Weekend Getaway

Our second weekend in Mbabane, our new friends, Meredith and Dan (PAC Doctor) invited us to a game reserve 90 minutes from town called, Mbulzuni. This is one of their favorite retreats and since Meredith had a friend visiting from New York (Melissa), they were packing up their two kiddos and getting out of town for the weekend. We planned to leave at 4:00pm on Friday (the clinic is only open to patients on Friday morning, so after the doctor’s ‘all staff’ meeting on Friday afternoon we were going to bust out as to avoid driving in the dark (I haven’t asked too many questions about this because frankly, I don’t want to know, but everyone recommends not driving in the dark). Since I am currently a happy homemaker, I spent the majority of Friday running errands, packing, and cooking in preparation for the weekend. The plan was for Doug to go to Manzini to pick-up our car straight after work and then to swing by the house to grab me and then for everyone to meet at the clinic at 4:00pm to caravan. Obviously, this plan was a little too tight and seamless for Mbabane. So, insert Doug’s soon-to-be-told story about picking up the car and I’ll pick-up on Saturday morning when we actually left for Mbulzuni. Of course, we invited Matt, because he is our faithful sidekick and the three of us set-off for the 90 minute drive to Mbulzuni. I am pleasantly surprised, but happy to report that we did not encounter any problems while driving and besides looking out for the cows, goats, impala, etc. that might meander into the road (or in some cases, dart across) we made it to the game reserve just about 10:30am. The reserve is privately owned, and managed by two of Meredith and Dan’s friends, Matt and Stephanie. Matt is British, but was raised in Swaziland, and Stephanie is from Charlottesville, Virginia. They met while Stephanie was studying abroad in Botswana and I guess the rest is history. Anyways, the accommodations at the reserve were magical. There was a main house with a beautiful patio overlooking the river and then four bungalows each with bath and sleeping quarters.

Main house including kitchen and family room
Our bungalow
Patio, pool, and river view
One of the main reasons I refer to Mbulzuni as magical is because it is very remote, so our accommodations were 20 minutes down a dirt road, well into the park, and since there are no ‘predators’ at this private reserve, you are free to be out of your vehicle and to hike around. As we were driving in we encountered 10 giraffe in/alongside of the road.
We also saw a few impala. More affectionately known as a 'DLT' or a 'deer like thing.'
And, on Sunday morning when we went hiking, we felt the earth move as a heard of wildebeasts bounded through the clearing. Like I said, magical.

Two Flats + No Spare + Rain = Fun

[Pictured above: Doug and Matt realizing there are TWO flat tires]
Two Saturdays ago, 48 hours after we arrived and in route home from the Bush Fire Festival, we had our first ‘Welcome to Africa’ moment. As Matt and Doug and I had all just arrived, we were reliant upon the generosity of others for transportation. Matt had borrowed a car from one of the veteran PAC doctors, Peluca, as she lived in the same apartment complex with another PAC doctor (Lucia) and could borrow her car, if necessary. I have to admit, we were pretty excited to have our own wheels and a sliver of a taste of freedom as we set off for home from the festival. Uncharacteristically for the winter or ‘dry’ season, it was pouring with rain. It was only the second time that Matt had driven in Swaziland and given the fact that they drive on the opposite side of the road, it was late, dark, and like I said raining, we were being careful…’er, so we thought. As Matt accelerated onto the highway in what he thought was a merge lane (which, FYI, merge lanes don’t actually exist in these parts), we heard a loud thud and then a lot of repeated dud-dud-dud-dud-dud-duds. Because there are not in fact merge lanes, or shoulders, as Matt thought that he was driving onto the highway, he had actually driven off the side of the road and blown two tires in a pothole (which we named, ‘the abyss’ shortly thereafter). Fortunately, about 15 meters ahead on the same side of the road was the entrance to the King’s Mother’s residence. As you can imagine, this entry road was very well lit, so we rolled on our rims and pulled off of the highway in order to figure out our plan. Given that we had two flat tires, and only one spare, it was immediately evident that we would need to be towed. Granted, it was eleven o’clock on a Saturday night in the pouring rain in Swaziland…we weren’t hopeful. But, since it wasn’t our vehicle, we couldn’t really abandon it on the side of the road. So, to spare you the lengthy drama that unfolded, I will summarize here:

1. The spare tire in Peluca’s car did not fit on the car


2. We had to take off one of the front tires to put on the back of the car so that it could be towed on two working tires, but we only had one jack and needed to support the car in two locations in order to make the switch


3. There are in fact tow ‘trucks’ (picture a pick-up truck with a jimmy rigged ‘towing’ system) in Mbabane and they can be reached via the dispatcher via the phone number on the sticker on the inside of the windshield of Peluca’s car
   
4. The tow truck people are prompt, nice and helpful, however, they do not assume responsibility for damage done to your vehicle in the process


5. Nor do they let your ride in the tow truck with them


6. We were actually ‘towed’ along with our car as we sat in the backseat


7. Damages as a result of towing extravaganza: 1) jack was placed on insecure ‘sideboard’ of car which buckled under the weight of the vehicle as front tire was moved to back tire, 2) front bumper was pulled out as car was being removed from towing system


8. Total damages while borrowed car was in Matt’s possession: 1) two flat tires, 2) two destroyed rims, 3) buckled sideboard, 4) detached front bumper


9. Miraculously, we did arrive home soaking wet but safe and sound just before two a.m.


10. Moral of the story…don’t lend Matt your car (no, seriously – continue reading)

The story really only gets better, because Matt had to spend the better part of the next week (his first week on the job at the clinic), running all over town and coordinating work with the PAC friendly mechanic, Nelo (you should remember his name, because I have a feeling he will be an intricate member of our Mbabane family in the coming years). The truly ridiculous part is that after 5 days of restoring Peluca’s car to the state in which she lent it to us, Matt borrowed it again to take Doug to pick-up our car from the ‘dealership’ this past Friday (the same day Matt had picked-up the car from Nelo’s to finally return it to Peluca) and on the way he blew another tire. But, I’ll stop here, because Doug really wants to tell the story of the day that he went to pick-up our car from the ‘dealership.’ It’s priceless. [Picture 1 below: Matt and 'the abyss' taken a few days later when we went back to see what exactly wreaked so much havoc on our car - Picture 2 below: Aptly named, 'two flat tires and no spare' - Picture 3 below: the infamous rear tire that we spent hours trying to replace so that we could be towed!]

House on Fire

The first weekend that we were in Mbabane (pronounced ‘buh bon a) we were lucky enough to attend the annual music festival, Bush Fire. People came from all over southern Africa to attend the festival. Usually, the PAC doctors don’t arrive in-country until mid-August therefore just missing the festival – hence our luck in arriving 24 hours beforehand. An entrepreneurial family in Mbabane built the facility called, House on Fire, in order to showcase local artists and once a year they sponsor a 3-day music festival. The proceeds from the Bush Fire festival benefit, ‘Young Heroes’ which is an organization in support of orphans. Additionally, there is an underlying theme of ‘call to action’ which speaks to getting involved in the community and ‘knowing your status’ as it relates to HIV. There were a number of acts throughout the weekend, including both tribal groups and mainstream artists like the (apparently) popular South African headliner, Johnny Clegg. Apart from the music, there were ‘tents’ that housed local merchants and craftsman and there were also games for all ages. For example, young children were drawn to the ‘4 wheeler’ ride, that was exactly like a ‘pony ride’ in the States, but instead of riding a pony around the bales of hay, the children road a mini 4-wheeler. The adults had the opportunity to patronize a ‘piercing’ tent or a 'tatoo’ tent. These obviously became more popular attractions as the day went on and trips to the beer tents increased. All-in-all, it was a great festival, a good weekend and an awesome way to get to know the veteran PAC doctors. [Picture 1 below from left to right: Dr. Doug, Dr. Erin, Dr. Stephanie, Dr. Matt, and Doctor's Wife, Paisley - Picture 2 below: Bhunya Bombers]

Bag O' Cash

The day after we arrived one of the other PAC doctor’s wives, Meredith, graciously offered to take us into Metsapha and Manzini in order to look for a car. Matt, the other new PAC doctor, joined us and we set off for a very uninformed, but entertaining adventure! Through careful research (i.e. asking around the Baylor Clinic) we determined that we were looking for a used vehicle, preferably a Toyota (because parts are easy to come by WHEN your car breaks down), 4-wheel drive, etc. Basically, we were looking for a small SUV that won’t guzzle too much gas but will have enough clearance to navigate the dirt roads…oh, and most importantly, is an AUTOMATIC. Doug really took pity on me conceding the standard because let’s face it, I’m not that good at driving stick as it is, in the U.S., let alone when the stick shift is on the left side of the body and I’m driving on the wrong side of the road. Honestly, I was sweating just thinking about having to drive a standard! Anyways, the long and short of it is that we purchased a vehicle from a placed called Nagra’s. There is one location in Manzini and one in Metsapha, and we negotiated a joint purchase with our friend Matt, so that we could get a better price. We bought identical, royal blue (could be confused with purple) Toyota Rav-4’s. Think ‘Zoolander.’ I know, right. Since the car has no documentation, no history report, a tampered with odometer and the ‘dealers’ speak limited English, it truly is a purchase of ‘what you see is what you get!’ The final kicker, we have to pay in cash…hence, the bag o’ cash pictured here! Might be the first time in my life that I actually understand what it means to have a ‘wad of cash.’

Wait for it...Wait for it...Our HOME

Many of you hypothesized about our residence in Mbabane…the most frequent theory was that we’d be living in a mud hut with a thatched roof somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, this is not the case. We are definitely not hardcore because we are living in a 4 bedroom condominium that is Spanish style and literally could have been plucked from our neighborhood in Long Beach. We are living in the political capital and have modern conveniences like potable water, flushing toilets, and a washing machine! Really, the only thing that we are lacking is heat! We have a fireplace that is on overdrive because it is winter here in Swaziland and we live in the mountains (about 4000-5000 feet) which means it is even a little bit cooler than the lowlands. I have equated it to ‘winter camping’ because I swear I can see my breath in our bedroom at night, but Doug would call that an exaggeration, for sure. Without further adieu, here are photos of the exterior of our home, our master bedroom/bathroom, living room, and dining room. We are a bit overwhelmed by the size of our place given that in Long Beach we proudly owned 847 square feet of real estate, so in September, we’ll be moving to another unit on our compound which is only a 3 bedroom. This will still leave ample room for guests, but I am hoping it will be easier to heat via the fireplace if we downsize! Plus, our rent is actually out of the budget that Baylor provides us for living expenses, so the move next month will hopefully resolve each of these concerns. We have a brand new guest bed that we hope is calling your name…

We're here...

We landed safe and sound in Johannesburg, South Africa last Wednesday, July 29, 2009. This is the arrivals gate at the airport. South Africa is very excited about hosting the 2010 World Cup and there are flags hanging everywhere stating this fact! We arrived in the evening, but since the next commuter flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Manzini, Swaziland wasn't until Thursday morning, we stayed overnight in the Southern Sun Hotel at the airport. I love a fancy, international hotel!

Bon Voyage!

For those of you who have not heard the story of our 'moving' to Swaziland shipping dilemna extravaganza, be glad. There was way too much drama involved to include it in detail here, but suffice it to say that there is actually no 'moving' to Swaziland...because when one thinks of the term, 'moving,' it typically includes the taking of one's 'personal items' and this has simply not been as easy as one might think (okay, I know there are a few of you who would never think that it would be easy to transport belongings to Africa, but cleary I was holding out on this one). To make a long story short, first there were 17 boxes that were being shipped by freight, and then there were 7 boxes that were beings sent via UPS, and then there were 7 boxes that were actually shipped to Austin, Texas to be carried on as excess baggage, instead. And finally, today, there are 4 boxes that are being carried on as excess baggage, and one hopeful guitar that is counting on the plane not being full so that it can join us in Swaziland, too! Here's to living without the conveniences from home a little sooner than we thought!

Our flight leaves at 11:45am morning and we will let you know as soon as we can that we have arrived safely. XO.