An introduction to the african culture began with a visit to a zulu village. There is a patriarch and matriarch and numerous young children. Who they belong to or what relationship they hold was not told to us. The older children go to school....they walk each day along the dirt road. There are dogs and chickens everywhere and rubbish. They need more clothes so I will endevour to send some when I get home. I notice one of the girls has sores on her head . We are permitted in to 3 of the dwellings...the meeting house, the bedroom and the cooking house. The meeting house is where children go to read ( the books are tatty and old ) and discuassions are held between adults. It is also a place to give blessings and prayer. The bedroom consists of a bed with a sunken mattress and little else. We are told of the custom of when a baby is born the man is not allowed to sleep with the woman for 6 months to prevent further children. he is encouraged to sleep on the opposite side of the room or within another hut in the village. Sometimes the man goes to another village which the woman does not like as he has the opportunity to find another woman. He is actually permitted 4 wives but she must never look at another man !! There is a strict custom , too, relating to death and the process od releasing the spirit to the ancestors. It didnt seem that far removed from our own beliefs. The cooking is done over a fire inside the cook house. All three huts have only dirt floors and thatched rooves and are very small. It must be hideaously cold in winter.

Apart from the game drives and the culture , there is also the fun stuff. Along the way are optional activities . Funny....the only ones to participate were me and the Aussies ( The 3 oldest of the group ). We went to Tsitsikamma to do a canopy tour . This consisted of being kitted up in the required gear and being driven into the forest and set up on a flying fox . The highest point was 30 metres above the ground with 10 different sections. We were required to leap off a platform into nowhere and go whizzing through the trees like a monkey. It was fun !! Letting go of each platform was the hardest part and some levels were really fast.

Number 1 , however would HAVE to be the shark cage diving. That was TOTALLY AWESOME. The sea conditions were 100%. It was like a millpond. There were 16 divers and I chose to go in the last group of 5. It was the end of the day and we got longer in the water. Everyone was geared up in full dive gear and got into the cage which was attached to the side of the boat. This company does not allow scuba or snorkel as they say it frightens the sharks away. So it was a matter of holding the breath and going under...literally. I climbed in last and got a good spot on the end of the cage. I had an underwater camera but having to hold the breath, try and stay underwater ( needed more weight ), holding on and trying not to have body parts protruding outside the cage ( uuhh oohh...forgot that bit !! ) , hold the camera in one hand and take pics all at the same time..was not an easy task. There was no time to use the view finder so it was literally a case of hit and miss. I missed the golden opportunity when one shark leapt up right by my face ( and I mean ..right by my face !! ) with its jaws open. It came from nowhere and I got such a fright I leapt back in the cage. I heard, and felt , the thump as it whacked against the side where I had just been standing !! AWESOME . I REALLY MUST GO BACK ONE DAY AND DO IT AGAIN. The conditions were so good the skipper decided , at the end of diving, that he would trawl a piece of black rubber ( to a shark it looks like a seal ) behind the boat and see if he could entice the sharks to breach ( jump out of the water ). He said he doesnt take clients out on such excursions so it would be a real treat for us. The skipper has 25 years experience and said he has only seen this happen maybe 3 or 4 times per year. Well......we saw it happen twice !!! And I have the dvd to prove it. What an awesome end to an already awesome day.

In the past 3 weeks I have travelled through South Africa and Swaziland . It has been diverse both in activities and landscape. Ive seen more than 25 different wild animal species and numerous bird species. Ive seen poverty beyond comprehension. People walking along the side of the road pushing wheelbarrows with their supplies going to shacks made of stone with rusty corrugated rooves held down with rocks. Ive slept with the wildlife. Trekked the mountains. Sunbaked on the beach. Been chased by a bat. Dived with sharks. Pretended to be a monkey. Been winetasting in Stallenbosh. Patted a cheeta. Eaten African fare with my fingers. Been to the most southern point of the continent. Experienced the history that was Nelson Mandelas life. And made new friends. So much diversity in a short time. I have taken 100's of photos and there is still 2 more months of travel ahead.

The next leg begins tomorrow ( Aug 19 ) and takes 42 days from Capetown to Nairobi. Internet is scarce here so not sure when I will be able to update. Will keep you posted.

Gotta go pack my bag ( again !! )

Ciao

animals and more

I meet my fellow travellers...there are two guides, Michieu and Gabriel ( both young sth africans ) and twelve in the group including me. And Australian couple, an Italian couple, one from Austria and the rest from Germany. Unfortunately this majority would later create cultural difficulties within the group which ended in tension.

We set off for Mpumalanga and visit Pilgrims Rest, Mac-Mac Falls and Gods Window. Its a bit cloudy up high so the view isnt ideal. Then into the famous Kruger National Park which is home to the Big 5. An early morning game drive is arranged and I have to miss out...I am running a temp of 39.6 and decide to stay in bed which is disappointing. I do the night drive later which is a big mistake...its absolutely freezing in the open air jeep even though I am sitting in the front with the heater. Not well, thats for sure. The following day I am feeling a little better and my camera fingers are itching ....... the next days are spent game viewing and long travelling. For two nights in the Mkuzi Game Reserve I sleep in what is called a permanent tent. Its in the bush and no one is within hearing distance if I need someone. The animals are walking around outside and there is a warning to keep the outside zipper closed at all times as the baboons will come and take your things !! I hear hyenas calling in the night and the wind is blowing the tent and making creaking noises. I think I'll keep the light on all night ...for all the good its going to do ! It actually turns out to be an amazing experience....a true sense of being with the wild life .

A visit to the Drakensburg Mountains provides a change of scenery and climate. The air is brisk. Our accommodation is in chalets and later in the evening I notice something flying around inside. It turns out to be a bat !.Im told they are harmless and they like insects not meat. Dont care....Im not sleeping with a bat in the dark !! I enlist the help of several people to get rid of the thing...all feeling sorrier for the bat than me. Huh !! Eventually we turn out the light and use a red light to attract it outside.

Theres only electricity here between the hours of 5pm and 10pm and its generated. Outside of that its kerosene lanterns. Quaint !! A cuppa is made using a billy on gas. Tastes good though.

The next day is decided to take a gentle hike for a couple of hours. Pigs might fly !! Turns into a 5 hour marathon with me being left on my own in the wilderness. I was in a group with 4 germans and they were so busy talking to each other in their lingo they took no notice of me. I trekked for 2 hours on my own across the rocks and dust...too scared to look sideways in case I saw baboons. They are known to attack humans as they equate them to food. I was continually conscious that if I fell or tripped and hurt myself that no one would know where I was. I was following a guided track so I knew it would eventually lead me back to camp. the track was only the width of two feet so was narrow and uneven. By this time I had only half a bottle of water and I was a long way from the finish line. The sun was blazing Another thing to be conscious of. By the time I got back my fingers and feet were swollen and I was dehydrated. Needless to say, when I told the guide that I had been left up there alone, she was not happy.

Here at last

Well, fellow friends and followers....I am finally here in Africa. The 35 hour flight on Emirates A380 was a breeze. The staff are highly professional and friendly which made it a pleasure to fly

I arrived in Joberg a few days earlier than tour start day as I wanted to acclimatise. Little did I know that a week later I would still be bright eyed and bushy tailed at 2am and still on kiwi time. At least it got me used to functioning on only a few hours sleep each day in readiness for long days.

I decided not to waste these first days and booked a sightweeing tour of the city and Soweto. Joberg apparently has been voted the most dangerous city in the world. It does not have a safe feel about it and I was told not to go walking anywhere on my own. As if !! Only 10% of the total population of Sth Africa is white. There is rubbish lying everywhere..in the gutters, on the streets,,,everywhere. Its filthy. People are wandering around and there are few white people to be seen in the area where I am. There are some very nice cars being driven around, I note. These belong to the business people. There is a group of men standing in a dirt patch hacking at some animal and a fire is lit nearby...most likely to cook it. Right next to the street. I see this more than once. Most of the houses have high fences which have a rolled up layer of barbed wire running along the top. Some are electrified. I wonder if it keeps out the bad element.

Soweto, in comparison felt a little safer. There are no high fences or barbed wire. A class system exists...upper, middle and lower. The higher class live in nice brick houses while only a short distance down the road there are people who live in shacks with no electricity or running water. The little kids come running...they are dirty and smell bad but they are smiling . I gave them some shiny stickers to put on their hands.

Soweto was established in 1804 and has a population of 3 million. Only four of these are white...2 reverends and 2 charity ladies. It covers an area of 130 sq metres. Its very different to what is portrayed on tv. There are four large shopping malls, sealed roads and traffic lights, and businesses. Across the road from the slums is KFC....every kids dream is to be able to eat there ! Soweto is certainly a place of diversity.