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Published: March 25th 2010
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Theo, me and Delana
Its been a hard days work 1000’s km in 2 days was hard going for our old bus but we made it from Volksrust Kwazulu Natal to Lephalale(old Ellas Ras) in Limpopo. We overnighted for free in Modimole at Denise’s farm where we had done our Field Guide course. He generously offered we could stop over any time. How nice is that. The farm was green and luscious after the fire damage 4 months back and changed our view of the area which we incorrectly thought was a bit gevrek compared to the green lush Tzaneen, Nelspruit and Hoedspruit area. Seasons do make a difference - like duh.
We arrived at Bateleur lodge in our khakis all rearing to go but I was nervous about being able to ID trees and the different bokdrolletjies and all the other bush stuff we were supposed to know. I could tell you how to milk a cow and that Yarrow was a good herb to use to stop bleeding but I couldn’t remember the call of the Southern Yellow Billed Hornbill or what a Tamboti tree looked like. That’s just one of the survival stuff you need to know up here in the bushveld. Back in Cape Town life
Lunar Moth
Beautiful colours has a more metropolis rhythm and your only concern before heading down to the river is whether the wind is blowing. Up here you first find out the situation of hippos or crocs before venturing near any body of water. You don’t just somer pick up wood for a braai either since Tamboti could be fatal but you could throw a piece into the river and then collect the dead fish if you forgot your fishing rod. Your chances of getting struck by lightening up here are pretty high so for an adrenalin rush you could stand under a tree in a cloud burst or dare each other to run barefoot through the thorn trees. These are moerse big thorns up here. And the potholes - geez louise, I swear you could disappear in them.
I’ve eaten braaied grasshoppers - quite tasty and next will be what they call chicken runaways - that’s chicken feet - will keep you posted. People up here are different. This is 4x4 country (imagine how our bus is coping) and we’re surrounded by men and women who learn to handle a .470 rifle after graduating from nappies.
Anyway back at the lodge,
Lodge
The dining area first day, Joe and Joenelle showed us the ropes for 1 day and that was that. Swem Jannie swem. I spent the first 2 weeks holed up in the reception area learning the computer systems and everything involved in making a booking. Still it was nice to be able to go for early morning walks in the bush and see Nyala, Impala, Red Hartebees, Warthogs, Zebra, Blesbok, Blue Wildebeest, spoor of hyena and hear the jackals howling in the distance. A couple of bushbabies made their home in the roof of my office and I have to wipe the bat droppings off the keyboard sometimes. Delana is the young tomboy head of housekeeping. She’s from a farm and is way happier with a welder or a hunting bow in her hands rather than a feather duster. The field guide went on course but doubt that he’s coming back but Theo is having a jol taking people out on game drives (he learnt the ropes very quickly) and he takes people up the river on pontoon cruises and he sorts out the kitchen making sure Delana, who doubles up between housekeeping and cooking and fixing the pool pump, sends out food
Lodge
The garden to his liking. He gets quite bossy. He also runs around with a screwdriver or a light bulb or a paintbrush doing maintenance stuff or sometimes with a broom to get snakes out of funny places. Yeah there’s lots of those around so for safety we use a torch at night. 2 nights ago we had to rush Delana off to hospital cos a Mozambiquan spitting cobra zapped her in the eye and in her mouth. She came rushing into the kitchen, blindly, shouting for me to get the milk to wash out her eye. I grabbed the 5 litter milk bucket and sloshed it over her but that didn’t seem to help. Theo grabbed the shotgun and desperado style, blasted the public toilet wall with holes in an effort to eliminate the snake. He took out the airfreshner can but not the snake. We try not to kill the snakes by first choice, but sometimes if they are a danger to guests and Theo can’t catch them then unfortunately they get shot. On our trip to the hospital, with Delana wedged in between us smelling like babies throw up milk, we saw the leopard strolling down the road, so we took a minute or 2 to watch him, while our sour milk passenger tried her hardest to get a glimpse out of her good eye. What a sight! Anyway, Delana got treated and life carried on. Yesterday, no exaggerations I swear, Theo had served starters to our German guests and was busy with the main course (a biltong potjie) when Delana called him on the radio sounding desperate. A young puffadder tried to pik her shoe while she was putting the lights on down at the pathway to the tents. Theo left his pots, grabbed a whip and rushed down there to swish his whip across the grass in an effort to make the snake disappear. That night we walked the guests back to their tent just to be safe. We’ve seen a black mamba around the garden area. It’s quite a adrenalin rush putting the pool pump and spotlight on at night. I used to think riding my bike was fun for kicks.
Anyway we are really enjoying the work, although it’s quite an adjustment doing a day’s work. We start at 7 - not bad - actually in the beginning we got up much earlier to walk around exploring the farm. During the week if there aren’t guests (often the case) then we settle down at 5, drink beer and read about mammals although you are never off duty. If there are guests we get up at 6.30 and go to bed about 11 (latest so far) once they’ve had dinner. We work for 23 days and then get 7 days off. Our first off days (last week) we went to Botswana for a break. That’s another story.
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