Day 3 – Exploring Entabeni
On our
first day in Africa, not everybody feels the need to get up early for a morning
safari. Departure is early at 6 am but the happy few including me, are rewarded
for our efforts with a beautiful sunrise over the lake where we stay. Our
safari is dedicated to finding a rhinoceros which is sighted nearby. Pretty
soon, our ranger finds tracks of a male rhino. Right behind the curve, 2 kudus
jump behind the bushes when they see us. Just down the road a flock of wildebeest and zebras take us by
surprise. When we find a fresh "dropping" of a rhinoceros (males mark
their territory), he can not be too far. Yet we still see first a dozen impala’s,
warthogs and more wildebeest before in the distance on the meadow, we see a
rhinoceros.
And it's not just one, it is the whole family: male, female and baby. The male is just lying around while the female takes care of the baby.
Mmm ... Another one for the statistics: 80% of the world population of rhinos is located in South Africa.
I enjoy the peace and tranquility in this park. Our 4X4 is the only one in the neighborhood. Around this time I usually sit in a bus on my way to work, glaring at the traffic we drive past. Now I glare at the beauty of the African savannah where animals are awakening. This alone was worth it to get up early. By 7:30 am we are expected back at the lodge for breakfast. Here come the first eggs.
By 8:30 am we are packed and ready for the continuation of the journey north. We pass one of the football stadiums built for the World Cup 2010. This world championship was succesfull for Spain, but it left South Africa behind with a heavy financial hangover.The debts will be paid off in 50 years. It is for the South Africans as clear as daylight that this is the fault of the corrupt practices of the FIFA bosses who obliged South Africa to build stadiums in low-yielding areas. Meanwhile, the stadiums are no longer used and they decline further. Perhaps we as Belgium should be fortunate that we lost the bid together with the Netherlands to host the World Cup. Something to be grateful for thanks to the corrupt FIFA members. We take a light lunch in a restaurant to satisfy the hunger. In the afternoon we stop at the monument indicating the Tropic of Capricorn. We pass this line a few times on this trip.
By 8:30 am we are packed and ready for the continuation of the journey north. We pass one of the football stadiums built for the World Cup 2010. This world championship was succesfull for Spain, but it left South Africa behind with a heavy financial hangover.The debts will be paid off in 50 years. It is for the South Africans as clear as daylight that this is the fault of the corrupt practices of the FIFA bosses who obliged South Africa to build stadiums in low-yielding areas. Meanwhile, the stadiums are no longer used and they decline further. Perhaps we as Belgium should be fortunate that we lost the bid together with the Netherlands to host the World Cup. Something to be grateful for thanks to the corrupt FIFA members. We take a light lunch in a restaurant to satisfy the hunger. In the afternoon we stop at the monument indicating the Tropic of Capricorn. We pass this line a few times on this trip.
By late afternoon we arrive at our sleeping place for tonight. It is the Madi A Thavha Mountain Lodge, a 4 * lodge that combines tradition and complete tranquility. The estate takes its name from the mountain river that flows through the area, Madi A Thavha the Venda word for "water of the mountain." It is run by a Dutchman. This lodge is located in the Southpan, one of the great mountain ranges of South Africa. Here lives the Venda people.
The nice thing about South Africa is that we fly 11 hours and still get on with our own language. And anyone who thinks that the Afrikaans (this is a derivative of Dutch) is losing it’s importance as language, is wrong. After the Xhosa and Zulu, Afrikaans is the main language in South Africa. English is actually the administrative language, but as a spoken language, it comes at the end of the list. Every five years the grammar is revised. Dutch grammar is one of the most difficult languages, Afrikaans is simple: no conjugations, no dt errors. Afrikaans is a colorful language, they use words to describe the function of a thing. Baaie fun.
Of course South Africa has also a less attractive past. There was apartheid and the farmer murders. Contrary to what I've always thought, whites have never snapped up the land of the indigenous people, but bought it after negotiating a fair price with them. Years later, many white South African farmers had to pay for this with their lives. These are called the peasant killings that killed hundreds of white farmers.
Dinner consisto,g of stuffed chicken roll, served with green beans and rice is dished out next to a big fire while a Venda musician is entertaining us.
The nice thing about South Africa is that we fly 11 hours and still get on with our own language. And anyone who thinks that the Afrikaans (this is a derivative of Dutch) is losing it’s importance as language, is wrong. After the Xhosa and Zulu, Afrikaans is the main language in South Africa. English is actually the administrative language, but as a spoken language, it comes at the end of the list. Every five years the grammar is revised. Dutch grammar is one of the most difficult languages, Afrikaans is simple: no conjugations, no dt errors. Afrikaans is a colorful language, they use words to describe the function of a thing. Baaie fun.
Of course South Africa has also a less attractive past. There was apartheid and the farmer murders. Contrary to what I've always thought, whites have never snapped up the land of the indigenous people, but bought it after negotiating a fair price with them. Years later, many white South African farmers had to pay for this with their lives. These are called the peasant killings that killed hundreds of white farmers.
Dinner consisto,g of stuffed chicken roll, served with green beans and rice is dished out next to a big fire while a Venda musician is entertaining us.
Comments
Post a Comment