Hotel
Monday, August 30, 2009
I seem to always be behind in updating my blog recently. This could be because the internet never seems to work at my current hotel. First, you have to actually pay for each usage and then after you pay, it never works. It has severely limited my ability to keep in touch with people back home. There is no time to email and check things while I am work, as I am under the crunch time to try to get everything accomplished that I was brought here to do.
Some more about my current hotel. The pictures do it more justice than it is worth. I am not normally a huge complainer (Okay, maybe I am, but not usually about hotels--some of my friends who have traveled with me can attest to this--I have no problems staying at dives). The problem is that my bed is absolutely horrible. I have come to believe that I am sleeping on a box spring with no mattress, as the coils eat into my body every evening. It was so bad that on Saturday, I was in severe pain for all of the day and could not move my neck. Southern Sun (my previous hotel locale) has been overbooked recently and cannot accommodate me. So I am stuck here for a little while longer.
Enough complaining, back to the week. Last Tuesday (8/25), Jackie and I were privileged enough to get a smile and a look from the new Madagascar President while trying to negotiate her a room for additional nights at the Southern Sun. (It would appear that the President is the reason the Southern Sun was overbooked and why Jackie almost got booted from her hotel room). I should mention that he looked like he was 16. We also had no idea it was him until after the fact. My favorite Southern Sun bellhop (Paulino--seems to like me though he can really not understand a word I say) had to clue us in to who he was. After doing some investigation, we find out he (the president, not the bellhop) is my age and just kind of declared himself President while paying no attention to the legal minimum age for President in Madagascar (40 years old). We must have only caught his attention because I am sure the two curly haired Americans must have stuck out like a sore thumb to him. I certainly wasn’t looking to catch anyone’s eye that evening. I had just worked out, showered, was in jeans and my oversized Grand Canyon t-shirt, had no make up on, my hair was practically dripping wet and was just looking to forward to some good old pizza at A Nossa Casa. Well, everyone says you meet your future mate when you least expect it..maybe this was my time! HA HA HA!
Wednesday, we enjoyed trivia night at my supervisor’s house. She and her husband hosted the evening for anyone in the US mission who wanted to attend. It was a good time. Of course, I could only contribute to the music and movie questions (which were an extremely minor part of the evening). I let all of the diplomats try to answer all of the questions about the UN. (It is really really sad how little I know about the UN). It was a really fun evening, even though my team won nothing. I am thinking about taking trivia night back with me to states, without the tough political and historical questions. I will be hosting pop culture trivia nights instead.
Friday evening was luau night at the Marine House, which apparently is actually a frat house that houses the few US Marines that are stationed here. The food was great, but the music was only so so. No good dancing music for us 30 something year olds. The DJ chose to only play techno. (Give me my80s!!!) So we ended up leaving and went to a little place that is at the old train station here. (Side note--the train station is absolutely beautiful--one of the few old buildings in Maputo that isn’t in massive disrepair. It was in a scene in Blood Diamond and another movie, which I cannot remember right now). We finally got to dance. In fact, Paula (our fun CDC colleague), Jackie and I started the dancing for the whole crowd. A good time was had by all, even including our lively debate about religion. Stayed out a little too late, but well worth it.
The next morning, Jackie and I took the Vodacom Ferry (they like to call it a speed boat, but they are delusional) over to Inhaca Island. I had to get up at like 6, which was a bit early considering our late night. I did it because I knew I could sleep once I got to the island. This was my second time to Inhaca, but Jackie’s first. We decided to stay the night in the one lodge that is located there. It was perfect weather. We took a boat (this time it was actually speedy) over to Portuguese Island, which is uninhabited. It was a former leper colony. Jackie and I fell asleep there for like 2 hours. I did manage to find this awesome shell, which was almost too conveniently placed right next to our beach towels. It almost looked fake and a little too good to be true. When do you ever find a shell in one piece right next to where you are sitting? I am still a little worried something is going to crawl out of this thing and multiply in my hotel room. (Yes, I do realize I may have problems getting this through customs, but hopefully I will not get caught).
Later in the day, we took a land ride to another part of Inhaca and went snorkeling. It was interesting to see a bit of the island and how people live. The big game for the kids is to run after the truck and try to catch it. Of course, they usually never do, but they seem to have fun trying. We had one little episode where we almost hit a dune buggy head on (sand roads barely wide enough for one car) and sitting in the back of an open truck on narrow roads was a bit interesting. I believe I got whacked in the head by tree branches about 10 times. If I am not mistaken, I believe the driver was getting a kick out of this as he kept looking back at us laughing. Oh well, still fun and well worth the drive. We snorkeled at Santa Maria. I was smart enough to request a wetsuit and was able to tolerate the cold water more than the others on the excursion. The coral was not pretty (did manage to see a couple of pink/purple patches, but they were rare), but the fish were kind of amazing. There were huge schools of them. There were also some really pretty orange/purple fish and some fairly large fish. I really wish I could identify fish, so I could document what all I saw. I did try to take pictures with a disposable underwater camera, so we will see if any show up the photos. The area where we snorkeled was beautiful. It is surrounded by this dead coral, which is black. The combination of this and the water and the sand really makes it quite picturesque. We left there right before the sun went down.
Later that evening, we had a lovely (and tasty) dinner at the hotel. Sadly, though, I believe I was asleep before 8 pm. I was exhausted and in pain. Unfortunately, this was the day of my neck episode and the bumping around in the truck ride did not help the situation. The bed at the lodge felt like heaven and I haven’t slept that well in weeks. It did wonders for my neck, as the pain subsided greatly by morning.
Next morning started with breakfast and a less than appetizing episode with some disgusting looking sausage. Seriously, what made me (miss I will not eat any meat that looks or sounds weird) order sausage off the menu. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen and literally made me gag at just the sight of it. Jackie was brave enough to actually try a bite, but I think she quickly regretted it. I couldn’t even stand to have it at my table and luckily the waitress quickly took it out of view.
The rest of Sunday, we were pretty lazy. I laid by the pool (it was a bit windy/chilly to be in or near the water even though the sun was shining brightly) and enjoyed my new favorite drink, passion fruit and sprite. It is non-alcoholic and YUUUUUMMMY! I wish I could take this back to the states with me. Then we boarded the ferry for a little bit of a bumpy ride back to Maputo. A highlight of the ride was seeing dolphins off the front of the boat. (I told Jackie sitting on the front of the boat was the way to go!) I actually almost got a picture of one. I think you can still tell it is a dolphin.
We also got to enjoy the sunset over the bay. This is still probably one of my favorite memories/moments of my stay in Maputo. Nothing beats watching the sun set over Maputo Bay from a boat on the water.
Oh well, my very uncomfortable bed is calling. I guess I should try to get some sleep. I will have to remember to touch on the house that we may be getting in the future (mold and all) and my trip to the border to renew my visa. I also will need to finally mention a little about some people who have made my stay here easier and more enjoyable (Franco-our fun taxi driver who tries to teach me Portuguese as a bonus for riding in his cab and Malate--my personal Portuguese instructor, who I have been paying to try to teach me Portuguese).
I have been officially extended here until September 28. I am okay with this. It will allow me a little more time to get this document tracking system fully operational and more time to train the staff and the woman who is coming to take it over. (She has just been hired and will be arriving in Maputo in the coming weeks). I luckily got my presentation completed last week, just waiting for comments from the CDC country director. It was pretty time intensive. I think because it was all new material for me. It is about all of the various types of research activities that are conducted by GAP in Mozambique and the various CDC clearance processes that are needed for each different type of activity. It is a pretty dry topic and I need to figure out a way to liven it up. I will be practicing it while I am enjoying the Labor Day weekend here and hope I don’t look as clueless as I feel on the topic during the actual presentation.
I seem to always be behind in updating my blog recently. This could be because the internet never seems to work at my current hotel. First, you have to actually pay for each usage and then after you pay, it never works. It has severely limited my ability to keep in touch with people back home. There is no time to email and check things while I am work, as I am under the crunch time to try to get everything accomplished that I was brought here to do.
Some more about my current hotel. The pictures do it more justice than it is worth. I am not normally a huge complainer (Okay, maybe I am, but not usually about hotels--some of my friends who have traveled with me can attest to this--I have no problems staying at dives). The problem is that my bed is absolutely horrible. I have come to believe that I am sleeping on a box spring with no mattress, as the coils eat into my body every evening. It was so bad that on Saturday, I was in severe pain for all of the day and could not move my neck. Southern Sun (my previous hotel locale) has been overbooked recently and cannot accommodate me. So I am stuck here for a little while longer.
Enough complaining, back to the week. Last Tuesday (8/25), Jackie and I were privileged enough to get a smile and a look from the new Madagascar President while trying to negotiate her a room for additional nights at the Southern Sun. (It would appear that the President is the reason the Southern Sun was overbooked and why Jackie almost got booted from her hotel room). I should mention that he looked like he was 16. We also had no idea it was him until after the fact. My favorite Southern Sun bellhop (Paulino--seems to like me though he can really not understand a word I say) had to clue us in to who he was. After doing some investigation, we find out he (the president, not the bellhop) is my age and just kind of declared himself President while paying no attention to the legal minimum age for President in Madagascar (40 years old). We must have only caught his attention because I am sure the two curly haired Americans must have stuck out like a sore thumb to him. I certainly wasn’t looking to catch anyone’s eye that evening. I had just worked out, showered, was in jeans and my oversized Grand Canyon t-shirt, had no make up on, my hair was practically dripping wet and was just looking to forward to some good old pizza at A Nossa Casa. Well, everyone says you meet your future mate when you least expect it..maybe this was my time! HA HA HA!
Wednesday, we enjoyed trivia night at my supervisor’s house. She and her husband hosted the evening for anyone in the US mission who wanted to attend. It was a good time. Of course, I could only contribute to the music and movie questions (which were an extremely minor part of the evening). I let all of the diplomats try to answer all of the questions about the UN. (It is really really sad how little I know about the UN). It was a really fun evening, even though my team won nothing. I am thinking about taking trivia night back with me to states, without the tough political and historical questions. I will be hosting pop culture trivia nights instead.
Friday evening was luau night at the Marine House, which apparently is actually a frat house that houses the few US Marines that are stationed here. The food was great, but the music was only so so. No good dancing music for us 30 something year olds. The DJ chose to only play techno. (Give me my80s!!!) So we ended up leaving and went to a little place that is at the old train station here. (Side note--the train station is absolutely beautiful--one of the few old buildings in Maputo that isn’t in massive disrepair. It was in a scene in Blood Diamond and another movie, which I cannot remember right now). We finally got to dance. In fact, Paula (our fun CDC colleague), Jackie and I started the dancing for the whole crowd. A good time was had by all, even including our lively debate about religion. Stayed out a little too late, but well worth it.
The next morning, Jackie and I took the Vodacom Ferry (they like to call it a speed boat, but they are delusional) over to Inhaca Island. I had to get up at like 6, which was a bit early considering our late night. I did it because I knew I could sleep once I got to the island. This was my second time to Inhaca, but Jackie’s first. We decided to stay the night in the one lodge that is located there. It was perfect weather. We took a boat (this time it was actually speedy) over to Portuguese Island, which is uninhabited. It was a former leper colony. Jackie and I fell asleep there for like 2 hours. I did manage to find this awesome shell, which was almost too conveniently placed right next to our beach towels. It almost looked fake and a little too good to be true. When do you ever find a shell in one piece right next to where you are sitting? I am still a little worried something is going to crawl out of this thing and multiply in my hotel room. (Yes, I do realize I may have problems getting this through customs, but hopefully I will not get caught).
Later in the day, we took a land ride to another part of Inhaca and went snorkeling. It was interesting to see a bit of the island and how people live. The big game for the kids is to run after the truck and try to catch it. Of course, they usually never do, but they seem to have fun trying. We had one little episode where we almost hit a dune buggy head on (sand roads barely wide enough for one car) and sitting in the back of an open truck on narrow roads was a bit interesting. I believe I got whacked in the head by tree branches about 10 times. If I am not mistaken, I believe the driver was getting a kick out of this as he kept looking back at us laughing. Oh well, still fun and well worth the drive. We snorkeled at Santa Maria. I was smart enough to request a wetsuit and was able to tolerate the cold water more than the others on the excursion. The coral was not pretty (did manage to see a couple of pink/purple patches, but they were rare), but the fish were kind of amazing. There were huge schools of them. There were also some really pretty orange/purple fish and some fairly large fish. I really wish I could identify fish, so I could document what all I saw. I did try to take pictures with a disposable underwater camera, so we will see if any show up the photos. The area where we snorkeled was beautiful. It is surrounded by this dead coral, which is black. The combination of this and the water and the sand really makes it quite picturesque. We left there right before the sun went down.
Later that evening, we had a lovely (and tasty) dinner at the hotel. Sadly, though, I believe I was asleep before 8 pm. I was exhausted and in pain. Unfortunately, this was the day of my neck episode and the bumping around in the truck ride did not help the situation. The bed at the lodge felt like heaven and I haven’t slept that well in weeks. It did wonders for my neck, as the pain subsided greatly by morning.
Next morning started with breakfast and a less than appetizing episode with some disgusting looking sausage. Seriously, what made me (miss I will not eat any meat that looks or sounds weird) order sausage off the menu. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen and literally made me gag at just the sight of it. Jackie was brave enough to actually try a bite, but I think she quickly regretted it. I couldn’t even stand to have it at my table and luckily the waitress quickly took it out of view.
The rest of Sunday, we were pretty lazy. I laid by the pool (it was a bit windy/chilly to be in or near the water even though the sun was shining brightly) and enjoyed my new favorite drink, passion fruit and sprite. It is non-alcoholic and YUUUUUMMMY! I wish I could take this back to the states with me. Then we boarded the ferry for a little bit of a bumpy ride back to Maputo. A highlight of the ride was seeing dolphins off the front of the boat. (I told Jackie sitting on the front of the boat was the way to go!) I actually almost got a picture of one. I think you can still tell it is a dolphin.
We also got to enjoy the sunset over the bay. This is still probably one of my favorite memories/moments of my stay in Maputo. Nothing beats watching the sun set over Maputo Bay from a boat on the water.
Oh well, my very uncomfortable bed is calling. I guess I should try to get some sleep. I will have to remember to touch on the house that we may be getting in the future (mold and all) and my trip to the border to renew my visa. I also will need to finally mention a little about some people who have made my stay here easier and more enjoyable (Franco-our fun taxi driver who tries to teach me Portuguese as a bonus for riding in his cab and Malate--my personal Portuguese instructor, who I have been paying to try to teach me Portuguese).
I have been officially extended here until September 28. I am okay with this. It will allow me a little more time to get this document tracking system fully operational and more time to train the staff and the woman who is coming to take it over. (She has just been hired and will be arriving in Maputo in the coming weeks). I luckily got my presentation completed last week, just waiting for comments from the CDC country director. It was pretty time intensive. I think because it was all new material for me. It is about all of the various types of research activities that are conducted by GAP in Mozambique and the various CDC clearance processes that are needed for each different type of activity. It is a pretty dry topic and I need to figure out a way to liven it up. I will be practicing it while I am enjoying the Labor Day weekend here and hope I don’t look as clueless as I feel on the topic during the actual presentation.
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