Overflow: ADVENTURES TO CAPETOWN S. AFRICA FOR WFOT 2018

MY FACEBOOK JOURNAL OF MY TRIP PART 1 :-)

MAY 10th-MAY 11= TRAVEL WITHIN HAITI

The adventure Begins!

South Africa Bound for the WFOT (World Federation Of Occupational Therapy) Congress and Council meetings along with Ashley Kahila to represent AHE/HAOT (Haiti Association Occupational Therapy).

Thank you to everyone who donated to make this trip possible and also BIG thank you to WFOT for 2 different scholarships to help with the costs. I am so humbled by how generous and supportive everyone has been.

Prayers appreciated the next few days with travel. That we have safe and uneventful trip. That my health with hold out (I have overdone it the last week trying to get everything in order to leave) and for an amazing congress/conference. I have 5 days of traveling...

I have been so busy I haven't had time to think to much about it or get excited until yesterday during my first leg of my trip (moto ride from my house to PdP).

I overnighted in PdP at STAND and finished getting the pediatric clinic and building clinic. Set up since I won't be there to do it as I get back middle of first week. I am sitting on the bus now on the way to PAP.

Travel in Haiti is always an adventure... today though we have only had 3 delays so far (5 hours in)... first was heavy rain which delayed leaving by an hour, 2nd was quick breakdown, and 3rd was an hour and half delay due to road construction at a river... everyone on bus was frustrated BUT all I could think of was how wonderful that road construction is happening! The last year up north past Gonaive so much road construction had been happening and even starting to pave some. But even unpaved areas are getting filled in with gravel and rolled. So even with all those delays we made it to Gonaive (the paved roads start) In the same time it used to take. I don't mind delays due to road work in Haiti because it means progression for the better! Just my bus thoughts so far

😁

I was thinking this yesterday as the main road up to the road at the mission has been completely paved and in PdP they are paving the roads in chale by STAND clinic.... I mean I will add I had to laugh that once people started trying to cross over the new muddy dirt laid that trucks were getting stuck and so the backo was used to help push trucks through

😂 and someone on our bus got tired of waiting on the driver to come and got in the drivers seat and drove the bus across.... I thought the driver would be mad but everyone was laughing.

Adventure not done yet. I knew we were about to break down when my feet were getting super hot then my legs then I heard the motor making funny noises over my loud music 😂 thankful every bus travels with at least 1 mechanic and luckily we had 3 today 😁 only an hour fix. Back on the road!

Update what a long day! 3 breakdowns later and air conditioner quit working all after my first post 😂. Didn't make it to guest house till 4 and have 3 outreach families who have joined me and luckendy. Just another day in paradise. Bad headache from lack of water and food. Rehydrating and refueling and hopefully early to bed. I will overnight here in PAP and then fly out tomorrow morning to Miami and then to NYC.

MAY 12th= TRAVEL Haiti to Miami then Miami to NYC

Day 3- of travel to Capetown, South Africa! Can't wait for WFOT Congress and Council Meetings.

I met up with Ashely at airport in PAP. We had overall smooth flights to Miami and then NYC. We are enjoying the evening at a hotel. We had a nice dinner and was good to catch up with my friend Luke Gray. We are enjoying our detour to NYC as our flight takes us back to Miami then to London tomorrow. Our 5 day adventure continues. Didn't take a lot of pictures today but it was a good day.

MAY 13th= TRAVEL NYC to MIAMI then to LONDON

Day 4-of travel to Capetown, South Africa! Can't wait for WFOT Congress and Council Meetings.
Ashley and I are currently boarding the plane to London, England. It is an overnight flight. This will be the longest flight I have ever been on 9 hours. Ashley and I are praying we can sleep and be ready to explore London tomorrow on our 12 hour layover.

Thank you for all the prayers for safe travels!

MAY 14th= EXPLORING LODON then FLIGHT OVERNIGHT TO CAPETOWN

Sadly Ashley and I did not sleep well....on the flight from Miami to London
Due to crazy rain in Miami we were delayed in leaving but thankfully it was an overall smooth flight

We did not let lack of sleep stop us from exploring London today. We took the Hethrow Express to London Tube (public transport) and spent 4-5 hours exploring some of London. Thank goodness ashley has a sense of direction and can read maps as I am
Not gifted in this area at all.
Compiled with my dislike of big city and especially subway systems.

😂lol.
Despite all of that I really enjoyed our time. W e saw the Westminister Chapel, Winston Churchill monument, WW2 monument, then palace, Victoria Gardens, and a few other historic places. We did stop exploring early as we were tired and it was hard work Carrying bookbag and carry on around.

EXCITED TO BE ON THE FINAL LEG OF OUR JOURNEY....Waiting on our flight from London to South Africa now at London Heathrow airport. We don't board till 9:00PM London time. I believe this flight is 11 or 12 hours. Excited we are finally at the last leg. 5 well really 6 days of travel is ALOT! But so thankful for everything going smoothly and for having Ashley as a companion on this trip

✅ moto ride to PdP

✅ 13 hour adventure bus ride to PAP- another story for the books

✅flight to Miami

✅flight to New York City (calling this our side trip since we turned around and went back to Miami this morning

😂)

✅flight to Miami

✅ Ashley and I are currently boarding the plane to London, England. It is an overnight flight. This will be the longest flight I have ever been on 9 hours. Ashley and I are praying we can sleep and be ready to explore London tomorrow on our 12 hour layover.

✅ Flight London to South Africa!

Pictures from London

MAY 15th= ARRIVE CAPETOWN & GET SETTLED

We arrived in Capetown South Africa!!! 😁❤️! What an adventure to get here but so glad we made it! WFOT (world Federation of Occupational Therapy) Congress and Council Meetings!

We got settled in our Hostel which is super nice and has a funny saying on the wall to help us remember to conserve water (this is my everyday life so now worries or changes I really have to make 😂). South Africa is in a severe droubt and so everyone in the country is being limited on water use so they don't run out of all available water.

We went to lunch at a fun authentic African resturant. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fun. Then Ashley Kahila and Lesley Garcia and I walked to find the conference center and on the way back stopped at this fun looking bar resturant and had coffee and tea. Then took a rest. Now we are out for dinner and enjoying love music and planning our adventures for the next 2.5 days. Small chance it might include a 1 day safari 😁. Definitely want to fit in table mountain and waterfront. If we can't do safari looking at a trip to the very southern tip where 2 oceans meet to see penguins. So nice to have a restful day with friends and starry exploring the city.