After meeting at the base camp, we packed our bags and headed out fully stocked. Again we detoured at the little market, and I got to see Avocado Lady again. It’s my morning ritual. Today was a strange day. I was initially told that our group would be heading back to the static point clinic that we operated on Tuesday,…
Amongst the many news stories about the Coronavirus and how it has changed and affected everyone’s lives, there is no shortage of financial news. The economy is effectively shut down. Most white collar workers have comfortably shifted to working from home. Blue collar workers and gig workers, however, are feeling the financial strain. They’re waiting for their government checks while…
Everyone is affected by this pandemic in one way or another. As I mentioned in my last post, I am fortunate that the impact on my life has so far been minimal. As a retiree, I was already used to being home most of the time. I have been the author of the veterinary advice column for Catster magazine for…
Today we went out to a very remote area today, a village called Adagya, and set up a static point clinic at another community maternity center. Our team was me and Adusei, Charlotte, and a new Community Health Officer (CHO) named Naomi. And our driver, Moses, of course. We all met up at the base, loaded our bags, and headed…
A well-written and detailed account of the intertwined lives of four prominent, larger-than-life fixtures of the folk music scene of the early 60s. The book very effectively transports you back to those heady, exciting days of the Greenwich Village music clubs and cafes. I really knew nothing about Joan Baez’s sister Mimi, nor anything about her enigmatic, fascinating husband, Richard…
Day 2 started out well; excellent breakfast, then, off we went to the Mission Rabies Ghana Health Center, to load up our bags, meet with our teams, and hit the road. I saw Jo there testing out one of the megaphones, and I asked her if she could do her very realistic impression of how a dog with rabies barks.…
Today was our last day in Africa, and it was a long one. It started out with a very interesting tour. This tour was called Nai Nami: Nairobi Storytelling Tour with Street Children. It’s a tour conducted by five residents of Nairobi who have had very difficult lives as street kids. They share their story of their former lives, and…
Today’s safari was, for me, the highlight of the trip. Our driver met us early at our hotel (6:00 a.m.) Much to my surprise (and delight), Mark and I were the only participants on the safari. No one else had signed up. It can be fun meeting people on tours, but I was really glad that it was just the…
After a restless night trying to sleep (jet lag plus excitement), the alarm went off at 5:10 a.m. I shaved, showered, put on my Mission Rabies t-shirt, scarfed down breakfast with the rest of the gang, were given our special phones with the Mission Rabies app, and then off we went, to the Health Center (our base camp) where all…
We landed in Kenya and were taken to Acacia Tree Lodge. This was a lovely hotel. We settled in and then tried to figure out what to do on Christmas day in Nairobi, January 2020. In Ethiopia, Christmas and New Years are ordinary days, because they use a different calendar. Their New Year is in September and their Christmas is…
Our final two days in Ethiopia were spent back in the capital, Addis Ababa. We flew in from Lalibela on a short flight, and arrived at our new, beautiful hotel, The Capital Hotel and Spa, around 3:00. We didn’t have much time to spare, because I had scheduled the Go Addis food tour for that evening. We tossed our bags…
Today we set our sights for Lake Bosomtwe! According to my Google maps, it’s about 5 hours by car, although I heard that this depends on what route you take and what shape the roads are in. Either way, it should be an adventurous trip. Driving is often a good way to get to see and know a country. After…
In March of last year, I visited the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. I had purchased a MuseumCard which gave me access to a slew of museums in Amsterdam and elsewhere in the Netherlands, and I had been methodically going down the list and visiting each one. The Allard Pierson is an archaeological museum with a permanent collection that contains…
Today we woke up earlier than usual. Sunday is a very important day of worship for the residents of Lalibela, and the procession of people heading to the church for services is an awe-inspiring sight. Our hotel knows that tourists like to watch the processional, so they had breakfast prepared early for us. Hailu came to pick us up at…
Accra, Ghana. 2:30 p.m. on a Saturday – After clearing customs and getting my suitcase, I met my driver holding a Mission Rabies sign, and we were off to the Agoo Hostel, where I can chill out and relax for a bit. At 7 p.m. I’ll have dinner with the other Mission Rabies Ghana 2020 team members who have arrived.…