Friday 13th

Friday 13th February
Time: 15.30 (7 hours ahead of Ontario)
Speed: 20 knots
Lat: 19 degrees 19.5 S
Long; 010 degrees 49.7 E
Course: 134 degrees

Well there's always a little bit of drama with the Thomases! Yesterday I had an attack of asthma, fever and a productive cough. Went to the Doc last night and she suspected possible pneumonia! So she put me on antibiotics and wow I'm almost cured today. I'm not 100 % but getting there thank goodness, didn't want to be ill in Namibia.

It was a fairly rough-sea night but I had taken Gravol so slept pretty well for 12 hours straight. In fact what with Flovent, Ventolin, antibiotic, gravol, blood pressure medications and cough drops I am medicated up to the eye balls!

George gave a very interesting talk in our Global Studies lecture this morning about the languages of Africa and the possible original language of all being the 'click' African language of the Khoi San....of which there is very little left; obliterated by the later migrations of more dominant tribes. Fascinating.

There have been alot of discussions about Zimbabwe on board. Lavinia, (the woman who also went to St Cyprians in Cape Town) has worked for Archbishop Desmond Tutu for 22 years and therefore has been very involved in the politics of South Africa. She and her husband Terry who also worked on behalf of the Anglican church protesting Apartheid practices are both so knowledgeable and interesting about the whole state of Southern Africa, including the HIV/AIDS situation. Terry shared the floor with George this morning and told us about the time line since Mandela was freed and the abysmal manipulations of Thabo Mbeki and his refusal for so long to accept the connection between HIV and AIDS so that no one was receiving drugs to combat the epidemic. Desmond Tutu of course was one of the first South African 'leaders' to speak up against Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Terry says that the the non-action of South Africa has been disgusting. By the way I have passed the Cathy Buckle letters on to the interested parties on board and they really appreciate getting first hand information out of Zim..

I shoud take a break and stop preaching politics!