Conference - heck of a lot of knowledge in such a short period of time.

Amazingly, I did still get to a lot of conference sessions. As I'd said earlier, I developed bronchitis during my holiday, so I was sick in bed for one day of conference, but I still got to see a lot of great sessions on a plethora of different issues.

With my passion for the developing world, especially reproductive health in those countries, I sought out sessions that were specifically to do with caring for women where resources are scant; The Millennium Development Goals; and how to deal with traditional practices which are harmful to reproductive health (ie. female genital mutilation, early marriage & myths about HIV & AIDS).

It was an amazing conference. I saw people from all over Africa, as well as the Middle East, Asia, India, South America, as well as the obvious countries like the UK, US and Canada. Apparently over 8000 delegates were registered, and the Cape Town International Convention Centre was a superb venue from which to host such a massive congress.

Obviously in the realm of reproductive health, we touch on some pretty sensitive issues. And with people from areas of the world where certain topics would never be discussed (even to the point of death or at least jail if they do so), it was interesting to see the conversations that came out of such sessions. I admit that sometimes in our developed world we can look at issues through our own little lense of what happens in our developed nation, without realising that this is a life and death issue in the developing world. It was fascinating to see the differences between western and eastern viewpoints on certain topics!

One of the major perks of the conference was the fact they had free wi-fi for all the conference delegates - which meant I could use Skype to call home whenever I had a break. For free!

Cape Town Holiday - Settling in

Twenty-eight hours of flying (and one forgotten chapstick, bag of face cleaners and journal later) lead to finally getting off the plane in Cape Town and getting a sudden understanding that there is not just ONE mountain in the Cape - there is one 300km line of mountain range!

I decided to wait around until Bek and Dion's plane landed (they'd flown into Johannesburg earlier in the day, and their domestic flight was about three hours after mine); and I remember sitting there thinking 'geez I hope those two got flights here okay - it'd be just like me to sit around like an idiot for four hours for nothing!'.

But arrive they did - and after six months of having my best friend over the other side of the world (especially at the times I've probably needed her the most), there was FAR too much talking and laughing and carrying-on happening for one small African airport to handle!

The guest house we were staying in was just divine. A beautiful pool, great fish pond, amazing room and bathroom, and the cutest two dogs you'd ever meet (unless you've met my Vox, of course).

Me outside the guest house, Signal Hill behind me

It goes without saying that sleep was all but forgotten as the next six hours involved us catching up with six months of news, joys, disappointments, frustrations and forgotten titbits that hadn't been shared via the brief phone calls and newsy emails that had bounced back and forth.

Bek and Dion during our first trip to the Waterfront

The next day we were up bright and early and here was the first of many forgotten treats for Bek and Dion to enjoy. Cheese platters on the table, all the coffee you could handle and one very memorable fruit bowl - Bek actually cried when she saw the Rockmelon!

But the fun didn't stop there - one trip down to the Waterfront later (one of the more famous tourist areas of CT), and Bek was in heaven. Gloria Jeans had made it's appearance, and it would take more than one attempt to get Bek out of the place. Thus it made a daily showing during their visit, and if I couldn't find her at our allotted meeting points after the conference - GJs was the place I'd head.

Bek with her first GJs 'coffee'

One place we had all determined to visit during our stay was Robben Island - the place where so many political prisoners had been held during the Apartheid years. This tour was fantastic, and you would be mad not to go if you ever happen to be in Cape Town. We were quite fortunate in that we could go on the same day we booked our tickets - we were told by a lot of people that in peak periods there is often a three month wait list!

It was quite humbling to go through the Maximum Security Unit of the prison and observe where Nelson Mandela had been kept during his stay on the island. This tiny little cell with only a sheet of carpet to sleep on and a bowl for meals - it really hit home to me how it must have been to be kept there for over thirty years.

Nelson Mandela's Cell

This was a great start to our holiday together - and it could only get better from here!

Me on the boat, cruising past the Waterfront, Table Mountain and Lion's Rump

Welcome back Cougher!!!

So, I am home.

And I'm sad (always sad when I come back from Africa).

And I have a cough (it's now diagnosed with bronchitis, which has given me at least one more day off of work).

And - I loved it. Every single second of it. Even when I got really sick, I still thought it was the most amazing place I'd been in in a long time.

And yes - I did cry when we hit the African mainland. But, in my defense, 'Circle of Life' was on my iPod (pure fluke), I was drinking rooibos (oh how I miss it!), and it had been about 25 hours travel at that point!!!

I will eventually do a couple of posts to talk about what I did, how Bek & Dion enjoyed their break and how much fun we had together - but this post was just to say hello and to explain my lack of postage until now.

Bronchitis is a mean old thing!

T minus One Day...

I keep having to remind myself that this time tomorrow I will have just arrived in Singapore and resting before the continuing journey to Cape Town! I complained that this trip was taking ages to get here - now it just feels like the last month or so flew by without me even noticing!

It's all good though. After the stress of the weekend and having to chase my tail to make sure I got everything I needed, it's been relatively calm since. Apart from the last little bit currently being washed, everything is packed and it's just a matter of spending some quality time relaxing with my man before I leave.

The Allen's are doing really well, too. Tomorrow they leave for Harare, and have a night there before flighting out to Cape Town. They arrive about three hours after I do, so it's worked out quite well.

Did I actually go into what the conference I'm going to is for? I don't think so.

This is the World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, as run by FIGO (International Federation of Gynaecology & Obstetrics). It's purpose being to bring Obstetric and Gynaecology Health Professionals from all over the world together into one place to discuss anything and everything to do with Women's Reproductive and Sexual Health.

Some of the lectures I will be attending include:

Caesarean Section - auditing rates, VBAC, Surgical Techniques.

Human Rights in High Maternal Mortality Countries

FIGO Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Projects Review (Pakistan, Uganda & Peru)

Amnesty International: Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Working in Defense of Human Rights

WHO: Reproductive Health in Crisis, Conflict, Disaster & Displacement Settings

WHO: Training HCPs t0 Improve Care for Women with FGM

Advancing Knowledge in Obstetric Fistula

Ethical Issues in the Prevention of HIV Transmission

That's only a very small portion of the lectures available for me to attend (and of the electives I have chosen). There's also a lot of sessions around topics such as Infertility, PCOS, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Use of drugs in obstetrics, and other such relevant issues.

Fortunately, considering the number of lectures available to view, the majority of them will be recorded on to disc for us to purchase. I think for every lecture I chose, there were two others I was keen to attend, so this will certainly help.

Apart from that, my other plans include:

* A trek up Table Mountain

* A visit to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned)

* A visit to Stellenbosch (gardens and wineries)

* A visit to the Cape of Good Hope (where the two oceans meet)

* A day safari to Aquila Private Game Reserve (home of 'The Big Five', as well as a Cheetah nursery)

And plenty of time to just hang out with Bek & Dion and just catch up on everything we've missed in the past six months.

T Minus Two Days...

Yes, the countdown is well and truly on.

Despite having to work right up until Wednesday afternoon; we've had a pretty good week. We saw Fame in Gold Class (free upgrades courtesy of Magnum icecreams) on Friday night; off to the 'Into Africa' festival on Saturday afternoon; over to my parents on Sunday afternoon for dinner; and then last night we had free tickets to go and see the pre-screening of 'Mao's Last Dancer'. If you have some time on your hands and are looking for a great movie - go see it. It's brilliant.

Tomorrow after work I get to go to my favourite restaurant with the other half (The Purple Olive at New Farm), and enjoy a very filling Italian dinner. There is something nice about travel without your spouse - he always tries to make the week before I go pretty darn special for me. Going to The Purple Olive has become something of a tradition before I go on a solo holiday - this is the third time we've done it!

Some people are a bit surprised that we don't do these holidays together. But with a very tight budget, it just isn't possible just yet for us to take a big overseas holiday together. That's why heading off to Fiji last year was so special - it was the first time we got to go out of the country together.

Next year will be different, though. It's becoming more and more likely that we will be taking a trip TOGETHER to Rwanda in June for two weeks. This trip to South Africa is almost completely covered by work/tax due to the conference, and so the return we'll get has always been set aside to put towards a Rwanda trip.

Three trips to Africa in the space of two and a half years - that's nothing but a blessing from God!

B keeps saying that I'll cry the minute I hit African soil again - but he's wrong. I'll be too excited this time around!

(He better watch out for me walking on Rwandan soil again though...)

T Minus 3 Days...

I *think* I finally have everything organised. Flights are definitely confirmed; credit card sorted; phone unlocked; transfers organised; accommodation confirmed and conference itinerary arranged.

I am *pretty sure* I've packed everything I need. Most of that being supplies for the Allens in Zimbabwe (and I still have a couple to get - dry mark highlighters and christmas stickers, anyone?), and I'm getting better at being ruthless when it comes to the clothes I take with me (it might help that I'm planning to do a bit of a shop once I'm there).

I *know* that everything is organised for the time I'm away. The other half is staying here, so the house will be cleaned of all this insane dust that has infected every pore and the animals will be kept fed, watered and happy.

Yet, I still have one thing looming large in front of me that has me nervous.

The 2x long-haul flights coming my way.

As amusing as this will sound coming from someone who loves being halfway across the world - I don't do too well with long-haul flights. If someone could give me a nice shot of Ketamine over here which meant I knew nothing until I was taxiing into Cape Town - that would be great. Just sign me up for that, k?

Yes, I have a book. Yes, I have a journal. Yes I have the seat-back television screen. Yes, I even have my own iPhone, loaded with my favourite movies, books & even half a television series. But this doesn't quite solve the problem of being stuck in one place for 11 hours (well, 19 hours if you include the first flight to Singapore). I'm a bit of a closet claustrophobic (ha!), and nothing sets it off better than being in a tiny little economy seat.

WHERE. ARE. MY. DRUGS...

Genius here thought this time she wouldn't beg the doctors for Temazepam. Don't want them thinking they've got a druggie nurse on their hands. But right now, I'm kinda regretting not making that appointment and acquiring a prescription.

So yes, whilst I'm jumping out of my skin to get on those planes and back 'home' - can't God just fine tune teleportation and upskill me in that?

No joy without pain, Sasch... no joy without pain.

Panic Stations Are Go

Ever wanted to know how to get your blood pressure and heart rate through the roof?

Have someone tell you with only days to go that you aren't booked on the international flight you've been hanging out for for the ENTIRE year!!!

That was my morning.

I'm someone who likes to be organised. Some people might even say I have a bit of OCD when it comes to making sure everything is sorted and confirmed and on track.

So today, figured I'd do the right thing and confirm my flights to Cape Town (leaving Thursday). Sure, not many people actually do this, and it takes some time to try and do it - but, what the hey - couldn't hurt, right?

Well...

'I'm sorry, that passenger isn't booked for that flight. They were booked for the 24th but did not arrive'.

EXCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE me. WHAT THE HECK DID YOU JUST SAY?????

This is where Sasch starts panicking. You see, I booked these flights back in January, but in March got the travel agency to look into possibly changing my flights to a week earlier, as I was hoping to go stay with the Allens for a week in Zimbabwe. I told them to await my call before booking the changed flights, as I had to sort out my leave.

My extra week's leave was denied, so I'd told the travel agent to keep the flights 'as is', which I was told they did, and that was the end of it.

Or so I thought.

So with Sasch having a hysterical crying fit by this point (yes, I may be a touch melodramatic - but seriously, wouldn't you be having a pink fit???); the other half gets on the phone to the travel agent and demands to know what's going on. And then we do a mad dash to the shop front.

As far as I can tell, my tickets were always there for the 1st of October. My flights were always booked for that.

However, the airline carrier noted the 'tentative hold' for the other date (which I was told should have dropped off, since they never created tickets and I never paid for the change), and so booked me for those flights and didn't have me down for the actual flights.

So after quite a few phone calls, the travel agent has me all sorted again. But I still have to wait until Monday for complete confirmation, as right now my booking has the words 'this booking has not been ticketed' as a title.

Breathe, Sasch... Breathe Sasch...

Would appreciate your prayers that there aren't any more dramas from now, and that I get on that plane on Thursday with no problems!