Esakut Mountain, Kenya

Last weekend's adventures... one of my favorite hikes ever. We hiked along the mountain ridge in the background, absolutely beautiful.

Dakar, Senegal

There are many places where I step off the plane and within a few hours – or even minutes – I start thinking  ‘I could really live here.’  There is something mysterious and magical about being in a country for the first time, when you are eager to breathe in all of the details. In Senegal, my first impression was the beautiful patterned clothing, the charming airport escort who helped us through the visa process, the comfort with which our bags were slung at the back of the pickup. 

But really, anywhere with lovely beaches, tasty food, easy climate, and stability, can you really go wrong? Or is it just that these are the same extraordinary things about California, in a parallel life on the other side of the world? I know my experience is colored by the lovely people we worked with, the translator who sounded like he was from Philly with phrases like ‘you know what I’m saying man.’ And the government Service National de l’Hygiene, the only militarized environmental health group I have ever met, with full uniforms and official salutes. How can you not love a country like that?

Water testing is serious business

View from the hotel restaurant... our office for the week

Impromptu tour of a fishing community. This one is for Mom. 

Ngor Island - used for slave trading for over 300 years

The door of no return - where the slaves left for the Americas

Traditional Senegalese food - Thieboudienne - where everyone grabs a spoon and digs in

The Senegalese equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. I used to run by this in the mornings. So much hope. 

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire

I'm in Abidjan for the African Water Congress, and my employer (Aquaya) is supporting 18 of our partners from 6 countries to attend - from Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Guinea. And for some of these partners this means getting passports and worrying about having to eat different food for the first time. Should be interesting.

When I arrived yesterday, I realized that Cote d'Ivoire is one of the countries that requires Yellow Fever Vaccinations. If you don't have yours (or if you're missing the certification papers), they usher you into a room and give you the vaccine. No other options. So I'm prepared with my vaccine certificate, but what about our partners? Is anyone going to be offended if they have to get the vaccine, especially if they already had their injection and just forget the paperwork? I should know in the next 24 hours.

What else has happened in my first day? I went for a glorious walk yesterday evening, hoping it would be a little cooler than during the day (it wasn't - it's 8am and 82F/28C and 89% humidity). I looked up and there were flocks and flocks of birds. Their squawking almost reminded me of insects, just a constant buzz.

Then I looked closer and realized that they were not birds but BATS. Thousands and thousands of bats, in all types of trees downtown Abidjan, even palm trees. Crazy. I later read that Abidjan has 1 million bats and 3 million people. This is especially dramatic against the backdrop of an interesting church on the hill:

I saw the bats again this morning on my run. Another thing I discovered while running is that it is customary to give the other runners you see 2 or 3 claps.  It took me maybe the first 5 runners to get this but by the end I had it down. Awesome.

Dessert and Wine Party

 Last night we hosted a dessert and wine party. Mmmmm! Here is the spread:

Starting with the kiwi tarts, going clockwise:

• Kiwi and strawberry tarts (also raspberry tarts but these are hidden in the photo)
• Chocolate tart
• Pear and chocolate cake
• Gingernut log (Julian's family recipe)
• Cheese plate
• Mango clafoutis
• Fruit salad with vanilla cream (Sanni's grandmother's recipe)
• Chocolate cake
• Strawberry sauce
• Fresh raspberries and plums
• Chocolate covered strawberries (center)
• Pear and cheese cake (came later!)