January 28th, 2006
I hope you have enjoyed the blogs from Africa! It was one of the most intense and emotionally deep experience of my life. The memories and new relationships will be cherished for a long time.
Its been very busy for me back at work in the corporate world but being a bit of a perfectionist, I just uploaded the remaining blogs from Africa. Plans to launch the marketplace have been slightly delayed but still moving forward with some exciting products from Africa!
Thanks for all encouraging emails I have received in the last few weeks.
January 28th, 2006
We arrive in Cape Town on Christmas day. At the Ikhaya Lodge, we get the bestaccommodation, a 2 level condo with a breathtaking view of the Table mountain from the balcony. Its very hot and very windy!
Kathleen is still under the weather and going out is not an option. After phoning a number of restaurants we discover most are closed for the holidays. So Christmas dinner ends up being take-out Indian food from a restaurant that was open and willing to take our order.
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January 28th, 2006
At Nairobi Airport, we get a chance freshen up and put on some clean cloths. The shower is cold but we care less. Kathleen is coming down with some kind of a flu and feeling poor. We are looking forward to Jo’burg.
We arrive quiet late and take a taxi to the hotel. The Hilton is a welcome luxury after our experience at Kenya. Next day, we have a morning meeting planned with Bret and Tamiko who we are meeting for the first time. They invite us to join them for dinner with family friends. After the wilderness experience we welcome the opportunity to meet new people and enjoy an evening of delicious home cooked food and fine wine in the comfort of a home. What a wonderful opportunity to meet some lovely people with a lively and open attitude to life. What struck me most was the sensitive and curious nature of the people around the dinner table. There was curiousity around what blogs are and when I finished explaining, Bret’s father came up with a wonderful phrase.
“Ah, I see its passionate publishing!”. I like the sound of that!
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January 28th, 2006
After the hearty breakfast, we are ready for some quiet relaxation. We meet Leonard the local Masai who is a lecturer at the lodge. His role at the Lode is to provide tourists with information about the Masai people and culture and in the local community provide education on important issues like the socio-economic benefits of monogamous relationships and Family Planning for those still practicing polygamy and there are many.
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January 28th, 2006
Our 5 night stay in Nairobi, Kenya was prepaid vacation including accommodation for 3 nights a The Meridian in Nairobi and a 2 day-tent Safari including meals in Amboselli National Park in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. So lets start with the Meridian, we thought we would rough it out in a 3 star hotel…but we were not quite prepared for cockroaches, white towels that look grey, noisy hallways, tepid to lukewarm water for showers etc. etc.. not something I would plan to do!
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