December 20 and 21 - East London

The contrast between the backpackers we are staying at now in Plettenberg Bay and the one we just left couldn't be more stark so I thought this would be a good time to write about our accommodation experiences on this trip.

The coastal port city of East London proved very much to be like its namesake for the two nights we were there. Gray and raining. Unfortunately this drabness seemed to affect our impressions of the whole town. I tend to anthropomorphize most non living things as well as most non human living things so I don't ever want to write something off or be too negative as well, someone's (or something's) feelings will be hurt. We had a hard time with East London. Though there are some beautiful neighborhoods, (as in all cities in SA mostly habited by white South Africans), where we ended up in the central inner core right next to the waterfront seemed to be somewhat of an empty shell filled largely with holiday/vacation accommodation of all sorts ranging from hotels to cheap weekly or monthly apartment/flat rentals. It felt somewhat to me like a more sturdy Belize City combined with a depressed and blighted English seaside town. It feels a little like Tacoma, the city we have called home for the past few years. Yes there are nice physically beautiful neighborhoods and the city has done some nice thoughtful things but in spite of its best intentions there is still a grim grittiness that lingers in areas. East London may not have quite experienced the renaissance that Tacoma has in the past decade though! When we went to St. Pauls Presbyterian Church on Sunday we had a very nice older woman tell us it is a really lovely place, that you can get everything here but if felt like she was potentially trying to convince herself as well as us.

And it is a nice city – I'm just not sure we would come back here again (and wouldn't recommend it to anyone) which we have not said about anywhere else we have been on this trip. This also might have to do with the backpackers we stayed at which could be so much more than it is. It is the first, maybe the second place we have stayed where we feel the owner is just in it for the money and is not even doing the bare minimum to keep it up. More on accommodation comparisons in a later post.
We left early Monday morning for another long drive to Plettenberg Bay, our home for Christmas. Ironically (after having driven close to 6000 km at this point, we have begun to crave something other than the mix of top 40/hip-hop and sappy ballads that are the staples of most of the radio stations across the country – no Jazz, Classical, hey we would settle for Spirit 105.3 at this point, ok, maybe not) we found a Christian station that was playing some Christmas music and of course you know where it was broadcasting from...East London!

Duncan

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! It is a gift to celebrate the birth of Christ in another culture and country - it reminds me just how big the body (church) of Christ is. While we are here in sunny Plettenberg Bay we know that most of our family and friends will be having a white, snowy Christmas. Geography separates us but the spirit is shared.

"In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:4

These are two truly South African images - one a tree decorated with ostrich eggs and the other a palm tree decorated with weaver bird nests. These are our trees this year.


Andrea (and Duncan)

December 19 - Luthando, Bonginkosi and Patrick – Three Kings

Throughout our time in SA we have heard comments (most often from white South Africans, but not entirely) regarding the work ethic of black South Africans. At times it is inferred, other times it is quite blatant. “99% of black people don't care how long you wait...oh these black people, most of them are just lazy...these people just take their time...”  Are the people who say these comments racist or prejudiced? Are there cultural gaps and misunderstandings that lead to statements like this? Is there still an attitude that lingers from when whites (though a minority) ruled and dominated this country? These are all valid questions that deserve answers and contextual understanding but I mention them so there is a context for the past 24 hours and the following story.

After waking to a brilliant day, picking up some trash on the beach (hey we all need to do our part) I decided to go for a quick swim. It was still early with only three lifeguards preparing for another long day (they arrive at 7AM and don't leave until 4 or 6PM) and a handful of other early morning risers walking on the expansive beach. This is prime surfing country with great swells and breakers and it was no different yesterday. I had seen the lifeguards swimming, out testing the waters and thought I would have a quick dip before breakfast.

I'm not the strongest or fastest swimmer by any means but I am comfortable and confident in many water conditions. (Some of you know that I love jumping off bridges, piers and cliffs. I prefer warm water but Puget Sound has had more than a few DW free falls!) I quickly got through the crashing breakers out to where the higher swells were in hopes of doing a little body surfing and bobbing around. One of the lifeguards was quite close to me and we both took our turns trying to catch the perfect wave. After ten or fifteen minutes I suddenly knew I was getting a little too far out and realized that even as I tried to swim in, I wasn't getting any closer to the shore and I was really really tired. It took me about 20 seconds to decide to call to the lifeguard “Hey man, I think I am in trouble.” Instantly he was over to me, supporting me and keeping me up above the waves. Andrea had been sitting on the beach during this time and I called and waved to her but she couldn't hear me. The lifeguard also waved to his other two colleagues on the beach and in a flash they were in the water swimming out to us with their flotation devices. I grabbed onto the ring of one and he started swimming for shore where we took a bit of a beating coming through the breakers but soon I was standing on sand, every muscle aching. I thanked all three of them. The first two including the one who had been with me walked off, just another day's work, (perhaps a little earlier than usual) another swimmer who over estimated. They have seen it many times. The third lifeguard who was a little older came and shook my hand and I think he said, “Don't test us, Test God.” He might have also said, “Don't thank us, Thank God” as he said that several more times. I'm not sure, things were a bit of a blur. Either way, either phrase made sense!

I walked slowly up the stairs from the beach, muscles in pain, slowly showered, ate breakfast and pondered. I kept thinking of these comments I have heard about black South Africans being slow to respond in their jobs and all I knew was that I had been rescued by three young South Africans (Luthando who was with me is 18 and still in high school) who all happen to be black who took their jobs very seriously and did not waste any time and quite literally saved my life. I'm not sure I would be writing this if Luthando had not been out there with me already to hear my cry for help.

Humbling, convicting, haunting...Throughout the day I kept thinking about what had happened and it was what I wrote in the previous paragraph that was so powerful to me. Anyone who has faced a life threatening situation is bound to be a little introspective and I certainly was. We have had so many conversations with people of all skin tones in recent weeks about their dreams, hopes and challenges (as well as what they see in South Africa) and this experience somehow placed me at ground zero in this racial cultural discussion.

It's strange to feel truly indebted/in debt to someone. What can you say? What can you do for someone who has literally saved your life. We drove to the store and bought a bag of cold drinks which we took down to the beach at noon to give to the lifeguards (who were now a group of four.) Again I offered my gratitude saying this was just a small gift. More importantly I wanted to tell them how they had become (or perhaps it is me that had become) part of a much larger story. I told them that I will tell how three black South Africans took their job very seriously to any person who tells me that blacks do not take their jobs seriously. These four work 7AM-6PM every day of the week during high season and holiday time even on Christmas and then just on weekends the rest of the year. They are paid 100 rand (US$10) a day (equivalent to what many domestic help/servants make) which is better than what many make in a country with up to 40% unemployment. It is not what any of them want to do forever, but it is a job – a job they have to love doing otherwise the danger and hardship would not be worth it. If they were paid 100 rand every day consistently that would be better (3000 a month) but that only happens two to three months a year. Working only weekends for the rest of the year doesn't cut it.

We talked about their dreams and hopes, whether they have hope for themselves and SA. As always it comes down to employment and a living wage. They have to find work.
We talked of the United States and what it is like there – a frequent topic in all the conversations we have here – more on that in another post. We talked about their lives here in SA.

Of the three Luthando has been a lifeguard the shortest time – just a year. Bonginkosi had been working for three years and Patrick had been doing it for seven years. I was shocked they told me that no one has ever returned to say thank you after being rescued like I had! I asked them if they knew the passage in the Bible where Jesus healed the ten lepers and only one returned to say thank you?!

Luthando has dreamed of being a Pilot, but now is thinking of being a diver. Patrick realizes he must get a better job that offers consistent pay and security. He has applied for a government job and is also thinking about how he might get to Florida to work there. Bonginkosi's hope was intertwined with anger knowing how desperately he needs a job but how difficult they are to find in certain situations.

I was so impressed with their work ethic, obvious in their actions with me but also in their preparation every day, working out, staying fit, testing the waters, reading the currents and always, always keeping an eye on everyone. They often know who will get into trouble before they even get in the water. I asked Luthando if he knew that I was going to be in trouble. First he hedged, then admitted he didn't know but as we were out for a while he knew I would be tired. He never admitted sticking around just in case, but I think he did.

As I prepared to leave, I asked if they get breaks of any kind. Only for a minute or two to go to the bathroom. They eat breakfast at home before they arrive on the beach at 7 and then eat when they get home in the evening again. None of them have lunch.

Today in addition to cold drinks I brought them lunch. Some might be critical of my actions and say I'm doing it only to make myself feel good. But there's no sugar coated hope here. Spending a few dollars doesn't solve any of the large challenges they currently face and will face in their lifetime. I just want them to know I am grateful for them. I also want them to know that there is at least one white person who will sit and talk with them on the beach. I hope that gives them some hope just as they have given me hope and life. This Christmas I have been visited by my own three kings who brought me gifts of life, hope and an ongoing story of good news to tell.

Duncan

December 16, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park

We arrived at the game park at 6am in a light rain. Just minutes through the gate we came upon a mother rhino and her adolescent child. We turned onto a dirt/gravel road and were rewarded some time later with two cape buffalo very close to the road. Buffalo can be very dangerous so we stopped and watched them for quite some time to give them room. The bush here was very thick so we couldn't actually tell if there were only two buffalo or if there was a whole herd in the bush. After they sauntered off the road slightly we crawled forward and turned a corner only to come face to face with a male adolescent elephant. He watched us for a bit and then continued with his breakfast and stripping the trees. After he had put a safe distance between himself and us we slowly started up a hill. We began to round a corner when suddenly there was a large female elephant in front of us and about 10 other elephants behind her on the road, including some very tiny babies. The actual term we have heard used for the large female elephant is 'crossing guard,' and she was certainly doing her job. She was a bit alarmed to see us there and she started her warning to us of flapping her ears. Duncan immediately reversed all the way back down the hill. From the first moment to when we saw her to returning to the bottom of the hill was a mere 30 seconds. We were not interested in getting trampled by elephants. Apparently the elephants in this park have a special love for flattening VW Golfs. Fortunately they seemed to like the Japanese so we were safe in our Toyota.

We waited several minutes and then slowly started up the hill again, trying to look around corners before we rounded them. The elephants eventually made there way down into a valley and we followed along side for a few minutes. We spotted a watering hole up ahead and thought that they might be heading that direction so we drove ahead and positioned ourselves for viewing but also for quick escape if need be. The elephants never came but we were entertained by a buffalo who was covering himself with mud to the extent where he would roll over on his back and loll around with his four legs up in the air.

The rest of the day was not quite as action packed with animals around every corner, but we had some great highlights:

- A herd of a dozen giraffe
- One very amorous male giraffe who pursued his interest very intently (we think the crowd of cars interrupted the moment:))
- 10+ more rhinos
- A warthog mother and her babies
- A female rhino literally scratching every part of her body on a tree for ten minutes – it was a complete massage!!
- A HUGE secretary bird
- Two herds of buffalo, one that blocked our way out for several minutes
- A small herd of zebra
- A tortoise crossing the road
- Several other solitary male elephants
- Several fruit bats at our lunch spot

It was a great day! (Even though we still have not seen a cat of any sort other than our pregnant cat who camped with us at Sodwana Bay and Felix, a tame Wild African Cat who was part of the menagerie at Old Vic's and who spent much time with us! - DW)

Almost forgot to mention that the name Isinkwe is Zulu for Bushbaby which is one of the camps claims to fame. Every night they put out some bananas and the Bushbabies stop in for a brief snack before continuing on with their night time hunting.

The next day we drove a further four hours down the coast, stopping briefly in Durban for Bunny Chow (curry in a hollowed out half loaf of bread) for lunch before arriving at The Spot Backpackers, a secret little gem on the beach popular with surfers, that surprised us with its beauty and tranquility. (Ok first night it was filled with a group of testosterone driven South Africans, but after they left the next morning it was a great spot...thus the name...)

Andrea

December 15 – Goodbye Nelspruit, Hello Hluhluwe-Umofolzi

We had said our goodbyes to our friends at ACS computers, our hosts at Old Vic Travelers Inn, and our work-holiday friend Kagiso, but it was terribly difficult to leave our home for two weeks in Nelspruit. While our unanticipated two week pit stop came at the cost of other adventures, namely Southern Mozambique which we realized would have cost us a lot of money and effort, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. We managed to have several site-seeing adventures but much more importantly we managed to meet people who so kindly and thoughtfully answered our many questions about South Africa and also very practical questions, like where to get my hair cut! In two weeks I managed to read three large books and stacks and stacks of South African Getaway Travel magazines. We planned the next three weeks, cooked ourselves some nice meals, swam, ran errands, found a great church, went to the podiatrist, and just rested. Nelspruit will be remembered as a place of rest but it will be missed because of the friends we made.

So despite the sense of adventure ahead it was with sadness that we left. We had a long drive ahead of us to Isinkwe Bush Camp, a backpackers close to Hluhluwe-Umofolzi game park. After 6 hours we exited off of the highway to a dirt/gravel road and after a kilometer we turned off to the entrance of Isinkwe, another kilometer of heavy sand brought us to the backpackers – truly a bush camp!

After getting settled we decided to check out the activities on hand. Isinkwe offered several activities for free that we were quite excited about – one a guided night walk and the other bush baby feeding. The night walk was advertised as 'come see all the creepy crawlies and animals on the property with our guide' and having participated in a guided morning walk at Kruger Park three years ago, we knew how much information we could glean from the local guides. We signed up and met our group including four other people and our guide.

After no introductions whatsoever, Jenny, our guide (we only found out her name later that evening) walked us outside the electric fence and to the beginning of the trail. She said, 'this is our nature trail, it hasn't been serviced in some time so the bush is thick, the walk will probably take us 1.5 – 2 hours.' Huh!? The reception staff had told us the walk would be anywhere from ½ hour to an hour, dependent on what we felt. They made it sound down right leisurely.

Jenny took off at quite a clip down the trail, the other four followed and we brought up the rear. It immediately felt like an obstacle course. We ducked and dodged branches, thorns and vines and tried not to let them smack the person in the face behind us. It was a sweaty, hurried race along the path trying to keep up with Jenny and often only arriving in time to hear the last couple of words of what was probably a brilliant soliloquy on the varied plant life. Here's the sample transcript of the walk:

Andrea (to Duncan): (huffing and puffing) 'Are we in the Amazing Race? Why are we running?'
South African Woman in front of Andrea: (holds a branch for Andrea to push back) 'Be careful, it has. . .'
Andrea: 'Ouch!'
South African Woman: '. . . thorns'
Jenny: 'Hmmm, the path is blocked, wait here until I find another way.'
Duncan: 'She is so going to leave us here. . . '
Other Participants: (nervous laughter)
Jenny: 'Okay come this way, just crawl until you can stand up.'

Silence is observed for the difficulty of this task and the subsequent catching of our breaths afterwards.

Jenny: 'You see this vine (she breaks off a portion) and this milky white substance inside. This is highly poisonous. The bushmen would put some in the river to 'fish' and the fish would 'rise' to the top. Nasty stuff it burns quite badly, don't get it on your skin.'
Andrea: (shows Duncan the layer of milky white poison she has accumulated on her jacket sleeves by pushing through the bush).
Duncan: (locates a Kleenex to wipe the poison off of Andrea).

Several minutes later. . .

Jenny: (pulls out a large spotlight and shines it on a tree).
Other participants: (looking around for mammals or birds).
Jenny: 'You see this shiny film substance!?'
Other participants: (nod yes)
Jenny: 'We don't know what it is! But it looks like tiny bugs are underneath the film. It's been my research project for the last couple of months.'
Other participants: 'Oh.'

Several minutes later back on the trail, Duncan and I catch up to the stopped group in front of us to hear. . .

Jenny: (to a Dutch girl) 'You have one on you?'
Dutch Woman: 'Yes.' (looks uncomfortable)
Jenny: 'Oh, I do too (points to a large tick on her arm). Oh, isn't it lovely, so amazing how it just latches on and digs its head under you skin and then gorges itself on your blood.'
Dutch Woman: (quickly picks off the tick)
Andrea: (to Duncan) ' I think it was a good thing that we weren't in the front of the group.'
Duncan: (to Andrea) 'Just keep your feet moving all the time.'

Group continues on the walk, only to stop every five minutes to remove ticks from the participants in the front of the group – including one on the Dutch man's head.

South African Woman: 'Can these ticks give you tick fever?'
Jenny: 'No. If you get a bite just try to remove the whole tick and then wash with some sort of disinfectant. Did you ever have tick fever?'
South African Woman: 'Yes, just three weeks ago.'
Jenny: 'You know, there can be up to 20,000 ticks on a giraffe.'

Andrea and Duncan's eyes widen.

Duncan: (to Andrea) 'Just keep moving.'
Andrea: (to Duncan) 'I think that the night walk is free because we're doing trailblazing for them.'

And that was the culmination of the one hour race-walk. We were quite sweaty and dirty and a little banged up. All we saw on the nature walk were ticks and a shiny film on a tree, which was quite amazing because as we learned later our guide, Jenny, had just spent the last seven years in Zambia studying bugs. You think we would have seen something other than the ticks that saw us first. . . :)

Andrea

Diabetic Chillin' in South Africa (Keeping Medication and Supplies Cool)

Insulin, the key that opens your cells to allow them to 'eat' the sugar in your blood stream, needs to be refrigerated. Blood glucose test strips have a specific range of temperature that they are to be kept at, and the blood glucose meter itself will actually stop working if temperatures are too high or too low. All this high maintenance paraphernalia, which keeps me alive, means I don't travel particularly easily as a diabetic.

Insulin, being the most temperature sensitive has always been my main concern when traveling. Often in the past when traveling I hunt down the closest refrigerator I can find. Often times in Thailand this has meant that my insulin ends up in a refrigerator by the front desk of wherever we are staying along with the beer or soft drinks they are trying to sell. While I have had my concerns about it going missing from such a public place, I have never had a problem.

This trip produced more of a challenge because we were moving so often and are on the road for so long. In Europe I had no problem with keeping my test strips and meter within its temperature range, but finding a refrigerator for my insulin proved more difficult. My insulin is packed in a small 6x4 inch cooler case which at the beginning of this journey held 10 bottles of insulin and three small blue ice. Whenever we got the chance (mostly at friends houses) these were frozen and subsequently provided a day of cooling when traveling between places by train. The problem of refrigeration arose at hotels. Two of our hotels in Europe had a small refrigerator in the room and another had a small communal fridge for guest use. However, all others did not provide a refrigerator for guest use. Mostly this was not a huge problem, because I brought several items with me.

The first helpful item is a small medi-fridge. While it holds only 3 bottles of insulin, I found this helpful when I put my insulin the communal fridge – the thought being, if someone walks off with my insulin at least I will have some still with me. The second and third items are both Frios – a UK product that is specifically designed to keep medication cold when you have no access to a refrigerator. This product was brand new to me and while it is no where near refrigeration cold it has come in handy. The extra large Frio is essentially a small purse with an inner and outer camber. The inner camber is removed and then soaked in cold water for a few minutes to allow the gel inside of its walls to expand and hold some of the water. Once removed and dried off the pouch is then placed back inside the outer pouch which keeps the 'wetness' inside. The Frio cools by evaporation. The advertisements for the Frio claim that it will keep whatever is inside the inner pouch around 68F when outside temperatures are 100F.

While using it in Europe to try to keep my insulin cold I didn't feel much of a difference between the room temperature and the insulin temperature inside the Frio. I believe this is because the Frios real testing ground is those places where the temperature really is 100F. The Frio has been a beneficial edition to my supplies while in South Africa – not to keep my insulin cool, but my test strips.

When we first came to South Africa three years ago we went on a group tour of Kruger National Park. It was late October so summer was near but the rains had not come to cool the park down. It was HOT, really Hot. I refused to be told the actual temperature because once my brain knows it really starts complaining. If I can keep it in the dark it just has to deal. However, it was hot enough that when just sitting inside the vans, let me emphasis 'just sitting', sweat would be constantly rolling down the backs of my legs. While my body knew how to cope the real problem was my diabetes supplies. I had found and put my insulin in a fridge so it was fine, but the rest of my supplies sat all day in our canvas tent, which as you can imagine became much hotter than even the outside temperature. When we left two days later to drive back to Joburg my test strips had literally swelled from the heat and would not fit into my meter! Fortunately 7 hours later with the help of air-con they had returned to normal size and worked fine. This problem which I had never heard of before or since this episode taught me to adhere to the temperature range on the test strip bottle.

Having returned to Kruger this time and experienced 100+ degree temperatures again, the Frio was put to work cooling my test strips, as we were able to keep my insulin cool in a cooler with ice. The extra large Frio would only hold 8 bottles of test strips so I had to rotate them in and out, but where in Europe I couldn't really tell if the Frio was cooling, in South Africa it was very evident. I believe its advertising claim to be true.

The other thing of note for any diabetics traveling to South Africa is that almost all of our accommodation have had communal fridges for guest use. Most of the places we stay are 'backpackers' and provide self-catering kitchens. And in general I have always felt that my insulin is safe in there.

Andrea

Diabetes Supplies Packing List

I've attached a document on our google site (link in the upper right corner of the blog site) that is a list of the diabetes supplies I packed for the Europe and South Africa portion of the trip. While this was only about 3.5 months actual travel time I packed at least 4 months worth of supplies and some, like insulin pump sites, that have a tendency to need to be moved more often because of problem sites, I brought almost 5 months.

Most of these items will be common sense to a diabetic, so I'll just highlight the unusual that I have found valuable:

Medication Cooling Devices:
Medi-fridge (holds 3 bottles of insulin)
Extra large Frio
Insulin pump Frio

My next post will describe how I used these to keep my medication cool.

Equipment:
1 extra insulin pump

Hopefully you won't need to use this, but as you know if you've been following along, I had a insulin pump malfunction just 10 days into the trip. I got my loaner insulin pump by 'applying' to Medtronic (they actually have a loaner pump program). The pump, usually only on loan for 3 months, was kindly extended to the entire 9 months. I only had to pay a non-refundable $50 and will have to return the pump shortly after I return, or a $4000 charge for the pump will be put on my account. The only part of this that I am a little unsure about is that I seem to be completely liable if the loaner pump malfunctions or breaks, which if true could result in me having to pay for something that was not my fault. . .

Medication:
Some sort of general antibiotic in case of infection
Malaria pills

Don't mess with malaria, take your pills and precautions (bug spray, long sleeved shirt and long pants at night)). In South Africa there are only a few areas in the country that have malaria which were ironically everywhere we camped: Cape Vidal, Sodwana Bay, and Kruger. We took every precaution and amazingly only ended up with one bite between the two of us (of course it was me- mozzies LUV me :)). We took Malarone (atovaquone and proguanil HCI) which was simple enough - start pills two days before entering a malaria area, one pill everyday you're in the area, and then continue one pill a day a week after you've left.

Andrea

A Tale of Three Toes (with apologies to those that don't like bare feet)

Really we just wanted to post the following pics and thus the apology to all who might not be fans of bare feet. The more impressive shot is of Duncan who managed to slip one night while...well it's a long story – let's just say there have been some massive storms while we have been here – huge – which is typical for here but not for us – Anyway, I went out to check on our car, thought the thunder had set the car alarm off, managed to slip on a slippery spot and have those two toes somehow curl under my flip flop. I iced it a little, but couldn't tell what I had done. It wasn't until the next day when the vienna sausages turned into cherry tomatoes or purple grapes depending on your perspective. However though my toes look a little more dramatic, it is actually Andrea's toe that is of greater concern. Again, it's a bit of a long story but Andrea had had some problems with her big toe probably two months before we began this trip and had several treatments that didn't seem to solve anything. In anticipation of not wanting problems on this trip (exactly like she is having now) two weeks before we left she had part of her toe nail removed and some chemical put on it to stop it growing back. She loves that I am sharing this with the world! Unfortunately first there was a significant infection and now here we are two months later and it still hasn't healed in spite of pretty regular soakings in hydrogen peroxide and salt water. To make matters worse it had started to bleed and be quiet painful again. This brings us back to ACS Computers mentioned in the previous post. Ottilie suggested a certain church which we went to on Sunday, where we end up talking to various people including someone who just happened to be a doctor (ok never mind that he turned out to be an anesthesiologist) Bernd was still very helpful, listened to Andrea, looked at her toe etc. The next day at ACS, Leonie who just happens to also moonlight in several Doctor's offices was able to suggest a podiatrist whom we visited and had a very good reassuring visit. Again, he listened carefully and like Bernd was also somewhat savvy when it came to taking seriously the extra care that those with diabetes need to take with their feet. So again a huge thank you to those at ACS, Dr. Bernd Lenhard and Dr Hannes Fuhri. If you could pray for complete healing of this toe we would be most grateful. The other two two photos are of Andrea's feet, the first one being after our 10 mile hike at Sani Pass. Evidently Andrea's shoes 'breathe' well as that is dirt. The second one which we affectionately call 'hippo toes' was at the beach at Cape Vidal where even though the beach was beautiful white sand, in certain places there was a fine black dust that would stick to your skin – everywhere but your toe nails which would then stand out gleaming in the sunlight. Not sure why we called it hippo toes but there you have it. If you didn't think we were weird before... We sadly move on from our place of rest here at Old Vic on Monday (Dec 15), making our way back down the way we came, stopping for a couple nights at another game park called Hluhluwe, then onto Port Shepstone and Spot Backpackers right on the beach for three nights. After that we drive to East London for two nights before arriving at Plettenberg Bay for Christmas staying at Nothando's (a more 'upscale' backpackers – they have hairdryers in the rooms!) from the 22nd to the 26th. Then we move from the coast and beach inland a little to Oudtshoorn which is more desert like (and ostrich country) to stay at a place that looks nice called Amber Lagoon through new year's. Everyone heads to the beach and coast in this country for their holidays so we are hoping for a quieter time here. Not sure where we go then but we'll be closer to Capetown so we may end up there or ??? We're not sure what our internet contact will be like but for those who want to know, you know where we will be for a little bit! Duncan

December 8-11, Nelspruit

So we are into our second week at 'Old Vic's.' I think I mentioned that we simply needed some down time to plan the rest of our time but also to rest, read, reflect. Old Vic can hold quite a high number of people whether in double rooms or dorm rooms, but we are in a little wood cabin at the back by the pool surrounded by green so we don't see people if we don't want to. We are usually in bed early and wake up early, the sun rises at 4:30 and so do all the birds that live in a large extended aviary right next to us. Dave and Bella run this place with Dave doing tours into Kruger Park and surrounding areas while they both raise their three kids. They are both gracious hosts. Dave is always on the move, suggesting places to go see. Last week he came bounding over telling us to look up in the sky. There was a crescent moon with Venus and Jupiter on either side. I guess this is a relatively rare occurrence – next time it happens is five years from now. (We posted the picture but you have to click on it to see both planets.) On Sunday, Theo, Bella's 17 year old son showed us the birds and his growing snake collection. Already he is a savvy herpetologist. He's previously caught a Black Mamba (SA's most deadly snake.) He was able to quickly name a large pink crab like spider that chased me while we were camping at Sodwana Bay – not a true spider, not a true scorpion - he rattled off the scientific name. On Friday, Dave asked if we wanted to go on an already scheduled day tour with him as he was taking guests so we readily agreed. You will see some amazing photo's (well the scenery is amazing, the photos might not be) of several areas we visited including the Blyde River canyon (third largest in the world after the Grand Canyon and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia), Bourkes Potholes (named after a lucky miner. - this was quite the gold mining area at one point.) God's Window, the Three Rondavels and several towns and waterfalls.

We have also managed to spend considerable time at ACS Computers where we have used their internet. We had found them before we went to Kruger Park and have returned almost every day as their internet rates are cheaper than at Old Vic and we have spent upwards of three hours at a time on the internet. Michiel the owner had initially suggested another beach place for us to stay. Anyway, since we have become frequent customers they have greeted us every day with open arms – now even bringing us cold drinks if we are their in the afternoon and coffee in the morning! We have been able to ask them many questions and they have been so kind to us. Talk about seeing a stranger and offering a drink or something to eat. Ottilie, has been so gracious, she recommended a church to us which we went to on Sunday and Leonie has drawn us maps and referred us to a doctor for a story you will read about in the next post titled “The tale of three toes.” We are so grateful and again this has been a very tangible sign of God's continued care and grace for us.

Duncan








Bourke's Potholes
















Forest Falls

Nutritional Information Packaging and the Diabetic

Having not written for some time about traveling with diabetes here's the first of a few thoughts. . .

In the US almost all food comes in a wrapper that has nutritional information printed on the outside. This information is very important to diabetics as diet is key to good blood sugar control. The particular piece of information that is important to healthy blood sugars is not the amount of sugar rather the amount of carbohydrates consumed. For me, a type 1 diabetic with an insulin pump I give one unit of insulin for every 15 grams of carbohydrate. This system allows me to eat whatever I want (including sugar) as long as I 'cover' the carbs with the right amount of insulin.

Back home in the US I didn't really need to check the information on packaging anymore, because I knew the food and the amount of insulin I would give. Traveling, you can imagine that I have run into foods unfamiliar to me. Normally this would not be a huge problem, I could find a grocery store and peruse the nutritional information on the back of packages to know what I was eating and what to bolus (giving insulin to cover food intake), but I have been dismayed to find that the nutritional information packaging both in Europe and in South Africa (if there is any at all) is inadequate. The nutritional information is there but only measured and stated for 100g even if the package is a different gram count. This would not be bad information if the package also included the gram serving size and how many servings were in a package, but without it, I find it irrelevant – having to make too many guesstimates and divisions or multiplications to get an accurate number that would have been easy for them to put on the package in the first place. So I simply guess as to the carb amount I'm eating based on what I already know. Sometimes this works and sometimes I am really off. It makes me wonder what diabetics do in these countries and if I'm missing something. . .

Andrea

One Month into Africa – December 5

“If anyone tells you African travel is easy, tell them they know nothing.
If they tell you it's not worth the effort, tell them they still know nothing.
If they've crossed the Nubian Desert pay them due regard."

So we have been able to experience some pretty cool things this past month, some we have written about, others we haven't. We have had some uhh, frustrating experiences – also not written about – like being pulled over the SA traffic control (not real police) along with many others for some obscure traffic violation. Everyone else paid a bribe and drove off. I didn't so ended up going on a little detour to the Belfast police station to pay the fine of 500 Rand ($50 US) – This is real life Africa! We have seen beauty and betrayal, wandered and wondered, loved and loathed – but it is still worth it.

This past month has also been a difficult month. We write this carefully as we know we are incredibly privileged and blessed to be able to do this (and we worked hard too!) But not having planned everything in SA before we started this leg has left us with times of uncertainty about where we should go next and what we should be doing. Yes travel is adventure and pick your positive adjective but it can also be a tough slog at times – still worth it – but there are frustrating moments that wear you down. I read two great quotes that sum up travel in Africa, the first included at the top of this post and the second here: “Traveling is a strange business. To have been in Khartoum is somehow more poignant that being in Khartoum. Being there involves dust, dirt, discomfort, noise, suspect food, dicey water and being homesick. Having been there is amazing. Memory, learning and mind weave together a cloth more fabulous than the indifferent roar of its traffic.”

Part of our frustration is that we didn't just want to be tourists for two months here. We also hoped for and needed some purpose – and we were hoping to be able to do this by spending time with and learning from a couple former contacts we had made three years ago who we have stayed in touch with. Unfortunately communication from them has been either non existent or less than enthusiastic, so we have been left with a chunk of time that we are still wondering what to do with.

So after leaving Kruger, we are now back at the backpackers in Nelspruit – which really is much more than a backpackers. They also have two great cottages, one of which we have set ourselves up in for the week of rest. Because of the holiday time here in SA (Starting now until mid January – oh right when we leave) lodging is getting a little difficult to find so we are happy here for at least a week for $35 a night. We are surrounded by greenery, birds and their nice cool pool. The back of the cabin looks out on a nature reserve. We are grateful, don't know where we will be next (this is bed stop number 24 if anyone is counting) and like we have shared before, feel a little like Abraham – don't know where we are going, but hopeful that at some point we will hear the word to stop and stay! Pray for wisdom for us.

Duncan

November 27-29, Kruger National Park

So the beach camping though nice was not quite what we expected. While certainly beautiful the surf and waves (and initially some nasty looking bright blue jellyfish) made swimming and snorkeling impossible at Cape Vidal. Despite our initial reaction to Sodwana Bay, we were able to swim and snorkel a little – but if planning on coming here, know that it is much more a divers paradise – needing a charter boat/tour to get you out to the 'spectacular' (just what we hear) reefs a coupe miles out. So after three nights in Sodwana Bay which though initially disappointing got better with a little snorkeling and the friendly cat, we left and drove 7-8 hours north around Swaziland to get to Nelspruit – another nice town where we were staying the night before going to Kruger National Park. Kruger is one of the greatest game parks in the world, about 380km long and 60km wide – 20,000 square kilometers – with the reputation of having the greatest variety of animals of any park on any continent (147 mammal species, 507 bird species, 114 reptile species, 49 fish species – didn't see any of them!) Generally people are looking for the big five: lion, leopard, elephants, cape buffalo and black rhino – but of course there are hundreds of others ranging from tall giraffes to tiny insects. When we were here three years ago we did a two night tour which cost about $700 – we thought surely we can do it for cheaper by ourselves and we did.

Last time we saw many things but no big cats – no little cats for that matter either. We were hoping we would this time, but somehow the 1500+ lions, 1000+ leopards, 200+ cheetahs all managed to evade us – even though we would get up at 4:30AM and be out of our camp gate shortly after it opened. We did have many encounters with elephants including one that got a little too close, lots of baby elephants, one very attentive rhino up close too as we were leaving after three days, many hippos in the water, cute and solemn giraffes, countless impalas, kudus, waterbucks, warthogs, buffalo and many many birds. We even witnessed a highflying bushbaby mama do a roof to tree top rescue of her baby offspring! A highlight for Andrea. Kruger is a wonderful camping spot – many camp sites with a wide variety of accommodation – some a little like little villages with stores, restaurants, even swimming pools – which are super handy when the temperature hits 100 degrees. It would be 72 or so when we got up in the morning at 5, but by 9am the temps were rising. Yesterday the temperature in the sun on my watch was a toasty 45 C...wait for it... 114 F!!

So despite no big cats yet again, Kruger was great! Loved that we could do it ourselves. Loved the wide open spaces – again, good for the mind and soul. Every now and then you run into a few cars who have stopped to look at the same thing, but much of the time it's just you in your car out in the bush. Oh and I began to teach Andrea how to drive a manual! She can say more on that!

Duncan

November 23-25, Staring down Monkeys and Other Adventures in Sodwana Bay

After two great nights at Cape Vidal we made our way north to Sodwana Bay, still part of the St. Lucia Wetland Park. We had read that Sodwana Bay was within the top ten of great dive spots in the world and that there was also great snorkeling. We had booked 3 nights of camping precisely because of the beach and the snorkeling. We arrived at the check-in a few minutes after 3pm to find the rangers locking the office up. They told us to go to the gate and just check in there. When we did the guard was very confused to find that we had already booked and paid in advance as we thought we needed to because it is the start of summer and thus school breaks/vacation time in South Africa. We have been warned by all guide books and people to book in advance for our accommodations during the next few months. So we did, and after a lot of confusion the guard reluctantly let us through the gate to the campgrounds.

Because Cape Vidal had been almost completely full and because Sodwana Bay has this fantastic reputation we assumed the same would be true of the campground here. We fortunately had a site number already, E-249, so we started to follow the signs to E. The paved road ended and heavy sand began, making it difficult for our 2WD Toyota Corolla to maneuver. We drove around and found – NO ONE. Not a soul. NO ONE. We eventually found our campsite after passing 20 or 30 EMPTY sites.

On our third and last night at Sodwana we had only ever seen ONE other campsite filled. And the camp is massive – there are easily 250 sites (seriously – google map it). When we arrived on the first day, I found this very disturbing – having no idea where we were (even where our campsite was in relation to anything else) and thinking of all the African animals and bugs that surrounded us in only our mosquito net tent. And in fact to confirm this fear shortly after we arrived we saw a troop of 30 mongooses wander through the campsite next to us.

As night fell, Duncan went to collect water to boil and returned saying, 'Well I've seen my first wild African cat.' (At Cape Vidal when we were hanging out with our neighbors they had told us that they saw long tailed genets in the tree above them). Trying to size up my predator I asked 'How big? Like house cat size?' Duncan replied, 'Oh no, bigger.' We finished dinner and climbed into our tent for the night and were slowly drifting into sleep when we heard, 'meow!' Turning our lights on we discovered a very pregnant house cat sitting underneath our car. Ahhh, relief. I figured that a very pregnant cat would not survive long in the bush unless there was a lack of large predators – especially considering she was the size of the mongooses we saw earlier. She left us alone that night but then returned our last night and hung out for some time. We said goodnight to her figuring she would be gone when we left in the morning, but there she was to greet us as we woke. She watched Duncan make breakfast and hung out with us until we left. She was a very pleasant surprise.

The beach at Sodwana was farther away than we had anticipated. At Cape Vidal we could walk 4 minutes to the beach, at Sodwana we had to drive 7 or 8. The other problem was to get to the reefs you really had to charter a boat. If you were a diver there was no problem because there were lots of companies ready to offer good packages, but there were no real packages for snorkelers, and the only company on the beach regularly would only offer to rent us snorkel gear. So we had a great time swimming and Duncan in particular did some good snorkeling at low tide just off the beach with our own mask.

The only other adventure we have had of note was a war with the monkeys who view our food as their food. One morning Duncan cooked up a wonderful breakfast of sausage and French toast. We had finished the meal and cleaned up. Duncan went to sit in the car and read for a bit and I wandered off to the bathroom. I came back to find Duncan standing outside the car with a big stick in his hands. He explained, “Monkey Attack.” Looking around our campsite we were completely surrounded – at least 20 monkeys. The only thing we had left outside was our garbage bag which had one piece of moldy bread in it. One monkey had created a diversion while another stole the bag and climbed up high in the tree. While clearly one piece of moldy bread is no treat for 20 monkeys, we being the only campers for what seemed like miles, were the concentration of their efforts. We threw rocks into the trees, waved sticks, banged our pot, clapped our hands, and hissed all to the great amusement of the monkeys who didn't budge except when the occasional rock came their way. They all had their different personalities and different roles in the troop. One was definitely the leader, one was the 'sentry' who would see how close he could get, and others were diversion makers. Eventually they lost interest and went away, only to return every morning and evening, conveniently around meal times to see if we'd be careless again. We were not. :)

Andrea

P.S. If any of you are divers you should really consider Sodwana Bay. Look up Coral Divers on the internet – they are down the road from our campsite and provide full accommodation, meals, and dives for very reasonable prices (in fact, even to us it seemed a great deal). They also have a deal for you divers who want to teach others to dive - $1000 USD for 3 months accommodation, meals, and training to become a dive master. You of course work for your keep in those three months, but your work is really hands on training.

November 21-22, Cape Vidal and the beginning of Eight Days of Camping

Eight days of Camping!
Wow just typing that is kind of crazy...guess we have become hard core.
So we really have been hoping to get some downtime at the beach. We know we have been tired from being on the go every couple of days so we had read that the beaches in the Greater St Lucia Park were phenomenal, so we thought we would go camping there and get some good snorkeling and swimming in. The beaches are nice, miles of white sand, bordered by scrubby brush – it is too far south for coconut trees. Our first stop for the night was Cape Vidal and it was nice...small camping area, and then you walk over a hill and you are on the beach. We did meet a great couple who befriended us, gave us a light as we were cooking in the darkness, fed us some of their food and told us much about their experience here in SA.


Some random South African Camping thoughts and observations:

South Africans do the camping thing big time – no rv's to speak of but elaborate tents, campers, canopies, some even put up tarp fences around their site. There was a three day fishing competition going on while we were there so every morning around five the men would get going with their boats to see what they could catch.

South African campsite facilities are usually great. Great bathrooms with hot/cold water and showers etc. Places to cook, electric outlets – you have to have somewhere to plug your campsite freezers into.

So we are camping in a wetland park – supposedly one of the world's great ecotourist destinations. The town of St. Lucia – also in the park has issues with hippos roaming the streets at night – some 3000 hippos and rhinos and probably just as many crocodile's are in the park. Now technically the camp site is electrically fenced off – although not the part facing the beach – so the fence is sort of shaped like a U – which means any kind of animal – hippo, rhino, (of which we saw many) big cat's etc could wander onto the beach and up into the camp site. Just something to think about! Fortunately or unfortunately however you look at it, the only thing we had to contend with were...

Monkeys! If you camp in the states, you often have to use bear barrels or lock food up in your car because of raccoons. Here Monkeys are the issue- and monkeys are kind of like raccoons except faster – in fact a monkey is a raccoon with spiderman swinging skills which make them a pest. They will navigate any campsite and find any food that is available – and they aren't really scared of people. You can't leave anything unattended and good luck if you are trying to cook with them right there.

Fortunately in Cape Vidal there were other campers around who could beat off the monkeys and generally kept us feeling safe sleeping in our tent – which is really called a bug hut – it's great and keeps the bugs out which is nice but it is basically a mosquito net on a tent frame – we can see out and everyone can see in! Once we got to Sodwana Bay our experience was a little different. I'll let Andrea pick up the story here...oh and I also forgot to mention I saw three different snakes in one day – all poisonous. One small one I even tried to catch in a cup to bring back and show Andrea. Yikes!

Duncan

November 18-20, Durban

It rained all Monday night before we left for Durban on Tuesday, so when we pulled out of Sani Lodge, we discovered that what had been a nice dirt/gravel road was now a bit of a mudpit and though the car drove fine through it, by the time we reached the paved road a few km's down, our white polo was now completely brown. We found a car wash which consisted of three people who made it look brand new for $3.50 and then continued on for a couple hours down to Durban where the car decided to have two ten second seizures – real heavy vibrations. It never stalled and we kept going no problem. Got to our next lodging – The Happy Hippo and called rental company to tell them about it. We knew we would be doing some time in game parks and didn't want to die in the bush and not be able to get out of the car because we could be eaten. The rental company came the next day but before they arrived I looked under the hood/bonnet and realized that though our car looked clean on the outside, all up under the engine was as muddy as the car had been outside. Thinking we are now in deep trouble with the car company – sometimes they can be a little funny about the roads you drive on, made us a little nervous but the exchange was made just fine. Now driving a Toyota Corolla.

We explored Durban's excellent botanical gardens, bought some camping gear and food for the next week, took a quick swim and for my birthday, as has been tradition for the past 15 years or so went and saw the new James Bond Quantum of Solace as it came out in SA the day before. Two thumbs up. Daniel Craig has certainly saved the enterprise! Durban (and also Piertermartizburg) are two cities where the disparity between rich and poor, black and white are not quite so obvious. Durban has a large asian/indian population. Walking through a mall, you are just as likely to see all skin tones shopping and consuming the latest food and fashion.

Duncan

November 15-17, Sani Pass

So on Saturday the 15th, our rental car was delivered to us, a nice sporty VW Polo and we drove a couple hours to the edge of the Southern Drakensberg (Dragon – Afrikans,) Mountains. The 243,000 hectare sweep of basalt summits and buttresses became a World Heritage Site in 2000 and is literally a wall between two states (SA and Lesotho) and described as the roof of the nation. Amazing landscapes that provided the backdrop to the film Zulu. It is famous for the Sani Pass, the highest in SA, where at the top you cross into the Kingdom of Lesotho, which is surrounded completely by SA. We are so glad we spent three nights here at Sani Lodge doing a package tour for a great price (approximately $90 US each for three nights, two tours and all food included. Thanks Majorie and Tessa for the tip!

On Sunday we drove with our wonderful guide up the Sani Pass. Matthew was a hoot, funny and knowledgeable about everything whether a bird or plant or just knowing that Tolkien was inspired by this area when writing Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. At one point it was talked about that LOTR was going to be filmed here. Green hills quickly disappear to be replaced by rock and scrappy alpine steppe flora and fauna. The landscape was something like I have seen in pictures of Tibet and Mongolia – maybe some places in Alaska too. Sani Lodge where we stayed is at 1560 meter elevation, the Lesotho border at the top of the pass is 2874m. We then drove further up the Black Mountain pass to an elevation of 3240m (9-10,000 feet) where we could view Thabara Ntlenyana, the highest point in Africa, south of Kilimanjaro. We ate lunch here before stopping in a Basotho house to try some traditional bread and beer. The Basotho who live in Lesotho and speak Sesotho have a fascinating history and culture. You will often see Basotho men wearing blankets around them, not just to keep them warm but because they strongly identify with their founding King who was given a blanket that he wore instead of an animal skin around him.

The next day was spent, just the two of us (previous day there had been 8 of us altogether) with Stuart who took us on The Steps of the Bushmen tour. In addition to being a fount of information on every plant, insect and bird, Stuart showed us rock paintings by the San/Bushmen people (who predate the Bantu speaking peoples that ultimately led to all the different language speaking groups today) believed to be 8-10,000 years old. Another great day with vast open spaces. Great for body, mind and soul. With Matthew we drove but with Stuart we walked (all day) and though he tried to say we had only walked 8km, my pedometer said we had walked about 10 miles – 15/16KM!!!
Really glad we stayed here. By the way, one of the many birds we saw was a kind of quail that can literally barely fly but somehow it does. The amazing thing is that it migrates all the way to South Africa from Europe flying over the Mediterranean Sea before collapsing on the shores of Egypt, Libya etc to rest before continuing on down south. Stuarts uncle who served in WWII there shared they learned from the Egyptians how to literally scoop up these multitudes of quail as they were so exhausted from their journey across water that they wouldn't move. Sounds like something I read in Exodus 16:13 although I still have to figure out the manna part!

Duncan

November 5-14, Sawubona from South Africa and Ujamaa Center Conference Pietermarzitburg

Sawubona from South Africa – Sawubona meaning hello in Zulu and Swati, two of SA's eleven official languages (including english). We could also say Dumela (Tswana and South Sotho), Thobela (North Sotho), Lotsha (Ndebele), Avusheni (Tsonga), Ndi matseloni (Venda), Molo (Xhosa) and Hallo (Afrikaans)! It's been almost a month since we arrived in this captivating, complex and challenging country and if you have read the blog you know we have had a difficult time posting anything both due to time and schedule and our inability to access cheap internet. There's much to catch you up on, far too much so this will most likely be highlights and random thoughts and reflections based on the past month of meeting and talking with people and traveling around.

Much of South Africa's sunbaked land is a vibrant green from the lush grass which quickly grows after the rains arrive. In a few short months though the hills will turn brown again as the rains stop. For many animals this is good eating time – both the herbivores with the plentiful grass and leaves and the carnivores who can prey on the susceptible young who are born this time of year. A time of hope perhaps in the animal world. I have been looking for signs of hope in the people we have met and talked with and have found much ambivalence regarding their country. All South Africans whatever their tint of skin or allegiance love their country, many don't love what is happening politically – some have no hope, some believe it will be better but it is going to take time. The hope and excitement that came after the 1994 elections and that was still present in ways three years ago when we were here seems to be diminishing. We certainly don't understand all the ins and outs but when you hear that Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela have said that they will not vote in next years election, there is pause for concern.

One of the most positive things that seems to be happening according to some is the split in the ANC party (the dominant party since free elections – with the creation of a new party that hopes to bring about reform and change. For many having a true opposition party is a sign of hope and political maturity. Yet there are still huge significant challenges. The current President is largely in a filler role until new elections next year as Mbeki was forced to resign. The one who is running for President for the ANC has had rape charges brought against him and has said some interesting things to say the least in regards to this. HIV/AID's statistics are still staggering and sobering – a new report released the other day has 50% of all deaths in this country being HIV/AIDs related. As Zimbabwe continues to implode and spiral downwards, there are huge immigration and humanitarian issues that SA is facing as people flood into the country desperate to work and eat. We have heard (no factual evidence – only what we hear from some) that many young white people simply want to move to Australia (and other places) and that many are. We have heard that corruption is rife, that many from Nigeria are coming here with huge amounts of money and are running all sorts of illegal activities from huge drug rings to passport/immigration fraud. We have heard that the Nigerians are becoming the mafia here. From whites (and some black South Africans) we have heard that in the commitment to Black Empowerment (the process of putting non-white people in positions of leadership and authority) over the past ten years that there has been too much emphasis on filling a position with a black person and not enough on the capability and caliber of leadership. So there are many positions of leadership that now have non-whites in them but there has not been the training or education to go along with it. Many white South Africans will have much less experienced supervisors over them. We have heard of citrus farms where all the orange trees are being used for firewood as those put in charge were not prepared or trained in the proper procedures. We have heard and seen evidence of much less infrastructure maintenance so roads are beginning to deteriorate. South Africa will admit to about a 20 percent unemployment rate but in reality it is still probably closer to 40%. No wonder that there is a reputation for crime in this country. There are still huge disparities between those who have and those who do not. You will rarely find a white person in any sort of service job. In grocery stores, museums, national parks, there will be non white people on the front line, but there will often usually be a white person in charge in the back. Just in the paper yesterday the front page had an article about the Black Empowerment Enterprise which found that out of 118 companies only two or two percent were black owned.

So depending on who you talk to... is there hope? For some no, for some yes, for some hope is just that – confidence that it will get better somewhere down the road. We have seen that there is hope in this new political party, we see hope that anti-retro viral drugs are available for those with HIV and we have seen hope in the conference we attended our first full week here.

Although I don't believe much that happens to us is random chance (except for spotting any sort of large cat while on safari – more on that later) quite randomly, two and a half months ago I had met Gerald West when he was in the Seattle area doing a training. Gerald is a professor in the School of Religion and Theology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is also the Director of the Ujamaa Center (which is under the University also.) (UKZN has about 50,000 students I think.) Gerald is a pretty brilliant guy, with a fascinating story himself – he himself has sacrificed immensely in the past as he joined the fight against apartheid – if interested go to the schools website and read his accomplishments – for that matter here's a random thought...it's interesting how often we can hold something up as the best thing around and not realize that there are so many other possibilities. For example, within the Presbyterian circles that I have moved in the past 15 years or so, Princeton Seminary is the school that is held up as the 'best' for any future pastor/theologian. Just for kicks, go to the UKZN's website and check out the professors of the School of Religion and Theology and all they have done. I'm guessing that not too many Princeton seminarians have heard of any of them, but maybe they should have...but I digress.)

The Ujamaa Center for Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research is (and I'm quoting from their published material now) an interface between socially engaged biblical and theological scholars, organic intellectuals and local communities of the poor, working class and marginalized that uses biblical and theological resources for individual and social transformation. It came about during apartheid state sponsored violence. In this context of daily death and violence, the cry went up, 'how can we hear God speak to us in these times?' The Ujamaa Center was one response to this bringing the previously mentioned groups of people together to read the Bible together. What emerged is what they now call 'Contextual Bible Study' that is used to mobilize, train, support and empower the poor, the working class and the marginalized – specifically with women, youth, people living with HIV/AIDS and the unemployed. They have done some amazing work bringing about justice and raising a voice for those who so often cannot speak for themselves. Their Tamar Campaign reducing violence against women has been launched in Kenya, Zambia, Cameroon, Gambia, and Angola as well as SA.

Anyway, when Gerald heard we were going to be in SA he invited us (not sure he thought we would actually take him up on it!) to attend a training the Ujamaa Center was holding from November 10-14 so that is how we arrived at the FOCCISA/ Ujamaa Contextual Bible Study Training Workshop in Pietermaritzburg for the week, (FOCCISA stands for Fellowship of Church Councils in Southern Africa – I think!) joining with HIV coordinators and pastors from all over Southern Africa including Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania learning from each other, listening to stories and seeing how some of the studies can bring life into dark situations. It was a fascinating week watching so many passport and ethnic cultures, ages, gender and experience run into each other. The work of Ujamma and its staff is desperately needed! Their staff and the work they are doing is a living breathing sign of hope for me. Again there is much we don't know but much to absorb and learn. Another group to learn from and about is The Concerned Women of Africa founded by Mercy Amba Oduyoye from Ghana when she realized that women had no voice in the African Church. She is held up as a hero for many women theologians. For more information and reading material go to www.clusterpublications.co.za.

The conference was held at the Thorn Tree Lodge, a wonderful lodge in Pietermaritzburg. We actually arrived on the Saturday before the conference started after catching a bus down from Joburg (6 hour ride) so we were able to relax a little and enjoy the beautiful grounds. Pietermaritzburg is a beautiful city – it is actually where Ghandi was kicked out of his first class train apartment because of his race in 1893 which had a huge effect on him as he began to study non violent resistance. It is surprising for some to learn that Ghandi spent 20 years in SA where he developed his philosophy that guided him the rest of his life.

Next post...After a great week in PMB, we begin our travels again.

Duncan