Matt and Kate's Travel Blog

In Huambo...

2007-04-03T08:09:00.000-04:00

Well, made it to Huambo. Had to get to the airport in Luanda at 4am, which was painful experience in and of itself. The domestic airport is located down a dirt road…I though the driver had gotten lost because I couldn’t possibly believe this was the way to the capital city’s main domestic airport, but alas, I was wrong. The airport itself consists of one main room with various signs that people change manually indicating which flights are leaving and which are being checked-in. I got there very early so I had lots of time to watch as other flights loaded, and to figure out how it “works”. My favorite part was watching guys duct-tape peoples bags for a small fee—the Angolan version of getting your bag wrapped in Saran wrap.

After check-in we were shuffled through an immigration check point and then to a freezing cold waiting room…for 2 hours! Eventually, a door opened to the outside and there were busses waiting to take us to the plane. I flew on Sonair, which is owned by the nation’s oil companies and a conglomeration of various generals. I was told it is by far the safest airline for internal travel. The plane held about 50 people and looked like it was from 1980, but it was aerodynamic and I arrived in Huambo an hour and a half later in one piece.

The “airport” in Huambo is nothing more than a small one-story concrete building. You walk straight off the airplane, on the tarmac, to the “gate”. Once inside, I had to go through another immigration check-point and then to “baggage pick-up” where guys just handed me my luggage. (I put all of these words in “” because they are actually labeled that way, though I think it’s a bit of an exaggeration at times).

Huambo suffered very badly during the years of civil war from 1975-2002 and was the hold-out for Jonas Savimbi’s UNITA. In the 1990s, when it was thought peace might finally come to Angola, Savimbi backed out of the process and Huambo was held at siege for years—the city was essentially starved to death and within the city limits I’m told it was a pogrom, intellectuals and other who were suspected of ties to the government in Luanda were killed, others imprisioned. In essence, Huambo has been to hell and back.

My first impression of this place was how calm it is compared to Luanda. The climate is much cooler and the quality of air is much better. Under the Portuguese Huambo was known as Nova Lisboa, and the Portuguese government had intended to move the nation’s capital here. It was always known for being a very beautiful city. Some of that feeling has remained. The streets are very wide, the houses are large and the trees still bloom with bright orange and red flowers. There’s a lot of development in town—rebuilding houses etc—and shops have started to reopen.

I’m staying in the guest house of an NGO here called Development Workshop. Right after the war, when NGOs rushed in to help with the resettling of refugees that had fled the years of civil war. Huambo became one of the main posts for NGOs outside of Luanda. Today, most NGOs have left, deeming Angola to no longer be in need of their services (despite the fact that much of the nation still lies in ruins). DW and a handful of organization remain. But the presence of DW in Huambo is, I would venture to guess, the largest. It’s been in Huambo since the late 1980s and has a long term commitment to the area with its hands in virtually every sector from building and education to micro-finance and "re-education" for former soldiers. The guest house is simple but clean and very friendly.

So far, much of my time has been spent recovering from the trip and waiting around for my contacts to meet with me. I’m afraid today will also be spent doing work in my room. This week is basically a holiday week, so it’s hard to organize much to do. BUT tomorrow, which is national Peace Day, I will go with IECA, the Congregational church, to a meeting and “prayer” session with their youth groups. Then on Thursday…who knows. This weekend I’m supposed to finally visit Dondi mission station and then on Monday I go with IECA to a remote mission station called Bunjei and stay there for 3 nights. Then back to Huambo for couple of days before I return to Luanda and then Lisbon. Doing research here is, I’m afraid, a test of my patients…but what’s a girl to do?! Not much I’ve learned…

off to huambo

2007-04-01T15:53:00.000-04:00

so...I'm off tomorrow to huambo for 2 weeks...i'll write when able. not sure of internet connection there...wish me luck!

cross-blog post

2007-03-25T13:36:00.000-04:00

This is from Lara Pawson's blog that I mentioned in another post. Follow this link to read more of her commentary on Angola which seems to be spot-on. I thought this was particularly poetic...

All those bodies that fell into the sea from vast vessels designed to transport slaves - they are the reason Angola has so much oil. That's what I have been told. Over the centuries the preserved remains of these women, men and children have come to form oil. The wars that followed slavery contributed to the petroleum supplies: people shovelled bodies into the splash at the end of each day's fighting. And then independence came and more bodies were thrown into the sea. And the oil kept coming. That's why Angola has so much petroleum. That's what I was told.

So if it runs out, it will be a good thing. It will show that life has improved, that people are no longer killed and dropped in the ocean.

just in case you needed more proof...

2007-03-25T12:22:00.000-04:00

...of my nerdy-ness....

Worldcat (the BEST search engine for looking up books, articles etc all over the US) now has a public site! If you need a book via inter-library loan this mega-search engine will show you where it is housed. It also looks of archival collections, dissertations etc. It's really useful! Technically, it's supposed to be "world" friendly, and I have found listings for things in UK and SA libraries, but mostly it's for the US.

I'll put a link with my general links below but here it is: www.worldcat.org

and...more pics!

2007-03-24T12:47:00.000-04:00

Then there is the OTHER side of Luanda that is decidedly more chic. The first two pictures are of a bar/restaurant called Bahia...the two ladies are woman I have befriend here. Both Portuguese but living in Mozambique for work. The woman on the right is Gabi, she's actually moving to Luanda and having a hell of a time trying to find a house for her family (she's married and has two young kids).

The next pic is of a place called Cais do Quatro and is out on the bay. It's where I ate last weekend before going dancing. Luanda prices: lunch for 3 (one dish and one drink each) 100 bucks--and that's US buck! Crazy!

And the above pic is from the restaurant of some of the boats moored nearby...there's definitely cash here.

More pics...

2007-03-24T12:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this is outside the archive...there's a sort of "justice of the peace" down the street so there are a lot of weddings. These ladies must have been coming from there...also people seem to get married on Fridays and the parties go all weekend.

The last picture is of the, shall we say, "local watering hole". It's no wonder there's a cholera epidemic here (though when you got to the slums you really see where the cholera is coming from--follow this link to see my old post with a pic of the slums). Mostly people seem to wash themselves in this hole, but also the guys who clean the cars all day (you park your car on the street and pay them 5 bucks to wash you car) or the ladies who sell fruit (they use it to keep the fruit fresh in all the heat) use this spot...there seems to be a water-main break that keeps it full all the time. A mosquito paradise!

More pics...

2007-03-20T12:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, more pics! Haven't had the opportunity to take very many but here are some highlights (clockwise from left):

1. Guys hanging out on the street selling stuff.

2. Another example of a TOTALLY destroyed document.

3. This little girl is the grand-daughter of a woman that works at Soleme. She was my BF for the day.

4. Men fishing at the beach...this one's for Matt.

NY Times Article on Angola's Oil

2007-03-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

Interesting article about Angola's oil in today's NY Times with some good commentary about the corruption here. I particularly liked the final line:

“Angola has no interest in transparency and there is no source of external leverage on the government right now,” said Monica Enfield, an analyst at PFC Energy, a consulting firm in Washington. “With all their oil revenue, they don’t need the I.M.F. or the World Bank. They can play the Chinese off the Americans.”

Dancing in Luanda

2007-03-16T21:53:00.001-04:00

Just back from a night on the town...I just have to write this down before I forget it:

This is the scene:

Luanda--land of poverty and trash, but also great wealth and people who know how to have a good time.

A club outside on a dock on water that is, essentially, a cesspool. Visually, we could be anywhere...Miami...the French Rivera...Brasil...LOTS of people dancing of all different races and nationalities dressed in all different layers of garb (some not much at all).

BUT what makes this Luanda is two things: 1. MUSIC...from brasilian, to regaton, to elvis, to the beach boys, to buddy holly, to madonna, to you name it... 2. The surrounding scene...passing on a row-boat are about 6 street kids checking out the scene...watching the way the other half lives...

All very surreal. But Luandans definitely know how to have a good time in spite of, or perhaps because of, what's going on in the "real" world.

Boa noite!

my neighbors...

2007-03-15T13:16:00.000-04:00

Sometimes sound is the best way to understand a place. Let's see if this works...unfortunately, my neighbors the parrots decided to act up as I started to record, but you do get the sounds of the street with them, which is truly an accurate account of the sounds here.

dirt and paper...

2007-03-15T12:46:00.000-04:00

This is how my days are spent...sitting in a HOT archive (no air conditioning)
sifting through boxes of documents that are covered in dirt (literally) and are totally eaten by bugs. For those of us who spend hours in libraries, you'll no doubt be familiar with the threatening signs about how food attracts bugs which will destroy documents and books. Well folks, they ain't lyin'!

Some pics...not as pretty as the beach, but just how it is!

They are pretty self-explanatory, but notice the big bite taken out of the document...crazy!

blogs i like

2007-03-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

well...just met the BBC correspondent here...she's got a blog that's really great...and really tuned into Angola...she's been here a while: unstrung

she references another blog that seems really interesting: modal minority

Contrasts...

2007-03-11T09:33:00.000-04:00

Luanda is really a funny place. One the one hand, they have lovely beaches and sort of a hint of a former European-style city. On the other hand, you have unbelievable poverty and some of the largest slums in all of Africa. In a nation of 16 million people, nearly a third of them live within the limits of Luanda--a city built for about 400,000 Portuguese settlers. Thus housing is a problem for everyone, from those with millions of dollars to spare, to those who have nothing but a corrugated aluminum home built on piles and piles of trash. Indeed, in Casa Soleme, where I am staying for the month, there are business people who have been living here for a year, and who are booked through to 2008. Businesses pay for their employees to be housed in hotels, because it's too difficult to find adequate housing (with pluming etc) and what is available is outrageously over priced. Case in point, I met a woman here yesterday who is relocating to Luanda from Maputo with her husband and two small children. She's in Luanda for a month trying to find a place for them to live. Yesterday, she went to tour some of the new housing developments on the outskirts of the city that are western-style houses. They are completely sold-out and what is available costs $15,ooo a month! And it will go, quickly! What's more, the traffic from these outskirts into Luanda is nuts. People leave at 5 am to get to the office in time--it can take upwards of 3 hours to commute into the center of the city. Luanda is at the breaking point....it's an urban planners worst nightmare and it's not clear what is going to happen. There's talk of companies moving their headquarters out of the city to be closer to the nice developments that house their upper-level employees. But the main thing is the cost! I met a man last night who have been living for 2 years at the Hotel Presidente, which costs $250 a night! Nuts! There is so much money in this town and yet so much poverty. That's another aspect of this city "lixo" or trash, everywhere. With so many people packed into such a tight space and with zero infrastructure to deal with it, there is just trash everywhere! The poor areas and just teaming in trash, and people live off the left-overs of the better off.

The photos above are from the last couple of days...from left to right:

1. A praia! The beach taken this afternoon...very chic beach clubs with chairs and umbrellas to rent.

2. Women selling cloth on the beach...again, contrasts. The poor amongst all this wealth.

3. A view of Angola and some of the improvised houses. This isn't a poor neighborhood. This is just how it is. Actually, this picture was taken by a friend from the balcony of an aid-worker's home here in Luanda.

Beach!!! And, the bananas taste better here...

2007-03-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

Hi all-

Well, more pics if I can upload them. I went to the beach on Saturday and Sunday. These pictures are from Sunday...a place called Cabo Ledo that is about a 2 hours drive south of Luanda. I went with a really nice Portuguese couple that I met through Casa Soleme, where I am staying. He's a mechanic and works on the trucks and bulldozers here and she has just come to stay with him for a couple of months. They are very sweetly in love--Joao told me that he loves her because she's beautiful on the outside but also because she has a good heart and is his best friend, sigh.

And, as for the bananas...they are delicious! They really taste, well, banana-y! Yum!

So here are some pics, from left and clockwise:

1. Joao and Julia.

2. The view from the car.

3. Taken from the car and is of the thatched cabanas that you can rent along the water--it's really too hot here to be outside in the sun all day.

4. Hanging out at the beach...all the umbrellas were taken so we staying in the shade of the rental cabana.

5. The beach!

Pictures...

2007-03-02T07:14:00.000-05:00

Matt and I have a flickr account and I will try my darnedest to post pictures to it but the internet connection here is painfully sllllooooowwwww so I don't know how it will work out. These are the house parrots...they like to whistle at women...wonder where they picked-up THAT habit?!!

Picture of Angola

2007-03-02T06:43:00.000-05:00

Angola is located in southwestern Africa just above Namibia. I'm in Luanda right now, in the northern part of the country, and will be traveling to Huambo, which is more central and south of Luanda.

In Luanda!

2007-03-02T06:20:00.001-05:00

Well, I made it here safe and sound. My first day consisted of struggling to stay awake after nearly 4 days of traveling. The first thing that I noticed when I got out of the plane, besides the incredible heat, was the smell. Angola has a sweet smell---while that might be attributable to fumes from sewage that stuck in the atmosphere, it is nonetheless a distinct smell.

I'm staying a lovely bed and breakfast call Casa Soleme that is run by two sisters. It is by far the best place to stay in Luanda because of both it's location (with in walking distance to everything) and its familial atmosphere--everyone eats meals at communal tables. Plus the crowd it attracts is more aid-worker-ish than some of the bigger hotels that mostly cater to big-name oil and business executives in town for a week or so.

It's so much nicer staying in a b and b than an apartment, as I did last year. Mostly, there are people around to assist you and my general feeling is that this neighborhood is slightly nicer than the previous one I stayed in. But mostly, I've never alone or want for people to chat with, though I can see that becoming a bit burdensome with time.

I finally found the energy to make it out of the hotel this morning and bought a local sim card for my cell phone as well as popped my head by the archive to re-introduce myself. I start there on Monday. I've also had this funny realization this time around. I was so nervous and on alert the last time I was here and realized, I think, it's because last year I came from South Africa, where is it decidedly unsafe to walk around and when you do venture "a pé" you have to be TOTALLY alert of what's going on around you. It helps to be alert here, but the level of violent crime is nothing compared to South Africa. That said, the earning still come off, I have no bag, and my cell phone remains in my pocket...

So now I'm back in my hotel room with more hours to kill. Fighting "time" here is futile...even though the archive is open for another 6 hours, there was no way I could start working today...just doesn't work that way. Oh well, it's ridiculous to try and fight it, rather more productive in the long run to just go with the flow.

I'm supposed to go to Huambo in 2 weeks for 2 weeks, but I wont know until Monday the details about that leg of the trip.

Well, when there's more to write I will. Have internet access in my room and a computer this time around.

Beijos!

Here we go again...

2007-02-24T12:10:00.000-05:00

And they're off!

Well, I'm off...to Angola and Portugal...I'm really going to try and be better about writing in this time. This will be greatly assisted by my COMPUTER, which I'm bringing with this trip.

NY Times Article about Angola's Cholera Outbreak

2006-06-16T06:52:00.000-04:00

This is a good article just out in today's NY Times about the cholera outbreak. It gets to the heart of the matter, but, to be fair to corrupt politicians, to whom I'm not sure I should be fair, the war did just end in 2001. According to a friend, most of the revenue from oil is tied up in loans being paid back, and other loans that were made against oil profits to improve mining/pumping infrustructure. That said, where do all their Land Rovers come from??

Angola's Heroines

2006-05-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

Imagem 039_1
Originally uploaded by misskate123.

Finally got some pics loaded! Some descriptions included but more to come...and I just remembered that there are more pics to come as well!

In Sancerre

2006-05-27T09:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I made it back from Luanda and through South Africa and now I'm in Sancerre. I'm off to Lisbon for one more month before returning to the good 'ole US of A. I can't say it's a tough life...it's been an amazing trip thus far and I already miss Africa. What an amazing place full of beautiful people and places and complex problems that I think remain greatly understood and under appreciated.

I'm being kicked out of the internet cafe so I can't write more...but I'm uploading my pics from Luanda now and will include a link. I still have to put up the pics from the trip with Matt in SA...those are great!

More on Angola

2006-05-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

I posted this from Angola, but for some reason it didn't work...So here it is now...

First, an apology. Iºve been VERY bad about writing in...an NO pictures. The pictures are a matter of tact and safety. All my research is on the CDs and if I were to loose then things would be looking very bad.

So Iºve been here about 3 weeks and I leave to return to SA on Thursday. Itºs been great, but also hard. You must have a car in Luanda. Distances are far enough that it essential to have one if you want to do a decent food shopping etc. Also, itºs not particularly safe to walk around in all areas during the day, and certainly no where at night. So unless you can convince a friend to schlep you around, then you better get pretty comfortable with a book. Iºve only been able to go to the beach once because, again, you need a car to get there.

But, complaining aside, itºs a very interesting place. There is currently a cholera outbreak in the city and itºs not hard to tell why. This morning on my way to the archive I witnessed case in point. A pipe had burst on one of the main streets so it was flooding everything. But it also must have meant that the houses around there didnºt have water...so everyone was out with buckets just collecting the water coming from the street...which is easily mixed with raw sewage. Comparatively speaking, this water is actually much cleaner than other water sources that Iºve seen people collecting from. But, hey, you canºt blame people. We all need water to live, and with bottled water going for $2.50 for a liter, it pretty much means that most people have to depend on what little there is.

Luanda is basically a big, crazy, hectic city. Iºm sad that I wasnºt able to make it out to the provinces, but that will be for the next trip. Everyone who has traveled there says that Luanda is a bubble compared to the rest of the nation. Iºll have to judge for myself, but I donºt find it hard to believe...Luanda seems like a bubble compared to the rest of the world! A strange mixture of capitalism, socialism with corruption rampant and blatant...but most people just seem happy that there is peace and relatively forgiving of the obvious corruption of the government and itºs MANY cronies.

Well, thatºs it for now. Iºm only in SA for a few days then back to good ºole Europa for a months and then HOME!

Ahhhh....Angola!

2006-04-30T07:31:00.000-04:00

Well, the first thing I can say about this place is it is not at all what I expected. I thought it would be a war torn shell of a city with few modern conveniences. Well, it´s true that the electricity goes, that the water isn´t safe to drink and that most of the time it stinks of raw sewage which sits still on the streets. But Angola is also a place of enormous wealth (primarily oil and diamonds, but other natural resources as well). Luanda is a boom town. There are buildings going up everywhere and many people are becoming VERY rich. All with the sewage and the street kids there are wealthy business people driving chauffeured Range Rovers and talking on $500 cell phones. Above all else, the people here are amazingly friendly...shockingly friendly.

On Friday night I got the biggest surprise because I went out dancing. Things donºt really get going here until midnight and they continue on well into dawn...as I quickly learned! We went to a new club called "Chill Out" and I tell you folks, I could have been in Miami. The place is lovely...and very well designed...all outside with thatched roofs to block out the sun during the day. We drank Caiparihniaºs and danced until 3am until heading to another club for the last hour of dancing, then to a restaurant on the ocean to watch the sun rise. What a night!

Itºs taken me days to recover from that one!

There is so much to say about this place that I really donºt know where to start, but Iºll have to end there because my time is almost out at the internet cafe. Until later!

Angola here I come!

2006-04-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

The saga continues...but I'm officially going to Angola, though whoever reads this must be tired of hearing about the back and forth!

Matt just left after spending two fab weeks here with me in SA. He's going to post our HUNDREDS of photos soon. As for SA, it's been great. It's an amazing country full of extremes--rich, poor; sea, mountains; urban, rural. It may sound similar to the US and to a degree it is, but for whatever reason the extremes seem particularly "extreme" here. I'm not being terribly coherent at the moment.

The stories are too many to recount here. But it's been amazing so far, and I'll be back for a little more SA at the end of May.

As for Angola, I'll write as I can though it's totally unclear to me how I'll access internet there. This and more will become clearer once I get there.

Until then...

Matt and Kate's Travel Blog

2006-04-03T05:21:00.000-04:00

Hello World! A quick note. I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing in! Truth is that my days aren't that interesting...just back and forth from the archive. But they are about to get much better as Matt is arriving in 2 days!! We'll be going on safari and a game reserve near the boarder of Botswana called Madikwe then we'll take a drive through the center of the country and end up in Cape Town to do some touring around and taste some wines!

The official word at this moment is that I wont be going to Angola at the end of April...it's a long story but the short of it is that it's too damn expensive and it doesn't have to be. So I'll wait to go again some time next year...but there is still a chance that I may go in May-June with a woman I met who lives in Pretoria and needs to take a trip there. So, as usual, everything is up in the air. As it stands now, I'll stay in SA and tool around to some of the other archives I haven't been able to hit.

Besides that life has been good here. I spend the weekends with friends in Jo'burg which is great. My friend runs a program for girls in one of the worst townships (called El Dorado Park, ironically). Unemployment rate is around 86 percent! And most of the girl's parents either have AIDS or have recently died from it. It's a great support group for them...a time to be children if only for a few hours. We went into El Dorado Park last week to drop off a girl and see her new baby brother. She was lucky, because she lives in a solid structure that has running water and electricity--if you can afford the pay the bill. For 5 children and a mother they had a little bit of corn and some cabbage to get them through the week. It's a real wake-up call...and a reminder to be thankful.

That's it for now...writing this from the archive and I should be doing work!!

South Africa Pictures

2006-03-27T01:44:00.000-05:00

The girls
Originally uploaded by misskate123.

Just loaded my pics from my first few weeks here...

South Africa Update

2006-03-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

I’m writing this from the library because I find that when I get back from the library the last thing I feel like doing is writing about my day…prefer to forget it!!

I’ve been terribly about writing into the blog, so perhaps writing it in advance will help. As in Portugal I spend much of my time in the archives, but that is even more schiphrenic here. The papers I am looking at are from the Department of Foreign Affairs and are housed in the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The are the main, beautiful, government buildings that lie on a hill overlooking the city. The building was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and built in the early 20th century. Needless to say, it’s gorgeous. It is the main seat of government, and doing research there is much like doing research in the White House. The archives are in the basement of the DFA, the same building that houses the offices of the president. It’s also the building in front of which Nelson Mandela was inaugurated. Getting into the building is a bit of an ordeal…two security check points with xrays and metal detectors (and a document I have to sign saying I don’t have a firearm—which, by the way, they don’t actually CHECK for!)

Once in the building, I’m in the most un-sexy of places—the basement! The archive is run by a lovely man who sleeps most of the time and his co-worker, that checks her email all day and plays 1960s R and B (Marvin Gay etc)—actually listening to “Sexual Healing” right now. So here I am with piles of documents in front of me, in this weird basement, listening to Marvin Gay, at a wood table with mix-matched chairs. But what is great about it is that because it’s informal, anything goes. The Union Buildings hold the documents of the DFA from 1961 to the present—with papers open until 1986 (20 year rule). My understanding is that the National Archives are much more formal, request documents, librarians etc. But since it’s just one man running the show here, I can photograph the pictures, get all the photocopies I need. It’s VERY user friendly, if a bit weird.

I’m staying at a youth hostel in a neighborhood in Pretoria called Hatfield. Much of Pretoria is like Washington DC and full of embassies and consulates—the American Embassy is a HUGH monstrosity of a building the resembles a gi-normous bunker more than a place of work. It also apparently goes 10 floors underground, something from which the South African government was left in the dark throughout the Cold War. My current backpacker, from which I will be moving next week, houses a number of internationals that are doing internships at NGOs and embassies in Pretoria but need short term housing. So it’s a funny scene. Everyone gets up early in the morning and is out by 9am. Then we all return in the evening for dinner—it’s a bit more like a commune than anything else. Everyone knows is aware of each others work and the problems at the work etc. It’s an interesting dynamic.

My next backpacker is a closer walk to the archives and a bit nicer…we’ll see what the people are like!

That’s it for now. I’ll keep killing time in the archives with these updates!!

In South Africa!

2006-03-13T01:59:00.000-05:00

Matt and Kate's Travel Blog

Dear all-

Just a quick note to say that I made it to SA. Things are cool here and spent the weekend resting and hanging out with friends. Now back to the grind...staying in a youth hostel and trying to figure out about doing research! Yikes, I keep forgetting that is why I am here!!

More later....

Clouds

2006-02-12T06:35:00.000-05:00

Clouds
Originally uploaded by misskate123.

More pics on Flickr...This photoset called "First two weeks in Feb--Lisbon"

Check it out!

Sunny Saturday Afternoon

2006-02-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well, seems Saturdays are my day to post. It really feels like Spring here today...things starting to bloom...people out taking walks and in cafes. I spent the morning going for a run on the ocean right by the house. It's really so lovely here and so nice to be able to walk out your door and see the ocean. Everyone's reaction to Molly living out here is "Why would you EVER live in Estoril!!" But I tell you, one morning sitting in the sun by the ocean and you get it. Yeah, it's a schlep to the city every morning and it's a pain to come back tipsy at night on the train. But, it's worth it all for the amazing sea air and views!

Last night we went again to this cute restaurant/bar/performance space that is perched high above Lisbon with amazing views of the city and the water. Too much wine and not enough food later Molly and I stumbled to the train and made it home having sobered up along the way. Ahhh life!

Today is for hanging around. On my run I found this amazing little cafe that's perched above the ocean on cliffs and tucked in amongst an old fort. It's easy to miss...which makes it so great!!

My days are filled with running around. I start out in the morning with Portuguese classes and usually make it to the library by about 12:30 or 1 pm. Then home in the evening or off to meet Mols some where for um copo de vinho.

Lisbon is just amazingly beautiful...everywhere you look the buildings are like eye candy. Even in all their falling-down-ness the old splendor still comes through. It's a little bit hard to figure out where everything IS...not like Paris or New York where it's all out in front of you. But once you do find places, they are amazing and the people are fun and friendly. For example on our way to the bar last night we were walking up a HUGE hill and saw this amazing old house with an enormous courtyard. Of course I had to snoop around a little bit so I walked in. The entire courtyard was an enormous garden and the building was beautiful. As we looked around more we realized it was actually an art school and all of the huge picture windows were studios. Just amazing!

Well, that's it for now. Think we might try and take a few day trips next weekend to Sintra just outside the city.

Hope everyone is well!

Pics!

2006-01-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

More ocean
Originally uploaded by misskate123.

Click on the photo to take you to my uploaded pics from the last few days...Look at the photoset for Lisbon 2006.

First Saturday in Lisbon

2006-01-28T05:22:00.001-05:00

Well, I made it through my first couple of days. The weather here is very temperate and it's been relatively sunny (keeping my fingers crossed)--it's beautiful out today and Molly and I are going to walk to the town of Cascais from her apartment (in Estoril). Both are suburbs of central Lisbon and on the ocean. Estoril, it turns out, was a nest of American and British spies during World War II, how fitting! It's also where Casino Royale is based because it has the largest casino in Europe--Thanks goodness because my slot-machine arm is getting weak!

I've been spending my days at the archive Torre do Tombo and it's been very productive so far. Turns out my biggest problem is going to be TOO much information. I'm looking at the files of the Portuguese secret police (PIDE)--their version of the CIA. Pretty interesting stuff...but BOY did they collect a lot of paper!!!

OK, that's it for now. Still no word on the visa...that's a WHOLE other issue!

Made it!

2006-01-26T06:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I made it Lisbon. Don't have time to say much right now. Briefly, it's lovely. Portugal's a weird place because it's still really lacking in many of the "modern" admenities one expects in western Europe. Internet is still really difficult and the city is nearly impossible to navagate around. You can't get a straight answer out of anyone and everything take 3, 4, 5 steps to do or figure out. Fortunately, my friend Molly has been here for a while already and has shown me the ropes. More later...

Getting ready for the trip...

2006-01-06T12:15:00.000-05:00

Dear all--

This is just a short blog...only a few weeks left before I take off. First I'm off to Lisbon to do research and will live with my friend there. Then, it seems, I'll be going to Angola for 3 months! Let's keep our collective fingers crossed that all the paperwork goes through!

Probably wont blog again until I arrive in Portugal on the 25th. SO....TTFN!

Eriko in Tokyo

2005-06-03T14:51:00.000-04:00

JAPAN2005 039
Originally uploaded by misskate123.

I'm uploading the photos now, for those of you who still check this. Finally, PICTURES!

We're back...

2005-01-22T06:11:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it back to NYC after 48 hours of travel. We had some photo casualties, but many seem to have come out fine. The elepant trekking was amazing. It was a place deep in the jungle that protects elephants formally used for labor. We got to get into water with them and wash them (really amazing...elephants don't smell, go figure). Then Matt and I jumped (literally) on the back of the largest elephant they had and walked back to the main area at the reserve. We were SO high up! Amazing! Then they hooked the elephants up with a proper seat and we were off on our trek. We've got tons of great photos.

I also forgot to tell a great story from Lao. When we went tubing down the river in Vang Viang we were turning a corner and Matt was ahead of me and yelled to paddle myself to the left because of an obstruction in the river. So as I rounded the corner...I saw a heard of water buffalo! Our first time seeing water buffalo and we were in the river with them! They are absolutely the funniest animals. When the sit in the water they leave just their noses out so that they an breath...so it wasn't until some of them started to stand up that we saw just how large they were! And they are enormous! Bigger than a large cow! What a hoot that was!

We'll post a link to the pics as soon as we're able. Unfortunately, the photos from Bangkok were the casualties--all of our pics of the markets etc. Matt's beside himself. We checked the memory card in our baggage and it got erased by the x-ray machines...don't make the same mistake!

Back in Tokyo

2005-01-20T20:18:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note. We`re on our way back. Haven`t written because we finally got some nice weather and went elephant trekking--Matt and I bareback on a enormous elephant! I got to sit behind the ears! It was so much fun. Our last day was all sun, and we werent expecting it so we got a little toasty...but we just sat in the water all day.

Tokyo is cold and we`ve already been traveling for 1 1/2 days--just 14 hours to go! Urrggg. Can:t wait for all that snow in NYC.

Will post pics when we get home, couldnt figure out how to do it while away.

Until then...

We sure know how to have a good time...

2005-01-17T02:08:00.000-05:00

Well, you'll never be able to say that we don't know how to liven things up...Matt and I both managed to get food poisoning yesterday and today is a total waste as we try and recover (Richard, perhaps this accounts for the last post). What a honeymoon!! Owing to the lessons I learned from my mother, I pulled a "Lisa Burlingham" and immediately found the nicest hotel room available, there is nothing worse than being sick in a "rustic" hotel. So, mom and dad, you'll be happy to know that Matt and I have relocated to a comfortable bungalow on the beach complete with a standard bathroom, air conditioning, and the ever-important TV with BBC World Service on 24-7.

The sun did manage to show it's face a little this morning, but has again retreated behind the clouds. Forecast says Tuesday and Wednesday will be nice--and so hopefully will our spirits. For the moment, we're sticking to what we can buy at the local 7-11 (yes, they are even here)--Gatorade and Lays potato chips. I hate to admit that we came to Thailand and ate these things, but sometimes necessity dictates want.

A word on Koh Chang. It's an interesting spot. Originally visited by backpackers, the place is trying to upgrade its image making it virtually impossible to find an inexpensive place to stay. The main beach that we're staying on stretches for about a mile. The beach itself is lined with palm trees and restaurants that when the tide retreats in the evening (there's only one tide here) set up tables and chairs on the sand for the nights fun. A couple of the restaurants have "fire-shows". A couple of locals wrap clothes around sticks and ropes, dip them in kerosene, light them up and put on a show. It's a little too resort-y for me here, but the beach is lovely and it is relaxing.

The island itself is covered almost completely by rainforest. Our idea was to explore them today, but, being sick, it's not going to happen. Much of the forest is protected, but the popularity of the island is growing rapidly and with growth go the trees. Koh Chang seems to be a virtual construction site. From the people we've met, it seems the place has grown enormously in the last 3 years and with the tsunami wiping out the most popular beaches, many have chosen to relocate here.

Thailand in general, and Koh Chang in particular, have a serious trash problem. It just seems that there isn't the infrastructure to deal with it, particularly on a small island where the population doubles during the high season. Trash is everywhere, including on the beach, but the do have people hired to go around an clean it up. As with Lao, the people here are poor and the contrast between resort and local housing is astounding--shanty houses waterproofed with trash bags next to large, all inclusive resorts. It's hard to tell whether tourism is making things worse or better...

The other thing that is everywhere is prostitution. I knew that Thailand was a hub of trafficking, but everywhere western man can be seen with young Thai women. While I'm sure many of these relations are innocuous, it remains that many more are prostitution. It astounds Matt and me how open western men are about there actions--particularly when you can see the Thai people seething in anger that their daughters are being kidnapped to be sex-slaves.

I'll end on that note. Matt and I are off to recover some more...

New template

2005-01-16T05:18:00.000-05:00

You can tell I'm bored when I'm changing the template. We're back from exploring the island some, at the sun still hasn't come out. It's at least forcing me to get some of my work done that's due when I get back...

Weather's not supposed to clear totally until Tuesday...last 2 days we're here! Of course!! Oh well, at least it's warm still and you can still swim because the ocean water is nearly warmer than the air temp.

TTFN

Cloudy day

2005-01-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

So we made it south to an island near the border of Cambodia called Koh Chang but just our luck there is a cyclone on the other side of Thailand and it's giving us rough shores and cloudy weather. All the same, we're happy to be by the beach. We're staying in a bungalow perched above the ocean on some rocks. Matt calls it "rustic"--but it's cheap and clean.

The haul here from Lao was long. We left on Thursday at 1:30pm and again discovered that it's futile to make travel plans because nothing runs according to schedule. The bus picked us up at 1:30pm but we didn't actually leave the town for another hour and half. So when we got to Vientiane it was nearly dark and we were the last people (literally) over the bridge back to Thailand. Then we missed our flight back to Bangkok and stayed over night at a B and B next to the Mekong River. The folks who ran the inn were wonderful and woke at 5am to drive us to the airport--nearly an hour away, we had no idea. Then we flew to Bangkok, took a quick taxi to the bus station and got on a 6 hour bus ride south, to a tuk-tuk, to a boat, to a tuk-tuk and ended our night having dinner with our feet in the sand at the beach, a very nice way to end the day!

Some thoughts on Lao: Matt and I have talked a lot about it. It's an interesting place. The people are extremely poor financially and it's definitely 3rd world, but it's a lovely country that is fantastically beautiful. Around where we were in Vang Viang were the lowland people that in the last 20 years have been horribly persecuted and only recently repatriated from Thai refugee camps. They're still discriminated against (their children aren't allowed in the schools) and poor. The typical homes are built on stilts that perch them high above the ground and the walls are made out of a sort of thatched bamboo. The towns seem mostly to line the main roads and river--where the water is used as both a place to bathe as well as a place to water crops etc. Under many of the homes are enormous looms that the women work on to weave the most fantastic silk scares (of which I bought quite a few). Matt also noticed that there are very few old people--not doubt the result of years of war and hard living in general. The Lao people were unbelievably welcoming and kind, desite obvious communication problems. We were only sorry that we didn't get to spend more time there.

Well, that's it for now. We were supposed to go on a snorkling trip today, but have delayed it for tomorrow in the hopes that the weather will clear up. So we're off to a fishing village in the south of the island...

In Koh Chang

2005-01-15T02:40:00.000-05:00

We made it south after a long journey...on the beach and will write more later. Ran into people we met in Bangkok, going snorkeling tomorrow. Lots to write, but when the sun goes down!

In Vang Viang, Lao

2005-01-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone sorry it's been so long. Well, we took the train from bangkok to Nong khai and realized that we had to change our plans. we'd been warned not to make travel plans in laos--and it was true. the train took 1 hour longer than expected and then we got driven around by tuk-tuks in vientiane for a while and finally made it to the correct bus station only to find out that the bus we needed left the following morning at 4am. With not enough days in our vacation we changed plans and headed to vang viang, where we are now. it's fabulous here, but of course with our luck, our camera stopped working when we stepped of the bus!! here are some online pics to give you an idea...

http://www.travelmarker.nl/bestemmingen/azie/laos/bezienswaardigheden/vang_vieng.htm

the bus ride was hair raising to say the least! i thought matt was going to kill me! the breaks seem to have been completely warn down and made an awful sounds as we careened around sharp corners at 80 mps! always an adventure! we were stuffed in with about 10 other people (laos) with a million boxes of lao tobbacco and lao pop music playing on a rigged up stereo! i, kate, of course thought the whole thing was fab. matt just read his book and seathed!

The view once we got here was worth all the trouble. it is amazing here! we spend yesterday exploring caves in the karst cliffs and floating down the river in tubes. the laos line the banks of the river selling "beerlao". the have long sticks that you can grab onto to pull you into shore.

the town itself it totally wierd--a cross between somehting out of the wild west and a bad backpacker scene. the restaurants all have "happy" menus that you can order off of, specifying how happy you'd like the food...i'm sure you understand.

we were going to stay another night, but i think we've decided to see if we can start to head south to the beaches...we've learned everything takes longer than expected.

we'll be in touch! the truck we're taking back is open air with seats in the back!

Matt on Bangkok...

2005-01-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

ok this was our first night in bankok. Not a bad evening met some really great people who gave great traveling advise (one of the great things about staying in a backpacker hostil). Today we book our over night train and our visa for our trip into lao.
we will be staying, as of now 4 days at sala hinboun eco-lodge. Our trek will be an over night train to the border, a bus through the mountains and either a shuttle, if there is one, or a two hour boat ride up the meakong river. This area is very remote and not heavily traveled but is said to have the most diverse flaura and fuana in all of south east asia. In Lao one day will be taking a 7k kayak trek into some very large caves. getting very excited about this one, I am quite over bankok. It is a wonderful city and the people couldnt be nicer. The problem about bankok is that it is a vey polluted city and stinks to high heaven. I do not have the words to explain how bad the smog is, it is truely amazing. Thank god for our little oasis the shanti lodge. Kate and I spent a good part of the day at a weekend market that was so massive we lost our way more than once. It reminded me of one of those puzzles that you do when you use a pencil to try and find your way to the center of the maze. There were something like 15,000 vendors selling everything under the sun. For those of you who have to slug through the rain and snow back home, it was something like 90 today and not a cloud in the sky (well there might have been but couldnt see any through the smog. Ok as you might be able to tell from the babble I am super tired just wanted to let people know what was going on. oh yeah eating tons of thai food. they sell anything and everything from little carts on the street and the food is absolutly amazing and cheap, something like .50 for a plate of pad thai absolut heaven.

Leaving Bangkok

2005-01-09T23:19:00.000-05:00

we're off to lao tonight so just thought i'd get a word in before we leave...it's unclear what the internet situation is going to be there. we're head to the south to a national park and eco-lodge where we'll take kayaks to explore caves, go trekking in the jungle etc. we spend yesterday touring around bangkok. we visited the 'reclining budha' which was absolutely beautiful, but the huge tourist groups were overwhelming to we split and headed further into the city to the house of an american ex-pat named jim johnson who recreated a traditional thai home. the place is now a museum with a lovely restaurant overlooking a japanese style fish pond. it was a nice break from all the madness of bangkok.

we've been traveling the city by boat. a massive river runs through bangkok and we soon discovered upon arriving that taking a car/tuk-tuk (basically a motorcycle with an extension) was maddening with all the traffic and fumes. the boats run the length of the river making stops at all the necessary points. from our hostel we walk through an immense market full of vendors selling thai food of all sorts and veggies. matt and i ate dinner at a restaurant right next to the boat called 'in love'. we sat on the roof over looking the boats and bridges--lovely.

well, that's it for now. we're in lao for 4/5 days--traveling by train for 12 hours overnight. thankfully we have a sleeper car!

In Bangkok

2005-01-08T02:49:00.000-05:00

Kate here. Well, we made it to Bangkok. We're staying at the Shanti Lodge--a nice hostel that's out of the fray with a lovely restaurant surrounded by trees and food vendors. Bangkok is nuts--a huge city with lots going on. Food vendors are everywhere selling the most incredible things (Pad Thai, Green Papaya salad, fish, chicken, bugs--that's right, fried bugs for your flavorful enjoyment). This morning we went to an enormous market (15,000 vendors). Prices are so great for us that I couldn't help but buy the most fabulous cotton shirts and skirts. There was everything there: clothing, jewlers, animals, food, flowers.

The weather is extremely hot, but we're loving it. We have to stick around Bangkok until Monday (it's Saturday here) because we're applying for visas to go to Lao. We'll get it in 24 hours then take an overnight bus to the border and try and make our way to an eco-lodge that's in the middle of a national park there in the southern part of the country. Then off to the beach (bay side, don't worry). That's the plan at the moment...but we'll keep you all informed.

Cheers!

PS mom and dad--we haven't gotten the mobile hooked up yet and we haven't decided if or how we're going to do it. We have to see if it will work in Lao, but we'll stay in touch.

Matt and Kate's Travel Blog

2005-01-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note...we`re at the airport in Tokyo and it:s amazing. There`s free internet at a Yahoo sponsored area with about 50 laptops on tables overlooking the runway. Watching a KLM flight land right now. And it:s all next to the massage parlor and shower and day rooms that you can rent by the hours to rest and clean up between flights! We could just move in!

So we:re off to Bangkok where our friend there said it is 80 degrees and lovely! Can:t wait (saw that there are `ice pellets` in NYC...sorry guys!)

Matt and Kate's Travel Blog

2005-01-06T08:26:00.000-05:00

I should say, so you dont all get the wrong impression--we did see more of Japan then the toilets, but it has been a topic of conversation. More later...

In Tokyo

2005-01-06T07:52:00.000-05:00

Hello all--Kate here, I get to write first. Well after a hellish trip on the longest flight know to man we made it to Japan. Matt took too many anti-anxiety pills and I didn't get enough sleep so we were quite a combo getting off the plane. We figured out how to get to our friend`s home, had some grub and passed out in their traditional Japanese room (fit with tatami mats and all). Highlights so far: heated toilet seats (Matt will say more), heated floors, and lots of sushi and Raman. It`s been cold and rainy all day, but we toughed it out and saw two different temples (one Buddhist one Shinto). The Meiji (spelling?) temple was quite a sight, we saw the foremost sumo wrestler pray--a huge event that we just happened upon. Now, to Matt`s post, much more entertaining I`m sure.

Ok　to say I took too many anti-anxiety pills is an understatement. I was up the entire night dreaming　in japanamation, I have no idea if that was from exhaustion or drugs either way I pray to god it doesnt happen agian. I also read that long distance traveling does funny things to your "innards" I can assure you that this is certainly true. That is not the whole problam when you travel to Japan, while you are here the toilets in many restaurants are nothing more than a piece of ceramic thrown in a hole in the ground. I am told to just "balance", balance my ass you travel for 14 hours on nothing but booze tranqualizer and airplane food and lets see you "balance". Ok i would rather not write any more as I have no figgin idea as to what time it is or supposed to be, its something like 10pm here so I guess like 8am in ny. Ok so off to south east asia and some body surfing. Hope all is well with everyone. When I have time I will send photos of the various toilets they have here. The other one I tried had a heated seat. that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to comfortable, I couldnt concentrate. enjoy the snow.

We're still going...

2004-12-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hey all-
Yes, we're still going. Here's the itinerary:

JFK-Tokyo: Jan 4th (ANA Flight #9--that's for you mom--check flight status here: http://www.anaskyweb.com/us/e/) arrive Jan 5th

Tokyo-Bangkok: Jan 7th (ANA Flight #953)

Bangkok-Tokyo: Jan 20st (ANA Flight #954)

Tokyo-NYC: Jan 21st (6am!) (ANA Flight #10)

No real clue what the story will be once we get to Thailand. I (Kate) want to head to Lao, supposed to be amazing...

Will continue to update as we go!