Goodbye, Sweet Friend…

Gus

11/23/2012 – 9/24/2014

My first few weeks at the new job involved acquainting myself with all the administrative departments at UC Davis. First, I needed access – keys, photo IDs, OR lockers. Then, there was training – computer training, laboratory safety, patient privacy, and sexual harassment. There were also faculty development workshops on promotions and goal-setting. Most foreign to me, however, was publicity and outreach. This meant professional photos, a website profile, and faculty announcement flyers. Last week, I attended my first dinner meeting at the Alta California Ophthalmic Society. It was a good chance to become acquainted with the community docs in town, but it also opened my eyes to the political activism at the local chapters. Back home, we finally found LED fixtures with just the right color temperature and brightness to replace our canned lights. We also ventured out to Leslie’s Pool Supplies to kick start our backyard hot tub. The store clerk took pity on us when he saw our crate of chemicals and the big question marks on our faces, and showed us all we needed to know (and buy) to get the hot tub up and running. Considering the drought and rising cost of water, it was painful replacing all those gallons of water for something we may hardly use. It also didn’t help that we had to cut checks for the final completion of the wood flooring and stair carpeting. To take a break from the house, we drove into SF last weekend to meet with an old college/med school friend who was in town for a conference. After satisfying our wok hay and Asian bakery craves, we checked out Japanese minimalistic design at the SF Muji store, then bedazzled ourselves with the ultra-modern, ultra-pricey furniture at Arkitektura next door. For dinner, we shared ribs, mac n’ cheese, pork sliders, and a Tipsy burger at the Tipsy Pig. The meal was solid, but except for the company, probably not worth the 2 hour drive.

We had little time to unpack and unwind from our trip before our contractors were back in the house to start laying down our new floors. I was confined to the bathroom during the day, where I had my desktop PC set up to sort and edit our vacation photos. As the days passed, we realized that home ownership can really provide an endless supply of little projects. This also meant visiting Home Depot or Lowe’s at least one to two times a week. After drenching myself from replacing a bunch of broken sprinklers, I learned my lesson and left the landscape wiring to an electrician, who uncovered an underground short in the backyard that nearly ignited when we dug it from the mulching. Meanwhile, the prospect of starting work meant having to get a second car. With all the expenditures, I was glad that the Niello in Elk Grove had a pre-owned 328i with only 3000 miles for 10-grand below the MSRP. With the new ride, we drove out to Sac-town to try ramen at Akebono and rice porridge at Happy Corner Restaurant, which were both good but not mind-blowing. By Labor Day, the floors have been installed, the base boards painted, and our stair carpet selected. On Saturday, we went to Ikea for free crayfish and meatballs, but did not score any big ticket items. The rest of the long weekend was spent vacuuming, scrubbing, and wiping down the house. This allowed us to move our TV back into the family room so that we could start the new PS3 exclusive Beyond: Two Souls. The game explored paranormal activity and the world beyond in a cinematic style reminiscent of its predecessor, with less choice but more star power. Despite being exhausted from the weekend, I had trouble sleeping, as I prepare to start my new job.

As we approached the end of our trip, misfortune found a way to catch up with us, leaving us without our luggage when we arrived at Livingstone. Luckily, we had our most valuable and vital possessions on us, including a 20 lbs wooden hippo. The modern airport terminal and colorful welcome at Zambezi Sun reminded us that we were back in tourist country. Although the hotel was packed with conference attendees, we were pleased with the easy access to nearby Victoria Falls. After enjoying high tea at the fancier sister hotel next door, we took the photographic trail for our first view of the falls, known to locals as Mosi-oa-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders.” We returned later that evening to see the lunar rainbow that is created by the light of a full moon – a phenomenon rarely seen elsewhere on the planet. On Tuesday, we were relieved to find our luggage back in our possession – kudos to Proflight who handled the whole debacle with grace and efficiency. We returned to Victoria Falls the next day to explore the other hiking trails, then blew the remainder of our cash on a variety of souvenirs. We left ourselves just enough kwachas for a cab into town for goat and beef stews and peri peri croc bites at Cafe Zambezi. By the time we returned to the hotel, the evening entertainment was kicking as we sat by the pool with zebras grazing next to us – an interesting last night in Africa. Our return flight included a layover in Jo’burg, where we watched episodes of Nikita over chips and malva pudding. Back in San Francisco, we were relieved that our car did not get towed, and celebrated with dim sum on the way home. For me, our 3 week adventure in Africa was a much-needed break to celebrate graduation from fellowship, passing my boards, and most importantly, being back with my wife again. And while we were sad to say goodbye to Africa, it was a great feeling not having to say goodbye to each other.

One of the attractions of Zambia is the relative absence of other tourists here. Unfortunately, that also translates to a dearth of direct flights, requiring an overnight layover in the capital city of Lusaka. We had little time to explore the city, and were content with staying in for dinner at the hotel. Upon arriving at Jeki, we immediately noticed the change in the terrain, with its tall forests and river channels. We noticed more waterbucks than bushbucks, more irritable elephants, and many more insects. Fortunately, our high-end chalet at the Anabezi camp had plenty of “Doom” and “Peaceful Sleep” bug spray to complement our over-sized mosquito net. The outdoor private dipping pool was too cold for our use, but the temperature didn’t bother the baboons drinking from it. Annoyingly, the camp did not accept credit cards or personal checks. We had to waste valuable animal-watching time to coordinate a bank transfer from home using their shoddy WiFi connection at the gift shop. We did get frequent visits from a pachyderm we dubbed “LT” for Left Tusk, who thought nothing of snacking on the camp’s winterthorn saplings only 10 feet from us. Most unique to the Lower Zambezi experience were the water activities. We began Saturday morning with a river cruise where we could feel the constant stare of hippos mimicking navy SEALs. In the afternoon, we took a canoe trip with our guide Patrick, whom we later learned is the survivor of the sole Zambian hippo attack on his canoe earlier this year. At night, Melody awoke to the sound of a leopard growling, but could only see LT scratching his back on our deck. We sought to locate the leopard the next day, but instead encountered a massive herd of several hundred glowering buffalo. That did not deter us from following three young male lions stalking a pair of elderly buffalo, but they were chased off by the irritable bovines. On the way back, we witnessed two honey badgers battling a civet for a bee hive, demonstrating that even after a week-long safari, the drama never becomes dreary. We returned to the air strip on Monday morning, ready for the last stop of our trip.

Flying from South Africa to Zambia required progressively smaller airports and progressively smaller airplanes. By the time we arrived at Mfuwe, there was only one other family with us. The sounds of honking hippos and the dusty dirt roads reminded us how different this part of Africa was from Cape Town. An open-air safari vehicle took us to Mfuwe Lodge, located inside the South Luanga National Park. After checking into our chalet and enjoying a short night drive, we were treated to a local theater production called “The Bush” followed by a buffet of roast meats and nshima. The safari lodge schedule had us waking up the next day at 5:30am for the morning game drive, with a reminder to lock our doors against cheeky baboons. Our guide Francis opened our eyes to the wealth of Zambian wildlife, including impalas, warthogs, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and the colorful lilac-breasted roller. Big cats were rare sightings, but our well-connected guide got wind of a male lion on the radio, and we soon joined 3 other jeeps to take photos of the drowsy feline. Morning tea by the river was spent under the suspicious observation of hippos and crocodiles, and the lunch site was near a baboon colony with fighting baby baboons. Nearly comatose from the feasting, we returned to our hut for siesta time, only to find a gang of bachelor elephants dust bathing near our balcony. We spent the evening drive tracking a pair of elusive leopard cubs with our binoculars. On Monday, we set out for Chamilandu Bush Camp, passing by ultra-rare wild dogs and an impressive battle between hyenas and vultures over a hippo carcass, with a lion watching in the distance. The bush camp experience offered a very private and intimate look at the local wildlife. Our guide Manda impressively mimicked the call of an injured impala on the first night, which lured a hyena to our jeep. On our walking tour next morning, we learned how to use sounds to track a pride of lions, and how to examine civet droppings for clues about their meals. An armed scout was always present to lead us across the savanna, but his rifle was never needed. The closest animals we encountered were a tower of giraffes that quickly took off upon seeing us. In the evening, we watched a parade of elephants cross the Luanga River, and kept very still when two young bulls broke out in a fight just steps away from where we stood. Our following morning was lucky for us – the other couple at the camp wanted to sleep in, so we took another private walking tour, followed by a relaxing afternoon at the bushcamp hide overlooking a popular water hole. Our evening drive gave us a chance to capture some yawning hippos and a quick peek of a porcupine and her pup before they scuttled away. Although bouts of diarrhea and vomiting kept Melody from enjoying our final morning, it did not detract from our amazing first safari experience.

We awoke at 5am to reach Gansbaai in time for our shark cage diving tour with Marine Dynamics. We prepared for our adventure with an instructional video over a hot breakfast, followed by a lengthy disclaimer against accidental death and dismemberment which kept the room very silent. By the time we were on the water, our worries were blown away by the cool ocean breeze. We watched seagulls circle us as the crew spewed chum from the back of the boat while spotters cast fish heads and a penguin-shaped lure on the starboard side. The tight wet suit and pungent smells made Melody empty her GI tract just before we jumped into the cage ourselves. We resisted the chilly waters and knocked against the steel bars to attract the great whites, which swam by so close that we were enticed to reach out and touch them (but didn’t). Our old camera did not survive, but saved us a few memorable videos before its demise. After some warm soup, we drove back to our B&B in Hermanus where Melody crashed into bed while Glenn tested his superzoom lens on the breaching whales from the hotel balcony. The town is well-known for its shore-based whale-watching, which we got to experience before dinner at Burgundy where we dined on delicious peri peri calamari and an overly sweetened bobotie. On Friday, Melody popped some dramamine tablets at breakfast to prepare for our whale-watching cruise with Southern Right Charters. The abundant whale sightings were unlike any we’ve ever seen in New England, and kept my camera finger busy until we returned to shore. For lunch, we shared a seafood platter from Ocean Basket to keep us full for the drive back to Cape Town, where the rush hour traffic made us forgo visiting Hout Bay. Eager for more curry, we followed online suggestions for nearby Kombuis, but did not account for the steep incline of the hike. We arrived an hour early, but the owners took pity and let us in early for the buffet of traditional Malay cuisine and an awesome view of the evening skyline – the perfect conclusion to our adventures in South Africa.

Traveling on our own in Cape Town necessitated a car and mobile phone rentals. An offline GPS app made navigation simple, but driving on the left side of the road was a challenge. Upon arrival, we were relieved to leave the car at the Cape Heritage Hotel while we explored the city on foot. A trek through colorful Bo Kaap led us to lunch at Biesmiellah, where the delicate samosas and aromatic Cape Malay curries warmed our bellies. We admired the art deco architecture along the way to the Castle of Good Hope just before closing. Unable to locate the elusive entrance of nearby District Six Museum, we retired to the hotel instead before our dinner reservations. The restaurant turned out to be closed, so we instead found a table at Savoy Cabbage. Here, we enjoyed a twice-baked cheese souffle, veal sweetbreads, and gamey zebra, with a view of a flying Desmond Tutu sculpture beside us. The high-end decor contrasted with the locked gate and parking attendant outside, reminding us to be careful in Cape Town. On Tuesday, we were relieved to secure last-minute tickets for the afternoon ferry to Robben Island. After breakfast, we went to the Two Oceans Aquarium right at opening, which allowed us to beat the crowds and watch the curators take one of the resident penguins for his morning stroll. From there, we walked along the V&A Waterfront and filled up on oysters and mussels at Den Anker. A ferry took us from the Nelson Mandela gateway to Robben Island, where organized tour buses guided us through the sites before a past inmate took us to the actual cell where Mandela was jailed for 18 years. We were not disappointed when we finally made it to Aubergine, with exotic rabbit consume, octopus chowder, aubergine souffle, and blue wildebeest on the menu. We awoke early the following day to embark on a peninsula drive, starting with Kirstenbosch Garden, home to a variety of fynbos and the king protea, South Africa’s national flower. We drove further south to view the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach before arriving at the Cape Point Ostrich Farm. The farm tour showed us the breeding and hatching process, although we were disappointed that ostrich was not on the lunch menu. Instead, we got our first taste of the bird at the base of the Flying Dutchman Funicular, where we chowed down on ostrich pizza while awaiting our cable car ride up to the lighthouse at Cape Point. The spectacular views offered plenty of panoramic photo ops along the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, where tourists cared more about taking pictures with the big sign than the actual scenery. We raced through the rest of the nature reserve to get back to the Table Mountain Cableway, only to find that the attraction was closed for annual repairs. We were consoled with a sunset view, followed by a romantic dinner at the Roundhouse. The long day and fantastic meal put us fast to sleep in preparation for our long drive the next morning.

Our plan for an African safari vacation to celebrate our reunion had been 6 months in the making, and arranging it was no easy task amidst my job change, moving, and the new home buy. Beyond the hotels and flights, we had to account for visas, malaria prophylaxis, mosquito repellants, safari clothing, wildlife photographic gear, pet-sitting, and importantly, cost. Fortunately, our friends in Zambia helped us obtain local rates for the pricey game lodges, and before we knew it, we were on our way. Our flight departed from SFO, which gave us an excuse to dine in Millbrae. The painfully slow service at Hong Kong Flower Lounge led us to forgo our last dish and left us little time to park, forcing us to leave the car in a questionable spot in the airport hotel lot. The mood lighting and lounge music from Virgin put us at ease aboard our red-eye to JFK, where we shared a Shackburger before our connection to Johannesburg. On arrival, our jolly driver Collin took us to the Melrose Place hotel. There, we enjoyed a quiet breakfast amidst the tranquil suburban locale, then headed off into the bustling Soweto for an afternoon tour. Our first stop at the Apartheid Museum provided vivid though confusing insight into the evolution of race and culture in South Africa, with a terrific special exhibit on Nelson Mandela. The rest of the tour was disappointing, as our guide mostly pointed out the township sites from inside the car like an urban safari. We wrapped up with the local lamb stew and pap at Moyo for dinner. Our one-day layover in Jo-burg was ho-hum, but ultimately, was a mere prelude to our adventures ahead.

It has been 2 weeks since moving to Davis, and time has quickly flown by. Even before my stuff arrived, settling into the new house has been a massive project unto itself. I spent the first few days fiddling with the network wiring, mapping the light switches, replacing the bulbs with energy-saving ones, programming the thermostat, and installing new shelves for kitchen cabinets. I also learned many new things – like how to program the backyard lights, how to rekey a lock, and how to use a multimeter to test the limits of my electrician skills. Meanwhile, we had meetings lined up for a gardener, a pet sitter, a cleaning service, an interior designer, and a number of flooring contractors. We had not realized that replacing the entire house with hardwood floors would involve so many choices to make: the color and type of wood, solid vs. engineered materials, glued vs. floating installation. Ultimately, we chose Blue Valley Remodeling to install a Brazilian Cherry engineered wood from Kahrs, which including material and labor made for a nice dent in our already suffering bank account. Between frequent visits to Home Depot and Lowe’s, we took a few trips to downtown Davis to check out the food scene. The house-special tonkatsu ramen at Zen Toro was respectable, but the Korean tacos at Tako and beef noodle soup from Hometown Chinese Restaurant were uninspiring. To keep things interesting, my movers managed to lose a desk leg and the futon hardware in transit, adding to the chaos as we shifted all the furniture around in preparation for the flooring project. I did manage to escape day one of the demolition by braving the rush hour traffic into San Francisco to attend the 2014 ISER meeting. Unaware that the audience was primarily scientists (not clinicians) I was embarrassed to arrive in a suit, but quickly forgot about it when I smugly told everyone about my $16/day parking deal from ParkWhiz. The Embarcadero location of the hotel did make for an easy getaway to the Ferry Building for lunch with a collaborator. Now with our floors gone and the place a mess, I hope I can stay sane long enough to prepare for our trip!