We leave tomorrow morning, and while some of us are ready to come home, the rest of us are pretty sad to be leaving. Cape Town is such a great city for walking and exploring, so beautiful and multicultural. We had a big group dinner tonight, with all kinds of foods from Africa. There was great art on the walls, delicious food, and we had a great time. And now we have to pack, and we have to say good bye. Almost all the students are out and about for one last time in the city, but thoughts of home are looming.
We'll be back in Elmira, if everything goes according to plan, sometime early afternoon on Friday.
This has been a wonderful experience, with so many opportunities, and we have had such a great group of students. It has really been amazing!
We'll be home soon.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Cape Point
The professors (and Andi) took a drive to Cape Point this morning. Along the way, we followed the coastline, at times driving along cliffside switchbacks with insane drops off the side. Part of the way, we were in a half tunnel (with the drop-side open) so that we were protected from rockslides. The views were amazing, when we could manage to look over the side of the speeding vehicle!
The weather today has been foggy and a bit rainy, with dramatic mist swirling up from the sea and hiding the tops of the mountains. In the city, it's been a little wet, but not so bad because little cafes and shops are everywhere and it's easy to duck inside. We were worried that the gray day would obscure the gorgeous views, but it turns out that the views we did have were pretty great, so it all worked out.
We walked around at Cape Point, the South-Westernmost point of Africa (and almost the most Southern, but not quite). Sad to say, there has been a lot of misinformation about Cape Point, including, as I had believed up until today, that this was the place at which the Indian and Atlantic Oceans met. But not so. Several large currents meet here, including one that passes India and is much warmer than the Atlantic water, but it isn't the edge of the ocean. Darn.
Still, it was gorgeous. The South African National Park system is really well maintained, and the three parks we have seen have all been wonderously beautiful. Cape Point was no exception, with huge crashing waves and giant cliffs and a dramatic hulking peninsula with a victorian-era light house at the top. We had the choice of walking up to the highest point, or taking a funicular car. The view was amazing for miles around us, although the fog did obscure the mountains on the other side of False Bay. Still, it was pretty great.
We then went to visit some penguins, or rather, we went and tromped around in their nesting grounds while exclaiming loudly in wonderment. The male penguins were hanging out, not afraid of us, going about their penguin business. We could see babies in some of the nests, some of the babies seemingly being squashed by dad's rear-end sitting on them. The females were out fishing, and if only we had shown up a little later, we might have seen them return with their catch.
On our way home, we were waylaid by a group of baboons hanging out in the middle of the road. They walked alongside us, and we were careful not to have any open windows as they can be quite aggressive about food. We did see a little baby baboon run out into the road, and mom immediately leaped out and tackled the little one (literally) and then in one swift move, latched the baby onto her belly while continuing to run across the road. We couldn't help but think how similar humans might be, racing out to rescue our babies from the road.
During our free time today, a number of groups of students have done all kinds of interesting things. There was some serious bargaining going on at the local crafts market (and I've seen a number of quite lovely gifts heading home, not to give away any secrets or anything!). Mike and Jocelyn are working on Facebook as I write, and a number of students began posting their photos online today. Sadly, the students who planned to go to the beach (Becky, Laura, Jocelyn, Mike and Dylan) got rained out. Our shark-divers, Chris, Jameson, and Diane have survived with all of their limbs intact, and they swear it was a wonderful experience with "lots of action." (I don't want to think about it too much!). The three of them were apparently together in the cage while the sharks were baited, and the sharks were so close that they were thrashing their tales against the cage as they ate. I'm just glad our students are back safe and happy. A number of students are out right now down at the waterfront, where there is a GIANT mall with lovely seaside restaurants and curio shops and all kinds of entertainment options. I think there is a group heading out for clubs later tonight.
I think we all really like Cape Town a lot. It is such a lovely and lively city for walking, and there is such an interesting mix of cultures here. And it is SO beautiful! It's hard to believe we'll be home soon.
The weather today has been foggy and a bit rainy, with dramatic mist swirling up from the sea and hiding the tops of the mountains. In the city, it's been a little wet, but not so bad because little cafes and shops are everywhere and it's easy to duck inside. We were worried that the gray day would obscure the gorgeous views, but it turns out that the views we did have were pretty great, so it all worked out.
We walked around at Cape Point, the South-Westernmost point of Africa (and almost the most Southern, but not quite). Sad to say, there has been a lot of misinformation about Cape Point, including, as I had believed up until today, that this was the place at which the Indian and Atlantic Oceans met. But not so. Several large currents meet here, including one that passes India and is much warmer than the Atlantic water, but it isn't the edge of the ocean. Darn.
Still, it was gorgeous. The South African National Park system is really well maintained, and the three parks we have seen have all been wonderously beautiful. Cape Point was no exception, with huge crashing waves and giant cliffs and a dramatic hulking peninsula with a victorian-era light house at the top. We had the choice of walking up to the highest point, or taking a funicular car. The view was amazing for miles around us, although the fog did obscure the mountains on the other side of False Bay. Still, it was pretty great.
We then went to visit some penguins, or rather, we went and tromped around in their nesting grounds while exclaiming loudly in wonderment. The male penguins were hanging out, not afraid of us, going about their penguin business. We could see babies in some of the nests, some of the babies seemingly being squashed by dad's rear-end sitting on them. The females were out fishing, and if only we had shown up a little later, we might have seen them return with their catch.
On our way home, we were waylaid by a group of baboons hanging out in the middle of the road. They walked alongside us, and we were careful not to have any open windows as they can be quite aggressive about food. We did see a little baby baboon run out into the road, and mom immediately leaped out and tackled the little one (literally) and then in one swift move, latched the baby onto her belly while continuing to run across the road. We couldn't help but think how similar humans might be, racing out to rescue our babies from the road.
During our free time today, a number of groups of students have done all kinds of interesting things. There was some serious bargaining going on at the local crafts market (and I've seen a number of quite lovely gifts heading home, not to give away any secrets or anything!). Mike and Jocelyn are working on Facebook as I write, and a number of students began posting their photos online today. Sadly, the students who planned to go to the beach (Becky, Laura, Jocelyn, Mike and Dylan) got rained out. Our shark-divers, Chris, Jameson, and Diane have survived with all of their limbs intact, and they swear it was a wonderful experience with "lots of action." (I don't want to think about it too much!). The three of them were apparently together in the cage while the sharks were baited, and the sharks were so close that they were thrashing their tales against the cage as they ate. I'm just glad our students are back safe and happy. A number of students are out right now down at the waterfront, where there is a GIANT mall with lovely seaside restaurants and curio shops and all kinds of entertainment options. I think there is a group heading out for clubs later tonight.
I think we all really like Cape Town a lot. It is such a lovely and lively city for walking, and there is such an interesting mix of cultures here. And it is SO beautiful! It's hard to believe we'll be home soon.
Fynbos
So I'm going to take a moment to geek out a bit about all the plants around us. We are in a very small but very special vegetal area, considered its own biome. The Cape Floral Kingdom, where we are, is one of only six floral kingdoms in the world, and is also the smallest. The Afrikaans word for it is 'fynbos,' or fine bush. It's a kind of shrubby and floral set of vegetation that grows in extremely sandy and rocky soil, only needing water for part of the year, and needing regular wildfires to jump-start the reproduction process. The fynbos is all around us on the sides of the mountains, looking from afar like a bit of a close-cropped dark green carpet.
Up close, we can easily see all the flowers. The fynbos is filled with proteus plants, currently in full bloom. I've spent a lot of money on these flowers in my life, buying them from speciality flower shops. Here they grow wild, looking like huge pink blooms busting out of the top of a pineapple. Some of them are quite large, bigger than any I've seen in the US. Mixed in with the proteus flowers are wild rooibos plants, which aren't in bloom but which clearly show the little red needles that are collected for rooibus tea (which I also drink regularly). There are lots of juicy-looking little succulent plants spreading over the ground. I know there are honeybush trees in the mix, but I'm not sure I can identify them yet. And every now and then, there is a large wild aloe plant in bloom, with any number of large spikey orange flowers shooting up from the top. The wild aloe don't always get harvested, and some of them have grown quite huge on top of their old leaves (limbs?). Some are as tall as I am, which seems pretty amazing.
Around homes, we see blooming hibiscus, bougainvilla, and jasmine. There are also a number of bushes with small blue flowers (kind of cornflower blue). I can't seem to identify them, but they are everywhere it seems, even in the wild.
The soil up the sides of the mountains is so poor that trees don't grow easily, so there are very few of them. We do see a few Norfolk Pines and Lebanese Cedars, but not much else outside the city.
It all makes for a very interesting landscape, filled with flowers but at the same time, seeming a bit dry and scrubby. It's lovely in any case.
Up close, we can easily see all the flowers. The fynbos is filled with proteus plants, currently in full bloom. I've spent a lot of money on these flowers in my life, buying them from speciality flower shops. Here they grow wild, looking like huge pink blooms busting out of the top of a pineapple. Some of them are quite large, bigger than any I've seen in the US. Mixed in with the proteus flowers are wild rooibos plants, which aren't in bloom but which clearly show the little red needles that are collected for rooibus tea (which I also drink regularly). There are lots of juicy-looking little succulent plants spreading over the ground. I know there are honeybush trees in the mix, but I'm not sure I can identify them yet. And every now and then, there is a large wild aloe plant in bloom, with any number of large spikey orange flowers shooting up from the top. The wild aloe don't always get harvested, and some of them have grown quite huge on top of their old leaves (limbs?). Some are as tall as I am, which seems pretty amazing.
Around homes, we see blooming hibiscus, bougainvilla, and jasmine. There are also a number of bushes with small blue flowers (kind of cornflower blue). I can't seem to identify them, but they are everywhere it seems, even in the wild.
The soil up the sides of the mountains is so poor that trees don't grow easily, so there are very few of them. We do see a few Norfolk Pines and Lebanese Cedars, but not much else outside the city.
It all makes for a very interesting landscape, filled with flowers but at the same time, seeming a bit dry and scrubby. It's lovely in any case.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Townships Near Cape Town
This morning, we left early to see the view from Table Mountain. This mountain is the giant, flat-topped mountain that backs the city into the sea, and it is huge. We had hoped to go all the way to the top via cable car, but unfortunately, the cable car wasn't running today (everything is shut down for repair). So we drove up to the highest point we could and stopped to take some pretty breath-taking photos. We could see the entire bay, with the city curving below us. We could see back to Lion's Head, the other, more spiky smaller mountain nearby. The ocean and sky were bright blue, and the sun was really bright. Except for the fact that the sun was in our eyes in one direction, it was really lovely.
Then we went to the other side of Lion's Head, and walked along the ridge. This allowed us to see into the next bay over, and get the rest of the city in view. We also looked down almost directly on the monster new soccer stadium being constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Championship. We could see Robben Island way out in the bay. We watched, for a while, some men who were preparing to jump off the side of the mountain with only a parachute. We waited and waited, but the wind was never just right, and finally we got tired of waiting and left them behind.
By mid-morning, we turned our attention back to our class topics, and had a chance to walk through the area of the city called the Bo-Kaap. This area was settled in the early 1800's by the newly freed slaves the British had brought from the West Indies. When Britain outlawed slavery in 1814, they also took responsibility for their former slaves and built them this neighborhood. The houses still stand, amongst mosques and small shops, but now they are mostly painted bright colors. It's funny to see these houses built in the time of Jane Austen, and in similar style, now beautfully painted such bright colors!
From there, we left Cape Town center and drove up through a mountain pass to the area behind Table Mountain, a place they call the Cape Flats. Flat it is, and not particularly pleasant. While the land in front of the mountain is lovely and verdant, planted with trees and flowers and filled with beautiful houses and buildings, gently sloping down to the ocean, the area behind the mountain is scrubby, sandy, and poorer. There is not even the smallest glimpse of the ocean. It is here that the Apartheid government built a number of townships for Colored people and for Black people. We got to visit the township of Langa, where we had the chance to walk through the market and talk with people. We also got to visit the lovely community center, where people come to learn crafts which they then practice in order to sell goods to support themselves and their families. We got to see the ceramic studio and the iron working area, and we also got to hear a short performance piece telling an old traditional tale. And some of us bought lovely crafts that had been produced by the collective there. What was very interesting about these crafts was that they weren't just producing more of the expected traditional carvings and jewelry, but instead were melding tradition with art and coming up with some really unique items. It was nice knowing that by shopping for gifts there that we were also supporting this community center, located in the midst of such poverty.
We also visted Guguletu, another Township, and we noticed that the townships are extremely vibrant and interesting places. There are areas which are essentially shantytowns, with tiny mean little shacks, some with only plastic sheeting for a roof. Other areas of the townships have nice-by-any standards middle class homes (behind fencing and protective metalwork gates). And there are a number of areas with one room homes built by the Apartheid goverment, and the houses are still standing. And then there are the new houses. The ANC government began in 1994 on their greatest project, to build decent housing for the people of South Africa, and we could see some of the fruits of that project in the Townships. We could see blocks of neat apartment buildings, rows of townhouses, and neighborhoods of small houses mixed in with all the other housing. It makes such an interesting mix.
We stopped at a restaurant in the township called Lalepa, inside someone's home. The woman who owned the home, Wendy, moved into the township in 1960 after being resettled by the government. Over time, she began running a restaurant there, and now she has added a number of rooms in a sort of haphazard way. The food was traditional African, served in a buffet, with lots of delicious dishes. Dessert was a type of gingerbread cake that gets drizzled with syrup while it is still hot. It's quite sweet and very good as sweet things go. Throughout lunch, we were entertained by a marimba band (with 3 marimabas and several traditional African drums). It was a lot of fun, and they ended by playing The Star Spangled Banner, which our students spontaneously began to sing. We then asked them to play the South African national anthem, which they did, and we were surprised when everyone around us stopped and joined in singing. We had been singing our anthem in a fun way, but they were passionate and serious about singing theirs. It was a touching moment. Of course, the anthem is from the new South Africa, and has at the heart of it the idea of freedom for all. Given all that we have seen, learned, and experienced here so far, it's easy to see how the idea of freedom takes on a particularly special meaning.
Tomorrow is free time. Students are shark diving, going to the beach, shopping for presents, and maybe even hiking up Table Mountain. Andi is going with the professors to Cape Point to see two oceans meet. We are winding down, and having a lovely time. More later.
Then we went to the other side of Lion's Head, and walked along the ridge. This allowed us to see into the next bay over, and get the rest of the city in view. We also looked down almost directly on the monster new soccer stadium being constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Championship. We could see Robben Island way out in the bay. We watched, for a while, some men who were preparing to jump off the side of the mountain with only a parachute. We waited and waited, but the wind was never just right, and finally we got tired of waiting and left them behind.
By mid-morning, we turned our attention back to our class topics, and had a chance to walk through the area of the city called the Bo-Kaap. This area was settled in the early 1800's by the newly freed slaves the British had brought from the West Indies. When Britain outlawed slavery in 1814, they also took responsibility for their former slaves and built them this neighborhood. The houses still stand, amongst mosques and small shops, but now they are mostly painted bright colors. It's funny to see these houses built in the time of Jane Austen, and in similar style, now beautfully painted such bright colors!
From there, we left Cape Town center and drove up through a mountain pass to the area behind Table Mountain, a place they call the Cape Flats. Flat it is, and not particularly pleasant. While the land in front of the mountain is lovely and verdant, planted with trees and flowers and filled with beautiful houses and buildings, gently sloping down to the ocean, the area behind the mountain is scrubby, sandy, and poorer. There is not even the smallest glimpse of the ocean. It is here that the Apartheid government built a number of townships for Colored people and for Black people. We got to visit the township of Langa, where we had the chance to walk through the market and talk with people. We also got to visit the lovely community center, where people come to learn crafts which they then practice in order to sell goods to support themselves and their families. We got to see the ceramic studio and the iron working area, and we also got to hear a short performance piece telling an old traditional tale. And some of us bought lovely crafts that had been produced by the collective there. What was very interesting about these crafts was that they weren't just producing more of the expected traditional carvings and jewelry, but instead were melding tradition with art and coming up with some really unique items. It was nice knowing that by shopping for gifts there that we were also supporting this community center, located in the midst of such poverty.
We also visted Guguletu, another Township, and we noticed that the townships are extremely vibrant and interesting places. There are areas which are essentially shantytowns, with tiny mean little shacks, some with only plastic sheeting for a roof. Other areas of the townships have nice-by-any standards middle class homes (behind fencing and protective metalwork gates). And there are a number of areas with one room homes built by the Apartheid goverment, and the houses are still standing. And then there are the new houses. The ANC government began in 1994 on their greatest project, to build decent housing for the people of South Africa, and we could see some of the fruits of that project in the Townships. We could see blocks of neat apartment buildings, rows of townhouses, and neighborhoods of small houses mixed in with all the other housing. It makes such an interesting mix.
We stopped at a restaurant in the township called Lalepa, inside someone's home. The woman who owned the home, Wendy, moved into the township in 1960 after being resettled by the government. Over time, she began running a restaurant there, and now she has added a number of rooms in a sort of haphazard way. The food was traditional African, served in a buffet, with lots of delicious dishes. Dessert was a type of gingerbread cake that gets drizzled with syrup while it is still hot. It's quite sweet and very good as sweet things go. Throughout lunch, we were entertained by a marimba band (with 3 marimabas and several traditional African drums). It was a lot of fun, and they ended by playing The Star Spangled Banner, which our students spontaneously began to sing. We then asked them to play the South African national anthem, which they did, and we were surprised when everyone around us stopped and joined in singing. We had been singing our anthem in a fun way, but they were passionate and serious about singing theirs. It was a touching moment. Of course, the anthem is from the new South Africa, and has at the heart of it the idea of freedom for all. Given all that we have seen, learned, and experienced here so far, it's easy to see how the idea of freedom takes on a particularly special meaning.
Tomorrow is free time. Students are shark diving, going to the beach, shopping for presents, and maybe even hiking up Table Mountain. Andi is going with the professors to Cape Point to see two oceans meet. We are winding down, and having a lovely time. More later.
Damond's Birthday
We were without email for a while, and I didn't get a chance to write about our experiences in East London. We flew out from Johannesburg to East London and went to our hostel, a place called The Sugar Shack, which was pretty much both a little bit of sugar and a little bit of shack. The good thing was, it was right on the beach, and we had our first glimpse of the Indian Ocean, which was lovely. In our free afternoon, many folks went swimming or walking on the beach.
The real highlight, though, was after dinner, when a local man named Richard came and joined us around a campfire. Richard is a traditional African drummer as well as a really great guy, and he gathered us (and a few random Australians and Brits) around the fire, gave us amazing hand-made drums, and showed us how to use our hands to make the best sounds. And then we drummed. For a while, we all drummed together, with the sounds of the fire and the waves, but then we went around the circle and each one of us started a new beat which everyone else then picked up. It was Damond's birthday (and Richard's birthday too) so it was already a special night, but the drumming was almost like magic. Even the students who were less interested (or capable) at first ended up getting the hang of it, and it was pretty cool to learn drumming from a man who not only made all the drums by hand but for whom drumming was such an important and traditional part of his life.
So happy birthday, Damond. We had a great time.
The real highlight, though, was after dinner, when a local man named Richard came and joined us around a campfire. Richard is a traditional African drummer as well as a really great guy, and he gathered us (and a few random Australians and Brits) around the fire, gave us amazing hand-made drums, and showed us how to use our hands to make the best sounds. And then we drummed. For a while, we all drummed together, with the sounds of the fire and the waves, but then we went around the circle and each one of us started a new beat which everyone else then picked up. It was Damond's birthday (and Richard's birthday too) so it was already a special night, but the drumming was almost like magic. Even the students who were less interested (or capable) at first ended up getting the hang of it, and it was pretty cool to learn drumming from a man who not only made all the drums by hand but for whom drumming was such an important and traditional part of his life.
So happy birthday, Damond. We had a great time.
Robben Island
Yesterday, we took the ferry boat out to Robben Island, the home of the notorious prison where Nelson Mandela and other political activists were kept for years. The island itself is forbidding: large, sandy, wild, scrubby, and windswept. There are some imported trees, but they look like they are trying to just hang on. The feeling of desolation is really powerful.
Before we went into the prison, we drove around the island, seeing the homes where the guards lived (and what was almost a charming tiny town and school for the guards and their families). We also got to see the white limestone quarry where Mandela and other prisoners were put to hard labor mining rocks. In fact, in photos of Mandela now, you can see that his eyes squint a bit from the permanent damage of working for years without sunglasses in the bright white limestone quarry. It hurt our eyes to look at the quarry in the sun for just a few minutes, I can say.
The quarry was also an important historical marker not just because it was the site of hard labor for so many important activists, but also because it was where the political prisoners taught each other (and the criminal prisoners) in a kind of informal but very powerful open university. Even some of the guards would come and listen to the teachings, and, in fact, it was such a place of powerful ideas that the Apartheid authorities had to regularly transfer guards out of Robben Island so they wouldn't become to politicized.
Inside the prison, the cell blocks were long and thin, made of blue stone with strong iron bars over the windows. All the windows currently have glass in them, but when the buildings were operated as a prison, often the glass would be broken and the cold wet ocean air went straight inside the unheated barracks. During the later Apartheid times, when the prisons were terribly overcrowded, so many men were kept in each cell that they were ordered to sleep on their sides on the floor so that every inch of space could be packed with prisoners.
We walked along the path that Nelson Mandela walked every day as he left for work in the quarry. The prison yard had no grass, just sand and rocks, and there were a few hard-scrabble scruffy looking plants. It was not a pleasant view. The outside of Mandela's cell window looked down into a closed cement yard where prisoners were given large rocks and a chisel and were forced to break the rocks into gravel. The gravel was not used for anything, so it was basically just a form of punishment, and the sound of so many inmates chiseling on rocks in a closed yard would have been almost deafening.
Mandela's cell, like the other cells, was impossibly small. In his autobiography he writes about how he couldn't lie down completely straight because he was too tall, but still, seeing the cell itself was very powerful in understanding what it must have been like. Inside the cell was a thin mat, which the prisoners used to sleep on, and a small box-like table, with a bucket for a toilet in the corner. There was almost no other space in the cell, and no chair for sitting. It was entirely a barren place, except of course that it was a place that Mr. Mandela used for some of his great thinking and teaching. It was a very powerful experience.
Our guide around the prison was a man named Derrick, a former political prisoner himself. He talked with us about his personal experiences there, and about some of the ideas that influenced his poltical thinking. He was younger than Mandela, and had been influenced by Steve Biko's Black Consciousness Movement more than the earlier ideas of Mandela and other 1960's ANC leaders. After Biko's murder at the hands of the police, he was part of the Black baby boom generation that swore to make the country ungovernable. Derrick told us how he joined an underground group that bombed a government building at night, and when he was caught, he was proud to plead guilty. And he said he has no regrets. It was quite an interesting discussion to say the least, and it was certainly an important perspective.
On our way back to the mainland, the ferry hit some really choppy water, and a few faces turned a bit green. Others (who shall be nameless but who seem to thrive on danger) used the moment to climb up several flights of stairs to get to the upper deck of the boat, passing people falling and flailing, and getting to sit up high in the pitching boat while rain and sun whipped down.
Many people walked around in the waterfront area after we got back to shore, with shopping, exploring, eating, listening to street musicians, and generally watching the sun slowly set over Table Mountain. It was delightful.
If only I had more time right now, I'd post about what we did today. But I'll have to do that later, as a group of us are about to head out to the Pan African Market in search of a traditional healer and interesting cultural artifacts. More later...
Before we went into the prison, we drove around the island, seeing the homes where the guards lived (and what was almost a charming tiny town and school for the guards and their families). We also got to see the white limestone quarry where Mandela and other prisoners were put to hard labor mining rocks. In fact, in photos of Mandela now, you can see that his eyes squint a bit from the permanent damage of working for years without sunglasses in the bright white limestone quarry. It hurt our eyes to look at the quarry in the sun for just a few minutes, I can say.
The quarry was also an important historical marker not just because it was the site of hard labor for so many important activists, but also because it was where the political prisoners taught each other (and the criminal prisoners) in a kind of informal but very powerful open university. Even some of the guards would come and listen to the teachings, and, in fact, it was such a place of powerful ideas that the Apartheid authorities had to regularly transfer guards out of Robben Island so they wouldn't become to politicized.
Inside the prison, the cell blocks were long and thin, made of blue stone with strong iron bars over the windows. All the windows currently have glass in them, but when the buildings were operated as a prison, often the glass would be broken and the cold wet ocean air went straight inside the unheated barracks. During the later Apartheid times, when the prisons were terribly overcrowded, so many men were kept in each cell that they were ordered to sleep on their sides on the floor so that every inch of space could be packed with prisoners.
We walked along the path that Nelson Mandela walked every day as he left for work in the quarry. The prison yard had no grass, just sand and rocks, and there were a few hard-scrabble scruffy looking plants. It was not a pleasant view. The outside of Mandela's cell window looked down into a closed cement yard where prisoners were given large rocks and a chisel and were forced to break the rocks into gravel. The gravel was not used for anything, so it was basically just a form of punishment, and the sound of so many inmates chiseling on rocks in a closed yard would have been almost deafening.
Mandela's cell, like the other cells, was impossibly small. In his autobiography he writes about how he couldn't lie down completely straight because he was too tall, but still, seeing the cell itself was very powerful in understanding what it must have been like. Inside the cell was a thin mat, which the prisoners used to sleep on, and a small box-like table, with a bucket for a toilet in the corner. There was almost no other space in the cell, and no chair for sitting. It was entirely a barren place, except of course that it was a place that Mr. Mandela used for some of his great thinking and teaching. It was a very powerful experience.
Our guide around the prison was a man named Derrick, a former political prisoner himself. He talked with us about his personal experiences there, and about some of the ideas that influenced his poltical thinking. He was younger than Mandela, and had been influenced by Steve Biko's Black Consciousness Movement more than the earlier ideas of Mandela and other 1960's ANC leaders. After Biko's murder at the hands of the police, he was part of the Black baby boom generation that swore to make the country ungovernable. Derrick told us how he joined an underground group that bombed a government building at night, and when he was caught, he was proud to plead guilty. And he said he has no regrets. It was quite an interesting discussion to say the least, and it was certainly an important perspective.
On our way back to the mainland, the ferry hit some really choppy water, and a few faces turned a bit green. Others (who shall be nameless but who seem to thrive on danger) used the moment to climb up several flights of stairs to get to the upper deck of the boat, passing people falling and flailing, and getting to sit up high in the pitching boat while rain and sun whipped down.
Many people walked around in the waterfront area after we got back to shore, with shopping, exploring, eating, listening to street musicians, and generally watching the sun slowly set over Table Mountain. It was delightful.
If only I had more time right now, I'd post about what we did today. But I'll have to do that later, as a group of us are about to head out to the Pan African Market in search of a traditional healer and interesting cultural artifacts. More later...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Our First Day in Cape Town
We are finally in the lovely city of Cape Town, settling in for the last part of our class.
As we left Oudtshoorn yesterday, we stopped at a wild animal sanctuary to see the large cats that we didn't manage to see in the wild when we were at Kruger Park. The place we stopped was both a kind of zoo and a breeding facility, so it was a strange mix of education and entertainment, but we did see some amazing animals we hadn't yet seen. Huge crocodiles, cheetas, lions, and tigers (from India) were all there for us to see. Part of the way the facility raises funds for breeding and rescue programs was to sell the chance to go into an enclosure and gently pet a few of the large cats that had been raised by humans and rescued by the facility. Many of our students chose to meet the cats up close, and there are some pretty great photos heading home from the experience.
We also stopped at a working ostrich farm, where we learned about breeding, raising, and managing large groups of ostriches. Again, there was some entertainment involved, and Angie, Becky, Laura, and Jocelyn all were convinced to try riding an ostrich, which they managed to do without too much screaming. It was...different, to say the least!
But our main purpose yesterday was to drive the long trip down to Cape Town along the so-called Garden Route. This route is famous for its beauty, and even though we were on the bus for many hours, we certainly got to see the gorgeous rolling fields and the long purple mountain ridges that followed us all the way to Cape Town. We drove through the Lowry Pass in the mountains and rounded the corner at the top of the pass just as the sun was setting over the city. Our first glimpse of Cape Town was a view of the city lights curving around the large ocean bay at twighlight, with the giant looming form of Table Mountain lit from behind by a dark pink, orange, and purple sunset. The sight was breathtaking. The city was spread out before us, and the lights even seeming to twinkle in the slight mist. It was such a wonderful welcome!
We are now settled at our hotel, and we should let you know that we are staying at a different place than listed on our itinerary. We are now at The Backpacker (or Africa Travel Center. The hotel is small and charming, with a colorful tile pool, lovely flower and herb gardens, and open courtyard and a cafe that stays open late. It is also well located, just a block from the action of Long Street. I think this will be a great place to end our time in Cape Town.
This morning, we started our day with a visit to the District Six museum and memorial. District Six is an area in Cape Town located centrally near the waterfront. It was an older section of town, and it had been one of the neighborhoods that was racially integrated long before Apartheid. Sadly, during the years of Apartheid, the government, with no warning, declared the area to be for Whites only, and forced the inhabitants into townships based on their race. Families were separated based on race (interracial couples had to live separately, in some cases not only from each other but also from their children). In order to see each other, families had to apply for passports to visit, which were only granted once every three months for 2 hours at a time. And the government bulldozed the entire neighborhood. What was once a charming older section of the city, filled with families and shops and cosmopolitian life, had been decimated by Apartheid policies. While this story was repeated all over South Africa during Apartheid, what makes District Six so poignant is that Whites refused to move in, and nothing was ever built in place of the bulldozed homes. The area is just an abandoned wasteland of grass and rubble, right in the middle of the city.
We met a former inhabitant of District Six, Noor Ebrahim, who talked with us about his experiences and his story. His family lived 4 generations in their house, and they lost everything. One of the most touching parts of our visit was seeing the giant map of the former neighborhoods. People who used to live there have come back one by one and written in their names on the map where their houses used to stand. Each name has a kind of power to it, and seeing the entire giant map (taking up the whole floor) really conveyed the sadness of what was lost.
Students have been out exploring and we all really love the city so far. We'll report again on our adventures again soon....
As we left Oudtshoorn yesterday, we stopped at a wild animal sanctuary to see the large cats that we didn't manage to see in the wild when we were at Kruger Park. The place we stopped was both a kind of zoo and a breeding facility, so it was a strange mix of education and entertainment, but we did see some amazing animals we hadn't yet seen. Huge crocodiles, cheetas, lions, and tigers (from India) were all there for us to see. Part of the way the facility raises funds for breeding and rescue programs was to sell the chance to go into an enclosure and gently pet a few of the large cats that had been raised by humans and rescued by the facility. Many of our students chose to meet the cats up close, and there are some pretty great photos heading home from the experience.
We also stopped at a working ostrich farm, where we learned about breeding, raising, and managing large groups of ostriches. Again, there was some entertainment involved, and Angie, Becky, Laura, and Jocelyn all were convinced to try riding an ostrich, which they managed to do without too much screaming. It was...different, to say the least!
But our main purpose yesterday was to drive the long trip down to Cape Town along the so-called Garden Route. This route is famous for its beauty, and even though we were on the bus for many hours, we certainly got to see the gorgeous rolling fields and the long purple mountain ridges that followed us all the way to Cape Town. We drove through the Lowry Pass in the mountains and rounded the corner at the top of the pass just as the sun was setting over the city. Our first glimpse of Cape Town was a view of the city lights curving around the large ocean bay at twighlight, with the giant looming form of Table Mountain lit from behind by a dark pink, orange, and purple sunset. The sight was breathtaking. The city was spread out before us, and the lights even seeming to twinkle in the slight mist. It was such a wonderful welcome!
We are now settled at our hotel, and we should let you know that we are staying at a different place than listed on our itinerary. We are now at The Backpacker (or Africa Travel Center. The hotel is small and charming, with a colorful tile pool, lovely flower and herb gardens, and open courtyard and a cafe that stays open late. It is also well located, just a block from the action of Long Street. I think this will be a great place to end our time in Cape Town.
This morning, we started our day with a visit to the District Six museum and memorial. District Six is an area in Cape Town located centrally near the waterfront. It was an older section of town, and it had been one of the neighborhoods that was racially integrated long before Apartheid. Sadly, during the years of Apartheid, the government, with no warning, declared the area to be for Whites only, and forced the inhabitants into townships based on their race. Families were separated based on race (interracial couples had to live separately, in some cases not only from each other but also from their children). In order to see each other, families had to apply for passports to visit, which were only granted once every three months for 2 hours at a time. And the government bulldozed the entire neighborhood. What was once a charming older section of the city, filled with families and shops and cosmopolitian life, had been decimated by Apartheid policies. While this story was repeated all over South Africa during Apartheid, what makes District Six so poignant is that Whites refused to move in, and nothing was ever built in place of the bulldozed homes. The area is just an abandoned wasteland of grass and rubble, right in the middle of the city.
We met a former inhabitant of District Six, Noor Ebrahim, who talked with us about his experiences and his story. His family lived 4 generations in their house, and they lost everything. One of the most touching parts of our visit was seeing the giant map of the former neighborhoods. People who used to live there have come back one by one and written in their names on the map where their houses used to stand. Each name has a kind of power to it, and seeing the entire giant map (taking up the whole floor) really conveyed the sadness of what was lost.
Students have been out exploring and we all really love the city so far. We'll report again on our adventures again soon....
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tsitsikamma Park
As we left the East Cape yesterday, we passed through the lovely city of Grahamstown and spent a couple of hours at Port Elizabeth on the Indian Ocean. The area was certainly lovely as we were driving. We moved from the gentle rolling hills of the rural Xhosa countryside into a more forested area, with green hills turning into rocky mountains. Tsitskikamma Park, where we stayed overnight, runs along a narrow strip of coastline, with forested mountains crashing to the sea. Even though we arrived at dusk, we could feel the amazing beauty of the place.
Our camp was at the Storm's River Mouth, as it entered the ocean. The river has cut a giant deep gorge through the rocks. There are walking paths along the gorge, and paths down along the ocean, and even a very difficult path to a hidden waterfall. We stayed overnight in rooms they called 'oceanettes,' which we discovered meant little apartments that overlooked the rocks and the ocean. Each one had a little deck or patio, and the view was directly down onto the water. The coastline was particularly rocky in the area, and the waves were large and powerful, so the sound of the surf crashing in was very present with us. A number of people sat up late to watch the moon rise over the ocean, lighting up the mist created by the pounding waves. The sounds of nature were all around us, and looking down the coastline, there were no lights in one direction, and far off in the other direction we could see the gentle lights of a small town on the point. It was peaceful and beautiful, and even without seeing it in daylight, we all loved the park!
This morning, we had free time until noon. Jocelyn, Becky, and Laura went for a run along the paths (and reported seeing a number of small brown gentle animals that seemed like rabbits without ears). Other students walked around the park, which was set up much like a national park campsite in the US, with a shop, and laundry, and restaurant, etc. There were small brown springbok deer walking up close to the oceanettes. And some people spotted dolphins jumping in the ocean right up close to shore! (sadly neither of the professors spotted the dolphins. Oh well.)
Our adrenaline-lovers got up early and headed out for the world's highest bungy jump, which was right near our camp, over the Storm's River. Dylan jumped first, and Angie, Kati, and Jameson each took a turn. Diane, Chris, and Andrea went up on the bridge for moral support (and for the great view). The bridge itself was enough of an adrenaline rush, as it had a mesh floor and even the observers had to wear safety harnesses. Mike stayed along the side in order to shoot photos. All reports say it was AMAZING!
We left Tsistikamma wishing we had more time to spend there. The forests, mountains, and ocean were so beautiful and powerful and peaceful, it was just a lovely place to be. But we had to leave on our journey along to Cape Town. On our way out, along the highway, we spotted a troup of wild baboons, including babies. Apparently, South Africa's only completely unfenced elephants live in the area, although we didn't see them.
We stopped in beautiful Knysna for a break this afternoon, and first took photos from the top of what they call The Heads. Knysna is a town built on a large and beautiful lagoon, with mountains on all sides. The narrow sea passage into the lagoon is protected by The Heads, which jut upwards from the sea. While we were on top of one of them, we were able to take photos out over the sea and into the lagoon back towards the town. The town itself was charming, and most of us stopped along the boardwalk in sweet little outdoor seaside cafes for lunch.
We are now in Oudtshoorn, up in the mountains. We said goodbye to the Indian Ocean at George, and headed up a gorgeous mountain pass. The mountains on either side of our switchback road were worn into gentle rocky rolls covered in green trees, looking much like huge piles of draped green velvet. The sun was starting to be lower in the sky, and the light on the mountains was lovely.
Oudtshoorn is an old victorian town, along the Klein Karoo (which is very desert-like and flat, at a high altitude). The vegetation is mainly grassy and brown, and it looks quite dry. The town itself struck it rich around the turn of the century before the First World War, when its famous ostrich farms supplied much of the world craze for ostrich feathers. We plan to visit an ostrich farm tomorrow before we leave. We also hope to stop at a wild cat sanctuary where they have a leopard breeding program.
We are on our way to Cape Town, and should be there by this time tomorrow night. It's been a wonderful trip so far, with such a mix of cultural, historical, social, and natural-world experiences. We have a truly wonderful group of students with us. And we still have almost another week of learning (and adventuring) left before we head home...
Our camp was at the Storm's River Mouth, as it entered the ocean. The river has cut a giant deep gorge through the rocks. There are walking paths along the gorge, and paths down along the ocean, and even a very difficult path to a hidden waterfall. We stayed overnight in rooms they called 'oceanettes,' which we discovered meant little apartments that overlooked the rocks and the ocean. Each one had a little deck or patio, and the view was directly down onto the water. The coastline was particularly rocky in the area, and the waves were large and powerful, so the sound of the surf crashing in was very present with us. A number of people sat up late to watch the moon rise over the ocean, lighting up the mist created by the pounding waves. The sounds of nature were all around us, and looking down the coastline, there were no lights in one direction, and far off in the other direction we could see the gentle lights of a small town on the point. It was peaceful and beautiful, and even without seeing it in daylight, we all loved the park!
This morning, we had free time until noon. Jocelyn, Becky, and Laura went for a run along the paths (and reported seeing a number of small brown gentle animals that seemed like rabbits without ears). Other students walked around the park, which was set up much like a national park campsite in the US, with a shop, and laundry, and restaurant, etc. There were small brown springbok deer walking up close to the oceanettes. And some people spotted dolphins jumping in the ocean right up close to shore! (sadly neither of the professors spotted the dolphins. Oh well.)
Our adrenaline-lovers got up early and headed out for the world's highest bungy jump, which was right near our camp, over the Storm's River. Dylan jumped first, and Angie, Kati, and Jameson each took a turn. Diane, Chris, and Andrea went up on the bridge for moral support (and for the great view). The bridge itself was enough of an adrenaline rush, as it had a mesh floor and even the observers had to wear safety harnesses. Mike stayed along the side in order to shoot photos. All reports say it was AMAZING!
We left Tsistikamma wishing we had more time to spend there. The forests, mountains, and ocean were so beautiful and powerful and peaceful, it was just a lovely place to be. But we had to leave on our journey along to Cape Town. On our way out, along the highway, we spotted a troup of wild baboons, including babies. Apparently, South Africa's only completely unfenced elephants live in the area, although we didn't see them.
We stopped in beautiful Knysna for a break this afternoon, and first took photos from the top of what they call The Heads. Knysna is a town built on a large and beautiful lagoon, with mountains on all sides. The narrow sea passage into the lagoon is protected by The Heads, which jut upwards from the sea. While we were on top of one of them, we were able to take photos out over the sea and into the lagoon back towards the town. The town itself was charming, and most of us stopped along the boardwalk in sweet little outdoor seaside cafes for lunch.
We are now in Oudtshoorn, up in the mountains. We said goodbye to the Indian Ocean at George, and headed up a gorgeous mountain pass. The mountains on either side of our switchback road were worn into gentle rocky rolls covered in green trees, looking much like huge piles of draped green velvet. The sun was starting to be lower in the sky, and the light on the mountains was lovely.
Oudtshoorn is an old victorian town, along the Klein Karoo (which is very desert-like and flat, at a high altitude). The vegetation is mainly grassy and brown, and it looks quite dry. The town itself struck it rich around the turn of the century before the First World War, when its famous ostrich farms supplied much of the world craze for ostrich feathers. We plan to visit an ostrich farm tomorrow before we leave. We also hope to stop at a wild cat sanctuary where they have a leopard breeding program.
We are on our way to Cape Town, and should be there by this time tomorrow night. It's been a wonderful trip so far, with such a mix of cultural, historical, social, and natural-world experiences. We have a truly wonderful group of students with us. And we still have almost another week of learning (and adventuring) left before we head home...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Our Xhosa Experience
We haven't had internet access in the past few days because we have been staying at Mngqesha, the Xhosa Great Place of King Sandile. Our experiences in the past few days have been amazing! Mngqesha is not only the village of the Xhosa King, but it is also a Xhosa cultural center. We stayed for two nights as their guests, living in small (but modern) roundhouses with white clay walls and thatch roofs. We were greeted by the elder as we arrived, and he told us quite a bit about Xhosa history and culture. Our first night, we were served a lovely Xhosa dinner by a number of older Xhosa women with their heads wrapped in beautful scarves and who were wearing colorful clothes. Some of us took a walk in the twighlight, up the dusty dirt road past the village on the outside of the Great Place. Most of the people live in small roundhouses made of the traditional clay walls, but the roofs are mainly corrugated iron. There are small but crowded gardens green with vegetables and herbs, and chickens and cows walk freely. Kids were out on the unlit soccer field (which was really just a clearing) until it was solid darkness. We walked back with our flashlights, as the only lights were what we could see out the tiny windows of the roundhouses, and the stars in the sky. The land is lovely with rolling hills and green fields and golden grasses, and the ridges are dotted with small colorful Xhosa villages.
Our next morning, we started right away by driving to Fort Hare University, the first (and most important) of the traditional Black Universities (where Nelson Mandela and other important leaders were educated). We walked around on the beautiful campus, with its gracious old buildings and lush grounds, and it was filled with students from all over Africa, mostly Blacks, and they looked just like us: backpacks, jeans, walking and laughing with their friends. We had hoped to get into the ANC Archives, which is the main repository of information and photos of Nelson Mandela's life, but the day we arrived was the day before graduation and there were some ceremonies on the other side of the campus. We did, however, get to meet some of students. We had arranged to meet with a Sociology class. The students went off to talk with each other sitting out in the grass and on benches. I'm not sure what was discussed, but as they returned, I saw lots of photos being taken and emails and facebook info exchanged, so it must have been interesting at least.
After lunch, we drove to the Township of Ginsberg, which was the home of Steve Biko. We had seen the movie Cry Freedom in class before we left, which is about Biko's life and death at the hands of the South African Police. We saw Biko's home and then we went to the Creche (community nursery school). After Biko was banned in the 1970s, he was instrumental in organizing this important community center (and in fact it plays a role in Cry Freedom). We had committed to doing a service project there, together with young people from the Ginsburg Youth Leadership Council. We brought paint and brushes, and after we met the kids (95 2-4 year olds in a space the size of the Harris 4 classroom--or perhaps even smaller). The walls were dingy blue, with handmade painted signs that said things like "A Loved Child is a Happy Child." There were several tiny tables and chairs, but most of the kids were lying on mats on the floor when we arrived, packed together and holding hands, and staring and waving at us. There were no toys or books in sight. The kids were wearing patched clothes with blue pants and orange tops (all school kids wear uniforms, and they extended that idea to the preschool). Outside, the yard was dirt, with a swingset with tire swings, and a number of painted tires half buried in the ground for kids to climb. The external walls were dirty and peeling, and the paint was a 1970s shade of gold (it probably hadn't been painted since then in any case).
Our students had wanted to bring candy for the kids (in honor of Beth's birthday), so we first handed out bags and bags of candy. Some of the kids literally didn't know what it was. Some of the adults explained that these children are so poor they have never seen candy before. Some of our students went around and helped kids open the candy. The kids couldn't understand us, but we quickly learned that if we stuck out our thumbs and said the word 'sharp' with a British accent, the kids would smile and use their thumbs to touch ours. It was SO sweet!
After many of the kids went home, we got to work with scraping, sanding, and painting. We were working on the outside of the building. With the help of the Township youth leaders, we swarmed over the building, getting almost the entire front side painted with two coats (in a light gentle yellow). All our students worked really hard, and I think we all just wanted to do as much as possible. We also got the contact information so that when we get back to the US, we can send packages back to the school. (The school gets almost no government funding, and the Township community that supports it is REALLY poor, mainly living in small shack-like homes. A German organization has been sending some financial support, but the school and the students desperately need books and toys and crafts, not to mention structural work on their small building. For example, the area for the bathroom has gaping holes in the ceilings, and water damage all down the walls).
After we finished there, we raced back to the Great Place, where they were having a brai and traditional celebration in our honor. We brought the Ginsburg young people with us. The King was not present, but he sent a Prince in his place, so we got to hear a speech by Prince Zolile Burns-Ncaneashe ( and we got to meet a real prince!). We also heard a speech from the head of the Creche, a man named Chris Soka, who had started the Creche along with Steve Biko in the 1970s). The Prince's speech was interesting in part because he told us how important the US is to them, and how we need to take our position in the world seriously. He also spoke about Xhosa culture, and how they are using traditional cultural ideals to work against things like the spread of HIV/AIDS. (He shocked us a bit, I think, talking about the importance of 'virginity inspections' for the Xhosa girls). We also got to see children in traditional dress do a ceremonial dance for us (which was AMAZING!).
This morning, we delivered a load of soccer gear that we had brought with us from the US. The gear went to the tiny Xhosa school outside the great place, Mbomba Lower and Upper Primary School. Some of the children, in their patched but neat uniforms, were assembled waiting for us. We handed over the gear which they recieved very formally and politely, and then they sang for us. We sang 'Simeon Benjamin' for them, and as we left and got a little bit away from the school, we suddenly heard them erupt in cheers and shouting. We turned back to see the kids playing and tossing soccer balls to each other, running and dancing and laughing. I guess their teachers had told them to be polite, and now we were far enough away that they could be themselves!
It was wonderful, and we left with happy hearts.
We are leaving the Xhosa area and the East Cape, heading towards Tsitsikamma park tonight. More blogging as soon as we can....
Our next morning, we started right away by driving to Fort Hare University, the first (and most important) of the traditional Black Universities (where Nelson Mandela and other important leaders were educated). We walked around on the beautiful campus, with its gracious old buildings and lush grounds, and it was filled with students from all over Africa, mostly Blacks, and they looked just like us: backpacks, jeans, walking and laughing with their friends. We had hoped to get into the ANC Archives, which is the main repository of information and photos of Nelson Mandela's life, but the day we arrived was the day before graduation and there were some ceremonies on the other side of the campus. We did, however, get to meet some of students. We had arranged to meet with a Sociology class. The students went off to talk with each other sitting out in the grass and on benches. I'm not sure what was discussed, but as they returned, I saw lots of photos being taken and emails and facebook info exchanged, so it must have been interesting at least.
After lunch, we drove to the Township of Ginsberg, which was the home of Steve Biko. We had seen the movie Cry Freedom in class before we left, which is about Biko's life and death at the hands of the South African Police. We saw Biko's home and then we went to the Creche (community nursery school). After Biko was banned in the 1970s, he was instrumental in organizing this important community center (and in fact it plays a role in Cry Freedom). We had committed to doing a service project there, together with young people from the Ginsburg Youth Leadership Council. We brought paint and brushes, and after we met the kids (95 2-4 year olds in a space the size of the Harris 4 classroom--or perhaps even smaller). The walls were dingy blue, with handmade painted signs that said things like "A Loved Child is a Happy Child." There were several tiny tables and chairs, but most of the kids were lying on mats on the floor when we arrived, packed together and holding hands, and staring and waving at us. There were no toys or books in sight. The kids were wearing patched clothes with blue pants and orange tops (all school kids wear uniforms, and they extended that idea to the preschool). Outside, the yard was dirt, with a swingset with tire swings, and a number of painted tires half buried in the ground for kids to climb. The external walls were dirty and peeling, and the paint was a 1970s shade of gold (it probably hadn't been painted since then in any case).
Our students had wanted to bring candy for the kids (in honor of Beth's birthday), so we first handed out bags and bags of candy. Some of the kids literally didn't know what it was. Some of the adults explained that these children are so poor they have never seen candy before. Some of our students went around and helped kids open the candy. The kids couldn't understand us, but we quickly learned that if we stuck out our thumbs and said the word 'sharp' with a British accent, the kids would smile and use their thumbs to touch ours. It was SO sweet!
After many of the kids went home, we got to work with scraping, sanding, and painting. We were working on the outside of the building. With the help of the Township youth leaders, we swarmed over the building, getting almost the entire front side painted with two coats (in a light gentle yellow). All our students worked really hard, and I think we all just wanted to do as much as possible. We also got the contact information so that when we get back to the US, we can send packages back to the school. (The school gets almost no government funding, and the Township community that supports it is REALLY poor, mainly living in small shack-like homes. A German organization has been sending some financial support, but the school and the students desperately need books and toys and crafts, not to mention structural work on their small building. For example, the area for the bathroom has gaping holes in the ceilings, and water damage all down the walls).
After we finished there, we raced back to the Great Place, where they were having a brai and traditional celebration in our honor. We brought the Ginsburg young people with us. The King was not present, but he sent a Prince in his place, so we got to hear a speech by Prince Zolile Burns-Ncaneashe ( and we got to meet a real prince!). We also heard a speech from the head of the Creche, a man named Chris Soka, who had started the Creche along with Steve Biko in the 1970s). The Prince's speech was interesting in part because he told us how important the US is to them, and how we need to take our position in the world seriously. He also spoke about Xhosa culture, and how they are using traditional cultural ideals to work against things like the spread of HIV/AIDS. (He shocked us a bit, I think, talking about the importance of 'virginity inspections' for the Xhosa girls). We also got to see children in traditional dress do a ceremonial dance for us (which was AMAZING!).
This morning, we delivered a load of soccer gear that we had brought with us from the US. The gear went to the tiny Xhosa school outside the great place, Mbomba Lower and Upper Primary School. Some of the children, in their patched but neat uniforms, were assembled waiting for us. We handed over the gear which they recieved very formally and politely, and then they sang for us. We sang 'Simeon Benjamin' for them, and as we left and got a little bit away from the school, we suddenly heard them erupt in cheers and shouting. We turned back to see the kids playing and tossing soccer balls to each other, running and dancing and laughing. I guess their teachers had told them to be polite, and now we were far enough away that they could be themselves!
It was wonderful, and we left with happy hearts.
We are leaving the Xhosa area and the East Cape, heading towards Tsitsikamma park tonight. More blogging as soon as we can....
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Eastern Cape
It is evening in East London. Our lodging is on a gorgeous beach on the Indian Ocean, and several of us spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful and warm waters. Our internet access here is very limited, and we will also likely not have any internet access for the next few days. Tomorrow, we will be driving to the palace of the Xhosa king, where we will stay for two nights. We're very excited for this amazing cultural opportunity! We also have planned to help with a service project of painting a nursery school at the Ginsberg Creche, and from there we will make our way along the Garden Route before we get to Cape Town. We will update when we can!
At the airport.
We have a bit of a wait for the plane to East London, and some of us spotted an internet cafe and stumbled in to quickly check on things back home. Beth and Damond and Karen seem to be trying to catch up on Facebook, while others are out getting caffeinated or shopping for gifts in the airport shops. As the host to the international football championship in 2010, South Africa is pretty soccer-mad now, and in fact this whole airport is under construction in order to be prepared. The upside for us is that there are a lot of cool soccer-themed gifts here, which seem to be becoming popular gifts to take home.
One of the really geeky and really cool things we did in Kruger that I haven't mentioned so far is that we went and stood on the Tropic of Capricorn. That's the line in the the southern hemisphere where the sun goes the furthest south at it's peak. They actually put a brick line down on the ground at the correct parallel right at a small turnoff of a Kruger road. Some of the students were a little underwhelmed, but the professors (and some of the others) were really into the amazingness of it. We have some great photos of us standing on the line. How may people can say they have STOOD right on the Tropic of Capricorn, let alone crossed it? (I'll attempt to upload photos later today)
OK, people are starting to gather their things, so we need to get going on to East London, the Sugar Shack Hostel, and the beach. I suspect along with the beach will come some serious laundry as well.
More later, if possible...
One of the really geeky and really cool things we did in Kruger that I haven't mentioned so far is that we went and stood on the Tropic of Capricorn. That's the line in the the southern hemisphere where the sun goes the furthest south at it's peak. They actually put a brick line down on the ground at the correct parallel right at a small turnoff of a Kruger road. Some of the students were a little underwhelmed, but the professors (and some of the others) were really into the amazingness of it. We have some great photos of us standing on the line. How may people can say they have STOOD right on the Tropic of Capricorn, let alone crossed it? (I'll attempt to upload photos later today)
OK, people are starting to gather their things, so we need to get going on to East London, the Sugar Shack Hostel, and the beach. I suspect along with the beach will come some serious laundry as well.
More later, if possible...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
13 hours on the bus!
We are now back in Johannesburg after a *long* busride from Kruger Park. We started on the bus this morning at 6:00 AM so we could try to catch the morning animals as we drove through the park on our way out. We drove south through the park, for six hours, into terrain that had more savannah grass and fewer scrub bushes. The grasslands are home to more of the large cats, which need large open spaces for hunting. Sadly, we didn't see any lions or leopards, although apparently both were spotted near where we were. We did see a number of other animals, though, including a hyena with new babies, and a mating pair of impala (interrupted in mid-mate by our busload of gaping students snapping photos, which, really, must have kind of killed the mood). We also saw our first Wildebeest today, and our first Jackal. And we saw more incredible birds, including some very endangered ones. Dylan is pretty certain he saw a Rhino, but no one else saw it, so I guess he gets solo bragging rights.
When we got to the Oliphants River, one of the main Kruger rivers, we stopped at one of the few park overlooks to see into the great wide river valley. Animals were all along the river, walking and drinking. The sand was filled with footprints, all made by animals. Again, we saw many different species mingling near each other, which seemed wild and strange and peaceful somehow. We also got distracted by a number of Vervet Monkeys who were playing and jumping and posing in several low trees near where we parked. As they distracted us by being so darn cute, one of them sneaked behind us and broke into the bus through a barely open window. Suddenly I heard our guide shout, and I turned to see a monkey inside the bus, jumping up and down from the luggage rack to the seats and back again. As the guide and I got to the bus, the monkey saw us, and leaped out with an apple in his mouth and raced back to his friends! It was so funny, and would you believe that that monkey not only broke into the bus, he managed to quickly find and break into a closed bag, dig under various objects, remove plastic wrap, and grab the largest reddest and ripest apple of the bunch!
We had, by this morning, seen so many elephants and giraffes and zebras and buffalo that we didn't even stop for them anymore. It is so strange to think that we had gotten so jaded so quickly. Being in this huge wild space filled with so many amazing wild animals was such a privilege and honor.
Last night, we went out after dark in a large open-sided safari jeep. We had hand-held spotlights and a few flashlights, and we barreled down the roads with a ranger driving, pointing the lights out into the bush looking for animals. We were laughing and pointing, the jeep was loud, and after we got away from the camp, we were literally the only non-natural light and sound around. As far as we could see in any direction, there was only the stars and us. The crickets were loud, and the bush was filled with the sounds of rustling smaller animals, which were admittedly hard to hear over our talk and laughter. We didn't see too much at first, until Damond spotted a Giraffe (Damond was the first to spot most of the Giraffes we saw in Kruger). Looking at the Giraffe at night was really interesting. We were careful not to shine the light in his face, but we did have 3 spotlights and several flashlights trained on him. He didn't seem the least concerned. He just kept chewing as he curiously gazed at us while we stared at him.
Later we saw a huge bull elephant standing under a tall leafy tree. Our ranger was a little cautious, and we were very careful with the lights. But the elephant was more interested in eating than in us. We watched as he pushed up from his back legs, arched his trunk in the air, and slowly launched himself up to an impossibly high leafy branch. He used his trunk to circle and grab the branch, broke off a small part, and then put the leaves in his mouth. Then he spit out the twiggy wood that had held the leaves. He was so agile with his trunk, and the whole thing was amazing to see!
Soon after, we got to our brai site. The Afrikaners use the word brai instead of barbecue, only I have to say that our brai was so much more than just a barbecue! We pulled into a small clearing in the woods. There was a roaring fire in a fire pit, and there were candles all around in the trees and on the 3 tables that were set with china and silverware (and tablecloths!). There was an electric fence, and then another rough wood fence around the perimeter. Between the two fences, just out of reach of the light, two armed rangers patrolled. There was a bar, a salad table, a grill with chicken kabobs, steaks, and warthog sausages. And in the fire pit, they had cooked a number of African dishes for us. It was just lovely! We sat out there, under the stars, listening to the sounds of the woods and the animals around us, talking, eating this amazing food, and having a wonderful experience. On the way home, we were a quieter bunch. At one point, the ranger stopped the jeep and turned off the engine. We sat there quietly in the complete dark and silence, with nothing human-made visible on any side of us. The stars were filling the sky, the Milky Way was visible, and we just breathed the air and felt the space. Wow.
Tomorrow, we fly to East London and have the rest of the day free. We are staying right on the Indian Ocean, so I suspect there may be some students heading out for the beach. After East London, we'll be staying for 2 nights in the Xhoxa King's Palace, literally, although it isn't a palace in the European sense. We'll be sleeping in traditional Rondevals, the round houses with thatched roofs. I doubt we'll have internet there, but if we do, we'll be sure to post. I'll also try to upload some more photos tomorrow before we leave for the Xhosa village.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms back home!
When we got to the Oliphants River, one of the main Kruger rivers, we stopped at one of the few park overlooks to see into the great wide river valley. Animals were all along the river, walking and drinking. The sand was filled with footprints, all made by animals. Again, we saw many different species mingling near each other, which seemed wild and strange and peaceful somehow. We also got distracted by a number of Vervet Monkeys who were playing and jumping and posing in several low trees near where we parked. As they distracted us by being so darn cute, one of them sneaked behind us and broke into the bus through a barely open window. Suddenly I heard our guide shout, and I turned to see a monkey inside the bus, jumping up and down from the luggage rack to the seats and back again. As the guide and I got to the bus, the monkey saw us, and leaped out with an apple in his mouth and raced back to his friends! It was so funny, and would you believe that that monkey not only broke into the bus, he managed to quickly find and break into a closed bag, dig under various objects, remove plastic wrap, and grab the largest reddest and ripest apple of the bunch!
We had, by this morning, seen so many elephants and giraffes and zebras and buffalo that we didn't even stop for them anymore. It is so strange to think that we had gotten so jaded so quickly. Being in this huge wild space filled with so many amazing wild animals was such a privilege and honor.
Last night, we went out after dark in a large open-sided safari jeep. We had hand-held spotlights and a few flashlights, and we barreled down the roads with a ranger driving, pointing the lights out into the bush looking for animals. We were laughing and pointing, the jeep was loud, and after we got away from the camp, we were literally the only non-natural light and sound around. As far as we could see in any direction, there was only the stars and us. The crickets were loud, and the bush was filled with the sounds of rustling smaller animals, which were admittedly hard to hear over our talk and laughter. We didn't see too much at first, until Damond spotted a Giraffe (Damond was the first to spot most of the Giraffes we saw in Kruger). Looking at the Giraffe at night was really interesting. We were careful not to shine the light in his face, but we did have 3 spotlights and several flashlights trained on him. He didn't seem the least concerned. He just kept chewing as he curiously gazed at us while we stared at him.
Later we saw a huge bull elephant standing under a tall leafy tree. Our ranger was a little cautious, and we were very careful with the lights. But the elephant was more interested in eating than in us. We watched as he pushed up from his back legs, arched his trunk in the air, and slowly launched himself up to an impossibly high leafy branch. He used his trunk to circle and grab the branch, broke off a small part, and then put the leaves in his mouth. Then he spit out the twiggy wood that had held the leaves. He was so agile with his trunk, and the whole thing was amazing to see!
Soon after, we got to our brai site. The Afrikaners use the word brai instead of barbecue, only I have to say that our brai was so much more than just a barbecue! We pulled into a small clearing in the woods. There was a roaring fire in a fire pit, and there were candles all around in the trees and on the 3 tables that were set with china and silverware (and tablecloths!). There was an electric fence, and then another rough wood fence around the perimeter. Between the two fences, just out of reach of the light, two armed rangers patrolled. There was a bar, a salad table, a grill with chicken kabobs, steaks, and warthog sausages. And in the fire pit, they had cooked a number of African dishes for us. It was just lovely! We sat out there, under the stars, listening to the sounds of the woods and the animals around us, talking, eating this amazing food, and having a wonderful experience. On the way home, we were a quieter bunch. At one point, the ranger stopped the jeep and turned off the engine. We sat there quietly in the complete dark and silence, with nothing human-made visible on any side of us. The stars were filling the sky, the Milky Way was visible, and we just breathed the air and felt the space. Wow.
Tomorrow, we fly to East London and have the rest of the day free. We are staying right on the Indian Ocean, so I suspect there may be some students heading out for the beach. After East London, we'll be staying for 2 nights in the Xhoxa King's Palace, literally, although it isn't a palace in the European sense. We'll be sleeping in traditional Rondevals, the round houses with thatched roofs. I doubt we'll have internet there, but if we do, we'll be sure to post. I'll also try to upload some more photos tomorrow before we leave for the Xhosa village.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms back home!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Kruger Park
First, a disclaimer: For those of you at home waiting to hear from your student, we still don’t have internet access – although our kind guide Shane has once again made his laptop available for us to write a blog entry, so that you all can know that we are well and having an incredible time. Through the miracles of kindness and insanely amazing technology, Shane is sending this entry through his cell phone from the remote and wild Kruger Park camp where we are staying. We are just back from a 7 hour animal drive (starting at 6:00 AM) where we saw so many wild animals it is almost indescribable in the wonder.
Right now, I’m sitting on the porch of the thatch roof bungalow where we are staying (we have a number of these small bungalows). The porch is tiled, with a dining set and kitchen outside, and we look down directly over the Shipandani River. It is completely wild on the other side, and last night, we could hear the lions calling out. Just minutes ago a lone buffalo waded into the river, not 300 feet away. It is humid and about 80 degrees, very pleasant. We have free time until 6:00 when we head out on a night drive (with a spotlight to try to surprise the nocturnal animals). We are going to have a fire and bush brai for dinner tonight, and if it is anything like last night, we’ll be able to see an incredible number of stars. It is so clear here, and the sky is so bright, we were able to see the Milky Way last night. It was…amazing.
Several students used this afternoon free time to go on a game walk. Diane, Jameson, and Chris are out there right now, with two armed rangers, walking through the bush. Several others, Angie, Becky, and Laura, went swimming in the camp swimming pool. Others (including Damond and Kati) are doing laundry by hand and hanging it outside the bungalows to dry. I suspect others are catching up on their sleep with a little nap. It is so calm and peaceful here!
When we drove into Kruger Park yesterday, we came in through the Phalambora gate, which is a little more north than the typical entry points. The terrain here is mainly rolling and flat, and filled with Mopani trees, which are kind of small and scrubby looking. As it is autumn here, the leaves are starting to turn, so we can see the orange-y gold colors mixed with the greens. There is a lot of savanna grass too. Every now and then there are stands of larger trees, especially along the rivers. We have found a number of buffalo herds under the trees. The buffalo are huge, and are apparently one of the more dangerous animals here. They get mad easily, they stampede, and they are in large groups. When we were all walking yesterday (with armed rangers!) one of our groups came close to a herd of buffalo. Our rangers stopped us and warned us to be very quiet. But the buffalo heard us, and we could here some snorting and loud breathing, and then there was a loud noise, and suddenly they were stampeding. It sounded like a movie sound effect! Fortunately, the buffalo went in the other direction, I should add!
As we were trying to get to our camp (about 2 hours into Kruger Park) yesterday, we were kept seeing animals out the windows of our bus. At one point, we saw three elephants on the side of the road (our first elephants!). The bus stopped and we were busy exclaiming and taking photos, when we slowly realized that our driver and guide didn’t seem happy. Then we watched as the largest elephant (who was only an adolescent male) began pulling his ears back. That’s a sign that he was feeling challenged. He started putting his weight towards his back feet, as if he was going to start charging us. Then the smaller two elephants crossed the road, and then another group, and then more and more elephants appeared! But as the elephants began to gather around on either side of the road, our driver was increasingly nervous. He slowly started to back up the bus. We couldn’t go past the elephants as they might consider it a challenge (and we were being challenged by the adolescent male who first caught our attention). We waited and waited, as at least 30 elephants crossed the road, mostly large females and children (and one tiny baby, which of course, is a relative thing). After most of the elephants were across, the aggressive male (who our driver called ‘the naughty one,’) crossed the road, still trying to stare us down. Our driver began slowly inching forward, afraid that they would charge the bus. But as we got really close, we won the game of chicken. The naughty one reared up, flapped his ears, trumpeted, and ran away. We were all literally screaming, with both joy and excitement, and probably a little fear tossed in. Just yesterday morning, there was a photo on the front page of the paper of a little car crushed by an angry elephant. And apparently busses have actually been flipped by angry elephants, so perhaps we can say we barely escaped with our lives!
Today, we stayed mainly on the bus. Humans are not allowed to walk in the park unless with a ranger, and there are only a very few walking paths. We are also not allowed to get off the bus except on bridges. They are very strict about their environmental guidelines. And I suppose it is an issue of safety as well.
But even on the bus we had an amazing experience! We started out by seeing three hyenas crossing the road. We got quite close to them, as they stared at us and we stared at them. They were very strange looking and very intense. Apparently it is very rare to see hyenas, and they estimate that there are only 2000 in the whole park (which is the size of England). We saw a number of different elephant groups, including some that were actually frolicking and spraying each other in the water. We saw SO many impala, which look like small deer, with the males having twisting black horns. They have black and white markings on their rumps, and our guide said that because the markings look like the letter ‘m,’ and everyone eats the impalas, they call them the McDonald’s of Kruger Park. In fact, we saw so many herds of impalas that by the end of our drive today, we had become jaded. I actually overheard one student point out another herd of Impala, and another student say ‘so what.’ It was really kind of funny, in a gentle sort of way.
We also saw hippos in the Letaba River. They were amazing, and one of them was very aware of us watching them. He kept surfacing, looking straight at us, while shaking his tiny Shrek-like ears to free them of water so he could keep an ear out for us. We could see the darkness of their bodies under the water, although they only ever surfaced with their eyes and tops of their heads. At the same time as we were watching the hippos, a herd of elephants was down the river, drinking and splashing.
We also saw giraffes, which sort of lope along at a fairly great speed. We did see one group of three of them, including two youngsters, right up close to us on the road. We saw others, head, neck, and shoulders only, through the scrub. Their heads gently bob forward as they walk. It was amazing to see.
We saw several small groups of zebras, and just as we were heading back, we saw a larger group near a watering hole. One of them came up closer to us, and seemed almost the pose, slowly facing us, then turning to the side so we could take photos while the sun made the stripes shine. Zebras look just like horses, and they seem to look at us people in the same way that horses look at us, with a quiet kind of intelligence. Perhaps we were anthropomorphizing them, but it sure did seem like that zebra was looking at us with some kind of understanding.
We also saw a single small Steen Bok, some Waterbuck, a mixed-up female Kudo hanging out with a bunch of Impala, and countless giant Termite mounds. The Termite mounds are giant chimneys for the huge Termite colonies under ground. Some of the mounds are easily more than 15 feet high, and we have at several points mistaken them for Giraffe necks from a distance. At the base of the mounds, we can see small holes bored into the dried mud from predator foraging. The mounds are very striking and interesting.
We have not seen lions, or any of the cat family. We also haven’t seen a Rhino either, although we are hopeful of seeing both as we drive south tomorrow.
The animals seem to be unafraid of us for the most part, and unafraid of each other. Of course, we haven’t seen any of the top predators, and the picture might change then, but we have seen a number of different types of animals close by each other seemingly peacefully. For example, at one point today, by a large wide river bed, we saw an adult Giraffe slowly bend his front legs to drink from the water, with three Impalas only feet away. Only 100 feet away, a large herd of giant black Buffalo rested under a stand of trees. There was a Fish Eagle in one of the trees above the buffalo.
We’ve seen a number of wonderful birds today too. The most beautiful by far was the brilliantly colored Lilac Breasted Roller, which was royal blue and robin’s egg blue on his belly, purple on his chest, turquoise on his head, and brown and white on the rest of his body. When he took wing, he flashed us with the brilliant blue under his wings. We also saw Pintailed Whydahs, with very long black tails, and a number of crested fancolins. The Whydahs are black and white only in mating season, and then the the males turn brown to match the females for the rest of the year.
Today at lunch, which we ate out on a great veranda at Letabi Camp, we were overlooking a large river basin. The birds flew right in to join us. At one point, someone put down a bowl of cut fruit, turned away for a moment, and turned back to find the bowl surrounded by birds of all types, from Bul Buls to Red Wing Starlings, to shiny blue Burchell Starlings. It happened so suddenly and we all saw it happen, and it was almost out of the movie The Birds.
Right now, as I type, we have a medium size greenish yellow bird, with a large orange beak and bright black and white checkered wings watching us. We think it is a Crested Barbet. A grey Gymmogene is lurking about ten feet away, with its head like a parrot and its body like a large pigeon. We are also being stalked by several small grey squirrels, which I suppose must get fed by occupants of the bungalow as they visit.
There are no machine sounds around us, only nature, which right now mostly sounds like singing insects and birds. It is unbelievably peaceful. We are actually whispering as we talk here, and it is completely unconscious. It somehow seems to fit the peace of the place.
In the past few days, we have left the escarpment where Johannesburg was located. The escarpment is very far above sea level (with an altitude close to Denver’s). It is mineralogically rich, which of course accounts for Johannesburg itself (as a gold mine city). As we drove out of Johannesburg, the area seemed very dry and flat, much like Southern California. Apparently, almost all the trees (of which there were few) were imported by the British. We passed six major power plants, built right on top of large coal deposits. The power plants had a very forbidding appearance, but that may have been because they each had 6 giant cooling towers of the type that in the US we use for nuclear power plants. There were a number of mines, mainly strip mines, along the highway. It wasn’t really a very beautiful drive until we sta rted to reach Mpumbalanga, which is kind of hilly and mountainous.
We stayed overnight at Graskop, which is an old Victorean era mining town, now rather charming and arty. We had pancakes at Harrie’s Dutch Pancake House, which was amazing. We also had a chance to look down over the edge of the escarpment, a mile down into the bushveldt, or lowlands, where we are now. The escarpment ends suddenly, with a huge drop-off. We stood at the edge, looking down and seemingly able to see forever, and the mist was gold and pink from the setting sun, and it felt truly like a miracle, one of those moments that actually touch the heart and make a person feel larger and better. It was amazing.
We saw a number of the gorgeous geological formations along what they call the Panorama Route. Bourke’s Luck Potholes, worn into the rock cliffs as two large rivers meet, and of course, we saw the Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondewals. The view there was also very powerful, much like looking out over the grand canyon, except here it was green and alive, and the canyon walls were bright yellow and red and orange from lichen.
We are all well, and having a wonderful time. This is a great group. Kruger is amazing (I know I keep using the work amazing, but it is the best word for this experience. Really). We'll write more when we have regular internet access, which may be in a few days….
Right now, I’m sitting on the porch of the thatch roof bungalow where we are staying (we have a number of these small bungalows). The porch is tiled, with a dining set and kitchen outside, and we look down directly over the Shipandani River. It is completely wild on the other side, and last night, we could hear the lions calling out. Just minutes ago a lone buffalo waded into the river, not 300 feet away. It is humid and about 80 degrees, very pleasant. We have free time until 6:00 when we head out on a night drive (with a spotlight to try to surprise the nocturnal animals). We are going to have a fire and bush brai for dinner tonight, and if it is anything like last night, we’ll be able to see an incredible number of stars. It is so clear here, and the sky is so bright, we were able to see the Milky Way last night. It was…amazing.
Several students used this afternoon free time to go on a game walk. Diane, Jameson, and Chris are out there right now, with two armed rangers, walking through the bush. Several others, Angie, Becky, and Laura, went swimming in the camp swimming pool. Others (including Damond and Kati) are doing laundry by hand and hanging it outside the bungalows to dry. I suspect others are catching up on their sleep with a little nap. It is so calm and peaceful here!
When we drove into Kruger Park yesterday, we came in through the Phalambora gate, which is a little more north than the typical entry points. The terrain here is mainly rolling and flat, and filled with Mopani trees, which are kind of small and scrubby looking. As it is autumn here, the leaves are starting to turn, so we can see the orange-y gold colors mixed with the greens. There is a lot of savanna grass too. Every now and then there are stands of larger trees, especially along the rivers. We have found a number of buffalo herds under the trees. The buffalo are huge, and are apparently one of the more dangerous animals here. They get mad easily, they stampede, and they are in large groups. When we were all walking yesterday (with armed rangers!) one of our groups came close to a herd of buffalo. Our rangers stopped us and warned us to be very quiet. But the buffalo heard us, and we could here some snorting and loud breathing, and then there was a loud noise, and suddenly they were stampeding. It sounded like a movie sound effect! Fortunately, the buffalo went in the other direction, I should add!
As we were trying to get to our camp (about 2 hours into Kruger Park) yesterday, we were kept seeing animals out the windows of our bus. At one point, we saw three elephants on the side of the road (our first elephants!). The bus stopped and we were busy exclaiming and taking photos, when we slowly realized that our driver and guide didn’t seem happy. Then we watched as the largest elephant (who was only an adolescent male) began pulling his ears back. That’s a sign that he was feeling challenged. He started putting his weight towards his back feet, as if he was going to start charging us. Then the smaller two elephants crossed the road, and then another group, and then more and more elephants appeared! But as the elephants began to gather around on either side of the road, our driver was increasingly nervous. He slowly started to back up the bus. We couldn’t go past the elephants as they might consider it a challenge (and we were being challenged by the adolescent male who first caught our attention). We waited and waited, as at least 30 elephants crossed the road, mostly large females and children (and one tiny baby, which of course, is a relative thing). After most of the elephants were across, the aggressive male (who our driver called ‘the naughty one,’) crossed the road, still trying to stare us down. Our driver began slowly inching forward, afraid that they would charge the bus. But as we got really close, we won the game of chicken. The naughty one reared up, flapped his ears, trumpeted, and ran away. We were all literally screaming, with both joy and excitement, and probably a little fear tossed in. Just yesterday morning, there was a photo on the front page of the paper of a little car crushed by an angry elephant. And apparently busses have actually been flipped by angry elephants, so perhaps we can say we barely escaped with our lives!
Today, we stayed mainly on the bus. Humans are not allowed to walk in the park unless with a ranger, and there are only a very few walking paths. We are also not allowed to get off the bus except on bridges. They are very strict about their environmental guidelines. And I suppose it is an issue of safety as well.
But even on the bus we had an amazing experience! We started out by seeing three hyenas crossing the road. We got quite close to them, as they stared at us and we stared at them. They were very strange looking and very intense. Apparently it is very rare to see hyenas, and they estimate that there are only 2000 in the whole park (which is the size of England). We saw a number of different elephant groups, including some that were actually frolicking and spraying each other in the water. We saw SO many impala, which look like small deer, with the males having twisting black horns. They have black and white markings on their rumps, and our guide said that because the markings look like the letter ‘m,’ and everyone eats the impalas, they call them the McDonald’s of Kruger Park. In fact, we saw so many herds of impalas that by the end of our drive today, we had become jaded. I actually overheard one student point out another herd of Impala, and another student say ‘so what.’ It was really kind of funny, in a gentle sort of way.
We also saw hippos in the Letaba River. They were amazing, and one of them was very aware of us watching them. He kept surfacing, looking straight at us, while shaking his tiny Shrek-like ears to free them of water so he could keep an ear out for us. We could see the darkness of their bodies under the water, although they only ever surfaced with their eyes and tops of their heads. At the same time as we were watching the hippos, a herd of elephants was down the river, drinking and splashing.
We also saw giraffes, which sort of lope along at a fairly great speed. We did see one group of three of them, including two youngsters, right up close to us on the road. We saw others, head, neck, and shoulders only, through the scrub. Their heads gently bob forward as they walk. It was amazing to see.
We saw several small groups of zebras, and just as we were heading back, we saw a larger group near a watering hole. One of them came up closer to us, and seemed almost the pose, slowly facing us, then turning to the side so we could take photos while the sun made the stripes shine. Zebras look just like horses, and they seem to look at us people in the same way that horses look at us, with a quiet kind of intelligence. Perhaps we were anthropomorphizing them, but it sure did seem like that zebra was looking at us with some kind of understanding.
We also saw a single small Steen Bok, some Waterbuck, a mixed-up female Kudo hanging out with a bunch of Impala, and countless giant Termite mounds. The Termite mounds are giant chimneys for the huge Termite colonies under ground. Some of the mounds are easily more than 15 feet high, and we have at several points mistaken them for Giraffe necks from a distance. At the base of the mounds, we can see small holes bored into the dried mud from predator foraging. The mounds are very striking and interesting.
We have not seen lions, or any of the cat family. We also haven’t seen a Rhino either, although we are hopeful of seeing both as we drive south tomorrow.
The animals seem to be unafraid of us for the most part, and unafraid of each other. Of course, we haven’t seen any of the top predators, and the picture might change then, but we have seen a number of different types of animals close by each other seemingly peacefully. For example, at one point today, by a large wide river bed, we saw an adult Giraffe slowly bend his front legs to drink from the water, with three Impalas only feet away. Only 100 feet away, a large herd of giant black Buffalo rested under a stand of trees. There was a Fish Eagle in one of the trees above the buffalo.
We’ve seen a number of wonderful birds today too. The most beautiful by far was the brilliantly colored Lilac Breasted Roller, which was royal blue and robin’s egg blue on his belly, purple on his chest, turquoise on his head, and brown and white on the rest of his body. When he took wing, he flashed us with the brilliant blue under his wings. We also saw Pintailed Whydahs, with very long black tails, and a number of crested fancolins. The Whydahs are black and white only in mating season, and then the the males turn brown to match the females for the rest of the year.
Today at lunch, which we ate out on a great veranda at Letabi Camp, we were overlooking a large river basin. The birds flew right in to join us. At one point, someone put down a bowl of cut fruit, turned away for a moment, and turned back to find the bowl surrounded by birds of all types, from Bul Buls to Red Wing Starlings, to shiny blue Burchell Starlings. It happened so suddenly and we all saw it happen, and it was almost out of the movie The Birds.
Right now, as I type, we have a medium size greenish yellow bird, with a large orange beak and bright black and white checkered wings watching us. We think it is a Crested Barbet. A grey Gymmogene is lurking about ten feet away, with its head like a parrot and its body like a large pigeon. We are also being stalked by several small grey squirrels, which I suppose must get fed by occupants of the bungalow as they visit.
There are no machine sounds around us, only nature, which right now mostly sounds like singing insects and birds. It is unbelievably peaceful. We are actually whispering as we talk here, and it is completely unconscious. It somehow seems to fit the peace of the place.
In the past few days, we have left the escarpment where Johannesburg was located. The escarpment is very far above sea level (with an altitude close to Denver’s). It is mineralogically rich, which of course accounts for Johannesburg itself (as a gold mine city). As we drove out of Johannesburg, the area seemed very dry and flat, much like Southern California. Apparently, almost all the trees (of which there were few) were imported by the British. We passed six major power plants, built right on top of large coal deposits. The power plants had a very forbidding appearance, but that may have been because they each had 6 giant cooling towers of the type that in the US we use for nuclear power plants. There were a number of mines, mainly strip mines, along the highway. It wasn’t really a very beautiful drive until we sta rted to reach Mpumbalanga, which is kind of hilly and mountainous.
We stayed overnight at Graskop, which is an old Victorean era mining town, now rather charming and arty. We had pancakes at Harrie’s Dutch Pancake House, which was amazing. We also had a chance to look down over the edge of the escarpment, a mile down into the bushveldt, or lowlands, where we are now. The escarpment ends suddenly, with a huge drop-off. We stood at the edge, looking down and seemingly able to see forever, and the mist was gold and pink from the setting sun, and it felt truly like a miracle, one of those moments that actually touch the heart and make a person feel larger and better. It was amazing.
We saw a number of the gorgeous geological formations along what they call the Panorama Route. Bourke’s Luck Potholes, worn into the rock cliffs as two large rivers meet, and of course, we saw the Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondewals. The view there was also very powerful, much like looking out over the grand canyon, except here it was green and alive, and the canyon walls were bright yellow and red and orange from lichen.
We are all well, and having a wonderful time. This is a great group. Kruger is amazing (I know I keep using the work amazing, but it is the best word for this experience. Really). We'll write more when we have regular internet access, which may be in a few days….
Friday, May 9, 2008
No Internet....
This is just a quick post to let folks know that we are in Kruger Park (in Mopane Camp), on our safari. We don't have internet access, and won't for a few days. Our guide is kindly letting us use his cell phone to post this, which is a long and painful process.
Everything is AMAZING! Absolutely amazing!
Everything is AMAZING! Absolutely amazing!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Wow!
We are just back from Lesedi, where we got to watch traditional Xhosa, Pedi, Sotho, and Zulu dancing. There were huge drums and people were singing, whistling, clapping, stamping, clicking, and shouting. The songs and dancing were very high-energy. The dancing was in a large circular thatched building with a fire in the center. We got to see some traditional spirit dances, and hunting dances, and even a barbecue dance celebrating that everyone was about to eat. At one point, two tiny little boys, not more than 2 or 3 years old, wandered in through the back door and toddled over to one of the groups of dancers. These kids, who live at Lesedi and obviously see a lot of dancing, just started to join in the dance, which was pretty darn adorable! (Let me just say LOTS of photos were taken!) At the end of the Zulu war dance (which saw the women trying to outkick the men in mock battle against the Zulu enemies), they said that now they sometimes end the dance with an English word...the word WOW.
And that about describes our day today!
We got a very emotional and personal tour through the Apartheid Museum, with our guide, Shane, a White South African, almost in tears at points. The museum is excellent, managing to be both very detailed and very emotionally powerful at the same time. We started by entering the building divided into two groups, the Whites and the Non-Whites, using two separate entrances and walking through two different displays separated by wire caging. All throughout the museum were video displays of important moments in Apartheid history, as well as testimonies from witnessess and participants (willing and unwilling). Some of the photographs were amazing,and it the museum was careful to start the story several hundred years ago so we could have the context in which Boer (Dutch) Nationalism was so strong; and of course, it was out of this nationalism that Apartheid was born.
One of the strongest moments in the museum was the room in which they have an actual Casspir, or large armoured truck that had been built to carry the security police into the Black townships. The truck was immense, with giant wheels, small windows that were impossible to see in, and the front of the truck had metal spikes on it. The police were packed in the back of the truck, up high so they could see down or jump out on top of people. The bench seats in the back held more than a dozen officers. We have seen photos and film of these trucks rushing into neighborhoods and bringing violence and chaos and fear, and to see one of these massive trucks in person really helped understand the scale of the power the police had.
We also got to understand just how beloved Nelson Mandela is. They call him The Great Man, and everywhere we go, we see his photo. And people ask us what we have heard about him, and then they share their own stories and memories of when they met him or heard him speak. At one point, we were pointed to a particular spot on a carpet (this was in Soweto) and told we should stand just there, as Nelson Mandela had stood there some years before. Today, while we were at Lesedi, we were watching a presentation about the different traditional cultural groups in South Africa, and at one point, Nelson Mandela's face was projected on the screen behind the actors and presenters, and everyone stopped and looked up at the photo. When the photo was taken down, they all nodded their heads in respect. It was a small little moment that told a lot. It isn't just Black Africans, by the way, who look up to Mandela. Many Whites do as well. I think in America, we know how important Mandela is, but we don't really understand how deeply important he is to his own country.
Jameson wins the award today for the most adventurous eating. In one day, he managed to eat Ostrich, Wart Hog, Spring Bok, and Crocodile. Many of the adventurous eaters tried a few bites of Crocodile (which tastes like a kind of oily fishy chicken). We also tried Peri Peri hot sauce at lunch (VERY hot), and many of us discovered pepperdews, which were very delicious (and are quite a common pizza topping here). Nobody tried eating the Pedi dried Mopane worms, which were fat and round, about the size of finger joint, and looked like they would be very crunchy. I have to point out that the worms did not look at all delicious!
Random geek fact: the South Africans have pioneered the disguise of their cell phone towers. They dress the towers up as large palm trees or pines. So we'll be driving along, and suddenly there will be a very tall and oddly regular palm tree and as we get closer, we'll realize it's all made of metal. They look kind of strange, or funny even, and I can't really imagine that it's so much better than looking at cell phone towers. But watch out for strange tree-shaped cellural towers at home, as apparently the idea is spreading internationally...
Tomorrow we leave early to head towards Kruger Park. We will be stopping along the way to see some amazing geological formations (they call this area of South Africa the Panorama Route, as some of the views are so amazing). I think everyone is going to charge the batteries for their cameras tonight!
And that about describes our day today!
We got a very emotional and personal tour through the Apartheid Museum, with our guide, Shane, a White South African, almost in tears at points. The museum is excellent, managing to be both very detailed and very emotionally powerful at the same time. We started by entering the building divided into two groups, the Whites and the Non-Whites, using two separate entrances and walking through two different displays separated by wire caging. All throughout the museum were video displays of important moments in Apartheid history, as well as testimonies from witnessess and participants (willing and unwilling). Some of the photographs were amazing,and it the museum was careful to start the story several hundred years ago so we could have the context in which Boer (Dutch) Nationalism was so strong; and of course, it was out of this nationalism that Apartheid was born.
One of the strongest moments in the museum was the room in which they have an actual Casspir, or large armoured truck that had been built to carry the security police into the Black townships. The truck was immense, with giant wheels, small windows that were impossible to see in, and the front of the truck had metal spikes on it. The police were packed in the back of the truck, up high so they could see down or jump out on top of people. The bench seats in the back held more than a dozen officers. We have seen photos and film of these trucks rushing into neighborhoods and bringing violence and chaos and fear, and to see one of these massive trucks in person really helped understand the scale of the power the police had.
We also got to understand just how beloved Nelson Mandela is. They call him The Great Man, and everywhere we go, we see his photo. And people ask us what we have heard about him, and then they share their own stories and memories of when they met him or heard him speak. At one point, we were pointed to a particular spot on a carpet (this was in Soweto) and told we should stand just there, as Nelson Mandela had stood there some years before. Today, while we were at Lesedi, we were watching a presentation about the different traditional cultural groups in South Africa, and at one point, Nelson Mandela's face was projected on the screen behind the actors and presenters, and everyone stopped and looked up at the photo. When the photo was taken down, they all nodded their heads in respect. It was a small little moment that told a lot. It isn't just Black Africans, by the way, who look up to Mandela. Many Whites do as well. I think in America, we know how important Mandela is, but we don't really understand how deeply important he is to his own country.
Jameson wins the award today for the most adventurous eating. In one day, he managed to eat Ostrich, Wart Hog, Spring Bok, and Crocodile. Many of the adventurous eaters tried a few bites of Crocodile (which tastes like a kind of oily fishy chicken). We also tried Peri Peri hot sauce at lunch (VERY hot), and many of us discovered pepperdews, which were very delicious (and are quite a common pizza topping here). Nobody tried eating the Pedi dried Mopane worms, which were fat and round, about the size of finger joint, and looked like they would be very crunchy. I have to point out that the worms did not look at all delicious!
Random geek fact: the South Africans have pioneered the disguise of their cell phone towers. They dress the towers up as large palm trees or pines. So we'll be driving along, and suddenly there will be a very tall and oddly regular palm tree and as we get closer, we'll realize it's all made of metal. They look kind of strange, or funny even, and I can't really imagine that it's so much better than looking at cell phone towers. But watch out for strange tree-shaped cellural towers at home, as apparently the idea is spreading internationally...
Tomorrow we leave early to head towards Kruger Park. We will be stopping along the way to see some amazing geological formations (they call this area of South Africa the Panorama Route, as some of the views are so amazing). I think everyone is going to charge the batteries for their cameras tonight!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Our First Day...
Our trip was long. 30 hours in transit. We had a lovely send-off with devoted friends waking up early to see us off. Moms and grandmas made us lovely little packages of candy wrapped in purple and gold, and there were lots of hugs all the way around. The trip to JFK went smoothly, with only a bit of traffic on the George Washington Bridge. Our plane was delayed for two hours at JFK, and while we were waiting, we met a really nice Elmira College Alum who was taking the same plane we were to Johannesburg. Her name was Cheryl Chitting from the class of 1971, and at that moment, it sure did feel like the world was small!
When we got to the Johannesburg airport, after 18 hours on the plane, we walked out from customs into a loose scrum of people, many waiting with flowers (sadly no flowers for us!). There were a number of money exchange businesses, banks, and ATMs, so most of us easily changed some money right away. They were in the process of renovating and expanding the airport, so it felt a little strange, like a small European airport built in the 1970s (or maybe one of the older sections of Logan airport in Boston). I think most of us were just happy to have our feet on the ground after being in the air for so long.
After we arrived at the hotel last evening, we were pretty tired. Our hotel, the lovely Africa Centre Lodge, has a lighted pool, a lounge, a courtyard, a dining room with TVs, an outdoor pool table, brightly colored walls, a trampoline, african art in every possible corner, and more animal heads on the wall than Kolker Hall! The hotel is surrounded by high cement walls topped with barbed wire, painted bright yellow and red, which seems a bit out of place given how calm and inviting this hotel is. It's quite a nice place for a large group of young people to stay, and last night held a lot of exploring and hanging out. Unfortunately, almost everyone was seriously jet-lagged and woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. Today many of us are even more tired.
This morning we went to Soweto, the famous township symbolic of the historic struggle against Apartheid. There is only one main road into Soweto (a left-over from the Apartheid government's attempts to control the movement of people in and out of the township). The main road leading to Soweto is a divided highway, although traffic moved fairly slowly. There were walls around the entire perimeter of Soweto, which is pretty amazing given that Soweto is home to millions of people and is quite huge. We started driving the internal streets in an area that has a number of newer larger houses, most built after the end of Apartheid. They jokingly call the neighborhood the 'Hollywood' of Soweto, but the funny thing is that it actually reminded us of Southern California homes, built into the hillside, with a kind of Spanish stucco and red tile roof architecture. Every yard was fenced and the windows had decorative ironwork. Even these wealthy homes were on the small side and packed very close together.
We moved on to the Kliptown area, in central Soweto. There were a number of markets here, some permanent and some informal street markets. There were also stores that had been built during Apartheid, still owned by Indian families because Blacks couldn't own property even in Soweto. Railroad tracks run alongside of Kliptown, and along the tracks was a huge shanty-town (they call them 'informal settlements' now). The Kliptown Informal Settlement was huge and chaotic, with a hodge-podge of building materials making up the housing. It was packed with people. Apparently, as the South African ANC government has built more and more low cost housing, the families who originially built the shanty homes have moved out but continue to own the shanties, which they turn arounda and rent to even poorer people.
We also stopped at the Regina Mundi church, which was at the center of Apartheid resistance during the 1970's and 1980s. It was very powerful. This was the largest collective space in Soweto, and while it seats 2000, it regularly held up to 5000 people. Funerals for people killed during Apartheid protests were held here, and many Apartheid resistance fighters met here and gave speeches. The church was also regularly attacked by the Apartheid-era police, and bullet holes are still visible in some of the walls and the ceiling. During the Soweto Uprising in 1976, thousands of student protesters tried to take refuge there, and a number were killed in the church when the police attacked. After Apartheid was officially over, the church served as an important place of reconciliation. The church itself was large, fairly plain and simple, and it felt like we were in a very powerful place. It was definitely a wonderful thing to experience.
Up the other side of the ridge in Soweto were a number of what must have been middle class neighborhoods during Apartheid (although we would consider these houses to be quite small by American standards). It was in one of these neighborhoods that we saw Nelson Mandela's house (he bought it when he was a lawyer in the 1940s). We couldn't go inside, but we could see that it was quite a simple house. Of course, now, given that the house is an important stop for tourists coming to Soweto, the streets outside of the house are home to various market stalls, souvenir stands, and hawkers. It seemed a little contradictory. This same street is also where Archbishop Desmond Tutu lives, and we could also see his small house from the outside.
This middle class area in Soweto is where most of the schools are. And of course, the schools were at the center of the start of the Soweto Uprising in 1976. After the Aparheid goverment (to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Afrikaans language) mandated that all education in the Black townships had to be in the Afrikaans language, the students started to go on strike. The first day of the township-wide strike, thousands of students gathered in the neighborhood to march up to the stadium, where they planned to speak publically and present their petitions. But they didn't get that far. The Apartheid-era police broke up the march with tear gas and bullets, killing a number of students. That touched off months of nationwide protest, violence, and repression, where thousands died. One of the young students who died on the first day, Hector Pieterson, became a kind of symbol of the violent repression. Now there is a museum dedicated to the Soweto Uprising that bears his name. We had the chance to visit the museum and the memorial (which was built right on the spot where Hector was killed). For those of us who have studied the Soweto Uprising as such an important part of history, it was very amazing and powerful to be right where it all happened.
For lunch, we stopped at a 'Shebeen,' a kind of speak-easy bar/restaurant (they served as illegal nightclubs and lunch spots during Apartheid). The place we went to, Wandie's, is one of the most famous. It has no sign in front, no parking, nothing to distinguish it from the other houses on the block. Inside, you walk through what was once obviously a living and dining room (now filled with tables), through the kitchen itself, into the back rooms. Every possible space is filled with tables and chairs, and the food was served buffet style. There was so much food! Most every kind of meat was served, stew style, along with a kind of corn grits, mashed pumpkin, lentils and dried corn, potatoes, beans, and a spongy slightly sweet bread. It was all incredibly delicious, and it was great to be able to sample so many different dishes. The vegetarians were happy too. And there was homemade custard or ice cream for dessert, so that was the proverbial icing on the cake...
We drove back through downtown Johannesburg on our way back to the hotel. Central Johannesburg is famous for being unsafe to walk in (because of street crime). A number of the large businesses that headquartered there during Apartheid times have moved out of the city. We could see a number of large lovely older buildings that seemed closed down. The streets were alive with people, though, in a way belying the image of the city being deserted. There were shops and markets, street merchants, and people people people walking everywhere! Parts of it had a bit of a feel of San Francisco.
The whole Johannesburg area was built because of gold-mining. Before gold was discovered in the 1800s, there was no city here. There were only Dutch Boer family farmers and the indigenous people. After the discovery of gold, people flocked here from all over the world, and the British wanted to exert some control. Eventually that led to the Boer War, but what it has left the city with is a kind of Victorian/Industrial feel, with a number of depots, railroads, and old-style storage buildings. It's kind of grimy, too.
Outside the down town, the mining influence is clear. All along the highways, there are huge hills made out of mine dirt and debris, grown over with a tough-looking kind of grass. Apparently, this grass is the only thing that will grow on these hills, as the dirt is contaminated with cyanide from the gold extraction. We didn't fail to notice, by the way, that Soweto is surrounded on almost every side by huge mountains of mine remnants, and apparently, when the wind is strong the cyanide-contaminated dust blows down into the township. (Soweto was also home to a very large coal-burning power plant that produced most of the energy to power Johannesburg, although there was no electricity itself in Apartheid-era Soweto).
We have some free time now, and many of the students have pooled their money to take taxis to a nearby mall. Even some of the students who are really dragging from lack of sleep seem to have managed to drag themselves along to the mall. The lure of shopping must be strong!
It's Dylan's birthday today, and we are working on getting a cake for later tonight.
Oh, a couple of cook geek facts before I sign off: We noticed that last night, we could see the constellation of Orion. Except of course that instead of standing up, as Orion does in North America, Orion was lying down on his side. We also could easily find the Southern Cross constellation too. And this morning, we crossed the African continental divide, the point at which water on one side flows to the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side it flows to the Indian Ocean. We are also noticing how quickly it gets dark at night (or light in the morning), which is a function of how far South we are. Along with the dark comes an instant temperature drop. During the day, when we stood still in the sun, it felt quite hot. But if we moved around, the air was actually very cool. It felt like we were hot and cold at the same time. Very interesting.
Tomorrow we are going to the Apartheid Museum and then to Lesedi Cultural Village, where we will get to experience traditional dancing and storytelling. We'll write more then.
When we got to the Johannesburg airport, after 18 hours on the plane, we walked out from customs into a loose scrum of people, many waiting with flowers (sadly no flowers for us!). There were a number of money exchange businesses, banks, and ATMs, so most of us easily changed some money right away. They were in the process of renovating and expanding the airport, so it felt a little strange, like a small European airport built in the 1970s (or maybe one of the older sections of Logan airport in Boston). I think most of us were just happy to have our feet on the ground after being in the air for so long.
After we arrived at the hotel last evening, we were pretty tired. Our hotel, the lovely Africa Centre Lodge, has a lighted pool, a lounge, a courtyard, a dining room with TVs, an outdoor pool table, brightly colored walls, a trampoline, african art in every possible corner, and more animal heads on the wall than Kolker Hall! The hotel is surrounded by high cement walls topped with barbed wire, painted bright yellow and red, which seems a bit out of place given how calm and inviting this hotel is. It's quite a nice place for a large group of young people to stay, and last night held a lot of exploring and hanging out. Unfortunately, almost everyone was seriously jet-lagged and woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. Today many of us are even more tired.
This morning we went to Soweto, the famous township symbolic of the historic struggle against Apartheid. There is only one main road into Soweto (a left-over from the Apartheid government's attempts to control the movement of people in and out of the township). The main road leading to Soweto is a divided highway, although traffic moved fairly slowly. There were walls around the entire perimeter of Soweto, which is pretty amazing given that Soweto is home to millions of people and is quite huge. We started driving the internal streets in an area that has a number of newer larger houses, most built after the end of Apartheid. They jokingly call the neighborhood the 'Hollywood' of Soweto, but the funny thing is that it actually reminded us of Southern California homes, built into the hillside, with a kind of Spanish stucco and red tile roof architecture. Every yard was fenced and the windows had decorative ironwork. Even these wealthy homes were on the small side and packed very close together.
We moved on to the Kliptown area, in central Soweto. There were a number of markets here, some permanent and some informal street markets. There were also stores that had been built during Apartheid, still owned by Indian families because Blacks couldn't own property even in Soweto. Railroad tracks run alongside of Kliptown, and along the tracks was a huge shanty-town (they call them 'informal settlements' now). The Kliptown Informal Settlement was huge and chaotic, with a hodge-podge of building materials making up the housing. It was packed with people. Apparently, as the South African ANC government has built more and more low cost housing, the families who originially built the shanty homes have moved out but continue to own the shanties, which they turn arounda and rent to even poorer people.
We also stopped at the Regina Mundi church, which was at the center of Apartheid resistance during the 1970's and 1980s. It was very powerful. This was the largest collective space in Soweto, and while it seats 2000, it regularly held up to 5000 people. Funerals for people killed during Apartheid protests were held here, and many Apartheid resistance fighters met here and gave speeches. The church was also regularly attacked by the Apartheid-era police, and bullet holes are still visible in some of the walls and the ceiling. During the Soweto Uprising in 1976, thousands of student protesters tried to take refuge there, and a number were killed in the church when the police attacked. After Apartheid was officially over, the church served as an important place of reconciliation. The church itself was large, fairly plain and simple, and it felt like we were in a very powerful place. It was definitely a wonderful thing to experience.
Up the other side of the ridge in Soweto were a number of what must have been middle class neighborhoods during Apartheid (although we would consider these houses to be quite small by American standards). It was in one of these neighborhoods that we saw Nelson Mandela's house (he bought it when he was a lawyer in the 1940s). We couldn't go inside, but we could see that it was quite a simple house. Of course, now, given that the house is an important stop for tourists coming to Soweto, the streets outside of the house are home to various market stalls, souvenir stands, and hawkers. It seemed a little contradictory. This same street is also where Archbishop Desmond Tutu lives, and we could also see his small house from the outside.
This middle class area in Soweto is where most of the schools are. And of course, the schools were at the center of the start of the Soweto Uprising in 1976. After the Aparheid goverment (to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Afrikaans language) mandated that all education in the Black townships had to be in the Afrikaans language, the students started to go on strike. The first day of the township-wide strike, thousands of students gathered in the neighborhood to march up to the stadium, where they planned to speak publically and present their petitions. But they didn't get that far. The Apartheid-era police broke up the march with tear gas and bullets, killing a number of students. That touched off months of nationwide protest, violence, and repression, where thousands died. One of the young students who died on the first day, Hector Pieterson, became a kind of symbol of the violent repression. Now there is a museum dedicated to the Soweto Uprising that bears his name. We had the chance to visit the museum and the memorial (which was built right on the spot where Hector was killed). For those of us who have studied the Soweto Uprising as such an important part of history, it was very amazing and powerful to be right where it all happened.
For lunch, we stopped at a 'Shebeen,' a kind of speak-easy bar/restaurant (they served as illegal nightclubs and lunch spots during Apartheid). The place we went to, Wandie's, is one of the most famous. It has no sign in front, no parking, nothing to distinguish it from the other houses on the block. Inside, you walk through what was once obviously a living and dining room (now filled with tables), through the kitchen itself, into the back rooms. Every possible space is filled with tables and chairs, and the food was served buffet style. There was so much food! Most every kind of meat was served, stew style, along with a kind of corn grits, mashed pumpkin, lentils and dried corn, potatoes, beans, and a spongy slightly sweet bread. It was all incredibly delicious, and it was great to be able to sample so many different dishes. The vegetarians were happy too. And there was homemade custard or ice cream for dessert, so that was the proverbial icing on the cake...
We drove back through downtown Johannesburg on our way back to the hotel. Central Johannesburg is famous for being unsafe to walk in (because of street crime). A number of the large businesses that headquartered there during Apartheid times have moved out of the city. We could see a number of large lovely older buildings that seemed closed down. The streets were alive with people, though, in a way belying the image of the city being deserted. There were shops and markets, street merchants, and people people people walking everywhere! Parts of it had a bit of a feel of San Francisco.
The whole Johannesburg area was built because of gold-mining. Before gold was discovered in the 1800s, there was no city here. There were only Dutch Boer family farmers and the indigenous people. After the discovery of gold, people flocked here from all over the world, and the British wanted to exert some control. Eventually that led to the Boer War, but what it has left the city with is a kind of Victorian/Industrial feel, with a number of depots, railroads, and old-style storage buildings. It's kind of grimy, too.
Outside the down town, the mining influence is clear. All along the highways, there are huge hills made out of mine dirt and debris, grown over with a tough-looking kind of grass. Apparently, this grass is the only thing that will grow on these hills, as the dirt is contaminated with cyanide from the gold extraction. We didn't fail to notice, by the way, that Soweto is surrounded on almost every side by huge mountains of mine remnants, and apparently, when the wind is strong the cyanide-contaminated dust blows down into the township. (Soweto was also home to a very large coal-burning power plant that produced most of the energy to power Johannesburg, although there was no electricity itself in Apartheid-era Soweto).
We have some free time now, and many of the students have pooled their money to take taxis to a nearby mall. Even some of the students who are really dragging from lack of sleep seem to have managed to drag themselves along to the mall. The lure of shopping must be strong!
It's Dylan's birthday today, and we are working on getting a cake for later tonight.
Oh, a couple of cook geek facts before I sign off: We noticed that last night, we could see the constellation of Orion. Except of course that instead of standing up, as Orion does in North America, Orion was lying down on his side. We also could easily find the Southern Cross constellation too. And this morning, we crossed the African continental divide, the point at which water on one side flows to the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side it flows to the Indian Ocean. We are also noticing how quickly it gets dark at night (or light in the morning), which is a function of how far South we are. Along with the dark comes an instant temperature drop. During the day, when we stood still in the sun, it felt quite hot. But if we moved around, the air was actually very cool. It felt like we were hot and cold at the same time. Very interesting.
Tomorrow we are going to the Apartheid Museum and then to Lesedi Cultural Village, where we will get to experience traditional dancing and storytelling. We'll write more then.
Monday, May 5, 2008
We're here!
Hi everyone! After a 25-hour journey, we are finally settled into our hotel in Johannesburg. The bus ride and flight went very smoothly, and everyone is in good spirits, if a bit tired. There is no international phone service at our hotel, but we do have limited internet access, so we'll be able to update again before we head off to Kruger in a few days.
Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that we are well and excited to finally be here. We'll update again soon!
Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that we are well and excited to finally be here. We'll update again soon!
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