Last day at the Thulani lodge - moving tomorrow

Today was a busy day at work as I was trying to push the remote work that I was doing to a better state so that it can be shared with the country director.

At lunch, one of my fellow coworker, a former VolCon Sarah, introduced me to this area that's right behind our building called 44 Stanley.  Unfortunately she had to run, so I just got take outs at this little store called boot.  I got a Tricolore sandwich with mozarella, avocado and balsamic reduction. A very delicious sandwich for R26 (~$4) and got a sparkling drink called Appletizer (R11) 100% pure apple juice drink.

44 Stanley had a bunch of cute little cafes and a lot of shops in it. I have to bring my camera there and spend more time there next week.  Once I get my rental car tomorrow, I'll have more flexibility with my work schedule.  Hopefully I'll make the 8am work ;)

Sarah gave me TechnoServe's GPS as she's a bit more oriented around here.  She then invited me to dinner with her friends at a restaurant called Bottega in the Parkhurst neighbourhood.  She was running late so she suggested that I take a taxi there.  She recommended Rose taxi.  My lodge keeper lady - Bungi ended up suggesting a driver from that company who's her friend and his name is Chippa.  A short ride (15mins) over to the restaurant costs R70.

I met Sarah's friends: a MCK guy named Brooke who splits his time between the South Africa and Nigeria office, a girl named Bianca from Houston who's quit her job and is travelling through Africa right now.. then their friends (1 MCK consultant who's quit his job to do cell phone air time distribution start up and his british gf) and one more guy that i cant remember his name nor what he does.


Dinner was delicious.  We ordered a few appetizers to share: 2 springbok carpaccio (springbok is a type of deer), risotto balls, caprese salad.  Then I took the server's and Brooke's recommendation and ordered ribs.  Others ordered lamb racks and tuna.  The ribs were delicious (I will post pictures!).  I wasn't able to have wine because I was too hungry, hence it was not a good idea to try to drink.  It was definitely nice to eat dinner and meet people =)

Caprese Salad @ Bottega

Springbok Carpaccio (with the best cheese) @ Bottega

friend's rack of lamb with veggies and mash @ Bottega 

My ribs with veggies (yum!)

Fried risotto balls @ Bottega 

The decor @ Bottega

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  I will receive my rental car (as mentioned above) and move to another apartment (or they call those cottages here) because it is essentially a separate building that has 1 floor/1 unit which is the apartment.  Then I will be attending my friend Jeanette's friend, Kanya's baby shower (which is about a 20-30 mins drive).  Hopefully I'll be fine driving on the other side of the road.


Look out South Africans, I will try to drive safe and stay on the right side of the road, which means you need to try to drive safer to make sure you don't hit me... (There are apparently a lot of unsafe drivers here.. including those minivan drivers - who are worse than the ones in HK).

Good luck to me!




On a side note, here's the breakfast that Bungi at Thulani prepared for me. I thought it was cool that they had "cream soda" flavoured yogurt (not in the picture) - but no i was not brave enough to try it

from left to right, Strawberry, TOFFEE apple, and banana strawberry

1st day of work!

Today was my first day of work at TechnoServe.

Not sure if it was jetlag or just anxiety, I wasn't able to sleep until very late last night. Hence waking up in the morning was quite difficult.  The interesting thing to note is that I have a heated blanket because it does get cold at night in Joburg at this time of the year (the houses don't have insulation... at all)

What I've noticed when I went to the office is there are a lot of measures of security.  You have to use a passcard in order to get past the turnstile in the lobby.  Then once you arrive outside the office, there's a door that requires a key fob to get through to reception.  Then there's another door that separates the reception and the actual office that requires a key fob.  The TechnoServe office is actually shared with Broadband (?) Health and Dalberg consulting.  I actually found out about Dalberg at the same time that I found out about TechnoServe.  In addition to all these access controlled doors, there is also an alarm that gets set at the end of the day and that needs to be deactivated in the morning.  So I was told to try not to be the first one in (of course I won't be) and not to be the last one out (will have to try not to be).

View from the office!

It's beautiful!

It's shared with Dalberg and BroadReach.. that's the 1st set of doors, then another set inside + alarms

Another interesting today is I finally got a cell phone (yay!).  There were a couple of extra SIM cards and also leftover nokia phones (very very old version - will upload pic).  The only thing that was missing was the charger.  My coworker (the one who coordinates everything) took me to see the house that I'll be moving to on Saturday (I'll be living in a rental property that's in the same lot as the giant mansion that the landlord lives in.. and yes it's a mansion because he is finishing two waterfall walls to lead into the house...) It's quite nice, the only complaint is the bathroom, it's a bit small and the shower doesn't separate.  I'll take pictures when I move there on Saturday.  There's another property with 2 bdrms in it but the 2 guy volcons who are coming will be staying there.  Their bathroom is better, but they'll have to share it.

My old school nokia cell phone! Back to learning how to text very quickly without using a full keyboard

Anywho, I accomplished quite a lot today (including working with my boss and making progress on my task) as well as getting a cell phone, a charger, a universal plug (well european, because those work here too, most of the time) and a voucher to "top up"/ recharge my phone.

Given that people usually go to work from 8am to 4pm, I'm going to try very hard to adjust to the earlier start time, which means I have to sleep earlier.

More stories tomorrow!

Outside my room @ Thulani Lodge

Bungi (lodge keeper) takes good care of my room and makes my bed pretty ;)

There's a swimming pool (but because it's still winter so it's not opened yet)

The path leading up to  my room on the left. I think the one straight ahead is another guest room

The path leading out the front door and to the reception area to the left

The owner of the lodge's name is Beat and he was from Switzerland but now calls himself South African. A very nice guy.

Finally brought my camera over to Melon, restaurant on 7th Avenue in melville

The decor is quite chic

and romantic

This was where i waited for my takeouts

My smoked salmon asparagus penne! delicious

1st African adventure post!

Due to popular demand, I've decided to start writing blog posts again to share my African adventures.  There is no promises on how long this will last - as the history of this blog might suggest how quickly it dies after each revival.

So to back up a little, for those of you who weren't aware of, I have moved to Johannesburg, South Africa to volunteer with an organization called TechnoServe.  I will be here for 3.5 months and hopefully will document the new things that I see, new experiences that I encounter here to share with you (and as memory storage for myself in the future).

The travel from Toronto, Canada to Johannesburg, South Africa is actually quite brutal.  I think you have the options to fly through the states, Munich, Amsterdam and London.  Because I wanted to avoid the States and wanted very specific dates and airlines, I ended up flying through London Heathrow.  What this means though is that after a 7 hour flight from YYZ to LHR, I then have a 7 hour layover before my 11-hour flight from LHR to JNB. In total, that's about 25 hours of travel not including delays (and yes, I had an hour delay on each of my flights =\)

Both flights were actually night flights (red-eyes) now that I think about it.  The delay in Toronto was caused by some airflow problem and our departure time got pushed back until 12:30am from 11:20pm.  I decided to watch the King's speech rather than sleeping (which in hind sight, might not have been a good decision).  I almost started watching Eat, pray, love but gave in the the built up exhaustion from all the packing last week.

Upon arrival at Heathrow T3, I actually had to go through security check to go back into T3 to the No.1 Traveller's lounge.  (Yes, I decided to splurge and spend 25 pounds on a 3 hour access to this lounge).  The lounge was newly furnished (may of this year) and it was very modern and pretty (pictures to come).  The complimentary food area included pastries with proscuitto, quinoa and garden salad, shortbreads, brownies and flapjack (3 types of juice and tea and coffee too!).  I made sure I had my money's worth (highlight was the garden salad because it had a bitter in it that I liked and also the shortbread).

I then relaxed and spreaded out on a couch in the quieter area and chatted with people on line using the complimentary wi-fi (which actually cost about 10 pounds outside the lounge).  The 3 hour access of a 6 hour layover was actually just perfect (it went from 7 to 6 with my 1 hour of delay).  I then took the shuttle to T1 (which takes about 10 mins) and it took forever to walk to my gate (which they don't announce until an hour before boarding, so you couldn't even go ahead of time).

Here are some pictures of Heathrow and the Lounge

My meal looking out Heathrow airport

Beautiful lounge @ NO. 1 travellers

Where I hung out.. and almost lost my camera

didn't have a chance to go on the egg shaped chair

This was the family room with a wii in it

And no, they won't tell you what your gate is until boarding time...it's a bit annoying 

The flight from London to Joburg was also delayed by an hour.  The SAA (South African Airways) set up is very different than AC. I lucked out and had 2 seats to myself because the plane was not full (at which point I wished I was in the middle 4 seater by myself so I can lie down).  They provided a pair of airplane socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and an eye shade.  The plane ride was somewhat uneventful but as expected there was  a bit more turbulence around the equator.

SAA's kit that they give you

pouch, socks, toothbrush/paste, eyeshades

Looking out to South Africa!

Upon arrival in Joburg, the custom lines were just as long as all other passport control line up.  I was super relieved to see my luggages make it.  Then something unfortunate happened, I accidentally walked my cart into an older lady who turned around and was extremely pissed off.. Ya.. I apologized a couple of times and I think she was still mad .. and then started calling me stupid.. oh well..

My driver's name was Abraham and he was very nice.  He told me his name is Abraham Lincoln and that he was featured in the Ottawa citizen for the Soweto tours that he does.  He taught me the african handshake and also how to say hello, how are you and fine in Africaan (? - I can't remember now).  I was dropped off at my accommodation which is a very cute hotel/lodge in Melville.    The only downside was I had to pay for my own internet and it's hotel prices.  Hopefully it'll be more affordable when I move to a house.

Here are some shots of my accommodation:

Beautiful canopy bed

such a fabulous room

A huge bathroom!

I settled in and decided to venture out to grab food for lunch (the lodge owner convinced me that it was safe around the area, and it was only a short block away - 2 mins).  I found a bar called melon with excellent decor and got  a take out chicken burger for lunch. It was R55 (~8 - 9 CAD?) but it was delicious. http://www.melon-restaurant.co.za/

Then exhaustion and food coma took over and I took a nap.  By the time I woke up from my nap (at around 6ish), the night has fallen.. I decided not to risk it and ordered delivery (additional charge of $R15 ~$3CAD).  The seafood udon noodle soup was not of Toronto quality but better than I expected.

Here is lunch then dinner

Gourmet Chicken burger with avocado and tomato and salad on the side.. NOT sure why I didn't get the top bun.. maybe that's the SA way

It has a happy face on top!

My delivery seafood udon soup.. not terrible... but not super tasty either

Tomorrow is my first day at work.  The driver will come and pick me up in the morning as I don't get my rental car until Friday.

I think it's time to go to bed to make sure I wake up for work tomorrow, aiming to be in by 8am (breakfast at 7:30am).

Good night!

Revival of this blog

I have decided to revive this blog rather than starting a completely new one for consistency purposes.. I think it'll help keep everything in one place but the downside is some of my older blogs are just incomplete.. and somewhat boring (interesting for self-reading and that's about it).  Hopefully i'll improve on it (like figure out how to add pictures) and write better ones that outline my African Adventures!

Hence if you want better posts - I would suggest start reading the post after this one and skip over the rest... ;)

Just to connect the dots since the last post.. the following summarizes my travel/adventures since feb 2010 (yes.. this blog died)...

- Aug/Sept 2009 - Ireland trip and then Bain world cup in London with Rutty
- Oct 2009 - Chicago trip with the curling crew
- July 2010 - Orlando with Angie and hit up the usual suspects - Universal studios ( HP theme park and the Hulk - my favourites!), Disney world's magic kingdom
- Aug 2010 - Baltimore/Washington trip with J to visit Eric  - highlight of the trip was definitely crab cake pizza!
- Aug 2010 - NYC trip (2nd annual engsci crew road trip) - "new york.. concrete jungles where dreams are made of.. etc"
- Nov 2010 - work trip to Ottawa and visited Chris after - loved the museum of civilization and the SOUP boy!
- March 2011 - work trip to Montreal
- April 2011 - work trip to Ottawa
- May 2011 - Trip to Quebec city - loved the chateau Frontenac where we stayed at!
- July 2011 - Muskoka ziplining!

Vancouver and the Olympic hype

So I did make it out to the Vancouver Olympics from Tuesday Feb 16th to Monday Feb 22nd.  Not only was I there to experience the Olympics, I was also there to visit my long time childhood best friend Elena!

Elena was gracious enough to let me stay with her.  She took care of me well: from picking me up from the airport line at the station closest to her house (super convenient train system built for the olympics), to getting the most delicious bubble tea at (dragon bbt place), to staying up at night and catching out on the many years that we have missed in each other's lives.. She also took me to try some of the most delicious japanese cuisine in Vancouver including a ramen place, guu with garlic, and a few other sushi place..

Vancouver is a very different place than what I remembered.  (The locals say that it's the Olympic hype)  Hence the streets were always filled with people (robson street especially).  I took Elena to a few of the curling games that I bought tickets for and explained the game to her.  I also managed to meet up with Phil for an impromptu game.  I also managed to meet up with Steph and took her out to one of the games too.

It was quite fun hanging out with Elena and playing catch up. I'm super glad that our friendship has prevailed! Sometimes it just works that way, and it takes a certain type of persons to keep friendship going in that way (friends who can stay friends even if they don't interact a lot).  Our friendship seems like it just picked up where it's left off.  Hopefully now with technology we can keep in touch better and be informed with things that are going on in each other's lives =)

Arrived @ YVR!!!!

Got to Vancouver in time for the 2010 Vancouver olympics!!!  See next post for details ;)

Roadtrip to loobbbbbbsterrrr land!!!!!

This summer, the engsci crew decided to plan a road trip together to boston to visit mel mel (and well, yes to eat lobsters.. which is clearly the primary attraction).

So with a departure time of early morning, we took two cars and drove down to Boston.  Because of various starting locations, we decided to meet up right before the border.  Some people were late and hence Geoff, Jason and I hung out at Duty free for a long time waiting for Pong, Charles, WYC and Xida to show up.

We drove to Ithaca next to pick up Alwin and stopped by Lincoln's diner for lunch and checked out the Ithaca waterfall.  At the diner, Geoff got picked on/frowned upon by the server, when he ordered white toast.. it was actually quite funny.

After lunch, we continued driving and went to Boston.  Upon arrival we met up with Mel at a pub and played some pool.  We both got lost on the way there and ended up with a little detour to the Boston airport.  It was quite good to meet up with Mel and her sister Melissa.

The next day we spent checking out the tall ship exhibit (one day i'll figure out how to upload pictures here to make the blog more interesting). We had lunch at the Faneuill hall where we had chowder and lobster buns. Walked around Boston and finally ended the evening with a nice meal at Legal seafood (giant lobsters!!).  (It was not quite lobster season so that was the best we can do...)

Sunday morning we went to Harvard to visit and had brunch before we started heading back to Toronto..

We decided after this trip that we'll try to do a road trip every summer =) Yay to good friends and a good time!! (and of course, lobsters!)