tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093971885902027922012-02-16T09:33:45.002-08:00This is the online blog to document our Summer 2010 trip to Africa.Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-12049650803364591352010-08-08T11:05:00.000-07:002010-08-08T11:07:26.712-07:00

We would love to know who and how many people have been following our trip. If you've enjoyed this blog, please comment on this post. You don't have to write anything fancy unless you want to--just put your full name.Thanks,Doug and Dena

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-58145594196254386172010-08-08T09:42:00.000-07:002010-08-08T10:00:30.355-07:00

Two years ago, we set a goal for ourselves that we would travel to Burbank's sister city, Gaborone, Botswana, to participate in their campaign to eradicate malaria. We want to thank all of our friends and family who helped us to realize that goal. There are too many to thank individually, and they come from a variety of places:The Burbank Sister City CommitteeStudents at Burbank High School and

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-60782676067436714942010-08-08T08:29:00.000-07:002010-08-08T10:37:10.318-07:00

Thursday, August 5 , 2010We got one last taxi ride to the airport and managed to check all 4 of our heavy suitcases without a problem. Luckily, British Airways, honored the baggage requirements of Iberia Airlines, which allowed us 2 bags each. If we had bought our tickets in March instead of February, we would have been limited to one each. The bags were checked through to Madrid, so we would

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-70359672943554119812010-08-05T03:37:00.000-07:002010-08-05T03:46:10.676-07:00

Thursday, August 5, 2010Our bags are packed, our bellies are full, and our wallets are EMPTY! We checked out of the hotel this morning and did some last-minute shopping in the city.We made a quick stop for a Bloody Mary at the Old Biscuit Mill, which is now converted into a little shopping center. Then we went to an area called St. George's Mall, where there are many street vendors selling

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-60470852371544391232010-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:002010-08-04T23:58:44.084-07:00

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 We started the day with another fabulous breakfast buffet at our hotel, then we walked to the V&A Waterfront to get on the boat to Robben Island. For those of you who don't know, Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela and hundreds of other political prisoners were kept during South Africa's Apartheid Era. The island is 12 kilometers off the coast of Cape Town, and it

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-5243861239761509392010-08-03T13:46:00.000-07:002010-08-03T14:02:22.428-07:00

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 We woke up before dawn and prepared for a morning of golf at the Rondebosch Golf Club.  A taxi took us to the course, we checked in and got our rental clubs and golf cart, and the sun still wasn't up.  After having a quick breakfast, there was a bit of daylight and it was our turn on the tee.  We got to golf by ourselves, without being paired with another twosome, and we

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-49961364756845626222010-08-02T11:21:00.000-07:002010-08-02T12:18:41.553-07:00

Monday, August 2, 2010We started the morning with a wonderful breakfast buffet at our hotel. It had been awhile since we had so many wonderful choices for breakfast, and we took full advantage. After completely cleaning our plates, we got a taxi to the base of Table Mountain, where we bought our cable car tickets to ride up to the top of the huge plateau. On the ride up, the floor of our

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-41553908820345676762010-08-01T11:36:00.000-07:002010-08-02T12:00:33.436-07:00

Sunday, August 1, 2010 (Is it really August already?!)We woke up very early this morning and found our taxi driver waiting at the front gate of our apartment complex. He took us to the Gaborone Airport, and we were literally the very first passengers to arrive for any airline. We checked in and went through immigration, and then had to wait for 2 hours before our flight boarded. The terminal

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-23885373152632682442010-07-31T05:41:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:51:58.469-07:00

Saturday, July 31, 2010Today is our last full day in Gaborone, Botswana before we fly down to Cape Town, South Africa. We started the morning around 8:00 and tried to send a few more emails and finish catching up with the Blog. At 10:00 we were picked up from our hotel/apartment by Victoria O'Connell, the Regional Health Officer for the US Embassy. We had met her last week when she joined the

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-1914672443213167972010-07-30T23:49:00.000-07:002010-08-01T23:07:46.486-07:00

Friday, July 30, 2010In the morning, we went to our new hangout, the Internet cafe, to check email, Facebook, and put more updates on the blog. Around 10:00, Tommie came to visit us and say goodbye because he is leaving to go to a conference in South Africa for the weekend. We thanked him for everything he has done to accommodate us and make us feel comfortable while we are here. He also told

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-45336703805951155142010-07-30T08:43:00.000-07:002010-07-31T04:52:53.104-07:00

Thursday, July 29, 2010 In the morning we walked to AT&T Travel Agency to meet with Evelyn, Tommie's travel agent. She was able to set us up with a good flight to Cape Town on Sunday morning, flying through Johannesburg, and arriving in the early afternoon. This was better than any of the flights we found because it allowed us to enjoy the city a bit when we arrive. All the flights we looked

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-79173224031107361902010-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:002010-07-30T08:42:42.994-07:00

Wednesday, July 28, 2010We were supposed to be given a tour of a diamond sorting facility today, but those plans ended up falling through. We had been hoping to see this because the diamond industry is the country's greatest source of wealth, but nothing could be arranged. It was probably better this way because we really needed a day to relax, do laundry, and catch up on emails.At lunchtime,

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-20018397255375860982010-07-30T07:54:00.000-07:002010-07-30T08:50:03.563-07:00

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 We got up this morning and walked two blocks from our apartment to Gaborone Secondary School where we met Tommie and had some tea and bread for breakfast. From there the three of us were picked up by two women from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and taken to the Ramotswa School for the Deaf. This was a 45 minute drive outside of Gaborone. Dena had requested to visit a

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-80685822236678111532010-07-30T01:30:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:01:49.862-07:00

Monday, July 26, 2010We woke up at 4 AM and got ready for our long bus ride back to Gaborone, Botswana. We had already packed our suitcase the night before, so we only needed to brush our teeth and get dressed before leaving (no shower again). We walked to the bus station, only 10 minutes away, and bought our bus tickets to get to the Zambia/Botswana border. Bobby also traveled with us to

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-40803959992053986992010-07-30T01:00:00.000-07:002010-07-30T01:30:42.721-07:00

Sunday, July 25, 2010After our big adrenaline rushes in the morning and early afternoon, we decided to try some calmer activities for the rest of the day. Bobby took us to the Livingstone Museum, named after David Livingstone, the British explorer who discovered Victoria Falls. The museum has exhibits ranging from ancient history and archeology of Zambian people, animal and plant life in Zambia

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-55548091473178643022010-07-30T00:11:00.000-07:002010-07-30T08:30:46.035-07:00

Sunday, July 25, 2010 We woke up and got ourselves ready to ride the zip line at the Victoria Falls bridge. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth, but no shower. Nancy prepared us a nice breakfast of sweet potatoes, ground nuts, samp (a pounded corn dish), and bread with butter. Most Africans add sour milk to their samp, but we knew our bodies would not agree with that mixture, especially

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-20726739581731397282010-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:52:20.472-07:00

Saturday, July 24, 2010 When we woke up Saturday morning, we were the only two people left at the campsite.  Tommie and the students left very early to go back to Gaborone.  The owner of the camp came to pick us up and took us to the border at Kazungula to catch the ferry to Zambia.  We crossed the Chobe River again (in Zambia they call it the Zambezi River), and took a taxi to Livingstone.  It

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-38704297879840190362010-07-29T07:32:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:12:49.655-07:00

Friday, July 23, 2010We woke up at 6 AM to get dressed and load the bus, that way we could leave immediately after delivering the nets. Today, we wore red shirts that Tommie had designed and printed specifically for the Campaign. We started the day with another "kgotla" meeting, but this one was much more official because the Chief of Parakarungu was there, as well as other dignitaries.Nets

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-2723134465350909382010-07-29T07:04:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:10:18.285-07:00

Thursday, July 22, 2010For our first day in the village, we were scheduled to give out toys, which were donated by a sister school in Finland. We started the morning with no breakfast--thank God for Cheerios! Then we attended a village meeting called a "kgotla," where the leaders of the village announced our presence and our purpose for the day. The villagers were also gathered, along with

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-54381615225297061862010-07-28T03:51:00.000-07:002010-08-02T10:55:43.654-07:00

Wednesday, July 21, 2010After our game drive, we went back to the campsite and showered. The students had spent their morning studying for their exams next week. We all got into the bus again to go to the main lodge for lunch. Then we drove to the Chobe District Council offices, where we were supposed to transfer to two 4x4 trucks for the rough road to the village of Parakarungu. However, the

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-82634599048509180862010-07-28T03:33:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:34:59.386-07:00

Wednesday, July 21, 2010Just the two of us woke up very early to get ready for our game drive. There were no lights in our chalet because the campsite's generator had not been turned on yet. We woke up the bus driver and he took us to the Chobe Safari Lodge. There were around 50 people waiting in the lobby to go on the game drive, and we met a group of Canadians who seemed like fun people.

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-53020213168470598282010-07-28T03:07:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:33:28.459-07:00

Tuesday, July 20, 2010In the morning, we woke up early so we could head across the border into Zambia for the day. Our shower in the chalet wasn't working properly, so we just showered in the other building that everyone else was using. We all went to the main lodge, a 30 minute drive, to have breakfast. This meal was even less satisfying than last night's dinner. We were each given 2

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-54397330015804076502010-07-28T02:56:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:24:07.882-07:00

Monday, July 19, 2010At 6:00 AM, we met Tommie and the 8 students at the bus to get ready to leave for the Malaria Campaign. The campaign would be taking place in the Chobe District, in the very northern part of Botswana (the other side of the country). We would be staying in a city called Kasane for the first two nights before traveling to the village of Parakarungu for the actual campaign.The

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-16491361013350742702010-07-28T02:44:00.001-07:002010-07-30T02:31:31.667-07:00

Sunday, July 18, 2010We checked out of our hotel and moved in with Tommie and his family for one night before traveling north for the Malaria Campaign. We ate lunch and watched his daughters playing in their yard, singing "Waka Waka" by Shakira.The house is located on the Gaborone Secondary School campus, where many teachers and staff members live. Their home is medium-sized with 3 bedrooms, a

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-19719799564523586942010-07-18T02:13:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:30:47.224-07:00

Sunday, July 18, 2010We checked out of the hotel this morning and we will be staying at Tommie's house tonight. Today, we will just be preparing for the Malaria Campaign, helping Tommie sort out the last minute details.Tomorrow morning we will be leaving to begin the Malaria Campaign, the main purpose of our trip here. So far, this has been a great vacation, but tomorrow we will begin the

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-4571660398074780022010-07-18T01:58:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:30:01.894-07:00

Saturday, July 17, 2010After the Game Reserve, we went back to the school to have a meeting with the students who will be traveling on the Malaria Campaign with us. Tommie went over the important information with them, telling them what to expect for each day and the sleeping arrangements. He gave us a chance to speak to the students about our expectations. We didn't really know what to say

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-33592543680270229982010-07-18T01:52:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:28:57.834-07:00

Saturday, July 17, 2010This morning, we woke up and got ready for our tour of the Mokolodi Game Reserve. On our way to the reserve, we saw several baboons walking in the road and on the side of the road. We pulled over to take a few pictures. As we got to the remote road that leads into the reserve, Tommie stopped the car and told Doug it was his turn to drive. He was a little anxious, but he

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-56730150270331368842010-07-18T01:40:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:27:54.353-07:00

Friday, July 16, 2010Before our meeting with the mayor, Doug decided to go shopping for a new tie because he didn't want to wear the same one he wore yesterday. We found a good one for 100 pula ($15). The prices here are a little higher than South Africa, but things still seem cheaper than America.Our first event of the day was our meeting with the mayor of Gaborone, Victoria Lesole. Besides

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-86395290535883154752010-07-18T01:21:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:26:52.544-07:00

Thursday, July 15, 2010We had breakfast at the hotel and got picked up to meet with the Regional Health Director at the American Embassy. However, she was ill, so our meeting was canceled. We tried to reschedule, but things are very busy and we will be meeting her on the Malaria Campaign next week anyway.We walked over to Gaborone Secondary School to meet with the headmaster and to see more of

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-19698039066138626122010-07-14T07:36:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:25:07.193-07:00

Wednesday, July 14, 2010Dumela (hello),We woke up, got dressed, and headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Their breakfast buffet was amazing--fresh fruits and vegetables (that are safe to eat), different types of meats, eggs, omelets, croissants, scones. We both thought we would be losing a few pounds on this trip, but now it looks like that might be difficult.After breakfast, we

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-79028115912042058262010-07-14T07:11:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:24:19.198-07:00

Tuesday, July 13, 2010After coming back from the Apartheid Museum, we quickly gathered our luggage and checked out of the hostel. Most of the other guests were already gone, and the hostel was beginning to feel like a ghost town. Our taxi driver from earlier in the day said he would wait for us and take us to the bus station. It felt nice to have our own personal driver for the day after what

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-26342194725322723702010-07-14T06:56:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:23:42.491-07:00

Tuesday, July 13, 2010This morning we packed our suitcases and prepared for our departure to Botswana in the afternoon. Since our bus would not be leaving until 2:30, we had some time to kill. We decided to check out the Apartheid Museum, something that many people have recommended. The museum did not open until 10:00, but we decided to go a little early and eat breakfast at the Gold Reef City

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-59437306107664896892010-07-14T06:49:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:22:57.352-07:00

Monday, July 12, 2010Soweto is a part of Johannesburg that stands for South Western Townships. This is the area where black South Africans were forced to live during the Apartheid Era. Most of Soweto is slums, but there are also some newer and nicer areas.We went to a shopping center called Carlton Centre where we ate lunch and then walked to the tour company's office across the street. We

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-77520846357946553182010-07-14T06:29:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:22:20.453-07:00

Monday, July 12, 2010Early this morning we wanted to try to do a little shopping before taking a tour of Soweto in Johannesburg. We went to an area called Newtown, which didn't look so new. A taxi driver from the hostel named Sam dropped us off near a mall called Oriental Plaza, and he gave us his cell phone number in case we could not find another taxi to bring us back.The Oriental Plaza had a

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-67343547133166319252010-07-14T06:22:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:21:03.757-07:00

Sunday, July 11, 2010This evening, we changed our plans last minute because we heard that it would be very difficult to try to go to the Stadium. Our Australian friend, Ken, suggested that we all try to go to a part of the city called Sandton to watch the game on the big screen at one of the fan parks. We got to Sandton and wanted to do some shopping before heading over to watch the game, and

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-91461959553606594962010-07-11T07:11:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:19:58.160-07:00

Sunday, July 11, 2010This morning we went to the Lion Park, around a 1-hour drive outside of Jo-burg. We had told the hostel employees yesterday that we were interested in going there, so they set up the trip for us, which meant we wouldn't need to get a taxi, and one other hostel guest, Gerardo from San Jose, California, joined us. The drive there was interesting because we got to see

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-6721282667314002372010-07-11T06:48:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:19:06.668-07:00

Saturday, July 10, 2010We've been meeting some great people at our hostel in Johannesburg. A group of us decided to hit the town tonight to watch the Third Place World Cup Match. The group we were with was from all around the world, and we can't imagine a better group of people to spend the evening with. We met Ken, from Australia, and Michaela, from North Carolina, at our hostel. They had

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-52927356468875018262010-07-10T02:48:00.000-07:002010-07-30T02:17:47.746-07:00

Saturday, July 10, 2010We finally made it to Johannesburg, South Africa. Our luggage, however, did not make it. Only one of the three bags that we checked made it here. The other two got lost in the shuffle of changing our flights (see previous post). One of the bags should arrive tomorrow morning, but we're not sure about the third one because it was still in Los Angeles when we arrived in

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-63919027067021850812010-07-09T07:50:00.000-07:002010-07-09T07:59:31.944-07:00

We are currently in the London-Heathrow Airport. The last 24 hours have been very eventful for us, starting with Doug locking his keys in the car while it was running when he arrived at Dena's parents' house Thursday morning. Minor setback. The real problems started after we got to the Los Angeles airport.We pulled away from our gate, thinking everything was good and on time. However, on our

Doug Grimshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09202605503042719351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-35963932837425283362010-07-02T11:51:00.000-07:002010-07-02T13:21:54.614-07:00

A big thanks to everyone who came out to the The Springbok Bar & Grill last night. It was so nice to see so many of our friends and family there to help send us off to Africa. We all enjoyed some authentic South African food and drinks along with Karaoke and darts. Just another excuse to have a party! Hard to believe that in just about 6 days, we will be on our way! We will try our best to

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-34105567092802862562010-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:002010-06-19T12:38:47.235-07:00

We loved our time at the Springbok Bar & Grill so much that we want to share it all with you once before we leave. Please join us for some dinner and/or drinks on Thursday, July 1 at the Springbok in Van Nuys. We will be there from 6:00pm - around 10:00 (or later). They have a GREAT menu and full bar along with a pool table and darts. There is also an outdoor patio. It's a totally casual place

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-22345605766565707602010-06-19T11:34:00.000-07:002010-06-19T12:02:13.667-07:00

We were told about an authentic South African restaurant in Van Nuys that we should try. It was started by 4 South African friends who missed their traditional foods and a place to watch Rugby. So far, we have been there twice and it is great! It's a sports bar who mostly shows the Rugby games from around the world, but right now they are opening early to show all of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-709397188590202792.post-15856157862245536152010-06-08T13:49:00.000-07:002010-06-19T11:04:26.505-07:00

Hey Everybody!  We are officially leaving for Africa in 30 days.  We spent this morning at REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) buying camping supplies, clothes and bug repellant.  We have our safari hats and gear ready to go.  Since we've started preparing our luggage and supplies, we figured now would be a good time to start our blog and give you updates on the progress of our trip. For those of

Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02729161441943137375noreply@blogger.com4