Victoria Falls

The town of Livingstone is probably most famous for being the home of Victoria Falls, which, by some measures, are considered the largest falls in the world. Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders"), as they are called in the local Lozi language, are a truly incredible sight and are considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
As I wandered along the path to view the falls, the mist from the crashing water became thicker and thicker until it literally felt as though I were walking through a monsoon.
I was absolutely soaking wet, and at the viewing point closest to the center of the falls, when I tried to take a classic Clemson picture, I realized I couldn't even see the falls through the mist.
The mist was even thick looking away from the falls, though it created absolutely beautiful rainbows all around.
To try to dry myself after being soaked on my walk close to the falls, I headed upstream, from where I had an even better view of "the smoke that thunders".Afterwards, I decided to move downstream to view the falls and the gorge from a different point of view. Below the falls, the river enters a series of seven major gorges. The gorges are tremendous, with an average depth of approximately 400 feet.

Cruise on the Zambezi

In Lusaka, we work Tuesday through Saturday, so our weekends are always Sunday and Monday. This week, though, because Monday is a national holiday, we take Tuesday as a holiday, giving us a three-day weekend. I found out about this at the very last minute and immediately planned (and by "planned", I really mean, "found out when the bus left Lusaka and decided to be on it") a trip to Livingstone, in southern Zambia.

After a long bus ride, I arrived in Livingstone around 2:00 in the afternoon. I checked into my hostel and booked a ticket for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river. The boat, called the "Lady Livingstone" was brand new and so nice.
Even before the sun began to set, the views were beautiful. I could spot zebra and antelope and other wildlife along the shores of the river as we cruised upstream. Being a South Carolina girl, through and through, though, I especially loved the palmetto-like trees.
The sunset, though, was absolutely incredible. I can't help but post several pictures of it.

Microbicides

Today we had a site visit from the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM). Several representatives came to examine our facilities and services to gauge our capacity to host a clinical trial for their organization. Since microbicides are one of the lesser known products in the pipeline for the fight against HIV/AIDS, I thought I'd write a little about them.

Microbicides are vaginal products that can be used by women to protect themselves from HIV. The motivation for research into these products is based on the fact that biologically and, particularly socially, women are at greater risk of contracting HIV than men. The major social factor is that the women who are at greatest risk of contracting the virus most often lack the power to negotiate abstinance and condom use. Therefore there is interest in developing microbicide products that women can use with or without knowledge or consent from their partners. The IPM is the organization that is leading product development and research for microbicides.

The first generation of microbicides was developed in the early 1990s and includes gel products that must be administered just before sexual intercourse. The efficacy of these products is not yet known, but there are a number of reasons why widespread acceptance of these products is doubtful (the fact that they can only be used with planned sexual intercourse, cultural opposition, etc.). These are the factors that have made me skeptical of microbicide research.

However, the new generations of microbicide products seem much more well thought out and possible than the first generation products. These products come in various forms besides gels that include creams, rings or films that can be applied once a day or once a month, independent of sexual activity. In my opinion, these products are much more likely to be accepted than those of the first generation.

For more information, visit IPM's website at http://www.ipm-microbicides.org/.

Panari Hotel

Last night I stayed at the Panari Hotel in Nairobi since my flight from Kigali arrived just after 4:00 in the afternoon and my flight to Lusaka didn't leave until 8:30 the next morning. There are only two words to describe this hotel:

1. Tacky: This must be the tackiest hotel in the world. I’m not exaggerating. There’s no other way to say it. Gold, glitter, mirrors, fake flowers, gold, glitter, mirrors, furniture that was modern in 1980, gold, glitter, mirrors, flower petals in the tables, gold, glitter, mirrors, ridiculous light fixtures, gold, glitter, mirrors...you get the idea. I actually laughed out loud when I arrived in my room. The pictures don't nearly do it justice.
2. Incredible: This description may be best understood by my friends in Kigali, but despite the decor, the hotel was simply incredible. I arrived and was checked in within less than 10 minutes. I then arrived in my room where I found a real bed with a real mattress (plus a down comforter and four pillows that actually had some substance to them!), a television (with CNN!), a bathroom with tile and hot water (and nice towels!) and even an air conditioner (that I could control!). It was amazing. When I found finally tear myself away from CNN, I went downstairs to dinner, which was a buffet that was absolutely delicious (cucumber soup, salad, numerous entrees, dessert with real chocolate syrup and whipped cream!) and accompanied by incredible service. After dinner and a hot shower, I crawled in bed for the night, managed to find a good movie that I'd never seen before on the television and fell asleep feeling like I was in a totally different world. (Note: If none of this makes any sense, it's probably because you've never spent an extended period of time in Rwanda.)

Adventures in NBO

Today I am sure I broke several airline and airport safety regulations. I thought things were going smoothly as I disembarked from my plane upon arrival in Nairobi. I had no trouble getting through passport control or obtaining a visa. As I approached baggage claim, both of my bags were just coming around the carousel and neither appeared to have been opened. I then exited the airport and began to scan the crowd of drivers and taxis holding up signs with names on them. I walked from one end of the giant crowd to the other, listening to offers of “taxi?” and “where are you going?” and “which hotel?” And yet I never saw a sign with my name. It would be a replay, I thought, of my last visit to Nairobi, during which the hotel forgot to send a driver to pick me up at the airport. Except this time, since I hadn’t made the travel arrangements myself, I didn’t even know the name of the hotel where I was staying, so I wouldn’t be able to take a taxi on my own to get there.

Thank goodness my Rwandan cell phone works in all of east Africa. I called one coworker from Kigali, who quickly sent a text back that she was in a meeting; I called another coworker, who sent back a text that she was in the same meeting; finally I spoke with a third coworker. She agreed to call the travel agency and then call me back. As it turns out, the hotel reservation was being made by Kenya Airways, not separately by the travel agency, so I needed only to contact Kenya Airways.

The only trouble was that the Kenya Airways office was back inside the airport, which I had just exited, so I broke my first safety regulation. I went back into the airport without going through any security, showing any identification or doing anything else one might expect. When I arrived at the hotel reservations desk, I was informed that I had to actually check in for my flight (which didn’t leave for 14 hours) before I could go to my hotel. Checking in meant breaking another regulation. I had to go backwards through the visa counter and passport control. Without showing any identification, I passed through, explaining that I had to check in for my flight so I could stay overnight. Since the regular airline counter was quite far, I decided to try my luck in the business-class lounge (no, I was not traveling business-class). So I walked straight in, tried to hide the awe on my face at the sight of wine and fresh fruit and various other snacks, and checked in for my flight. Then it was back through the visa counter and passport control (again without showing any identification or a ticket or anything at all), back to the hotel reservations desk and finally I was ready to go to my hotel.