Ahhhh... sweater weather in Cape Town! What a treat after sleeping in a hut to stay with friends who see THIS every day.
Our friend Jules tried to kill us one day by taking us on a pre-breakfast hike up Lion's Head (below). It actually does look like a relaxing lion from the other side. Jules could have run from the bottom to the top... I was still feeling my quads 3 day
s later. In places the trail was a narrow strip between rocky cliff above and below, chains attached to the mountain to hold onto. In other spots, we had to climb metal ladders, straight up... and then back down. Not a good place to develop vertigo! The view was worth it -- panoramic views of mountains, ocean and town. I didn't quite make it to the top and while I was waiting for Bruce and Jules, thick clouds wrapped around the mountain and I wondered how we were going to get down. We were leaving the next day for home and I didn't want any of us to end up in a hospital in Cape Town.
On the way to the airport from this Santa Monica-esque part of town, we passed by metal and wood shanties where working-class blacks live. The "houses" were tiny, maybe 10'x10', if that, windowless lean-tos with no plumbing. This is where the folks who clean houses and keep gardens neatly groomed on the other side of town live. I'm reminded of the kids I met in Uganda who said before they got to the orphanage, "life was not easy". That's an understatement for so many in Africa. I came home with a new level of appreciation for the basics: food, shelter, plumbing, electricity, health.
11-06
We just spent four nights at Umlani Bush Camp in South Africa, taking game drives at sunrise and sunset each day with a guide and a tracker. My goal was to see one big cat. Our first day there, we saw three lioness sisters resting in the shade after an unsuccessful night of hunting. We also watched a white leopard stalking an impala and a male lion with a gorgeous mane who seemed to be posing for the cameras (he even moved into the sun for better lighting). We were within about 15 feet of him at one point, perched in an open 4WD vehicle. It was exciting... and terrifying... to be so close to something that could have killed any one of us instantly if it got a little grumpy.
We were watching a herd of elephants when they decided to go somewhere else. They passed in front and behind our truck, surrounding us as they slowly moved by. They walked like they'd been drugged -- slow, lumbering giants with sleepy eyes. They made me feel very small... and young!
The rondavel (thatched-roof hut) where we stayed was lit by oil lantern and the shower was outside, surrounded by tall reeds. Each morning and evening while we were out looking for wildlife, our hosts would light a fire to heat water for showers. It was 100+ degrees so showering two or three times a day was typical. We were dripping sweat even when sitting perfectly still. After showers, we'd all gather around a campfire for evening drinks, then move into a dining room with reed walls on 2 sides, open on the other two. Candles were the only light. Honey badgers had broken into the kitchen but left enough for the cooks to prepare wonderful meals.
A lovely couple from London who had been dating for 20 years got married in the bush. The bride wore a white gown and a woman from Hoedspruit came to do her hair and make-up. The bride and groom came back from their private ceremony next to big game and had dinner with us, still in their wedding wear. During dinner, a wild thunderstorm approached, thunder cracking and lighting flashing all around the sky. Perfect to mark their special day! During the night, I swear I heard something very BIG breathing outside our thin door. The night before, cape buffalo were roaming through our camp.
This morning we saw 3 hyenas with the remains of last night's kill: a baby giraffe. I'd never seen hyenas before and was surprised by how innocent they look, even when sitting over the twisted body of a little giraffe. They have big ears and sweet eyes but we won't be trading Scout in for one of them. Nature is brutal!
We also followed a white rhino on foot today. We tiptoed single file through the bush, silently, sneaking up on the rhino. It's funny that something that could have taken us all out in 5 seconds took one look at us and ran away like a schoolgirl. Our guide looked like he weighed about 70 pounds, but he did carry a big gun... Just in case.
Also saw cape buffalo, zebras, giraffes, kudu, warthogs, eagles, monkeys and baboons. Oh, and some very poisonous twig snakes that blend in perfectly with... Twigs.
Oct 29
...When it comes to wild rides.
Ronald was our driver from Lira to Entebbe, a minimum five hour, bronco busting, bicycle dodging, hair raising, heart pounding thriller of a ride.
He'd started his day at 4:30 a.m. in Kampala, about 4 hours south of Lira. Two hours into his drive to pick us up, his radiator crapped out. He sat in a gas station waiting for a replacement vehicle and made it to us about 4 hours late. We'd hoped to make it to Entebbe before dark but that was now not going to happen. (During our wait, we sat on the porch of the orphanage and talked with Tony and Mary Ann, two employees who had been among the first group of orphans at Otino Waa in 2003. They are now impressive young adults--well-educated, poised, warm and beautiful).
Ronald was tired by the time he reached us and only grew more so during his 12 hours of driving. He was hitting speeds of 130 km/hr on 2 lane roads that were really about wide enough for 1-1/2. I felt like we were taxiing for takeoff. There were lots of people on bikes, motorcycles and foot on the side of the road and we feared he'd pick one or more of them off. Oh, and then there's the game of chicken we played with oncoming traffic all the way as Ronald sped over potholed roads, passing cars all along the way. He was turning the 1-1/2 lane road into a 3 lane road as we squeezed between the cars we were passing and the oncoming traffic. It was like being trapped inside a bad video game.
He was stopped by police once and threatened with a large fine and we hoped that would slow him down. It did... For about 5 minutes. After one particularly close call when I expected to see the white light, I asked him to slow down.
Then we came upon a beer truck that was on it's side, beer flowing onto the road and glass from the bottles glistening in the headlights. As we crunched over large shards, I wondered whether we'd make it to Entebbe before all four tires went flat.
When we got close to Entebbe, I asked Ronald whether he'd been given the name of the hotel where we were staying. He looked perplexed. He thought we were catching a flight out that night and had been driving "crazy" to get us to the airport!
10-28
Yesterday we went with a young orphan girl to her village to visit her grandmother. Bob Higgins took us in his Land Cruiser. During the visit in the village, the small kids the village suddenly began running, laughing, through the compound. As quickly as they started, they stopped... And then approached the orphan with a live chicken. It was a gift to be given to give to Dickens, the pastor who helped her get into the orphanage. Into the Land Cruiser the chicken went.
Today the medical clinic in the church across the street was overflowing with patients--word was out that an American doctor was here. The doc removed a growth from a man's ear and the patient appeared later in the day at the orphanage to present him with a live chicken. The chicken was put--where else-- in the back of the Land Cruiser. Another day, another chicken in a Land Cruiser.)
Back at the orphanage, I was waiting for some kids to show up to perform a dance when I was swarmed by a group. I asked if they were the dancers and they said "yes". So I said, let's go! The minute they started dancing, I realized they weren't THE dancers, just a bunch of kids each dancing to his own tune.
Eventually, the real dancers showed up.
Today was also the day we said goodbye to the kids and some of the staff we've grown to love. A little boy named Brian, the son of one of the widowed house moms, tracked me down as we were leaving. This is the same boy who sang and danced "Where do you come from, Baaaaby" when we first met. He gave me the most wonderful, warm hug goodbye. Neither of us wanted to let go.
Fortunately, I taped his song and dance and will watch it any time I need a chuckle.
We had dinner tonight at the home of Dickens, another staff member, where we had an African feast lit by one stick candle. There were about two dozen of us in the livingroom. The food was amazing and Dickens played music on African instruments when we'd finished eating. Proof once again that good company, good food and good music are all ya really need for a great party.
10-27-10
Here's today's little tidbit:
We were riding over washed out dirt roads through villages today. One of our companions was a very popular local pastor. During our conversation about the terror inflicted on innocent civilians by rebels, his cellphone rang. His ringtone: The Mexican Hat Dance.
Oct 26
Waking up without electricity is beginning to feel normal!
Interviewed a teenage boy at the orphanage who was abducted by rebels when he was 7. He shared horrific stories about what he witnessed and endured before his escape.
We spent some time with a medical team from Northern CA that has set up a clinic with two local docs in the church across the street. Yesterday they saw 180 local patients. Today more than 300 showed up. They arrived by bicycle and foot, some from 20 km away. Babies were carried on their mothers' backs, their heads protected from the sun with large bowl-shaped gourd helmets.
The heaviness of parts of the day were offset by a wonderful dinner in the bush under a lightning-lit sky. We were invited to join Douglas, an employee of the orphanage, at his home with his wife and 6 adorable kids, the medical and dental teams, the founders of the orphanage and a few other employees. We rode over a single lane dirt road that was badly damaged by rain. It wasn't even as wide as the car. Children popped out of the sim sim plants and sunflower stalks to run behind the car.
Dinner was delicious and memorable--Douglas's
wife, Grace, and 2 of her sisters had prepared some 12 different dishes (chicken, beef, casava, cabbage, vegetables, rice, flatbread and more) in their outdoor kitchen all day. They don't have running water or electricity and the outdoor kitchen uses coal or wood so preparing this feast for about 20 of us in Uganda's heat and humidity was incredibly generous. Grace greeted us with a huge smile, hugs and "I love yous". The small kids took our hands and curtsied.
Douglas greeted us with warm handshakes and said, "You are welcome". We could not have felt
more so.
Oct 24- Otino Waa Children's Village
Spent the morning at the wildest church service I've ever been to. Dancing, singing and offerings of beans, casava, even a live chicken ... And an egg. After the service, people very young and very old and in btwn swarmed us and gave us hugs, handshakes and "welcomes". Many had no shoes.
Then had lunch at the orphanage with a group of kids. 2 boiled eggs and chappati (flat bread), cooked over charcoal. The kids are gorgeous and very sweet. The little boy in the foreground is Andrew, the son of Janet, the house mom in the background. She is a widow and was allowed to bring one child to live with her at the orphanage.
Interviewed an orphan girl who had been abducted by rebels and had seen both of her parents murdered. When she grows up, she wants to be an accountant... Or a singer.
Bruce Cummings - Producer/Writer/Narrator
Bruce has won national and local Emmy Awards over his 30-plus years as a broadcast journalist. The lion's share of his career was spent at NBC Nightly News, where he worked as a senior producer with Tom Brokaw and then Brian Williams.
Bruce spent 18 of those years in NBC's Washington, D.C. bureau, managing the reporting of correspondents and producers covering the White House, the Hill, State, the Pentagon and all federal agencies. He was known for his focus, integrity, vast knowledge of politics and history and his ability to make complex issues easily understood through clear and concise writing.
His strong leadership skills and keen editorial judgment were recognized regularly by NBC News. Bruce was put in charge of managing major ongoing breaking news stories for all NBC News programs, including the Enron meltdown and the D.C. sniper.
Bruce relocated to the West Coast in 1997, where he continued to work for NBC Nightly News from the Los Angeles bureau for nine years. He oversaw coverage ranging from the Columbine massacre to Michael Jackson's molestation trial to California politics to wildfires.
Prior to joining NBC, Bruce was executive producer of the evening news at WRC-TV and prior to that, worked as a producer for ABC's "Good Morning America".
Bruce also has done extensive work as a narrator of a wide variety of television productions and a voice-over artist for a vast range of commercials and on-air promos. He lives in Bend, Oregon, where he continues to write and to narrate a variety of video productions.
Tom Tanquary - Director of Photography
Tom Tanquary is an award-winning journalist who has worked for every American network television network and a number of local stations in his 30-plus years in the industry. He has worn a number of hats over the years, include those of Executive Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Assistant News Director and On-Air Reporter.
Tom was the director and executive producer of the 2008 film Finding Our Ancient Wisdom. He was awarded a grant to produce the film, which is about the origins of western society.
Over the past 14 years, Tom has worked as a director of photography on the following network news programs: 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Dateline NBC, TODAY, NBC Nightly News, Now, Primetime Live and Front Page.
Prior to that, Tom worked for Fox TV as the lead Director of Photography and Field Director for their newly-formed news division, later to become FOX News Cable. He was in charge of creating the visual style of their groundbreaking news magazine, Front Page. After the successful launch of FOX News Cable, Tom started Picture and Sound Productions in 1995. The company provided broadcast services to news and entertainment programs.
In 1991, Tom worked as the DP and Field Director for the syndicated program Prime Suspect, then earned his Directors Guild of America card while working on ABC's Home Show as a Segment Director.
Tom began working for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles in 1984 as a videographer/editor and Director of Photography. At the same time, he published his first college textbook, Portable Video: ENG and EF with The Focal Press. This was the first textbook of its kind to teach students about using video cameras outside the studio. Over the next 15 years, he wrote four editions of the book.
Tom also worked as Chief Photographer and Assistant News Director at KVOA-TV in Tucson, AZ. He also was on-air reporter and producer of the annual "Year in Review" primetime hour specials for the station.
Tom earned his Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts Degree from the University of Illinois and worked as business manager and on-air talent for the local radio station WPGU-FM in Champaign, IL.
His awards include a national Emmy for his photography and two Los Angeles Emmys for his field directing and photography. He also has won an Edward R. Murrow Award and an IRIS Award. Tom lives in Costa Mesa, CA.
Kort Waddell - Director of Photography
Kort is an Emmy Award winning director of photography with more than 30 years of broadcast experience. he is known for his visionary work for NBC News, elevating primetime news programming to a higher level with his creative eye. Kort also is a director of entertainment television (DGA). His work has appeared on numerous television networks and cable outlets including NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, FOX, HBO, Discovery and National Geographic, to name a few. Kort's versatility is apparent in the broad spectrum of programs on which he has worked: news, documentary, sports and entertainment.
Whether it's shooting on location or in a studio, in Los Angeles or the other side of the world, Kort is a go-to director of photography. Networks, cable entities and independent production companies have brought their projects to Kort, knowing he will give them a unique style and vision. He has worked on productions ranging from undercover assignments for Dateline NBC to uncovering the beauty of the Miss Universe pageants.
Kort's fine work as a producer/director earned him an Emmy for the MSNBC production "100 Days, 1,000 Voices", a cross-country motor home trip that got up close and personal with voters prior to the 2000 election. Most recently, Kort produced and directed "David Braza at Masada", a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a sunrise concert near the Dead Sea in Israel for PBS.
Kort also directed "The Games Behind the Games", an hour-long documentary for MSNBC on the preparations for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, hosted by NBC News' Keith Morrison. This special program earned a Telly Award, the Communicator Award and an Aegis Award. In 2003, he produced, directed and photographed "The Next Destination, a joint venture with Travel+Leisure Magazine and CNBC, which also won the Communicator and Aegis awards.
In 2006, Kort undertook the demanding challenge of capturing the cross-country automobile event "The Great Race" (synonymous with the motion picture of the same name), a 14-day trek following 130 vintage cars across the nation.
Some of the high-profile NBC primetime specials on which Kort has been primary videographer include "Farrah's Story", "Farewell to Friends", "Will and Grace Finale Special" and "Sigfried and Roy - Miracles". He also had the privilege of working with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show". Kort has worked on every NBC News program, every ABC newsmagazine program, PBS's "NOW with Bill Moyers" and for History Channel.
Al Lopez - Director of Photography
Al Lopez has been a News Video Photographer and Director of Photography for more than 30 years. Al has worked primarily for U.S. television national news programs for more than 20 years, including primetime television network newsmagazine programs such as 60 Minutes, Dateline NBC, 20/20, Primetime Live, Nightline and Frontline. He frequently works for network daily news, political news, Today, Good Morning America and has extensive experience shooting for sports programming. Al has worked for ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS as well as HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel and other networks, plus multiple corporate clients. His photography assignments have taken him to many international locations.
In 1999, Al won a national Emmy Award for an ABC News 20/20 special edition on the 20th anniversary of the massacre at Jonestown, Guyana, and, in 2005, was part of NBC NEWS' Peabody Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Al also won an Emmy Award for his photography in 1988 while News Photographer at KPIX-TV, the CBS station in San Francisco. In 1984, Al was video photographer for the first AIDS documentary, which received a U.S. presidential Recognition Award from President Ronald Reagan.
Al earned his degree in Broadcasting Arts from San Francisco State University. He was born and raised in Stockton, CA.
Emily Maleki - Associate Producer
Emily most recently co-produced two documentaries for Human Rights Watch regarding their work to eliminate the rape kit backlog in Los Angeles and to end life without parole for youth in California. These projects were narrated by Dennis Haysbert and Alfre Woodard.
Prior to that, she worked for NBC News. She spent three years as an associate producer for NBC's TODAY SHOW, covering high-profile national stories. She covered the 2008 Beijing Olympics, co-produced San Diego wildfire coverage with Matt Lauer and worked on his series "Where in the World is Matt Lauer". Emily also acted as coordinating producer for TODAY's coverage of the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Grammys and Emmy Awards.
Emily worked as a researcher for NBC News prior to her position with TODAY and before that, worked for National Geographic Programming in London/Beverly Hills.
She earned her Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California and her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Location "Scout"
She didn't make the cut as a guide dog for the blind, but she has one heck of an eye for spotting nice locations. You can also see her in her role as talent as the "local dog" in Bend Broadband commercials.
