Hash #120 and Hash #121

There is nothing more enjoyable than going for a hike in the forest....... that is, of course, unless you are hiking in the tropical forest of central Africa where poisonous spiders and killer ants haunt you at every step. Once a month in Malabo, a mixed groups of locals and foreigners embark on a 4 hour adventure into the unknown.

JK was lucky - or unlucky depending on who you are - enough to partake in Malabo's Hash Walk ritual on his 35th birthday. Word got out to the organisers and when all was said and done, JK found himself sitting in a cooler of ice and freezing cold water while the Hashers sang to him. When the chanting was over, hey had to chug a beer while everyone poured beer on him. Poor JohnnyK!!!

Congratulations Melissa and Alex!

MK: We would like to send warm congratulations to our friends Melissa and Baron von Alex on the birth of their second son, Julian Alexander Fama von Schilling.















Although he was late coming, when he finally did decide to make his appearance, he was in a hurry! He arrived on August 14 at a good weight of 8lb 3oz. We wish Alex, Melissa, Enzo, and Julian all the best.

Where on earth is Equatorial Guinea?

You may ask yourself, "why does it matter where Equatorial Guinea is?". Well, this country unknown to the majority of the world just happens to be where our fair Mélanie is hiding.

According to Lonely Planet, "the diminutive Equatorial Guinea is a slowly developing speck of a country that has few tourist attractions aside from its shorelines and jungle interior. It attracts adventurers looking to get off the beaten-path and explore a bit of the unknown."

While, BBC News reveals, "Since independence in 1968, Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by two men - from the same family - who have been described by a variety of human rights organisations as among the worst abusers of human rights in Africa.

In recent years the former Spanish colony has become one of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest oil producers.

Large oil and gas deposits were discovered off Bioko in the mid-1990s and their exploitation has driven spectacular growth. In 2004 Equatorial Guinea had the world's fastest-growing economy.

AT-A-GLANCE:

Politics: President Obiang seized power in 1979; rights groups have condemned his rule as one Africa's most brutal; he faces a "government in exile" and a separatist movement

Economy: Equatorial Guinea is sub-Saharan Africa's third biggest oil producer

International: Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are in dispute over islands in potentially oil-rich off-shore waters

But few people have benefited from the oil riches and the country ranks near the bottom of a UN human development index. The government has started a scheme to divert a share of oil revenues into social projects.

The corruption watchdog Transparency International has put Equatorial Guinea in the top 10 of its list of corrupt states. Despite calls for more transparency in the sector, President Obiang has said oil revenues are a state secret.

In 1996 Equatorial Guinea's first multi-party presidential election was held amid reports of widespread fraud and irregularities, returning President Obiang Nguema with 99% of the vote.

Equatorial Guinea's territory includes the island of Bioko, off the Cameroonian coast, which hosts the capital, Malabo."

For initial photos of Equatorial Guinea, click here.

The question for all of you now is, "When are you coming to visit?" ;-)

Mumm's the Word

JK: With Mélanie's departure date for Eqatorial Guinea (EG) finally set (it had been postponed for an extra week due to visa delays), we decided to take one last adventure. By Canadian standards, the distances in Europe are so short and offer hugely rewarding end-points. Wanting to do something new and interesting, we decided to take a less than three hour drive over to the Champagne region of France. How we never thought of doing this before, I do not know.

Once in the regional capital of Reims, we checked into our discount hotel beside the train station (OK, we travel, but we economise too!) and quickly made a beeline for the Mumm champagne house. Touring the absolutely vast underground cellars containing somewhere around 20 million bottles was a revelation (see pic below). Of course by the end our throats were parched, craving a sampling of the bubbly elixir. Thankfully we were rewarded by very generous tastings. From there we went straight to Pommery. Its cellars were even wackier and deeper, chalk full (pun intended -- the soil is extremely chalky) of modern art installations (see pics) along with another 25 million bottles. The sampling at the end was just as tasty and generous.

After a nice meal and a laser light show (look above) to celebrate the opening of the TGV speed-rail line to Reims, we inspected the glorious cathedral lit up in the night (look left). The cathedral was the site of many, many royal coronations and retains all of its grandeur to this day. The next day we contuined our elixir pursuit by driving through the "route de champagne", admiring the countryside and eventually stopping in to Moet & Chandon, home of none other than Dom Perignon (in the town of Epernay).

Shortly after that our one night and one and a half day adventure was over. We would certainly go back in a second -- at the very least to find the winery that makes "Cristal", every gangsta's favourite bubbly! ;) Booya!

Bike riding in Knokke

Ah, the lazy days of spring.... this time a bike ride in Knokke (north sea coast of Belgium)

Galleries Lafayette or Bust!

With JK participating in a conference at the "Sciences Po" university, MK decided she would join in the fun and take the Thalys to Paris for a little adventure! The whole experience was made even more enjoyable with ER there, who was also going to Paris the same day for business.

Chatelain is the place to be on a Wednesday evening!

Place du Chatelain is THE place to be on a Wednesday evening. Place du Chatelain is the most trendiest market in Belgium, if not Western Europe! What could be better than buying fresh cheese, bread, olives, and cured meats in one area and then establishing a position at the wine stand. Amid a congregation of uber-Eurocrats, you can purchase a bottle of wine for 5euros - complete with proper wine glasses - to accompany your amuses-bouches. Place du Chatelain is also where you meet the most interesting characters......

Titillating Tournai

OK, perhaps the title is a slight exaggeration :) but we found our experience in the town of Tournai to be yet another illustration of a tendency we have noticed in Belgium: that the country, for one reason or another, undersells itself. Sure, we all know about Bruges, Antwerp and increasingly Ghent, but many other places in this country don't get the attention they deserve. We felt the same way about Mechelen, Dinant, Namur, Ypres, Mons: all surprises and underated.





Tournai is near the border with France, about a 1 hour train ride from Brussels. Mel and I went for one of our typical weekend day-trips to celebrate her (alas, temporary) return from Rwanda. The UNESCO World Heritage city centre was the obvious highlight, with the not two, or three, but five Romaneque towers of the Notre Dame cathedral being the standout. The main square (pictured above) was also a classic showpiece of Flemish architecture (the city is francophone, but the look is decidedly Flemish). More pics here.

Final observations from Rwanda

MK: Now that I have left, I thought I would share with you my final observations about Rwanda that might not necessarily be evident to an short-term guest or else found in Lonely Planet!

1. Rwandans LOVE to give long speeches. I am not exaggerating or talking about 10 minutes. I mean hours!
2. Rwandans - like their Ugandan counterparts - switch "l" with "r" and vice versa. So, in Rwanda, I am known as "Merani". When John came to visit me at UNDP he informed them that he was "son mari" but what they understood was "somali".
3. Rwanda has the highest percentage of females in parliament in the world.
4. Plastic bags are illegal and you can get fined for carrying one.
5. Rwanda is a small village. Everyone is linked and everyone knows everyone. So watch what you say and do!
6. Rwandans have bad cell phone manners. This is made official when the President bans all cell phones at any event he is at (cameras are allowed). When a cell phone rings in a meeting, it is usually followed by the person bending down, covering their mouth and speaking which actually amplifies their voice!
   
7. Women and children feel the need to pull my hair out of its roots. Then when I turn around they act like they have no idea what just happened!
8. Finally, while walking by some less well groomed locals with a stench that turned my stomach in a million ways, I realised I must have extraordinary olfactory glands.

Goodbye Rwanda, Hello....

....Equatorial Guinea!!!!

MK: After much ulcer-inducing events that occurred over a series of four weeks in Rwanda, I packed all of my personal effects into 2 boxes and had them shipped to what I thought at the time was… a black hole, a mystery to most people in this world (Africans included). This obscure abyss was to be my new home for the next year. But before I embarked on my latest escapade, I was first to be rewarded with fourteen days and fourteen nights with my beloved husband. The next few posts will reveal how our estranged relationship makes us go on interesting adventures when we do get together!

Sadly our time together was to be a fleeting sparkle in our hearts. The Government of Equatorial Guinea was ready to issue my visa so that I could travel to an unknown island (for the most part) in the Gulf of Guinea in Central Africa. I was about to embark on yet another journey. I was going to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to work with the UNDP as the Programme Manager of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Have fun with the links!