka yesterday afternoon and the team came over for a great Indian dinner, wine and beers. Amy and Chris's little girl has gotten so big (they adopted Kondwani a few months ago and she has already grown so much). Cara and Miguel's three seem to be adjusting to life in Zambia quite well and have already made a lot of friends. I'm off to Ketete today for the rest of my stay. Cara, Miguel and the kids are going as well. It's going to be a hoot. We will be at St. Francis Hospital where it is wonderfully dry and 100+ degrees of course. Pictures to follow when I get back.

Greetings from Zambia.

Love,
Kik

Keep on Truckin'

So there was then a little more driving, another beach, on to Nysna - probably spelled wrong (beautiful bird sanctuary and marsh lands) then on to see Bruce's Beauties (Endless Summer anyone?) and Cape St. Francis. I'm just going to post a series of pictures and the overall themes....relaxing, great wine, relaxing, hiking, great wine, amazing oysters, nice B&B, great view, great wine. Did I mention there was great wine. Here's the journey, picture style.

yeah, so it's a really good thing I'm afraid of heights and the only way to the top (other than an all day roped climb) is in a spinning partially open glass ball suspended several thousand feet in the air by what they claim are very strong cables (but I could see it was a bunch of wire wound round and round till it looked strong). It was worth it. The top of Table Mountain is a fairly rare ecoregion (according to all the signs anyway). Spectacular.

ok all for now. ciao, Kik.

Enough Said...

It really is a very good life lesson and certainly applicable to all kinds of things. Like lesson two of that day...don't get in the car until the Baboon is ready to get off the car.

My Mother always told me...

Still South Africa Dreamin'

Then it was off to the Cape of Good Hope. Holy Cow is really the best way to describe this area. Another beautiful day was had by all, great hiking, great views, and getting our asses kicked up and down South Africa by Robb's 87 year old mother. We had to run to keep up, it was great!

Here is the Cape...

Best lesson learned this day...

Guess the lesson will have to wait. Bandwidth issues again I am guessing. Oh well, back to the "with baited breath" wait you had when you put this blog together for me in the first place!

Cheers,

Kik

South African Flashback

Dear Luci and Emily,

Ok, so the great internet connection (although this is the 7th time I've tried to post this) and the cool weather in Nairobi has inspired me to try and post at least a little of where I've been roaming. This time last year I was in South Africa. I took a week with some friends to drive the Garden Route. It was really a surfer's guide to SA as Robb, the man we made coordinate and plan the whole thing, is a surfer from California stuck in land-locked Zambia for now.

We started in Capetown and went to a great B&B on the Southern Right Coast that overlooks the whale routes. It was stunning. Also, it was the first time I ever saw anyone in Africa walking a dog on a leash.

We set off for Boulder Beach.

Yeah, I don't know why they call it boulder beach either. It was, in a word, stunning. And, to top off the scenery, the company, the wine, etc...there were penguins. Yes penguins. Cathy didn't believe there were penguins in Africa either.

They affectionately call them Jackass penguins because they bray like donkeys. It's one of the funniest sounds I have ever heard. And they are everywhere. Oh, and they bite, hard apparently so don't get too close.

He may not look mean to you but this guy meant business. We gave him a wide berth while he stared us down. King of the beach.

Ahhh, yes. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

- K.

Ahhh Winter in Kenya

Ok, so I completely forgot that winter in Kenya is actually winter. It's about 52 degrees right now and will get down to the high 30's tonight. I completely forgot socks and shoes. We've got a full house tonight, all roads led to Nairobi. It's Phil (our new doc), Martine (senior tech advisor for adherence/treatment support), Sandra (senior lab specialist), Shadrack (lab specialist) and me. Martine knows a great Mediterranean restaurant here and we are heading over at 7.

Nairobi always looks so strange to me, big concrete tenement buildings. A lot of the city looks like it was constructed by the Soviets circa 1982. And the traffic is quite a hoot. It has traffic lights, but I'm not sure what they meanb because everytime I see one showing red everyone drives through. Beats me. And a two lane road really really means four lanes of cars should weave in and out of each other.

Much like Kigali. Did I mention that in advance of the big International HIV meeting they put traffic lights everywhere. Small problem, I don't think anyone really knows how to use them yet. There are folks flying through them because they don't really know what they mean yet. Looking forward to some good old B'more traffic cams. It's the little things you miss you know.

I'll try and get some snaps this week and update while I've got access to rockin internet access thanks to Phil and his son.

Talk to you all soon.

Love,

Kik (aka Kristen or Krissie depending on whose readin')

Tanzania continued

All right, here are a few more photos to show you how completely deprived I am the whole time I'm over here.

I know, real hardship tour last week was. Well, off to Kenya tomorrow. Ciao for now.

Kik

Tanzania and back

Howdy folks,

Well, even though I don't think I got more than 3 or so hours of sleep a night, I'm not gonna complain. Our retreat was at Kunduchi Beach resort (for the 3rd year in a row) which is ever so unfortunately located right on a beautiful beach. I know, you feel so sorry for me. I spent the first 2 days forgetting where I was and trying to order meals etc in a mix of french and kinyarwandan. Note to self, they don't speak french in Dar es Salaam. But here are some of the views so you can get the full sense of just how much sympathy you should have for me.

Will have to post the other photos later, typical African internet connection right now. Miss you all.

- Kik

Bed nets and Samboosa

Howdy Folks,

Still in Rwanda until tomorrow. It's been an interesting conference, there are a ton of people here! Last night, CRS had a reception for the AIDSRelief team and colleagues. Lots of food, good beer and traditional Rwandan dancers, singers and drummers.

I love that this guy is wearing sneakers!

This is the view from the AIDSRelief office. The dogs are larry, moe and curley.

Got some laundry done this morning and got some pictures of Ruth's garden to share.

Her house is great, huge open spaces and balconies off the front and back. Ok, more from TZ when I get there.

Cheers,

Kik