WALKING DOGS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Kip walks a rescued yellow lab at the SPCA in George, South Africa. 

The following story appeared in the George Herald, the local paper of the town where we stopped to volunteer on a drive along South Africa's famous Garden Route:

YANKS VISIT GEORGE SPCA

The Garden Route SPCA received some surprise visitors last week from the United States.

Liz Zipse and Kip Patrick, a married couple from Washington, DC, are volunteering their way around the world and stopped by the SPCA during one of its twice-weekly "animal socialization" sessions.

While at the facility, the couple joined a group of animal-loving George volunteers who walk dogs, cuddle cats and play with puppies, all of which are up for adoption.

"Our time at the SPCA in George was some of the most fun we've had in 10 months of volunteering all over Africa and Asia," said Liz Zipse, who, with her husband, is volunteering at least one day every week of their trip.

"The animals love the attention they get from our volunteers, and the volunteers really enjoy their time with our dogs and cats, which stay with us until we can find them a permanent, loving home," said Senior Inspector Salomé Botha. 

"We were happy Liz and Kip picked the Garden Route SPCA as part of their weekly volunteer activities... and were delighted that they took out memberships as well... our first American members!"



The SPCA welcomes volunteers to walk dogs and socialise puppies and cats. (Volunteers must be 16 or over.) The sessions take place 2.00pm to 4.00pm every Wednesday and 9.00am to 11.00am on Saturdays. 

For information on how you can become a volunteer, call Heather at 072 877 2911. For more information on the travels and volunteer activities Liz and Kip, visit their website at www.1of7.org.

KUCHING, THE CAT CITY

A group of skaters poses with us in front of yet another cat statue in Kuching, the "Cat City."

Although we have been to many places in Borneo, we have yet to find one with so many statues, stores, monuments, and T-shirts dedicated to one particular animal. In the city of Kuching, which derives its name from the Malay word for "cat," you can't walk more than a few feet without running into a massive statue or a store selling hundreds of types of trinkets dedicated to felines. They even have a cat museum. 

So we thought that any place as wacky as this deserves a Top 10 list of why you have to love it.

1. Crazy cat statues, everywhere.  Really, everywhere.

2. Marco Polo Guesthouse. Mr. Tan and his wife treated us like family, and we enjoyed every minute of staying with them. And, they told Liz that she speaks English very well.  She was pleased. The place would've only been better if there had been a feline reference in the name. 

3. Beautiful markets in Little India. And the fact that beans are also sold as "Gold Bouillon."

4. Borneo Delight. This restaurant is amazing, and not just because of its coffee and food. More importantly, they let us utilize their restroom on back-to-back days when our lunches (eaten elsewhere) decided to make very quick and unexpected exits. Without going into more detail, we are forever indebted.

5. Close proximity to Bako National Park, Semmengoh Wildlife Reserve, and a few additional places we wish we had time to visit, including the home of the world's largest flower, the Rafflesia, which smells like rotting meat. 

6.  Because this is the only place Kip can dork out rock out on a handmade Hornbill guitar.

7. Top Spot Food Court. It's a seafood market on top of a parking lot in downtown Kuching that offers up some of the freshest and strangest fish around. However, on our last visit, Kip found a roach crawling on his lap. Liz laughed, until one crawled up her neck. Still, we'd eat there again.  

8. Good Corner Cafe. Not only does this place feature an incredible chicken rice dish for $1.25, but they also have the cheapest beer in Malaysia. "Happy Hour 24 hours," as the owner says. 

9. Because only the Cat City could make this picture possible. 

10. The amazingly beautiful sunsets on the riverfront.  We are obviously big sunset fans, and Kuching does not disappoint.