Here I am, sitting in a comfy little inn awaiting my return to my home, my family and friend, my life! This vacation has been an extremely welcome hiatus from my stressful life, and if you know me at all, you know I am a very very stressed and busy person most of the year. EEK! Well, like I said, here I am two days away from my life of studying, writing, and reading.... like I said can’t wait! It’s funny how you can go crazy while on a trip.
So for the past few days we have continued traveling to get closer to Jo-burg (Johannesburg for you non-South Africans, ha!). After one more day in Krueger National Park, we traveled to another place Blithe River Canyon—South Africa’s version of the Grand Canyon. It really was beautiful. It didn’t quite measure to the, well, grandness of the Grand Canyon—it was smaller—but beautiful in a different way. The rocks, mountains, and rivers are really different here in South Africa. It’s weird. Bobbi and Nate, both friend from the University of Minnesota Morris, and I rode horses to the top. That’s right! I was on a horse! Although the horses were fun and all, they were quite trained and mine REFUSED to gallop at any cost. It’s a good thing that there were not any snakes around because mine would have pulled a Stacey, haha!
So... side track, Stacey is my friend from Trinidad and Tobago but she studied and lives in New Orleans, and way back when we were in Cape Town, we went on a boat tour to see some seals. Remember the pictures? Anyway, while on the boat Stacey made an unforgettable and hilarious comment, she said that if she were thrown overboard she would just drown because the water was so cold. Ever since then, giving up without a fight is known, to me, as a Stacey.
Back to the present—man this blog is really turning out to be really post-modern—we road horses to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular, but you’ll have to wait until I get back before you can see it—damn computer/internet problems!
Now, we are in Dullstrom (not sure about spelling), the fly fishing capital of Zuid Afrika (South Africa in Afrikaans). This is where my professor’s, remember Helena?, mother and parts of her family live. Yesterday, we cooked dinner and hung around. Today we have off. Most of the other students are writing essays and journals, which are our only assignments for this trip, and of course, knowing me, I finished them all about 3 days ago, so I have nothing to do. I played hearts for 3 hours yesterday. Today, I will probably just read a book and bug the other busy students. What an interesting way to spend my last full day in South Africa. Tomorrow, our plane leaves at 6:30 from Jo-burg airport. I won’t be back on physical land until like 16 hours later in Atlanta and then 3 hours later I will be in MSP ya’ll (round midday)! My phone WILL be working, so call me—if you know what’s good for you!
So... some of the things I will miss from South Africa
1. Appletizer, an amazing apple flavored drink that is not available in the US... so sad! No worries, I have been drinking it at every meal, so I will be good!
2. Accents, you should hear Nate (introduced above) imitate the Cape accent! It’s awesome.
3. isiXhosa, the language back in Cape Town, informally known as the click language. It is really interesting to turn the TV on and hear people using clicks. I love diversity.
4. Tea time. Yes, they really do have tea time here in South Africa. It was colonized by the British, you know! I mean, how can you beat an extra meal that consist of cookies (although they are called biscuits here) and tea, two of my favorite things.
5. Driving on the other side of the road. This took some time to get used to. I remember almost crapping my pants every time we turned on what I thought was the wrong side of the road. Also, when crossing the road. I almost got run over because I looked to the left first... wrong!
6. The people. Although this is kind of broad and general, I do believe that there is a certain charm and wit of the people here. I honestly have encountered very few moody, fast-paced, angry people here. Except that one lady at the coffee shop way long ago.
7. Road-side vendors. Like in México, South Africa boasts a plethora of road side vendors selling anything from common drinks to trinkets even to cell phone chargers. Actually, cell phones chargers were very common. How convenient would it be if we had these in the US? I mean how cool would it be if you were really really thirsty on your 2 hour bus ride from the suburbs to the city and there was a man or woman selling cool soft drinks to quell your parched esophagus? Pretty cool, eh?
8. The animals. Yesterday, while driving we saw a rhinoceros. Not in the national park or anything, just on the side of the damn road. All we have back in The States are dumb deer. Call me biased but I think a Rhino is way more interesting than skunks, squirrels, or badgers.
9. Minority majority. This may seem like an oxymoron, but hear me out. Black people are the majority here in South Africa, and it’s nice to be in a more diverse community. It really helps break down racial borders and increases exposure.
I am sure that in retrospect I will miss many more things about ZA, but like my Basic Concepts of Literary Studies teacher said, “It’s hard for fish to see water.” I really don’t miss much about the US right now. Just like an ol’ regular gringo (if you don’t know what this means you are one!, aka a white person), I have been making comparisons this whole trip. Although I am afraid to admit it, I have too often started my sentences with the dependent clause: “well, back in the US...” Lame, I know, but it’s a reflex. Part of being human is comparing and contrasting, it’s when we hierarchize things that we get into trouble. Before I go on a long winded academic rant, I will leave you to your thoughts.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Welcome to the wilderness
Welcome to the wilderness. After indulging in all of the urban getaways that South Africa has to offer, our group has finally made it to The Bush. The Bush is what South African’s refer to as the wilderness; it would be the equivalent to the American Wild West. Although I really enjoyed my stay in Cape Town, Kimberly, and Pretoria, The Bush is turning out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. I mean it this time! I keep saying each part of this trip is my favorite but, truly, this part of the trip is unbelievably unforgettable.
After leaving the comfort of civilization in Pretoria, we made our way north close to the Zimbabwean and Botswan(i)an border to the desolate Mapungubwe nature reserve. The camp we stayed at was actually in the middle of a nature reserve and was really beautiful and fancy. The natural beauty of the South African Bush is just breathtaking. The camp is surrounded by rocky, bush covered hills that are sprinkled with huge trees, like the ones in the lion king! (lame, I know, but I forgot their actual name). As beautiful as Mapungubwe is, nothing prepared me for the incredible darkness of the night. I was freaking out! You couldn’t see your hand in front of you, and did I mention there are wild animals? Although most of the animals are harmless... wait, I take that back! Mapungubwe has elephants, leopards, snakes. They have black mambas, which can kill you in 90 seconds flat with their poison. The combination of pitch dark nights and prowling predators didn’t make me a happy camper at night. Needless to say, I didn’t got anywhere alone. Thanks Nate for never leaving my side (although I am still angry you scared the crap out of me at Medikwe)!
After spending two glorious days and three scarring night at Mapungubwe, we traveled south to another camping site. Although this site was not in the middle of a game reserve, it might as well have been. Medikwe is an ex-, small farm owned by a sweet old couple that has been converted into a lodge for tourists. If you all thought Mapungubwe was beautiful, this place was... well... even more beautiful. Medikwe is up in the mountains, and although town is only 30 km away and there is a train running through the land, there is NO electricity. That’s right, no electricity. Not to mention that our cabin was a ten-minute walk from the guest house! However, our cabin made up for it. It was built on the side of a rock, literally! Hannes, the co-owner of Medikwe, built a cabin using a huge boulder as one of the main pillars of the house. This place was, as my little bro Balta would say, “Off the chain!”
We spent two days at Medikwe enjoying the scenic views, relaxed conversations, and thorny Sickle Bushes, bushes with toothpick like thorns on every square millimeter—let’s just say they aren’t fun to mess with, right Jake and Muneer? On our second day, there Hannes took most of the group on a long walk to see cave paintings—real, original cave paintings, not the fake crap. The walk was great, but the paintings were amazing. I still can’t grasp the idea that hundreds of years ago a person sat in the same spot were I was taking a snap shot and painted the picture I was admiring. It was completely surreal.
After our days in beautiful Medikwe, we traveled to the world famous Kruger National Park. Kruger Park is amazing. It is a HUGE national park that has an incredibly impressive fauna and flora, including some of the most famous African animals, the cheetah, leopard, lion, hippo, elephant, and the water buffalo. We weren’t in the park for more than 10 minutes when I saw my first non-caged, actually wild, independent elephant. If you all think the elephants at the zoo are cool, you have to see one in real life! After settling in, we went on our own safari. We saw more elephants and plenty of impalas, but the real show started when we saw an entire herd of water buffalos, there were at least like 100, if not 150. It was incredible.
As the days I have left in South Africa diminish to the point where I can count them on my hands, I am beginning to realize how much I have enjoyed my experience here. This country really is a country of stark contrasts. Reading parts of my blog over show me just how diverse and contrastive this country is. Starting in a metropolitan tourist city, traveling to rural desert areas, and ending in a living zoo, this country has shown me a lot, and it has yet to stop surprising me. I have 6 days out of my original 6 weeks left in South Africa, and I can’t wait to experience them. I will be back in the United States on Tuesday of next week. This fact seems as unfathomable as the beauty of this country.
After leaving the comfort of civilization in Pretoria, we made our way north close to the Zimbabwean and Botswan(i)an border to the desolate Mapungubwe nature reserve. The camp we stayed at was actually in the middle of a nature reserve and was really beautiful and fancy. The natural beauty of the South African Bush is just breathtaking. The camp is surrounded by rocky, bush covered hills that are sprinkled with huge trees, like the ones in the lion king! (lame, I know, but I forgot their actual name). As beautiful as Mapungubwe is, nothing prepared me for the incredible darkness of the night. I was freaking out! You couldn’t see your hand in front of you, and did I mention there are wild animals? Although most of the animals are harmless... wait, I take that back! Mapungubwe has elephants, leopards, snakes. They have black mambas, which can kill you in 90 seconds flat with their poison. The combination of pitch dark nights and prowling predators didn’t make me a happy camper at night. Needless to say, I didn’t got anywhere alone. Thanks Nate for never leaving my side (although I am still angry you scared the crap out of me at Medikwe)!
After spending two glorious days and three scarring night at Mapungubwe, we traveled south to another camping site. Although this site was not in the middle of a game reserve, it might as well have been. Medikwe is an ex-, small farm owned by a sweet old couple that has been converted into a lodge for tourists. If you all thought Mapungubwe was beautiful, this place was... well... even more beautiful. Medikwe is up in the mountains, and although town is only 30 km away and there is a train running through the land, there is NO electricity. That’s right, no electricity. Not to mention that our cabin was a ten-minute walk from the guest house! However, our cabin made up for it. It was built on the side of a rock, literally! Hannes, the co-owner of Medikwe, built a cabin using a huge boulder as one of the main pillars of the house. This place was, as my little bro Balta would say, “Off the chain!”
We spent two days at Medikwe enjoying the scenic views, relaxed conversations, and thorny Sickle Bushes, bushes with toothpick like thorns on every square millimeter—let’s just say they aren’t fun to mess with, right Jake and Muneer? On our second day, there Hannes took most of the group on a long walk to see cave paintings—real, original cave paintings, not the fake crap. The walk was great, but the paintings were amazing. I still can’t grasp the idea that hundreds of years ago a person sat in the same spot were I was taking a snap shot and painted the picture I was admiring. It was completely surreal.
After our days in beautiful Medikwe, we traveled to the world famous Kruger National Park. Kruger Park is amazing. It is a HUGE national park that has an incredibly impressive fauna and flora, including some of the most famous African animals, the cheetah, leopard, lion, hippo, elephant, and the water buffalo. We weren’t in the park for more than 10 minutes when I saw my first non-caged, actually wild, independent elephant. If you all think the elephants at the zoo are cool, you have to see one in real life! After settling in, we went on our own safari. We saw more elephants and plenty of impalas, but the real show started when we saw an entire herd of water buffalos, there were at least like 100, if not 150. It was incredible.
As the days I have left in South Africa diminish to the point where I can count them on my hands, I am beginning to realize how much I have enjoyed my experience here. This country really is a country of stark contrasts. Reading parts of my blog over show me just how diverse and contrastive this country is. Starting in a metropolitan tourist city, traveling to rural desert areas, and ending in a living zoo, this country has shown me a lot, and it has yet to stop surprising me. I have 6 days out of my original 6 weeks left in South Africa, and I can’t wait to experience them. I will be back in the United States on Tuesday of next week. This fact seems as unfathomable as the beauty of this country.
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