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December 31 thru January 13, 2006 - New year at Thonga Village, Swaziland, Graskop


Photos

Shiffy and Benny have many photos for this report, but unfortunately, the photos did not arrive yet due to inadequate Internet connection in this region.

Saturday, December 31, the seventh candle of Hanukkah

In the garden, there are two large mango trees loaded with fruits. The birds and the monkeys take few bites from the fruit, and drop it down. The grass is full of half eaten mangos. Sometimes a good mango drops to the ground and I started my morning collecting the whole mangos. We have a new drink: we add mango to our Rooibos tea and it is delicious. Do we have Rooibos Tea in the US? In Israel?

There was no hot water in the shower, no water pressure in Bushland, so I treated myself to a bathtub. A large frog kept me company; just have to watch for the mosquitoes so I don't get bitten on sensitive skin. Alfra and her husband left Pretoria and moved to Bushland four years ago to escape city life. I am amazed. Bushland is in the middle of nowhere, with only dirt roads leading to their place and not much around. Of course the main attraction is Hluhluwe Game Reserve. They have huge property, it can be turned into a game park, but it is a big investment, so most of the area is wild. It's in the bush! Their place is lovely but they are not listed in the Lonely Planer, I must remember to send LP an email, to list the place in their next edition.

We first heard about Thonga Village on a rainy day in Eshowe. Digs Pascoe's parents were farmers and his childhood friends were the Zulu kids. In Eshowe he owns shopping centers and apartment buildings. Throughout his life he was fighting against Apartheid. He is very involved in two causes: one is called "Space for Elephants" and the other one, “Thonga Village”. He believes that the economical future of the local people is Tourism and he is trying to teach the Zulu people to host tourists in their villages. Digs was talking in great length about his project. It sounded like a busy place where many local artists create their crafts, local guides are organizing activities, “you can ride a canoe” he added. He insisted that we come and visit the place. The cost is similar to other backpackers. Before he left, he marked an X on our map, very close to the boarder with Mozambique, gave us his phone number (082-926-2571) and said that they will be there for New Year. The place is not on any map or any tour guide and we were not sure that we wanted to go.

However, this morning, we looked at each other thinking: why don't we go to Thonga Village today? ... OK, let's call Digs. The answering machine on the other side said "Happy New Year, I am in the bush...." In the BUSH. It sounded exciting, beside, we have a mark “X” on the map, we will find it. So on we go. We got off the main road into a windy road up the mountain. We crossed Josini Dam, noticing that the water level is low, the road is picturesque, with villages scattered around the green hills, cows and goats cross the road. All around are Zulu villages. Not a white person in site.

We finally got to the “X” intersection. We drove back and forth, looking for a sign "Thonga Village". Nothing. We were warned not to ask direction, because there have been cases where tourists were given the wrong directions and were robbed. We asked few taxi drivers, they told us that the whole area is called Thonga. We asked anyone who looked like he would not rob us. Many people tried to help us. People called other people. Did anyone hear about Thonga Village or Digs Pascoe? Finally we went to a local lodge. The owner called everyone who is involved in community development. He made at list ten calls. We were ready to give up and drive on and spend the day in Kozi Bay.... when the phone rang. Somebody knew somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody who knew where Digs is staying. He will come and meet us, just wait for him. We waited and waited and waited. It was hot and humid when finally more than an hour later, a car stopped. Obed Madolo (082-2266-236), a large African man walked out of his car and after the traditional triple handshake told us to follow him. Back to the main road, turning into dirt road, passing many locals, and than, he turned into the FOREST. The road went down toward the lake. Benny was trying to maneuvering the car, avoiding rocks and big holes, saying "We are breaking all the safety measurements that we said we will not cross". I know. We passed a large group of people all dressed in white sitting on the ground. We kept going down. After about two kilometers in the forest, we came to a stop in front of a gate made of branches.

When I saw Digs I was relived, but also angry. How did you expect us to get here? And why did not you pick up the phone. In South Africa you can always blame the phone company for poor reception. He later said that even when he draw map, people don't find it. “Thonga Village” is a name that is known probably only to Digs and his girlfriend Melanid. Thonga is the name of the tribe that lives in this area. And we were looking for signs…

I asked Obed who were the people in white that we saw on the way. He told me that they were the Shembe Nazareth Church. Shembe was the first prophet who got his vision form God in 1913. God gave him the power to heal the demon and to help the people live. Each person put white stone to make the circle and the circle of stones make that church. No need to be in a special building. The current Shembe is the third one. (not the 5th as I previously wrote). They meet every Saturday and pray for few hours.

From Digs' stories, I imagined a large place, with large staff who organizes activities for the guests....I later found out that Digs got the place from the Zulu chief. He wanted to demonstrate to the chief that you can have tourists in the village, to give tourists real authentic Zulu experience. The place have five round rondavel , each can house 2-4 people. There are three rondavels that serve as kitchen, four serve as bathrooms and there is a covered eating area. On the ground there is a place to store and heat water, there is corn grinder and few places to make fire. The ground is naturally green with trees and grass. As you walk down, you come to the lake, but you must watch for crocodiles and hippos. They are two workers who work in the place. The man with a limped leg who goes up and down to the lake to bring water. He also keeps the fire going and keeps the grounds. The woman, Lotti, keeps the place clean, cook and washes the dishes.

Digs had two more guests for the weekend. His neighbor Moral and her eleven year old son Byron. Melanie, Digs' girlfriend, was not excited to have more guests, and was not pleasant at first, but improved as the weekend progressed. Melanie met Digs when she came to “Thonga Village” to attend a workshop run by Mindy, one of Digs friends. Mindy is an animal psychologist who runs seminar about Elephant and Dolphine energy.

It was hot. Byron was bored. I suggested that we play games, so we played Uno, cards and Monopoly. The monopoly game is South African, and I was happy to see how many places we already visited. Byron is a clever boy, but he does not like to loose, so when I wanted to buy a property, he said, "you caant I already rolled" (with rolling Afrikaans R) and when he did not have money, he borrowed from the bank and said that he does not need to return. So before we could go on playing, we had to establish the rules. We became very good friends over the weekend.

Melanie understands Hebrew. Her brother lives in Kadima and she spends four years in Tel-Aviv working for a dentist. Her maiden name was Nachamovitz.

In the evening we went to the village to celebrate the New Year. We went to Kozi Bay Bar which is the only restaurant/bar in town. There were about 200 young Zulu around. Some drinking, some dancing, and some playing with fireworks. Digs said that the firework is a sign of prosperity, "they could not afford it few years ago". Someone tried to sell me firework. They served chicken and chips (French fries). When I asked for vegetable, the owner said that he will give me salad and stamp. "Stamp" is how they call the local food of maize (corn) and beans.

I joined the dancers. They were dancing, holding the firework sticks in their hands, waiting to blow it up at 12:00. I did not last too long, they have great energy. Back in the camp, Digs put a nice fire on, he brought the big drum, Byron put the radio on. The sky was clear and full of bright stars. We were drumming and dancing until the New Year settled in.

January 1, 2006 Sunday, The last candle of Hanukkah

Waking up to a beautiful morning in the bush, trying to keep the flies off me. The flies follow us and I have a constant BZZZZZ in my ear. We better go out before it gets too hot. We walked along the Sonkunti lake. Now the dragon flies are following me as I am walking. The cows were out, munching the grass, the two boys on the boat were pulling back their net. Women came down to the water carrying their laundry on their head, children came down with large containers to bring water home. Few mothers followed their children with wheelbarrows to carry the water back home; the other will just balance it on their head. People came to buy fresh fish.

I take a look at this home-made fishing boat. It is a wooden box, with metal sheet under and some tar. Water get into the boat and the boys take it out with a cup. The two fishermen are 16 years old. They are very serious and focused on their work. They are slim, tall and handsome. They are pulling the net out. Net, net, net, net, fish, net, fish, fish, net, net, fish.... they carefully remove the fish from the net, quick inspection. Most fish go into the plastic box, few are thrown back to the lake, and some are put to the side. Benny estimated that the net was at list 500 meters long. When they finish the first net, there was a second one. The crowd is waiting patiently. No one was going to disturb the fishermen until they were done. I was standing fascinated, as if I was part of a biblical scene. The women who were doing the laundry were standing up, bending forward with perfectly straight back (forward bend-arch up yoga position). The laundry is very colorful. More kids are coming for water. When they noticed my camera, they posed for me and they loved to watch themselves on the camera screen. More people are coming; they are greeting each other with a triple handshake. So much is going on here. The water source is the center of life here.

When the last fish was removed from the net, the boys turned the box full of fish on a blue plastic sheet and started selling it immediately. The small fish are one rand each and the larger ones are two rands each. One man who was waiting to buy fish had an ANC (African National Congress) shirt on. I told him how much I enjoyed reading Nelson Mandela book. He told me that he was running for the local office of the ANC. His name was Macebo Mkhabela. He told me that last night; they killed two cows in celebration of the New Year and were drinking and dancing all night. He added “I am tired of eating meat; I want to eat fish for breakfast". He selected his fish, and I watching as the boys strung the fish together so that he could carry it home. With a twig, they pocked a hole in the fish lower jaw and quickly strung a long grass through the holes, made a knot, and ten fish are ready to go. The ANC man pulled 100R bill to pay for his fish. Benny and I bought ten large fish for dinner. When we said good-bye to our new ANC friend, he said to us: "You have to buy me a drink, I was translating for you." When I pretended not to understand what he was saying, he repeated it again and again.

What started as such a perfect day was ruined by the greed of someone who is planning to run for an office. Bribe and corruption is a serious problem in all levels of government in this country. The man told me that he slaughtered two cows last night, he pulled 100R bill to pay for his fish. Why was he asking me for money? Digs later told me that when they see a white person, they assume that he is rich and they try to get for themselves as much as they can. What will happen if he is elected to an office?

It got very hot and there was no escape from the heat. I lied under the shade of the tree waiting for the afternoon. In the afternoon Byron and I took a nice walk around the village. When we pass the lake, we watched the young fishermen putting their net out. One boy sat, rowing the boat; and the other, standing in front, putting the net out. It took them about an hour to put the net out. Dragon Flies were following us. Lotti cleaned the fish (standing up, same position as the other ladies, straight legs, straight back), and Benny put it on the fire and we all enjoyed great dinner. Sitting around the table, I told everyone about the story of Hanukah. In my heart I blessed the eight Hanukkah candles.

In the evening, Digs prepared for me "warm tub". The tub is so small and I squeezed myself in, soaking in the shallow warm water.

We will leave early morning, so we said our Good Bye. Digs gave us a wooden spoon, it is a Thonga custom. When you come back, you must bring the wooden spoon with you and it means that you are welcomed in this home.

Now I understand what it means when someone says "they live in the bush". I was there.

Monday, January 2, 2006

We got up early, folded the tent as the flies buzzed around us and would not leave us alone. Thonga village was an exceptional experience, but on a personal level, I was pretty miserable, especially during the day, when there was no escape from the heat and the flies.

Back into the car, through the "bush", into the dirt road, into the main road, over the Josini Dam. Along the way women and children making their way to the lake to fill up their water jugs. We passed enless sugar fields. In the first big town we walked into Wimpy for delicious breakfast in an air-conditioned room. I don't remember coffee tasting so good. I now have new appreciation for running water and electricity.

Benny is impressed with the South African drivers. They always move to the side and let you pass.

We are approaching the Swaziland boarder. There are twelve border posts into Swaziland. We crossed at Mahamba. Passport Control on the South African side, passport control on the Swaziland side, passports are being stamped, we pay E5.00 (Emalangeni, same value as the Rand) for road fund, and Swaziland, here we come!!!

Similar landscape, similar rondavels, similar homesteads, villages, women carrying wood on their head, children carrying water, cows and goats crossing the road. We noticed more farming around the homes and larger corn fields.

We are going to stay tonight at a private game reserve, called Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. Mr. Riley (probably Englishman), owns three game reserve and Swaziland, and this is one of them. There are three styles of accommodations in the reserve. A very exclusive one, called Riley's Rock, (700R per day), The Main Camp, and Sondzela Backpacker Lodge. The Lonely Planet called Sondzela Backpacker "the Rolls-Royce" of the backpackers in Africa. It is specious, very nice facility, large garden, nice pool. No wonder the place is full of guests and people who come for one day stay for ten days. Many travelers returned from Mozambique and other African countries. From our tent we can see the vast valley and mountains and many animals. Hiking trails start here. We took a short walk and met zebras, warthogs and impalas who did not mind us at all.

The Swazi women who work at the Sonzola backpackers are reading the bible in their language, Swati. One is telling the other the story, and she tells it with so much passion. I listen and I hear: Joshua, Jericho, Rahab, Israel. She later told me that they must read the bible everyday. They also knit blankets for the Aids orphanages. So many kids are loosing their parents to Aids.

I later met more women who were reading the bible while watching their stores and there was a preacher in the Manzini market. I also notice that the local people read the local newspaper in English. They speak Swati but read mostly English. English is the language that is used at school. All the local people that we meet speak good English.

Swaziland did not go through Apartheid, so there is no animosity toward whites. People in general are genuinely friendly.

Tuesday, Jan 3, 2006

Dylen and Teresa from Jo'burg joined me today for yoga, I have a better practice when other people joined me. Back in the tent, two warthogs were eating the grass next to our tent.

The area is known for various crafts, so we went to visit some of the craft centers. Getting out of the park, we hardly pay attention to the zebras, impalas, warthogs and wildebeests. We got excited when we saw the only giraffe in the park. We visited Swazi Candles. We were told that it is run by an Israeli who used to run Jerusalem Candle..., we visited Batik workshop, woodcarving and more beading.

After dinner, we were invited to the Main Camp, where the park staff put on a traditional show. The rangers, the cleaning crew, the drivers, office staff, the drivers, they all participated. I was told that they practice in their spare time. It was not a professional show, just Swazi people doing what they like to do. It was my first introduction to the Swazi culture. While dancing, they were having fun and cracked jocks. The dancers were divided into four groups: The King, the Queen Mother, The Flag and the Warriors. The dancers who represented the King wore a garment with the King imprint on it. Swaziland is a small kingdom. The people here admire their king. His picture is on all the money and in every office. He is King Mswati III, he is 37 years old. He became a king in 1986, when he was 18 years old. He was educated in England. He already has many wives. I heard different # so could be 9-14. He may choose a new wife once a year during one of the major holidays in the country, the "Reed Dance", which occur in August. All maidens, age 12-21 who must be virgins, can participate in the ceremony. The girls wear only beaded mini-skirt and a colorful sash. They all get to dance in front of the king, and he may choose his next wife during that time. Last year, August 2005, 53,000 maidens participated in the dance.

His father, the late King Sobhuza II, was the longer reigning monarch in the world. He ruled from 1921-1982. He had 70 wives, 4 fiances and 218 children. Some sources will double these numbers. The king life is private and they do not like to discuss the number of wives and there is no accurate information on that. Even though the king has many wives, he encourages population control.

The second group of dancers represents the Mother Queen, or the She Elephant. They wore shirts with elephant imprint on it. The Queen Mother plays a major roll in the Kingdom. How do you choose a king among 218 princes? The future king must be an only son, as he may not be followed by blood brothers. He must be single, young and he is chosen by the status of his mother. The higher the rank of the mother, the more chance for him to become the next king. The mother rules next to her son.

The next group of dancers was the flag and they wore yellow skirts. We noticed that there is a lot of national pride in this country. The flag is yellow red and blue with black and white shields. The yellow represents the resources of the country. The red, battles of the past and the blue, peace and stability. The shields, protection of the country, are black and white, because in Swaziland, Blacks and Whites live in harmony.

The fourth group, the worrier, wore loin skin and were demonstrating various war dances. There were drummers, singing, response cheers, and at the end, we were all invited to join the dancers.

Didika from Ramat Hasharon is here. I promised to email her photos from Mlilwane when we get home. Didika_yoel@hotmail.com

Wednesday, Jan 4th 2006

Early morning start, we are going to have a serious hike today to Execution Point, trying to avoid the heat. Andre later told us that the name came from the time when the Zulu king took few of his soldiers who were not brave in the battle to the top of the mountain and ordered them to jump off the cliff.

How could I keep in my memory those valleys, mountains, forests, animals, birds, flowers. Up on top we visited Bushman Cave and enjoyed a spectacular view.

On the way back, we stopped at the Main Camp, where we thanked the staff for their performance last night and also heard some more about their culture.

One of the women participated in the Reed Dance few times. The real idea behind the Reed Dance is to encourage young girls to stay virgin until the right time. Young men are encouraged to do the same. The girlfriend can go and sleep with her boyfriend, but they must practice self-control.

The Reed Dance is a week long celebration. The first day the maidens arrive to the king palace in Ludzidzini. On the second day they go out and cut reeds in honor of the Queen Mother. The reeds are used to make wind breakers. On the third day they deliver the reeds to the king. On the fourth day they start dancing, wearing only beaded mini skirt. The King sits up high and the girls pass in front of him. Sometimes he comes down and dances with the girls. "He is so cute", she added. When he likes a girl, he signals his men to follow her. The King is wearing red feathers, from the Lourie bird. Only the royal family can wear Lourie red feather.

Back in the camp, there is a big crowd in the lobby. When Benny is not reading he is engaged in a serious conversation with young people.

Thursday, January 5th

We started the morning with a walk, watching the many birds around us and the cool morning. There is a new bird in our dictionary, a colorful bee-eater.

Thursday is the day when you go to the Manzini market. Manzini is a major city of Swaziland and the market is very busy. You can buy here everything. There is market everyday but on Thursday the villagers are coming with local crafts and more merchandise. More wood carving, beading, leather work, weaving, fruit and veggie, healers and herbs. People were selling their merchandise on the sidewalk but at the same time were working. We saw them weaving, beading, carving wood, mending shoes, sawing cloths softening leather and reading or listening to the preacher read the bible. We noticed many people wearing traditional cloths. Lot's of national pride, it is a happy crowd and people kept busy. There is an interesting combination of Christianity and their own tradition.

From the market we went to the Swaziland National Museum, where Gcebile was our guide. Last year she was dancing in the Reed Dance. "It is fun, it is like big happening".

The country has many natural resources. The main one are gold, diamond and coal. Only one coal mine is in operation today. All the others closed due to mismanagement.

There was a sample of bushman painting on a cave. The Bushmen are called Khoi Khoi and they are short people who used to live in caves. They can be found today in Botzwana. They used two colors: Black and Red. Black from charcoal and red from Ochre, red clay. Ochre is also used in the wedding ceremony, where it is mixed with Vaseline, and put on the bride's face.

The lion is the symbol for the king. Before the king can be crowned, he must kill a lion to give him the courage of a lion. The symbol for the mother queen is a female elephant for her strength, wisdom and majesty. There is a good balance in ruling the country between the king and his mother.

King Sobhuza II is credited with the independence of the country and removing the British rule without bloodshed. He is also regarded as a nation builder and gets credit for unifying the country.

In the museum garage we saw three cars belonging to the late King Sobhoza II. Two large Buick and one Cadillac that he got as a gift from the US. We went across the street to visit the Memorial to King Sobhoza II. Some areas are blocked and you can only see it from distance because the king's spirit is there. The young guide explained that they are having difficulty collection artifacts belonging to the king, because the locals believe that everything that belong to the king carry his spirit. He told us that many years ago, a former king had a vision. In his vision he saw the white man coming out of the sea holding book in one hand and a coin in the other hand. The king advised his people to take the book but do not take the coin, as it will divide the people. The kings encouraged good relationship with the light skin man.

In Swaziland everything takes long time, there is no hurry.

The museum is small and very basic, but the guides who walked with us made it a nice experience. We were the only visitors in the place.

A large group of South American arrived to Sonzola Backpackers. They are very load and there is a soccer game going on outside. The German and the Dutch and the rest of the world joined in the game and they all switched to English, each in their own unique accent.

Friday, January 6

It rained all night When the rain stopped, I crawled out of the tent, into the wet grass, breaking spider webs as I make my way out under the trees. Margaret is getting out of her tent, she is ready for a hike. Margaret was born in Macaw, her family later moved to Taiwan and when she was fourteen the family moved to Toronto, Canada, where she graduated medical school. Whenever she needs money, she goes back to Toronto to work. The rest of the time she volunteered/work around the world. It is hard to tell her age, but she must be over 40. She is currently volunteering in a hospital in Durban. She worked in Pakistan for over two years. She worked in China, South America. And she traveled all over the world. "What do I need so much money for?" She said. She has great stories and I enjoyed talking to her.

Lorena, the Italian whom we met in Eshowe, arrived. She told us that Dan, a 58 man who stayed in Eshowe for a week, disappeared without paying for his stay. Lorena and I knited squares for the blanket. A perfect thing to do on a rainy day.

There is a booklet in the backpacker regarding the blankets for HIV/Aids Babies. It claims that there are 100,000 babies in orphanages. 42% of pregnant women in Swaziland are HIV positive. We are knitting 15cm squares and later they will be put together as one blanket.

In the kitchen Nomi, the local worker told me to watch for flat dogs. (Crocodiles, of course) It was rainy all day, good time to talk to Moi Moi in the kitchen.

I heard plenty about the Reed Dance. Now he was going to tell me about the other major ceremony, involving the men. It is called Ingwala. His father sends him to participate in the Ingwala when he was 13, because he was a strong boy and could walk 7 km. The holiday is in December, on a full moon night. Only unmarried boys go out to the bush in the midnight of a full moon, to cut branches of a certain tree (Lucegwane). They are expected to build the King’s closure with the branches. They stay to sleep in the bush. Next morning they bring the branches to the king's palace. Next day the King put a crazy bull inside the kraal. The boys must kill the crazy bull with their bare hands. When the bull is dead, they make a fence with the Lucegwane branches and they put the dead bull in. They splash their bodies with herbs and Swazi traditional medicine. They also dance. The next day they start the Ingwala. There is a ceremony, they pray, it takes a long time. A week. It is like the end of the year. There are three special songs. Everyone all over Swaziland must do Ingwala.

When I told Moi Moi that my impression is that the Swazi people are very proud of their tradition he told me that 90% of Swazi like their tradition.

Regarding the Reed Dance, Moi Moi said that it is the Pride of the Ladies. It is when a woman said, I do not have babies.

When an unmarried girl gets pregnant, her boyfriend must pay a fine and her value dropped. Young mother do not get money from the government.

Many volunteers are working in this country to teach Aids prevention.

It is rainy and most people hang around the lobby or the bar, playing pool or ping pong. Martin with the very long dreadlocks live in a commune in England where they grow organic vegetable. He came into the kitchen saying that the sky is sweating.

There are few same sex couple. Maria is from Spain and Laura from California.

The missionaries who live in Botswana and teach the locals the bible. The German girls who teach Aids awareness. The Dutch who teach in Kenya,

In the afternoon we drove to Riley Rock, where we got a tour of the luxury facility and saw many photos of the Prince of Netherlands who is involved in the development of this park.

It is Friday, we drove to the Internet Cafe to send our Shabbat Shalom email home. The internet caf? is in a large center with a famous nightclub called “House of Fire”, with very unique architecture. It also has few craft shops. Benny talked to the son of the center’s owner. His mother owns the craft shops in the center, his father owns the dairy farm next door and the son, who returned from five years university in Holland, started his woodcarving business. He shared with Benny his difficulty in training local people to follow directions.

Shabbat, January 7

It rained all night. Opening my eyes, I followed the spider who was walking on the outer side of the inner tent. The plan is to move to Northern Swaziland today, but we must wait for an opportunity to dry the tent. At 12:00 we quickly folded the tent and jumped into the car. Martin and the English girl who traveled the world by herself joined us for a ride to the road craft center along the R103. When Martin is in the car we must keep all the windows open so that we can breath. In the market there were long lines of small stalls, many with similar merchandise. I love crafts, but there is that much one can see of the same thing. Also, you get tired of "Hello madam, how are you, please come in, I give you good price..." It is still raining and there are very few shopper in the market.

Martin gave us each a seed covered with the fruit of Baobar tree. We soaked the fruit until you get to the large seed. Martin told us that it is the second largest tree in the world. It is 3000 years old and you can find it in Venda, near Sagola Spa. The tree, Martin tells me resembled the trees of Salvador Dali. "God was angry and planted an upside down tree."

After about five hours of driving in the rain we got to our next destination in Northern Swaziland, Sobantu Guest Farm. The farm is high in the mountains and the soil is red clay. Everywhere there is red mud. We waited for a break in the rain to put the tent up. There was a couple from Pretoria, two Swedish girls and Sebastian from Germany.

When Benny tried to move our car closer to the tent, the car got stuck in the mud. Every attempt to move it only made matter worse, and the rain was pouring down. We decided to wait for the next day hopefully it will be dry.

Sunday. January 8

The wind was hauling so loud and the rain was hitting our tent with so much force. We had wind and rain before, but nothing like this storm. We did not get much sleep that night. In the morning we got two guys to help us move the tent to a lower level in the bush. The next mission was to get the car out of the mud. Sebastian and the local worker got full of mud every time they tried to push the car out of the mud. I was relieved when finally the car was free.

We took a drive to Piggs Peak, nice town in the area, there were two large dams with very little water, beautiful countryside, and the rain got stronger. Thunders, lightening. We watched TV in the lobby. Arik Sharon is in critical situation.

When we walked down to our tent, the fog was very dense. It was a challenge to find the tent.

Monday, January 9

It was pouring rain and we wanted to move on. Benny put on a raincoat and throws the outer tent into the other rain coat, the main tent on the back seat and we are out of here, hoping not to sink in the red mud.

We are leaving Swaziland today. On our way we passed the major city in Swaziland, Mbambe. Modern town, modern buildings. We arrived at the border, passport control and we are back in South Africa.

We are now in the providence called Mpumalanga.

South Africa has nine Providences. We visited four so far: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Next we will visit Gauteng and Free State and Northern Cape. We will probably not go to Limpopo and North West Cape.

Regarding neighboring countries, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho, we decided not to visit them. Other travelers reported that the countries are very poor, you drive long distances and the roads are not good. We are glad to spend more time in South Africa. It is not an easy country, but we already feel at home here.

When we approach the city of Sabie, the first thing that I notice was the squatter camps. We did not see it in Swaziland. They do not have any. More squatters, many people gather in the town center. Walking, hanging around. The rain does not stop as we arrive to our next destination, Graskop. Many pine forests, lumber industry. Lumber are not native to Africa, but doing very well here.

Andre, the owner of the Green Castle Backpacker cannot believe that we plan to camp tonight. Everything is soaking wet. He said "you are not going to sleep in a tent, it's too wet", and for the price of a tent site he gave us a room.

The place is lovely and Andre is a story teller with special love for Israelis. He is loud, talkative and very friendly. He speaks English with a very strong Afrikaans accent. He said that until last year, Graskop was a crime free area. Last year, 2000 unemployed people sat a squatter camp on the hill across town and every night they break into cars and homes. He built a very good alarm system and never had a problem.

When we got into bed tonight, there were no zippers to zip.

Tuesday, January 10

The rain does not stop. We are spending the day reading and talking to the French people from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, Catar and Dubai, most of them are teachers. The French who live in Catar love it and sound as if they have very good life there, “it is very comfortable for European”. The woman who lives in Dubai complained a lot. Dubai is very artificial. It does not have anything attractive beside money. Everything is so artificial. She told me about the shopping center with the snow and ski slops. The city is too large, people come and go. The only motivation is money.

Andre has a lot of reading material and some good DVD. I am helping him make a new sign for his place. One of the signs in the lobby is in Hebrew, “mumlatz me’od”, meaning, highly recommended. Andre’ said that he used to have many Israelis in previous years. He kept a locked cabinet with special dishes for them. I think that Israelis have better destination for their traveling. This is not an easy country.

The rain does not stop, but everyone is talking about the shortage of water. We were told that the dam in the area only has 1.6% of the water capacity. The average rain fall per year is 3-3.5 meter. In 2004 it only got 43cm. In 2005 146cm. This year so far they had 214cm of rain and hope that it will be a good rainy season. It is difficult to comprehend that there is shortage of water with all the rain, water falls and rivers that we see.

Wednesday, January 11

We will stay here until the rain stops. The plan was to go and see a doctor today. I was bitten by something on January 4th and had on and off high fever since. Margaret, the Canadian Dr. told me that it was not Malaria symptoms and she gave me an antibiotic cream. Last night I still had over 38c fever.

This morning, for the first time, my fever dropped and I am fine. It must be Benny who nursed me to good health again. He would not let me do much, monitored my temperature, made sure that I drink all the time, took over the cooking and cleaning. His constant love is the best medicine and I do not take my good fortune for granted.

The rain is pouring down. So it is a perfect day to try to make more sense out of this very complicated country.

There are different version of the history and chain of event. There is the Afrikaners version, the British, the Zulu have their story or if you read Mandela's book, you get his opinion.

When I came to South Africa, I thought that the Afrikaans were the “bad guys”. They established the Dutch Reformed Church who converted the natives to Christianity; they were National Party who started Apartheid. However, after few weeks in South Africa, we meet so many Afrikaners and we hear their story.

The Africaaners that we meet are very connected to the land. They see themselves as the pioneers of the country. There was nothing here when their great parents arrived from the Netherlands, Germany or France. The local people were mostly nomads. They worked very hard to develop the country. They were the farmers who worked the land. They taught the local people how to read and write. They brought progress to the country and made life better for whites and blacks. Now they are losing everyday.

Andre’ was telling us about the cruelty of the British during the second Anglo-Boer War in 1899-1901. Farms and homes of the Boers were burnt down by the British and the women and children were taken to concentration camps where 27,000 of them died of disease and starvation. “Why did the British come here? It was only greed. They wanted the gold and diamond”, according to Andre’.

Andre’s wife told us that they suffer identification crisis. They don’t know who they are, where they belong, where they fit. Before there were very clear boundaries. They do not relate to the Dutch, they are very different. According to her, Afrikaners are very religious; religion is a big part of their life. They are traditionally farmers, hard-workers. Now there are no boundaries, lots of uncertainty. On both sides, black and white. Before, there was never suicide among blacks. Now with the Western thinking, there are many suicide cases among blacks. With the present government, they are loosing everyday. You cannot get a job on merit. If you are a white male, no chance to get a job. Unqualified people get the job only because they are black. Whites cannot get the job, and their kids cannot get scholarship to universities. It is reversed Apartheid. Most people want good relationship on both sides. Before, schools where very religious. Now religion is not allowed in school. Young people are moving away from religion. The old generation is worried about losing religion.

She is very worried about the future of the country. “We are very scared, but the black are scared too.”

Ten years ago finance was better for blacks and whites. “You do not eat political freedom.” There used to have very strong police force. Today the police force is a service. Nobody has integrity; it is ok to be corrupted in all levels of government. In the old regime, the municipality was clean, high standard of life. The new municipality, they do not clean the city but give themselves big bonuses. Crime gets worse all the time. Aids is a major problem. One of the people she respects most is Mandela. A man with big heart and so much capacity to forgive. The country is going down. “We are the loser all the time. I love my country. I will always belong here; I will not fit anywhere else. Many people who left the country are coming back, saying that it is not better in other countries.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

It was raining all morning, but in the early afternoon, the rain stopped. Like a big screen was lifted off the valley and the mountains were very clear. We quickly jumped into the car and drove toward God’s Window. Scorching sun was hitting us as a dark cloud moved in. When we arrived to God’s Window, we could see very little of the canyon as the dark cloud settled down and all we could see was gray. Benny said “it’s like looking at a blank TV screen”, well, God closed his window today, we will be back tomorrow. We went on to check two large water falls. Berlin Fall and Lisbon Fall and to our surprise, that direction was completely clear. The weather is very moody here. Both water falls were gushing with water after so much rain. When you approach the Berlin Fall from above, you have a view of the whole fall. When you come close to the fall, you see a large pool of water. The water in the pool is moving very slowly, there are plants around, and the water are moving peacefully toward a narrow path, and all of a sudden there is 100 meter drop as the water falling down with so much force, continuing to flow through the canyon.

The Lisbon Fall was not as high, but ten times wider.

We drove back to Graskop, and walked around the center of town. It is getting close to 5:00 pm, and most stores are already closed. We passed a gallery with interesting garden and the owner invited us in. We see lots of mosaic, color, large giraffes. We were very impressed with the selection of art. Combination of local African work and modern work. Lot’s of paintings. The owner was working on a painting of her mother. We stopped to compliment her for her place and got involved in a long conversation. The gallery was her grandmother liquor store. She grew up in town, when it was very small. When she was young, she could play in the forest until very late and her mother would not worry about her. Things have changed in town. Her mother owns four rental homes on the hill, where the new squatter camp is standing. The area used to be so beautiful and the water in the spring so clean, now it is all polluted, they shit in the spring. The local government is not doing anything to stop them, on the opposite, they support them. They multiply like rabbits and the girls are making babies and the government pays them for the babies. “They should be paid for not having babies.” Babies are born with Aids, there are no jobs.

She is all alone in the gallery. Her worker left for Christmas vacation and did not return. “They all drink too much over the holiday.”

We have the house to ourselves today. We are the only guests tonight. Great for us, but Andre’ needs more business. It is a specious four bedroom home with lots of art works in the living area. There are four music instruments made of wood and pumpkin-like shapes that resembled large xylophone. Many wood carving. Every space is occupied.

Friday, January 13, 2006

We started the morning at a place called the Pinnacle; it is in the Blyde River Canyon. Very tall standing pillar in the middle of a deep canyon. My eyes move around: The flat pine forest on top of the flat mountain, grassy hills below, sharp drop to the rough canyon, wild forest at the bottom of the canyon, gushing rivers below, all shades of green, moss hanging from the trees, strange fruit on the tree, fern on the ground, birds that look like swallow fly around with purple and blue and orange, warm smell of green and rain, farms in the horizon, scorching sun, bright light, black threatening clouds. The sun and clouds are changing positions. To my left are white straight clouds with clear blue sky and to my right large fat dark gray clouds, reaching all the way down to earth. I can stay here all day; listen to the water and the cricket choir.

Last night the neighbor’s kids were playing pool in the lobby. Their father told us that he was in charge of security at a local gold mine. He was a policeman, but the gold mine pays better. I asked him if we may visit the gold mine. With his very strong Afrikaner accent he gave us directions how to get there. It turned out to be the most rewarding visit. After signing some paper, that they are not responsible for our lives, putting hard hats on, Yohan, the plant manager took us all around. We went up and down steps, over gravel grinding machine, turbines, moving belt, water pool.

Yohan gave me a nice rock with gold deposit on it. I said, “you can give me four or none, I have four grandkids”, so he gave me four and I got special golden rocks, straight from the gold mine, for Dean, Chad, Owen and Miles.

It is Friday, I need to go to the internet cafe and mail my weekly email to the family. I will write more about the gold mine in my next story.



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