Journey Through South Africa: Jo'burg to Kruger National Park

In Jo'burg, we stayed at Gemini Backpacker, which did not quite live up to its reputation. It advertised the availability of meals and a gym, neither of which was true. Additionally, there was an ENORMOUS spider in our dorm the first night we stayed, which prevented me from sleeping at all even though someone killed it. I was quite convinced that its family had to be close by.

The next morning I went on a tour of Soweto, which stands for the southwestern township of Jo’burg, established during the apartheid years as a settlement for Africans. I found that Soweto has an even larger wealth disparity than the Cape Town townships, boasting a beautiful wealthy neighborhood that was much nicer than my neighborhood in the suburbs of DC. We also learned that crime within Soweto is very low, since criminals in the townships prefer to commit crimes outside of their own community, generally going into town to rob homes. As the crime rate is so low, these incredibly beautiful, fancy homes often had no fence at all, unlike every single house in Jo’burg, which is usually covered in barbed wire. 

The township contains the former house of Nelson and Winnie Mandela (before, during, and for a short time after Mandela’s prison term), which has since been converted to a museum, and the current Jo’burg home of Desmond Tutu, who was in Cape Town when we drove by his house. 

I had just read the night before the section of Long Walk to Freedom pertaining to 8115 Vilakazi Street, the matchbox house that once belonged to the Mandelas. When he arrived after his dramatic release from prison, there were so many people outside the house that they could not get in, and for weeks afterward they were kept awake by hundreds of well wishers singing outside the house. 

We also spent some time learning about the 1974 student uprising in Soweto, which left more than 600 students, teachers, doctors, and others dead after students began a seemingly peaceful protest against the use of a Afrikaans as the official language in schools. As we learned about martyrs such as young Hector Pieterson and others, it occurred to me that these children were so much younger than I am now, and the student leaders of the movement were my age. 

It’s incredible to think that they changed the course of their country’s history at such an age. We then moved one of the informal settlements containing shacks, where a resident showed us around and told us a bit about their living conditions. 

The shacks seems similar to those in Cape Town, but this particular neighborhood seemed more carefully planned out, with each shack having a yard and a fence (very rare in Cape Town townships from what I have seen). This is not only more comfortable for residents but also reduces the risk of death and destruction due to fire, which are enormous in the townships. Just last week nearly 100 people were killed, wounded, or left homeless by fires in Cape Town townships alone. After our walk through the shacks, we stopped at a local restaurant shack, which reminded me of a small and slightly fancier version of Mzoli’s in Gugulethu, and we had a delicious feast of ginger beer, pap, sauces, many vegetables and salads for only R30. Talk about low cost of living! 

I loved Soweto and didn’t want to leave. I told this to the tour guide, who said that I should move to Soweto later in life with my family—we would be the first white family to live in Soweto. I was surprised by this, but apparently there are fewer than 10 white residents, and they are all single members of primarily coloured or black families.

The next morning we were picked up at 5:30 AM by Livingstone Trails for our 4-day Kruger safari adventure. We stopped at the Hoedspruit Cheetah Conservation Centre, where we learned about their rescue and conservation activities for not only cheetahs but also many other animals that are threatened by humans (e.g. farmers who often shoot them because they prey on sheep). Cheetahs are not particularly successful hunters, despite their speed. And when they do finally catch their prey, it’s stolen 14% of the time by a stronger predator, such as a lion. Poor little cheetahs…

We then stopped at Thornybush Game Reserve which bordered our safari lodge for a private sunset game drive. The reserve was different from the previous reserve I visited, since the wild nature of the animals is preserved—there are no enclosures and the animals are still, for the most part, are afraid of humans. We saw many animals, including lions just a few feet away! 

We observed a herd of elephants, who were less than happy with the presence of one of the vehicles. 

We also saw one of the male rhinos, whose horn was surgically fused with poison to discourage poachers—the poison (used in other private reserves as well) has been linked to a few deaths of horn powder consumers in China. So far on this reserve, no poachers have been successful due to their particularly good anti-poaching patrols. All reserves have these patrols due to the incredibly high number of poaching incidents over the last few years. Both white and black rhinos are on track to be extinct by 2015 at this rate of poaching.

We learned the day after visiting the reserve that the week before we arrived, two of the patrols were not following procedure and had both fallen asleep during their shift (one is supposed to be awake at all times, but this doesn’t always happen because so few people are willing to do such a dangerous job, and therefore the few patrols have to work 48-hour or longer shifts). One of them had earbuds in and was listening to music (again, major breach of protocol—you must be aware of your surroundings at all times). The patrol who was listening to music was actually yanked out of his sleeping bag by a lion and eaten while his terrified coworker radioed for help, which came too late. The bartender who told us the story made us feel only slightly better by letting us know that the lion had been put down, and that it is rare for lions on a reserve to have a “maneater” personality. However, we already knew that there were many predators on the grounds of our campsite, and that there were holes in the fence that would have allowed the Thornybush lions to sneak onto our campsite, had they wanted to. However, in the 25 years of the lodge’s operation, they have never had a lion on the grounds. Leopards, on the other hand, are another story.  One leopard was spotted a few hundred feet from our tents on our first night by a motion censor camera—spooky! 

There were also many warthogs, who like to hang around the tents to look for leftover food, and other animals like impala, waterbuck, hyenas, zebras and more.

We could hear them all night long! I’m the first to admit that I was quite terrified and barely slept the first couple of days. We all went to the outdoor bathroom in packs for fear of a leopard attack. I always carried a hard object with me just in case I needed to scare an animal away. Aside from the constant fear of being eaten, camping was incredibly fun. I had never slept outside in a tent before, and it was incredibly freeing to sleep under the stars.

We left early in the morning to get to Kruger National Park as the gates opened. The morning started out slowly, with only a few sightings of common animals like giraffes and elephants (ellies, as the South Africans call them). 

But soon we had great luck! We spotted a honey badger (very rare, you can see it running away from us in the photo), dwarf mongooses, and then an entire pride of lions hunting around our car! 

We also saw large numbers of zebra, rhinos, and giraffes. Although zebra are commonly found in large numbers, rhinos and giraffes are usually found alone or in very small groups. We happened to run into large numbers of males who were vying for dominance.

 When we came back to the park for the second day, we found that the lion pride had not yet hunted. Lions often stake out their prey for long periods of time, formulating an attack plan, and these lions were particularly methodical. Later, we followed a long line of vultures to find a different pride of lions chasing what we believe was a leopard off of its prey. We watched the pride tear apart the waterbuck in minutes.

After a few minutes, the matriarch of the pride took off with one of the legs and left her cubs with the rest of the animal.

We followed the trail of the leopard they had chased off, but it soon became dark and we didn't find him.
On our way home the next day, we stopped briefly at Blyde River Canyon-- the third largest canyon in the world! The views were stunning.

And so ended our 10-day trip around South Africa. It was a whirlwind tour of a large portion of the country, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.  I hope I can come back someday and spend more time in different areas of the country.

Journey Through South Africa: Storms River to Durban

Early on Friday morning, July 27, two of my colleagues and I hopped on the South African backpacker bus called the Baz Bus to begin a 10-day journey across the country. 

Our first stop was in Storms River on the Garden Route. I had been here once before and had ziplined through the forest, but this time we decided to do the highest bungee bridge in the world! The experience was incredible. I was absolutely terrified but many of the people in our jump group helped me calm down, including an Irishman we had met earlier on the bus, named Keiran. I accidentally tried to jump too early! I was ready to just jump off the bridge as fast as possible so I wouldn’t change my mind while waiting and looking over the edge. Little did I know, they were not quite ready for me to jump yet…. Oops. But everything turned out fine, and the sensation of jumping was incredible (although I admit the first thought that ran through my head once I jumped was “why am I doing this….”). I was a little nervous after I had bounced and was just hanging there waiting for someone to rescue me, but there was so much adrenaline running through my body that the fear barely registered. It was so thrilling!

We stayed overnight at Dijembe Backpackers, a charming, rustic little hostel in the suburb area of the Storms River forest. It was a good introduction to camping, since many of the facilities were outside (and it was raining) and most things were broken to due to the large rainstorm (TV, showers, etc). But the staff was so friendly and helpful and there were two adorable dogs and a sweet cat, so we still had a wonderful time.

Our next stop was a quick overnight stop in Port Elizabeth. We didn’t get to see much of the city and our backpacker stay wasn’t terribly eventful. Then we went straight through the Eastern Cape and the former Transkei (a separate country during apartheid, which is still marked by poverty and its rural nature) to go to Durban. Along the way our driver told us all about the beauty and craziness of the Transkei, from wandering animals (although this seems to be true all over rural South Africa) to enormous marijuana farms. 

We also saw Nelson Mandela’s current home, and the flag was raised to indicate that he was at home! So we were only about 100 feet from the man himself, as I was finishing reading his book, Long Walk to Freedom. I felt like I knew him pretty well at that moment.

 We stayed the night at Hippo Hide Backpacker in the suburbs of Durban, which was extremely beautiful and quaint. It was pretty quiet for a backpacker, although this is the low season since it’s winter, and they were all rather quiet. We did meet a couple of people, including a wonderfully friendly guy from Seattle named Dean, who shared tons of information with us about Durban and even gave us his map of the area around the backpacker (I discovered on this trip that people who stay in backpackers tend to be really friendly and interesting, and often around my age). The gardens were extremely beautiful, as you can see from the photos below.

We only had one day in Durban, and one of my colleagues and I decided to spend it in a traditional Zulu village outside of the city, called Maphephtheni, in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. The setting was absolutely beautiful—the valley is incredibly lush and the water is some of the clearest I have ever seen. 

The village was, as the name of the area suggests, set in the rolling hills around the valley. We were shown around by a lovely resident of the village—a 21-year old Zulu man named Jason. He expressed his love for the United States and travelers like us, explaining that he wanted to go to university and become a tour guide (he’s waiting on a government grant which will allow him to pay for school, but I have a feeling that he may wait longer than he expects to, since the SA government tends to be a little slow). He first took us down the water, where he showed us a ritual known as “the promise of the girl.” According to Zulu custom, when two young people fall in love, the girl must pick the grasses down at the water and weave a bracelet for the boy, which he wears and shows to his family. After his family has seen the bracelet, they go to the girl’s house, where they ask the family about the girl’s virginity (this is determined not by the girl’s word, but by the village chief—I will explain this ritual in a moment) and then negotiate the bride price (a virgin is worth 15 cows whereas a girl who is not a virgin is usually only worth 11 cows). 

Next Jason showed us the annual ritual known as the “testing of the girl,” which is done for all girls around the age of 17 each year. In this ritual, the village chief hands a plant that resembles bamboo to each girl and she must break the plant in half. If she succeeds in breaking the plant cleanly, it means she is a virgin, and likewise she is considered to have lost her virginity if she is unable to break the plant cleanly (and this is very hard to do!! Nobody in our group was able to break the stalk cleanly).

We then walked around the village and he showed us the different kinds of homes people live in. Each house complex has a rondavel, which is generally used as a kitchen and room for prayer. The circular shape allows for more people to fit in the room with fewer building materials than a rectangular home, and it means that the house has no corners (the Zulu people believe that corners trap bad spirits and therefore should be avoided). Rondavels made of mud indicate that the owner is unemployed, whereas a stone or brick home indicates that the resident is employed. 

Brick homes are considered the nicest, since bricks cost money, whereas stones are provided free of charge. Some of the most important structures in the village are the kraals, where the cows are kept, since these are also used for important functions such as weddings and parties. However, only men, who control the cows, and virgins, who collect the dung for various purposes, are allowed into the kraals. Homes with their own kraals indicate the importance or wealth of the resident; most kraals are communal. 

One home we entered with its own kraal belonged to the oldest sangoma, or traditional healer, in the village. Per the tradition, she wore the colors of the sangoma: red, white, and black, which are restricted for sangomas only. We learned in her rondavel that the villagers respect her greatly, and believe that the only thing she cannot cure is HIV/AIDS. This is the only instance in which the healer will refer someone to the hospital. Otherwise, she offers cures for everything from acne to snake bites. When the sangoma (who can be male or female and is chosen by a practicing sangoma through a discussion with the ancestors) does not know how to make a cure, she simply lights a ritual fire and communicates with her ancestors, who give her the answer.

We then walked back through the village to Jason’s family home, where we had a delicious meal of putu and homegrown spinach, cabbage, butternut squash and tomato, which we got to eat with our hands (it doesn’t always look pretty but it is awfully convenient and fun). 

After our filling lunch, Jason sang some local songs for us (after I prompted him for a while, and I had to start singing Tshosholoza for him before he would cooperate), including then national anthem (which features the four major languages- English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, and Zulu), and then some local schoolchildren stopped by to show and teach us some Zulu dance. After they showed us a few dances as Jason’s sister sang, one of them came up and grabbed me to get me to join! I think I looked the friendliest, since I was bopping along and trying to pick up the words to the song. Soon we were all up and dancing!

After leaving the village, we got dropped off in the city center at the famous Victoria Street Market, which was very similar to the touristy Greenmarket Square in Cape Town. The goods were generally cheaper than in Cape Town (no surprise there), but the quality was also a bit lower, so we refrained from buying too many souvenirs.

We spent the next morning scouring the area near Hippo Hide for some more Durban curry (which is even better than Cape Town curry since the Indian population in Durban is even larger), but could not find any place that was open in the mornings. Sad and hungry, we got on the Baz Bus for our last full day on the bus to go to Jo’burg. More to come in the next post!