Back on the Road...

Pretoria At Last!

2007-05-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

South Africa is unique among the countries of the world insofar as it is said to have four capital cities. During the summer months Cape Town is home to parliament, the legislative branch of government; Johannesburg is the economic centre; the judiciary (Supreme Court) is situated in Bloemfontein; Pretoria, the administrative and executive hub, is the official capital. Pretoria, with its foreign embassies and consulates is the most stately of the bunch. Considered by many to be South Africa's architectural masterpiece, the Union Buildings are set in elaborate terraced gardens that overlook Pretoria. The president of South Africa resides here and, during the winter months, parliament meets here rather than in Cape Town. The complex was completed in 1913 to serve as the seat of government for the newly formed Union of South Africa which predated the modern country of the Republic of South Africa, established in 1961. The name Pretoria derives from Andries Pretorius, an important leader of the migrating farmers (Trekboers) who on December 16, 1938, decisively defeated the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River. Statues of Andries Pretorius and his son, Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (who founded the city) are located in front of the classical architecture that is City Hall.

Another of Pretoria's attractions is the historically significant Church Square. Long before the city of Pretoria was created, the Boer farmers congregated here four times a year to celebrate Nagmall (Holy Communion). For protection, wagons were organized into a circle known as a laager. As well as a religious ceremony, Nagmall was a huge economic and social event - a rare chance to sell homemade goods and to arrange the marriages of the Boers as they came of age. Today Church Square has many points of interest. In the foreground is a statue of Paul Kruger, a figure in the Boer resistance to the British imperial forces, and president of the Transvaal (one of the four republics that amalgamated to form the Union of South Africa in 1910). The Raadsaal (parliament) of the Transvaal can be seen in the background.

On the opposite side of Church Square is the Palace of Justice. Started in 1897, the building was used as a hospital for the British troops during the Boer War. After its completion in 1902 the structure housed the Transvaal Supreme Court. It was also the scene of the famous Rivonia Trial of 1963-64 which led to the sentencing of Nelson Mandela and other black political leaders to life imprisonment.

A much more simple yet interesting site in Pretoria is the home of Paul Kruger. It houses many mementos of the man the Boers simply called Oom Paul (Uncle Paul). Kruger often sat in a chair at the front of his house, holding court, allowing citizens of the republic to express their views and concerns of the day. I enjoyed looking at the fine period furnishings and the gardens out back that include the railway car which Kruger used to conduct important meetings. Kruger was a very determined and headstrong leader. A member of the Great Trek, he served the Boers in a number of political capacities that eventually led him to visit the capitals of Europe. An ardent Afrikaner nationalist, he fiercely opposed British rule and was a key leader during the Boer War. Much of the world eventually came to regard him as somewhat less than heroic. Stubborn and often self-serving, Kruger continually demanded that the Boers fight until death without any thought of surrender. When the British troops inevitably began to close in on his position, Kruger fled the country to live in Europe, abandoning his wife of many years, who soon died.

In Kruger's house is a gallery that includes European newspapers dating to the Boer War. This French paper depicts Kruger repelling the British lion while European leaders look on in silence.One of the final stops on my visit to Pretoria was Melrose House, a Victorian mansion built by the wealthy businessman George Heys in 1884 . The rooms and furnishings within the home are incredibly ornate and well-preserved. It was a lovely day to enjoy the gardens and stroll through an enormous flea market that had very interesting wares from a variety of eras.

Although Pretoria has become more racially and culturally diverse since the end of apartheid, it remains a true bastion of the Afrikaner identity. The Voortrekker Monument, situated on a hilltop on the outskirts of the city, is arguably the most significant embodiment of Boer culture in South Africa. Inaugurated in 1949, the monument is a tribute to the 15 000 Boers who set out from Cape Town on the Great Trek following the abolition of slavery in 1834. Their goal was to outdistance British rule and maintain their traditional rural lifestyle, which included forced labour. The numerous steps leading up to the monument symbolize their long walk. The pointed spikes on the top of the iron fence represent the spears of the Zulu warriors they encountered during their quest. Inside the grounds the walls are lined with carvings of the wagons used by the Voortekkers, harnessed into the circular laager which was their means of self-defense on the open plains. Thorn bushes were placed between and below the wagons as an impediment to infiltration by hostile forces. Outside of the entrance way a large bronze statue serves as a tribute to the devotion, suffering and determination of the Boer women who played a critical role in the trek. The lives of many of the women and children came to a terrible end, ravaged by disease, in the concentration camps built by the British towards the end of the Boer War. The Afrikaner people have never been willing to forgive the British for the perceived atrocities that were committed at the camps.
Inside, the Hall of Heroes contains one of the world's longest historical friezes. The panels which wrap around all four corners of the building depict the various experiences of the Voortrekkers during their Great Trek. I really enjoyed reinforcing my understanding of South African history by studying each of the pieces of stone that were, incidentally, carved in Italy.

I have decided to include four of the main events in Voortrekker (wandering farmer) history. The first one depicts the families and their livestock departing Cape Town. A representation of Table Mountain can be seen in the background.
The next panel shows the women in their support role (loading guns, tending to the wounded) as the Boer men fought off attacking Zulus around the perimeter of the laager. Increasingly frequent skirmishes with the Zulu occurred as the Voortrekkers explored and settled land in the north-east of the country. To promote peaceful co-existence, Piet Retief, the revered leader of the Voortekkers, went to visit Dingane, the Zulu chief. Dingane had come to power by participating in the assassination of the legendary Shaka, who happened to be his half-brother. In time he would prove to be as ruthless as his dead kin. As portrayed in the panel below, Dingane and Retief signed a peace accord. During the celebration that followed, the Voortrekkers availed themselves of the alcoholic spirits that their hosts offered. When Dingane provided a pre-arranged signal, however, the warriors captured Retief, took him to a hilltop, and forced him to watch as his men were slaughtered.

The frieze also depicts what is widely regarded as the most significant moment in Voortekker history. The ongoing conflicts with the Zulu reached a climax during the Battle of Blood River. At a time when the outcome of the fight was uncertain, the Voortrekkers appealed to heaven for help. A covenant was made: if God would grant them victory they would interpret this as a symbol of His support and hold the day forever sacred. The Zulus were thoroughly defeated; the Trekkboers became unshakable in their belief that they were God's chosen people. December 16 was later declared a national holiday known as the Day of the Vow. Moreover, for the next century and a half the Afrikaners would use this concept to justify many unilateral political decisions, including apartheid.

Centred in a crypt below the Hall of Heroes, Cenotaph Hall can be viewed from either ground level or from an upper balcony, as is the case in the photograph below. The building has been constructed in such a way that on a single day of the year (December 16) at 12 noon, a ray of sunlight falls onto the empty coffin called the Shrine of Honour, illuminating the inscription: "Ons vir jou, Zuid Afrika!" (We for you, South Africa!). Like many of the other features in, on and around the monument, the cenotaph is a symbol of Boer pride and domination.
This ends my narrative about our three-month trip to southern Africa. Thanks to those who managed to read the blog in its entirety; by doing so you have vicariously provided the support which has made it all worthwhile. To everyone who has sampled even a portion of the many photographs and at times extensive text, I trust that you found some of the information to be interesting or at least educational. Prior to our trip a number of people asked us, "Why would you want to go to South Africa?". I hope the question has been answered. What a beautiful land and interesting culture!

We have learned a great deal about South Africa but leave with many questions unanswered. Preparations are well under way for the World Cup of soccer that the country will host in 2010. The eyes of the world will once again be focussed upon South Africa as it strives to present the image of a modern, progressive and democratic state. The services of Rudi Gulianai, the former major of New York city, have been enlisted to try to reduce the levels of street crime that could sabotage the success of the event. Will the World Cup be South Africa's coming out party or an organizational and financial disaster?

South Africa remains one of the world's foremost wildlife destinations but will this last? Many conservation projects are currently underway but as most public funds are being rerouted into social programs there will be a huge challenge for the private sector to preserve the country's natural heritage. How will global warming impact the land, wildlife and rural economies?

To what degree will South Africa achieve its professed goal of peace and reconciliation? Despite the emergence of a black middle-class there are still many African people who lead lives of abject poverty. Will the whites who have chosen to remain in the country continue to feel increasingly marginalized as their relative population decreases and the process of reverse discrimination that has taken hold limits their job opportunities? Will the racial barriers that discourage white athletes from playing soccer and blacks from participating in cricket and rugby dissolve? The Minister of Sport recently tried to apply a quota system to one of white South Africa's most cherished institutions - the national rugby team known as the Springboks.

The over-riding issue will continue to be whether or not white South African society will ever fully welcome their black brethren and, in turn, will ever feel safe enough to move beyond their high walls, guard dogs, razor wire and security systems. It seems to me that the rhetorical statement coined by Alan Paton in his famous South African novel, Cry the Beloved Country (1951) continues to ring true today: But when the dawn will come of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why that is a secret.

The City of Gold

2007-05-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Following the gold-rushes in California (1849) and Australian (1851), gold fever spread rapidly to many corners of the world. Mined by southern Africa's indigenous people for hundreds of years, by the mid-1800s, deposits of the precious metal were being reported by missionaries, explorers and hunters alike. In 1886 an Australian prospector, during a Sunday morning walk on a farm, hit upon the mother lode:

"My name is George Harrison and I come from the newly discovered goldfields...I have long experience as an Australian gold digger and I think it a payable goldfield."

With these famously understated words, Harrison reported the largest deposit of gold the world has ever known. Located on a continental divide known as the Witwatersrand (White Water Ridge), this gold reef became so vital to South African development that it was adopted as the name of the national currency, the rand. Thousands of people streamed in from around the world and the city of Johannesburg (called Jo’burg or Jozi by its citizens) was born. This "Golden City" has now produced roughly forty-percent of the gold ever mined on Earth.

Johannesburg is located in the province of Gauteng ("Place of Gold") which occupies just five percent of South Africa but generates 40% of its GDP. Although the economic capital of South Africa and a symbol of prosperity, Johannesburg is also a monument to human greed and violence. In many ways it is modern and vibrant; nevertheless, it was built upon the backs of poor black African labour. The downtown core boasts many fine pieces of architecture from the colonial era, such as the famous Standard Bank building. The land along Johannesburg’s main traffic artery, the M1 highway, was originally surveyed and cleared as part of Cecil Rhodes’ famous plan to build a railway that would connect Cape Town to Cairo, extending considerably the reach of the British Empire. It requires about three tons of sifted earth to yield one once of gold so mine dumps (such as that visible in the background) are visible throughout the region. As the mines near exhaustion, these heaps of discarded rock have become increasingly valuable: each ton of recycled material produces, on average, one gram of gold as well as one and a half grams of uranium. This is a photograph of a well-known statue in Johannesburg that commemorates the toil and trouble of the gold miners. Prior to and during the apartheid era, many Africans were dragged from their villages and forced to work in the mines. Digging and using explosives twenty-four hours per day, six days a week, half a million blacks worked in the mines for a salary one-sixth of what was offered to the whites in the industry. In 1961 their pay for this hard and dangerous work was 42¢ per day.
Until 1991 many of the residential and commercial districts of Johannesburg were reserved for white citizens. Tell-tale signs of the era of racial segregation are still evident. As well as black African labour, thousands of Chinese workers were also originally brought to work in the mines. Sometimes paid in opium and otherwise badly treated, the government deported the entire Chinese community once they had served their purpose. Rising crime during the 1980s and 1990s led to a mass exodus of businesses, restaurants and tourists from the downtown core. Hotels such as those shown in this picture were abandoned and remained derelict until recent attempts to improve the security and redevelop the city centre. Visible in the foreground is the top of the Johannesburg High Court, once a much hated symbol of white oppression. The Witwatersrand provided large amounts of other lucrative resources, especially diamonds. The most impressive piece of architecture I saw in Johannesburg was Diamond House. A home to mining offices, it was constructed in the form of the fifty-eight facets of a typical diamond. Various nearby buildings can be seen reflected in its glass panels.
Johannesburg has many wealthy neighbourhoods. I hadn’t anticipated that there would be so much greenery and lush vegetation! Many of the mansions are located in the northern suburbs. Security is exceedingly highly but unable to prevent not only petty crime but the sort of political intrigues and underworld crime that one finds in other major cities of the world.

One of the older sections of the city that is in the process of being redeveloped is Newtown. The municipal government is spending a lot of money promoting traditional black values and cultural self-awareness to revitalize the downtown and make it into a safe cultural hot spot. This a mural painted on the side on an otherwise non-descript building in Newtown.

Although the transition from apartheid to democracy was ultimately successful, there was initially a great deal of conflict and violence. Elements of the white population were not anxious to give up their position of power and privilege; many of the down-trodden blacks entertained unrealistic expectations of dramatic overnight changes in their daily lives. During the early 1990s, SOWETO, long a venue for civil unrest, thus became a household name in most parts of the world. SOWETO is an acronym for South West Township, the most notorious of the black communities which linger on the periphery of Johannesburg. SOWETO began in 1904 when the whites blamed the blacks for a bubonic plague epidemic that ravaged the city, and forced them to move out of the inner city.

The tragedy of South Africa, the root cause of most of the violence that occurs there, has been the deterioration of traditional black values, especially the sanctity of the family. Today families are being ripped apart by the AIDS epidemic: the number of orphans is staggering. For a few hundred years, black men (mostly Zulus) who were removed from their villages and brought to work in the mines of Johannesburg often ended up living in hostels such as the one shown below. There were no closets or cupboards; a concrete slab often served as a bed. One visit from a family member was allowed per month. The hostels are still in use as low-end housing units. When people think about SOWETO, the image that comes to the minds is often the scores of ramshackle ghettos. These continue to exist; however, I have learned that a wide range of living standards now prevail here. SOWETO even has millionaires! Security has improved to the point where the neighbourhoods are considered to be safer than those in parts of downtown Johannesburg. Still, the standards of living are low. The population of 1 700 000 has just one hospital, although there are approximately fifty clinics in operation. An enduring symbol of the social injustice associated with apartheid era is the smoke stacks which are visible from almost anywhere in the township. A coal-fired power plant created a tremendous amount of pollution in SOWETO but all of the electricity was delivered to the white neighbourhoods in Johannesburg. They were eventually closed down when the use of coal began unsustainable. The SOWETO Uprising of June 16, 1976 is a famous episode from the apartheid era. I can remember the moment in history well - it was one day after my nineteenth birthday, just as I was finishing high school. The conditions in the SOWETO schools were terrible. Many schools had no furniture, not even a desk for the teacher. Textbooks, which were free in white schools, had to be paid for by the families of black students. On average, a white school received five times as much funding as a black school. When the nationalist government announced that all instruction in school was henceforth to be conducted in the Afrikaans language, the students decided they'd had enough.

A protest march was planned from the school to a government office within the community. When the students failed to disperse, some of the police officers began to fire upon the crowd of young defenceless students. This famous picture is of Mbuyisa Makhubo's unsuccessful attempt to save 13-year-old Hector Peterson. They are accompanied by Peterson`s sister, Antoinette. The image sent shock waves around the world. Subsequently, Mbuyisa had to flee for his life to a foreign country to avoid the wrath of the apartheid government.

A well-conceived memorial marks the events of the uprising. It is built on the location where the police gathered to stage their attack . The water flowing over the granite represents the tears that were shed during and since the time of the attack. Leading up to the monument is a collection of pebbles which symbolize the stones that were thrown by some of the 30 000 students who marched that day. Unfortunately, I was unable to fit them into the photograph. June 16 has become National youth day in South Africa in honour of all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid.

As part of my tour of SOWETO, I had a chance to visit Vilizazi Street. Many of the most familiar names in South Africa have lived in this area. The photo below shows the home that Nelson Mandela lived in prior to being sent to prison. A short walk away is the long-time home of Bishop Desmond Tutu. We also drove past Winnie Mandela's current domicile.

My last morning in Johannesburg was spent visiting the highly-acclaimed Apartheid Museum.
It is very extensive and graphic. The image below shows a series of cages with over-sized but otherwise authentic pass cards that citizens of black and mixed race were required to carry on their person at all times.

This exhibit of 121 nooses represents the number of political prisoners who were hung during the apartheid era.

The museum is very educational and sobering - considered a "must" for anyone who visits the city. An interesting fact is that it is situated next door to Johannesburg's Gold City Reef Casino. Companies that were in competition to build the casino were obliged to include a proposal for a socially responsible project, and this was what the winning tender submitted in its bid. At first, the fact that these two venues sit so close to each other seemed like a cruel joke to me. After thinking about it for some time, however, I realized that it was perfect... for Johannesburg is nothing if not a city of extreme contrasts.

The Smoke That Thunders

2007-04-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

As a beacon for all manner of intellectual pursuits, ancient Hellenic society pondered many weighty issues. The Greeks were also known as great travellers: the guidebooks of their sight-seers were the main source of information leading to the identification of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is a list that has been widely known and unchallenged for many centuries.

Recently there has been a flood of attempts to classify other natural and man-made phenomena, such as the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and even the Seven Wonders of Canada. In 1997 CNN published an arbitrary list of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Not surprisingly, since our planet is rich in splendor, this list has been much debated; however, some of the selections seem to be beyond dispute. One of these is Victoria Falls. Nearly 1700 metres wide and approximately twice as high as Niagara Falls, these are the largest and most unique waterfalls in the world. The lush vegetation also provides refuge for more wildlife than any other waterfalls in the world.
The Zambezi River (which flows over the falls) serves as a natural barrier between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The 2,574 km long river has its source in Zambia, flows through Angola, and along the borders of Namibia and Botswana as well as Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi ends in Mozambique, where it empties into the Indian Ocean. During high season a massive amount of water (700 00 00 cubic litres) flows over the falls per minute. Our guide, Fisher, used to conduct canoe trips along this famous water system and told us a few stories of near-death experiences: the Zambezi is famous for its population of crocodiles and hippopotamuses.

A bridge provides passage from the outskirts of Livingstone, Zambia to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. This enables the public to view the falls from two different countries. The view of the Batoka Gorge (below the bridge) is breathtaking. Past this point, the Zambezi River continues to twist and wind its way through a long stretch of steep cliffs. As a result, Victoria Falls is known as the adrenaline capital of southern Africa. River rafting the most challenging rapids in the world (level 5) for commercial boats, and bungee jumping, are two of the most popular activities.

Victoria Falls is unlike most falls where there is simply a dip in elevation and the water continues on its way. Here, the water flows into a deep chasm in the landscape, rebounding off of the opposing rock face and generating an enormous amount of spray. On a clear day this veil of mist can be seen as far as thirty kilometres away. This is why the local name for Victoria Falls is Mosi-Oa-Tunya, "The Smoke That Thunders". Unfortunately, this also means that the full length of the falls is impossible to observe during much of the year. Near to the falls, the mist quickly falls back to the ground like rain. There are few spots that are not constantly pounded by what seems like a torrential rainfall.

From a tourist's perspective, the solution to this problem is to hire a helicopter or micro-lite airplane. The thought of riding in what amounts to little more than a sitting lawnmower with wings made me nervous in the beginning, but once airborne it was pure fun and entertainment!

David Livingstone, who is believed to be the first white explorer to the area, named Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. This was unusual since he normally insisted on maintaining local place names. He famously described the falls as " a scene so lovely that they must have been gazed upon by angels in flight". I don't know a lot about angels but I can say that the succession of rainbows that appear from various angles above the falls is really something special. The flight also provides a good opportunity to observe the wildlife below. My German pilot and I saw elephants, hippos and an enormous stork's nest that encompassed the entire crown of a large tree!

There's a statue of David Livingstone on the Zambian side of the falls. In the Livingstone Museum, there is an entire room devoted to his exploits. The locals revered Livingstone not because he figured he beat all of the other Europeans to the falls but due to his ongoing efforts to publicize and help eradicate the slave trade in central Africa. Although he grew up impoverished in his native Scotland, Livingstone's character and ability were recognized early on. He went on to become a doctor as well as a missionary. He was also consumed until his death with a desire to find the source of the Nile River.

On one of his journeys Livingstone ran into trouble when a porter accidentally broke his navigational equipment and his medicines ran out. Suffering from malaria and dysentery, the man was given up for dead until the American journalist Henry Morton Stanley successfully located him, uttering the famous quip, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume". Livingstone eventually died in the jungle. His body was identified by the broken bones in his forearm that were once crushed in a lion attack and known to have never healed properly.

Our stay in Livingstone marked the end of my time with Kiboko Tours as most of the group carried on to Chobe National Park in Botswana. In the end I was very pleased with the experience and hope to be able to do another safari one day. The group included two young French doctors (Bruno and Carolyn) , a French portrait photographer (Rudi) and his wife, Emmanuelle, who worked with computer information systems. Paulo (a physiotherapist) and Elisa (a computer technician) from a village in northern Italy were on their honeymoon! Julie was a retired American Airlines flight attendant and Robyn was employed an office worker in Brisbane, Australia. Our group got along well.

The rest of my time in Zambia was spent staying at the Jolly Boys Backpackers in Livingstone. It was a very comfortable and spotlessly clean hostel- one of the best I've seen anywhere in the world. The pool area was amazing and the sunken lounge a wonderful place to spend the day or evening meeting people. Livingstone proved to be a crossroads for an interesting mix of gentle souls from all over southern and eastern Africa: Christian missionaries, overland travellers, foreign aid workers, medical students on overseas placements, and a variety of volunteers in social and environmental projects. The desk employee was a girl from Courtney, B.C. that has been living in Zambia for eight years and doesn't want to leave! A German version of Forest Gump (a man who had been cycling around the world for nine years) had lots of stories to tell.

As well as visiting the museum I managed to fit in a few excursions into the town and a little bit of the surrounding countryside. There was an interesting market and other small businesses catering to tourists and the local population alike. I was very impressed with the friendliness of the people and how well many of them spoke English. During my four days in Livingstone there were a number of peaceful and enthusiastic rallies, parades, and street demonstrations. Zambia has become one of the more stable countries in Africa and the population is evidently proud to be able to exercise its rights and freedoms.
Democracy and free enterprise seem to provide hope and inspiration the world over. The good life as we know it North America may be but a dream to these struggling people but the first step in achieving a goal is believing that it is possible. That's my two cents worth of insight into Zambia. Signing off from the sub-tropical Africa,

Rick

Etosha National Park

2007-04-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

Part way through Namibia our tour group spent three days visiting Etosha National Park. The dominant feature of Etosha, which means "Great White Place," is an eighty kilometre long salt pan that is surrounded by savanna and mopane woodland. Once a vast lake, it dried up a few thousand years ago when the river that fed it decided to change course. Like Kruger, Etosha is a a premier wildlife location, such a special place that it warrants a blog entry of its own. While Kruger is known for its wide variety of species, Etosha is famous for its sheer number of animals. In 1876 an American traveller named McKiernan remarked, "All the menageries in the world turned loose would not match what I saw that day." Nevertheless, to protect the animals, only about two-thirds of the park is closed to tourism. Most of the landscape that is accessible is pretty wide open so the animals are often easy to see. As was the case with Kruger, at times one drives for 10-15 kilometres without seeing much at all, then all of a sudden large groups of multiple species suddenly appear. By far the most common species in Etosha was the springbok antelope.
The sightings are best during the winter months (July/August) when the land is at its driest. During this time the animals are inevitably drawn to where ever they can drink. Etosha's main waterhole, Okaukuejo, is regarded as perhaps the best in the world for seeing animals, especially the black rhino. Highly endangered and difficult to see because they are ill-tempered and reclusive, black rhinos are rarely seen elsewhere in the park but regularly wander in from the dark at Okaukeujo. The black rhino, also called the hook-lipped rhino, is smaller than the square-lipped or white rhino. This is really a misnomer as the "white" rhino (not found in Etosha) actually means "wyde" (wide) in Africaans. Unfortunately, poaching is a significant problem in Etosha, eliminating about five percent of the rhino population per year. Namibia piloted the idea of lopping off part of the horn to protect the animal by diminishing its commercial value. However, this makes the mother unable to protect the young, rendering them more vulnerable to attacks by predators such as the lion.

Poachers are extremely dangerous people. Five years ago in Kenya German tourists on a safari were warned to ignore any poaching activities they observed. When four people in the group started shouting at armed men they saw shooting animals the poachers drove over to the safari vehicle and shot them on the spot. End of trip for everyone else as the bodies had to be taken to a morgue. Apparently, in order to protect themselves, rangers are told to shoot on the spot anyone they even suspect of poaching.
I can't say that we ever got completely shut out while game viewing. One morning I was at the waterhole by 5 A.M. but saw little. Just as I was preparing to leave, a beautiful little bird called a crimson-breasted shrike, which was not very shy, made an appearance. It was the only time in Africa that I managed to see this species.
One night I stayed at the waterhole until about 22:10 before heading off to phone Nancy. Weary from being up late then again early the previous day, I decided to head off to bed at 22:45. Imagine my chagrin the next morning to find out that at 23:00 four male lions showed up at the hole and remained there for an hour. A black rhino, annoyed by their presence, made a series of mini-charges at them. It would seem that although the lion is the king of the jungle, the rhino rules at the waterhole.

Leaving camp, those of us who missed the amazing sighting the night before were feeling a little down in the mouth. As if to rescue our spirits, within five minutes of passing through the rest camp gate we arrived at a waterhole to find a pride of eight lions, three adults and five juvenile cubs! What unfolded next was a very memorable experience. After about twenty minutes most of the lions moved off about seventy-five metres to sit in some grass but one of the lionesses remained. Watched spellbound as a giraffe then a jackal arrived at the hole for a drink. Ultra-wary of the lion in its attack posture, both animals would edge closer then back off. The jackal eventually got very close before giving up and leaving. The giraffe was more persistent, walking away until its courage returned, inching closer, then backing off. After nearly a full and very interesting hour it gave up and quit the area. Black-backed jackal sightings were as common in Etosha as they had been further south in the Namib Desert. This proved to be advantageous to us one evening as we were eating dinner. Bruno, one of the French members of our entourage, noticed a jackal parked at the bottom of a tree for a lengthy time, staring up into the branches. Upon inspection we noticed a lesser spotted genet! About the size of a large domestic cat, the genet is a member of the mongoose family. With our help, the jackal and genet proceeded to perform a bit of a Tom and Jerry routine. As we got closer, the jackal would back off. This allowed the genet to leap to the ground and run to another tree, hotly pursued by the jackal, followed by the tourists!
Nancy and I had seen many termite mounds earlier in our trip, but nowhere were they as prevalent or as picturesque as in Etosha. The nests vary in colour depending on the soil and reminded us of those that we saw at Kakadu National Park in northern Australia. The nests are sometimes a nuisance for farmers. Eliminating them must take place at an early stage of their development when the termites are constructing their underground base. Otherwise, the termites simply replace what gets knocked down.
One afternoon, we encountered a rather large snake slithering its way across the landscape. The guides thought it was a kind of mamba, someone else has said suggested a cobra, I call it simply bad news. Aware of our presence the snake quickly disappeared into a hole. The life of a rodent can't be very easy. Imagine being comfortably settled into your home for the day when all of a sudden a pair of large glowing eyes appears in the darkness of your hallway!
A very interesting species that we saw in the park on a number of occasions was the secretary bird. Standing as high as 140 cm, the secretary bird is a mostly terrestrial bird of prey, eating rodents and sometimes even an infant antelope! It enjoys a certain amount of notoriety in Africa since it is on the national coat of arms of both Sudan and South Africa. It is built somewhat like an eagle but resembles a crane in flight. The plumage on the nape of its neck, as well as two elongated central tail feathers (unfortunately, cut off in my photo) make it an interesting spectacle as it struts across the terrain.
One of the interesting elements of our game viewing has been witnessing the interaction between the adults and offspring of the various species. I have a great photo of a mother and child black rhino at the waterhole, and a few images of suckling behaviour as shown below.
The number and variety of antelope on the plains of Africa is at times bewildering. one would think that they might run out of food but nature, in its highly organized, way has ensured that most antelope species actually consume different kinds of plants, or, at least, different parts of a plant. One of my best memories of Etosha will be a scene that evolved with a small group of red hartebeest antelope. One big buck was stationed quite close to the road providing a wonderful opportunity for photography. Responding to a noise in the distance, it turned away from us. We all noticed two other hartebeest racing across the distant landscape in what appeared to be a game of tag. A few seconds after this photo was taken, the nearby beast joined in the charge as the animals dogged, darted and sprinted in the vicinity for the next few minutes! Perhaps the most adorable of all of the antelope species are the tiny dik-diks, which stand a mere forty centimetres tall. They are named after the sound that they make when alarmed. Dik-diks are highly monogamous. Once one of the pair of life partners dies the remaining dik-dik will have a homosexual relationship with another widowed dik-dik. How's that for loyalty?
All three of Etosha's rest camps are currently under extensive renovations to bring them up to world-class standards prior to 2010. This is the year that South Africa will be hosting the World Cup of Soccer. Destinations throughout southern Africa are hoping that that they will benefit from the increase in tourist traffic. All of the work didn't really affect us since all of our nights on the tour except for two were spent camping.

As we were preparing to leave for our final game drive before exiting the park, a colony of banded mongoose put in an appearance to scavenge for scraps. Most of them didn't seem too bothered by our presence. Nancy and I had seen a smaller kind of mongoose a number of times in Kruger as well as in Kwa-Zulu Natal but this was the first time that I had encountered this larger species.

Thanks for sharing my time at Etosha. Hope you've enjoyed some of the information and pictures. Next stop: Victoria Falls!

Namibia - Land of Open Spaces

2007-04-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

Namibia marks the beginning of a new phase in our tour of southern Africa. Upon arriving in the capital city of Windhoek we were immediately faced with some difficult decisions. Nancy's mother, Velma, was not well. Nancy decided to return home as soon as possible to be with her family. I decided to tentatively carry on with our imminent safari. On the third day I would arrive back in an urban area. If Velma's condition was deteriorating I too would return home. Each of us thought that we both made the right choice. Time will tell.

Being without Nancy was a big adjustment. There were also some initial organizational difficulties at the administration level of the tour that resulted in getting dumped in the desert for an afternoon after a five hour drive in extreme heat. An Australian woman who was in the same boat was also left baffled, without food, and not knowing who we were to meet or when they would arrive. It all worked out in the end due mostly to the efforts of our guide, Fisher, and his assistant, Jairos, who were terrific leaders and wonderful human beings. I quickly learned to respect their knowledge and appreciate the constant concern they showed for the security of their clients. Both are citizens of Zimbabwe. They taught me that Zimbabwe means "house of stone" in their language.

The trip southward through some very weathered-looking rock formations was not very comfortable but certainly was interesting. The stark beauty of a desert never ceases to amaze me. The Namib Desert, from which the country takes its name, is the oldest desert in the world. Eighty million years of arid conditions are the result of the warm dry winds caused by the Benguela current flowing southward in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the extreme conditions (averaging less than 10 mm of rain per year) the struggle to adapt and survive is demonstrated by the little pockets of life that exist.

The main attraction in the south of the country is the towering dunes of Sossusvlei, which are believed to be the largest in the world. Viewed best at sunrise or sunset, the dunes morph through a variety of colours and shades under the changing light conditions. Steady winds ensure that the dunes are constantly shifting in size and location. Exploring the various dunes for the day was a lot of fun but very tiring. It takes a great deal of effort to scramble up a 250 metre dune in the hot sun!A special site among the dunes is a place called Dead Vlei (Dead Lake). Much of the Namib is built upon an enormous salt pan. These are very parched, white, and often cracked depressions in the land that have at times in the past contained salt water. As the water evaporated, the salt and other minerals were left behind to accumulate. These white soils provide an acute contrast to the red sand dunes. As you can see, Dead Vlei was once a lake that was able to sustain a small forest before an unusual period of rainfall drowned the trees.

Our hike to Dead Vlei was quite memorable. Due to a breakdown in communication we believed that the total hike to get there was five kilometres. It turned out to be ten kilometres long up and down dunes through the sand. Most of us had insufficient water as morning turned to mid-day. I can only recall one other time in my life when I have felt so dehydrated!

The camel thorn tree is one of the rare forms of fauna of any size that grow among the dunes. Many desert species depend upon the camel thorn. It provides shade as well as a home for insects and reptiles.

The bark, leaves and sap provide sustenance for a variety of species. The pods it produces are also a key source of food. These pods are known as camel's toe.

The gemsbok (oryx) is a highly specialized antelope that lives in the Namib Desert and throughout most parts of the country. It's main source of food? The pods of camel's toe! The gemsbok has the uncanny ability to survive for long periods of time without water. It is able to let its body temperature climb to levels that would kill most mammals. Rather than drink it consumes the traces of dew that form on the desert plants late at night and early in the morning. Indeed, many of the species in the Namib rely on the moisture provide from fog which rolls in off of the Atlantic Ocean on a fairly regular basis. As we travelled along in our safari truck, a gemsbok by the side of the road got spooked and raced the vehicle flat out for about 100 metres. That was an image that I'll never forget! Other common animal species that we saw in the desert were ostriches and the black-backed jackals. They seemed to always be on the prowl and visited the campsites from dusk until dawn. Each night we could hear them howling and growling back and forth. What a mess they made at one site where the campers (us) forgot to stow the garbage inside the truck!Another world class attraction in this area is the Sesriem Canyon. It's a one kilometre long, 40 metre deep cleft in the desert floor that provides quite a few corridors for exploring. The small amounts of water which accumulate here provide a micro climate for some species to survive. Sesriem is Africaans for "six thongs", the length of six leather cords that the Voortrekers had to lower into the canyon to gather water.

As we proceeded further northward in the desert, a second kind of tree began to appear. It is called the quiver tree, so named because the bushmen used it for creating the sheaths for their poison arrows upon which their hunting endeavours depended.

An interesting species of bird called the sociable weaver manages to survive under these harsh conditions. The birds start off building their nests individually but eventually they meld into

one. This helps to insulate them from the sometimes cold winter nights, snakes, and wasps. I'd imagine it leads to some pretty good parties as well!After a few days of gruelling desert heat we were all feeling relieved when we arrived at Walvis Bay. During the past hour of driving the temperature had dropped so dramatically that most of the people on the tour donned sweaters or jackets. Walvis Bay is Namibia's only deep water port. It has also become a rapidly developing tourist location that is well-known for its pelicans and flamingos. A short drive north of Walvis Bay, we arrived in the city (really a small town) called Swakopmund. Its extensive beaches help to draw many visitors from Europe, mostly Germany. Namibia became an independent country in 1990. For many years it was a German colony. Later, as a protectorate of South Africa, it served as a buffer between the South Africans and their adversaries in the Angolan War of Independence. The Angolans sent their colonial masters (Portugal) packing and began a war of liberation in surrounding countries. The leader of the guerrilla group (MPLA) was killed just two years ago and there remain today some pockets of armed resistance. The condition of Nancy's mother having stabilized somewhat, with some uncertainty I decided to finish the safari. Leaving Swakopmund was the point of no return as we headed of into some serious wilderness in the region known as Damaraland, after the Damara people. Our first stop was at a place called Twyfelfontein. This is the scene of the greatest collection of ancient San rock engravings in Africa, soon to be a World Heritage Site. The San lived in the area during the dry season since there is a nearby spring. The engravings are not only impressive in number but are well-preserved compared to rock paintings which deteriorate more over time. Tourism has quickly become Namibia's second largest industry, after mining. The country boasts the world's largest uranium mine, the largest and best diamonds deposits, tungsten, silver and a wide variety of other precious metals. Hawking samples of stone is thus one means for people to scrape a living off the land. As we headed northward it was easy to see that day-to-living is very difficult for the majority of the desert population. Homes were smaller and more simple than I had seen elsewhere in southern Africa.
This region is occupied by a number of tribes. The Herero women are known for their beautiful dresses as well as their head wear. A married woman sports a hat that is adorned with a fixture in the shape of bull horns. These represent the cattle that the husband had to pay for his woman.
After visiting a number of interesting rock formations such as the Organ Pipes we paid a visit to a petrified forest. The semi-buried mineralized trees were huge pine that once got washed down from Angola and became lodged in the soil. What an exciting experience - it's not every day that you get to hold chunks of a 350 million-year-old tree in your hands!

Heading further north we camped among the rugged and remote Spitzkoppe Mountains. This was a very dramatic setting, nestled in the middle of a diverse variety of picturesque rock formations that included distant plateaus, widely distributed boulders of varying size, and smoothly carved pinnacles once subject to the ebb and flow of the currents while submerged in the ocean. The atmosphere was bone dry, the air pristine and the entire landscape silent. One of the features looked very much like Ayer's Rock and manifested the same glow in the setting sun as we climbed to the top.

In the opposite direction was a rock face known locally as the Matterhorn since it is thought to resemble the peak of that oh-so-famous mountain in Switzerland.

Our next cultural encounter was really quite special. There's a semi-nomadic people in northern Namibia called the Himba. They like to keep to themselves for the most part but we were able to visit a village that had really only had much contact with outsiders for the past three years. The tribe is particularly know for the beauty of its women. Although their clothing is rather simple they go to great lengths to decorate themselves. The woman combine their natural hair with that of animals to create a braid, apply animal fat, ash, then ochre. At the age of 8-10 years males and females alike have their middle four lower teeth removed. This is considered to improve their appearance, enable them to enunciate their language more effectively, and help to differentiate them from other tribes. Our guide was dressed in western clothing and no longer lived with the Himba. He ran away at adolescence when some of these traditional rituals begin! During our visit most of the women were busy making butter out of goats' milk by gently rocking their pots back and forth in a pendulum-like motion.

Since water is such a precious commodity to the Himba, it should really be no surprise that they do not use it for bathing. Instead, animal fat is mixed with ochre and this is they rub on their bodies daily. It helps to block the sun, discourage insects, and is considered to be beautiful.

Smoke is also used as a means to keep clean. When the woman pictured below finished preparing the ashes she raised her skirt and then hovered on her knees above the smoke, something that is done for up to an hour per day. This was quite a shock to a few of the French people in our ensemble. Indeed, since the earliest days of colonialism is southern Africa, when the Dutch arrived at the cape, personal hygiene has been a contentious issue. The Europeans considered the practice of applying animal fat to the body to be barbaric and disgusting. The native people were equally as disapproving of the use of scrubbing with water, which they saw as very odd and ineffectual for their needs. I guess it all depends on what you're used to!

The last but not least of the local visitations on the tour agenda was with the San (bushmen) at Tsumeb. I had anticipated that the three hour tour would involve a long walk in the desert somewhere. I think that we were all a little disappointed to learn that our walk was to be along a tourist-oriented trail through the forest adjacent to the village. Nevertheless, the event turned out to be educational and interesting.

Paul was a young man who was fascinated by and dedicated to learning many of the traditions of his ancestors. To him they were a very advanced people far more competent than himself at surviving in the world. The local tribe had been resettled outside of their traditional lands when the apartheid government created Etosha National Park (without compensation) thus many ancient skills are now being lost. During the excursion we were told about the many uses of the plants and shrubs in the vicinity then were shown how to make and successfully operate a simple snare to catch a guinea fowl. Paul also demonstrated the construction of different tools and weapons as well as the many uses of an ostrich egg. He finished by making a fire with two sticks and some dry grass. This involves some pretty hard work!

We also learned the ins and outs (literally) of how to make a termite trap. Termites are considered to be a real treat in the community, so much so that termite mounds are individually owned and operated. Just twice per year newly born termites leave the nest and are attracted to the bound sticks that are set afire above the pit. In their quest for light they fall into the hole and are collected in a bag. A good haul is about twenty kilograms! The termites are fried or roasted in the sun before being shared with the neighbours.

The San were notorious for their ability to track game. Paul showed us some common types of animal tracks and told us some interesting stories about living along the Angolan border. Growing up during the Angolan Civil War he was instructed to run and hide in the bush whenever he heard a vehicle approaching on the road. A trick that the rebels used to elude the South African forces was to remove the soles of their shoes and reattach them backwards to disguise their direction of travel. The San were able to help the South African army by detecting the weight distribution on the imprints to get a true reading of troop movement.

The last part of our journey through Namibia was along the Caprivi Strip. This is a sliver of land that was once politically independent. When the Germans were masters of Namibia they decided that it would be really nice to have access to the Zambizi River further to the east. The German Count von Caprivi did the negotiating with the other European powers of the time so the land was named after him.

There's lots of game in the area and its pretty wild (i.e. dangerous) - no fences, electric wires or conservation authorities. We had a terrific power boat tour of the waterways on the Kwando River. There are plenty of crocodiles and hippos in the area! On December 24, 2005 one of the locals was in the water with a net trying to catch some extra fish to sell for Christmas. He got snapped up be a four-metre crocodile. When the government asked for proof of cause of death they killed a baboon and used it as bait. It didn't take long for the croc to gobble it down. After capturing it they cut it open and found the man's legs in the belly. Apparently the rest had been stolen in a croc feeding frenzy.

Most of us were brave enough to swim in this protected (caged-in) pool set in the river. The water flows very quietly but forcefully - it was a great workout trying to swim against the current.

There were a few nights in which most of the people on the safari were awfully scared to leave their tents. One night a big sign warned people about elephants and hippos moving through the campground at night. This was also a vintage malarial area. Someone in Africa dies of malaria every thirty seconds! It was the first time in my life that I can recall applying insect repellent to virtually every inch of my body.It's pretty hard to sleep you when you hear a few mosquitoes buzzing around and the grunt of a hippo no more than a stone's throw away! One night I ventured out at about 3:30 A.M., inching my way to the washroom then dodging and weaving my way back. There were some pretty heavy snorers in our group, their sounds often barely distnguishable from the sounds of the night!

Before heading to Zambia we finished Namibia with an enjoyable paddle in dug out canoes called the upper delta of the Okavango River . It was lots of fun, saw some hippos up close and personal and we all finished just happy to be safely on terra firma once again!

Kruger National Park

2007-04-14T03:16:00.000-07:00

As pretty as the landscape was in Mpumalanga, the main reason that the province is a must for just about everyone who visits South Africa is that it boasts perhaps the best wildlife refuge in the world: Kruger National Park. Established in 1898 by Paul Kruger (the quintessential Boer leader) the park stretches an impressive 381 km from the Crocodile River in the south northward to the Limpopo River. Sixteen different eco-zones are represented. In 2002 the fences separating Kruger from the contiguous Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) and the Gaza Reserve (Mozambique) were taken down to create the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park that now covers a mind boggling 92.5 million acres!

Pictured below is one of the more famous views within Kruger, witnessed from the balcony at the Olifants (elephants) Rest Camp. It's a great spot for viewing crocodiles, hippos, grazing animals and, if your timing is really great, the occasional lion kill.

One of the features that makes Kruger an especially exciting place to visit is the series of paved and graded secondary roads leading to high quality facilities that make it perfect for self-drive tours. The different destinations are well-posted. Apart from a few rest stops that are strategically located between the rest camps, there are no places to stop. You are not allowed out of the car except in the middle of some of the longer bridges (at your own risk); in fact, people have been fined just for leaning out a window or sunroof, which is also forbidden. Being more or less alone to take on the wilds of Africa was a highly exhilarating experience!

Those of us who grew up in the 1960s will remember Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Every Sunday afternoon it brought timeless stories about African wildlife, principally from Kruger National Park, into our living rooms. I recall being fascinated by the scenery and wildlife of a far away land. In many ways it served as a comprehensive introduction to exotic flora, fauna and ecology. Images of thousands of wildebeest simultaneously thundering across the savanna to elude lions really stuck in my mind. Although herds this size are more typical of eastern Africa, we certainly saw a lot of this powerful beast.
Exposure to game such as antelope, zebra and giraffe began within minutes of driving through the camp gate. Following check-in and some lunch at Berg-en-dal Rest Camp we set off on a late afternoon drive. It wasn't very long before we meandered by what we initially thought to be the alternate black and white pattern of a zebra. Upon further inspection we realized that it was the carcass of a half-eaten elephant. Most of the rump and sides were gone but the head was entirely intact as well as parts of the upper torso. Lions were in the long grass nearby, out of sight.

One of the hard and fast rules at Kruger is that you must be in your rest camp between dawn and dusk. Heavy fines are applied to those who fail to comply. Reluctantly, we had to head for home before supper time arrived in the jungle. Up early the next morning, we headed directly back to the site. By 6:15 A.M., however, the feast was pretty much over. The last spotted hyena had waited its turn but now abandoned the kill, stopping for a few moments on the road to observe the tourists. For the next twenty minutes we watched as a squadron of vultures took turns finishing up the remains. There wasn't much left except the bones; no doubt that by now they are pretty much gone as well! We really weren't sure how much wildlife we could expect to see at Kruger, but it fulfilled our wildest dreams. We took so many great photos that it's hard to know which ones to share. I guess I'll try to provide a sample of the amazing variety we encountered, both big and small.

Being restrained by the electronic fences at the rest camps not only provides safety to tourists but also protects the wildlife. We thought it was quite amazing that after four days of driving we did not see a single victim of roadkill. The speed limit of 40 k.p.h. helps to protect those who need to find their way across, such as the ever-so-slow chameleon that we saw on a number of occasions.

On the other hand, the dung beetle really is an amazingly energetic creature. Its preoccupation is with rolling animal waste (mostly from the elephant) into neat little balls which it nimbly (and no doubt proudly) brings to the supper table. Nancy and I were both impressed at how fast the beetles flew across the road!

The bird life at Kruger is absolutely extraordinary, easily worth the price of admission on its own. There are some 500 species of our feathery friends in the park. One of the most beautiful is the ubiquitous lilac-breasted roller. As part of its mating ritual the males soars high into the air, somersaults around a few times, then drops like a stone as it comes roaring back to the earth. What girl wouldn't fall for that? Although we didn't see this aerial spectacle, I can tell you that the full blue of the entire back and wing feathers are a sight to behold when the roller takes flight!

Another very common species was the Southern Carmine Bee-Eater. One can't help but be impressed with its exceptional reflexes as it snacks bees right out of mid-air!
The trouble maker of the bunch seemed to be the Southern Yellow Hornbill. It always had a lot to say, pestered smaller animals like the mongoose, and relentlessly divested insects from their homes. In a children's book in a gift shop we were amused but not surprised to see that it was cast in the role of the villain. During mating season the male digs a hole for its mate, plasters her into it with mud and sticks, then brings food during the weeks required for the eggs to be incubated and hatched. During this time the female loses her feathers, which are quickly regrown when she is released from her lonely vigil.
One of our most awesome wildlife observations was watching an unspecified species of eagle (all we saw was the silhouette) as it slowly dissected and wolfed down a large snake that it had just airlifted from the dusty soil. By the time this picture was taken, a good 15-20 cm of snake had already disappeared "down the hatch". There were quite a few aquatic species to be seen where ever water was able to accumulate. A particularly lovely marsh bird was the saddle-back stork.

We had some unforgettable moments with some of the large mammals in the park. We saw a lot of elephants but this one was about as close as you can get to the animal without being stepped on. Although they are generally mild-mannered beasts, elephants can go on a rant as well as anyone. At one rest site there was a picture of an overturned, the result of getting too close and being charged. We really weren't being irresponsible to get ourselves into this predicament. The creature appeared suddenly was so close to the road it was hard to avoid. It started flapping its huge ears at us. This means one of two things: the flies are bothering me or get out of my face before I hurt you!
Normally, rhinos are spotted grazing lazily amongst the underbrush. They're more active at night but are generally taking their time then too. It was nice to see them in motion, straight ahead, as we drove drove down a quiet side road. We soon became aware that they were running, not walking. To our amazement they came rumbling right up to the car (within five meters!) before exiting into the field shown here. As most people know, a rhino can generate quite a head of steam. As if playing, they cantered around the field in a figure eight pattern before heading straight at us again. This time they got so close that we dropped the camera (we attempting a video) and rolled up the window (not that this would do much good) before they veered off and darted into the bush!
Kruger is know for its large cats and although we didn't see any lions or cheetahs, we saw a couple of leopards. It's mostly a matter of luck. The first few days we did everything right, starting early, being quiet, and driving slowly (inspecting, at times, every limb). By the last full day we had been shut out except for one leopard that a flock of people told us was resting under a large bridge we traversed. By this time I had contracted tick fever (common in these parts).
Not feeling well at all caused us to start late and drive quickly, not really even observing very carefully as we hurried to get to a doctor.

Not five minutes outside of Olifants (where leopards are not officially listed as present), out of the corner of my eye I saw this magnificent feline suddenly appeared out of the grass. Breaking to a halt, the cat walked slowly across the road right behind us then proceeded to lay down in the grass at a distance of about twenty metres to preen itself. We watched for a good ten minutes before it tired of all the other vehicles which began to arrive, an strode off into the higher grass. It was quite a thrill! As for the tick fever, for a few days I was pumping so many pills that one morning I woke up thinking I was Keith Richards, but thankfully, it lasted less than a week.

I could go on and on about all of the various kinds of antelope we saw as well as a host of other delightful animals but I should think this is enough for you to get a feel for the wonderful time that we had at Kruger. Those who are interested can see more when we get home. Amazingly enough, a few short years ago business conglomerate was nearly successful in buying Kruger to build resorts and even a golf course. Fortunately, a groundswell of public opposition put an end to that. Funding for conservation is a big issue in South Africa though as so much of the national income is being devoted to much-needed social programs.

Thanks for continuing to read the blog - the big gaps in publication are a reflection of our timetable and Internet availability rather than a commitment to the cause. Will be posting again very soon so stay tuned!

A Place Called Mpumalanga

2007-04-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Mpumalanga, the most north-eastern province in South Africa, means "the land of the rising sun" in the Zulu and Siswati languages. We arrived looking forward to some warmer and sunnier weather since we haven't seen much of either for a month. Early and mid summer were extra hot and dry in most of the country so I guess that it should be no surprise that the early fall has been wet and dreary. We're not complaining mind you because A) when we've really needed clear skies the most (in the mountains) we've been pretty lucky and B) we know that folks in Canada aren't going to be real sympathetic if we do!

What I can tell you unequivocally is that this is a spectacularly scenic part of the world. The countryside is very rocky and colourful with many kinds of flowering trees.

People seem to go out of their way to make the landscape lovely. Colourful shrubs line many of the fields, especially the sugar cane plantations.

Some of the local farmers certainly put a lot of time and expense into decorating even the simple things in their lives such as a grain silo.

The fields are lush and there are a variety of large and carefully manicured orchards such as this grove of papaya trees.

The avocados and mangoes sold here are enormous! After carrying very heavy bags of them with us for a number of days we have fully enjoyed the exquisite taste of produce that has been picked only when fully ripe!
Nelspruit, the capital city of the province, has incorporated the Zulu architectural style into the building of its handsome provincial legislature! There are lots of interesting African crafts available. Since we're starting to get nearer to the end of our trip we're starting to look at these more carefully.
The region has some gorgeous fauna has well as the flora.
We recently spent a day driving the Panorama Route which includes wide-sweeping valleys the grandeur of which is difficult to convey in a single frame. The Three Rondavels shown below is certainly one of the most interesting individual formations.

It's all part of the Blyde River Canyon. Blyde is Africaans for "happy". Centuries ago the wandering Boer farmers known as the Voortrekers arrived in the area. Some decided to push on to Mozambique. When they were weeks late in returning they were given up for dead. They were eventually able to catch up with their retreating party who were so happy to see them that they named the canyon to commemorate the moment in time.
The most unique and perhaps impressive spot along the route is at Bourke's Luck Potholes, a conglomeration of swirled out pockets in the rock caused by pebbles that once flowed with the force of the water. We loved the spot and have too many pictures that we'd like to share so will have to be content with posting just a few!

Thanks to everyone who has provided us with some feedback about the blog. It's worth the effort that it takes when people are enjoying it and learning about South Africa even if it's only through our eyes!

Into the Zulu Heartland

2007-04-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

We have all had educational experiences that were inspired by particular individuals, events, or resources. Other times our accumulated knowledge seems to have been assimilated by osmosis. So, without any real idea of how the idea was imprinted on my mind, I do vividly recall that from a relatively early age I appreciated that a Zulu warrior was a pretty fearsome thing. I know that I've seen images of Zulu men in impressive war costumes and postures. This made the prospect of exploring Zulu history and culture at its source in KwaZulu-Natal very exciting.

For a long time the Zulu were a rather insignificant tribe among the Nguni peoples who had migrated into southern Africa. Their rise can be attributed to a rather cunning and ruthless individual named Shaka, who is an icon in South African history. Shaka grew up as a rather isolated child who was ostracized by virtually all of his peers. While learning the means of contemporary warfare he observed that long shafted spears were of limited value since they were cumbersome at short range and not easily re-used. He devised something called an assegai which is a short spear that can be used in close encounters. The application of this new weapon in hand-to-hand combat would, of course, require a high degree of bravery - something that Shaka had developed though years of having to defend himself. Below is an artist's rendition of Shaka taken at a waterfront warehouse in Durban.
By the early nineteenth century the Zulus began to overwhelm their adversaries. Shaka took few prisoners - defeated opponents were either absorbed into his battalions or killed. It time he assembled a standing army of forty thousand fighters into a military state akin to the Greek city of Sparta. Those who displeased him were either thrown into a crocodile pit or off a cliff north of Durban that is still called Shaka's Rock. After his mother (Nandi) died Shaka executed hundreds of women and children who in any trivial way offended the memory of his mother. In time Shaka was murdered by his half-brother, Dingane, who more or less continued his policies. The Zulus were eventually defeated by the Boers and British but not before they had scored some convincing victories.

When we arrived at the entrance to a cultural village we were greeted by a fearsome warrior. His ability to remain in role was very impressive - no smiles (even though it may appear so in the photo), just lots of clicks of the tongue, forceful gestures, intimidation tactics, and impatience with our seemingly slow mastery of the basic Zulu words and greetings that he expected us to learn. Zulu rondavels are very sturdy and built in the shape of beehives. The entrance doors were intentionally kept low to force any visitor to bow while entering. Unlike the exposed kraals of the Xhosans, the Zulus had more highly organized villages that were surrounded by fences. Our tour of a traditional Zulu village included a number of interesting exhibitions of skill and ingenuity. The most impressive was the performance of a wedding ceremony that lasted just under half an hour! The Zulus' fascination with coloured beads dates to their earliest contact with European explorers. Their clothing and crafts use these to great effect. Hluhluwe (shla-shloo-wee)-Umfolzi National Park is one of South Africa's best game reserves. It was once kept as Shaka's exclusive hunting ground. The wildlife we saw during our day safari was a real thrill. Most numerous were the antelopes, of which South Africa has a wide variety. Each has different markings and a unique diet so that they're not all trying to eat the same plants! This is a female nyala, easily identified by its red coat and vertical white stripes. The kudu, though also vertically striped, is darker and larger. The male has a very impressive set of horns. The park is most famous for its population of white rhino, which have thankfully been rescued from the brink of extinction. The park also has black rhino which are not only more irritable and dangerous but less easily spotted since they're not at all sociable except during mating season. The white rhino, though more docile, is actually much larger, a massive animal! This fellow made quite an effort to uproot a fence (using it as a scratching post) that had been built to protect a plant research site. Although the African buffalo made appear fairly harmless, it is one of South Africa's "Big Five" animals that are categorized not on the basis of size but degree of danger. The bulls are especially aggressive when they get older and are forced away from the heard by the younger males. There were many elephant, giraffe and zebra in the park. Often you don't have to look very far - the animals appear on the road and are fully accustomed to seeing vehicles and don't perceive them as a threat, as long as nobody gets out! I've often thought how exciting it would be to run into a wild boar so warthogs were fun to observe and very prevalent. The males have much bigger warts and horns than the females. They use a variety of techniques for digging up roots, grubs and whatever else they might fancy to eat. Sometimes they collapse their front legs and drill through the soil like a plough! We haven't really said much about South African birds, but believe me, there are plenty and they are really quite amazing. We'll post some photos in a later blog. I have to mention though that there's apparently no greater love in the world than that of the yellow weaver. At the outset of the mating season, the male builds a nest for the female. She's rather fussy: too small, too big, too round, not round enough, etc. By the end of the process this must be one tired bird!While in the area we visited Cape Vidal which is part of the St. Lucia Wetlands, a World Heritage Site. It has fabulous beaches (though now damaged and littered by the recent storms) and one of the most highly regarded sport fisheries in South Africa. The recent high seas and flooding have provided a real bonanza for those who like to fish! Finally, we spent a very entertaining afternoon in the area on a river boat cruise along the St. Lucia estuary. The mangrove swamps are beautiful and play a vital role in marine ecology. There were some very large crocodiles! Didn't see any crocodile tears but I think that this is as close as it gets to a crocodile smile. It happened as Nancy was relating to another tourist the story about Stephen Harper shaking hands with his children in the school yard!Nancy was in her glory with all of the hippopotamus sightings. We had an extraordinary and lengthy visit with a colony of these amazing beasts which actually kill more people than any other animal in Africa! They're not too aggressive in the water.

The animal has an entirely different demeanour on land - so don't mess with a hippo! How's this for a teacher look? Our guide provided us with many interesting facts. The quality of a hippo tusk is considered to be the best in the world. That of a walrus is second, the elephant third, the sperm whale fourth. The rhino doesn't have an ivory tusk- its horn is made out of matted hair. I'm sure that Nancy will shared lots of interesting hippo news with everyone when we get home.

Instead of dreaming about life in Canada tonight our minds may be full of Zulu visions and things that go bump in the water. May your nights be more restful! Thanks for reading!

Durban - A Tale of Survival

2007-03-31T06:39:00.001-07:00

Although most of our time in South Africa has been spent off the beaten path, Durban was a city too interesting to miss. The cultural scene here is nationally recognized and includes a reputation for excellent jazz music. Durban is also the busiest port in Africa. I couldn't help but think of the three South Africans (including my roommate) that I got to know pretty well while working on a kibbutz in Israel in 1980. They were all Durbanites and I have strong memories of their thick accents and use of the informal South African vernacular. Unfortunately, there was no chance of looking them up as I couldn't remember any of their surnames!
The third largest urban centre in the country, Durban said to be a place of perpetual sunshine. We were, therefore, in for a bit of shock when we witnessed first-hand just how vulnerable any location can be to the destructive forces of nature. Approaching from the south late one evening, everyone on the Baz Bus (backpackers' bus) sat in amazement as we ambled our way through five hours of heavy thunderstorms. North Americans and Europeans agreed that they had never seen a storm on such a scale in our native lands. I've been reading a book of very whimsical anecdotal stories based on the letters and diaries of four centuries worth of travelers in South Africa. It's called "The Wind Makes Dust". In it the early explorers in South Africa often comment upon the extreme violence of the storms here, and this has been a season to remember!

Particularly eerie was the manner in which the lightning strikes hit. As we were at some altitude, they seemed to emanate from every direction. Bolts flashed vertically across the sky, ear-piercing crackles exploded all around us, and we observed the reflection of flashes of light occurring well below our position. It was truly a sub-tropical mega-storm in stereo! The video that was playing was turned off and we all sat glued to the windows. I have no idea how the bus driver could even see where he was going. We all jumped when there was a bone-jarring bump as we ran over a dead cow that was laying on the highway. Here's a photo of the night sky during the storm, courtesy of Durban Radio.
When we arrived in the city centre a little before midnight the water was knee deep in all low-lying spots. Water streamed along the sidewalks as the Baz Bus made its hostel stops. One poor Australian girl had the misfortune of losing her footing a few steps after retrieving her backpack from the trailer, did a belly flop, and straggled to the hostel door looking like a drown rat. There had been cyclones off the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar in recent weeks so the seas have been high. The night of the storm there also occurred an unusually powerful alignment of the moon and stars, creating abnormally high tides. As a result, a small tsunami hit the KwaZulu-Natal coastline two days later. Touring the beachfront business establishments after we returned from the Drakensberg a week later, the damage was terrible. Entire restaurants were gutted!
One of the features that makes Durban an interesting place to visit is its Asian influence. East Indians account for a significant portion of the population. In fact, Durban is the world's largest Indian community outside of India itself! Many of people were originally brought to the country by the government to work in the sugar cane fields. This cash crop is still an important component of the local economy. The climate and soil must be very favourable -the plants have viewed have often been growing ten feet high!

One indicator of East Indian culture is the use of rickshaws. In Durban they tend to be very elaborate affairs that are used to ferry people mostly around the waterfront area.

Nancy and I both enjoy Indian food a lot so we couldn't miss the opportunity to try Durban's favourite fast food - something called Bunny Chow ("bread-hot"). This consists of a chunk of bread that is hollowed out in the centre and filled with the curry of your choice...but no rabbit if that's what you're thinking. It's very tasty and filling!
Along with the Indian culture comes its architecture. There are many impressive Hindu temples and Islamic mosques, particularly around the old quarter near the city centre. This is the Juma Musjid. We weren't allow in without an adult male Muslim to accompany us.
A highlight of our trip to Durban was a visit to the Victoria Street Market. It's an intriguing blend of Indian shops as well as all things African. There are many women selling dresses on the sidewalks. It's a tradition in the Indian culture for the groom to buy his mother-in-law twenty dresses as part of the wedding package...so they do a pretty brisk business!
That's not to say that all Indian men are infatuated with their new in-laws. They may, at times, seek revenge in the good old-fashioned Indian way in evidence at the spice market! The most disquieting part of the market was our stroll down what I will call, at the risk of sounding judgmental, "Voodoo Alley". It's an entire street devoted to the sale of ingredients used by African witch-doctors. Most rural black South Africans have no real access to medical care and rely upon the potions cooked up by these traditional "healers". The shops in the Victorian market actually provide wholesale supplies of raw materials for the witch-doctors in many African countries. Most of the businesses had a variety of mangled carcasses and bones from a myriad of animals on display. Unfortunately, the proceeds of the poaching of endangered species in South Africa's national parks can also their way into the market.

The remedies of a witch-doctor also require a wide selection of roots, barks, leaves, herbs and other plant materials.Most of the people in the lane ways are busy pounding or grinding up the key ingredients. We had an interesting conversation with the king of this niche. Like most of the other vendors, he works by day and sleeps at night in the market, which is as much his home as his place of commerce. He was very friendly and spoke some English. Mostly he wanted to know what sort of remedies we used for treating the ill in Canada. Nancy and I were at a loss when he asked us what goes into our enemas! As you can see, his torso was heavily scarred, which we instinctively attributed to some sort of pagan ritual, but was apparently the result of a car accident.
Durban has many fine buildings from the English colonial era. In the city centre Francis Farewell Square square has a magnificent neo-Baroque City Hall (pictured below) which now also houses a fine natural history museum. The nearby Post Office is also an impressive edifice. There are also some Tudor-style buildings on the same block.

Directly opposite City Hall one fines a colourful (Art Deco) but sombre cenotaph. We thought that the figure of the dead soldier at the base of the monument was rather striking. The dark and dreary weather plaguing Durban also added to the overall effect.

We were only in Durban for a few days but felt as though we saw a lot in a short period of time. This was mostly due to the efforts of our very cool guide (and manager of our hostel), named Victor. He was insightful, kind, had a big heart, and took us to places we would never have dared to go on our own - such as Voodoo Lane! Born in Kenya, Victor was very proud of the murals that he painted on the walls of the hostel. We didn't want to probe too deeply into his life but he did mention that he had been shot with a gun. Durban has an extremely high crime rate - second only to Johannesburg. Danger seemed to lurk around every corner and he seemed to be able to smell it a mile away. South Africans must lead the world in dogs per (white) household - many families have two or three canines on guard.

We've yet to talk to anyone (of any race) in South Africa that has any respect or faith in the police forces (or judicial system for that matter). Stories of corruption, incompetence, indifference, under staffing, and underfunding seem endless - the police often don't even respond to emergency calls. Both travel guides (books) that we possess advise that contacting the police is likely a waste of time if you've been victimized. Although we read one newspaper article story about vigilantes, the law is tough on people who try to take justice into their own hands. In the Drakensberg we met an elderly couple who were mourning the death of a dear friend. He shot in the leg an armed intruder in his house, and was in turn shot in the stomach before bleeding to death. People are desperate...there's no such thing as welfare or unemployment insurance.

One woman told us about an episode of someone breaking into her house. When she phoned the police they told her that they couldn't come because they had no gas for the only available car. She replied (fictitiously) that her husband had shot the intruder. A short time later the police arrived only to find that the thief had already absconded. Annoyed that they had been summoned for a mere burglary, they said "I thought you said someone had been shot" to which she replied, "I thought you said you had no gas"!

The garbage-can poster below is an ad against the trafficking of human lives, and we're not just talking here about child labour or prostitution. Every month in South Africa there are recorded cases of the ancient practice of muti - the sale of human body parts for use in the wares of African witch-doctors. Voodoo Alley is a place best viewed in the rear view mirror!

On a more positive note, one of the exciting venues in Durban is the Marine World. It opened about five years ago and is partially enclosed in an old barge that was rescued from the sea. It may not look like much from the outside but it's full of fascinating exhibits and creatures within. The sharks of Durban are legendary. There's a shark net set about 50 metres from shore or swimming and surfing would be impossible. The net gets checked every day but got completely washed away by the recent storms. Many of the creatures at Marine World (especially the sharks) are animals that are in captivity because got stuck in and injured by the net.
Marine World is the fifth largest aquarium in the world. We simply ran out of time exploring all of the tanks and revelling in the fabulous range of sea life that exists on good old planet earth.

Finally, travelling around Durban revealed an interesting collection of urban street art and advertising. The AIDS situation sure gets a lot of play, deservedly so!

We finished our visit to Durban by accompanying Victor (at his request) to a Christian Alliance Church service. It was packed with a few thousand people of mixed race many of whom were singing, waving, and providing testimonials - very evangelical. An interesting experience to say the least! We were introduced to many people who seemed genuinely interested in us. We left the city feeling appreciative of these many fine people who live and work there, trying to get on with their lives and make a difference to their society.

A Glimpse of Lesotho

2007-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has even summarily scanned a map of South Africa has probably paused momentarily and pondered the anomaly appearing as a place called Lesotho (Le-soo-too). It sits like an island locked in the middle of South Africa. I hazard to guess that not too many people in North America probably know much about it. I know that we certainly didn't until we began to plan our trip. From the Amphitheatre we decided to pay a visit to to see what we could learn on a full day guided trip.

The Basoto inhabitants like to call their land the highest country in the world. I don't know about that but it is one of only a few nations that lie entirely above 1000m and is often referred to as "The Kingdom in the Sky". The mountains are to some extent an extension of the Drakensberg. Through the help of the South African government, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (the most advanced and expensive engineering project to date in Africa) has helped to harness the rains into a watershed that provides most of the water that drains into South Africa. The South Africans pay a considerable sum of money for this water each year. This is not to say that Lesotho is affluent. On the contrary, the money that Lesotho receives in payment from South Africa accounts for no less than one-quarter of the country's Gross National Product! As one would expect, most of the economy is comprised of subsistence farming. Still, it is known as a rather peaceful place and the Basotho population is proud of its independence. Arriving in mid-morning through a minor border post in the north, our first stop was at a small school. It began not so many years ago through the efforts of an Catholic priest. Shortly after arriving he went to the parents in the community and suggested that a school be started. Most of them thought it was a dumb idea that would only divert their children's attention from what they really needed to know in order to survive. A few were interested, however, and agreed to send their kids when he offered to do the teaching for free. One farmer provided his sheep shed which was unused during the day. The kids who attended liked the experience so much that they soon began collecting stones for their own building. In time, a group of Irish volunteers arrived to build a proper facility. The community is now attempting to build a second structure based upon the model provide by the first.

Our tour group was greeted very warmly by the students and staff. For the most part the students are still pretty shy. Oddly enough, before we were inside more than five minutes Nancy and were selected as the two people to do some instructing! We were each given a different primary grade. I got to teach (and mark) a little bit of math. It was fun! How sad it is to know that so many of these kids will likely die at such a young age. Fifty percent of the women in Lesotho between the ages of 18-24 are HIV positive.Nancy got to teach some of the older (adolescent) students- I've got some of her fine work on video. Those who teach will no doubt be interested to know that there was a copy of Bloom's Taxonomy on the wall! Barry Bennett doesn't seemed to have arrived yet. Following a snack, some socializing and a game of outdoor volleyball, our group set off to explore some of the nearby terrain, especially a beautiful cave complex above the village.

In some caves there are ancient San rock paintings. These are also found in the Drakensberg and are they main reason why that area was given World Heritage Status. The San (who used to be known as bushmen) are generally thought of as belonging in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. The truth is that they were the original inhabitants of most of southern Africa. Primitive hunters and gathers, they were driven out first by the black Nguni tribes, next the Boers, then finally the English. There weren't many places to hide except in the desert (where small pockets of San survive today) or high in the mountains.

The painting I have chosen to show is not in the best of shape but I believe to be interesting. The long-legged people it represents were the taller and black Nguni people from further north who eventually drove them out of their mountain stronghold. Most of the forms depicted the animals which were so vital to their survival. The father-figure for the people of Lesotho is a man named Moshoeshoe I. A man who believed in non-violence, his motto was "peace is like rain that makes the grass grow". Bit by bit his tribe was pushed further up the mountain until he finally appealed to Queen Victoria for help. She not only saw to it that Lesotho was spared annihilation but provided the people with hats, rubber boots and blankets. Most of these ended up in the hands of the men who herded on the hillsides each day and, as shown below, continue to be the style worn by nearly every adult man!

Exploring the village for a bit, we noted that the people of Leotho also live in rondavels. The climate can be harsh here so the buildings are painted in a light and dark patch to reflect and absorb light at different times of the day. We also learned that one reason that the homes are round is that the Africans used to believe that evil spirits lived in corners. As was true elsewhere, men and women occupy separate sides of the home and are not allowed to cross over. You'd have a hard time convincing me that this rule is closely followed!Our tour include a stop at the local shabeen (informal brewery) for a tasting (not bad!) as well as a visit to see the sagoma. This lady was much more friendly towards us than the one we met at the village near Bulungula. She was kind and tried to provide thoughtful answers to our questions. A sagoma's role is somewhere between that of a witchdoctor and naturalist. Most of her ideas seemed pretty logical...however her diagnosis does still begin with the interpretation of small bones that are rolled out of a bag!
We had a very good day that ended with a laugh. Along the way through the village we encountered a very precocious little boy who looked to be no more than two. He raced to stay ahead of us and generally had a lot to say. Destined to be a great chief, no doubt. At the end of it all he announced that he was coming with us and climbed into the van. Talk about a man with a plan! He was adorable.

A Day at the Theatre

2007-03-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings to everyone! Nancy and I are alive and well...still enjoying the best of a marvellous country. Even though the last post was about mountain scenery, we must share with you our experiences in the northern reaches of the Drakensberg, widely regarded as the most scenic part of the mountain range. The landscape really is quite dramatic - huge spires, buttresses, pinnacles and distorted fingers of rock rising up out of relatively flat pastures of land. The area is reminiscent of the south-western United States - very arid and with stunning rock formations everywhere that you look! Our visit began with a stop at Amphitheatre Backpackers, located in an ideal setting directly facing the Amphitheatre, a celebrated crescent of escarpment that stretches for five kilometres.
The pastures that lie at the foot of the mountains are a colourful mix of grasses and grains that help to frame the grandeur of the mountains. Here are a couple of views photographed from just in front of the hostel.

Our goal was to get to the top of the Amphitheatre - a pretty daunting task given the altitude and distance that is involved. The hostel offers day trips that drive part way up to the lower reaches. It was a beautiful day for a hiking adventure! As we wound our way through ravines, negotiated the switch backs, and clamoured up a steep gorge, we were rewarded with breath-taking views of a rock face that is famous for its tiny and isolated pinnacle known as the "Devil's Tooth".

It's difficult to convey the grandeur of the immense rock faces that we encountered along the way. When you're standing right below them they foster a feeling of awe and reverence. Those of you with excellent vision may be able to detect the tiny forms of our hiking party as they traverse the base of the cliff.

Arriving at the top of a plateau known as Beacon's Buttress, we explored the water pools that give rise to the Tugela River, said to be the second highest waterfall in the world as it tumbles its way down the mountain.

The Tugela River catchment area makes a critical contribution to South Africa's fresh water and hydroelectric resources. There are a series of three dams at the base of the mountains. Part of the water is redirected all the way to the taps in Johannesburg, and the electricity is used by homes as far away as Cape Town! The combination of water and mountains makes for some very impressive views!

Our lunch stop was in a very picturesque spot looking upon the Sentinel Rock, one of the highest peaks in the Drakensberg. On three sides there is a sheer drop to the valley far below. Some people are able to sit and eat with their feet dangling over the edge, but Nancy and I are prone to a little bit of vertigo so we declined the opportunity to test our bravery.

Part of what made the day very enjoyable was that our group size was small. In addition to the two of us there was a very friendly lady named Nicole (a river rafting guide from Arizona), Gary (a truck driver from England) and Babar (a chartered accountant from Pakistan). This was Babar's first time up a mountain and he was pretty cute..as well as scared at times.

Our guide for the trip was Garrett, a man who fits the stereotypical mould of a young South African (or Australian) male: a swash-buckling figure characterized by lots of humour, bravado, chauvinism and prone to heavy bouts of drinking!

The most interesting part of our descent of the mountain was at a cliff requiring the use of chain ladders. There are two sections (25 metres and 16 metres). There's really nothing to fear but fear itself; however, the chain was pretty shaky and there were a few spots where the chain was too close to the rock to allow a foothold so we had to leapfrog a few rungs at a time. That made the legs start to wobble!

We are now in the the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Kwa means "here", Zulu refers to the black nation that inhabits the area, and Natal, a name coined by the Portuguese when they made the first European visit to the area on Christmas Day during the fifteenth century. The Zulus, Xhosans and other tribes (generally called the Nguni) arrived in southern Africa from central Africa at about the time of Christ's birth. They were darker skinned and taller than the indigenous San (bushmen) who they quickly displaced.

Getting around is not easy for the local people. Only in a few major cities does one find any kind of public transportation. Those who can afford it travel in our-crowed communal taxis, but the majority of the black people here simply walk for miles and miles and miles each day.

Our last observation about the northern Drakensberg is that there are a lot of insects! Leaving the comfort of our room at night to go the washroom was pretty traumatic. After dark the insects take over in thick swarms - Alfred Hitchcock could have written a darn good script here! Some of insects are familiar but much larger than usual - like the family of five inch long praying mantis we had to shoo out of our room! One of the more interesting creatures was the mottled veld antlion shown below.

On the Back of a Dragon

2007-03-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

A jewel of the South African landscape is the Drakensberg Mountains. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2000, the mountains stretch for over 250 kilometres. Drakensberg is Afrikans for "Dragon's Mountain" because the many formations often appear like the spines on a dragon's back. The range lies principally in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The Zulu people refer to the mountains as the "barrier of spears".
The Drakensberg is divided into the southern, central and northern ranges; each of these is a little bit different in composition. We began our visit by staying at a lovely spot called the Inkosana Lodge in the Central Drakensberg. It's owned and operated by a man named Edmund who spent part of his law career as a Supreme Court judge in Pretoria. He's a great guy who offers free pick-up and drop offs to the trail heads.
The lodge provides a series of very cozy cabins in what is known as the "Champagne Valley". It is said that when one of the early climbers was en route to one of the tallest peaks, one of his servants dropped and ruin a bottle of champagne.
We approached the mountains through Monk's Cowl Park. It provides a spectacular climb up through a gorge with many kinds of rock formations.
Although quite dry at the top, most of the ravines between the rocky slopes are carpeted in a rich green colour that makes one think of Ireland.
The peaks are often shrouded in cloud. Unfortunately, Nancy had a sick tummy (likely too much Xhosan food) and was only able to hike one of the four days that we spent in the area. Hiking alone, I was caught between really wanting to "go for it" and being a smart hiker. There were warnings about hiking above a spot called "Blind Man's Corner" without being "properly prepared" and without filling out an alpine rescue form. I ran into six members of a hiking club who said they though the route to the Sterkhorn summit wasn't too dangerous but to watch out for the mist that could quickly descend "like an assassin - it sneaks up and before you know it, you're dead." It can be so thick that an unprepared and misguided adventurer is unable to see a hand in front of their face.

I made the decision to hike as far as I felt safe - the first part of the hike up a grassy ridge seemed tame enough. Progressing bit-by-bit I got pretty close to the peak -high enough to get some great views. Since the top of the mountain was cloaked in vapour I stopped short of the top by about 50 metres. In truth, I got a little spooked when the clouds seemed to be moving lower but made it down the mountain without any real problem.
The mountains provided lots of exercise and we were able to enjoy a pretty wide variety of flora and fauna.

Naturally, there were also some beautiful waterfalls to be admired in the park. Hiking vigorously for 20 km or so a day is a very relaxing and gratifying experience. I'm tempted to add some further description but think I'll keep this posting intentionally brief. We've been packing in so much activity that you've probably noticed that we've fallen behind in our blogging...and we've been having some problems with Internet reliability.

We hope that you're all well and that spring is ready to make its colourful debut.

Under a Xhosan Sky

2007-03-24T02:28:00.000-07:00

South Africans talk openly about their visions for the future. Some of the optimism and hope generated by the advent of democracy just thirteen years ago still exists. Many of the white people we have met and even some of the blacks, however, feel that South Africa is going to "hell in a handbasket". Standards continue to deteriorate, corruption is rampant, personal security almost nonexistent. It's therefore very refreshing to see the attempts that are being made by some individuals to improve the lot of the many through cooperation, hard work and sharing. These are the people upon whom the long-term prospects of South Africa depend.

A man named Dave Martin is an individual who really is making a difference. He created and now runs (and lives at) a very successful community-based enterprise called the Bulungula Lodge on the Wild Coast. His wife is an equally dedicated and prestigious journalist based in Cape Town - they only live together one week per month. The Xhosan people in the area simply refer to him as "the guy who fixes things". The lodge is located in a beautiful setting on a tuft of beachfront at the mouth of the Bulungula River.

The lodge strives to be as environmentally-friendly as possible. It recycles materials (a rarity in South Africa), makes use of compost toilets and solar energy, and implements other creative strategies such as this rocket shower. Liquid parafin is poured into a chamber at the bottom of a vertical pipe which is used to heat the water ("launch the rocket"). The tube crackles and hisses like the sound of a missile. It's important to control the right amount of cold water that is added via tap. Too little can send you to the moon via a strong jet of HOT steam.
The countryside is composed of rolling hills, deep lush valleys and a series of waterways. The Xhosan homes (called rondavels) are sprinkled across the landscape in clusters of family dwelllings and animal enclosures which are collectively called a kraal.

Traditionally, the homes were made of thatched grass but are now constructed of brick and plaster except for the roofs. Many of them are beautifully coloured. The floors are built from a mixture of mud and cow dung. Somewhat surprisingly, the villagers make very little use of the sea as a source of food. It may be because the waters are very dangerous. One person told us that a total of nineteen tourists had been eaten by sharks! What the lodge would confirm was that two weeks previously, a Belgian backpacker had gone swimming here with his girlfriend and was never heard from again. Most likely it was because of the undertow. It has been a very stormy season on the east coast of Africa!

Bulungula Lodge provides employment for many of the local inhabitants, ranging from cooks and cleaners to tour guides. Forty percent of the profits from the lodge are deposited into a trust account that can only be used for projects that benefit the community. Modern agricultural methods are being taught to the local people who are then able to turn around and sell their fresh produce to the lodge.The Xhosan women are traditionally clothed in colourful garb which includes a head wrap. The scarf is also an indication of marital status. Many Xhosans, particularly the women, paint their face with red or white clay. This serves as a form of decoration as well as protection from the sun. Sometimes it contains an ointment for skin conditions such as acne. As well as providing a place of employment for the locals, Bulungula Lodge serves as a community "hang out" where the Xhosans intergrate fully with the guests. This includes children as well as adults. One of the most hectic areas tends to be this outdoor game board which is similar to billiards. There are a series of red and yellow discs that have to be sunk into corner pockets by two blue discs. The final step is to use one blue disc to sink the remaining one.
Our stay at the lodge enabled us to experience a genuine rural African setting and its people. Smoking is a popular pastime for both men and women. The women traditionally smoke from a long pipe that prevents ashes from falling on their infant children. The project has been running for a few years now but is still a novelty for many of the local people, especially for young children. They certainly have the idea that striking a creative pose for the camera is an important part of the process of photography. Many of the Xhosan families have six to ten children. This is clearly an element of their enduring cycle of poverty. Most of the fathers in the community are away working in the mines. Many of the children attend a school in the area, but not alwyas very regularly. Sexual abuse of children by their teachers is a big issue in South Africa that is mentioned fairly regularly in the newspapers. Many black south Africans have been told to believe that raping a young virgin is a cure for AIDS. Shocking, but not that surprisingly when you consider that South Africa's Minister of Health told an international AIDS conference in Toronto last year that beet root is a cure for AIDS. The deputy prime minister is on record as saying that a cold shower is a sure remedy. There are many activities available at the lodge to help build "the second economy", a term used to describe small scale community-based enterprise. During our stay, we met a wonderful man named Gary, an economics professor at Cornell University, who was combining a vacation with research into such self-help programs. One of the activities that we participated in was a visit to the community naturalist. Below is a photo of his "lab" where he stores his collection of bark, leaves, roots, bones and powders, most of which he has gathered from the forest nearby. His "clients" are required to blow into one of the small, hollowed-out gourds hanging from the wall in order to be diagnosed. Sometimes people come to him with very specific requests for love potions, fertility drugs, good luck charms, . . . Note the frothy mixture which is brewing on the floor. It required the naturalist's stirring attention while we were there but no one in our group requested a sip. Another entrepreneurial project is a small "restaurant" that caters to tourists who are brought in by the lodge. There wasn't much on the menu (just a variety of pancakes) but the food was amazingly good considering the limited ingredients available locally and the fact that the food is cooked on a wood-fueled can. Since almost everyone in the community walks about barefooted we were perplexed to notice that most of the small nearby stores sell shoe polish. We eventually learned that this is used for crafts. The large metallic object hanging on the wall is like a large steamer basket. On a hot day it is set up outside and used as a sort of convection oven to bake loaves of bread using the sun's rays. These are sold to the lodge and to members of the community. Nancy participated in an activity called "women power" where she spent an entire day as a Xhosan woman. A highlight for her was learning how to carry heavy loads on her head. This photo shows her with the day's supply of firewood gathered from the forest, atop her head. She will never forget as she walked over the rolling hills dotted with rondavels, the women who would emerge whistling and shouting, telling them how beautiful they were! Children, cattle, goats, chickens, . . .moved off the path, seeming to sense that they were "women on a mission"! The windy, dusty roadways serve not only as a means of travelling from point A to B but also as a place to gather. On the final day of the month, pensioners over 60, disabled persons and mothers with children under 14 years of age assemble to receive support money from the government.
What a wonderful opportunity for gathering together to socialize and advertise your wares! Domestic animals such as donkeys, chickens, geese, sheep, cattle, goats, and a few horses roam freely about the lodge and throughout the community. The cattle and sheep are a status symbol and a component of the dowry paid to the family of a woman who is about to be married. The cattle and sheep are just used for food on special occasions and only then if one of the family members is "visited" during their sleep by a family member who gives permission for the animal to be slaughtered.

The Xhosans are known for their superstitious beliefs. One lady from from Pretoria told us about one of her domestic workers who lost her cell phone. Rather than buy a new one for 250 rand she paid 500 rand to go to the sagoma (witchdoctor) whom she hoped would be able to devine where the phone was located! The xhosans traditionally believed that the sperm from one testical creates a male, and that from the other testical a female. Men were often semi-castrated to ensure the birth of girls.

A famous episode in South African history occurred in 1856. A young Xhosan girl had a vision that if all of the Xhosan people killed all of their cattle and destroy all of their crops. If they did so, the cattle and crops would return as well as warriors who would drive all of the white people off of their lands and into the sea. It led to a disaster of immense proportions: over 30 000 (nearly a third) of the Xhosan people starved to death.

Our stay at Bulungula Lodge provided us with a lot of insight into the lives of the Xhosan people who are at heart a very friendly and generous lot. The area was very beautiful and the Xhosan sunsets truly spectacular.

One never has to look too hard to see something that reminds us of the good as well as the suffering that are a part of the reality of South Africa.

The Magic of Hogsback

2007-03-15T21:52:00.001-07:00

In the Amatola Mountains northwest of East London lies a very special place called Hogsback. It's a small and out-of-the-way spot known mostly to those pursuing peace of mind.

The name of the area derives from three high rocky ridges that soar high above the village. Vertical dolomite rock formations that have survived eons of erosion are said, when viewed up close, to look like the prickly hairs on the back of a hog.

The Hogsback area is unique in South Africa, a micro-climate of Afro-montane cloud forest which results in a very large and regular amount of rain. The unpredictable and often cool weather yields not only a moist and misty atmosphere a lot of the time but snow that can occur ten months of the year!
The famous writer J.R. Tolkien spent the first several years of his life in Hogsback. The locals claim that it was during these formative years that he developed the memories that led him to write The Hobbit. This idea is used heavily to promote business and tourism.

The backpackers' lodge in Hogsback is called Away with the Fairies. It has been decorated throughout with murals that match the image that Hogsback tries to promote.

Nancy and I stayed at a lovely chalet called Never Daunted. Found at the end of a lonesome and convoluted roadway, the scene was idyllic, like being in an English garden full of azaleas, rhododendrons, oak and walnut trees, hydrangeas and fuchsia. Needless to say, there are countless walks throughout the area and a buffet of lovely waterfalls. The first one shown below is called the Bridal Veil. The second is named the Madonna and Child because one is supposed to be able to see the faces of Mary and a child in the falls. When the picture is enlarged, these are clearly seen.

Each of the trails in the Hogsback area is meant to be indicated by a series of painted hogs. Such is not always the case. Many of them start off well but then seem to either change their mind or get caught up in the beauty of it all and forget their purpose. We got lost at some point during every one of our four days of hiking, but each time it seemed to matter less and less... Hiking through the mountains provided us with an unforgettable experience. There were pastures of lilies, glens alive with the sounds of exotic birds such as Cape parrots, butterflies, samango monkeys, as well as many other sights and sounds. Wild horses and worms that are six metres long even inhabit the area! Parts of the trails are through ancient indigenous forest with virgin vegetation. Tallest of the trees is the yellowood. The largest (simple referred to on the map as the great Big Tree) is approximately 800 years old, thirty-eight metres high with a girth of eight and one half metes. Hogsback actually has an army! These are the many volunteers who wage an ongoing battle against the waddle tree. It's a lovely species of tree but doesn't belong here (was imported from Australia long ago) that displaces much of the local vegetation.

One of the really interesting attractions at Hogsback is an eco-shrine built by Diane Graham. Diane is a deeply spiritual woman whose love of nature and art is very intense. She spends her days painting panels that she then exhibits in monuments surrounding a pool in her garden. On the front of each form is a painting connecting nature and humanity; inset on the back of each one is a traditional San (bushman) mosaic devoted to a similar theme.

Hogsback has some very quaint buildings, especially its church and the library shown below, which is located on a path leading towards Never Daunted.
Most of the people at Hogsback are Xhosa who work in forest or a related industry. They seem to be a friendly lot; the ones that we talked to were clearly very proud of the low crime rate in the village. Nancy and I were assured that walking home at night from one of the restaurants was perfectly safe. Even Hogsback, however, is not without its crime. Occasionally, people (black and white) are murdered. There was an elder in the black community who was highly respected by both his own people and the whites in the area. He often served as an mediator in any disputes that arose. One day he was attempting to resolve an argument outside of the post office and was stabbed to death...by his own son.

So many of the local people in Hogsback went out of their way to help us. When we arrived, our bags hadn't even left the driveway before a man named Mike took us for a one hour drive to show us as many of the trailheads and pathways as he could. A couple that we met named Ken and Sonaya spent an afternoon hiking with us and driving us up to the alpine meadows to look for wild horses and Jackal buzzards. We'll have a photo of them to share at a later date. The owners of Never Daunted were exceptionally kind and hospitable. Saying the traditional farewells ("Stay well" followed by "Travel well"") were very difficult for us. But what is life if not a complex chain of hellos and goodbyes?

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Meet the Prices

2007-03-06T01:05:00.000-08:00

Those who like to backpack tend to like it a lot. Witness Shaun and Sal Price who after travelling the world have turned a struggling family enterprise into one of the best hostels in South Africa. Visitors here really get the feeling that the place was built with their interests and enjoyment in mind. More than just a business, generosity and kindness are evident in just about everything that goes on around here. For example, here they are helping to prepare the free breakfast that is offered to all of the guests every Sunday morning. Make no mistake, this is not some simple continental breakfast but a hot and cold buffet that includes fresh baked goods and a variety of fruit. One of the more useful bits of knowledge that we have acquired on our trip concerns the nutritional value of the papaya, which is good treatment for a number of ailments. Buccaneers began as a pretty simple establishment built upon little more than a reinforced sand dune at a village called Cintsa, 25 km north of the bustling city of East London. It was originally a series of family cottages built above a river mouth on the Indian Ocean. When apartheid ended and South Africa became a democracy in 1994 there was a degree of hysteria among affluent whites based upon a perception that their wealth and security would inevitably erode. This proved to be disasterous for tourism, particularly in areas such as this which are predominantly black; people stopped coming and the business was in trouble.
One of the reason that Buccaneers has done so well as a backpackers is that the quality of the room is very high, mostly ensuite cottages overlooking the mouth of the river and the sea. The view from our little deck was wonderful - a great place to relax and just watch the waves roll in. Buccanneers is also famous on the South African backpackers' scene because of the range of experiences it offers. Pay-as-you-go activities include surfing school, horseback riding, cliff-climbing, guided hikes, quad biking, climbing wall, and excursions into a local game park. There is also a weekly trip to a rural school project that the Prices help to sponsor. Daily activities that are free are canoeing on the river and an afternoon fun group event such as a swimming pool game or volleyball...all of which come with complimentary wine for each participant!

Cintsa marks the beginning of a new phase in our trip as we begin to move north through the province known as East Cape, situated in the south-east of the country. A key feature of the eastern cape is the largely undeveloped region of rolling hills, lush forest and seemingly endless beaches known as the Wild Coast. The coastline is notorious for its raging surf, strong undertow, and treacherous offshore rocks which have claimed many victims. The Wild Coast is billed as South Africa's best-kept secret eventhough it extends for some two hundred kilometres along the Indian Ocean. No coastal road exists: isolated sea-side communities are located at the termination of long and winding gravel roads. The comfortable Mediterranean climate of the southern coast has turned quite humid and a few degrees warmer. The sub-tropical climate lends itself to new varieties of flora. We took great delight in the purple flowering vines that fringed many of the sand dunes along the beach, and the bird-of-paradise that grew abundantly throughout the property.
Cintsa is about a thirty minute drive past East London, one of South Africa's largest cities. We are now in an area that fell under British control during the colonial era. The Boers (farmers of Dutch descent) had much earlier spread eastward from Cape Town then began to head north in search of new lands to inhabit. One of the reasons that they had not progressed much past the Fish River was that the land was extensively occupied by the Xhosa, one of the two main black nations of people living in South Africa.

The Xhosa live mostly in the Transkei, an area of land that was designated as one of the Black Homelands during the apartheid era. Blacks were confined to what the government perceived to be their ancestral territory and were not permitted to leave without a pass...which was usually only granted in order to come and work for the white people when needed. Despite the fact that South Africa's first two presidents (Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela) are both from the Transkei, it is one of the poorest areas in South Africa.

The discrepancies between the whites and blacks living in South Africa are monumental and well-documented. On the edge of every town and city are the townships, collections of very basic housing that by western standards are deplorable. The picture below shows a typical house for the millions of blacks living in townships throughout the country. Such a dwelling must sometimes accommodate more than one family - as many as fifteen people! Nancy and I are both looking forward to having more contact with the black people of South Africa as we move north along the east coast. It was a real pleasure to meet Omnatee and Melanie, two of the receptionists at Buccaneers. Both women were very friendly, helpful, enthusiastic, and very articulate.

One of the highlights of our stay in Cintsa was our impromptu visit to the Inkwenkwezi Nature Reserve where we experienced our very first "elephant interaction" session! The owners of this private reserve first bought a bit of land in the Cintsa area as a cattle farm. Planning ahead for retirement, they slowly added land and animals and now own 10,000 sq. hectares with which to help protect wildlife and at the same time, to educate the public.

Two young bull elephants (age 9 & 16) had been rescued from a cull in Kruger Park and transported to Inkwenkwezi to be the first elephants in this private reserve. It has become necessary to cull whole elephant herd groups as the elephant population increases and the competition for food wreaks its havoc on the natural environment in Kruger. A few years ago there were 120 big trees per sq. km in the national park. Now only 5 per sq. km remain! We watched as the grooms led the two beautiful bulls in from the jungle. Each offered his greeting with a loud trunk trumpet!

We were invited to feed the gentle giants a handful of prepared pellets (Elly treats!), first through their trunks and then by placing our hands directly into their mouths! The animals love the attention and enjoy having their tongues rubbed. Then, providing us with an opportunity to get even more "up close and personal", the younger bull got down on the ground, enabling us to stroke its back and ears! AHHHHHH!
Here's some interesting elephant trivia to leave you with. Elephants: live up to 70 year of age; have poor eyesight but excellent hearing. They can communicate messages (to other elephants 8 km away) by stomping their feet. The elephants are right or left tusk dominant and consume 250 kg of vegetation daily; can take 8 litres of water into their trunk at a time; cannot breathe through their mouth. Like humans, they do have food preferences and DO have an incredible power of memory. We heard stories of elephants remembering a trainer and specific commands after 16 years of separation! I can't speak for the elephants but I know this was one amazing experience that I will NEVER FORGET!

The Otter Trail

2007-03-02T05:46:00.002-08:00

Many people would consider the highlight of any trip along the Garden Route to be a visit to the long stretch of coastal forest and marine preserve that forms Tsitsikamma National Park. The villages of Storm's River and Nature's Valley sit like sentinels at either end of the park. Storm's River is famous for bungy jumps and a roaring canyon while Nature's Valley (seen below) is a a very peaceful tourist enclave nestled into the forest, sandwiched between the ocean and a large lagoon. The fresh air, tranquility, and quaint wooden homes reminded us of the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. Prior to our trip to the Otter Trail we stayed at a place called Hiker's Haven. It's a family home that gets rented out part of the year to help pay the bills. Nearly all of the houses in Nature's Valley are guesthouses of some sort. People told us that they come every year - that it is one of the few places in South Africa where they feel that they can let their kids play more or less unsupervised. Indeed, Jacques (one of the owners) told us that they hadn't locked the doors during twenty years of living there. The doors to the rooms are traditional Dutch - split into a lower and upper half. The upper half is usually left wide open to allow air to circulate but does little to prevent a rogue baboon from making the rounds every few days and stealing all of the sugar, coffee and anything else available on a complimentary tea and food tray. The owners get mad but don't solve the problem, continuing to leave the doors open! I guess old habits are hard to break.
The Otter Trail is unidirectional so it's necessary to get a shuttle to drive the thirty minutes to Storm's River. The entire area is quite spectacular - never a dull view!

The Otter Trail is about a 42 kilometer hike - not very far but with little flat terrain - lots of climbs up and down. The clawless cape otter inhabits the area although there are only 33 in total in the waters throughout the park that empty into the ocean. You have to be pretty lucky to see one. Prior to beginning the hike we were required to watch a 53 minute long video that inspired and frightened us. There are only fixed stopping points (huts) along the trail and you have to time your river crossings with low tide. When somebody tells you that you may have to hike some sections in the dark where there are leopards, potentially dangerous wild pigs and other beasts, it gets your attention. The video also showed a group of four that barely crossed the Bloukrans River without drowning - a harrowing experience that I suppose was meant as a warning to those who didn't take the river crossings too seriously.

The views along the trail are simply gorgeous. The surf churns, foams, and crashes relentlessly.

upon huge formations of striated rock that seems to have been turned onto its side and pushed upward, in many places the dark rock appearing like the leaves of a burnt book.

Most of the days we hiked for hours without encountering another soul. Relaxing over a snack, a slurp, and some leisurely conversation we soaked up the views and appreciated the moment as we looked upon the southern coast of Africa and outwards towards the bottom of Earth.

There are countless caves to explore along the way...

and plenty of waterfalls that tumble over the sides of the cliffs.
The water in the rivers were a welcome relief from the heat. The brown colouration is tannin, a nature pigment from dissolved vegetation; the water is pure and fit to drink. Large pinnacles of rock provide fantastic vistas along the coast...

and are sometimes the homes of a cute little species of rodent-like animal called the rock dassie. The locals don't pay them much respect but we found them to be quite curious and cute. They are also the closest living relative, believe it or not, of the elephant. They have two teeth that look like incisors that are actually remnants of tusks!

Surprisingly, very little of the hike actually takes place a long the beach itself. There were only a few sandy spots at river mouths to provide some relief for our muscles.

South African Parks seem to have very high quality facilities that are cared for well. Only twelve people are permitted on each leg of the trail each day. There are two cabins at each rest spot, each sleeping six people. We were fortunate that five people had cancelled their reservation. A group of five South Africans took one hut each night and we had the other all to ourselves. Each of the spots provided spectacular views.

Saw some dolphins breaching and some pretty exotic species of birds but most of the wildlife that we saw along the trail was a variety of sea birds like cormorants and oyster catchers. Our most constant companions were a large (4-5 inch) and colourful grasshopper that seemed to be everywhere. They tried to avoid us for the most part but Nancy did get quite anxious when she found one of these "babies" as well as "mom" (even larger) crawling along her arm! Needless to say we observed many spectacular varieties of wild flower that we had never previously encountered. The most unique species was one that was growing near the station near the entrance to the gateway to the park. The rivers that we had to cross became increasingly difficult. Two in particular seemed rather impossible to contemplate at mid or high tide. Strong tides met the flowing rivers in a pretty impressive two-punch made even more intimidating by the high rocky cliffs on either shore.
Our fellow hikers had something called a survival bag into which they could pack their knapsack and all other gear. The idea is to tie all of the bags together with rope, wait for low tide, then swim to the slip of a landing on the far shore. Its recommended that at least person in your group is a strong swimmer. If you can't swim you simply hang on for dear life. The South Africans (currently living in Pretoria and Swaziland) told us all kinds of interesting stories about natural dangers (snakes) as well as human (crime) from South Africa and further afield. Perhaps the strangest (which they swear is true) comes from a hospital in Swaziland. The hospital officials noticed that someone was dieing every Friday in the intensive care unit. Upon investigation they discovered that Friday was the day in which the room was fully cleaned. An employee was pulling the plug out of the life support system to plug in a vacuum! Perhaps they were pulling our leg but we have read lots of strange stories in the news during the past month.

Fortunately, we were able to find a spot that we could cross where the water was at most the height of our ribs, some distance from the beach head. We then managed to scramble up and over some of the rock. No photo of that - we were far too busy. Here's a shot of Nancy crossing the Lottering River at low tide. It does look like much... but we really didn't think that we ere going to be able to do it when we looked down from the cliffs some hours before! We finished the Otter Trail in good spirits and not too much discomfort. The tradition for hikers is to head immediately to the only local restaurant where you may have the option of leaving one or both of your worn-out boots in the tree located within the courtyard.

The closest that we got to experiencing a clawless otter was when Nancy took the plunge and followed another custom: drinking a shot called an otter's a--h--- ... which tastes like a combination of cough syrup and mustard.
Thanks for taking the time to read the blog. We hope that all friends, family and colleagues are well and looking forward to the arrival of spring in the Great White North.

Plettenberg Bay

2007-02-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

One of the best known and well-loved parts of South Africa is the Garden Route which stretches for quite some distance along the southern coast. We're part way along it but have been very impressed so far with the winding roads, water features and lush vegetation. Unfortunately, we won't be able to do it any justice by travelling on a backpackers' bus - best done in a car where you can stop and look whenever you wish.

Plettenberg Bay is one of the most popular stops along the Garden Route. It's a huge tourist destination for the South Africans themselves. There are actually few high quality beach spots along the southern coast - much of it is rocky headland and the waters are very unsafe due to strong currents, sharks, etc. I read that 40 00 of the well-to-do from Johannesburg alone come here to vacation at Christmas time!

Plettenberg Bay stretches along a couple of beaches separated by a small finger-like peninsula.

The first view I have shown is of Robberg Beach with Robberg Nature Reserve in the distant background. The view below (after the peninsula) is called Keurboom's Beach.

Keurboom's Beach is incredibly shallow and extensive during low tide but as is the case with all such beaches...watch out when the tide is on its way in!

The pictures speak better than the words...

That's all I have to say from here. We've had a couple of days of chilling out. I think that Nancy is a little tired of my saying "this is as good as it gets" each morning when we begin our walk but apart from that we're great!

Later today we're off to a place called Nature's Valley. Tomorrow we'll begin the Otter Trail which is one of the premier walking trails in the country. It'll be a tough slog but we're feeling up to it. Since we're going bush we won't be blogging for a week or more. Think of us as we think of you!

Oudtstoorn

2007-02-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Oudtshoorn (pronounced "out sworn"as in having lost a profanity contest- great place for a couple of teachers trying to get away from it all, don't you think?). Travelling east from Swellendam a few days ago we rounded Mossel Bay: a popular, glittering body of water. From there we passed through the city of George then north to this sedate town which is the unofficial capital of the Little Karoo. There's also a Great Karoo - both of them very arid and hot places. The "Little" and "Great" refer to the degree of water deprivation each area suffers through. It is usually 38-40 degrees here at this time of the year! The Great Karoo is like the interior of Australian - a harsh inland desert that was once nevertheless a tropical sea basin.

Well, it didn't take long for us to figure out that in Oudtshoorn, it's all about the ostriches! The surrounding farmlands are thick with these birds which have been bred here since the late 1800s. The warm climate and loamy soils of the Oudtshoorn Valley constitute ideal growing conditions for "lucerne" - the favourite feast of our fast, feathery, flightless friends! In total, there are some 300 ostrich farms in the region. The birds live for 40-50 years.

When in Rome (or in this case, Oudtshoorn), . . .
Our first morning here we joined some other guests of "Backpacker's Paradise" for a traditional ostrich egg breakfast. It was quite good - a chewie texture than that of a hen's egg and much "yolkier" in flavour. After breakfast we set off to explore the town. Rick sure was moving faster than normal! I had a hard time just trying to catch up!!!

The male ostrich is black and white with some golden brown on its wings; the female is brown and white. The juvenile is a light brown and white, the gendre indistinguishable for the first few years. Although the image below may make it appear that an ostrich is glamorous (check out the lovely eyelashes) and suave, all that glitters is not gold. Each of an ostrich's eyeballs weights about 60 grams; the mass of the brain is 40 grams. By the way, it is actually a myth that these odd-looking birds bury their head in the sand.

After a visit to the very informative C.P. Nel museum, we feel like we could challenge even Jeopardy champion, Ken Jennings, if the category was "The Ostrich"! Here are some tidbits of what we learned for you trivia buffs out there. The barbules on the feathers of an ostrich are not interlocking which render the bird useless for flying. One ostrich egg measures 150 x 120 mm in size. In fact, it is the equivalent of 25 chicken eggs! Although its shell is only 2mm thick, it can withstand a weight of up to 220kg!!! The reason that the eggs are so strong is because they have to support the weight of either the male or female on the nest - female ostriches have been emancipated. To make the eggs resilient the female needs a lot of minerals (especially calcium) so it often ingests rocks and pebbles. When they empty the contents of a stomach they often find sticks and other hard objects too. If the bird can't find enough rocks it will consume just about anything hard - including spark plugs or sunglasses! That's a lot of fibre so an ostrich has an extra appendix. When a female lays its first egg of the season it immediately eats it. If its not high enough in calcium then it will temporarily cease to produce more eggs.

FORTUNES were made from the fashion for ostrich feathers! In the 1880s, hundreds of thousands of kilograms of feathers were being exported! At that time, feathers constituted 40% of all agricultural products in the country! A day old ostrich chick would trade for 60 bags of corn or 1080 litres of brandy! At the time the feathers were considered to be more valuable than gold. The reason was that they were prized throughout the fashion houses of Europe.

The feathers also became an important component of ceremonial and sometimes even military dress in Belgium and beyond. Actually, generals dating back to the Roman Empire often wore military hats adorned with ostrich feathers.

Oudtshoorn grew rich and the feather barons built grand houses that have been well preserved and lend the town its charm still today. Feather auctions were held in Oudtshoorn every 14 days and the wealth of the ostrich industry drew many immigrants. The "new" concept of automobile travel in open "tourers" in the 1900s soon out-moded large feather bedecked hats. The outbreak of war also forced the need for "practicality" in fashion causing feather sales to plummet. Today ostrich meat and skins produce a tidy profit.

We had seen the ostrich palace pictured above from a distance as we walked along the main street (called Baron von Feather Meister or something like that) during our first morning in the city. Upon investigation we discovered that it was converted into a high school below which a terrific track was built. What timing - the local elementary track and field championships happened to be taking place. Let me tell you, track and field is alive and well in South Africa! There was a full agenda of events, including the 100 metre and 200 metre hurdles for kids from about grade 5. The event was very well-organized and privately sponsored. There was also a large media contingent that had to have field level passes to gain entry and there were full-time announcers!

We enjoyed talking to some of the kids and watching them for the day. Perhaps most interesting of all was the fact that (as you see) almost nobody wore shoes for any event, track or field. It was blazing hot on the track, but I suppose they get used to it. We couldn't help but wonder about the liability issues as the kids spent the day, on the field and in the stands, in bare feet. Later in the afternoon there was an elite schedule of university events. Although most of the sprinters wore shoes, only one competitor in the 3000 metres women's steeplechase did.

Prior to the university meet there was an "opening ceremony" which featured fifteen minutes of singing and dancing. The crowd was very enthusiastic throughout the entire event - it was fun to be there! At the end of it all there was an open 200 meter race for anyone over eighteen who was willing to paint their hair yellow (or wear a yellow wig) since the event was sponsored by the Yellow Pages. The prize was 1000 rand, no small sum. Would have loved to participate but was still a bit sore from a climb and didn't want to risk injury prior to the Otter trail.

Riding an ostrich for about thirty seconds was exciting and great fun. I know you're probably thinking, poor animals and all. I admit, the animal rights activists would certainly have me over a barrel on this one. I was hesitant to get on until I watched somebody else (much bigger than me) try it out so that I could see how the animal responded. Now it's not a very easy thing to know what an ostrich enjoys or is thinking but apart from balking when a bag was put over its head while I mounted, the bird didn't look to be stressed. There's virtually no meat on an ostrich breast - it's all packed into the legs, which are very strong. An ostrich can run at 70 km/hr for three kilometres. When they butcher a bird they get 30-40 kg of meat off of its thighs - that's a lot of drumstick!
As you can see the hired hands actually race the birds, so it's all part of a day-in-the-life of a farm ostrich, a routine that they have no doubt come to accept as their lot in life.

One of the main attractions around Oudtshoorn is the Cango Caves, which rank as one of South Africa's top ten tourist attractions. There were two tour options - a six gallery walk or the "adventure tour" which included the first two galleries then some splunking through some fairly challenging tight spots that went 1200 metres into the cave system. This we took; it lasted for a full two hours and was loads of fun! The caves were amazing!

Before we left Canada I promised Nancy's mother that I would try my best to take care of her daughter but its sometimes just plain difficult to keep an eye on the woman!

Guess that's it for now. I will leave you of a photo that we took on our way up to the Swartberg Pass - never quite got there (ran out of daylight) but maybe another time! A lot of the landscape photos look much better when enlarged. Thanks for the time taken to read such a long blog - hope you found it interesting. Thanks to those who have sent us e-mail messages to let us know that they're well and tuned in.

Swellandam

2007-02-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

Travelling eastward from Stellenbosch one soon comes to wide open stretches of land that support prosperous grain fields. They look very dry and barren at this time of the year because the harvest is largely over and summer is drawing to a close. In the distant north there is always the outline of tall and rugged mountains that mark the beginning of the Karoo, which is not unlike the Australian outback.

Before too many hours have passed one reaches the tranquil town (14 000) of Swellandam, South Africa's third oldest settlement. Stellenbosch had seemed very tame and safe compared to Cape Town; Swellandam is so low key that some of the people don't even lock their doors at night. It was nice to see fewer bars on windows, and less razor wire on fences. To be fair it should be mentioned that the bars are in some areas required to keep out the baboons. Swellendam is set below a small mountain range. Being a traditional Africaaner town, it has many of the Cape Dutch homes that have now become so familiar to us. Swellendam boasts a very fine Dutch Reform church. The streets are extraordinarily wide for such a small centre.

The people that we met at the hostel were a very interesting bunch. About half of them were of various ages from diverse places including a young Israeli couple on their honeymoon and a pair of retired teachers from Paris, France. The owner of the hostel spends most of her time running a horse ranch; many of the guests at the hostel were ferriers and other people who travel from town to town servicing that line of work. Most had thick rural accents which were sometimes hard for us to understand.

After four days we got to know well the main hired hand, Peter, a trainer of some ability who we came to think of as the horse whisperer. He was one of several refugees that we have met from Rhodesia\Zimbabwe that have fled the Mugabe government. A rather sad and lonely man, he often sought our company and talked openly about topics such as having fought in the Rhodesian civil war from 1965-1979, losing the family farm due to land reform policy, the death of his wife, and his two sons who live in New Zealand. He's survived a rather harsh life with "only a few holes" in him (both literal and figurative) but has learned to take life as it comes. Like many Africans, he accepts the "new South Africa" as part of an inevitable evolutionary progress. Peter shared with us how much he enjoyed a couple of brief visits to Canada, especially falling in love with the Edmonton Oilers during the Wayne Gretzky era.

One of the reasons that we stopped at Swellendam was to do some hiking, an appointment with the highly rigorous five-day Otter Trail (never too far from our minds). We're both getting quite dark and adjusting to the heat to the point that we can walk for several hours without too much discomfort. Our first day we headed to Bontebok National Park, six kilometres from the town.

The main attraction was to view the Bontebok antelope, one of the most lovely creatures you'll ever see, that was rescued from the brink of extinction once its numbers had dwindled to less than twenty-five. The animals were easy to see since the park is the smallest in South Africa at just 25 square kilometers. Still, they were quite jittery and moved off until we got down to a picnic area near a river. There we were able to see their immensely beautiful colouring (even in the ears!) up close.

The park is rather bare and dry...meaning snakes abound. The puff adder (a rather lazy serpent that insists that you walk around it ) and the cape cobra are forces to be reckoned with but we didn't have the pleasure of making their acquaintance. We'll get lots of other opportunities though. Did see lots of interesting birds. Hiked along the river for a ways and were in awe of the aloe plants that grow there. Some of them were grouped together in mini-forests that were 8-10 feet high! The one shown in the picture below is a mere infant, but very succulent!

A second and completely different hiking opportunity presented itself nearly on the doorstep of the hostel: the Marloth Nature Reserve. It supposedly still has leopards but it would be miraculous to see one during the day. The flora at the top of the mountain was fabulous. Never knew that red-hot pokers could climb that high. The photos below are of king protea, the national flower, and strawberry everlasting, a kind of fynbos (the main native species) of which protea is a sub-species. We were very interested in these. They look very much like raspberries until the flowers blossom.

We really enjoyed our time in Swellandan. Stayed in a little cabin off the garden of the hostel. Being in a smaller town makes you feel so much more grounded and able to connect with the locals. Made us think of home. One of the joys of having time to think is reflecting on the people in your life who mean so much. We think of our families and friends daily, and trust that you are well.

The Power of the Grape

2007-02-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Greetings! I've updated the Cape Town page with a few new photos: some of the entertainers, hand-painted ostrich eggs from Greenmarket Square, a beautiful view of Cape Town taken from Robben Island (notice partial remains of a Portugese shipwreck in the foreground). We were sorry to leave the city - really needed two or three more days to see and do all we wanted to!

One of the interesting things about the history of Cape Town is that it was the only European settlement on foreign soil that was never intended to be a colony. In about 1652 The Dutch East India Company put a few ships ashore to organize a settlement. Its sole purpose was to grow fruits and vegetables to re-supply Dutch ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope on their way to the lucrative spice and silk trade in Java, India, and elsewhere in the Orient. There were strict rules preventing employees of the company from individual travel or enterprise. In a sense, the East India Company farmers were slaves before the Malaysian muslims and black men arrived in chains.

The human spirit being what it is, sooner or later a few noble souls took the risk and set off on their own. A few days' travel north-east of Cape Town, a man named Stel came upon a beautiful and fertile valley at the base of a mountain. Having endured a long and hot journey he began to think about what a grand thing it would be to have something pleasant to drink. Apparently, wine was the first thing to come to mind. Unfortunately, neither he or others who subsequently arrived at Stel's bush ("Stellenbosch") knew how to make the stuff. Fortunately for them , the Reformation in Europe had led to a Catholic backlash in some countries; many of the Hugenots (French Protestants) were fleeing in the face of persecution. It so happened that the Hugenots knew a thing or two about grapes. It was a perfect marriage - the beginning of the South African wine industry which is today one of the world's best. A decent bottle here sells for about $4-5!

Like everyone else who visits Stellenbosch, we enlisted for a winery tour. We had the chance to visit four different estates: two near Stellenbosch and the others in the other celebrated wine producing towns of Francishoek and Paarl. We learned a lot of interesting facts about producing and tasting wine and also had the chance to sample quite a bit of cheese. Each winery provides samples of five or six wines. We each chose our own samples and then shared and discussed each one as it was consumed. That means that after just the first two tours there were fifteen different wines sloshing around in our stomachs. Not being much of a drinker these days, I had to "call uncle" at that point and played more of an observational role until near the end of the tour. Nancy hung in there a little longer than I did but she too was looking a little green around the gills. Still, it was a very enjoyable day!

The second estate that we visited, Fairview, was the most interesting. It had beautiful grounds that included a pomegranate tree, which neither of us had previously seen. The winery is also famous for its spin-offs on famous French wines (e.g. Goats-d0-Roam, Bored Doe, Goat Door). In fact, the French government attempted to sue the winery over the use of the names. Don't know how that turned out... oh, Nancy says they were unsuccessful. Anyway, there are a couple of goats which live in a tower on the property. They're sort of the poster children for the winery and are used for making cheese which the winery also sells.

Most of the people that we met in Stellenbosch just breezed into the town for the wine tour and then left. We stayed on for an extra few days. Let's see if you can guess why.
A) We were really enjoying meeting people from around the world at the hostel.
B) We had found an awesome restaurant with excellent food at unbeatable prices.
C) Stellenbosch is an historic city with a walking tour of 52 impressive buildings.
D) All of the above.

The University of Stellenbosch is a very old and prestigious institution. Many of the country's greatest minds (and not so great, including the "brains" behind apartheid) studied in its hallowed halls of learning. The buildings are low-rise and the city has the feel of a busy country town. Tall oak, plane and gum trees line the boulevards of the campus. None are indigenous; people like Cecil Rhodes imported everything they liked in Europe, America or Australia when they migrated to South Africa, with mixed success. Since the oak trees are not native to this environment they are quite porous. Many a good barrel of wine ended up on the sidewalk until they realized that their oak was not good enough!

We have found most of the Africaaners of all ages to be helpful and very polite. It was fun to see many students hurrying off to class on Friday. Early on Sunday morning the church bells began to ring. Religion here seems to be B.Y.O.B. - bring your own bible. There was a steady stream of young couples coming from every direction, hand in hand, the good book tucked under their arms, on their way to church. Now that's not something that you see in Canada!

The buildings of the university as well as most of the homes and institutions of the time were constructed in what is known as the Cape Dutch style. The homes were built in the shape of a T and were almost always thatched and gabled. All of the structures were painted in lime to produce a very bright white effect - impressive against the normally bright blue sky of South Africa. High quality wooden shutters and split-level (barn-like) doors add to the appeal.

That's it for now. Stay well!

Cape Town Collage

2007-02-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

Howzit? (Afrikaans for How are you doing?) We hope you are all well and surviving what sounds to be a pretty good stretch of winter weather in Canada. Sorry that it's taken so long to write but we've been living at breakneck speed thus far. Surprisingly, neither of us suffered much jet lag and hit the pavement running on our first day! The accommodations have been excellent, the food good and the sites amazing!

Cape Town is an incredible place. There's so much history and the city is a real cultural hot spot so there's tons to learn about and experience. The landscape is simply breathtaking. Highlights of our stay included a trip to the ultra-modern Victoria and Albert Waterfront (as enjoyable as Sydney or Granville Island with its many buskers and other cultural entertainers), a tour of the Bo-Kaap (historic Muslim and slave quarter), Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years), Kirstenbosch Gardens, World of Birds, the Company Gardens, Parliament, trendy Long Street, and Greenmarket Square with its many African crafts.

So-far-so-good in terms of safety. I'm sure that we looked like deer in the headlights the first day. Crime is certainly a national obsession and we got lots of solicited and unsolicited advice as to where to go and how to get there. One telling statistic is that 50% of the women living on the cape will be raped in their lifetime. A woman on the Bo-Kaap tour carried a can of mace with her and the tour guide had a device that could set off a loud alarm in case of trouble. The only time that we've felt threatened was when we were approached by a young man wielding an ornately carved stick (which turned out to be a pepper shaker) in a restaurant. Come to think of it, my credit card has been missing since visiting the squirrel monkey enclosure at the World of Birds.

Our hikes up Lion's Head and Table Mountain were unforgettable. Lion's Head provides the best overall view of the city and Table Mountain is a must on every tourist's agenda (although most simply take the cable car up). We hummed and hawed about the route we would take -there are 300 possibilities. The trail from Kirstenbosch Gardens is the most lush but there had been a number of muggings there in recent weeks. India Venster is challenging and interesting from the point of view of climbing. In the end we hired a guide, Barry, who drove us around the mountain to Camps Bay where we ascended what turned out to be an easy gorge (Kasteelspoort -Castle's Door). Lion's Head, Signal Hill, Devil's Peak and Table Mountain are skyline features that you seem to see no matter where you look in the city. They get into your head. When you wake up due to the heat or some sound in the night you realize that you have been dreaming about them. Even though Table Mountain looks flat from a distance the summit actually has dips and valleys. We were lucky and observed a beautiful orchid (found only on Table Mountain) that blossoms about ten days per year. There is a large water reservoir on top and (believe it or not) a museum and old rail line related to the mountain's important role in water management. The day went well without being smothered in the the "tablecloth" (a layer of cloud that rolls over the mountain at any time and causes serious problems with getting lost). We celebrated with a bottle of wine at pool side upon arrival back at our guest house.

The papers are a good read, filled on a daily basis with fascinating human interest stories. Many are related to crime but there are lots of other stories about political corruption, Africaans nationalism, maritime mishaps, people falling off the mountain, poverty and AIDS. Over 250 00 South Africans alone contracted HIV last year. There's a lot of talk about the disease entering its third phase: The "Sugar Daddy" phase, so-called because older affluent men and women are getting involved with young lovers (inter generational relationships). Phase I was homosexuals, Phase II working class heterosexuals. Today we read that they're starting to produce a line of South African boy's clothing that has a health warning about unprotected sex sewn onto the zipper covering! On a brighter note, they just discovered a new species of protea (the national flower) which exists nowhere else in the world.

Our day at Robben Island was really interesting. It's like the Alcatraz of South Africa. Originally, it was used by the authorities in Cape Town as a leper colony but is best known as a prison for political prisoners. Our tour began with a tour of the facilities. This photo shows the isolated house where political prisoner Robert Sobukwe was kept for so many years...right across from the guard dog kennels!

Robben Island's most famous political prisoner was Nelson Mandela, who spent most of his twenty-seven years of captivity here before being released to become the first president of South Africa.

Our tour was guided by Michael (a one-time political prisoner himself ) who shared with us the ins and outs of life in the prison.

Talk about fear - one day we rented a car to travel the Cape Peninsula that stretches below Cape Town down to the Cape of Good Hope. Few people here drive automatics and with lots of dignitaries in town for the opening of parliament, we had no chance to get one. The stick shift on a standard is on the left side, the car is driven on the left side of the road, and there are tons of steep hills in Cape Town, with many roundabouts and countless one-way streets. We learned soon after arriving that the little green man on the pedestrian crossing signs doesn't mean squat. Having nearly been run over one hundred times I was chomping at the bit to get even. No problem...just down the hill, around the corner and we would be on our way out of town. Unfortunately we missed the turn and headed straight into the inner city! After several wrong turns, near disasters and knocking over a parked motorcycle, amid great shouting we found our way to the countryside and had a lovely day. The jackass penguins (so-called because they bray like a donkey) at Boulders Beach were adorable. Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope were powerful in the mist and there were many other sites to see.

Our time is up and we have to go. Hope you enjoyed the photos.

And So It Begins...

2007-01-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

On a cold clear winter afternoon here in southern Ontario, Nancy and I tingle with anticipation as we stand at the threshold of one of the greatest adventures of our lives. Opportunity, careful planning and good fortune have once again conspired to send us on the kind of journey that is a dream about to be fulfilled. As we make final preparations we can only imagine the fascinating people, places and events we are about to experience. After two fantastic weeks of rejuvenation on the beaches and in the streets of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, we feel about as prepared as possible.

In addition to the requisite information that we’ve consumed relating to the practicalities of travelling through southern Africa, a couple of excellent novels have helped to bring to life for us this special part of the world. Fact and fiction agree that the "Dark Continent" is a land of great kindness and cruelty, a cauldron of racial and political turmoil that is just beginning to recover from centuries of injustice while at the same time celebrating its many achievements. We are aware of the risks: physical injury on some of the demanding hikes we have planned; dangerous wildlife; violent crime that is pervasive in parts of the land. We can only hope that we will be able to overcome these challenges through good decisions, determination and humour.

What do we look forward to most of all? The learning and beauty that often become inseparable as one travels. Life is a miracle that comes packaged as a series of mysteries. In one lifetime we merely scatch the surface of what is known. Whether it's understanding a theorem in math, a scientific principle, a new sequence of musical notes or a species of plant or animal never before observed, learning helps us to be more complete people. We can only hope that some of the experiences that we are able to share with you through this blog will be interesting. Stay tuned!