malyb3

Kampala

2008-07-23T14:08:00.012-04:00

Now that you’ve seen the lil K, let me introduce you to the big K – Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Here is a random assortment of shots around the city.

Nakesero Market is HUGE . . . here's a little corner of it.

Street Scenes

Working at the carwash . . .
Near old Kampala . . . slum in the background

Matatus – the best transport around the city.

Basically a matatu is a taxi, but for many people. Each matatu has a route it follows back and forth all day, and a guy (aka “the conductor”) hangs out the side of the minivan hollering where they’re going. Anyone who wants to go in that direction just hails it. The matatu pulls over, and the conductor squishes in as many people as possible.
The rate is around $0.33 – best deal in town.

Pimp my matatu

Kalisizo Town – the Best Town in all of Rakai

2008-07-17T12:39:00.016-04:00

For your viewing pleasure - a photo tour of home and work in Kalisizo, Rakai District, Uganda.

The Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) is comprised of several buildings, including this new one that has a lovely conference room, high tech lab, and operating theater used exclusively for adult male circumcision.

The Rakai Six regularly work at these bandas that
are equipped with electrical outlets and wireless internet

Here is one of the older buildings – where I am working most of the time.

This road links the office and home – in only six minutes.

My lovely home for the summer – the Twin Guesthouse

Some of our neighbors

. . . and one unrelated photo from the drive between Kalisizo and Kampala.

The Best White Water Rafting in the World – Probably

2008-07-01T14:38:00.012-04:00

This weekend the Rakai Six headed back to Jinja – home to the source of the Nile – to go white water rafting! (first visit, June 5th entry)

enjoying the view on our first visit (above)
before knowing it would be something like this (below) . . .

(not our photos - tks Google images)

Many travel guides name Jinja as having some of the best rafting in the world. The guides of the company we rafted with, The Nile River Explorers, wore great shirts touting nearly the same claim, “Probably the Best White Water Rafting in the World” (emphasis mine).

No one has photos of us actually rafting, as no camera would have survived. But here are some before photos . . .

at Red Chilli's waiting for our ride to Jinja

getting geared up - for good reason!

. . . and the aftermathwhoo hoo! (Michelle, Christina, Ashley)

The main benefit of staying overnight at the campsite was the great view of the Nile and viewing the DVD of the day! It was so awesome that we had to buy it! You’ll have to pay me a visit back in the US to see it first hand. The rafting was well worth incurred bruises, blisters and sunburns.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

2008-06-18T14:35:00.053-04:00

On Friday, June 13th, The Rakai Six headed to Western Uganda to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park covers almost 2,000 square kilometers and has the highest number of mammal species in all of Uganda. Apparently, the wildlife suffered greatly during Amin’s rule, but the numbers are recovering. (It is almost impossible for me to imagine it better than what it is now!)

We spent nearly all day Friday traveling to the Park. When we finally arrived we were greeted by an upside-down van that looked as if it had been plowed by an elephant. A couple of hundred meters later we were stopped in our tracks.

Whoa! Welcome to the Park.

Part I: The Game Drive
On Saturday, we started the day with a 6:30am game drive.

Beautiful sunrise - my second with Yen this year!

The little balls all over the tree above are nests of the yellow-backed weaver. The males build a nest, then sing to attract females. When the females come, they enter the nest and inspect it. If it is made well, they will stay and the birds mate. If is unsatisfactory, the female will leave and the male will tear down the nest and start over.

one of the many craters

As Yen pointed out, game drives and scuba diving seem to have a lot in common – it seems I have found another ridiculously expensive hobby. Basically – I was freaking out the entire time over the amazing wildlife! Within five minutes, we saw lions mating. Unfortunately, it was too dark to really capture it (well) on film. Then we saw yet another elephant!

After that, the course of events is too difficult to remember. But we saw more elephants . . .

… and two types of antelopes …

the Ugandan Kob

Waterbuck

… and buffaloes (with great white egrets) …

… and ELEVEN lions!!! (seeing one on a drive isn’t guaranteed – we were ridiculously lucky & had a great guide!)

pregnant lioness resting after a meal

cub chewing on dinner's face

During all the excitement I could barely contain myself and I spent most of the drive hanging out of the window or crawling on top of the vehicle. After all this, I scrubbed the dirt off my face and went to the canteen for some lunch where I was greeted by Mary.

Apparently, Mary was found as a baby, with no mom in sight. Other herds would not accept her, so a researcher began to care for her. Unfortunately, he passed away recently, and 18-year-old Mary keeps returning to the hostel area searching for him (that is where he used to live) … so sad.

Part II: The Boat Ride

Ashley, Michelle, Amos (our driver and wildlife-spotter), Yen

After a much-needed nap, I went on a boat ride to see some more wildlife, including crocodiles …

… more elephants …

… more buffaloes, and – my favorite from the boat ride - hippos!!!

The biggest surprise for me was how much I love hippo noises.

Part III: The Gorge

Sunday morning we went for our final bit of the trip – a walk in the gorge. We had hoped to see some primates, but I guess our luck ran out. Nonetheless, it was a gorgeous hike.

chimpanzee nest

We then piled back in the car for the long drive back to Kalisizo town. When we were nearly home, our amazing driver Amos, while driving 100+ km/hr and dodging potholes, spotted some zebras (ELEVEN to be exact)!!!!

All in all, an amazing trip. I only wish I had had more time there and that Dan could have been there to enjoy it with me!

Meet “The Rakai Six”

2008-06-05T11:00:00.015-04:00

We landed in Kampala, Uganda on the 27th of May to embark on our summer adventure with the primary purpose of completing our practica with the Rakai Health Sciences Program. We began our trip with a one-week orientation in Kampala coordinated by Susan, an extremely competent and friendly Program Officer from Makerere University’s School of Public Health.
From left: Yen, Christina, Maggie, Susan, Michelle Ashley, Becky

During our week in Kampala, Susan kept us quite busy. We visited the Kasubi Tombs.

Later we headed to the source of the Nile River . . .
From left: Becky, Maggie, Emma (our very funny driver), Ashley, Michelle, Christina, Yen

. . . where we ate whole, fried, delicious tilapia.

We enjoyed the moves of Ndere Troupe.
(VIDEO TO COME WHEN OUR INTERNET CONNECTION IMPROVES)

We also spent time learning about the regional language, Luganda, Uganda’s history and cultures, as well as receiving an overview of the socioeconomic situation of Uganda from the Director of Makerere’s School of Public Health – David Serwadda. He and his colleague were the first to investigate an outbreak of “slimming disease” in Rakai, making them the first to recognize AIDS in East Africa, which “sowed the seeds of what would, in 1987, become the internationally recognized Rakai Health Sciences Program, which has made major contributions to the epidemiology, basic science and clinical science needed for the control of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.”

On the 4th of June, “play time” was nearly over and we headed south to Kalisizo, Rakai District to begin our work. Six gals, one driver, TONS of luggage – all squeezed in to what, at one time, seemed like a spacious Pajero.

Our last stop with Emma was the equator. Out of the 26 countries I’ve visited, this is my first time south of the Equator!
From left: Becky, Ashley, Yen, Michelle, Christina, Maggie

We finally arrived to our new home for the summer where we were welcomed with warm hugs by our “house mom,” Saoda.

CMB Learns to Blog

2008-05-25T12:10:00.001-04:00

Hi, Christi here. I haven't published on this blog for . . . well, ever! Since I am leaving for Uganda tomorrow, and I'll be there all by my lonesome for 84 days, I thought I should learn how to Blog. So this is my test blog to see if I can do this on my own sans hubby. Look for more from me . . . someday soon, I hope!

(me saying goodbye to home)

Happy Memorial Day :)

Frank Zappa & Arsenio Hall

2008-04-25T10:53:00.000-04:00

Just watch Zappa daring Arsenio to talk about the same controversial issues as a black man. Hall plays it smart, and goes no comment the whole time.

Look into my eye

2008-04-25T09:16:00.001-04:00

Why hello my new alien overlord. How may I serve you?

Seriously though, check out the last week in wildlife photos at the Guardian.

Personal finance for regular Americans

2008-04-20T12:45:00.000-04:00

I hope that all our friends and family get a chance to listen to Jim Rogers for a few moments. Don't forget to click the link after the video.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WERE BOTHERED BY THAT ANALYSIS

PSA: Calling all Gmail users!

2008-04-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

By default, Gmail does not use secure encryption. Without encryption, anyone sharing a network with you can see what you see. This can be especially dangerous over public wi-fi networks.

There is a fix. Bookmark Gmail's secure entry page and use it whenever your network connection can be monitored:

https://mail.google.com

Otsukaresama!

2008-04-15T10:12:00.001-04:00

Utila-me-crazy, mon!

2008-04-02T18:27:00.001-04:00

March 14th, Our 4th Anniversary in transit again

A spider crab and his fishy friends guard a pretty anemone

A Caribbean lobster glowers back at my flash

Christi gives diving in Utila a 10

Merry Xmas from the Maly-Boardmans

2007-12-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

Let the countdown to Xmas begin

2007-11-23T16:14:00.001-05:00

weather is cold, but beautiful the day after Thanksgiving. From our window, as always, the GW bridge.

JET Slideshow Published

2007-11-18T12:24:00.000-05:00

So I finally cut the video slideshow down to size and AC has published it here. Please do show your support for our first AC video by clicking the link.

Slideshow: 3 yrs on the JET Program

2007-10-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

I was planning to upload this to my AC account, but given their 15mb limit and file type restrictions, you have it here direct.

Google gets serious with video

2007-10-10T18:54:00.000-04:00

**the Google Adsense Video Unit did not meet with Christi's approval, so it's gone. instead, enjoy this science-lite clip.**

Well imagine my surprise when I saw this snippet of code...
you can embed google adsense right along with Youtube feeds. Let's test how it works - feel free to support Malyb3 and click on our sponsors.

Thanks again Master Q!

2007-10-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

For all of you who don't live in Hanoi

T*5 has some semi-useful content for once

2007-10-03T14:41:00.001-04:00

moving to Hanoi? Check out the Guide

This close...

2007-10-02T14:14:00.000-04:00

"I was this close," I said, gesturing to Christi. Yesterday while I was wandering downtown, Alec Baldwin passed 'this close' by me. All I could think was, "Wow, this guy looks in a good mood. I wonder if he would high-five me." I know, it's totally silly, but I got a rush from the sudden realization that I am not in Hanoi any longer.

Green Island Leisure

2007-10-01T11:15:00.000-04:00

Friend John G has just launched a new website, greenislandleisure.com, to showcase the beautiful beach villas he is building. Check it out at once, unless your idea of a dream home is at redtundralabor.com

I know kung fu

2007-09-15T18:33:00.000-04:00

We going to share a few demonstrations from Hanoi's shao lin master, Pham Vu Quang. If you are in Hanoi, do try and take some lessons from him as he is a great instructor. Visit his site for more.

This is the second 'form' that we learned.

Part II

2007-09-15T15:24:00.000-04:00

and after a WHOLE two days, here's part 2:

Clips from Vietnam

2007-09-13T17:09:00.000-04:00

Here's Part I of our Indochina Adventure, coming to you a year late.

Our new place

2007-09-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to the photo album.

Want to keep your eye on future photos?
Get the RSS feed on our Picasa page.

The great outdoors

2007-09-07T12:56:00.000-04:00

Name this caterpillar anyone?

If my sister was a villain...

2007-08-15T21:01:00.000-04:00

...she would look something like this. Here's Ashley as an evil sorceress.

Someone left the door open

2007-07-29T21:52:00.000-04:00

With four cats in the house, we felt it was pretty important to close the door to the guest room, where the piggies are staying. Well SOMEONE didn't shut it tight, because this is what Grandma saw when she woke up Thursday morning...

Cat Fight: Winslow vs. Zippy

2007-07-27T21:29:00.000-04:00

I got down to get a shot of little Zippy napping in his momma's handbag, when Winslow decided to jump in...

Meebo? No, youbo!

2007-07-27T21:18:00.000-04:00

Does anyone we know still use instant messaging? Don't laugh please, considering we haven't logged into AIM, YahooIM, MSN, or ICQ for the last two years. Anywhoooo... just registered a Meebo account, which will let us stay logged into all our IM services from the convenience of Firefox, which stays open. The only drawback is that it doesn't work with Skype.

To top it off, here's a handy widget the Meebo people included:

Malaysian Extravaganza

2007-07-27T00:14:00.000-04:00

Here are [two] clips from last year's jaunt to Malaysian Borneo (youtube couldn't process clip #3). First up, the Seaventures Oil Rig's elevator. Our second video clip is badly shot, but offers a peek of what people were looking at moments before they jumped into the ocean on New Years 2007.

Flight of the Conchords

2007-07-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

Friends Mary & Bryan introduced us to this New Zealand duo... plenty more to see on HBO and Youtube.

Cat vs. Cavy

2007-07-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

Watch Christi moderate a fight between Vietnamese street kitty, Em, and Japanese house piggy, Sam.

SpeakEZ

2007-07-22T20:31:00.000-04:00

Shot at the infamous bar and English school in Numazu city. Call for directions. I made this video years ago as a farewell to Canadian Mike. Wherever you are, we love you bud!

Road trip: Izu Penninsula

2007-07-22T15:38:00.000-04:00

I know many of you will recognize this road. Here's our drive down to Koganezaki in the Suzuki Alto 4WD beast.

Light traffic in Hanoi

2007-07-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

Here's another traffic gem from the cloudy city. It isn't as bad as it looks, but heck, it isn't good.

Clown attack

2007-07-22T15:14:00.000-04:00

Bunaken National Marine Park, Indonesia: Here I am capturing the beauty of a family of clownfish (think Nemo), when one of them bites me. See if you can figure out when the teeth sink in.

Chess masters: DC vs. MJ

2007-07-22T15:04:00.000-04:00

Epic battle on the stony beaches on Niijima island.

Sam and Boo on tatami

2007-07-22T14:57:00.000-04:00

We introduced the two piggies back in the day, and boy were they ...

Thailand is my land

2007-07-22T14:46:00.000-04:00

Here's an oldie but goodie. Our first vacation together, made extra special by Ben C's company and all bacon breakfasts.

Xe Om in Hanoi

2007-07-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

Here's the first of many videos, brought to you all on the same page... THIS ONE!