Leaving South Africa

Flying to Livingstone, Zambia from Port Elizabeth: we change planes in Johannesburg. The weather is not good, and both of us are looking forward to the upcoming respite from the cold, wet weather. Before we go, South Africa decides to send us off with a fond farewell. A bus takes us from the terminal to the runway, from which we walk outside on to our plane. The cold rain is getting worse. It hails just as we leave the bus. Then, while sitting on the plane, the rain is now mixed with snow. The dark patches under the plane in front of us is not shadow; it is pavement. The rest of the ground is covered in snow/hail. Excellent.


We were wondering if de-icing the wing was necessary, but apparently, not part of the procedure. (view of the wing thru the window)


Only slightly delayed we take off with lots of turbulence. The children on board are laughing with each jolt as if this is just another roller coaster. A fire was built in our lodge at Kwantu every night but the chimney didn't work that well, allowing extra smoke to enter the lodge. Now, in Zambia, we realize that our clothes smell like we have been visiting smoky bars. Upon arrival in Zambia, the sun was shining and the airplane doors opened allowing the warm air in. This is more like the Africa we were expecting. Of course, we will see what Botswana has to offer. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Kwantu - predators

Kwantu has released a male lion and female lion in the main part of the reserve, and they now have two cubs with them. They are apparently very good hunters and enjoy the variety of cuisine offerings. While the rangers would like them to eat the wildebeest, warthogs and the plentiful antelope species, of which the blessbok herd is a bit larger than desired, they have been eating everything including the (expensive) giraffes and a rhino cub. We did not have the opportunity to see either of the wild lions, but a couple of times while chopping trees, we were reminded to pay attention to anything unusual, as there was no fence between us and them. Kwantu also has large enclosures where they are raising and breeding the large cats with intentions of returning some to the wild. We got to visit them while they were just chilling and another time when they were being fed. The cheetah wasn't feeling very friendly since we were not feeding him at the moment


The fence doesn't feel tall enough or strong enough when a cheetah snarls, bares its teeth and pounces at you. The white lions look very cool- they are not albinos but


A lot of the young lions are related to Zulu, the male released into the wild. Just before sunset, he comes near the cages and "talks" to them, and they talk back. We really enjoyed hearing all the roaring and grunting, which you can hear from quite a distance. This is something I will miss most about Kwantu.


Occasionally, a cow at a nearby farm will pass away, and will become a meal for the lions. Some of the lady lions during feeding time:


I have some more photos of the big cats feeding, but will save them to show you in person, as the they are a bit gruesome, and not sure how many blog viewers are squeamish. They also have some tigers which they are breeding and raising as if they will be released into the wild, but that will not be in Africa since they are not native there.


They do not have any babies right now but there were some juveniles, and we were able to go play with them. The tiger below, Bangles is ~6 months old.


She maybe cute, but her claws and teeth are sharp even when being playful (Hugh has plenty of scratches and cuts as evidence).


Of course, the vet thinks she can discipline her with a stern wave of the finger and a loud "No" like it is one of her domestic patients.


But Bangles isn't kept alone. Ares doesn't like to play with us, but is a good friend to Bangles.


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Kwantu - wildlife

Kwantu has been fun. We've been told that the main reserve is 60,000 hectares but neither of us remembers what a hectare is. Most of the volunteers here are from the British isles, there are some other Europeans and an Aussie, with us as the only Americans. A significant portion of the staff is from Zimbabwe, which seems unusual to us, but apparently they are a significant immigrant population in SA. Of course, that means people have strong opinions about Mugabe, and other regional issues are more important here than in our daily lives in the US. We have been busy here. The rain has slowed us down a little as it makes some outdoor activities harder. Walking in the wilderness along steep muddy inclines is more challenging...


Driving in a Land Rover also has potential problems...


But we have seen a lot of cool wildlife, such as giraffe, zebra, blesbok, springbok...





...kudu...


...wildebeest, and much more.


We also had a chance to visit a local school. Some of the money that we pay helps Kwantu prepare lunch once/week to feed children nearby. As volunteers, we go and help serve the lunch, as well as play with the children. They are so happy to see us and interact with us, and borrowing our sunglasses, cameras, etc. is a big kick for them.


Speaking with the head teacher, we learned that the school had a total of 70 students spanning grades 1-9, and four teachers. Even though supplies, teachers, and resources were limited, they were doing the best they can, as in most things in Africa. The kids tended to drop out as they advanced. Under the apartheid government, a school like this was forced to teach the Afrikaans language. Now, the country has 11 official languages, and when asked if Afrikaans is still in the curriculum, the teacher, without any hesitation, said "No, what's the point?" Since we are on the topic, I personally think any language with click sounds in it is pretty cool, which among others, characterizes the Zulu and Xhosa languages spoken here. On a separate topic, while South Africa may be a wildlife rich country, they sure are lacking in garbage cans and napkins. Either that, or there is some sort of weird American obsession to wipe our hands while eating, and having a place to throw out dental floss and used tissues. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Kwantu - Elephant Sanctuary

While chopping trees can be fun, we have loved our time at Kwantu's Elephant sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to four adult female elephants, all trained. The elephants spend a majority of their day feeding and wandering on the reserve's land. But they are brought into a barn at night and also fed a variation of elephant kibble. As trained elephants, they are under voice control by their handlers, so we are able to stand next to them while they feed. We can also hand feed them, pet them and we had a chance to ride them as well. In ways more comfortable than a horse because there is more space to sit on, but not as comfortable as a horse because your legs are spread so far apart. One command the elephants know is "trunk", which means the elephant lifts its trunk up and we can put food directly in their mouth - they love fruit (apples,bananas,oranges). I (Betsy) thought this was awesome and got my hand right in there. But as you'll see in the pictures below, Hugh was a little more hesitant but he still did get his hand in there, but very quickly.








When working with wildlife, the word "trained" must be used with an understanding in that at ALL times it is the animal, whether it is an elephant, tiger, or dolphin (not here obviously) that is choosing to cooperate and be trained. It really is always up to the animal. A 150 lb man would never win a fight with an elephant, but the elephant we assume follows commands because it is in her benefit and "feels" her space is being respected. Standing next to an elephant, we are in awe of their size but also how tender and graceful they can be at the same time.


There are also Elephants in the main part of the reserve who are normal "wild" elephants. We were able to see them and occasionally get close but we stayed in the car and they decided how close we'd get. The elephant in the photo below thought we got a little too close, trumpeted, flared it's ears and started a mock charge at us. It was cool.


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Kwantu Game Reserve

We are spending two weeks on a volunteer program at Kwantu game reserve, located about 45 minutes outside of Port Elizabeth (www.kwantu.co.za). Kwantu is unique in that it is one of the few game reserves that is home to all five of Africa's big game species - elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and water buffalo. The game also has tigers ( not native to Africa but here for breeding purposes), giraffe, wildebeests, springbok, and an elephant sanctuary.


As volunteers, we have the opportunity to go on game drives and wilderness walks, to best view the animals. But we are also expected to do work on the reserve to help maintain the reserve. This includes helping create the reserve's touch farm, also known as a petting zoo. This touch farm has the typical rabbit and horses, but also has ostrich and meerkats. Very fun. We are also involved with conservation, bit not exactly in the same way you and I think of conservation. Here at Kwantu, there are a number of "alien" species of plants - plants that were brought to south Africa by those who colonized the country. The alien species are not desirable because they out compete the native plant populations that should be here and are best for the environment and the animals. Therefore, Hugh and I unexpectently have become quite proficient at chopping down small trees. Included in the plants we were chopping, happened to be a thorny bush with a pretty purple flower. We learned this was the national flower of Scotland. We make a great team, and as neither of us currently have jobs, we are highly considering coming home and starting our own landscaping company. Along with our new tiger cub....





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Location:Sidbury,South Africa

South African thoughts

Obviously, in a country with the history of apartheid, race and racism are a topic that one thinks of and cannot avoid. We've been lucky to have the chance to talk with people of different backgrounds, and with different opinions. One thing that has made us uncomfortable is some of the terminology used here. The word "colored" is an antiquated term for African-Americans in the US and has a negative connotation. In SA, it is an acceptable term but is used for those from Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, India) and mixed race. "Black" is the term used for the native Africans. And then there is the word "Afrikaans" (which refers to the descendants of the original Dutch settlers [also known as Boers] and the leaders of the old white apartheid government) but is just a slight pronunciation difference and with totally different meaning than African. Even among the whites, there seems to be a split in at least thought between the British descendants and the Afrikaaners. I have been a little surprised at the amount of integration that we saw, but then that could have been just Cape Town, which is supposedly a bit of a bubble in many respects. At many of the bars and restaurants, there were whites, coloreds and blacks (that terminology still doesn't feel right) hanging out together. We really liked Cape Town. The food was good with lots of variety - we ate Italian, Mozambican, Malaysian, Japanese for dinners, had falafel/shawerma for lunch one day and even went to a Scottish brewpub for beers. On 8/1, We met up with our volunteer coordinator and got on a public intercity bus to Port Elizabeth, which took ~15 hours, over 3 hrs late. There were no chickens or other live animals on the bus, but it was overcrowded (the woman next to us had about 4 bags and a small child but one seat), with poor climate control (usually too hot, even for Betsy,but occasionally too cold), and the occasional insect to freak us out. Part of the route was typical highway but there was some amazing views. Upon the arrival in PE, we were met by a representative of Kwantu, the animal reserve where we were volunteering. We arrived late at night and I was happy to see this sign on the entrance gate (not the one with the phone #). We were given a late dinner and a quick tour of the camp and our dorms. We went to bed tired and excited to start our next adventure. More pictures and stories coming soon!


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Cape Town - Wine & Cape

Spent a day in the Stellenbosch wine region on bikes. It was a beautiful day but being winter, the vines were not in bloom.





The next day we went south to the End of the continent: the Cape of Good Hope.





While traveling in the national park to get to the point, there were several signs warning us that wild baboons were dangerous and should not be fed. Even so, they are cuter than pigeons & mice.


We also stopped to see the Penguins at Boulders beach. Cute, but kind of smelly.

Location:Stellenbosch & Cape of Good Hope