Comb The Desert!

We ain't found shit!! Sorry, I had to put a Spaceballs reference in this. We rented a car and our first stop was the Namib-Naukluft National Park, which is a dune park near Sossusvlei, Namibia. It was awesome. Supposedly, as you can read on the link above, these are the world's oldest dunes, and sometimes some of the tallest (they change with the wind).  We left Windhoek and thought we would take the "shortcut", which turned out to be a dirt road...the entire way, which was about 300 km (about 200 miles). We thought we would be there around 7 pm; we ended up getting in around 10 pm. It was dark and there were many animals on the road. (see previous post re list of animals)

We went to the dunes, hiked up them and down them and all around them. We got up at 4 o'clock to sit in a line at the gate of the park in order to watch the sun rise over the dunes, which is cool, as they have the shade on one side and the sun on the other and they have such a high spine and a windy one. However, once you've seen one dune, the others all look very similar.

It was very fun, but very hot, so we retired to our campsite to find that...our tent was gone!! And somebody was in our space!! As it turns out, there had been heavy wind and our tent had blown away. The resort had found it and secured it with rocks (ooops, I guess we will use tent spikes from now on!) and they gave us another spot so all was well.

The next day we drove north to Swakopmund, which is a German inspired town near the beach with the dunes in the distance. You can do many things here such as sand boarding and dune buggies but we are using the time to use the (fast!) internet, do laundry, run errands, grocery shop (we are self catering!) and get things like that done before hitting the road again tomorrow.

Things have been a lot more expensive in Namibia than in any of the other countries. We sure are not getting the 1 dollar rice and chicken plate anymore! But, you get other things, such as cleanliness and fast internet for the price. I am not sure if it is worth it, as I was hoping to save money in Africa. I have also heard that South Africa is expensive and that is our next stop. So, PB&Js to the rescue!

I have a feeling we will have better access to the internet so hopefully can avoid these long stretches of time where I am silent.

I did put some phtos online. Please check them out at your leisure HERE.

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Recommended Reading

Just finished reading Daniel Okrent’s marvelous 2003 book Great Fortune about  Rockefeller Center’s creation in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and quite unexpectedly came across two points resonant of BSI history.

            One has to do with Rockefeller Center’s principal architectural genius, the free-spirited Raymond Hood. At the same time that Christopher Morley and his friends were meeting in speakeasies in his literature-oriented Three Hours for Lunch Club, Hood and his architectural kinsprits were exceeding them at their own game: “[Hood’s] office in the Radiator Building vibrated with his rocketing success. He made a constantly shifting (yet always congenial) series of partnerships with collaborators, gave the young men on his staff free rein to proceed however they wished on the projects they were responsible for, and on Friday afternoons he’d confidently leave it all behind for a visit to the ‘Four-Hour Lunch Club,’ the all-talking, all-drinking weekly revel he shared with architect buddies like Ely Jacques Kahn, Ralph Walker, and Joseph Urban. Dream buildings scribbled in soft pencil competed for space with gin stains on the tablecloths at Mori’s or their other hangouts.” (Placido Mori, the Four-Hour Lunch Club’s Christ Cella, proprietor of a speakeasy restaurant on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.)

            In short, very much the spirit of Morley’s Three Hours for Lunch Club, save for architecture instead of literature as the excuse. The other point is a parallel, perhaps even the inspiration, for the late John Bennett Shaw’s famous (notorious?) advice about how to create a BSI scion society, “All you need are two people and a bottle. In a pinch, you can dispense with one of the people.” It is a point of doctrine by one-time New York City police chief Grover Whalen, subsequently Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s city greeter: “All you need is two bottles and a room and you have a speakeasy.” The BSI was gestated (marinated?) in a speakeasy, and in some of its better attributes bear the mark to this day.

            Great Fortune is a splendid book depicting not only the history of Rockefeller Center, but the spirit and sociocultural background of the times that gave birth to the BSI as well during the same years.  Highly recommended.

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Hell Week

So what has happened to us, you ask?! Well.....

You last left us in Malawi. Big K was doing his diving certification and I was chillin with S and R who were good fun, reading and relaxing at the lakeshore. From there, we had hell day. Wait, it was hell week!

From there, which was Nkata Bay, we had to go to Lilongwe, which is also Malawi, but is about 8 hours from Nkata Bay. So we took a morning bus at 5 am, it rained, no wait, POURED on us the whole walk to the bus WITH all of our stuff. We arrived at Lilongwe, kind of dryish and tiredish and got the closest hotel to the station because the NEXT day we had to get up again and catch a bus at 6 (which did not leave until 8) which lasted all day again. We arrived in Lusaka at 9ish (PM), had to pitch our tent (yes, we ARE camping!)

So...the NEXT day, we did the same thing... a 8 hour bus ride from Lusaka to Livingstone, where Victoria Falls is (Zambia). We stayed there one day, went to look at the falls, relaxed (in our tent) and then the NEXT day...yup you guessed it -- anohter travel day! This one was actually interesting. I think I said before that I hitchhiked for the first time. This was that day. We wanted to take a bus from Livingstone to Windhoek, Namibia. This is about an 18 hour bus ride. However, the bus only goes on Wednesday and Sunday. Today was Thursday. So, we tried to get a bus but they said we had to go to another town to get it. So we took a taxi 60 km to the next town where they dropped us off....at the side of the road. Mind you, at this time it was about 630 am. So...we hitched. The guy who picked us up was super nice and was actually traveling in a caravan, two trucks long. They always travel together.

The guy, Franco, was from...Namibia! Yay! Since that was where we were trying to go, we asked him if we could go all the way with him. He said yes, although he was going to a different town, but we could go with him as far as we needed. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!! His partners were great too, we actually switched trucks in the middle. We saw elephants and warthogs!! We learned A LOT about Namibia. We did not go over 100 km/hr (they have a sensor that sends a signal to the home office if they go over 100). We did not make it to the end. We had to get off in the middle because it was 10 pm. Namibia is a HUGE country!

The next day, we hitched again, met a nice guy named Bob and his dog, Poppy (named for "the item you get from Poppies". I didnt ask him to elaborate), tried to rent a car but were told we DID need to go to Windhoek (pronounced VindHoke) after all. So, we got another ride with a great guy named Sam (who had AC -- wonder of wonders!!) He was a wealth of information. He told us all about the human trafficking from Nigeria and China. He told us all about the gun laws. He knew so much. I asked him if the cops were corrupt here. He said no and he knew all about the programs they have within the government where they watch the cops to make sure that they stay legal. I was thinking "this guy knows his stuff!!" Then we asked him what he did. He says, "I work for the police". Hahaah. Oops. He was super nice. We finally got to Windhoek around 8 pm.

This was the end of hell week. 6 days of travel. No rest. Camping on the ground, riding in uncomfortable buses for 6 days in a row. We got a car to continue our journey and I am sooooo glad. We are traveling every day, but it is no big deal anymore. We can stop when we want! You dont know how good this is! Anyway, more about that later. Hell week is over.

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DOĞUM KONTROL YÖNTEMLERİ (ALTERNATİF)

DOĞUM KONTROL BANDI

Doğum kontrol bandı, kadınlık hormonları östrojen ve progesteron içeriyor. Yaklaşık 5 santim genişliğinde olan bant, kalça, kol ve karnın alt bölgesine yapıştırıldıktan sonra her iki hormonun kan dolaşımına karışmasını sağlıyor. Üç haftalık kullanımın ardından yönteme bir hafta ara vermek gerekiyor. Bu bant, yumurtlamayı önlüyor ve rahim ağzı salgısının yapısını değiştirerek spermin rahme ulaşmasını ve rahim iç zarının kalınlaşmasını engelleyerek etki ediyor. Böylece yumurta döllense bile rahim içinde tutunamıyor.
Kimler için uygun? Doğum kontrolünü geçici bir süre olarak düşünen, düzenli olarak bir doğum kontrol yöntemini kullanamayan kadınlar için ideal.
Kimler için sakıncalı? Doğum kontrol haplarını kullanması sakıncalı olanlara tavsiye edilmiyor. Ayrıca, ciltleri hassas olan kadınlara da, yöntemin alerjik reaksiyon oluşturma ihtimali nedeniyle önerilmiyor.

HORMONLU SPİRAL

Rahim içine yerleştirilen spiral, gövdesinde bulundurduğu bir hazneden her gün az miktarda progesteron hormonu salgılayarak etki ediyor. Hormonlu spiral takıldığı günden itibaren 5 yıl süre ile hamileliğe karşı koruma etkisini devam ettiriyor. Progesteron hormonu içeren spiralin en önemli avantajı ise adet kanamasının miktarını ve bu dönemde gelişen sancıları büyük ölçüde azaltması. Bu etki bazı kadınlarda adet kanamasının spiral kullanıldığı sürece tümüyle kesilmesine kadar gidebiliyor. Bakır içeren spiralin aksine, hormon içeren spiralde genital enfeksiyonoluşma riski de oldukça azalıyor.

Kimler için uygun? Uzun süre korunmak isteyen ve aşırı adet kanamasından şikayet eden kadınlar için oldukça ideal. Hormonlu spiral miyomlardan ötürü adet düzensizlikleri olan kadınlara da tavsiye ediliyor.
Kimler için sakıncalı? Progesteron hassasiyeti olanlar için sakıncalı.

KOMBİNE HAPLAR

Normal doğum kontrol hapları östrojen ve progesteron hormonları içeriyor. Pek çok kadın bu hapların kanser riskini artırdığı endişesini taşıyor. Oysa yapılan araştırmalar; tam aksine doğum kontrol kaplarının rahim zarı ve yumurtalık kanserinin ortaya çıkma riskini azalttığını ortaya koyuyor. Ayrıca meme kanseri riskini değiştirmiyor ve sağlıklı bir kadın kullanıyorsa kalp damar hastalıkları riskini artırmıyor. Bu hapların en korkulan yan etkisi ise kanın pıhtılaşma eğilimini artırmaları nedeniyle damar tıkanıklıklarına zemin hazırlamaları. Ancak bu yan etkiye de günümüzde kullanılan yeni nesil ilaçlar sayesinde artık çok ender rastlanıyor.

Kimler için uygun? Kısa süreli korunma isteyen ve sivilce sorunu olanlar için ideal.
Kimler için sakıncalı? Damar tıkanıklığı veya meme kanserine yakalanma riski yüksek olanlar, nedeni henüz belirlenmemiş adet dışı kanamalardan yakınanlar, kronik karaciğer hastaları ve 35 yaşın üzerinde olup sigara kullananlar için sakıncalı.

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Constantino Galeazzo (PART 2)

Belissimo!

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SELÜLİTE SOĞUK MASAJLA VEDA EDİN

Vücudumuzdaki hücreler sıcak ve soğuya çok farklı seviyelerde tepki gösteriyor. Hücrelerin tepki verdiği doğru seviyeler bulunduğu zaman da yağ hücrelerini yok etmek mümkün oluyor. Zeltiq cihazı da bu sıcak ile soğuk arasındaki ilişkiden yola çıkılarak zayıflatma hedefliyor. Zarar görmüş yağ hücrelerinin bulunduğu bölgeye ters tepki yaşatmak amacıyla soğuk masaj yapılıyor. Vücut bu masaja iltihapla karşılık veriyor ve zarar görmüş yağ hücrelerinin doğal olarak vücuttan atılmasına yardımcı oluyor. Uzun süre tekrarlanan Zeltiq uygulamasının sonucunda vücuttaki yağ birikimlerinde dikkat çekici bir fark oluşuyor. Tek dezavantajı bazı hastaların aşırı soğuk masajdan rahatsız olmaları... Ancak on dakikanın sonunda soğuğu hissetmemeye başlıyorsunuz.

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RAMAZANDA AĞIZ KOKUSUNA DİKKAT

Ramazan ayının dengeli ve sağlıklı bir yaşam tarzına ulaşmak isteyenler için bir fırsat olduğunu vurgulayan Dentaworld Ağız ve Diş Sağlığı Polikliniği Sorumlu Müdürü Diş Hekimi Murat Tokgöz, “Bu ay boyuncabeslenme alışkanlıkları kontrol edilip yönetilebilir. Ramazan ayında yiyip içilenleri kontrol etmek suretiyle mide ve sindirim sistemi dinlendirilir, vücuttan toksinlerin atılması sağlanabilir” dedi.
Ramazan ayında günlük beslenme alışkanlıklarında önemli değişiklikler olduğunu ifade eden Diş Hekimi Murat Tokgöz, “Öğün sayısı 2’ye düşmekte ve öğün arası süre uzamaktadır (yaklaşık 14 saat). Bu durum hem genel sağlık, hem de ağız-diş sağlığı üzerinde önemli etkileri olmaktadır. Dolayısıyla oruç tutanlar ağız-diş sağlıkları ile genel sağlıklarına, oruç tutmayanlara oranla daha fazla özen göstermeleri gerekiyor” diye konuştu.

Murat Tokgöz, Ramazan ayını ağız-diş sağlığı açısından zararsız bir şekilde geçirebilmek için dikkat edilmesi gerekenleri şu şekilde sıraladı:
? Öncelikle doktorunuzla görüşüp oruç tutmanızın tıbbi açıdan uygun olup olmadığını danışmalısınız. Eğer ilaç kullanıyorsanız, doktorunuz bu ilaçlarınızın saatlerini iftar ve sahura göre ayarlama yapabilir.

? Ramazan boyunca işlenmiş gıdalardan, şekerli ve yağlı , aşırı baharatlı yiyeceklerden kaçının. Terleme ve nefes yoluyla dışarı atıldıklarından terin ve nefesin kötü kokmasına neden olurlar.

? Çay, kahve, kola gibi çok fazla kafein içeren içecekler az tüketilmelidir. Bu içecekler diüretik özellikleri nedeniyle idrar yoluyla vücuttan su kaybını arttırır ve ağızda kuruluk yapar.

? Oruç mide asit seviyelerini arttırarak midede yanma, ağırlık hissi ve ağızda kötü ekşi tad ve kokuya yol açabilir. Bunu önlemek için sahurda liften zengin sebze, meyve, fasulye, nohut, v.b. yenebilir.

? Oruç tutanlarda ağız kuruluğu, ağızda kötü tat ve nefesin kötü kokması görülme olasılığı artmaktadır. Sebebi ağız kuruluğu, iyi temizlenmeyen diş yüzeyi ve aralarında biriken bakteriler ile mide ve boğazdan gelen bakterilerdir. Sahur ve iftar sonrası titizlikle yapılan diş fırçalama ve diş ipi kullanımı hem diş çürükleri ve dişeti iltihaplarını hem de ağız kokusunu önleyecektir.

? Normal tükürük salgısının içeriğindeki maddeler sayesinde dişleri ve ağız dokularını koruyucu etkisi vardır. Tükürük salgısı azaldığı veya tamamen kaybolduğunda diş çürüğü, ağız enfeksiyonları ve ağız kokusu görülme riski artar. Dolayısıyla iftar ve sahurda bol miktarda su içilmesi ve kafeinli içeceklerden kaçınılması faydalıdır.

? Kek, bisküvi, çikolata, çok fazla yağ, şeker ve beyaz un ihtiva eden tatlı ve gıdalardan (rafine karbonhidrat) kaçınmalıdır. Çünkü bu tür gıdalar çürük yapıcı bakterilerin çoğalmasını ve dişlerde çürük oluşturmasını kolaylaştırırlar.

? Ağız kokusunun kaynağı büyük ölçüde ağız içi ve dilin arka kısmındaki bakterilerdir. Dolayısıyla her diş fırçalamadan sonra dilin sırt ve arka kısımlarını ve yanakların içyüzlerini özel dil temizleyici aparey veya fırçalarla iyice temizlemek faydalıdır.

? Ağızda mevcut diş çürükleri ve diş taşları ile, bozulmuş veya kırılmış veya eskimiş dolgu ve köprüler de ağ
ız kokusuna ve ağrıya neden olurlar. Bu sebeple ramazan öncesi diş hekimine giderek bu tedavilerin yaptırılması sizi oruçluyken ağız kokusu ve ağrı gibi istenmeyen durumları yaşamaktan alıkoyacaktır.

Alıntıdır..

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Can't say Goodbye to Classics

I've just finished assorting all of my CDs ( yes ,I was thaaat bored :S). While going through the endless pile, I've stumbled upon a videotape (ye know, the old ones before we used the CD). It was the very first videotape I saw and watched (the film, not the cover), Guess what it was about ? The timeless classics of ''Mr. Bean'' :D

You might call me old fashioned, but I just couldn't forget Mr. Bean and all of his spectacular Misadventures, it was one of those good old classical comedic shows that just can't be replaced, Its sorta like Charlie Chaplain ( except for the Black and White). In this new modern age, there are new comedies, Scrubs,Frasier, Friends, Two and a Half men etc... Now, I'm not saying I dislike them, I'm quite fond of them myself, its just that they cannot match up to the level of comedy as ''Mr. Bean''. Old Rowan Atkinson does a fine job to bring humor back in the crude days of the 90s :D

The only downside to Mr. Bean, was when the show ended after ( I think) 14 episodes :S . Other than that I see no downside to the show, besides Mr. Bean not talking much ( though thats just me :)

And for all you who don't know who Mr. Bean is, Let me elaborate : Generally, Mr. Bean is about an Englishman called Mr. Bean who finds everything hard to do (even if its the simplest of jobs, like doing the laundry :P ) and often finds humourous and funny ways to solve the problem, not to mention having a nifty looking Mini and a cute little Teddy bear. This one time, he tried to drive home, while he was on the top of his car, Top That !  :)

The Mr Bean franchise now has 2 movies , Mr. Bean (1996) and Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), as well as an animated TV series, And has the same level of internet fuss as LoL-CATS !! :D

So no offense to any other show, But Mr. Bean (the show) has been the only one to reach my funny bone, and no one can match the show's humour.

BTW: Rowan Atkinson plays Mr. Bean

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The Gods (and Lists) Must Be Crazy

I thought of more things that I have found out about while in Africa:

- Rats. Fried. On a skewer. : YUM

-It is okay to throw rocks at your neighbor's goat.

-It is also okay to throw trash/food/etc out the window of your bus/on the ground/in a hole in the ground. There is trash EVERYWHERE. (except Namibia... it is cleaner)

-There is a lot of skirt on skirt action. The women wear a skirt and then wrap another one around it. My mom would love it.

-Things you can buy from the window of your bus:
     Fanta
     Bread
     Fried Pastries
     Tomatoes
     Cabbage
     Spoons
     Wallets
     Shoes
     Oranges
Okay the list goes on forever, but if you ever want anything, just ride the bus! (ps the rats I mentioned before = CAN be bought from the bus)


Well, thats it for now. I am sure I will have more things to say about Africa later. I am in Namibia now, having hitched a ride (dont tell my mom!) for the first time in my life. From Zambia to Namibia, in a 18 wheeler (also my first ride in one of those!). I am alive now, so I can talk about it freely.

A quick list of animals I have seen! From the car! At night! Be careful on the road, that's what I have learned.

Zebra --- we thought it was a donkey, but then....STRIPES! Fun!
Oryx -- a large deer with huge straight horns and a horsey tail
Ostrich
Warthog -- cute, but ugly!
Porcupine -- I didnt know they had them in Africa
Wild dog -- looks like a dog with bigger ears
Unknown birds -- to be announced later
Rabbits -- or hares? about 50 of them!

I love it here! It is what I expected and it is not what I expected. I thought plains and grasses and animals and tribes like in National Geographic. It IS a little like that and so much more.

A couple of things you may or may not know:

Most of the countries in Southern Africa speak English: Mozambique speaks Portuguese. Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi and Botswana speak English, Africaans and about a dozen (or so) tribal Languages. You thought I had to learn those clicking sounds to get around over here, but...as unglamorous as it is, I can mostly get along with English.

Namibia just gained their independence 17 years ago. Mozambique I think gained theirs in 1975 (from Portugal) but has been in Civil wars with themselves until about 1994. Wounds are still fresh.

A beer in each of the countries I have been so far in Africa costs about 1 dollar. This is very important information.

There is still a lot of racial strife here. In Zimbabwe the whites came and staked their claim on land and began to farm it. Not long ago, the government decided to give the land back to the natives. People are angry. Still.

Enough for today! Waka Waka Hey Hey!

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RICARDO GUSTAVO JIMENEZ 01/02

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