Journal from Africa

I couldn't resist...

2008-02-17T02:29:00.003+02:00

... sharing this picture.

Santana to the Mets?

2008-01-30T14:08:00.000+02:00

I hate the Mets!

More pictures of Evey...

2008-01-22T21:54:00.000+02:00

Well, last Monday, we removed Evey's splint, and to be completely honest, I was very disappointed. The leg was extremely weak and did not bend much at all. I took her to an Orthopedic surgeon who took several X-Rays and determined that 2 different ligaments in the hock were torn. We decided to wait a few days and she how she progressed. Well, she is doing much better. The leg has strengthened considerably and bends much better now. For the moment, we have decided not to do surgery. Here are a few pictures. The damaged leg is the right rear. It's still a little weaker than the other leg, but I am hopeful that it will strengthen with time and not need surgery.
I think she has a more classically shaped face than Mlenje. Her muzzle is shorter and not nearly as dark. They really do get along well. Mlenje is still a bit of a puppy, so he likes to run and jump around her but generally tires before she does. Evey is much more outgoing than he was at the same age. She frequently climbs over the back seat to join me in the front seat (something Mlenje never did).

Meet Evey.

2008-01-06T16:35:00.000+02:00

Evey is my new Rhodesian Ridgeback. She was born on the 5th of November (Guy Fawkes Day) and will be 9 weeks old tomorrow. I picked her up yesterday in Harare. Her registered name is "Imbahuru Tawanda," but I am going to call her Evey for Natalie Portman's character in V for Vendetta, a film reference to the 5th of November. "Imbahuru Tawanda" is Shona, the primary language spoken in Zimbabwe. Imbahuru, the name for the kennel where she was whelped, means "Big House," and Tawanda means "We were plentiful, we multiplied."

This trip to Harare was much less troublesome than my trip to South Africa to pick Mlenje. Wanting to spend as little time in Zimbabwe as possible, we traveled to Harare and back (1,000 km) in 1 day. We left Lusaka at 5 AM and made the Chirundu border by 7 AM. This time I had all the proper paperwork, so the crossing only took an hour and a half with no run-ins with police (it certainly helped that Kevin and his wife have Canadian Diplomatic plates and passports -- makes crossing borders much easier). We hit Harare at 11:45. After completing all the paperwork for the 5 puppies we bought for various people, we left Harare at 1:30, hit the border at 5, and were back in Lusaka at 8.
Mlenje was surprisingly gentle with the new puppies. He was very calm and attentive when he met them for the first time. Most importantly, he and Evey are getting along very well so far.
You may notice a bandage on Evey's back leg. She dislocated a bone in her ankle about a week and a half ago and is wearing a splint for a couple of weeks. It does not seem to affect her very much -- she is by far the most active puppy of the litter even with the splint.

Diving with Sharks!

2007-12-31T17:12:00.000+02:00

Ben, Harmony and I decided to spend New Year's Eve in South Africa. We left on Friday morning and spent the last four days in Umkomaas, just south of Durban. Why Umkomaas? It's one of 2 places in the world where you can SCUBA dive with Tiger Sharks -- Ben and I spent the last 3 days diving on Aliwal Shoal. The first 2 days, we did shark dives where we baited for sharks. Unfortunately, we did not see any Tiger Sharks, but we saw more than 100 Black Tip sharks and some Dusky's (I even have the DVD to prove it). The visibility was not that great, but seeing sharks feeding really gets the adrenaline pumping. We also saw a Whale shark (on the boat ride back). This morning, we did 2 reef dives. The first dive was a deep water dive to a place called "Cathedral." It was cold and not that impressive because of the visibility. In between the 2 dives, we saw 6 dolphins swimming directly toward the boat. The second dive started at North Sands and was a very nice dive. Almost immediately, we saw a Sand shark. We saw dozens of Stingray, both bluespotted and bull (the type that killed the Crocodile hunter). Near the end of the dive, we saw a ragged tooth shark. It was small, about 4-5 feet long (I love the way they look) and a couple of dolphins in the distance. I'll try to post some pictures when I get a chance. This afternoon, we drove to Durban where we will spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Have a Happy New Year!

Ben took the following photos:

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-20T17:58:00.000+02:00

Well, it's Thursday, December 20th and I finally picked-up a tree. It's a sad tree, I know, but the lights play Christmas songs -- Mlenje seems to like it. I miss everyone very much and wish I could be home for the Holiday season.
We're in the middle of the rainy season over here. Just a couple of days ago, I snapped this picture while leaving work. You see some beautiful rainbows over here.

Addition to the Family

2007-12-09T00:08:00.000+02:00

Well, I love Mlenje so much that I decided to get another Ridgeback, a bitch from a litter in Zimbabwe whelped on November 5th. Two friends in Lusaka are also getting bitches from this litter. We were lucky enough to have Margaret Wallace, the long time Secretary of The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club in Harare (The Parent Club) and breeder since 1968, pick out the puppies for us. We won't be able to pick them up for a few weeks, but here are the first pictures we have received -- they are 4+ weeks.
Both of the parents are Champions in Zimbabwe.
Sarula Kumalo of Imbahuru...
Gyppslander Savannah...
I am looking forward to another adventure to Zimbabwe to pick these puppies. I am hopeful this trip will be better than the last one.

Two Years in Zambia

2007-12-01T16:22:00.000+02:00

Exactly two years ago today, I arrived in Lusaka. What started out as a four month trip has turned into 2 years, so I thought today I would get a little nostalgic. In the past 2 years, I have proposed a Dissertation topic, published four articles (including two in JAMA and one in The Lancet), given an oral presentation at an International AIDS conference, traveled to England, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and South Africa, seen Lions, Rhino, Elephants, a Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Cheetahs, Eagles, Koala Bears, Kangaroo, Whales, Sharks, and countless other animals, and went SCUBA diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Indian Ocean in Zanzibar. I really didn't know what I was getting into back in 2005. CIDRZ is a great place to work, and the expatriate community in Lusaka is loaded with amazing people from all over the world. I have made friends from Zambia, England, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Australia, even Canada, and many more countries. I saw two close friends get married this past week in a beautiful Buddhist ceremony in the South African bush. I even acquired a Rhodesian Ridgeback that I love. Don't get me wrong, I do miss my family and the States. I know I am missing many important things in my nieces' lives, like graduations and birthdays, and that does make me sad, but the point of this post is that I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 2 years in Zambia. Since I know this will not last forever, I encourage everyone to visit while I am still here.

Ben and Harmony's Wedding

2007-11-28T23:31:00.001+02:00

Ben and Harmony tied the knot this week at a private game reserve (Phinda) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. More than 50 friends and family were on hand for the event. Some arrived as early as Saturday, but most, including myself, arrived on Sunday. The wedding took place Monday afternoon in a quaint spot out in the bush. It was a beautiful Buddhist ceremony that featured Harmony's father playing the guitar.

Jeff took these pictures.
During the 4 day event, we went on several game drives. I saw many animals I have never seen before including cheetah, black and white rhino, wildebeest, nyala, bush baby, bateleur eagle, and others.

Here are some pictures taken by Ben's cousin, Simone.

Mom in Switzerland!

2007-11-28T22:52:00.000+02:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Institute of Social & Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland to attend a short course on "Causal Inference from Observational Data" taught by Miguel Hernan from Harvard and Jonathan Sterne from the University of Bristol. The course took place during the week of Thanksgiving, and to my surprise and delight, Mom accepted my invitation to come visit me in Switzerland over the holiday. Of course, Jimmy couldn't let her go without him, so he came as well. It was both Jimmy and Mom's first time to Europe. They both had to get passports within the span of 3 weeks, and much to their chagrin, Switzerland did not even stamp their passports. We had a wonderful time. It was great to see them for the first time since January. Mom and Jimmy spent the first day recovering from the 16+ hours of travel time and the 7 hour time difference. On day two, they toured Bern with a lovely Filipino lady who lived there and happened to have the day free to show tourists her city. On day three, they took a train ride into the Alps to visit Europe's highest-altitude railway station, Jungfraujoch, which is more than 11,000 feet (2+ miles) above sea level. On day four, they went shopping in Bern. On day five (Thanksgiving in the US), we all traveled to Zurich and had a nice late lunch/early dinner. Then Mom and I spent the afternoon shopping. Zurich is a beautiful city with lots of shopping. It was a quick trip, as on day six, they flew home. I think they had a really great time and am hopeful this experience will start a trend of more traveling, possibly even to Africa and Zambia.

I don't have any pictures to post at this time, but will try to post some in the future.

Published in The Lancet

2007-11-07T19:23:00.000+02:00

Two weeks ago, we were in JAMA. This week, we are in The Lancet. Nice couple of weeks!

Chi BH, Sinkala M, Mbewe F, Cantrell RA, Kruse G, Chintu N, Aldrovandi GM, Stringer EM, Kankasa C, Safrit JT, Stringer JS. Single-dose tenofovir and emtricitabine for reduction of viral resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs in women given intrapartum nevirapine for perinatal HIV prevention: an open-label randomised trial. Lancet. 2007; 370(9601): 1698-1705.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-02T10:14:00.000+02:00

Last weekend was the annual Halloween/Birthday party for Nancy. It was a blast as always. Here are some pictures from Katy's camera.
My best impersonation of a Zambian general worker.

Published in JAMA!

2007-10-22T12:43:00.000+02:00

Today, 234 journals throughout the world will simultaneously publish papers on Poverty and Human Development. The Council of Science Editors organized this 2007 Global Theme Issue, and our group will have an article appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Bolton-Moore C, Mubiana-Mbewe M, Cantrell RA, Chintu N, Stringer EM, Chi BH, Sinkala M, Kankasa C, Wilson CM, Wilfert CM, Mwango A, Levy J, Abrams EJ, Bulterys M, Stringer JS. Clinical outcomes and CD4 cell response in children receiving antiretroviral therapy at primary health care facilities in Zambia. JAMA. 2007; 298(16): 1888-1899.

Mlenje turns 1 year old today...

2007-10-04T08:27:00.000+02:00

Here are a few pictures.

Early morning stretches.
Greeting Charles, the gardener.

More Whale Pictures

2007-08-22T09:08:00.000+02:00

One of the Divemasters on the Poseidon boat took these pictures on my last day of diving. He just emailed them to me.

Ben's Underwater Photos

2007-08-09T15:46:00.000+02:00

All of the underwater photos in my previous Great Barrier Reef posts were taken by a professional photographer employed by Poseidon, the boat we took on the last day. These photos were taken by Ben and his brother Peter. Enjoy.

Aristocat is the diving company we used on the second day. It had the nicest boat, but I think Poseidon was the better run operation, particularly for divers.
Here I am making my descent.Ben and I were buddies on most dives.A Moray Eel hiding under some coral on the bottom.A couple pictures of a Cuttlefish -- one weird looking fish.
A Green Sea Turtle.A Spotted Eagle Ray.A Trumpetfish.
A Clownfish.
Look how clear the water is.

The Great Barrier Reef - Day 4 - Humpback Whale Breaches the Surface

2007-08-03T15:32:00.003+02:00

On Friday, even though I had already made 8 dives, I still wanted more, so I went again with Poseidon (by far the best operator of the 3 we used) to the Agincourt Reef. We went to the following 3 sites: Barracuda, Castle and Trigger. This day was great because I saw more fish than the other days. There were several schools of Barracuda at the first site and many Triggerfish at the last site. I also saw a Green Sea Turtle, a Whitetip Reef Shark sleeping on the bottom, some Clownfish (Nemo), a huge Potato Cod (or a type of Grouper, depending on who you ask) named Daisy, and some Lionfish. After the second dive, there was more Whale action. This time, a Humpback jumped completely out of the water and did a twist. I saw a dozen different whales during the course of the day.

This is Daisy, a Potato Cod that hangs around the Castle dive site. She is very comfortable with the boat's photographger and will basically pose for him to take pictures. Here is the Green Sea Turtle we saw at the Castle dive site. Here is the Humpback Whale that visited the boat after lunch.

The Great Barrier Reef - Day 3 - Swimming with Minke Whales

2007-08-02T14:57:00.000+02:00

On Thursday, Ben, Pete, and I went SCUBA diving again. This time, Harmony and Ben's mom and dad joined us for the trip and went snorkeling. We used a company called Poseidon and again went to the Agincourt Reef and did 3 dives at 3 different sites -- North Bay, Phil's and Harry's. We saw some Barracuda, more Whitetip Reef Sharks, and 3 Cuttlefish.

The most amazing part of the trip happened after we finished our second dive. While boarding the boat, someone yelled that there were Whales off the bow. We quickly grabbed our snorkel gear and jumped back in the water. We got to snorkel with Minke Whales for a good 20+ minutes. There were about 6 of us in the water and the whales came to within 20 feet of us. It was amazing.We also saw a few Humpback Whales on the way home.
Here are some Clownfish.Here is a Stingray.Here is a Whitetip Reef Shark.

The Great Barrier Reef - Day 2 - Watching Humpback Whales

2007-08-02T14:56:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday, we moved from Kewarra in Cains to Thala Beach Resort outside Port Douglas. On Wednesday, Ben, Peter, and I went SCUBA diving with Aristocat, a dive company out of Port Douglas. We traveled to the Agincourt Reef section of the Great Barrier Reef and did 3 dives from 3 different dites, Nobodies, Totem, and Gone Again. Erin was our Diving guide. We saw some nice Whitetip Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, and other fish. During the first dive, we heard a lot of Whale Sounds, but never actually saw one. It was pretty neat hearing Whales while in the water. On the way back to Port Douglas, we actually spotted a couple of Humpback Whales. They were swimming just alongside the boat.

Koalas, Finally

2007-07-31T14:13:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday, we visited Kuranda, a small mountain village about 25 km outside of Cairns in the Rainforest. We took a SkyLine cable car to reach the village. While there, we visited Koala Gardens, a place where you can actually hold a Koala. Harmony got her picture taken with one -- they are such cute animals. We also saw some Kangaroos, Wallabys, a few snakes, and some lizards. After visiting the village, we took the scenic railway down the mountain. It was a nice day in the rainforest.

Australia's Tropical Rainforest

2007-07-30T16:47:00.001+02:00

On Monday, we took a tour of the tropical Rainforest in the Atherton Tablelands outside Cairns. Wait-a-While was the tour operator. Our guide, Clayton, picked us up at 2 PM, and we drove for about an hour and a half until we reached Lake Barrine, one of the Crater Lakes in the Tablelands. As we drove from Cairns, Clayton explained the difference between the "bush" and the rainforest. When we reached the rainforest, you could visibly tell tell the difference. We had tea and scones at the Lake and then took a short walk. We drove around the Tablelands, saw a huge Weeping Fig tree, and made our way to the other Crater Lake, Eacham. During the daytime, we saw many Wallaby and over 30 different species of birds. We had a nice dinner and then the real animal spotting began, at night with spotlights. We saw 5 different types of possum, a small Kangaroo, and even a "duck billed" platypus.

This is a Cathedral Fig Tree.
Ben's dad took these pictures during the night portion of the tour.

The Great Barrier Reef - Day 1

2007-07-29T13:40:00.000+02:00

On Sunday, I went SCUBA diving with Ben and his brother Pete. Harmony and Ben's mom and dad came along and snorkeled. We went with Tusa Dive Compay. They picked us up at 7AM at our resort, Kewarra, and took us to the docks at Cairns. We boarded a boat with about 20+ other people and proceeded about 90 minutes off the coast of Cairns to Briggs' Reef, on the Outer Great Barrier Reef. During the trip, we saw several Humpback Whales blowing air in the distance. I never actually saw one jump out of the water, but some people who saw them earlier than I did said one jumped several meters in the air. During the first dive, I was a little nervous since it has been over a year and a half since I last dove. After I calmed down and relaxed a bit, I remembered why I enjoy diving so much. The visibility was amazing, the coral was beautiful, and we saw many different types of fish. There was a large wall of coral that dropped about 60 feet. We spent some time along this wall, but the current was a little strong so we moved to shallower waters. During this first dive, the only larger thing we saw was a Green Sea Turtle. After the first dive, we had a nice lunch and moved the boat to a different side of this reef. The second dive was awesome. We saw 2 Whitetip Reef Sharks and the head of a large Octupus that was hiding in some rocks. We must have watched the reef sharks for a good 5 minutes. They were about 4-5 feet long and were just swimming around in circles. Both dives only lasted about 30-35 minutes as I managed to suck down all my air rather quickly. I am hopeful that I can control that better in the coming days. On the ride back, we came pretty close to another Humpback Whale. He did not jump out of the water but did show more of his body than the previous whales. The weather was wonderful -- we could not have asked for better. All in all, it was a great day! I'll try to post some pictures of this dive when I get the chance.

IAS Conference Presentation in Sydney

2007-07-25T05:39:00.000+02:00

I presented an analysis entitled "Simple assessments of adherence to antiretorviral therapy predict virologic failure in HIV+ patients in Lusaka, Zambia" this afternoon at the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. You can see the actual presentation via this link to the webcast. Here are a few pictures...

Safari Time

2007-07-03T11:42:00.000+02:00

Monday and Tuesday were Zambian Holidays (Heroes Day and Unity Day), so Ben, Harmony, Hayden, and I took a trip to South Luangwa National Park for a safari. We stayed at Nsolo, an all-inclusive bushcamp run by Norman Carr Safaris. The bushcamp was located about 30 km inside the park next to a riverbed in the shade of a large grove of trees. We were in the middle of nowhere, and it was a very relaxing.
Here we are on the last day. From left to right, our guide, Simon, yours truly, Hayden, Ben and Harmony.
On the morning of the second day, we spotted 4 female lions tracking prey. We watched them for at least 45 minutes. During this time, they went after 2 warthogs but were unable to catch them. It was exciting nonetheless.
More of the lions.A giraffe.
On the evening of the second day, we did a game walk. You can't really tell from this picture, but there are Zebra, Impala, Warthogs, Cape Buffalo, and even a few Elephants in the background.
Here are some of the Zebra from the walking safari.
This is our chalet on the bank of the riverbed as we return from the walking safari around dusk.
When we got back, a family of 4 elephants were feeding just outside of the chalet. We watched them for a good 45 minutes. You can't tell from this picture, but one was a baby less than a year old. It was an amazing watching them from the deck of the chalet.
I love Kudu. Actually, I have only ever seen one other live male Kudu, and I saw it from a long distance away. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the antlers of a Kudu are beautiful. They spiral out from the base and are fairly long.
Lastly, we saw many Hippo. I'm not a huge fan of the Hippo, but other people seem to like them, so I'm posting this picture. We also saw Crocodiles, Owls, Elephant Shrew, Scrub Hares, a Mongoose, Buzzards, a Fish Eagle, Impala, Puku, and many more. Sadly, we did not spot a Leopard.

I'll post more pictures when Ben develops his film.

Happy Independence Day!

Here are a few of Ben's pictures taken with his fancy camera.

More Work Related News...

2007-06-27T14:06:00.000+02:00

The abstract I am presenting in Sydney has been invited to be an Oral Presentation. I will present it on Wednesday, July 25th in the oral abstract session entitled "Antiretroviral Treatment Failure in Resource Limited Settings."

Flat Stanley meets Livingstone

2007-06-04T09:16:00.000+02:00

A few days ago, I received a package from my third cousin, Trey containing a Flat Stanley. I have never heard of a Flat Stanley, but my roomate explained to me that it was a character from a children's book that kids draw and mail to friends and family around the world. You take pictures with him and send them back so kids can learn about different places. Since there is not much to see in Lusaka, we decided to take a road trip to Livingstone and let Flat Stanley visit Victoria Falls.
The Falls were amazing, as always.
My friends and I boarding the famous Sunset "Booze" Cruise.
Sunset aboard the Cruise.
Flat Stanley from the top of the Falls.

This trip was a blast, but as always it was not without incident. We left Lusaka at about 1 PM on Friday afternoon. We made it about 150 km and the truck broke down. The fan belt broke and the cap on the thermostat blew. Luckily, my roomate's project has an office in Mazabuka, so we left the truck there and hailed a taxi for the remaining 350 km of the journey. Taking a taxi in Lusaka is scary enough, but taking a taxi on the road to Livingstone in the dark is downright terrifying. We arrived safe and sound at about 9 PM. We met up with some friends for dinner and hung out at Jolly Boys, the backpacker place we stayed. We spent Saturday at the Falls and enjoyed a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River. This weekend was also a full moon, so we went back to the Falls after the Sunset Cruise. Seeing the Falls during the day is amazing, but seeing them under a full moon is even more awe-inspiring. We went back to the Falls on Sunday and organized a taxi back to Mazabuka.
The Taxi driver had to get this permit to take us to Mazabuka. It's hilarious. This ride was eventful to say the least. The driver was a little odd and the car wasn't in the best condition -- we had a blow out in the middle of nowhere. We arrived safe in Mazabuka around dusk. Having picked up the parts needed to repair the Land Rover in Livingstone, I got the truck running and drove back to Lusaka. Although it was a short trip, it felt like a week had passed by the time we reached Lusaka. I have more pictures to share, but since it takes so long to upload them from here, I only posted the highlights.

Happy Birthday, Lindsey! Happy Graduation, Brittney and Channing! I miss and love you all.

Remember the puppy...

2007-05-21T16:43:00.000+02:00

He's growing. He's now about 8.5 months old.

Going to Sydney...

2007-05-18T15:43:00.000+02:00

I'm going to Sydney for the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. I arrive in Sydney on Saturday, July 21. The conference runs until Wednesday, July 25, but I am staying until Sunday August, 5. If anyone wants to have a nice vacation and SCUBA Dive the Great Barrier Reef, feel free to join. The more the merrier.

Camping in Mazabuka

2007-05-07T14:28:00.000+02:00

We went camping Saturday in Mazabuka at the family farm of a friend, Cousin Rorry. We call him that because his cousin Darren introduced him as "my cousisn, Rorry" and it just stuck. Mazabuka is located in the Southern Province of Zambia about 175 km South of Lusaka. We camped on a working farm more than 2,500 acres in size with 1,600+ pigs, 500+ cattle, and various game animals like Impala and Kudu. They send more than 50 pigs a week to be slaughtered. You can also hunt game 6 months out of the year. It was a great time less than 2 hours outside of Lusaka.The view from the front porch of the main farm house.

Cousin Rorry is the guy at the very back. His brother Sean is the guy in front.

Newborn pigs less than a day old.

Nancy holding one of the newborns.

Katy holding one of the newborns.

Baby pigs feeding.

Adult pigs feeding.

Work related news...

2007-04-25T09:37:00.000+02:00

We were published in this month's AIDS.

Early clinical and immune response to NNRTI-based antiretroviral therapy among women with prior exposure to single-dose nevirapine. Chi BH, Sinkala M, Stringer EM, Cantrell RA, Mtonga V, Bulterys M, Zulu I, Kankasa C, Wilfert C, Weidle PJ, Vermund SH, Stringer JS. AIDS 2007, 21:957-964.

A couple of weeks ago, we learned that an abstract we submitted to the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention was accepted as a poster. The conference will be held in Sydney from July 22-25.

Simple assessments of adherence to antiretroviral therapy predict virologic failure in HIV infected patients in Lusaka, Zambia. Goldman JD, Mumba P, Cantrell RA, Levy J, Limbada M, Morris M, Mulenga L, Reid S, Chisembele Taylor A, Chi BH, Vermund SH, Stringer JS.

The one that got away...

2007-04-10T14:36:00.000+02:00

Happy Easter. In Zambia, both Good Friday and the Monday after Easter are holidays, so a couple of friends and I decided to go camping and fishing on the Zambezi River. The Zambezi is the 4th largest river in Africa.
Meet Glenn, a UN volunteer, and Larry, the lab director at CIDRZ.
We were fishing for Tiger fish like this one.
We stayed at Kiambi Safari. To get there, you drive about 2 hours East out of Lusaka to Chirundu and take the Kafue pontoon ferry across the Kafue river. From the Kafue ferry, Kiambi is about 20 minutes or so depending on the state of the dirt road.
This is the view from one of the bars at Kiambi. As you can see, it is peaceful and relaxing.
This is the campsite. We had a small campsite but knew many of the people camping. In the site next to ours, there were about 20 people we know from bowling and on the other side were a couple of families we know from Lusaka.
This is what I looked like for most of the weekend.
We frequently saw hippos and crocodiles while fishing and occasionally a few elephants.
The river was a great place to spend the day.

Now about the one that got away. We did not actually catch any fish, but I hooked a nice 8-10 pounder and failed to get it in the boat. It was exhilirating just fighting with it. He jumped out of the water twice, so I got a good look at him. Oh well, maybe next time. I am already looking forward to next time.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. It's nice to see that the Braves have the best record in all of baseball! Go Braves!

Chaminuka

2007-04-03T11:46:00.000+02:00

About 1 hour from my house, there is a private Nature Reserve named Chaminuka. It used to be a private residence that today serves as a getaway for many residents in Lusaka to spend the afternoon or even overnight. We spent the night there this past Saturday. It's a beautiful place with many different activities available to guests ranging from a horseback safari to a tour of the onsite cheese factory. We did the cheese factory tour on Saturday. Here are a couple pictures...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-19T09:33:00.000+02:00

This weekend, the Wild Geese Society of Zambia held it's annual St. Patrick's Day Ball. We had a small pre-party at our house and decided to hail a mini-bus for transport to the event. As you can see below, we arrived in style. It was my first mini-bus experience. While it was cheap and effective, it also scared the hell out of me. The bus kept jumping out of gear and had the slowest pick-up of any vehicle ever. Enjoy.

It's about time...

2007-03-08T18:07:00.000+02:00

I know it has been over 2 months since I last posted on here, but not much has happened. I spent most of January in the States visiting family. Work is going well. Since I can't watch American Football, Baseball or Basketball over here with any regularity and I don't really like Soccer, I have started watching Rugby. I did get to see the Super Bowl. It was great to see Peyton win the big one. Now maybe Jimmy will shut-up. Jimmy, he won a title, so you can't bad mouth him anymore. I can't wait for Baseball season. The Braves finally have some pitching. Maybe they will start another streak this season. Anyway, on the the pictures...
As some of you may know, my birthday was this past weekend, so my housemates and I threw a party. Glenn, the guy on the left shares my birthday, and Luc, the guy in the middle, has a birthday on the 7th, so the party was for all 3 of us. Yes, I was able to obtain a case of Bud Light over here. It's rare, but I figured for my birthday, why not.

A small group of us had dinner at the house before the party started. Here are a few of the guests just after dinner.

There was also a lunar eclipse from about Midnight until 2 AM. It gave the party a nice atmosphere.
Here's Nancy giving Mosi some style pointers. Doesn't she look cool?
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't post a picture of Mlenje on here. This picture was taken when I got back from the States at the end of January.

I'll try to post more frequently.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-26T09:33:00.000+02:00

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I'll be home soon. I arrive in Nashville on Friday, December 29th at 10:30 on Delta Flight 1790B. See you then.

More Pictures of Mlenje.

2006-12-04T14:43:00.000+02:00

Meet Mlenje.

2006-11-30T12:38:00.000+02:00

"Mlenje wa Mikango" or "Hunter of the Lions" is an 8 week old Rhodesian Ridgeback. He was born on the 4th of October in Johannesburg, South Africa, and I got him on Monday, November 27th.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is also known as the "African Lion Dog" or "African Lion Hound" because of their utility in hunting lions. This uniquely African breed was established in Southern Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe) in 1922.

Here, he is getting to know Roscoe...

and Mosi.

I drove through Zimbabwe to the border of South Africa to get Mlenje. He spent most of the return trip sleeping. I thought traveling through Zimbabwe to South Africa would be a fun and interesting journey. Was I ever wrong. Zimbabwe is a terrible country to visit (though very scenic) and crossing any border by automobile is quite an adventure. There is no denying that I am my father's son. I did not do well at the borders and can only imagine how dad would have reacted in a similar situation. It was an experience I will remember for some time.

What are you dressed for, Halloween?

2006-10-30T16:16:00.000+02:00

On Saturday night, my roomates and I threw a Halloween bash. This is early in the night. Costumes were Zambian themed, so I dressed as a Safetech Security Guard. From left to right, Nancy, one of my roomates is a Policewoman, Meredith and Leah are Soccer players, and Sarah is the Zamchick.

Incidentally, October 28th is also Nancy's birthday, so here is my other roomate, Jenny, holding the cake as Nancy does her best to blow out ALL the candles. Just kidding, she is still much younger than I.

Parking was a problem as the party went late into the night. Here you see the cars lined up outside of our gate. They stretched all the way to the end of the block. This is the 2nd annual Halloween bash held at the house, and as successful as this party was, I'm sure we will have another one next year.

Heating up...

2006-10-27T10:36:00.000+02:00

Jenny snapped this picture of the dogs yesterday. This is what they do while we are at work. It's getting so hot now that all they want to do is relax in the shade.

Zambian Independence Day

2006-10-25T08:49:00.000+02:00

Tuesday, October 24th was Zambian Independence Day, so a group of us, 13 in total, decided to venture to South Luangwa National Park for a safari. This trip was much different than the one I took back in March because we drove from Lusaka and camped outside the park at Flatdogs instead of flying and staying at an an all-inclusive lodge. Driving was loads of fun because we took a short cut through the countryside that allowed me to break in the Land Rover.

On Satudrday morning at 6:30 AM, 9 of us left in 2 trucks (3 more people traveled from other places and 1 more person flew). We drove 400 km from Lusaka to Petauke, which took about 5 hours. At Petauke, we decided to take the less traveled, but 130 km shorter, route through the countryside.

We turned off at Petauke onto this dirt road that started out rather smooth.

We passed through small villages along the way.

Then the road turned into more of a path.

The Land Rover handled it with ease.

We would occasionally stop to rest and admire the countryside.

As we got closer to the park, we started to see animals. These Elephants were chilling out along the side of the road.

We came upon this open field with Impala and Water Buck grazing.

After 10 hours of driving, 5 hours on the pavement (400 km) and 5 hours off road (200 km), we finally arrived at Flatdogs. We were all exhausted and still had to set-up the camp and cook dinner.

We slept in on Sunday morning and relaxed during the day. Our first game drive was Sunday night. We didn't see very much (the usual Impala, Water Buck, and Monkeys) until the last 30 minutes of the drive when we saw 3 lions.

As excited as I was to see the lions, I was much more excited to see this Leopard. She is far away in this picture, but she came up to the road and walked directly in front of the truck to within 10 feet. Amazing.

A few of us went back Monday morning. While we didn't see any more cats during the day, we did see some Crocodiles...

Elephants...

and Cape Buffalo.

We relaxed Monday afternoon and evening in the campsite...

Enjoyed sunset on the last night and woke up early Tuesday morning for the journey back to Lusaka. We took the traditional route back to Lusaka through Chipata, which took about the same amout of time as the shorter route, but was much easier to drive. It was an amazing trip. Zambia is a beautiful country and it was nice to travel the countryside in the Land Rover. The trip was great fun and I am hopeful that I will get to do it more often.

Highland Games, 2006.

2006-09-25T11:19:00.000+02:00

What a team. We didn't win, but we gave it the old college try.

Happy Birthday, Channing!

2006-09-22T14:57:00.000+02:00

I hope you have a great birthday.

Love,
Uncle Ron

Prelude to the games...

2006-09-19T17:23:00.000+02:00

Well, it's been almost a month since I posted on here, so I thought I would give an update. Not much is happening. The elections are approaching and the temperature is starting to creep into the upper 80s. I'm not looking forward to the October heat as my truck does not have air conditioning. Luckily, I have air conditioning in both my office and my bedroom.

This past Friday, the water was out at the office and one of the faucets was left wide open, so Saturday morning, our offices were flooded with 2 inches of water. My computer was not damaged and the office was back up and running by 1 PM on Monday.

The Highland Games, often described as field day for adults with beer, are being held this upcoming weekend. I am competing on a team with my roomates and other friends. Events include Toss the Caber, Throw the Welly, an Obstacle Course, a Tug of War, and various water based events. Should be fun, and no, I'm not wearing a kilt.

Published in JAMA!

2006-08-13T20:50:00.000+02:00

Rapid Scale-up of Antiretroviral Therapy at Primary Care Sites in Zambia: Feasibility and Early Outcomes. Stringer JS, Zulu I, Levy J, Stringer EM, Mwango A, Chi BH, Mtonga V, Reid S, Cantrell RA, Bulterys M, Saag MS, Marlink RG, Mwinga A, Ellerbrock TV, Sinkala M. JAMA 2006, 296(7): 782-793.
Link and coverage in the The New York Times.

Step 2 out of 3 is complete.

2006-08-10T04:00:00.000+02:00

I passed my Oral Qualifying Exam today.

Safe Arrival in Birmingham

2006-08-05T18:16:00.000+02:00

After 2 days of traveling, I made it safe and sound to Birmingham. My cell phone number while I am in town is 205-218-4636.

Coming Home, Briefly...

2006-08-01T18:56:00.000+02:00

I'll be in Birmimgham on Friday, August 4th at 3:30 PM. I plan on staying in Birmingham for up to a week to work on my dissertation and then heading to Nashville. I leave for the International AIDS Society Conference in Toronto on Saturday, August 12th and will stay there for a little more than a week. I look forward to seeing everyone (and to eating some Mexican food).

Happy birthday, brother. I'm anxious to see how much hair you have left.

Here is my itinerary...
Lusaka to London on BA Flight 254V
Departs Lusaka on August 3 at 8:45 AM
Arrives London's Heathrow on August 3 at 6:00 PM

I'll be spending the night at the Ivy House Hotel in London.

London to Atlanta on Delta Flight 11K
Departs London Gatwik on August 4 at 9:00 AM
Arrives Atlanta on August 4 at 1:10 PM

Atlanta to Birmingham on Delta Flight 1111K
Departs Atlanta on August 4 at 3:30 PM
Arrives Birmingham on August 4 at 3:19 PM

Nashville to Toronto on Air Canada Flight 8031A
Depart Nashville on August 12 at 6:05 PM
Arrive in Toronto at 9:02 PM

I'm staying at the Strathcona Hotel while in Toronto starting on August 14th
(416) 363-3321

Toronto to JFK on Delta Flight 5052T
Depart Toronto on August 22 at 2:30 PM
Arrive JFK on August 22 at 4:10 PM

JFK to Johannesburg, South Africa on Delta Flight 7796B
Depart JFK on August 22 at 5:55 PM
Arrive Johannesburg on August 23 at 5:05 PM

Johannesburg to Lusaka on South African Flight 68L
Depart Johannesburg on August 23 6:10PM
Arrive Lusaka on August 23 at 8:10PM

Happy Birthday, Drew.

2006-07-21T10:25:00.000+02:00

Hope you had a great Birthday.

I was recently introduced to a program called Google Earth. There is a free version that allows you to search the globe and find satellite images of different places. Lusaka is pictured below. The 2 pins are the location of my home and office, both just off Great East Road. It's hard to tell, but there are 2 strip malls along Great East in the upper right hand corner. On the left side is downtown, Lusaka with Cairo Road running from North to South.

Happy Birthday, Britt!

2006-06-28T08:02:00.000+02:00

I can't believe your 17. That amazes me. I remember when you were just a baby. Happy Birthday. Love, Uncle Ron.

Winter

2006-06-27T14:18:00.000+02:00

I hope everyone is enjoying Summer back in the States. We're in the middle of Winter down here. The overnight low was 42 degrees, and that's cold for here. We've even taken to using the heat in the office during the day. Enjoy the 4th of July weekend and be sure to think about me in the middle of Winter while you are on the Lake or the Golf Course this weekend.

Victoria Falls

2006-06-25T18:16:00.000+02:00

Mosi-Oa-Tunya. In a previous post, I mentioned that Mosi was the name of the beer brewed in Zambia. While this is true, it is, more appropriately, the local name (in Tonga) for Victoria Falls meaning "Smoke that Thunders" because of the loud sound and tremendous amount of mist created by the falls. A truly amazing sight. This picture does not do the falls justice as they are much larger and more dramatic in person.

Here is a vervet monkey that decided to keep an eye on my Land Rover while we visited the falls.

We also took a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River, also referred to as the "Booze Cruise" for obvious reasons.

Sunset on the Zambezi River.

Victoria Falls is located in Livingstone, about 475 km (roughly 300 miles) southwest of Lusaka. The trip takes 5+ hours to drive with 5 small towns in between. The majority of the drive is a 2 lane road that is often, and unexpectedly, blocked.

Other reasons the road may be blocked are because Cows frequently cross.

Like these.

JAMA...

2006-06-21T18:19:00.000+02:00

We were notified today that the article we submitted to the Journal of the American Medical Association was accepted for publication. I do not yet know the date of the publication, but will post it when I find out. The article is entitled "Rapid Scale-Up of Antiretroviral Therapy at Primary Care Sites in Lusaka, Zambia: Feasibility and Early Outcomes." I initially came to Zambia back in November of 2005 to work on the analysis for this article, and it's nice to know that it will be published in such a high profile journal.

Cost of Living...

2006-06-19T11:39:00.000+02:00

First, a couple of conversions. At today's exchange rate, the US Dollar was worth 3,580 Kwacha. One galloon is equal to 3.78 Liters, so 1 gallon of Diesel fuel is $5.02, and one gallon of unleaded is $5.45. My Land Rover has an 80 Liter tank, so filling it costs 380,720 ($106.35).

I just bought everything to change my oil. Here's an itemization...
10 Liters of Castrol diesel oil = 183,999 ($51.40)
1 Oil filter = 24,000 ($6.70)
1 Diesel filter = 36,000 ($10.06)
1 Air filter = 64,000 ($17.88)
All of the above include a 17.5% tax.
Grand total = $88.74

Driving to Livingstone to see one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World... Priceless.

Mosi

2006-06-16T12:16:00.000+02:00

...and here is another housemate, Mosi, who belongs to my roomate, Jenny. For those of you who don't know, Mosi is the name of the beer brewed locally in Zambia. It took a while for her to get used to me, but now that she has, we play fetch and sit on the couch together. She really is a sweet dog once she quits barking at you.

Happy Birthday, Bailey!

2006-06-13T16:03:00.000+02:00

Hope you have a great birthday!

My New Ride...

2006-06-07T21:44:00.000+02:00

I just purchased this 1995 Land Rover Defender 110 from a guy I work with at CIDRZ.

This is the house I moved into a couple of weeks ago. It has a nice size yard with a great barbecue. We're in the middle of winter, so I haven't had a pool party just yet, but I'm looking forward to it in the near future.

Last, but not least, here is one of my new housemates, Roscoe. Roscoe belongs to my roomate, Nancy. He is really chill most of the time. How can you not love that face?

Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

2006-06-04T14:12:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday, Lindsey! I hope all is well back at home.

Cinco de Mayo!

2006-05-05T09:49:00.000+02:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Things are going great over here. Hope all is well in the States. The Skype thing is working out great. Feel free to call and leave me a message. I am 95% certain that I have found a place to live. It's a 3 bedroom house with a nice size yard and a pool walking distance to work. I'd be sharing it with 2 girls that currently live there, Jenny and Nancy. A friend of mine just moved out of the master bedroom. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance.

Skype

2006-04-27T09:23:00.000+02:00

I recently discovered a wonderful program called Skype. With it, I can receive calls on my computer at the following U.S. number: (615) 653-4858. It actually sounds great, better than many of the calling cards people have used to call me. If I am not at my computer, you can leave a message that I will get as soon as I log on to my computer. Please feel free to call anytime.

Contact information

2006-04-22T18:29:00.000+02:00

My new cell phone number is 011-260-96-244015.

The best way to send mail is through the UAB mail pouch (this is for letters, not packages). Send mail to the following address:

Ronald A. Cantrell
c/o CIDRZ Zambia
1500 6th Avenue South
Room CRWH 370
Birmingham, AL 35294-0024

Safe Arrival

2006-04-20T16:30:00.000+02:00

I arrived safely in Lusaka this moring at 6:15 AM (GMT +2).

Returning to Zambia

2006-04-05T21:56:00.000+02:00

I have decided to return to Zambia for a couple of years. This decision was difficult, but working in Zambia for the last 4 months reminded me of the reason I entered Public Health Research after college. I am excited about the work being done in Zambia and look forward to contributing to the field of HIV research. While I have committed to returing to Zambia for 2 years, I will be returing home from time to time. I plan on being in the States again in August and December of this year. I will try to do a better job of updating my blog this time around.

I will be leaving for Zambia after Easter. Here is my itinerary...

Tuesday, April 18
Depart Nashville at 1:35 PM and arrive in Atlanta at 3:35 PM (Delta Flight 0245)
Depart Atlanta at 5:45 PM and arrive in London (Gatwick) at 7:00 AM (Delta Flight 0012)

Wednesday, April 19
Depart London (Heathrow) at 7:15 PM and arrive in Lusaka at 6:15 AM (British Airways Flight 0255)

Coming Home.

2006-03-26T10:58:00.000+02:00

Sunday, March 26
Depart Lusaka, Zambia at 1PM and arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa at 3:10 PM (South African Airways Flight 63)
Depart Johannesburg, South africa at 9:25 PM and arrive in London at 7:35 AM (British Airways Flight 54)

Monday, March 27
Depart London at 9:35 AM and arrive in Chicago at 10:55 AM (British Airways Flight 295)
Depart Chicago at 12:47 PM and arrive in Nashville at 2:08 PM (British Airways Flight 5017)

See you soon.

Safari, Finally!

2006-03-13T19:32:00.000+02:00

I know I haven't posted on here since New Year's, but I haven't done anything except work since then. This past weekend, we decided to take a trip to the Zambia's South Luangwa National Park for a safari. While this is not the best time of the year for a safari, I still wanted to go and see for myself. We stayed at Mfuwe Lodge inside the park. It was quite nice.

From left to right, Paston (our excellent guide), yours truly, Harmony, Ben, and Shash.

Within 15 minutes of our first drive, we saw this amazing sight.

Wild dogs are one of the rarest sightings in Zambia. The guide was so excited we found this pack of nine. They are considered the most efficient of hunters, working together to kill their prey 80% of the time (compared to Lions that are successful 30% of the time).

Ben took these pictures with his fancy camera...

from the Chronicles of Narnia...

Debra took these next pictures...

Happy New Year

2006-01-11T17:42:00.000+02:00

Happy New Year! Well, this was taken a few days after New Year's, but it's one of the few pictures of me. This is a bar in Stone Town near the end of the trip (as if you couldn't tell by my tan).

It was an adventure just getting to the island. I flew from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar on this really old airplane. It was a little scary but better than the possible 9 hour boat ride.

Flying Monkeys! On the drive from Stone Town (West Coast) to Jambiani (East Coast), we passed through a small reserve known for Red Monkeys, and this tree was full of them. We couldn't stop, so I had to get a picture as we drove past. If you look closely, you can see them.

A room on the beach. This is Casa Del Mar in Jambiani. I stayed here 2 nights including New Year's. It was a great place though a little pricey. The good: a generator... the bad: no beer.

The view was also quite nice.

The tide fluctuated dramatically. Above, the tide is out...

and here the tide is in.

Part of the labrynth that is Stone Town.

Ahh, the fresh seafood! Vendors set-up nightly in Fordami Gardens on the water in Stone Town. I ate Lobster, Shrimp, and Tuna with Plantains for about $5.

Happy Holidays

2005-12-24T15:35:00.000+02:00

I wanted to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I am spending Christmas day with Alain Degroot and his family. He and his wife, Anabelle, work for CIDRZ and they have 2 children. I met his family last weekend when I joined them for caroling in their community of Leopard's Hill. Watching all the children perform a play about the birth of Jesus really helped put me in the Christmas spirit. I tried to take some pictures to post on here, but it was too dark. Anabelle's family lives in Lusaka, so there will be a houseful. I am looking forward to it.

For New Year's Eve, I will be traveling to Zanzibar, a small island off the coast of Tanzania. A group of 6 CIDRZ workers are already there. I'll be joining them on either the 30th or the 31st.

A few people asked where to buy a calling card to call Zambia from the states. The best place I found is ZSCOMM. This website lists several different calling cards that charge different rates. I tried the cheapest one first, the “Go Africa Phone Card” and it did not last long at all, so don’t buy it. The only other one I have used is the “Africa Special Phone Card.” It was rated 4 stars, cost 5.9 cents a minute, and works well. The different cards are sold in $5 or $10 increments (some of them have a minimum number to purchase). The first time you order from this company, you have to call them to confirm your order, but after your first order, they send the pin number directly to you in an email. It doesn't cost me a thing for you to call (+011-260-96-642262), so feel free, just remember I am 8 hours ahead.

Britt, Lindsey and Bailey -- I'm sorry I won't be able to wake up with you on Christmas morning, but I promise I'll make it up to you when I return. I love you all very much. Have a Merry Christmas.

Transportation

2005-12-11T12:31:00.000+02:00

I was given access to the above Mitsubishi ARV to drive at night and during the weekends. It's a little awkward driving on the left side of the road, but I'll get used to it.

I was also issued a cell phone (+011-260-96-642262). Please feel free to give me a call, but remember, we are 8 hours ahead, so 8PM in the states is 4AM here.

Accomodations

2005-12-09T15:34:00.000+02:00

Entrance to the CIDRZ Flats.

Driveway into the flats with swimming pool at the end.

CIDRZ rents one side of this duplex. I am staying on the right side.

This is the living room. The dining room and kitchen are off to the left, and the 3 guest rooms are through the door in the center of the picture.

This is my room. You can see the mosquito net hanging above the bed.

This shower (with hot water) is in my room.

Arrival

2005-12-01T16:39:00.000+02:00

Lusaka International Airport

After sitting on the runway for over an hour and spending more than nine hours in the air, I arrvied safe and sound in Lusaka at 7:30 AM local time. Above is the view of the Lusaka International Airport as I step from the airplane.

2005-11-30T19:40:00.000+02:00

Big Ben!

Itinerary Change

2005-11-15T18:19:00.000+02:00

My itinerary has changed. I now fly through Chicago and London. Here are the new dates and flights...

Tuesday, November 29 - Thursday, December 1
6:09 PM - 7:51 PM - Nashville to O'Hare (1:42 flight)
9:25 PM - 11:00 AM - O'Hare to London (7:35 flight)
6:50 PM - 6:50 AM - London to Lusaka, Zambia (10:00 flight)

Total time in flight = 19 hours, 17 minutes
Total time in airports = 9 hours, 24 minutes
Total travel time = 28 hours, 41 minutes

Preparations

2005-11-09T20:09:00.000+02:00

Today I received confirmation that I will leave for Lusaka, Zambia on November 28, 2005 with a return flight scheduled for March 26, 2005. I will be working with Dr. Jeffrey Stringer and colleagues at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), a nonprofit organization established in 1999 with support from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, on a clinical trial funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

In preparation for my travel, I was given the following vaccinations: Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A (second shot), Hepatitis B (third shot), Typhoid, and Influenza. I was also prescribed 25 weeks of malaria prophylaxis (Mefloquine). My passport is in order, and I have materials for a business visa to submit to the Zambian Embassy upon arrival. I also acquired an International Driving Permit.

To record and share my experiences, I ordered a Canon SD400 Digital Camera. It should arrive in the next few days, and I look forward to using it to update this weblog.

Check out my itinerary for the trip to Lusaka...
Monday, November 28 - Tuesday, November 29
6:30 AM - 8:39 AM - Nashville to Atlanta (1:09 flight)
10:30 AM - 10:05 PM - Atlanta to Sal, Cape Verde (7:35 flight)
11:05 PM - 10:45 AM - Sal to Johannesburg, South Africa (8:40 flight)
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Johannesburg to Lusaka, Zambia (2:00 flight)

Total time in flight = 19 hours, 24 minutes
Total time in airports = 10 hours, 06 minutes
Total travel time = 29 hours, 30 minutes