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Published: August 6th 2008
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Hi all,
OK, so I guess I'd better tell you a little about the volunteer work we're doing and the lectures - this week has been more ordered and we've got down to more of a work pattern as a lot of people left this week so they were fitting all the trips in last week!
The usual pattern of the day is to get up and do a couple of hours work from 7.30am. We've been helping to collect sand to help Uncle Tinus build his house (he lives at the camp and I actually have his roundowel now and he's sleeping in the house - feel bad kicking an 82 year old out!), been filling the eroded ground up with leaves, twigs etc. to help build it up to the level of the rest of the land, and cutting and moving branches to lay down on the flat parts of ground - this helps encourage the animals to take a different path and allows the new grass to grow underneath. We've also been collecting snares laid by poachers on the neighbours game farm , killing alien plants and cleaning out a water hole (which ended in a water
and mud fight - see the pic attached!!).
Then it's usually back for breakfast around 10am and then a lecture at 11am. The lecturer Letitia is the owner of Campfire Safaris where we're staying along with her sister Adele. Their Dad died last year and before that he ran the project, his wife Suegnette does all the cooking for us, she's the most amazing cook she always does a pudding and lots of veg/rice/salads and of course lots of meat - quite often cooked on the braai fire. So far I've tried impala, goat curry, steak and possible other game animals that they've kept quiet about (elephant??!)! The lectures are so fascinating, Titia is so passionate about the country and nature that you can't help get drawn into what she's talking about. This week we've had lectures on the differnces between hunting & poaching (very moving), Astronomy and Game Farm Management.
We then have a few hours to relax and then do a bush walk or game drive around 4pm when we get to learn about the bush, animals, trees, plants and put into practise anything we've learnt in the lectures.
Of course I have done a few excursions
too this week! I went to the elephant ride and trip to the tribal village both on Wednesday (got me out of the work at least but the only down side was we left at 5.15am - it's worth it for my ellies!). The ride was brilliant, it took a bit of getting used to the rhythm of the ellie movement but once we got going it was so peaceful, there were also 3 babies who walked along with the others but didn't carry anyone. The worst bit of the trip was travelling in the open-top truck at 5am - soooo freezing cold, we were all wrapped up in blankets in the back but it didn't help really!! - I've attached some pics.
Then the tribal village trip was last night. The village isn't actually still being used but is built to authentic traditions with mud huts and they use it to teach the school children about their roots and traditions. We all sat around the camp fire and ate from plates with our hands - meallie pap, pumpkin, chicken - mmmmm! The funniest part was that the game reserve was called 'Ilkley Game Ranch' (there are 3 of us
from Yorkshire here at the mo - me, Nicola -from Lindley who I mentioned before - and Chris from Leeds originally but now living in Dubai), this of course was at the front of our minds so after we'd done some tribal dancing around the fire, the leader asked people to do some dancing/singing etc. from their home land - no one took up the challenge so we decided to do a good old rendition of 'On Ilkley Moor Ba'at 'At'! We found this very amusing but the other French group obviously just thought we were mad and no one else decided take up the challenge and follow us!
This weekend myself and Geoff (the guy I was Facebooking before I left, we've become comrades in arms as both arrived on the same day so we were the newbies together!) were taken to Pretoria (big town between here and Joburg) for the weekend. Only us two were chosen as we get along well with Adele and her partner Bee who are the leaders of camp and they were going to stay with friends there so asked if we'd like to go with them. They live on a big game
farm outside the town, it's absolutely beautiful. Their house is huge and they've got amazing gardens. We pretty much did nothing all weekend (we were joking saying it was like a holiday within a holiday!) except party, sleep (although not too much of that!) and sunbathe! We then went to a mall on the way back which was cool to see (complete with McDonalds and Subway - everywhere seems to have these nowadays!).
Here are the pics I promised you - a few action shots of me jumping off the cliff into the water (it doesn't look that high from these but I can assure you it seemed it from the top - I've been told it's about a 8m drop) and of course my elephant ride and the tribal village visit.
Hope you're all OK, here's to the nicer weather you've been having!
Lots of Love
(a truly in love with Africa) Melissa
xxxxxxx
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sal
non-member comment
Why oh why?
I had to phone Mick up to see what a blog was! Anyway, it is a great blog and I am now wonderinbg why I am not blogging and why I am in Deighton? This looks amazing.It is really good to see what you are all up to. What is meally pap?. oh phone ringing gotta go sal