Since I have time...

I will write more about our trips thus far, which is actually going to end quite soon (to our great sadness)! We've had a great time in Cape Town. Besides walking around and appreciating the beauty, cleanliness, and friendliness of the city, we have been able to do some fun activities. Today we got to go around the Cape- we saw the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point first. Then we went to a beach with a protected area for a penguin colony where we could observe very up close the African Penguin in its natural habitat. They were so cute and there were lots of babies! 

     After that we drove to Glencairn where we were able to take a hike up a hill and observe baboons in their natural habitats. The baboons here are viewed as huge nuisances because they are quite naughty and can get into trash cans, purses, cars, and even burgle houses in order to get food. You can't really blame them for trying to fulfill a basic need in the easiest way possible, i.e. taking advantage of easily found human food, but people kill them or accidentally run over them and so on. So thankfully the organization who leads these tours keeps the baboons out of human inhabited areas, and leads groups of tourists to observe them! We got very close to some, at times they even walked right next to us. They don't make contact with humans but they are habituated to our presence. Overall it was quite amazing to be so close to them and observe them grooming, fighting, nursing babies, and just going about everyday life. It was definitely one of our best wildlife experiences here!

     We've learned a lot about the culture and politics here. I think most people know this but it's still strange to hear about the distinction between black, white, and colored people that is very strong here. It's hard to believe that apartheid was still in place not too long ago, and you can see that race is still of great importance here, not necessarily in terms of negative racism (which I don't think we've seen) but in terms of the Black Economic Empowerment movement and so on. We've also heard a lot about how South Africa is not heading in a totally good direction in a political or economic sense and that a lot of people who have this option are leaving, especially white people who have a hard time finding jobs because they are last in line behind blacks and coloreds. I hope that this country pulls through and doesn't become another Zimbabwe (a fear many of the people we've talked to have expressed) because there are so many great things the country has to offer. (Note- obviously these opinions those of the people we've met and not my own since I haven't been here long enough to form any opinions, so don't think I'm endorsing anything I've said). 

     Well, I will leave off by intimating to you that an activity I have really enjoyed on this trip, and Eric too, has been going to the mall. Yes, the mall. There is an enormous mall here right by our hotel and every time I go into it I am wide-eyed with amazement about how much there is to buy and see there. And it's hard to believe that there are stores like Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, MaxMara and all of these designer stores in Africa! I know, Africa is not homogeneous, but still. It's crazy. 

     Well we are leaving on Saturday. I'll probably write next from Cotonou! And stay tuned for pictures from the trip... 

     

In Cape Town

Hi from Cape Town! We have reached the last stage of our trip, and it's a nice place to be ending! I'll write about what we've been doing since I last wrote.
So we made it from Madagascar to the Johannesburg airport, where we met Eric's parents. Soon after Eric and I had our first taste of the first world when we checked into the airport hotel, which seemed so extravagant and luxurious to us- because it had a nice big bed, a TV, and a great dinner buffet with everything from brussels sprouts (which I love) to crepes for dessert. Needless to say I stuffed myself, and have been doing so ever since, and my pants are definitely tighter!
The next morning we left on a short flight up to Hoedspruit to go to the game reserve near Kruger park for our safari. We stayed in a gorgeous bungalow one night and then in a tented camp two nights ("tent" isn't exactly the right word to describe it though- more like a bungalow with a tented roof) and got to do safaris twice a day. The first day we saw pretty much everything- two leopards, two lions, elephants, zebras, giraffe, and an enormous rhino, besides all of the different deer and antelope species. We also go to see hyenas, a huge owl, lots of birds, and warthogs over the course of our outings. It was really spectacular seeing these animals so close! Pictures coming very soon. And the food was also fantastic- they cater so well to vegetarians here, and they have a mix of temperate and tropical fruits and vegetables so we were happy.
We left to go to an ocean nature reserve on the coast. The reserve was surrounded by milkwood forest and the fynbos ecosystem which is unique to the southern part of South Africa and has some very interesting plant species. We got to go whale watching and were lucky enough to see whales, penguins, and an enormous seal colony. We also got to eat even more great food, take some nice walks, and breathe in the very fresh air of the coast!
From the ocean reserve we continued into Franschhoek, a town in wine country. The ride was breathtaking as we rode through the mountains and looked down on the valleys below dotted with vineyards and pastures for wooly sheep (the sheep in Benin are not wooly but more mangy and with dreadlock-type wool so this was nice). The town itself is in the valley. Basically it looks like a small touristy town in America or Europe, with greenery everywhere, nice houses, lots of vineyards and cheese making places, many touristy art and antique shops, and lots of good restaurants. We got to stay in a beautiful hotel, very French, with a fantastic restaurant and even a TV with DVDs! (very exciting to watch movies on a TV for once). The second day we were there it rained all day, which was actually fine because none of us are into wine and weren't going to go on wine tastings, and instead we got a chance to breathe after all our safaris and nature walks. But we did get a chance to walk around the town. For me and Eric this was a very nice time because we could walk in a town without being looked at twice and have nobody taunting us or asking us for anything!
So yesterday we came to the last part of our journey when we drove from Franschhoek to Cape Town. It was an interesting drive because we got to go through the University/wine town of Stellenbosch, and then as we approached Cape Town we saw all of the townships (shanty towns) that have cropped up on the outskirts of the city. In some ways they are a lot worse than the living situation in Cotonou because the houses are crowded and very ramshackle, but we were told that there is electricity and running water and toilets shared among families, which I'm pretty sure is not the case in Cotonou. But I think the townships can also be more violent.
We arrived in Cape Town and were unprepared for our first view in a year of a real western style city. Actually it looked quite a bit like arriving in Seattle from Portland, and the city reminds me a lot of Seattle in general because it is surrounded by hills and a bay. It is quite gorgeous and very first-world feeling, and you wouldn't even know you were in Africa. Eric and I spent a lot of time walking around yesterday and there's just so much to do and see. And there's lots of fancy shopping, which is surprising but not considering the amount of wealth that I think exists in the city. Please send donations to my wardrobe rehabilitation fund (just kidding of course!). We haven't been here long but I think I can say that this is one of the more beautiful cities I've been too and I will definitely want to come back sometime in the future!
Well, I should probably end this and go out and do something. We only have a few more days here! Going back to Benin will definitely be strange and a bit difficult to be sure. I think we will be ready to get back though. And having been on this trip definitely makes us see that time is passing and someday we will be back to our normal lives!
I'll try to write before we go back to Benin, and I'll post pictures soon!

Theres so much to say!

Greetings from Antananarivo, Madagascar! First, I am not using a qwerty keyboard and cant find apostrophes and such so sorry about that, and Im not going to write all that much as a result.
Anyway. We have been here now since last Thursday in the capital, besides a two day trip we took to Andasibe national park to see lemurs and other things. Ill begin far back with our car ride from Cotonou to Ghana; briefly Ill just say that the surroundings became noticeably more developped as we made our way through Togo, and then in Ghana we were stunned to see such western things as malls, housing developments, and greenery everywhere! So in short, I am a little sorry to say that Benin is not doing too well. However the upside to this is that our standards are extremely low and Eric and I have been feeling like we are living in luxury!
Moving on to Madagascar, I dont even know where to begin! At the airport I suppose. Our luggage was, unsurprisingly, still somewhere in Johannesburg where we caught the connecting flight here. But to our utter surprise the baggage attendant was extremely efficient and helpful and gave us an unsolicited 200,000 ariary to buy tshirts and toiletries! I could not believe this considering how difficult a time we have had in the past getting anything out of airlines!
We then stepped outside into the gorgeous, sunny, cool outdoors. I cant tell you how wonderful it is to be in a semi tropical winter. Its cold to be sure, sometimes unpleasantly so for us since our cold tolerance is low, but it feels nice on the whole.
We took a taxi to Tana proper and the ride was spectacular. The city is very hilly and there is a lot of paddy rice agriculture and zebu cattle roaming around, a very cool thing for us since we never see work animals in Benin. The other stunning thing besides the scenery was the masses of vegetables sold on the side of the road- cauliflower, leeks, gorgeous tomatoes and carrots, zucchini, and many tropical and temperate fruits. Coming from Benin where anything besides tomatoes and a few greens is a luxury, we were rather excited to eat here. And I will mention now that we ate strawberries for the first time in more than a year!!
Our hotel feels really nice to us because there is hot water and a TV and even a safe. Besides the necessity for a good tourist infrastructure here, I think these types of mid-range hotels with amenities can exists becuase there is actually a sizeable middle class here. In Benin an affordable hotel for us has no hot water and not even a bathroom in the room usually!
I wont describe each day here but will try to gloss over the salient points. Weve spent a lot of time walking around the city, being amazed at what a developing country can look like ( we are starting to wonder if Benin even qualifies yet as developing). The most mundane things like street drains, sidewalks, parks, and the public bus system have really blown us away. There are times when the city reminds me of Prague and Barcelona combined, Eric says with some Vladivostock mixed in. Its not the first world but its certainly a few steps up from what we are used to! As I said there seems to be a middle class here and as a result there are lots of middle priced eateries for pizza, ice cream, as well as multiple large grocery stores. We have been pleased to see Malagasy families out for a treat with their children, something we rarely see in Benin.
On the food- we ate a lot of western food at first but have now figured out where to get the cheap local food which is usually Soupe chinoise- broth with a hard boiled egg and noodles- or noodle stir fry. Plus lots of pastries. The food is very Asian influenced (and french becuase of the desserts and pastries) and very tasty and cheap and healthy.
On the local culture- first, it is so quiet here compared to Benin. People are extremely courteous to us, never taunt us or even look at us twice because we are white, and are overall quiet welcoming. However, a problem rarely encountered in Benin but very big here is the persistent beggars, often children, who break your heart by with their dirty faces and outstretched hands.
The local crafts and products here are fantastic. Besides the spices- vanilla, cinnamon, etc- they have endless raffia crafts like bags, placemats, wallets and so on, ebony wood carvings, gems and fossils, embroidery, and even silk scarves, one of which I bought today at the artisinal market. There is clearly a lot of pride in crafts and artisan traditions, which is nice.
Well I guess I should write about our trip to Andasibe national park. We used a bus service rather than a bush taxi, and we certainly got a bang for our buck because it ended up being a private car service (a nice private car, not a falling apart 1970s Peugeot).
The road up to the park was very tortuous and I became a little carsick but it had gorgeous views of mud house towns, rice paddies and very pretty scenery. And we also saw evidence of the extensive deforestation that has taken place here, which was a little sad.
We arrived at the park and checked into our hotel, aka a little ski chalet type thing with no heat. But it was quite nice anyway and served us well, even though we were a little cold for the whole trip.
We immediately took a nature walk into the park with a great guide and got to see both indri and common brown lemurs, as well as frogs and chameleons, birds, and lots of flowers including orchids. We also got to take a night walk where we saw many of the same creatures. Its really amazing seeing these in the wild! We will definitely post photos later.
The next day we took a really long and very arduous walk up and down steep hills in the park. It was worth it though because we got to see indri and sifaka lemurs, some quite close! After our walk we spent some time exploring the very quaint village that is near the park.
Theres not too much more to write about the trip and Ill keep it brief since other people are waiting for the internet (did I mention our hotel has free internet?). But overall it was an amazing trip and we must come back here and to the other national parks!
So now we are back in Tana, and we have just been walking around, going to artisan markets, taking a small day trip to a UNESCO site, and savoring our last day here since tomorrow we are moving on to South Africa! I could write a lot more but I will stop now so I dont ramble on. We will probably write next from South Africa, and post pictures soon!

quickly...

A brief note- I just put up a whole lot of photos. Look in the upper right corner where it says "photos." More tomorrow, maybe, before we leave for Madagascar and South Africa on Thursday!