excursion run-down

I returned Saturday from Johannesburg (or Jo-burg), which is the largest city in South Africa, having spent five days there. Unfortunately, that was too long because there wasn’t a whole lot to do and my group had a quite a bit of down time in our hotel. We were nicely invited to two braais (or barbeques) at the homes of some friends of our UNC professor, Dr. Lee. The local cuisine is creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, pap, a traditional bean dish, and different meats including lamb, beef, sausage, and chicken. People drink a lot of juice here. At one of the homes we visited in a township, I spoke to some really interesting people; it is worth noting that many of the neighbors there were surprised to see that a group of white students was (a) invited to this braai and (b) led by a black professor. I was asked (not for the first time) if I knew Oprah. It seems to be that people seriously associate anything on television with being American, which is unfortunate since so much of TV is not representative of America.

I did some shopping at two markets, Bruma Lake and Rosebank, where vendors come and sell hand-made jewelry and crafts. It was extremely overwhelming and the vendors were sometimes pretty aggressive – one was good enough to show me a bathroom and then proceed to wait for me outside (of course then I HAD to buy something from him, right? well, I did). Turns out, I could improve on my haggling skills; it’s really hard to tell if I’m getting a good deal or still being ripped off. We visited Soweto, which is the largest township outside Jo-burg and home to about 4 million people, and visited the Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, site of the 1976 Soweto Uprising when police took fire on innocent students who were peacefully protesting Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. Hector Pieterson, a 13-year old boy, was the first victim of this violence. I really enjoyed the Apartheid Museum in downtown Jo-burg, but unfortunately we didn’t spend enough time there.

While there is a good amount of construction going on here in Cape Town, the amount of preparation for the World Cup in Johannesburg far exceeds it. One stadium is being built in Cape Town and at least two are being built in Jo-burg. They’re building roads and adding and expanding the public transportation system as well as the airports…

Okay, so now the most exciting part of the trip: Kruger! Whatever disappointment there was in Jo-burg and despite the 6 uncomfortable hours in the van, Kruger National Park made the whole thing worthwhile. Unfortunately, we only got to spend one full day there and the weather was terrible for game-viewing. It was cold and rainy but despite that, I sincerely enjoyed the whole thing. There were 7 of us plus our guide (who was excellent) in my game vehicle and we were very fortunate to see a lot of animals, including four of the Big Five: buffalo, elephant, rhino, and leopard (no lion). I also saw zebra, giraffe, wildabeasts, kudu, impala, guinea fowl, two warthogs, and a few monkeys. The elephants were probably my favorite; it was unbelievable how close they came to our vehicle. All of the animals were truly remarkable and beautiful.





























































Fun Facts: Elephants have 29,000 muscles in their trunks alone. They eat between 800 and 1500 pounds of feel each day, more when the vegetation is not very nutritious (more sticks, less leaves?) and spend 23 out of 24 hours a day eating. They don’t sleep, because they can’t afford to stop eating, and live up to age 65. Elephants go through about 6 sets of teeth in their lives and die of starvation when their last set wears away. They have a keen sense of smell but terrible eyesight, only able to see a few feet in front of them. Female elephants are pregnant with a female for 22 months but with a male for 23 months. Young elephants and females stay together in a pack but males travel alone. They are very intelligent creatures, and I thought looked very wise.

Random: In South Africa, “now” as in “I’ll be with you now” really means later, or soon, like “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Instead of “what’s up?” people here greet you by saying “how’s it?” Like in Blood Diamond! That was on TV and seeing it while actually being in Africa was a different experience because I can identify with some of the things I didn’t before. There are actually a few scenes shot in Cape Town! Oh, and if you think the commercials at home are bad, just watch a few here. Nothing good is on TV.