On Safari in Africa

How do I begin to describe the rugged beauty of the African wilderness. Tropical rich greens that are so different from home. Leaves in Africa vary from long and spiky to broad and massive. The shades of green seem to have more of a yellow hue, that gives a warmth to their vibrancy. In fact, they exuded a warm rich glow as the sunlight begins to intensify the day.


The air in the mountains is fresh and inspiring, (especially coming out of the city), with big winds that blew at night. We were staying in a camp located at the uppermost hilltop of the game reserve, hence the name "Hilltop". The views were spectacular. Occasionally we saw huge birds of prey in the air. The one bird we were able to identify was the White Headed Vulture. Not our stereo-typical type of vulture with a long neck, but more like an enormous eagle, soaring with a mighty wingspan.

The game reserve was called Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park. It is KwaZulu-Natal's most magnificent game park, and is situated in the heart of KwaZulu Natal, some 250 km north of Durban. It is one of the biggest in South Africa covering 96,000 hectares of stunningly beautiful landscape, a rich compound of misty forests, grass covered hills, dense thickets, expansive and diverse woodlands and watering holes that attract big game.

We took two guided tours, one at night from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm. This one was really unusual because as it became darker and darker and harder to see, (remember it is winter here, and their daylight hours are short), I was wondering how on earth we were ever going to see any game. Then the tour guide handed Loren a huge spotlight and gave him the job of highlighting bushes, trees, grassy clearings and dense thickets for game, as he guided the safari jeep, down the unlit road. The best chance of seeing a lion or a leopard is at night, because the big cats are nocturnal. Luck was ours, because as we were making our way back to the camp, we found, less than one metre off the road, a pair of male lions. They were very relaxed and thankfully looked well fed. That would definitely, not be a road that I would like to go running along. It would be so easy, to not be able to see them, because they wait so patiently. Their tawny coats and golden mane made a scary blend with the grass along the side of the road as they waited quietly! Fortunately, we sit quite high up in the jeep (higher than the roof of a truck), well above the height of the road, because it is an open air vehicle, with only a tarp coving the roof. The morning guided tour, 5:45 am until 9:00 am allowed us to see more animals, with more detail and obviously, more scenery. All in all we saw Rhino, Lions, Elephant, Wildebeest, Buffalo, Hyena, Warthog, Bush Pig, Giraffe, Zebra, Antelope, Baboons and Monkeys. It was so amazingly remarkable that I am at a loss for how to describe the impact upon my mind/spirit. In Canada, we think that we are beside a big animal when we stand near a horse. The reality of animals in the wilderness setting of Africa, is so far beyond/above the comprehension that comes from reading books, or seeing a show. To turn a phrase from the sixties, "It was mind blowing!" and definitely redefined within the context of my mind, that we as humans are insignificant by comparison. So feeling much like a wee small ant, in the natural order of things, we continued our Safari and headed off to St. Lucia.

St Lucia is a small town on the eastern coast of South Africa and is home to the first ever African Estuary Reserve that was the first World Heritage Site in South Africa. This part of our adventure brought us up close to Birds, Hippo and Crocodile. Did you know that Hippos kill more people every year than any other of the Big Five? St. Lucia is also know for the huge Leopard population in the area, but unfortunately we didn't see a leopard.

The "Big Five" that everyone tries/ hopes to see are Lion, Leopard, Hippo, Rhino and Elephant. Winter is a good time to do a Safari because the animals come into the watering holes. Some of the holes were already drying up, with muddy exposed bottoms being the norm, but many still had water. All in all, we saw four of the Big Five, each of which was more amazing than I had ever imagined! Highlights of the safari, were the way the Rhino ate, marked it's territory and rubbed and climbed against a massive boulder to scratch itself, (we spent a good forty minutes watching one, because he circled around our jeep and and was doing all his antics right at the side of the dirt track which didn't leave enough room for us to even begin to attempt to go past. Discovering that not all zebra are black and white and that no two zebra have the same stripe pattern. There is also a variety of zebra that have a tan colouring between the black stripes through most of their body. They are particularly beautiful and remind me of a cross between a zebra and a buckskin horse. My favourite of all the animals however, was the giraffe! They were far more cautious, just a little curious, and quick to lope out of sight. Their only defense is their ability to run away quickly, and to place a well aimed kick at a Lion. The length of their stride, the grace of their movements and their very intelligent eyes won my heart.

Potjie (Poikey)

Twenty five minutes of suspense as we drove to join a large group having a Sunday event called a potjie. We arrived to find heaps of briquettes set right on the ground and shaped like a small fire pit. Each team had their own briquette pile and the briquettes were already turning white from the heat. A light breeze fanned the energy of the burning coals. Nestled in the coals were several small pots call potjies. A potjie looks remarkable like the witches cauldrons from stories of old. They are black cast iron, pot shaped, balance on three short legs and have a lid. Each pot contained a mixture that was simmering and receiving lots of attention.



At our team's camp one pot was cooking Warthog, and another was cooking Antelope. Both resembled an enourmous pot roast, bubbling away in a broth of liquid. The three legs on the potjie were keeping it balanced with coals piled up underneath. Tiara and Loren started to cook a Canadian contribution, a hearty pot of "Quebec Beans" and salt pork. Several hours into the cooking another potjie was filled with a variety of vegetables. The last two items to hit the coals and start baking were Corn Bread and a Fruit Compote with a Sherry Sauce that was spooned over Bananna Fritters.

The whole meal was supposed to be completed by 2:00 and most teams were finished and ready to eat by 2:30.

The Rotarians had invited official Chefs-in -Training, from the local Chef School to sample each meal, and rate both the meal and the meal presentation. This was a fun competition with everyone willing to share recipes and cooking techniques. Prizes were to be awarded. Our team went all out with both the cooking and the table decorations and meal presentation. We won first place!

Each team had a theme for their decorations. One theme was Asian, another German, and even a Professional Chef theme. Our theme was African.

The meal itself tasted delicious! My favourite was the Warthog and the Letourneau Beans! I thought of both Gregg and Nana lots! Gregg would have loved the outdoors campfire all day and Nana would have loved tasting their venison, complete with gravy and sauce.

It was a great social. Everyone was relaxed and having a good time. People mixed, mingled, and talked with others from all the teams. This was a fun get together. I wonder if it could be recreated at home?

Liv was an absolute gem all day. She continues to amaze me. She played happily, smiled at strangers, walked with us, and did the yabba yabba all day. We put her in her playpen a couple of times for a nap, but she just laid down with her eyes open. Finally at about 3:15 we tried again and she laid down and had a nap. Not even the cheers from our team when we won woke her up.

Her smile brightens my day. I am so thankful to be here and able to get to know her. She is such a trooper. Liv is so good natured and goes along with all we do and blesses us each and everyday with the way she stops to examine a leaf, bounces gleefully when she is happy, and smiles at us with a twinkle in her eye.

Liv

Liv is the most amazing bundle of energy and light. Her eyes are a tawny green and are accentuated by her medium brown hair with red and golden highlights and her perfectly shaped lips that regularly are engaged in a joyful smile.
She loves to walk in between two adults, while holding onto a finger from each person. Leaves, flowers and rocks are all of great interest. She makes time to study all of them by sittling down with a drop/plop and then with intense focus, turns them, looks at them and most times puts them into her mouth.

Liv loves the outdoors and does a bouncy jiggle as Loren carries her in the Baby Back Pack. Smiling at all the people passing by causes others to frequently stop and talk to her. Sometimes the attention makes her a little shy, and she will get quiet and her eyes will examine the person in a deliberate sort of way.

Liv's other favourites include reading books with Mom and Dad and being the girl that "turns the page"! She loves to snuggle at bottle time and goes to bed really well. some nights Tiara and Loren can lay her down in her cot and she falls asleep with out even a peep. Other nights, she calls to get back up or squawks a little bit. But she usually settles quickly and dozes off into a deep sleep.

One of the most delightful times is when she wakes up. She makes some calls and then vocalizes a bit. By the time we get in to get her, she is already happy and greets us with a big smile and twinkling eyes!

Liv

Liv is the most amazing bundle of energy and light. Her eyes are a tawny green and are accentuated by her medium brown hair with red and golden highlights and her perfectly shaped lips that regularly are engaged in a joyful smile.
She loves to walk in between two adults, while holding onto a finger from each person. Leaves, flowers and rocks are all of great interest. She makes time to study all of them by sittling down with a drop/plop and then with intense focus, turns them, looks at them and most times puts them into her mouth.

Liv loves the outdoors and does a bouncy jiggle as Loren carries her in the Baby Back Pack. Smiling at all the people passing by causes others to frequently stop and talk to her. Sometimes the attention makes her a little shy, and she will get quiet and her eyes will examine the person in a deliberate sort of way.

Liv's other favourites include reading books with Mom and Dad and being the girl that "turns the page"! She loves to snuggle at bottle time and goes to bed really well. some nights Tiara and Loren can lay her down in her cot and she falls asleep with out even a peep. Other nights, she calls to get back up or squawks a little bit. But she usually settles quickly and dozes off into a deep sleep.

One of the most delightful times is when she wakes up. She makes some calls and then vocalizes a bit. By the time we get in to get her, she is already happy and greets us with a big smile and twinkling eyes!

Alarm Bells a Ringing

As any traveler will tell you, it takes the body a few days to adjust to changes in time zones. So of course it was likely that I would have weird sleeping patterns the first few days in South Africa. My first morning here, I awake at about 4:00 am. Not a problem I told myself. I used the bathroom, tried going back to sleep, but eventually gave up and got up to stay. Not a problem I told myself, I will just read this great book. About an hour later, and everyone is still sleeping, I decided that I would make myself a cup of tea. I slipped quietly out to the kitchen, and searched for the light switch. My hands caressed the side of the kitchen wall. No switch. Hmm. Looked around in the pitch black thinking that there must be switch somewhere. Felt near the window. Nothing. Hmmm. Went back to the wall near the door, oh right, there door knobs and light switches are higher up the wall than ours. Nose closer to the wall, peering intently at the wall in the dark, I see the switch. I rub my hand over it, but no light comes on. That's weird. My fingers search out the shape of the switch. It doesn't have a knob, but seems to have a softer centre where you push. That discovered, I pushed the centre and waited no light. Hmmmm. Maybe I just have to push a little harder. This time I felt for the centre and gave a good push! Instantly, there was the kind of siren explosion that you only hear in the movies. Just about as loud as a school fire alarm, but more the pattern of a car alarm. The noise and vibration are screaming loudly throughtout the whole house. I desperately push the button again, thinking that I will be able to stop the peel of the sound waves! Nope, they pulse on, screaming at everyone to wake up, wake up, wake up! Loud enough to wake the neighbours, and a direct line to the security system. I walk into the hallway, and as I brush along the wall, I definitely feel a light switch, I turn it on, just as Tiara walks out of the bedroom and asks, "What are you doing?" "Trying to make a cup of tea", is my response. Tiara heading off to stop the alarm, and returned this time with Liv in her arms to say again, "What were you doing?" Just then the phone rings and Tiara has to explain to the security company that Her mother was visiting and accidentally triggered the alarm. Otherwise they would have sent an armed guard out to check. Apparently, it is just a small car, but both guards come with big guns. Liv bless her heart, is not crying, but has two big tears rolling down her cheeks. Awww! I apologize, explain about the button, and learn that it is what we would call a panic button. The kitchen light interestingly enough is actually in the hallway, across the hall from the kitchen, not even on the outside wall of the kitchen.
Both Tiara and Loren are ready to go back to sleep, but obviously, Liv is wide awake. The best solution is that she stay up with me and they go back to bed. So my first morning, I had Liv all to myself, we played, she giggled, we laughed. Life is good even without your tea!

How Fast Can You Run with Three Suitcases?

The time change between England and South Africa is only one hour. But the shortest layover that I had was in Joberg. Two hours until my next flight. That should have been enough, but, our flight departed England one hour late, and I found out just before landing that even though I had been told that my bags were checked all the way to Durban, they were not.

Customs have to be cleared in Joberg. First there is the long line to speak to an agent. Then comes the wait for the suitcases. No need to crowd to the front of the line, because bags entered the carousel so slowly that I am sure the fellow loading them was walking back and forth to the plane for each bag. I am being honest when I say that by the time my bags were unloaded, there were only three other people standing there waiting for their suitcases. Anxiously, I threw my bags onto a cart and careened down the hall toward customs, knowing that if they decided to search my bags I would miss my next flight. As I approached I could see there was no line, everyone was already through. The customs fellow saw me coming and held out his hand. As I slowed, he said just hand me your form. It was almost a shuttle pass and I was out the door looking into a busy and crowded airport. Three bags and 28 minutes until departure and I was in the international wing and needed to get all the way to the national departures wing. I was determined to make it. The last thing I wanted to do was to sit in another airport for the next available flight!

I asked a porter for directions. The reply was complicated. He offered to show me the way and I thankfully said yes. As we were walking I explained the details of my next flight. He said we might make it if we really hurry. Hurry meant run. So I had an early morning run while he lengthened his already really long stride. He delivered me right to the agent, interrupted a line of people to get me through and kept yakking at the agent until the fellow was willing to let me have a boarding ticket. All in all he was a miracle worker and I gave him a great tip! Some things are just meant to be! And I was meant to get to Durban on time! And I did!

Sitting in a Tin Can

The flight to Joberg was fully booked. So fully booked that they could not fit all the luggage in the under carry area until they took it out and reloaded all of it. So, we sat on the tarmac for a whole hour extra before departure! It was hot, no air flow, and I was all jammed in. The heat and the lack of sleep from the night before caused me to close me eyes, and the next thing I new I was sound asleep, even before take off. As a matter of fact, even though this flight was longer, and I only had my seat, I slept most of the flight out of pure exhaustion. So when I arrived in Joberg I was feeling quite fresh!

Heading to South Africa

Our whole week has been so full of kitchen plans and details that I have barely had time to think about traveling to South Africa.

When the realization that today was the departure date, scrambled into my mind, instead of being excited, I was anxious, nervous and generally unsure about managing the 36 hour event.

Hailey came with me to the airpoprt, loaded the extra large and heavy suticases onto British Airways weigh scales and coached me through all the possible emergency contingencies.

It was hard to say good-bye. Usually I am distracted from my own feelings on these flights because I feel it is necessary to watch out and help Nana. But she is not here this time and I am left very aware of my own feelings. Without her here the experience is different.

This time solo, with lots of time to spare, because we checked in last night via the computer, I was able to re-group and settle in the most amazing environment.

The inner world of the Vancouver International Departures area is a marvel. You can pull a chair up to the edge of a gray slate stream, see reeds and ferns growing along the waters edge and be treated to the authentic sounds and calls of Canadian birds. The whole experience was very relaxing and peaceful. A perfect reason to check in early and save the rush.

Boarding was simple, and the flight was long. It ends up I have a seat beside me that is empty! What luck! After dinner and when the lights are dimmed, I offer to share the middle seat with the lady on the other side of it. She declines because she has the isle and is "quite good at sleeping in the seats, especially after drinking two half bottles of wine. (BA serves lots of liquor - free)

As best as I could as the night wore on, I rotated through every know position possible on the two seats, finishing up with my back on the seats and my legs leaning agains the window wall. Nothing was comfortable and I managed very little sleep.

London, England

On arrival, we had a long wait on the tarmac before we could disembark. People eager to leave, stood in closely packed lines waiting for the doors to open.

Stepping through the exit door, we are surprised to find a set of much older steps, poorly attached. A whisper rustles among the passengers, "What?" "No Ramp to the building?" "I wonder why we have to use the stairs?".

The landing wobbles with the arrival of my first step. It has the same kind of motion when first stepping on a boat deck, only this deck is several stories off the ground. Each successive step brings new cautions to my mind. The people in front of me are grabbing the hand rails and holding on fearfully as they decend. I am carrying a bag in one hand and listening to the mother behind me, trying to manage bags and two small children with support from airline personnel. A short walk across the tarmac and now we have to climb up! Yes I said up! The top of the stairs deliver us to the original level and we are then able to head down the lengthy corridor until suddenly coming into a room with massive amounts of people, all who are need to make connections in Terminal One to other parts of the world.

Although there are hundreds in the lineup, the air conditioning is not on, and the room is incredibly hot, stale smelling and humid. Hot bodies. Sweat. Slow moving lines. This is another security gate and once more everything needs to be scanned. They are definitely more thorough in London, or on a higher alert. Everyone's shoes have to come off. I am glad I am wearing slip-ons, so that they can slip off. Surprisingly the bottleneck where everyone has to take their shoes off and load all possessions into plastic tubs, moves relatively quickly and with some urgency (as all are very aware of the masses waiting behind.

The inside of Heathrow International Departure section is like a great big underground mall, with a few quiet gate areas off the side. Prices seem expensive. I look at a lot of "things" and saunter on in search of water. At the very end of the mall is a small convenience store and I am able to buy two bottles of water, one of that I drink right away.
Looking around, a shop catches my interest. It is a coffee shop. When I ask, the have soya milk and they make a lovely Soya Chia tea for me. After my tea I start my walk once more that when the 11 hour flight to Joberg starts, I will be glad to sit and read.