The "fellows". A group shot with the International Reporting Project (IRP) Fellows before we take off to our respective countries. Bon Voyage!
Trivia Night at Fado in Chinatown. We've only got a few minutes to complete the questions in the colonial Africa round. (We got a perfect score!)
I think this was one of the coldest nights in DC... but I'm grateful for friends who turned out to wish me well before my travels!
Hangin' with the competition....
All smiles with DJ Iwah, one of the best mixmasters in DC! Thanks for playing Hugh Masekela!
A taste of South Africa before I go... (in a French restaurant ;).
A view of Durban city.
Overlooking the port of Durban.
Driving down to the sea in "ritzy" Durban North.
Another gorgeous view of the ocean in Durban North.
Inside of Gateway Mall in Durban North. I think it's bigger than Tysons Corner. They even have a rock climbing wall!
"Kit Kat" We instantly bonded...You can see she wouldn't budge from my couch...so I let her sleep over on the first night :)
Blackjack and Alaska. Can you guess which one is which?
Durban's version of "The Pentagon." This one trains bodyguards.
Minenhle Shandu, 13, poses with his fellow teammates and coaches, along with PPI Operations Director, Andrew Gordon, at a primary school in Lamontville.
A classroom of smiling faces at Sukuma Primary School in Umlazi.
A primary student at Ngongomusa Primary School in Umbumbulu. (I love this picture!)
Now they must clean off the plates....
...and wash dishes.
Taking a "potty break" after class.
These young students just wanted to say "hi"!
One youngster waves "goodbye" as we leave Ngongomusa Primary School.
PPI staffers Ntubeko Ngcamu, Raquel Thompson and Andrew Gordon stand on a Peace Players Court in Umbumbulu.
Overlooking the scenery in Umbumbulu.
I had to take a picture here because the view was so stunning! I convinced the PPI guys (Ntubeko and Andrew) to join in!
A scenic vista from Molweni. Can you see Durban in the distance?
A late afternoon game on the court in Molweni.
...and the basket is good!
Who's going to get the rebound?
Who's got next?
This young referee calls the shots from the sidelines.
This little guy had to put down his game to watch the action on the court!
More sideline spectators....
Don't be shy!
Watch me dribble!
A future Harlem globetrotter! This guy really impressed me with his spinning tricks!
Check this out!
Alright...time to spin the ball a little faster now!
It's still going.....
...and going!
Most of these guys came through the PPI program. They pose for a group shot after the game.
Can I get in the photo too? (Peace!)
Kids perform running drills during a soccer practice in Molweni.
A sprint to the finish.
Taking a break before the game.
Now it's time to play!
This boy wanted to show off his toy car! They're quite popular!
It's not exactly a remote-control car, but it's a similar concept.
Boys will be boys!
Group shot! The entire PPI team at an outdoor braai (barbeque) hosted by PPI Board member Carole Baekey and her husband, David at their Kloof home.
As you could tell by the empty plates, the food was "delish"!
My gracious hosts in Durban: Andrew, Carole and David.
A ladies afternoon with Carole and her two daughters at the beach!
A mother to all. This woman oversees an AIDS orphanage in Molweni. She takes care of 22 children.
They range in age from toddlers....
...to school-aged youth.
Today they are celebrating a birthday at the childrens' home!
Balloons were everywhere!
This infant is ready to nibble some cake!
Taking a break from the action.
Smile!
Nurses Gloria Shabalala and Fikizolo pause briefly while making their rounds to AIDS patients. They are part of the Highway Hospice Team at Inanda Community Hospital.
Inside of the TB Ward at King George Hospital in Durban.
Posters like these are everywhere inside of the ward.
A TB patient at King George Hospital.
The grave yard at Stellawood Cemetery in Durban.
A burial service at Red Hill Cemetery in Durban.
A picturesque shoreline in East London.
The waves are rolling in.....
A classic picture of the stunning Eastern Cape landscape.
A close up shot of the hills. (Can you believe that this was taken from a moving car?)
More scenery in the Eastern Cape. This is somewhere along the drive between East London and Whittlesea.
Overlooking Whittlesea and the surrounding areas. (That's a huge aloe plant in the foreground. They are everywhere.)
A section of Hewu Hospital in Whittlesea.
Cattle grazing: A common scene around Whittlesea.
Members of an HIV/AIDS support group in Sada learn how make a garden vegetable soup during a nutrition seminar.
The support group members gather for a collective shot outside of a clinic in Sada.
The "Mothers": These woman spent the day tilling the Africare garden. Now they are headed home with the "fruits & vegetables" of their labor.
This 53-year-old man has been battling HIV and TB. But he stands proud in his home garden, where he is growing spinach (and even pumpkins!)
Caregivers at Whittlesea Clinic sing inspirational songs about HIV/AIDS before heading out to see patients.
This is one of their ARV patients who belongs to the home-based care program.
Zangoma Vujiswa Matiwane poses in her traditional healer attire.
She performs a dance to the beat of the drum.
This young boy claps along while she dances.
A generation of traditional healers (zangomas).
Traditional healer Pumla Mayise smiles in front of her "surgery".
A pail of traditional beer.
These newborn puppies huddle up in Mrs. Mayise's yard.
Traditional healer (zangoma) Zinikele Phimpi displays his cowtails in front of his "surgery" hut.
Kamastone Mountain. If you look closer, you can see the village name spelled out in rocks above. (It reminded me of a rural version of the Hollywood sign).
A view from Phimpi's place in Kamastone.
A small group of homes near Kamastone.
Along the road near Kamastone.
What a spectacular view!
Boys 2 Men: These young Xhosa men recently completed a 3-week initiation. Once they finish this traditional rites of passage, they must "dress up" and wear hats to show that they are men!
Members of the Mbekweni soccer club. They are really good!
Secondary students walk home for a lunch break!
Africare peer educators at a local primary school. These youngsters teach fellow clasmates about self esteem and other issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS awareness.
These children sing a song after gathering for a meal at a local soup kitchen.
These school children were fascinated by my camera in Mbekweni (outside of Cape Town)....so I decided to turn the lens on them!
Along the road to Paarl.
Visiting a soup kitchen in a Wallacedene, a township outside of Cape Town.
Lighting the fire in preparation for the meal.
It was so hot on this day (around 100 degrees). These youngsters try to stay cool in the shade.
These children wait patiently for their food....
Now it's time to eat.....
A vacant lot across from the feeding center has turned into a makeshift trash dump.
"Curious eyes"....
This young girl flashes a big smile in Wallacedene.
Members of the Ithemba Foundation congratulate these two young men (center) who won karate awards. The foundation sponsors their training.
A family affair -- Smiling after a delicious dinner (and lots of wine ;) with one of my Cape Town hosts, Neels (far left) and his family.
13-year-old Mncedisi, of Cape Town after riding in the Cape Argus Cycle.
Cyclists exit the Cape Argus Cycle Race.
Many looked for loved ones after they crossed the finish line.
I was impressed by all of the "brothers" that participated.
More cyclists taking a casual ride after the race.
Pedaling to keep pace....
These cyclists tag team along the trail.
Headed to the finish line!
Catching up along the route...
Another cyclist along the route....
The tour lasted the entire day.
Anyone want ice cream?
These guys take a water break....
After the race, there was a big concert to celebrate!
Reaching the finish line.
A young boy plays by the rocks of the Cape coast.
Just before high tide, the waves splash up along a waterfront pier.
A surfer rides the waves along the Cape Town coast. (I waited at least 30 minutes to get this shot!)
Looking out along the Cape Coast.
A sailboat bobs along the sea....
Here's another one!
Waterfront....Waterfront! A shot of the wharf at the V&A Waterfront. (It is the most popular tourist spot in Cape Town.)
The Thokozani Brothers, a group of township singers from the Cape Flats, perform at the V&A Waterfront.
A jazz musician "gets down" at the Waterfront.
These acrobatic street performers flirt with fire at the V&A Waterfront.
Flying over the Cape Coast from East London.
Getting closer to Cape Town....
There it is! Table Mountain in "plane" view.
Overlooking Camps Bay from Table Mountain.
A view looking toward Cape Point.
Another closeup of the peninsula.
Overlooking Robben Island.
The city of Cape Town!
A closeup shot of the pier.
A bench on Table Mountain reads: "One of Life's Most Precious Gifts is Time."
Another shot of Cape Town.
There are so many types of interesting plants at the summit.
There are also a lot of intriguing rock formations!
The vista is absolutely stunning!
A birds' eye view.
A profile shot.
The suns' rays glisten on the Atlantic.
A shot down below...
More stunning views...
Just before sunset on Table Mountain.
Cape Town at night.
Babalwa Mgedezi speaks on camera about her role as a recruiter for the International Partnership for Microbicides HIV prevelance study.
The opening ceremony at the South Africa National Aids Council (SANAC) conference.
South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka addresses the audience.
A sign outside of Avalon Cemetery in Soweto.
A woman sells flowers for gravestone adornments.
Saturday morning at Avalon Cemetery.
Some of the limos and hearses are even "pimped out".
Saturday is usually a busy day for funerals so there are usually long lines to get into the cemetery.
A hearse drives into Avalon.
A shot of downtown Johannesburg.
Along the streets of downtown Joburg.
A "takeaway" in Johannesburg. Takeaways are the same as carry-out restaurants.
These barbers take a break in between customers in Soweto. (If you look closely, you can see their clippers hanging from the top of the tent.)
School is out! A wave of secondary students crowd the stairs to go home in Auckland Park (outside of Johannesburg).
Driving along the highway to Northwest Province.
The "Queen Mother" of the Royal Bafokeng Nation (far left) standing next to a crocodile statue. The croc is a symbol of the Bafokeng people.
Welcome to Sun City!
You can't visit Sun City without playing the slots! My driver, Edgar, actually won about 100 Rand. I lost everything!
Leaving Sun City...
The Northwest Province is full of platinum mines, like this one (in front of us).
Along the road in Northwest Province.
The Northwest Province is very mountainous!
A scenic dam (somewhere between Sun City and Johannesburg). We're almost home!
The place where I stayed in Johannesburg (actually Melville) had a gorgeous vintage interior design. I took a bath every night below the stained glass!
Isn't this sink lovely?
They also had really cool artwork!
...and a beautiful garden!
In Melville, you will find guys like this all along 7th Avenue, making and selling beaded handcrafts.
Interviewing Dr. Busi Nkala about the Phambili HIV Vaccine study at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.
Recording a standup at the CNN bureau in Johannesburg.
Meeting CNN Africa Correspondent Jeff Koinange in Johannesburg.
Out to dinner with Jahmil! He's a local film director.
The waiter wanted to take another shot!
After dinner with acquaintances Gwendolyn and Bruce.
