Working Our Way Around the Globe

Knysna Part II

Our second day in Knysna started in exactly the same way as the first.  We awoke to a perfect view and enjoyed wonderful hospitality from the folks at The Alexander House.  It’s hard to imagine having a bad day there.

We got on the road early and headed to the Knysna Elephant Sanctuary.  If you followed our adventures last year, you know that Rebecca is a sucker for an orphaned elephant and will seek them out whenever she can.  KES works with the people at The Sheldrick Trust and other organizations to provide a home and a life for African Elephants that have met with trouble.  They live as wild elephants do and are free to roam the fields and eat at will.

We bought a couple of buckets of yummy elephant treats, (fruit, vegetables, lettuce), and went out into the field where the giants were grazing.  They knew exactly what the buckets we carried meant and headed straight for us.  Dade was easy prey for them and was holding an empty bucket within moments.  They know the weak one when they see him.  Rebecca, on the other hand, likes to instill a sense of discipline in her elephants.  She likes to assure that each elephant gets a little and that all are treated fairly.  Of course, not all the elephants had gotten the memo.

The baby elephants bum-rushed her and she was forced to give them her stern tone.  It was actually a good insight into what she would be like with children.  At one point she had them lined up in a row with their trunks extended, patiently waiting their turns.  If we spoke elephant, I’m pretty sure we would have heard them call her mean-mommy.

We spent an hour or so playing with the elephants and enjoying their company before heading out.  However, it was a couple of hours well spent and all the money they generate goes to supporting and caring for these beautiful creatures.  If you’re ever in the area, we highly recommend it.

After we left KES, it was about lunch time so we went in search of a place we’d heard about where they made fresh cheese.  After a long drive down some dirt roads, we found ourselves in a little town in some foothills.  There was no restaurant or fresh cheese because they had gone out of business more than a year ago, so we opted for some burgers on the waterfront.

Next up for us was some game safari action but, since we had done so much of it last year, we were looking for something a little different.  Rebecca had found a place close by that did “horseback safaris” and we had booked for the afternoon.  We jumped in the rented Nissan Livina and followed the GPS up into the mountains, on dirt roads, until we came to The Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve.

We arrived at the entrance, pressed the button and the gates swung open.  We made our way a few kilometers to the lodge and found out that they had been trying to reach us to let us know they had canceled the horseback safaris due to weather.  We were about to leave when Rebecca came up with an idea…..we were there and had a car so why not go on our own little private game drive? 

We turned onto one of the paths in the little Nissan and immediately came face to face with three black rhinos, who were snacking on some grass.  We pulled right up to them and snapped a few shots while they just looked at us as if we were crazy.  We spent the next hour just exploring on our own and laughing like kids at the idea that we were on safari by ourselves in a rented Nissan.  It was so much fun.  Now, in case you think we’re nuts, this reserve has no big cats, so it’s not as crazy as it sounds.  Besides, we’re experienced bwanas at this point, or so we think.

We left there and headed back to the house to relax but, on the way, took a wrong turn, which turned out to be another fortuitous mistake.  We wound up finding a sneaky little private beach at the bottom of the heads and we had the place all to ourselves.  It was absolutely magical.  The waves were crashing on the rocks and the weather was perfect as we explored and climbed around the hidden caves.  We’re sure that everyone there knows about this place but it seemed like we had just discovered it. 

We were wondering what to do for dinner and Rebecca mentioned that she had heard of a local market that happened every Friday evening in Knysna. We knew there would be some food there, so we opted to check it out for dinner. We followed the scarecrows that were painted as direction signs and soon found ourselves in a field surrounded by local food vendors, tons of people, bon fires, a bar and tons of wine. Our kind of scene! We decided to take a walk around the entire place to check it all out before deciding on the things we wanted to try. With a couple of cold beers in hand we browsed the array of local cheeses, schnitzel, frankfurters and bratwurst, pad thai, oxtail… and on and on. They even have a booth set up with food from the local cooking school. We both ended up focusing in on a booth with a sign out front that said Natal Curries. An older Indian gentleman from Durban was inside making fresh samoosas. With 5 types on hand to try, (and priced right at 5 for 20 Rand, which is the equivalent of about $2.75), we opted for one of each and grabbed a table. With each bite we realized more and more what a gem we’d just discovered. We were back five minutes later for another batch. Unfortunately he was out of roti, but told us to find him the next day at the Sedgefield market nearby. He’d have some on hand for us.

We wandered off to grab some local very sharp cheddar cheese, and ended up striking up a conversation with a woman in the process. Her name was Helen and she was incredibly warm and inquisitive about how we’d ended up at the market being that we were from the US. She invited us to join her and her husband for some drinks, and that’s how we spent the rest of our evening… talking, sharing stories of traveling, political views and a few drinks with strangers. Good times!  It’s a very common thing in South Africa to meet strangers and spend the evening sharing their company and it’s something that we truly enjoy.

We retired for the evening with full bellies and huge smiles because we finally felt like we were back on vacation.

The next morning we were up early and out the door to the Sedgefield Farmers and Crafts Market, which is about a half hour from Knysna and happens every Saturday morning.  We arrived to find the place bustling with people.  Like the market the night before, there was music filling the air and a vibe that just wreaked of fun.

We wandered through the stalls in the Farmer’s Market and marveled at all the organic, local, fresh foods for sale.  We had some fresh squeezed juice and took it all in.  We were starting to get hungry so we went in search of the good samoosas and some curry.  We found our guys right where they told us they would be and they greeted us like old friends.  We grabbed some samoosas to start and they grabbed Rebecca, pulled her into their little wooden shack/stand and began teaching her to make samoosas.  It was so cool…they were more interested in having fun with us than they were making money and selling food.  She spent about 20 minutes actually making the product while we all talked and laughed together.  After she was done, they gave us the ones she made to eat and enjoy.

After that we walked and shopped for hours.  We wound up buying some beautiful art and Dade picked up an animal skin rug for his man-cave.  We could have spent days there because the vibe was just so cool.  On the way back to the car, we heard our names called out in an excited tone only to see that it was Ingrid, the woman we had met at the Bread and Wine restaurant days earlier.  It was such a funny thing to run into someone you met under those circumstances, hundreds of miles away.  It was a lovely coincidence that we were all happy about.

Since it was our last day and we were enjoying the Alexander so much, we opted to spend the rest of the time relaxing there and watching the whales from our patio.  We enjoyed a quiet romantic night watching the stars and reviewing all that had happened on what had become a very weird trip.  We were just getting back into full vacation mode but were also ready to head home.  In the end, we were thrilled with the decision to continue on to Knysna and even more sure that we would return.

There will be one last post when we get home to tie everything together.  For now, good night!

It’s Nice in Knysna (Part 1)

When we last updated this blog, we were in a holding pattern of recovery and could do little but eat and rest.  The days that followed weren’t worth boring you with because they were just like the ones we had just written about.  Seriously, how many meals could you possibly want to read about? When we weren’t eating, we were staring off into space and trying not to mope.

Things changed when we finally had the follow-up visit with Dade’s Cape Town cardiologist on Tuesday.    He ran some tests and declared that everything was looking as it should look.  While there’s still no way to tell what damage, if any, was sustained by the heart muscle, the ECG and ultrasound both showed that the artery remains open and the stent is doing its job.  He gave us the green light to enjoy a few days of real vacation and then to fly home any time after the 16^th.

We had gone back and forth about whether it was worth trying to save some of the trip or if we should just go home.  However, after getting the good news from Dr Levetan, we decided that we should spend a few days actually feeling like we were on vacation.  We decided to pack up and hit the road Wednesday morning and finally explore The Garden Route.

We set out from Cape Town bound for Knysna for two reasons.  First, it was part of the original plan and also because we had a pre-paid hotel there that we couldn’t get refunded.  It’s a little over three hundred miles but we were up for a good foreign road trip after sitting for so long doing nothing.

We left Cape Town after checking out the Cape Royale and immediately felt better.  We decided to stop at the Moreson Vineyard for another fantastic meal at Bread and Wine, which was the right move.  After that it was all curving mountain roads and coastal scenic passes for the next several hours.

By the time we hit the Garden Route, it was dark and storming like Hell.  The last couple of hours were tense as it was blowing well over 50 miles per hour and the rain was coming down sideways.  We arrived at our destination shortly after 8:00 pm and were ready to just relax.  Fortunately, Rebecca had picked another winner in the accommodations department.

The Alexander House is a B&B/Guest House located in a part of Knysna called The Heads, which are a pair of mountain peninsulas that jut into the ocean.  It was once the holiday home of Wayne Alexander but, after undergoing an extremely extensive renovation, is now a tiny boutique hotel.

Upon our arrival, we were met by the manager, Henko, who immediately made us feel at home.  He greeted us with a warm smile, a fantastic attitude and a cold beer.  That’s what we call hospitality.  Henko escorted us to the Royal Honeymoon Suite and we were blown away.  We’ve stayed in some of the best hotels in the world and none have anything on this.

We opted to stay in and get take-out for dinner so Henko suggested the local Thai restaurant.  We selected a few items and relaxed.  A half hour later, the food was delivered by another staff member, Cedric, complete with real plates and silverware, and was amazing.  We lit the fireplace and settled in for the night as happy as we could be.

It wasn’t until the following morning that we truly realized just how perfect this decision was.  We awoke to a view that would be hard to beat anywhere in the world.  There is 180 degrees of ocean with incredible mountain cliffs framing it on either side.  A closer inspection of our suite revealed that it was decorated with incredible one-off pieces of art and furniture and fabrics that had been hand selected from all over the globe.  It is exquisite.

We dressed and went downstairs to find that our hosts had laid out a breakfast spread just for us that was a bit crazy.  There was everything and it was all so beautiful.  We sat and dined on all sorts of tasty treats while chatting with Henko, Cedric and the home’s owner, Wayne.  The icing on the cake was that we also got to play with Wayne’s dogs, Jasmine and Jessica, which really made our day since we’ve been missing our dogs so badly.

After breakfast we got on the road in search of some adventure.  Our goal was to head over to Tsitsikamma State Park and explore the Storms River area.

First stop was the Storms River mouth.  We drove to the end of the road which heads to the coast and hiked our way, (a little over a kilometer), to the river’s mouth.  The hike is up and down and follows the coastline of the ocean to where the river flows into the sea.  It has the feel of a tropical rain forest although it certainly isn’t one.  When you finally reach the mouth of the river, there are three tiny suspension bridges that allow you to stand over the river outlet.  It was especially nice that Dade could, once again, hike and even better to be doing so in such an incredible place.

The next stop was the Storms River Bridge.  There really isn’t a way to describe the staggering natural beauty that surrounds you at all times over here but walking out onto that bridge was simply awe inspiring.

Our final stop for the afternoon was the bridge over Bloukraans Gorge.  This bridge is the highest single-span suspension bridge in the world and the site of the world’s highest bungee jump.  Dade tried to pretend that he was up for the bungee but all Rebecca could picture was his heart exploding on the way down, so it was a definite no-go.  Who knows…..maybe next year!

We ended the day with a great dinner at a place on the waterfront called 34 Degrees South.  That brings us to an interesting little side note…..

Cape Town is very much a waterfront city but they have an almost non-existent seafood market.  One would think that fresh fish would be a staple and that it would be easy to find on any corner.  It’s not.  Their diet is incredibly red meat intensive and they ignore the products from the sea.  Knysna, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.  There are amazing seafood places everywhere and they specialize in fresh fish and the local oysters, which are huge and unbelievably tasty!

to be continued...

Cape Town Extended

 
By now, we had hoped to be writing stories of the Garden Route and all sorts of adventures.  All of that was placed on hold and our Cape Town stay was extended due to “the incident”, which is how Dade now refers to what happened.

As we told you already, our wonderful Cape Town villa turned out to be next door to the loudest construction known to man, which meant that it really wasn’t ideal for someone needing rest.  Before Dade was released on Wednesday morning, Rebecca had made arrangements to check into a beautiful two-bedroom suite at the Cape Royal Hotel.  We had stayed there last year and knew it was the right move because it afforded us the benefits of an apartment, (full kitchen, laundry), as well as all the amenities of a good hotel, (room service, maid service).  So, after being sprung from the hospital, the first order of business was to move.  We accomplished this with little trouble and by early afternoon were settled in to new digs.

Dade was exhausted from the ordeal and the lack of sleep in the previous couple of days.  You see, the intensive care ward is an impossible place to sleep because they’re always waking you up to take blood, check your status or some other such stuff.  What he wanted, more than anything, was a long, uninterrupted sleep.

Before we could get to the sleep, we needed something to eat because neither of us had had a decent meal in days.  We found MissK, a lovely little sandwich shop a couple of door down from the hotel, where we had a healthy lunch.  Not wanting to push things on the first day, we just went back to our hotel and relaxed.  Dinner was room service and then it was off to bed for a long, 12-hour snooze.

We both awoke feeling much better and made a date to meet our friends, Alan and Tumi, for lunch.  We picked Alan up and decided on a little local place he frequents, called Manna.  Manna is a great neighborhood lunch spot and was perfect for this occasion because they featured all sorts of home-made, healthy eats.

The four of us sat, ate and chatted, mostly about the ordeals of the past couple of days, and it was a perfect way to get back into the real world.  The doctor had warned Dade that he would tire easily but nobody expected it to be as bad as it was.  About half way through lunch, he was exhausted so Rebecca took him back to the hotel and put him on the couch.

Later in the evening, we took a walk to get some supplies, (beer, water, snacks), and discovered a gem on the way back to the hotel.  It turns out that right next door there is a combination Thai restaurant and Spa.  They specialize in completely authentic Thai Massage, which we’ve been craving since we were last in Thailand.  We made appointments for later in the day and took our goodies back to the room.

Dade was pretty banged up and sore from the surgery so he opted for a neck and shoulder rub while Rebecca went the full Monty.  It was Heaven and exactly what we needed.  They bent Rebecca into a pretzel and released a lot of the stress that had built up.  The evening was another installment of room service and rest.

Friday was more of the same.  We found a local place, called Birds Café to have a healthy lunch.  We returned to The Old Biscuit Mill for some shopping and found some really cool things.  After that, we hit Long Street in Cape Town.  We did some walking, some shopping and found a tiny café on a balcony for a quick beer.  By the time we got back to the hotel, Dade was again exhausted and wanted to just rest so Rebecca returned for another session at the Thai massage place and even ordered dinner, which they gladly delivered to our room.

By Saturday we were ready to start feeling like we were back on vacation so we made a plan to drive out to wine country and have a proper lunch.  Rebecca had chosen a place called “Bread & Wine” on the Moreson Vineyards estate.

Before heading out, we stopped at Alan’s for some of his famous coffee and, as usual, spent a wonderful hour or so meeting new people and enjoying pleasant, intelligent conversation, which seem available at Alan and Jason’s house at any time of the day or night.

Anyway, we arrived at Moreson at about 1:00 pm to find that it was a sprawling country vineyard nestled into the countryside between the towns of Franschoek and Stellenbosch.  Bread and Wine is rather famous around here for their chef, who is self taught yet amazing.  We sat on their outdoor patio on a perfect spring day and enjoyed a world-class meal with a couple of glasses of wine.  It was Heavenly to be able to feel normal again and enjoy a meal and each other’s company in the way we normally do.

It was another fantastic meal in another amazing place.  In fact, you can’t survive as a restaurant in that area unless you bring you’re a-game because every place is a gourmet experience.

There were two lovely ladies at an adjacent table and, when Rebecca went to the restroom, we started a conversation.  They had noticed us and thought we were on our honeymoon, so they were shocked to learn that we had been together for ten years and that Dade had just survived “the incident.”  When Rebecca returned, she was surprised to find Dade in mid hug with a perfect stranger.  They had been so moved by the story that she literally got up and came over to hug him tightly.  We came to learn that she had an almost identical episode happen on a trip to Cape Town with her husband and that he wasn’t as fortunate as Dade.

It was one of those chance meetings with people that make it hard not to believe in some higher power.  The immediate kinship and warmth that flowed between us is impossible to explain but it’s fair to say that we all felt it and were absolutely convinced that our paths had crossed for a reason.  We exchanged email addresses and we’re sure we will keep in touch.

The ride home got to be fun when we hit an unexpected, (and completely unmarked), detour, which resulted in us getting completely lost.  After a while, Rebecca managed to find a route down some dirt roads, which somehow got us back on track.  Neither of us had much faith in her navigation at that point but it did work out in the end and was a lot of fun to have a mini adventure.

Back in vacation mode, and sick of room service, we found a Vietnamese place in the “backpacker’s section”, called Saigon and actually ventured out for dinner.  The food was good, but more than anything, it was just nice to be able to make it an entire day without being debilitated by exhaustion.

We know you’re wondering what’s next and what’s going on with the medical situation so here it is.  We don’t know!  At first, we had planned to try to continue on with the trip and, somehow, salvage some of the remaining plans.  It has, however, become abundantly clear that this isn’t going to happen.  Dade can’t leave Cape Town until the doctor clears him to and they won’t even consider doing that until Tuesday.  Our hope is now that he will be cleared to fly home at that time and that we can get on a plane by Wednesday bound for Boston.  It’s not the vacation we planned but it’s just the way it is.  With any luck, there will be plenty of time to do all those things we missed very soon.

 

Whales and Wine

Dade was released from Christiaan Bernard Memorial Hospital yesterday, and we've moved into a local hotel for the next 5 days so that he can take it easy and recover with the help of room service. We'll figure out what the rest of the trip will be day by day. So this was the post that was supposed to go on the blog before all the insanity began. Dade wanted to get things back on track, so here goes...

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................

This will be a very short post because it was a very relaxing day without too much to write about. 

The first thing we did was have a lovely picnic on one of our terraces with all the beautiful foods we had gotten the day before at The Old Biscuit Mill.  It was Heavenly!  We sat in the cool breeze, drank wonderful local wine and snacked on gourmet treats (on bacon.)  What’s better than that?

  

We wanted to revisit the whales we loved so much on our last trip so, after lunch, we took the coastal, scenic route over to Hermanus.  This little town is ground zero for whale watchers because they come in very close to shore and just hang out there.

The weather along the way was insane.  It’s hard to explain what it was like but as we drove along the coast on the side of the mountain, clouds rolled over the mountain tops like liquid nitrogen at a Halloween display.  It was intensely beautiful and wild at the same time

That’s it so we’ll just post some pictures and leave it at that.  Enjoy! 

        

The Whole Story

I'd like to just start this post by letting you all know that Dade wanted this whole experience blogged about. He asked me to post what he's written over the last couple of days, and actually wanted some photos taken. I'm a little conflicted about posting them, but as he was being wheeled into surgery he was telling me to go grab the laptop. If you know our boy, you understand... - Rebecca

.........................................................................................................................................................

It started out like any other day on vacation.  We planned to do some light adventure sporting and then maybe grab some food. 

We headed over to Table Mountain at about 10:00 am and took the cable car to the top.  It’s impossible not to notice how absolutely beautiful Cape Town is from that vantage point and we were filled with excitement and joy as we reached the peak.  Neither of us had done more than a few feet of rappelling, so the prospect of going down the side of Table Mountain was certainly thrilling.

 
We quickly found our way over to the Abseil Africa crew, signed the standard release, got into our gear, got a brief bit of training and made the short walk over to the ropes.  That’s when it all became real.  There we were standing more than 5000 feet above sea-level at the edge of the mountain with nothing between us and the drop.  It’s the highest abseil in the world.  We clipped onto the lines and, after posing for a couple of pictures, went backwards over the edge.  It’s a very strange feeling at first because you’re basically standing against the vertical cliff wall with nothing below you.  We slowly descended, making sure to take in the views and the whole situation.  To call it exhilarating would be to do it a major injustice.

Just before going over the edge, the crew warned us of a “surprise” waiting for us at the half-way point.  Well…..SURPRISE…..the wall juts in about 50 feet and you’re simply left hanging there without even the comfort of the rock against your feet.  The wind catches you and you begin to sort of spin around, which is great for the views but not for the nerves. 

 
Now….Table Mountain is very big and there really is no way that an amateur could abseil down the entire thing so this rappel goes about 300 feet down to a small ledge basically hanging from the face.  We reached the ledge filled with adrenaline and feeling very proud of ourselves.  All that was left was the hike back up to the top, which is via a small, rocky switchback path along the cliff face.  This is where things went very Pete Tong.

Dade thought we should tell the stories in our 2 different perspectives, so here goes nothing:

DADE’S PERSPECTIVE:

We started back up the trail, which is a bit arduous and steep but certainly nothing extreme.  We were still celebrating our successful descent on the ropes and were all smiles.

About half-way back to the top I began to feel very short of breath and really didn’t think too much of it having gained a few pounds and not eaten breakfast.  At that point I was sure all I needed was a few minutes rest.  We sat on some rocks and gazed out over the incredible vista and things weren’t getting better.  I figured that I needed some water and I would be fine but we hadn’t brought any.  We weren’t going to solve anything by sitting there so I got up and continued.

We made it about ¾ of the way to the top before I realized that something was very wrong and that I had to sit down before stumbling off the side of the mountain.  Rebecca found some shade and we sat down in the hopes that II could recover.

By this time, Rebecca realized that things were not well and went off in search of some help.  She returned a few minutes later with three hikers, who were kind enough to share their water and some fruit snacks with me.  Rebecca asked them to please get help from the abseil company and they ran off to do so.

Unfortunately, we had asked help from tourists.  When they were asked where we were, they told the guys at Abseil Africa that we were still near the bottom of the ropes.  The truth was that we were nowhere near there, having almost re-summited the mountain.

After a while, (I have very little real memory of exactly how long it was), I said to Rebecca that I was having a heart attack and that we had to try and get to the top because I was sure they wouldn’t find us.  Laying there in cardiac distress just seemed to be useless.  She helped me up and we carefully continued at a very slow pace.

Once we reached the top, the Abseil Africa guys were everywhere.  They immediately sprang into action and within moments had mobilized the park service people on the mountain and an EMT crew with an ambulance.

Here’s the thing….there is no road to the top of Table Mountain.  There are two ways to get to the top.  You either hike or you take the cable car.  The next bit of time seemed like an eternity to me as I sat in a wheelchair still trying desperately to find oxygen.

The EMT crew finally arrived and ran some tests, which led them to believe that I was not, in fact, in cardiac distress.  Apparently, their ECG showed a normal “sinus rhythm.” They loaded got me into the cable car, down the mountain and transported me to the hospital where the emergency room staff went to work.

They knew what was happening and the doctor looked me in the eye and said, “You’re having a heart attack and there is no time to lose.  We have to get you upstairs right now to the cardiac floor.”  Those are terrifying words and they hit me pretty hard.

They wheeled the gurney up to the 10^th floor, where an ultrasound confirmed their fears.  Within moments, we were heading to the “Cath Lab” for an emergency angioplasty.  By this time I was really scared and wanted to wake up and find it was all a bad dream but it wasn’t.

The procedure was done under local anesthetic because they were concerned that a general would cause more trauma to my already distressed heart.  So, I was wide awake as they inserted a tube into my groin and snaked it up to my heart.  I watched on the color monitor as they sucked the blockage out of an artery in by beating organ and inserted a “stent” so that the artery would remain open.

Before too long, I was in the ICU and Rebecca was holding my hand and we could both finally breathe a sigh of relief.

REBECCA’S PERSPECTIVE:

I was truly loving life after the abseil and kept saying to Dade that we should come back and do it again so that we could bring down a small camera to take some good photos and video. I was enjoying the hike back up. It was challenging in parts, but when I took a step back and saw where we were… well, it was certainly worth some sore legs the next day. About ½ way up to the top Dade started lagging behind a bit and said he needed to stop. I figured, O.K... no problem. It’s hot and we’ll take a quick break. A few minutes later we continued up and shortly thereafter he started having some trouble catching his breath. We sat in a shady spot to see if it would pass, but it didn’t seem to be getting better. I figured, put your head down between your knees, or one of those types of quick fixes was what was going to work. Nothing… He said he really needed water, and this is when I started to freak out a little bit since I didn’t know where we were in relation to the top of the trail, and was scared to leave him.

Without many options I took off trying to get up to the top as quickly as I could. Since I was covered from head to toe in sunhats, scarves and 12 layers of clothing to avoid the sun, I can only image how I looked trying to jump over rocks at high speed. Luckily I ran into a group of 3 hikers who were from the US...  actually, from my hometown of Rochester, NY. I asked them for water and explained that Dade has collapsed nearby. They volunteered their bottles and followed me back down to where he was lying on the ground.

We sat for a few minutes giving him water and snacks thinking he probably overheated and hadn’t eaten anything. I asked them to go back up to the top and tell the people from the abseiling company we were going to need some medical help. They happily agreed and ran off. Another few minutes passed and Dade told me that his arm and fingers were tingling. My heart sank as I think I knew what was coming. Panic set in and then he blurted it out… “ I think I’m having a heart attack.”

O.K…in normal situations you call 911. You head to the local hospital. You have some options! Not so much here. The only option was to get to the top of the mountain. Dade got back up and we took it step by step. One rock at a time. Deep breath. He set the pace and I followed right behind him. As soon as we hit the top the medics were racing up behind us. They hadn’t known where we were on the path and had abseiled down and then run the entire length of the trail to find us at the end of it. They immediately went into action getting Dade settled down. They gave him water, got him reasonably comfortable and got the city paramedics on the way.

Now, when you’re at the top of a mountain and the hospital is in the city below, things get tricky pretty fast. There’s one cable car running up the side of Table Mountain and we were watching it, hoping that the next time it pulled in the medical team would be on board. The crew from Abseil Africa was with us every step keeping Dade calm, alert and warm. After about a half an hour the cable car arrived with the next batch of help. Within moments they were hooking him up for EKG’s, getting a line put in and putting him on oxygen. They really didn’t seem to think it was a heart related situation and instead were putting him on fluids to try to get past the feeling… but it wasn’t getting better. His hands started getting really cold, he was convulsing and his breathing kept slowing down.

We got a private ride in the cable car back down, and then rushed by ambulance to Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital. He was taken immediately into emergency where nurses started taking more tests. I headed to the reception area to deal with the details. Registering at a hospital in a foreign country is a complicated and overwhelming process. I wasn’t sure where we were or what the hell was happening but the staff walked me through everything. While this was happening I saw the nurses wheeling Dade out of the emergency wing. I asked what was happening and was told he was being checked into the cardiac wing. By the time I made it up there, a doctor was examining him and I was asked to wait right outside. A few moments later the doctor sat me down and told me that he was having a heart attack and that things were going to happen fast. There would be an ultrasound to figure out where the blockage was, and then angioplasty. Before I could really take anything in, we were saying “I love you,” and giving each other a kiss goodbye. The nurses told me to try to keep busy for awhile. Keep busy? I guess that’s good advice, but how? Calling our families at 2am US time to freak everyone out?

I opted to run back to the villa where we’re staying and pack up some clothes and things he would need. By the time I got back to the hospital, the owner of Abseil Africa was there waiting to talk to me and sit with me while Dade was in surgery. It was a comfort to have some company. Shortly after that the doctor came by and told us that things had gone well, there were no complications and that Dade was recovering in the ICU.

I’m sitting here now, 20 hours later still piecing the whole experience back together. Of course the vacation has changed, but I’m so thankful that if this was going to happen, it happened in a place where we could get help fast. Every person who went out of their way to help us yesterday, from the people working the cable car who simply came over and gave me a hug, to the employees of the abseil company who ran what seemed the length of the mountain to try to get to us… I can’t express enough my gratitude. Now we’re just making plans to get Dade fully recovered and in a position to fly back home. There’s some true R&R in his future this week.

 
THE AFTERMATH:

It’s now the second day in the ICU and Dade is feeling really well.  They will release him tomorrow and we’ll figure out the rest of the trip from there.  The doctors have said that it will be at least a week or more before he’s cleared to fly anywhere, so we’ll definitely remain in Africa at least that long.

There is really no way to describe how wonderful the people at Abseil Africa were in this situation.  Upon hearing that there was a problem, they immediately shut their entire operation down and put their whole crew into action.  One AA member in particular, Ronnie, went so far above and beyond what was necessary that it’s not a stretch to say that he quite possibly saved a life on the mountain that day.  Without his calm and competence, Dade would never have been able to remain calm.  We will always remember him and everyone else at Abseil Africa as consummate professionals and wonderful people.  By the way, they’ve also visited at the hospital a couple of times, which is just so nice that there’s no way to thank them enough.

There is also no way to say enough about Rebecca and how she handled this situation.  It’s a scary enough thing for your husband to have a heart attack at home under familiar circumstances but it’s an entirely different thing to have this happen on a sheer cliff face more than 5000 feet up with a steep climb to the top…..in Africa.  She deserves a lot of credit for the way this has turned out.

For those of you who blame that yummy Bacon Buttie sandwich for this, not so fast.  We found out this morning that Dade’s cholesterol was basically normal and was not the reason for this heart attack.  The cardiologist, who was sure it was the culprit, announced this morning that Dade was “just really unlucky.”  And that’s the whole story!