Sarah, Brett and the future Chloe

Farewell summer 2010

Time is a curious thing. The heat of summer already feels so distant as the crisp air of fall settles in.
I'll always remember this summer fondly.
The summer of 2010.
The heat, swimming, biking, hiking and camping. Topping it all off were two awesome weddings of four great people and a music festival.
Once I moved here I heard so much about the The Kispiox Music Festival. I couldn't go my first summer here.
This summer it worked out and it was fantastic.
Beautiful people, scenery, great music.
Not to mention being nestled in the beautiful Kispiox Valley.
Highly recommend it, and finding this great lake, past the music grounds, over the bridge then turn right at the fork in the road.
It has a two perfect docks, one from the shore, then a second further out.

Also great is music after the music. On Saturday night Bobby Middleton and his friend Sam (on banjo) ripped it up at the fire. My friend Paula (up top picking berries in Old Hazleton) and I had just finished dancing and grooving to Mamaguroove, the last set of the night, and made it back to the fire for more.

Todd, me and the universe

Camping in Prince Rupert this weekend offered up a beautiful night sky of stars. Here is what Todd and I were able to capture.

me

todd

hands in the sky

there's a face in there somewhere

just the night sky

Hey! Let's make more waste

Usually my blogging sticks to recent photographs and general thoughts, but when I see new products popping up that completely boggle my mind, I feel like I need to say something.

Kimberly-Clark Kleenex's new product - disposable hand towels.

http://www.kleenex.com/handtowels/

One use hand towels for the bathroom, dry your hands off ONCE and toss it away.
No, they are not made from recycled fiber, because according to their own website, "Because of the superior softness consumers expect from KLEENEX^® Brand, KLEENEX^® Brand Hand Towels are made with 100 percent virgin fiber. The product's unique, Cottony-Soft base sheet is free of inks, dyes and fragrances and is soft enough for faces yet durable for family needs."

And no I could not find any mention of the towels being biodegradable, but it did say that you could recycle the box, kudos.

The reasoning is germs, and apparently using a regular towel just isn't going to work now-a-days.

To quote their website again, KLEENEX^® Hand Towels provide people with an alternative solution to traditional cloth bathroom hand towels, offering a clean, fresh towel every time. In fact, in the U.S. alone, people dry their hands on cloth bathroom towels approximately 200 billion times per year and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for hand washing recommends hand drying with a single-use towel to help reduce the spread of germs."

I find it very frustrating when it is common knowledge that as a planet we need to reduce the amount of waste we create, so why make new products that have a completely backwards and 1950s approach of, "just throw it away!"

It's bad enough that the one use towels are in almost every public washroom, so why do we need to bring it into our home?

As human beings living on this planet we have a duty to take care of it, and so far, not so good. This may also seem like a small issue to rant about, considering the other environmental battles we are facing, like massive pipelines pumping oil through our forests, and onto tankers which will travel our coastal waters.
But maybe if we can tackle the little issues, and make people understand that these types of backwards products, thinking, and marketing need to stop. Educate people on why things can't be like this, then maybe, maaaaybe, we will have more voices behind us backing up the bigger issues.
But what do I know, I'm just one person who doesn't buy paper towel, takes the time to rinse out anything that can be recycled (and pays for it to be recycled because the area I live in still doesn't have a regular depo), but mainly tries her best to make choices that feel right when it comes to sustaining our planet.
And one-use disposable hand towels are not the right choice for me.

You are that which you seek - South Africa

It has been 119 days since I boarded a plane in Vancouver, setting off on an adventure to Africa. It was such a short blip in my life, a two week period in March and April, yet that 14 day space of time was filled with rich and striking beauty - I feel like I literally drank in every moment that I spent on African soil, soaking in each encounter, sound, smell and feeling with every ounce of my being.
Closing my eyes I am instantly back on a dusty dirt road in a village, children shouting, "muzungo!", small bikes ripping around, music thumping, women chatting and people working in the fields.
I know if I was transported there instantly I would find the exact same scene, which is comforting and intriguing.
These photos above are from a short day trip into Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa.

Slow flow of time - Goodbye Africa

Time is a funny thing.
At home you're faced most days with the familiar of home, work, friends and community, and time can really fly.
With that frame of mind and my busy schedule while travelling I thought that my two weeks in Africa would zip by, but wow let me tell you, life back in Terrace B.C. feels like a lifetime ago.
I think these two weeks have felt like a long time because of how far, and how different things are here compared to home.
Each day, or even each minute my eyes catch a glimpse of something new and unfamiliar.
I have had an absolutely amazing time, but it's funny, usually when I travel I want to stay on the road forever, but this time I'm feeling tired and drained and ready for home.
Maybe it's adding the element of travel in an unfamiliar place and then trying to connect with strangers and arrange interviews for work, rather than just being on "vacation".
There's little things too that happen and my mind instantly thinks, oh how very Africa.
Like last night I took a night bus departing Livingstone at 8:30 p.m. to Lusaka. The ride is supposed to be from five to six hours, but ah we arrived here in Lusaka at 3:30 a.m.
And during the "night" bus while people are nodding off the front of the bus blasts the same song on repeat the entire time, where a woman sings in a high pitched tone.
I was at the back of the bus so it wasn't so bad, but yikes, passengers at the front would only get some shuteye if they were exhausted.
Each time they stopped they would also turn on the lights full blast, disturbing any slumber you might have fallen into.
But who am I to complain, I had a ride over 6 hrs that cost only $14.
But don't get me wrong, that bus service is amazing compared to some other outfits.
On the ride to Livingstone we were treated to air conditioning, a snack and refreshments and comfy seats. An added bonus was the smooth roads Zambia seems to have.
Buuuuuuut, one big hilarious but, they also played one song, over and over and over and over.
It took me awhile to even notice, when Darcy says, ummm I think this song has been on repeat for a long time?
I start to listen, ah yes, I think it's Michael Bolton singing, I say.
Soul Provider.
Each time his voice would fade away along with the sax (I think it's sax?), we would wait in silence to see if something new would come on, but ah the sax would come in and Bolton's voice would sound over the speakers.
If you're unfamiliar with the song and are curious as to what we were treated to at LEAST 15 times or more I swear, click on the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwbdXXXZAg
Well I think this will be my last post, I had my last interview this morning, then tomorrow we fly out in the afternoon for a serious of painful connecting flights to arrive back in Vancouver on Sunday.
See you soon Canada!

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.

Good thing I showered this morning

With the Easter weekend hampering work after arriving here in Zambia, four of us ladies on the trip decided to take the weekend to travel south to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls or Mosi-Oa-Tunya, meaning the smoke that thunders.
By far one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen and one of the best experiences on this trip so far.
Think of a huge crevasse in the middle of a flat landscape taking the waters of the Zambezi River down a vertical drop of more than 100 metres.
The back splash from the raging waters' drop creates the illusion of a heavy rain storm from above.
"Well I'm glad we showered this morning," we laughed while dripping head to toe.
To sum it up the falls were big, wet and beautiful. With the sun shining down a large rainbow stretched above the boiling pot, which is where the waters churn in a ravenous circle to then turn and head down the Batoka Gorge.
And if you go for a swim in the boiling pot, apparently your body will arrive in the next village.
Right now I'm staying at a place called Jollyboys alone, but the four of us arrived and spent one night here together.
When we entered the gate and walked through the parking lot we entered paradise.
A pool, comfy sofas, bar serving cold beer and tasty food (vegetarian too!!!), working and fast internet, no instant coffee but the real deal, and a four bedroom suite just for us, quiet nights, great sleeps on soft mattresses.
Simply a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
After the hectic busy schedules we had in Uganda this was a welcomed break, an oasis for us Canadians hankering for some tastes of home.
The place is filled with backpackers, as Livingstone is a tourist destination with the falls, safaris, rafting, bungee etc.
This city is nice and welcoming.
My only distaste is the way local vendors have learned to approach tourist for selling their goods.
Each time I walk down this one path I'm accosted by, hello sista, how are you, let me show you something from my village, I am an artist.
And it's someone different every time.
Wow this place is just filled with fantastic artists...ya right.
I wouldn't get so annoyed with the people in town if it wasn't for my experience with the souvenir shops outside Victoria Falls.
What they do is give you a necklace for free and say come back and see me when you're done.
Sure, that's okay I want to buy some things anyway.
Buuuuuut they make you sit on a stool, and insist you buy things together because it is cheaper. Sure, okay I can deal with that.
But ah, then they say their friend will wrap your purchases.
Oh, sit on my stool here while I nicely wrap what you've bought and I'll show you what I have.
No thank you I say, I have bought what I want.
They stall, don't wrap what you've bought and keep shoving things in your face, oh this is nice, great deal here. No? How about this? No? Please I need money to buy my lunch.
Ya, ya.
They say, oh I am an artist and I've made this from my village, but then you look around and everything in every shop looks exactly the same hmmmm...
I am a friendly person but I Iost my cool when I bought something to get the second vendor to leave me alone (I know, I know that's their plan all along), when A THIRD man starts wrapping THAT purchase and then tries to sell me HIS THINGS.
That was the final straw and I said very loudly I AM DONE! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING ELSE.
It's a horrible, frustrating method and they would do much better and I would have bought a lot more if they let you do your thing and decide for yourself.
That's my one rant, but I swear I didn't even get that mad when the contents of my wallet were stolen.

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.