Land of the Springboks
I've been away for a few days to attend a wedding in Durban. Don't you think that Tim and Kate, make a lovely couple?
We stayed at Tala, a private game reserve about 45 minutes from the city. It was great fun, and the guests were permitted to drive through the reserve without ranger escort, as long as we adhered to a few rules.
The only carnivores in residents were the guests, so we didn't have to worry about lions, crocodiles or hyenas. The most dangerous game were the rhinos (one rogue one has overturned 22 cars this year) and the hippos (responsible for killing more people than any other beasts, aside from man and mosquitoes). The reserve was surrounded by cane fields, so were unable to keep elephants. Elephants are unstoppable and can smell sugar cane from 20km away. The warthogs are gorgeous, but very shy. The giraffes were a very tame bunch and a bit of a camera hog.
I saw this little family ambling along and whilst some people thought ...ooooh baby ostriches, I thought handbag, belt, keyfob... and someone whispered rather loudly ..ostrich medallions in a green pepper sauce.
The wedding was fabulous (eventhough we had to climb into a Land Rover in eveningwear). It wasn't too much a problem for me, since I was in trousers. It was a windy and very chilly evening, but I was attired more to prevent exposing myself to mosquitoes than to warding off the cold.
The braae, the next evening featured 'venison sausage' which was actually kudu and impala meat (surplus to park requirement?). I tried to take a photo of the 'lucky boy club', but wasn't too successful. There were 2 herds the lucky boy club, was composed of one buck and all the roes. The Unlucky boys club was composed of only bucks.
The Zulus were fiercesome and the dancing was superb. They stomped so hard on the decking, I was starting to worry about it collapsing.
Oribi Gorge
We also drove south of Durban and visited the Oribi Gorge. I took out my knitting and perched myself over the river (risking life and limb) to do just one more row.
South Africa has a very varied landscape, and it's pretty spectacular. It was a long flight from London but was made less tedious as knitting needles were no longer on the prohibited item list. Not one to push my luck, I packed bamboo circulars and only knitted after we were on the plane and it had taken off. I did have some idea of sneaking the needles in my undies (it wasn't a serious idea), but given that I set off every sensor from London to Jo'burg and had to be hand-searched by the security people, that would had been very unwise.
I didn't get very much knitting done over the past week... but it was a good break that afforded me the opportunity to visit a country that I wouldn't had ordinarily picked as a holiday destination.
If nothing, I leave South Africa with these memories
(1) waking up beside a large millipede(yes, I shrieked my head off), not to mention (OK, I'm a coward), cowering under a sheet the second night to avoid any millipedes landing on me, will last a lifetime. Take my advice, avoid cane ceilings... the millipedes don't come out until after dark and tend to land everywhere when they lose their grip on the cane. Think millipede rain .... and remember to close your suitcases tightly, to prevent any unwanted stow-aways.
(2) missing breakfast because the rhinos were on the trail that lead up to the restaurant and refused to move. We didn't have insurance on the rental from Rhino damage. Husband, kiddingly, told me to go and 'shoc' them off the path.. if I was a rhino and some mad woman was threatening to make me a shoe, I would turn her into a statistic.
(3) Gorgeous...breath taking landscape
Loved the stories about the millepede - especially as I know the people Millie stowed away with. Unfortunately, I have to report that Millie passed away shortly after arriving in the UK.
LOVELY photos, oh so pretty! And you look smashing in your wedding outfit. And don't get me started on millipedes. EW!
Posted by: Kristine at October 8, 2003 11:16 PMEmma, Louise B, Kay - A friend of mine that was also at the wedding found a stowaway had returned with them to the UK. Millie the millepede is happily residing in a bowl with a piece of lettuce in Eltham. Yuck! If I found one of those I would probably had run a mile...and I agree UK bugs are much less yucky!
Louise A - I would had wedged a towel under my door in your circumstances... that's what I did when I was in Barbadoes last years and the Caribbean bugs decided to try and sneak into my room. It worked well. I was tidy (for once) and packed all my clothes and zipped up my bag. Please don't ask for reaction if one fell out of the leg of my trousers... I'm certain that people within a 25km radius would had heard me.
Heather, Ruth in Tx - I'm very fortunate in that my friends (and family) are quite international and try to get married in interesting places. Unfortunately, it's expensive flying around to participate in the festivities. I must admit though South Africa topped last year's wedding destination of Dallas, TX (mostly because the TX wedding was dry... the champagne toast was carbonated apple juice).
Jill - maybe another visit in about 20 years time. Country is lovely and people were generally wonderful and friendly, but there were lots of places where I didn't feel comfortable visiting. I would had loved taking photos of Victoria Square Market, but I was warned against taking any valuables.
Lis - Kruger National Park Rangers carry rifles.. to protect stupid people that open their windows to photograph the lions. Certianly a bit of Darwinism...
Stacy, Thos - not hard to take nice photos when the scenery is so lovely. I did admire the gorge but I suffer from vertigo, and hate heights. I'm knitting a child's frilled sleeve cardigan from the Debbie Bliss Easy Baby Knits. It's for my god-daughter, whose birthday is in 6 day's time. Yipes!
What! And you didn't invite me along! But living vicariously is almost as good! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful pictures! The millipedes brought back (good) memories of when I lived in Caribbean. They used to come under my bedroom door looking for the cool of the a/c, always just when I got comfy in bed. I always kept a shoe beside me to squish the daylights out of them! Put on a pair of jeans once and a baby one fell out of the leg, very politely not stinging me on the way! Yuk!
Posted by: Louise at October 8, 2003 01:06 PMYour photos are absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them. BTW, what were you knitting?
Posted by: Stacy at October 8, 2003 12:34 PMLovely to read all about it, and see your pictures, without having to actually experience Millipede Rain.....would you fancy going back to SA again on a longer trip? Another safari seeing elephants/lions, etc? As long as it wasn't a cane roof?
Posted by: Jill at October 8, 2003 09:27 AMPolly, so good to have you back in one piece. Loved the descriptions and the photos but like Kay I was sent into shudders by your description of the millipedes. That takes South Africa off my list of possible holiday destinations. Let's face it, I can barely cope with our own native creepy crawlies!
Posted by: Louise at October 8, 2003 12:10 AMBeautiful pix--thanks for sharing your travelogue!
Love, Kay (Could have lived without the millipede imagery though!!!! EWWWWWWWWWW!!!! Reminds me of that expedia.com commercial with the mosquito nets--if you know it?)
Posted by: Kay at October 7, 2003 11:43 PMOOh Polly - what a fantastic trip - I never get such interesting wedding invitations ! Gorgeous photos and I love your cuffs ! That hot pink is fab, one of my favourite colours !
Heather
Posted by: Heather at October 7, 2003 08:32 PMlove the rules!! beware of hippopatamus!! yikes. how about, "hold that tiger!!" thanks for sharing and knitting!!
Posted by: Lis at October 7, 2003 08:07 PMThanks for sharing your trip. What beautiful country. Knitting? knitting? yes knitting !!
Loved seeing you knit while trekking the country side.
The true sign of a compulsive knitter: ignoring a gorgeous gorge instead concentrating on the next pattern repeat.
Maybe that millipede just wanted some socks?
Posted by: Thomas at October 7, 2003 06:34 PMWhat a wanderful travelogue.So many interesting sights and experiences.
Not at all keen on even the thought of millipede rain.Yuk,yuk,yuk !
Who was that mad woman,sitting in the sun,knitting ? :0]
Posted by: Emma at October 7, 2003 05:58 PM