Messages from Livingstone, Zambia, I presume...
Messages from Livingstone ,Zambia, I presume... INTRODUCTION
I was fortunate enough to spend 15 weeks between 20th Feb and 3rd June 2004, working as the resident lounge pianist for the
Royal Livingstone Hotel, near Livingstone, Zambia. During this time I felt a strong need to express my experience to my friends by regular emails, which I have collated in chronological order.
1: 23 February
Hi everyone,
Here I am, on my first trip into Livingstone today, and I found an internet place to send this message.
I should be here in Zambia for 3 - 6 months, so please send emails to me at svengolden@yahoo.com . However I've arranged anyway for my emails to my old address to be forwarded.
Its very exciting for me being here, and touch wood all will go well and I'll be having a happy and fruitful stay here.
I arrived on Friday pretty tired as I hadn't slept too much the night before, and only found out Thursday at 6.30 pm I was
to be at the airport early the next morning.
But it all went pretty smoothly, and I was very lucky to have my mom helping me pack etc. (I'm terrible at things like that !).
I had to play the night I arrived, and managed in my tired state... I landed up entertaining a party of boisterous drunk Russsians which was fun.
I'm playing 6 days a week in the lounge at the Royal Livingstone, a very posh hotel built recently but in the old grand colonial style
....we're talking guys up front in pith helmets, and big grand paintings of David Livingstone, etc.
The place is on the banks of the Zambezi river which is gorgeous.
The Zambian bar staff where I work are very friendly and helpful.... in fact I've found the Zambian people very friendly.
I stay in a room in the Zambezi Sun which is owned by the same company, and take a minibus back and forth - although its only a 7 minute walk.
(Dont want to get my smart clothes all sweaty !).
The area in and around the hotels is wild, there are lots of vervet monkeys and baboons, so windows must be shut as they can cause havoc.
Malaria is a big issue here, and a big point of discussion.....I am taking homeopathic pills and spraying before I work in the evening.....
I've already gone for a few runs next to the Vic Falls (The hotel I'm in is right on the Falls...)...its extraordinary....
I can run in the heat of the day even if I want because I am being rained on and drenched by the spray of the falls.....it is truly an
unbelievable site....paradisical really!
Anyway after 3 days,I feel more settled of course, and have found my co-workers etc very friendly and helpful, in particular a Cape Town guitarist Rashad, who plays in the Royal L. restaurant.
Anyway must go now, but more later Warm regards, Sven
2: 27th February
Zambia, episode 2
Hi,
Been here a week now, and feeling more settled.....the suns out a bit today which is nice as its been cloudy and rainy pretty much the whole time...
and it is hot once the sun is out....otherwise muggy with those clouds!
I've signed a contract till end of May...so feeling more secure...and getting to feel my way around a routine....I play 3 - 5pm and 8 - 11.30pm or 7 - 10.30
depending on weather conditions...
Otherwise I need to be clever with my time....I still enjoy watching sport and a good movie to relax.. but am reading a nice old WW2 book, The Cruel Sea.....
I love my running by the falls, but also have a nice swim
sometimes in the pool.... In a just a week my playing has improved markedly
...I think that'll be a great benefit of the job..by the end of May I should be in really good nick.
I meet lots of wealthy tourists, mostly American....in fact of course I get the best response from older Americans which I suppose makes
sense as I'm playing largely their old standards....
When there's no - one in the lounge I chat to the bar staff who are very nice.
Thanks to all who have sent messages...please continue.....it makes me feel really good having that contact here.....
Sven
3: 1st March
Hello again
Its Monday, my day off, so I can be a bit more leisurely, I was thinking of walking over to Zimbabwe but I'll do that some other time
.....(One can walk to the bridge from the hotel in 7 minutes)......Everyone says there's no point in buying stuff in Zim
because the Zambian customs will charge duty on it.... So I'm going to get to know Livingstone a bit better today......starting to feel quite settled here now....and the suns been coming out a bit more which
lifts my spirits....though I'm really rather happy generally....more than in town I think generally..... not
having that big city noise etc makes a big difference to quality of life I think.
A couple of the guys from the bar where I work took me to a club on Saturday night...quite an experience.....one just has to watch out
for the prostitutes who are targetting foreigners like me....
Last night I had a few drinks with some of my co workers..there is a nice little pub , and its the only place where the drinks are affordable.....
Anything in the hotel(s) proper is v. expensive.
Yesterday when I was lying on my balcony in the sun, a monkey came right up to me, but I managed to close my balcony door
......there are many stories here of monkeys and baboons getting into guests rooms and making a mess.....they go for the little sugar sachets
.....they are very cute otherwise and there are many of them in the hotel grounds, also a few crocodiles in the pond behind my room,
but havent seen them yet ! (There are signs marked: Beware of the crocodiles !).
Two days ago when I was playing where I work (the lounge of Royal Livingstone) I looked up to see a monkey sitting on the chair across from me !
They are pretty easy to chase out, but apparently they are more likely to confront women !
I told the barman that perhaps the monkey wanted a cup of tea ?
Anyway, warm greetings to you all ! Sven
4: 10th March
Zambia, Numero Quatro
Hi..............
Getting more used to things here now.......the weathers suddenly become hot and sunny the last 3 days, a nice change after the constant overcast and
rainy weather.......so I've been down by the pool a bit, though gotta use lot of suncream....with my fair skin....sun v. strong here of course !
I'm enjoying my playing/work more now......now I'm more used to the scene.... also very much enjoy meeting some interesting people.....
The other night I chatted to an amiable man who bought me a drink.... turned out he was the minister of finance in Lesotho.....there was a
big conference last week on aids with many african ministers.....also the Zambian president was with us recently and now Sam Nujomas on the
scene......easy to tell with all the cop cars etc around....
Had a nice bunch of Brazilians in a few nights ago......they work for Chevrolet there, also some Germans of BMW
......getting nice and pissed and enjoying my music and buying me drinks which is always nice as I cant afford the drinks where I play
.......25 rand a beer - dont ask what the spirits
cost!.....luckily there is a pub by the Zambezi Sun where I can get a beer for 10 rand
if I want after work.....not that I'm drinking much here at all....in fact I'm very disciplined and eating pretty disciplined and healthy
....I'm SO aware how easy it would be here to put on weight ! Always lots good food, desserts etc available.....
The one thing I haven't managed to do yet is get back into the good arranging work I was doing on my own pieces in Cape Town before I
came here......honestly the 5 and a half hours a day of playing takes a lot out of me....its hard to
ng act
ivity imy liHe..3: 1st arc..thI only eel that afterwards. Anyway I will start that work again soon....maybe today...its my day off. (was meant to be monday but due to special request to play then,
its today - Wednesday).
Anyway those Brazilians love music, one of them had a great voice and sang some Jobim songs with me (Girl from Ipanema etc).
I dont mind a night like that even though I finished at 2 am......because most of the time the lounge is quiet...and most of the guests are older rather
sedentary Brits (probably Tories...) and Americans (more outgoing and friendlier generally than the Brits).
Also had 200 Norwegians from a clothing company CUBUS, last week... nice they were but of course not as outgoing as those Brazilians !
(and didnt buy me any drinks !).
I walked over to Zimbabwe yesterday, over the bridge to the town of Vic Falls.....nice town....and more developed/ modern than Zambian side
but the whole vibe is weird....prices very high.....all the signs of an unwell country I'm afraid......but no-one seems to mention that asshole
president of theirs.......not that our (SA) president worries too much about him !
On the bridge you can Bungee jump....dont know if I want that ! Theres lots of activities you can book through the hotel....they are
expensive but we get 50 percent off generally. Before I leave I can think I must do one or two...theres an old Tiger Moth plane one can fly in....
I've got my heart set on that for one..but even with discount it'll cost me 70 dollars - so I dont know....
One can also go to Chobe in Botswana which sounds nice......for the same price. Probably a better idea....you can also take cruises on
the river - apparently lots of hippos and crocodiles.
Monkeys continue to come into my lounge when I'm playing in the day... perhaps they like live music....
Please keep those messages coming...they mean much more here in this context than they would if I was home....
Be warm, warm regards, Sven
5: 15th March
Hi,
Firstly, thanks for the messages ! Keep them coming.... though I understand one doesnt always have something to say !
I seem to need to or want to write these messages, so here I continue !
Hasnt rained for a week, though overcast and likely today.....I'm in town (LIvingstone) but got my raincoat......it can Really rain here.
Of course it makes the Falls spectacular.....
Got a lift into town...with..Rashad who has been playing guitar in the restaurant the last 4 months....he was on his way to the airport to go home...
of course I wonder who will replace him.....you can imagine what its like when you are 30 odd "ex-pats" who eat meals together etc.....though there
are only 2 musicians....the rest are hotel industry people...restaurant managers, accounts people etc. They are (we are) a motly crew
....put it this way...I cant say I've really connected with anyone but everyone gets on.....its the only way in a situation like this
....apart from the food, conditions etc... reminds me slightly of boarding school...that constant togetherness.
Todays my day off (Monday) which is a nice feeling....to do just as I wish.... I'm enjoying playing more now that I'm in more a comfort zone with it....
though nights like last night are tough because there were
at any given time only 2 to 3 people..thats the hardest for me...playing to so few people....
as all performers will agree, one feeds off the energy of the audience.....
Its very random.....sometimes I get wonderful warm people who give me the greatest thanks and encouragement.....then some people not at all...
the point is I am performing a function...and I am thankful to have this chance.
Anyway the times when there are people, and some are attentive makes up for it.
The 3 - 5pm afternoon is actually the hardest for me, often theres no-one around and I just read a book...but its hot, and theres a lot of staff
coming back and forth and making a racket which can be a bit much sometimes.
Yesterday as I was sitting on the terrace a monkey came by me, and then swiped someone's cake.....you have to watch out...they're incredibly quick.
(Have to mention the monkeys at least once every message...)
Anyway I'm planning on teaching one of the monkeys to play the piano, to fill in for me when I'm not in the mood.......
Went for a run two days ago to new territiory....away from the falls...inland... up a dirt road, and onto a rise where I got a lovely
elevated view of the whole shabang for the first time...quite marvellous.
Warmest regards,
Be warm Sven
6: 26th March
Mad monkeys and me
Hello.......here follows my latest installment.....
again thanks for the messages.......its so great......
Well....almost 5 weeks here now....exactly a third of the way if i leave end of may.....however I think I'm hoping they'll ask me to stay another
3 months.....that would make it so much more worthwhile.
However if not I also feel very positive.....and that might allow me to go to europe for their summer...then again I can only go if
its viable (money wise).....before I left Cape Town I had finished 16 arrangements of my own work for 2 violins, cello, flute/sopr sax/ten sax
between 2 people, plus the rthytm section - keys/pno, bass, drums .
Will finish the rest here.
very exciting and I cant wait to realise it....but need to raise sponsorship.... the idea is to come away with a fabulous cd to take overseas..we'll see.
I'm feeling more settled of course....and enjoying playing more which is great.... it is frustrating nevertheless that 3 notes on the piano dont work and that
portions of it are out of tune.....
My happiest times are meeting some wonderful warm people who are guests at the hotel...some people are most appreciative and encouraging !
And of course naturally you get the odd person not so nice.....
Like last night wasnt the greatest....we have 200 from santam....I dont think my music made much difference to them though i did get some nice looks....
But sometimes there are real classy educated individuals who appreciate art.......that is what I'm living for in this largely (I'm afraid) TV/junk/pop
culture which dominates today.
The other "half" you could say of the experience is the hotel employees I share meals with at the Zambezi Sun.....though evryone is friendly enough I cant
say i relate too much to most of them.....I would go as far as to say I dont think the hotel industry attracts a very bright sort of person but I know that
sounds patronising....I'm really not that way ! I dont require people to be bright just warm rather........however it would be nice to have an intelligent
conversation now and then.....that when it happens is where i work with some of those guests.
I met the wife of the complex md: marieke...nice lady...she wants piano lessons ....and also liked very much the manager of the coffee shop (Fegos)
on the complex..
He told me things with the staff were a bit cliquey.....(see paragraph above...) you know me.....too real for my own good....a big turnoff for cliquey people.....
Turns out that manager's aunt is married to eddie
ecksteen, that joburg comic.....and he is quite close to eddie....so it was quite an honour for
me to meet him.......
I hear thunder as I type this....my good raincoat got stolen...forget it next to my piano one night.....however I've borrowed a hotel umbrella
......hope it doesnt rain too hard now as it looked so sunny i didnt bring umbrella now and must walk after this to catch staff bus back to hotel
.....the weather changes so fast here ! Everyone says by april rainy season will finish and then bone dry through winter. Also no malaria in winter
which is nice so wont have to spray every night etc.......
Wow..this is turning into a longish message,,,hope you're still with me.... and not fallen asleep.....
I actually came on monday to my email but there was a power cut all day..... everything in town was off....the hotel has a generator which swings into action.......everything works except the air-con and water from the taps.... strange that.....yesterday was the same thing - power cut most of day.....
....anyway touch wood today is good.....
Just finishing the book The Cruel Sea....by Nicholas Montserrat..I would strongly recommend it.....makes you appreciate the sacrifices ordinary
people who became sailors made to keep the world non- nazi.....
Two days running now I sat on my balcony to read - no air con....(see above)... and in a flash get two monkeys trying to enter my room....luckily I've
prevented this lately just in time. Then they look through
the glass into the room with hands on the glass....looking for food no doubt....I wonder if the
previous occupant fed them ?
Warm regards to all, Sven
7: 31st March
Some more words from Livingstone
Greetings.....
Thanks for those messages....!
Almost 6 weeks here...cant believe it !......
Well Saturday night was fun.......Richard (assistant food and bev at royal) leaves for sun city today (lots of the staff seem to transfer to
sun city and vice versa...same company)......he had a party and one of the chefs, johan (from mossel bay) deejayed...
it was a highly unusaul event.......we were also joined by some french tourists who were in a good mood as they (the french) had
just beaten england in rugby.... anyway it was good to let ones hair down for a change.....
otherwise I need to get off the property more now....so after I get paid(nowish).. I'll go on the boat on the river to see hippos and crocs
....also marieke (wife of manager) is planning on us all going on a joint trip to chobe in botswana...cant wait for that.... its frustrating being
near all these attractions and not being able to do it..... not that i'm really complaining...life is good....i'm working a bit on my film script now on the odd morning.....havent managed to work on my arrangements yet......i still find that my long playing hours take quite a bit out of me sometimes........ things change day to day....for example i didnt play so great last night...my heart wasnt really in it......this is what i'm finding when one
plays 6 days a week.....there is the odd day you just get through but most of the time i love what i'm doing...
playing music for a living is really a privelege when it happens......but i have to keep learning new tunes to keep myself interested.
i've discovered if course that i have to be interested to remain motivated
... what a pleasure today...yahoo is nice and quick....believe me there have been other times it has been painfully slow to the point of me being unable to send a message.
the weather though still warm is getting gradually cooler....and the rainy season is gradually petering out it seems....the locals tell me its the
best rain in twenty years here......
had a nice chat last night with one of the barmen about zambian politics.... kaunda, chiluba etc.....i didnt know much and it was nice to be educated.
interestingly my brothers wifes aunt is married to simon zukas who was i believe a minister of finance in the nineties here, and now in the opposition,
residing in lusaka....i've met them a few times in cape town.....
theres a new girl working in the zambezi sun restaurant who is from lusaka and says her mother organized the zukas wedding anniversary party
rcently....
all my warmest regards sven
8: 5th April
Crocs in my pond
Hi.........back in sweaty livingstone for the email thing.......my day off today so I feel all cheery.......though i do enjoy my work days too (mostly)...
been a pretty quiet week in the hotel this last week....just a big bunch of Spanish mostly i think......all arriving in their tour-group khaki african tops..
I think my playing early last week was a bit off but it seemed to improve with the week......I find it hard to motivate myself to play well
for 2 or 3 people...when the lounge starts filling up I've noticed my playing lifting....and the motivation is much bigger....
the weather is getting cooler....days still warm but nights are cooler...... also I think rainy season might be over..hasnt rained for almost a week...
though often cloudy.....
I much prefer the evenings for playing.....I really dont enjoy playing for tea in the afternoon....hardly anyone's
around.....and theres a great
number of staff walking back and forth all the time. They make a lot of noise and I find it hard to concentrate.... not their fault
.......they're just right behind me....
The monkey side of things is a bit sad this week....my good buddy Evis (barman....nice bright young kid) told me he was working in the day a few
days ago on the sundeck (on bank of river)...and two monkeys were playing on the ledge and fell into the river........apparently within a minute
they were under ....the current is extremely swift and strong....they must have been over the falls in a minute....they hate water
....apparently the same thing happened to a different monkey a few days before that....
Sometimes I feel a bit sorry for them...there are guys whose job it is to keep them at bay but sometimes they're a bit rough on them....the locals
here think nothing of throwing stones at them.......the "keepers" have little slingshot things they use....oh well as long they are not hurt....
apparently as we are in a national park...there are big penalties for hunting or hurting animals......
I finally saw a crocodile in the pond next to the building I live in....was reading my book there yesterday while my room was being cleaned.....heard a splash...
and lo and behold saw a small one...a baby i think with its snout out of the water. ...so the sign by the pond "Beware of crocodiles" is not just for show !
hopefully later today will go on boat to see crocs and hippos, etc....will
keep y'all posted.... cheers, sven
9: 12th April
Fluey but not dispirited
Hi,.....
If anyone sent a message from Thursday 8th to me, please resend it..... as I wouldnt have received it, as someone sent me two large messages
...........please dont do that because what happened is with yahoo I have a 4 mg limit.....and once the limit is passed (which happened Thursday)
.....my receiving and sending emails is disabled. Of course once the messages are deleted its all fine again.
I didnt know it could happen......so no hard feelings....so anything over 300 kb might be problematic.....(messages to my old email are
forwarded to me.....so large messages there would create same problem).
Oh well, afraid to say as I type this am feeling rather off.....seem to have picked up a cold/flu 2 days ago......thankfully day off today so
hopefully will be okay to play tomorrow again....not too sure that the air con in my room is too good for flu... turned it off lately......not that hot here anymore........
Easter weekend has been pretty chaotic at Zambezi sun. Royal quite full to...... ...but life should go back to normal tomorrow......
So last monday I did go on the african queen boat - a lovely relaxing 2 hour trip up and down the river.......you might call it a booze cruise as
unlimited booze is inclusive of the deal.....unfortunately didnt see animals......but I'm planning on doing a canoe trip or river safari some time
........plus the microlight flight and trip to chobe....but got plenty of time to spread it out......its all expensive even with my discount so have to be prudent....
On the african queen boat met a "boy band" from joburg "denim"...apparently quite successful...they were nice and even sang some a capella for me and
some slightly puzzled but appreciative older french tourists......very good they were too.....not that I'm generally gung ho for commercial pop idol type stuff. lots of french lately.......and happily the last few days some older american couples... they are almost always my biggest fans.......after all what I mostly play
is their old pop music.....and I suppose stirs in them memories of ancient courting and passion etc....
I entered the lounge the other day to hear the piano being played rather well .....not by a monkey but by a very charming older man
...a professor at harvard law school....an ex pilot too which turned me on alright.......
I'd never actually heard the piano played before by another sentient being... it sounded completely different from where I was seated to what I might
have thought !
for all our bitching about the americans awful foreign policies etc.....i have to say they are doubtless the
friendliest people out there.( especially the older ones....)......
so I dont forsee this being a meteorically exciting off-day for me today with me being sick.....guess I'd better forgo having some drinks later.....
or maybe i should.....I'll keep you posted.
Managed to do some good work on my film script last week (writing longhand in exercise book - old style) .....days begin nicely lately there's often a full rainbow over falls when i wake up in morning......
occasionally i catch an inspired film on tv......anyone scene "nowhere in africa"... very beautiful really..saw it last night...germans in kenya during war
.......what "out of africa" should have been more like....
warmest regards to you all and your pets too if you have them.....
sven
10: 19th April
kindred spirits
Hello.....
another week gone...........thankfully my cold/flu cleared up in a day or two......
......life carries on here......I think I'm at a point where I'm struggling sometimes to psychologically free myself....not being used to such a constant routine....
the hotel(s) have been quiet this last week.....on the one hand its nice as I dont have to play so much.....on the other hand I miss the contact of people....
(when I play all my hours I'm very tired the last hour usually......ask any musician...5 and a half hours is a helluva lot for one day.....especially solo playing.....) But I know that in the bigger picture this is invaluable.....for my playing skills, for my self- discipline.......I feel like when its over I'll be in a better place as a
person than when it started........and I really need to take that energy and use it afterwards....
I would love to find more artistic people, and live in a situation where I'm around more kindred spirits as it were......
The problem is when i studied in california I was around these people for 4 years.... I was spoilt......I'm really looking towards being somewhere where
being an artist is not such a marginal thing.....Paris or Amsterdam, Prague maybe....I dont know.... I've had enough of not being taken seriously......
In all honesty I have been unable to find those kindred spirits in Cape Town........ great place that it is......
So anyway.......almost 39 years old.....one starts needing to make something of ones life.......I'm going to give it all my best shot after this zambian jaunt.....
i.e.: going to get my new arrangements recorded....finish my film scriots..... write new stuff etc......and go overseas........hopefully I'll do this zambian thing
till end august...that way I'll have enough money to go overseas............
I need to find sponsorship to help with recording my
arrangements when i get back.
The one thing I'm not going to do is go back to Cape Town and just continue plodding on as before...that'll just suck up my funds anyway ultimately
.....rent has become exhorbitant in Cape Town.....I've got to make a go of it overseas... even if it doesnt work out at least i tried
.......now 7 years since i was out of africa..
anyway....hope this isnt too self indulgent.......seems to be what i'm thinking today.....zambia still lovely.....warm again (got cool for a few days a week ago)...
warmest regards to you......please keep writing ! sven
11: 26thApril
hmmmm...
Dear ............(fill your name in on the dots)
Hmmm.....its been an interesting week for me psychologically...... in terms of how I'm experiencing this thing.
Playing wise I've been full out. i.e. the hotels been busiesh and I've been doing my full quota of over 5 hours a day.......
Only fellow musicians/performers might understand this.......its a helluva lot .....its the last hour that is always tough. 10.30 to 11.30 pm......
Its like I get to a point where theres nothing in me to give
anymore...... I try to "coast" through or pace myself as it were but I think my nature is
to be full on and that cant really change.....so I am unbelievably drained sometimes at the end of it all..... When theres lots of people I can tap into their energy and its better... but the hardest is when theres a small handfull.....that is draining !
Still this is not complaining, I am very happy, in fact priveleged to be doing this.....this is just a statement of fact or observation.....
Its been a funny week in that I've had moments of serenity and also moments of anger.....not that its my business but from chatting to
bar staff I found out what they make.... unbelievable stuff.......$ 2. 65 per shift.....that works out at around 60 dollars a month
........apparently this is lower than the zambian average despite the fact its a 5 star hotel........apparently there are laws here but they get
around it by employing these people as "casuals", despite the fact most have been working there for years....... apparently work is so hard to come by here these people are just glad they have some.....but I wonder if that justifies the way the company
is exploiting them.....anyway good old capitalist exploitation is still a reality when i thought maybe times had evolved as it were...
By the way I'm completely apolitical...hate politics but the one thing about me is I'm a great believer in fairness.....
I think I'll find out pretty soon if they'll ask to reemploy me after end of may...
I'm wondering myself if I should ask about a slight reduction in my hours.... then again I dont want to endanger things....tricky situation.....I guess
whenever somebody is paying you, you are beholden to them in a way and cant ever speak your true feelings out of fear of losing what you have.
Its the afternoon sessions I really dont enjoy......hot and noisy, tons of distractions,people walking by me all the time, and the staff make a
helluva racket talking right behind me.....I'm sure you know this is just the nature of african people..they are very loud....
also the guitarist does 3 hours a day for the same money...oh well
...... they're not including my breaks as work time.....and also saying that when theres noone around i dont need to play so that doesnt mean its work
time, but surely i'm there, dressed up etc, surely thats legally work time, and the 15 min breaks i take too ? I really feel I'm right but I'm even
too scared to ask my agent what he thinks !
Its still hot and sultry here.......someone tipped me ONE dollar last night for playing happy birthday!
I'm sending you all separately a spoof I worked up based on the show I was in of Graham Weir : "Letters from patient Essop".
hope you enjoy it.....if you're too politically correct it may offend !
Warm regards, please keepa the messages a comin.... Sven
12: 26th April
Letter from Essop in Northern Rhodesia
This is my spoof of life here, in the style of "Letters from patient Essop" by Graham Weir, a show I performed in. If you're not familiar, suffice to say the show is about Essop who sends letters from a sanitorium type place.....in a very period style.
......though not that specific to a certain date.........
My dear friend,
Mornings I usually sit by the great waterfall, categorizing the many coloured butterflies to be found here, while listening to the deafening roar of the water
crashing down below me.
Pure bright shafts of white light dance their way through the spray to form the most dazzling and brilliant of rainbows.
It is at times like this I think of you my friend.
Mealtimes are spent in the self service restaurant, during which one can share stories with the other members of the staff.
People like Gerald the grounds keeper, Miss Abigail the nurse, and dear old Mr Jakes, who keeps the accounts ledger books.
After Ten o'clock, the guests spill put of their rooms towards the swimming bath area, where they lounge over exotic cocktails while
their cantankerous children happily splash about in the
crystal water.
Afternoons I usually take a stroll to the grand old hotel itself, to perform my duties as the resident pianist, during High Tea.
I am first greeted at the entrance by the striking native men of the local tribe, resplendent in their shining white uniforms and pith helmets.
In the late afternoons, the guests gather on the verandah for aperitifs, and from there they may regard the incandescant purples and oranges of
sunset, which spread out like Elysium over the mighty Zambezi itself, and further afield, over the territories of Southern Rhodesia and Bechuanaland.
After some time, a particularly striking native man, adorned in white suit and bright red sash firmly strikes the dinner gong, and it is then that the guests
slowly gravitate towards the dining area.
In the evenings I while away my time at the pianoforte, interpreting famous old torch songs for the express amusement of the residents, while they puff
away on their cigars and quaff glasses of old Napoleonic brandy.
During these times, I am able to rub shoulders with all sorts of dignitaries, princes, and powerful Businessmen, on their travels between the Tropics
and Europe and the Americas.
Recently, I have befriended and successfully tutored one of the brighter vervet monkeys, with whom I share a weekly game of chess.
Is this wrong ?
With anticipation, here in this paradisical isolation Essop
13: 3rd May
ten weeks and counting
Hello....
another warm sunny day.....they're all like that now....hasnt rained for 6 weeks.... and wont till december i believe.
i went for a run the other thinking it would be moderate but once i was out there it was hot hot hot ! phew!
still, my routine these days is usually a midday swim, which gets me nice and fresh for my duties as the resident pianist for High Tea.
havent heard anything regarding my status here...how long i'm staying...
i get the feeling i'll only find out if i ask....thats how everything seems to work at the hotel....example.....still wouldnt have a work permit now if i
hadnt made my own enquiries....
its been a quiet week, in fact the quietest yet in terms of how much i've played which was great as you might remember I was bitching last week
about how heavy that previous week was!
There was an english company group who had a
musician flown in from england....he is a sax/flute player who plays along with a backing track....
very good for what it is.....(of course being the musical purist i am i have problems with that...but i am unusual in that regard)......he was a very nice
guy...Frank.,..a pro from Swindon.....and you can imagine it was lovely to have something different to break the routine....in fact Thursday the
night he performed I was able to sit back and enjoy with a few gin and tonics
.....so I cant complain...at least that sort of thing helps to balance out the times i feel overworked...
On saturday night i played late for some corporate south africans..... which means i can skip tea on tuesday....of course when it got
to 1 am they wanted me to go on.....i did the extra few tunes one does but had to put my foot down.....
My main gripe these days is the state of the piano...now playing with 3 important notes which dont function, and one which doesnt stop ringing !
The piano was apparently tuned in January...though the ex guitarist here told me he reckons it was worse off afterwards.....apparently there's just
one person in lusaka who does this.....anyway I'm going to go talk to my boss soon....i hope it gets sorted asap as its making me look bad !
thank you so much to those people who take a few minutes to write to me ....it means a lot ! sorry its not often i can reply individually....i often
have time/speed constraints with my internet usage......gotta catch the staff bus back.....
regards, sven
14: 10th May
meeting my hereos
Hi.....
Its been quite an interesting week for me......being quite a cricket fan it was nice having the Western Province team up from Cape Town last week
......their prize for winning the discovery competition. Had them in the lounge Tuesday and Thursday nights.......3 weeks earlier was watching them play in my room.....winning the supersport series.....
I connected most with Alan Dawson and Rory Kleinveldt...... Alan is a lovely guy, and then on Thursday I enjoyed a few drinks with
Rory who is a new boy in the side as it were........was nice to return to my room and see him within 5 minutes taking a wicket on highlights show on tv !
The theatresports people will remember how in awe i am of these sports stars.. (remember Robbie Fleck!)
funny thing as most artists i know are most unimpressed with sports.
It was lovely chatting to Peter Kirsten (the coach) who is a legend of course,.... also Jp Duminy, etc.
I had Roger Telemachus stooped over my piano for half an hour, asking for Queen......
They were a very friendly bunch of guys.......I gave them 90 minutes that was after my alloted time.....now you know what a groupie i am.
Also they were with a bunch from supersport....it was very nice to meet a lady whose name escapes me, but she is in charge of all the commentators
for s.a.events....and it was great getting the inside scoop about these people from her......funnily enough apparently the one guy who was difficult was
barry richards.....
My apologies to those of you who know nothing of the above people.....
Also met a guy who has just finished his time in the British army in Iraq... interesting to hear things from the horses mouth after all the cnn stuff one sees..
he was on honeymoon with his new wife...a lovely couple who live in wimbledon,london.
so it was a bright week.....only with the cricket guys it ended on a bit of a sour note as on thursday 4 of them were robbed from their rooms while out in the day. Alan Dawson swears his room safe was locked.......and he lost 300 US dollars...
the abovementioned supersport lady lost 50 dollars.... they were very upset....and apparently the hotel wont do anything.....
the superssport lady says the trip cost them half a million rand and they wont be coming back.....
the next morning at breakfast i told my fellow employees, and they had no sympathy at all....saying the safes werent probably locked etc.
and that they made it up......I was frankly amazed... ...as Alan was saying, I said even if money is left out it shouldnt be taken, but they said
that is a reality in all hotels.....sad but true.......
Anyway who knows......but I trust Alan Dawson..... Saturday was a happy day with the Stormers winning and making the playoffs....
Warm regards from Zambia... Sven
15: 17th May
piano luck
Dear friends,
Here I am again with my latest installment.....I suppose at this point its feeling almost like a mantra......but as long as I have the need I will
continue and hopefully not bore you to death !
Over 12 weeks here now so am beginning to feel like a sub-resident, even the zebra I walk past on the path I take to work seem to know me now
- they dont move much away anymore ! - Yes there is a herd of zebra on the property..... very elegant they are too on the lawns in front of the hotel.
We had some rof okes from Metro Cash and Carry this week......they were already rowdy and pissed when they came in the afternoon....apparently the
airline didnt want to let them back on the return trip ! Also had 200 from Total - the French petrol company.......some of them rather enjoyed my music
which was nice.
After all my frustrations with an almost unplayable piano I had some amazing luck this week......apparently the tuner in Lusaka had been contacted but
who knows when he was coming........but then luck........Friday night a friendly American gentleman asked to play, turned out he is a mean blues/jazz player and we landed up doing lots of fun blues duets....anyway turns out he knows a bit about pianos, and (as his wife was telling me ), he being an engineer, cant
help himself when it comes to fixing things, even on his vacation......so we opened up the piano to have a look...... Anyway we met at 1.30pm the next day, and I organized the maintenance people to bring tools....and hey presto the 5 non-functional notes are now functional.....
(and he turned his back and lost his lunch to a monkey......but it was replaced).... what a pleasure to play a real piano again......now it just needs a good tuning
but that seems unimportant in comparison !
Anyway this guy and his wife were just wonderful people.....from the suburbs of Chicago......his first name is Mead and apparently he has invented hearing aids... thats his thing....I was told this by another member of his touring party.
They left yesterday for Lusaka where they were to drive to their friend who is a Catholic missionary, before returning to the States.
What else ? It still remains hot in the days, and just a little cooler at night...... The midday sun here still has a most summery force to it.......
I'm looking forward to a bit of rain and cool actually,
though I know I get tired of too much of that !
Got an email today from my agent....and still dont know my status.....I really hope now I stay..especially as I'm used to being here now.....and
the time goes faster now.....they really are naughty...I'm supposed to know my status a month in advance! Anyway........we'll see...I've decided if I'm coming home end of this month I'll spend a month in Cape Town before trying to go to Europe.......
Saturday was a mixed day for me....my team the Stormers lost but we (SA) did get the right to the soccer world cup - bravo !
Cheers, Sven
16: 24th May
chilly nights now
Good day......
Well.......its been quite an interesting week, one way or another, though the prevailing theme is very much one of routine.
For most people this is very normal........but for me this is easily the highest level of routine for me since school, which in itself is pretty intense !
I am starting to wonder how I'll react to having more than one day free......it might just blow my mind a bit ! Anyway still dont know
if i'm going or staying..... but will go demand an answer tomorrow......
I may be out of here in a weeks time, in which case this is probably the last of these zambian missives...but we'll see....
The evenings lately are getting chilly........very dry Joburg winter cold feeling.....though a milder version than joburg. Days are still warm.
The water in the pool is now almost too chilly to swim in...I swim almost every day at about 1pm.....but that looks set to end for now
as I can only see the water getting colder as we appoach the winter solstice....21st june.
I have to be creative in how i exercise....i like running, and do so occasionally on a dirt road, but have been warned of odd attacks
(even for my running shoes apparently..)....then theres the main road to town, which i ran yesterday, but that entails too much smoke
from trucks etc. Running by the falls is great but one has to go round in circles to cover any distance, and theres often too many
people walking around there on the small paths.....oh well I'll probably combine these things.....maybe if there are some hot days again the
water will warm up enough.... Funny thing...theres no gym in the hotels, though I believe one is being set up.....
Wednesday was an interesting day.......during my swim I noticed that the monkeys were particularly aggresive that day, jumping into the
restaurant etc for food more than usual..... when i was looking at a monkey on the way back to my room, another monkey came charging up to me,
and then they both went for me, and I managed to fend
them off but I think they were going to bite me.......made me realise now matter how cute and
cuddly they look, they are really WILD !......then I couldnt get into my room (problem with door)......and i waited in my swimming costume for 2 hours
while the maintenance people sorted it out.....while i was waiting out by the pool, i got an apple from a waiter, and immediately a monkey sprinted
round the pool to me to try and get it.... but we managed to chase it off....i think they were hungry that day...perhaps in winter their natural food
supplies are dwindling.
Anyway I finally got back into my room and went off to work late.
That evening I met a charming Irish couple, and enjoyed having some drinks with them.......though i didnt count on him mounting my piano while I was playing "Moondance" for them ! They reckon Ireland still has lots of work available, though I believe the recent economical boost there has subsided a bit.
Now and then I meet some amazing people....amongst the general crowd.........
As much as i love South Africa, I cant say I like the South african visitors all that much generally.....mostly pretty plebian type of people.
I guess it makes sense that I relate most to the more educated, erudite, art loving sophisticates from the US and Europe.(but not if they're snobs).
Friday, the tuner was around, the ONLY piano tuner in Zambia, so he says, and working on pianos since 1961 he said......from Lusaka...very elegant
looking Zambian man in a suit...he did an okay job......and I was there to check it....
Saturday....I needed to break the routine....so walked over to Vic Falls, Zimbabwe... enjoyed it more this time........I want to go again for more time and see
the Falls from that side.
Anyway.....thats the news this Monday 24th May, from Livingstone, Zambia ( formerly Northern Rhodesia ).
Bye for now Sven
17: 31st May
back to the cape for now
Dear all,
Well the news has come through...I'll be home this Wednesday........ as you know I would have preferred to stay, as I'm so used to life here, plus
the money but.......I've got a very good plan to record/get sponsorship for my own music.........also hopefully I'll play at the mount nelson hotel
for a while.......I'm talking to them....the main thing is I feel very positive ......and know that practically all the guests loved my music and that
I got a lot of great feedback and encouragement !
My guess is its something personal and/or the fact I didnt play pop music unless asked....but then they could easily have just asked me to do that
if they wanted......but my superiors were not good communicators and didnt ever want a conversation to go past saying "Hi, hows it going".
I was given 2 days notice (i.e. saturday)........and only as I went to ask, after being told many times I would be told asap.......i.e. I still wouldnt know
this last day of the month if I had believed them ! Nevertheless its been another interesting week indeed.
I had a bit of stress....I lent my music charts book to someone to photocopy... one of the waiters plays some piano........firstly he returned it a day late.........
then i found he had obviously pulled it apart and rebound it with the pages completely out of order...ie. tunes on 2 pages split up etc......in the end I
got him to come round to my room and sort it out which thankfully we managed.... now he might buy the cheap little keyboard i brought over here,
which would suit me well........as I;m a little worried about paying overweight flying back.
Then on Thursday we had 230 estate agents....Pam Golding.....the bunch of 30 odd I had round the piano Thursday night were actually delightful.....
obviously estate agents are not your typical corporate group types...... all delightfully individual....kind of a motley crew assembled under one banner....
and whats fascinating is they were from all over the country...all the small towns etc....
I met a guy Charles, from Graaf Reinet, who knows my ex Doe's family in that area very well indeed...and it was lovely connecting with him......also a lady
jazz fan from Grahamstown.......and Peter Golding, pams son, who plays a mean piano, and entertained us for
some time !
Nice for me sometimes to sit back with a drink and enjoy someone else playing !
Then Friday night, I met 3 wonderful english couples........one chap an ex coal miner of yorkshire, from Newcasle complete with Geordie accent, and his wife.....
another chap who riveted me with his profound knowledge of the City of London... and then a lovely young couple on honeymoon.......I landed up spending hours talking to them both nights.... when you connect with people that much its really great !
It warms the cockles of my heart, as there are times I start thinking theres something wrong with me....the way I struggle to connect with the majority
of the South African hotel employees......in all honesty quite a few of these people are so small minded, petty and ignorant.....and really lack warmth.
I'm afraid to say a lot of them are really miserable and putting up the front which is necessary in the hotel game. But there are certainly a few who are real MENSCH. People who dont play games, say what they think, and treat you as innocent until proven
guilty, not the other way around !
Yes, this has been an interesting mission indeed, and I feel a bit sad that this is the last of my Zambian messages......but I am so grateful to have had this experience.
Warmth and good vibes to you all !
Sven
18: 4th June
zambia plus one day
Dear friends,
Well.....got back last night at 8pm.......good to step off the plane and feel that fresh cape breeze again.......though its been mild here indeed....
I was happy to find out that in the end they were happy with me but there has been a policy change....i.e. the new pianist is Zambian, and he
is being paid in local currency (kwacha) and not being accomodated. Apparently the next guitarist will be Zambian too.
I finally got round to chatting to my boss, and he says they're struggling to get work permits.......the Zambian authorities want more Zambians employed....
Also the new pianist is going to cost them a lot less than us South Africans......
Anyway I wont bore you with the details but I was delayed getting a flight but finally got one Thursday......
Couldnt sell my Zambian currency and in the end "changed" it on the street for a fake 20 dollar bill.....you live and learn.
Its surreal being back...when to the shops this morning........and walked around.
I just spoke to the f and b manager at the Mount Nelson
hotel, and am meeting him Monday morning....sounds like he might have some work for me....
so hold thumbs......
Planning to go to Arniston a.s.a.p and get stuck into my work...i.e. complete demos of my arrangements of my music I was doing before I left....then
I will pay a drummer to complete that......and then make a package to send off to possible sponsors.....then hopefully get that 15 000 rand, and make a
really good cd.....then I'll be ready to go off to europe ! NB: PLEASE SEND ALL FUTURE EMAILS TO MY OLD ADDRESS:
svenboy@iafrica.com
though i will check the yahoo again in case....... thanks for the messages !
sven
19: 8th June
...........still enjoying the habit of sending messages........one little Zambian thing to tie up. (here i am in arniston.......having a little break..... hopefully back sunday for new job....but waiting to see)
every morning i had a little bird visiting my balcony in Zambia.....had a look in the book of birds here... and discovered it was an african pied wagtail ..black and white......
have a good week
sven
20: 12th June
z+1
i've got a feeling this is the last of my regular emails for now, but who knows...
one week since zambia....so its the beginning of a new time....
anyway wish me luck, i've been asked to do every weds, thurs, fridays , this month, maybe another day next month........asked to
do jazzy stuff for the mount nelson restaurant... first night will be weds 16th..... the piano there is so much nicer than the zambian one, a huge plus.
arniston right now is great... chilly nights....mild sunny days.....
sven