South Africa Part II

Finally the weather is beautiful. 

It’s even sunny in Claremont where our B&B is located. That part of town is right on the foot of Table Mountain and Silvia says we live in our very own cloud. It is turly so, as we’ve figured when leaving Claremont on cloudy days, the weather is always nicer further away from the mountain. However the weather is clear here today. Table Mountain doesn’t greet us with as long a queue as we feared. Quite quicky we find ourselves in the gondola and quite quickly it races to the top. At first Silvia bravely takes pictures, but then says she doesn’t like heights and gets very quiet. To be honest I also don’t like the quickly approaching (36 km/h 1000 km to the top) bare cliffs and the ground moving away from us at the same speed.

1.     Table Mountin Cableway has been running for over 80 years. Transporting aprox. 800 people per hour. The height of Table Mountin at the highest point, Maclear´s Beacon, is 1085 m.

It is belived that Table Mountin is at least 6 times older than the Himalayas. The Cape`s original Khoi San inhabitants named the mountain "Hoerikwaggo“. It means „Mountain of the Sea“

That red dot is a person. Probably a crazy person.

1.      Silvia (on her blog): We find ourselves at the top with our feet firmly on the ground, but looking around there was 1000m of abyss in front of us. It took some time getting used to. Our ears were ringing, the sun was blinding and we were nauseous on top of it all – it’s a wonder we didn’t fall down. Of course it seemed that many people on the mountain were very keen to fall down – really, there’s no need to climb on some unsteady rock to get a good picture. Some guys were actually climbing the rock wall with some sticks or other. 

That creature that we saw yesterday was a dassie. It's a relative of the African elephant. Hmm...

The relative is rushing up a cliff.

Silvia:  We also found out that, huge cave bears used to live where Cape Town is now situated. We took million of picture and met Estonian girls. Mum heard Estonian, obviosuly needed to go and speak to them and as it turned out, they were in the middle of a big trip around Africa and they had previously spent some time as volunteers in an animal rescue shelter. I have a feeling that mother had a special magnet attached to herself, so that everyone who had something to do with animals would find her and she wouldn’t had to look themselves up herself.

Silvia has introduced me to making selfies.

Panorama with Robben Island in the background where we unfortunately didn't make it this time.

1.     

          Kätlin Põder and Kerttu Olveti (African Dawn Wildlife Sanctuary and Breeding Centre). They just travelled to South Africa and found a temporary job. Apparently, feeding the cheetah was a privilage and Indi the cheetah was very friendly. There were 6 cheetahs in total and they were used for breeding. The owners wife was once a veterinary nurse. Work done, they travel onwards to Namibia, yo Victoria Falls , Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The following seven are Kerttu and Kätlin's pictures.

 Their living quarters.

 Feeding the emus and Lucifer the goat.

Feeding the cheetahs

 Serval

 Maryanne the cow.

 Preparation for the feeding

 Water mongoose Blossum

 We were pretty high up, I must say.

  … but those crazy Estonian girls decided to come down by foot. I don't even know how.

 As there are few dogs seen on the streets, we must take several pictures of each one (last four)

The guardian dogs in our home are at the ready.

As we have no Estonian flag with us, we might have to buy shoes that match the colours.

As we had eaten sushi for two days straight (at Willoughby’s,which was amazing, but goes against my principle to eat local dishes whilst travelling), we first tried to break into a restaurant in Kirstenbosch Gardens, but it was reserved. 

Kirschtenbosch gardens (last three)

 Medicinal plants (last two)

I have this growing in my yard at home. I ate it, but didn't know what it was. Now I know.

We then went to look for this place called Dog’s Bollocks, that Silvia had found in a travel brochure. The place itself was worthy of it’s name and therefore very hard to locate. We drove past two times, because it looked like a complete dump. The lady selling vintage clohes on the street caught our eye and then we a weird garage door behind her where people were sitting.

 The restaurant we were looking for was hiding behind this car and vintage shop.

The neighbourhood around the restaurant (last two)

Silvia (on her blog): It probably used to be an old narrow garage – the whole restoraunt (baar?bistro? I don’t know what it was). The owner was a small, not-even-25-years-old girl with two incredibly loud but friendly girl-chefs. It was a very cool place. Maybe a bit hipster for my liking (ironic country music and suide cloth ceiling lamps?), but it had guts. It was a burger joint and this is how it went down: you come inside, write your name on the door in chalk and behind your name how many meals you want for your table. Then you sit down and wait. You may also drink whilst waiting. Two grils behind the counter/kitchen scream your name like soldiers with megaphones and you go and give your order. Then you wait some more until there’s another pearcing sound and you go get your food. I got the cheese, bacon, BBQ-sauce burger (is there anything better?) and mum got black bean nachos. The portions were huge. But wow, was it deliscious. Juicy and lovely and dirty and big. Half my face was covered in BBG-sauce, but I didn’t mind. It was too good. Definitely, DEFINITELY recomment it, when you’re in town. Truly an experience to value. It was also clear that tourists don’t often go there, it’s mostly local’s favourite. To confince the boys, they also offer local Dog’s Bollocks beer, which come in a 660 ml bottle and is a lager hybrid. I liked it. Mum said that it tastes like a door, but to her, beer is Satan’s favourite thirst quencher, so she doesn’t know anything.

The next day we switch hotels. We move to the city centre, closer to the convention centre, so it would be easier for me to go to “work”. The day after tomorrow is the WSAVA assembly meeting and as our representative Janne Orro-Taruste unfortunately couldn’t attend, I take my old position as Estonian representative for just a moment. The last time was 5 years ago is Sao Paolo.

After switching hotels we drive to Stellenbosch. When I was in South-Africa 14 years ago I visited a veterinary clinic there and so my firstbabesia in a blood sample and heard more about this disease. Fortunately we don’t have it Estonia yet, but there have been a cases in a few tourist-dogs.

I have very hazy memories about Stellenbosch back then. I probably sat in the clinic the whoe day as I would and of course visited a vinyard afterwards. We won’t be going there today. We just walk around the city and try to find the clinic. In the end we get a few tips from different dog-owners, but the clinic is closed.

Pictures of Stellenbosch

We probably managed to take pictures of every dogs, seeing as there are so few of them on the streets.

Stellenbosch poodles. This picture is dedicated to the poodle breeders of our clinic - Elina, Juuli, Vika, Thekla - greetings from South Africa. I always take pictures of poodles on my travels. My first dog was also a poodle (Ringo) and when I was nine I decided to become a veterinarian because of my second poodle, Poska's illness (died of distemper). Have not regretted my decision.

Educational boxes about edible plants (last seven)

Someone has brought my childhood kitchen chairs to Stellenbosch

 Stellenbosch is a university town.

A street in Stellenbosch and our first cat in South Africa. More beautiful streetviews of Stellenbosch on Silvia's blog      

A girl with a dog. We now have to coordinates to the veterinary clinic.

So much for the clinic. I honestly can't remember if this is the same one I visited in 2000.

On our way back to Cape Town we find Gordon’s Bay Harbour View Lodge, where we stayed at 14 years ago. 

More exciting was the little shop, where the lovel owners make small-talk with us and google goodbye in Estonian on our leaving and the bookstore right next door. 

Oh my God, what a bookshop it was. One room after another with piles of books everywhere. They also had a corner for other language books, but no Estonian ones. It’s a pity I didn’t have one with me. It would have been quite grand if my little book, “Elust koera ja kassiga” would have had a place there. It would probably stay there for quite some time because I doubt someone would come to Gordon’s Bay to buy an Estonian book.

Someone has taken our Paula for a walk. We miss her.

Back to Cape Town and it turns out my good colleague Ellen Chichinadze has been looking for me for quite some time. We drive to her hotel, pick her up and drive to the Waterfront. Do we stay and eat there or by food to go? We decide to do the latter. We have a hotel room with a fancy kitchen and Elena has brought us deliscious Georgian wine, that I won’t be bringing back to Europe. We by a little bit of this and that and head back. My poor starved child (with only a light breakfast under her belt) starts making the food and discovers that we even have a Créme Brülée ramican, broth pitcher and lasagna mould, but no pots and pans. The eggs and bacon we bought we give to Silvia’s friend the next day. Fortunately we’ve bought enough salads, bread, hummus and pesto. 

The fancy kitchen in our hotel room where you couldn't cook

We discuss the meeting next day with Elena, Silvia double-checks Elena’s speech (only a couple of tiny mistakes. Well done, Elena! And you say you can’t speak English) and then we ponder how to get Elena home. Our hotels are 7 minutes away from one another (or so it says on the GPS), but the way between is a bit unclear and empty. I get my car out of the underground parking lot, take Silvia and her GPS with me and we navigate a 7-minute walk into a 10-minute drive, getting Elena back to her hotel and us into the narrow little entry of the hotel parking lot again. Oh, I am good! The fact that I scratched a hub-cap and knocked a piece out of the tire a few days ago is all but forgotten (unfotunately only until I bring the car back to Hertz. My credit card bill will remind me for a long time L).

WSAVA assembly meeting. Oh how nice it is to see old friends again. 

WSAVA has radically changed it’s work proceedings. The most important topics are discussed quickly before noon. That includes the Georgian application. GEOSAVA is accepted into WSAVA.

 Bravo Georgia and its brave representative Elena Chichinadze.

Georgia and Estonia.

Ellen (Elena, Jelena, Lena) Chichinadze is a good friend of mine since 2009, when we met at the Ukranian small animal veterinary conference in Uman. I was there by noon, I visited my Ukranian colleagues for the first time and didn’t really know anybody. At first they took us to an excurcion to the local park and the whole time people around me were talking about someone named Jelena, who was soon to come and who everyone was waiting for. We met at the banquet. Elena stepped into the room with everyone happily cheering around her and brought out her gifts. Everyone got a little piece of Georgian cuisine and hospitality. I too was excited as a child, when I was handed a huge cluster of herbs (including my favourite – coriander). The Ukranian banquet table was luxurious even without all the gifts, but everyone was used to Elena always bringing something – herbs, wine, adzika. As kindly as she shares the wonders of Georgian cuisine, she shares herself. Her time and enery to her collegues. She took the initiative and started an association, she took the initiative and came to Helsinki to become a member of FECAVA, she took the initative and travelled to Cape Town.  She took the initative and organized her first international congressin Tblisi (dr. Gawor, dr. Belova and dr. Ushakov), and now there’s another one coming. Elena is tireless I truly admire her. I too have experienced similar rapid times 20 years ago when ESAVA first started out, but I was a lot younger then and Estonia had a big supportgroup from other clinics. Right now, Elena is quite on her own, but I am sure that soon her colleagues will soon realize that competition is not something to be afraid of and together they will strive farther.

In the afternoon we work in groups. The work of the European/African group is lead by Nicola Neumann from Ireland. We discuss what the association gives to its members and the other way around. It reminds me of our FECAVA workshop in Paris 2006.

During the day there was a lecture in the frames of the pre-congresss day Vets in the Wild: a Peek behind the Scenes”.

There was a press-conference in the evening, where they shed light on the African Small Companion Animal Network and the Vets Go Wild project, in which volunteer veterinarians had a chance to work in porblem areas in South Africa.  OH, it made me jealous. I want to do that too.

They also showed us a video of rhino poaching. Incredibly heinous. I honestly didn’t even imagine that such nonsense is so far spread. Even the smallest step to stop this inhuman stupidity is welcome.
News about this: http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/WSAVA-Turns-Focus-to-Animal-Welfare/

In the end they presented us with the veterinarian’s oath written on a big white cloth. There was no Estonian version, but I translated it and posted it on the Internet. 
Mina kui ülemaailmne loomaarst kasutan oma teadmisi ja oskusi  meie ühiskonna heaks. Teen seda läbi loomade heaolu ja tervise kaitse nii, et hoian ära ja leevendan nende kannatusi ja  edendan  liikumist „One Health“. Ma teen oma tööd väärikalt , korrektselt ja eetiliselt ning elukestvalt õppides, et parandada oma ametialast pädevust.

In the evening, Silvia and I are invited to her friend Vee’s parent’s home for dinner. It is very lovely and cosy. Unbelievable, that I, who as I was Silvia’s age knew South Africa only as a monstrous rascist country, where only enemies and cruel people live and where we will never have any business in (soviet propaganda at its finest), am sitting here in someone’s home and we have the save worldvies and understanding of life and much to talk about. At the same time, I understood that it was interesting for them to meet someone from small Estonia and hear our story of getting independance from the USSR, the Singing Revolution and our situation nowadays. We showed them a few clips of the Song Festival on the Internet (Silvia sang along) and showed us our home street from Google Maps and kitchen windows (I have much more beautiful flowers this year. I should invite those Google boys to take the pictures again) on Google Street View.

A little veterinary consultation is always a part of the deal. We looked over their new nameless kitten. Me encouraged Vee to name her Lumi (Snow). Two dogs with slight behavioural issues as well. With ignoring and introducing new sort of games those problems will overcome those problems easily. We say our goodbyes and promise to meet again in Estonia, Italy, Brazil – who knows?

On Tuesday I liston a few lectures and visit the exposition, chat with some colleagues. It’s a regular day at the conference (by the way it’s my 16^th WSAVA congress), but I must hurry because I fly back to Europe tomorrow and haven’t visited one South Arican clinic yet. Silvia and I drive to Blue Cross Hospital , which was recommended to us by Vee’s family. Inspire of us busting in on them unexpecedly, the staff is very welcoming and keen to show us their clinic.

 The clinic is awe-inspiringly old (founded in 1924, even when dr. Herriott was a little boy) and deals with all sorts of animals.

The clinic also helps large animals and there is room for everyone there.

 The lab.

This is where most of the work gets done..

Small animals surgery

 X-ray.

 Physioterapy

 Large animal surgery.

 Our lamp on the ceiling. We have similar on our clinic.

 Examination room

We drive around some more (it’s practically our last day).

A beatiful beach.

For the beautiful beach to stay beautiful, these posters have been installed.

No swimming today. The water is too cold.

 I go to the opening of the congress, which is always great with it’s local songs and dances. 

It is very moving, when professor Lucille Blumberg (the winner of the 2014 WSAVA Global One Health Award), who is the Deputy Director of the South African Communicable Diseases Institute, gives a speach, where she says that she started working with zoonoses after seeing the braing of a 10-year-old boy who died of rabies. We must not forget that in the world there’s a person dying of rabies every 10 minutes.

They offer us wine ans snacks in the exposition hall. Finally some real local food. Samosas with different fillings truly melt in your mouth.

I try with all my might to convince Zoetis to sell us more Apoquel quickly. Did it work? I don’t know. They do all that they can, but the medicine is good based on my (little) experience. They same is assured by dr. Ralph Muller, who I talk to next day during lunch.

For some reason I already suspect from a far that there are Finns in this booth. I creep closer to listen to the language or get a glimpse of a nametag. The blond girl notices me and says in finnish: "Oh, Tiina, I's sorry that I made such a mess in your clinic the last time." ??? It turns out that she is dr. Elina Pietilä, who came to our clinic in the summer to perform official eye examinations with dr. Ülle Kell. Here she is with Kirsi Järvinen introducing new tonometres from iCare Finland.

Dear Lawson Cairns, we didn't get to dance this time, but there are still many WSAVA congresses to come. Well done SAVA. Your congress has turned out tremendously. 

And then it’s time to go. The congress is still going on. Today is the banquet and tomorrow Africn Night, but St. Petersburg, Baltic Forum and a lecture about an itching dog, which isn’t wuite finished yet, await me. But 11 hours on a plane is enough time. 

 Last picture with Elena, standing in front of the Congress stand with a finger on the Estonian flag.

It remains a mystery who were the other Estonian veterians with Finnish-sounding names in the 39th WSAVA congress in Cape Town.

Tiina Toomet