I hadn’t actually even realised that it had been so long since I last updated my blog! The past 3 or so months have consisted of lots of teaching (of course), a near fatal encounter with a hippo, visits from many people and a 4 week travelling spree...so you might want to read on.
Once returned from our trip to The African Wedding, it was a case of continuing as normal with our weeks here in Big Bend. Of course, ‘normal’, has to be used very lightly here, as no week is ever normal. As has been mentioned before, I have a class of 35 children at Injabulo. Now, this being a typically Swazi culture, it is always the case that I will never have a full class each day. However, this has not been the case this year, and my class sizes are averaging around 32/33 everyday! It is absolutely fantastic, as it means the children’s education is not being disrupted and shows that they are enjoying coming to school. It does leave me with a VERY large class to teach though. The kids have been brilliant in behaving and coping with such a large amount of peers. For any activity I have to split the class into two. One half doing a floor activity, while the other half does an activity at the tables. It takes a lot of organisation and shuffling around, but it’s been working really well so far.
With a much, MUCH smaller class at The Moriah Centre I’ve really got to know and love all the kids. Each morning, as I walk towards the school (the kids are already there), children from my class with come running up to me and give me a big hug. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world. The Leopards class are streaks ahead of my Lizards class, but this is to be expected. I’m getting loads of great ideas from lesson plans at Moriah to take to Injabulo and make sure my class there get as good an education as the children at the Moriah.
At the beginning of March we headed with the Hartman’s (a family in Big Bend) to South Africa and a town called Tzaneen to take part in a swimming event there called the Ebenezer Mile. This was when you swan a mile in a dam, called the Ebenezer Dam funnily enough. Some of the girls from Ubombo Primary School also went to take part. We stayed at a lodge, not far from the dam, and spent Saturday and Sunday night there. The weather was COLD! Pretty much our first experience of really cold weather since being out here. In the mornings and evenings it became very misty as we were up high in the mountains. The event ended up being delayed by around 3 hours as they waiting for the fog to lift so as we could actually see where we were swimming to. Eventually we were able to swim, and although the water was cold and I really wasn’t feeling the need to dip myself in it, I managed to complete the mile!
Towards the end of March we had lots of visits from different people. That wasn’t before, though, an amazing weekend right here in Big Bend. While at the club one Friday evening, after a hard weeks work, we met two guys called Matthew and Ryan. Ryan is the son of one of the managers at the sugar mill and Matthew is on work experience at the mill. After chatting that evening they invited us on a trip up the Lebombo Mountains to have breakfast. Of course we said yes and early the next morning we were heading up the mountain. Ryan brought his motorbike along (as well as his 4x4) and so we headed straight into the sugar cane, racing around the maze that was the many sugar cane fields. It was great fun being on the back on the motorbike. And don’t worry, Mum, a helmet was worn. At the top of the mountain was a whole other community, which is something I hadn’t realised before. We found a spot, right on the edge of the mountain, overlooking Big Bend and everything around it, where we settled down to have some breakfast. The view from the top of the mountain was magnificent. It was amazing to finally be on top of the mountains, that for 6 months we had been looking at every single day. It was from up there that you could really see why Big Bend was called Big Bend. The meander in the Usutu River was pretty much a u-turn! Using the binoculars I could pick out the Moriah Centre, hostel, Matata and even Mndombandoba.
On the way back down the mountain, both Robyn and I got the chance to ride the motorbikes ourselves. Until that day I had never realised even motorbikes have gears! It was great fun, although a little scary at first. I would say I mastered it pretty well.
Riding down the mountain
By the time we were back in Big Bend it was only lunch time and it was decided we would head to the dam and go fishing in the afternoon. The boat the 4 of us went out on was SMALL and considering there was a hippo and many crocs in that dam, it was a little risky. Nonetheless, we loaded everything onto the boat and headed to another shore to try catching some bait. Almost immediately we spotted the hippo just chilling in the dam. We parked the boat up about 50 meters from it (apparently a safe distance) and I was on hippo watch, to make sure it didn’t come any closer, while the others prepared all the fishing equipment. By the time it was time to get back in the boat the hippo hadn’t moved, so we all piled back on. Just as we’d pushed off the edge (and conveniently into some reeds) Robyn said “Hey look, there’s the hippo”. I looked to where she was looking to find the hippo, only 20 or so meters away, looking right at us. At this point we couldn’t start the engine because of the reeds AND we were in a bay, so our only option of escape was to head straight towards the hippo and then head off to the right. As any sane person would be, I was scared. The situation was made even more terrifying when the hippo suddenly ducked under water and we had no idea where it was. Admittedly, some words were used that needn’t be repeated in this blog. We raced to the other side of the dam and then headed to another different area before putting the anchor down and settling down to fish. And after all that....I didn’t even catch any fish!
After that weekend it was a visit from Ingrid, our Project Trust desk officer. She came to check out our projects and how everything was going. It was really good to see her and be able to show off what we do and everything we have achieved so far! Then, on the same day Ingrid left, we had a visit from Rhianna, Beth and Ellie, who are volunteers in South Africa. Really good for them to come visit the project that we talk so much about. While she was here, it was Beth’s 19th birthday as well so we took a trip to nature reserve, got up and close with some giraffes and had a braai to celebrate! Good times! A week or so after the girls left it was the arrival of Robyn’s mum, Gillian, her partner, Jim and Robyn’s brother, Will. Lovely, lovely for them to see the project and Swaziland!
On Wednesday 18th of April it was the beginning of our April/May holidays! This entailed another 3 and half weeks of travelling! Very exciting times and it started with a 2 day trip to Hlane Game Reserve with Robyn and her family. This was our first time back in Hlane after our trip almost 8 months before, when we first arrived in Swaziland! It was a really good few days. On the Thursday morning Robyn, her mum and I got up early and went on a drive. Amazingly, we saw everything there was to see, even elephants at the waterhole which was really something special. In the afternoon we all went on a drive and, again, we saw everything, this time getting up close to elephants again, as they weren’t in the bush. The evenings were spent relaxing by a fire at a camp within the game reserve, which no one else was staying at so we had it all to ourselves! On the Friday morning it was time for Robyn and I to part ways for a week, as I headed to Jo’Burg to visit friends and she travelled some more with her family. It was strange to be saying goodbye. This was going to be our first time apart for more than a couple of hours since arriving in Swaziland!
I headed to Jo’Burg, embarking on my first bit of travelling completely alone. I’ve travelled that route lots of time before though so it wasn’t such a big thing, and I managed to survive the hustle and bustle of Park Station kombi rank without any hassle. Beth was soon there to pick me up and we headed, in the car that we hired for the weekend, to Polokwane to go see the girls living up there. 3 and half hours later and we had made it! Polokwane is pretty much just a small city and the vols there live in a flat within a hostel.
That weekend we went to a Lion Park where we saw fully grown lions right up close and even had the chance to play with some 5 week old white lion cubs! The Lion Park was within a very posh hotel where it cost me R24 for a Savanna! Bloody rip off considering it only costs R12 at the club here in Big Bend. On the Sunday we took a visit to a waterfall, situated around an hours drive outside of Polokwane. I soon discovered that where we were was exactly the same town as we had stayed in when we swan the Ebenezer Mile. I hadn’t realised we had been so close to Polokwane all along.
From Monday to Wednesday I took the time to go with the girls to their project and see what it is they do. They work with disabled children in a well-established school called Mitchell House. It was good to see another project, and I really am surprised by how varied the projects Project Trust offer are. The project was in no way similar to what I do, although amazing at the same time. After Polokwane I headed a little further up north to a town call Matoks, where Laura and Rebecca are based. There, they work as teachers in a high school called Fedile. I only spent one whole day there, but it was good to see what they do. It was absolutely crazy; teaching 60 odd children in one class. Hats off to those guys for managing it and making the most of what they have!
On the Friday I headed back to Jo’Burg and be reunited with Robyn. One week apart and I had been missing her big time! We had one night at a backpackers in Jo’burg before, on Saturday 28th April, the real travelling began!
Back to Park Station it was to catch a kombi to Gaborone in Botswana. Our plan was to travel to the top of Botswana, right into the Okavango Delta, and visit Michael and Martin at their project there. These are the boys who came to Swaziland to visit us in December, and who we travelled all the way down the coast with. It was going to take us 3 days of travelling to get there, and day 1 was Jo’Burg to Gabs. If I’m honest, Robyn and I were not very organised. It was only the night before, in the backpackers that we’d actually taken the time to google our journey and work out the best way of getting there. Nonetheless, we just went for it anyway. The kombi ride was pretty uneventful and around 5 hours later we arrived in Gaborone. My first impression of Botswana was a good one. The kombi rank there seemed safe, and as we asked for direction and tried to find the bus going to a place called Maun, no one was giving us hassle or unwanted attention. Buses to Maun ended up being finished for the day, so we hopped in another bus that would apparently take us to a backpackers. We ended up being dropped off on the side of the road, with pretty much nothing around us. Taking the only side road we could see, and after knocking on someone’s door and asking, we found Moklondi Backpackers (situated in the far corner of what seemed to be a collection of houses). We set up camp there, the ever faithful (and, of course, broken) tent being called into action again. It literally was just a night’s stop over and the next morning it was up at 5am, with the intention of catching a hike or bus back to the kombi rank to catch the 7am bus to Maun. Luckily enough, there was another couple also up, who had a car and were heading into Gabs, and so we managed to catch a lift off of them. Just as we were making our way into the kombi rank, the Maun bus was driving towards us and we were able to stop it and hop on before it left.
The journey to Maun was meant to take around 8 hours, taking us from the south of Botswana right up into the north. The bus we were on was comfy enough, and was more like a coach, but as we headed off and stopped off in more towns it began to fill up until people were made to stand in the aisle due to lack of seats. Around 3 hours into the journey, the bus suddenly broke down. The last thing anyone wants when you’re in an unfamiliar country. After an hour of men taking the wheel off, back on, off again and then back on again, we eventually got on our way. 10 minutes along the road and the bus stopped all of a sudden again. The problem wasn’t fixed. We sat outside the bus for a long time; as the sun began to drop and there seemed no way that we would be heading off soon. We were still 250km away from Maun, but nonetheless Robyn and I attempted to flag down a lift from the passing cars. With numerous failed attempts we almost gave up, but with one last wave of the hand a pick-up stopped, and when I asked where he was going he said he was heading to Maun. Quickly we grabbed our bags and jumped in the buckie (pick-up), with me in the back and Robyn in the front. That last stretch of travelling to Maun was amazing. I sat out in the buckie, with the open Botswana desert all around me. As I sat there, I watched the sun set and, in the same journey, watched as the stars came out. There literally was nothing around us! Finally, we made it to Maun, and after asking some people for directions, the The Old Bridge Backpackers, which was where we were staying. Our knight in shining armour (i.e. the guy who gave us a lift) was called Shaun, and he happened to be the National Botswana Women’s rubgy coach AND ex-captain for the Botswana National Rugby team. Such a nice guy to give us a lift all that way and take us right to the backpackers, and all for free! Best thing about the whole trip from Gaborone to Maun was that we didn’t pay a penny, as we hadn’t yet paid for the bus when we abandoned it and got a lift!
The journey to Maun was meant to take around 8 hours, taking us from the south of Botswana right up into the north. The bus we were on was comfy enough, and was more like a coach, but as we headed off and stopped off in more towns it began to fill up until people were made to stand in the aisle due to lack of seats. Around 3 hours into the journey, the bus suddenly broke down. The last thing anyone wants when you’re in an unfamiliar country. After an hour of men taking the wheel off, back on, off again and then back on again, we eventually got on our way. 10 minutes along the road and the bus stopped all of a sudden again. The problem wasn’t fixed. We sat outside the bus for a long time; as the sun began to drop and there seemed no way that we would be heading off soon. We were still 250km away from Maun, but nonetheless Robyn and I attempted to flag down a lift from the passing cars. With numerous failed attempts we almost gave up, but with one last wave of the hand a pick-up stopped, and when I asked where he was going he said he was heading to Maun. Quickly we grabbed our bags and jumped in the buckie (pick-up), with me in the back and Robyn in the front. That last stretch of travelling to Maun was amazing. I sat out in the buckie, with the open Botswana desert all around me. As I sat there, I watched the sun set and, in the same journey, watched as the stars came out. There literally was nothing around us! Finally, we made it to Maun, and after asking some people for directions, the The Old Bridge Backpackers, which was where we were staying. Our knight in shining armour (i.e. the guy who gave us a lift) was called Shaun, and he happened to be the National Botswana Women’s rubgy coach AND ex-captain for the Botswana National Rugby team. Such a nice guy to give us a lift all that way and take us right to the backpackers, and all for free! Best thing about the whole trip from Gaborone to Maun was that we didn’t pay a penny, as we hadn’t yet paid for the bus when we abandoned it and got a lift!
Again, it was just another night at the backpackers, as the next day it was the last stretch of our journey, a bus ride from Maun to Shakawe, the nearest town to the boy’s project. It was a coach again this time, taking us 7 hours to get there as we travelled along a long stretch of road, stopping off at local villages along the way. About an hour outside of Shakawe a man got on the bus and came up to us. I was thinking “Oh no, not some unwanted attention” but the man then mentioned Michael and Martin’s name and we soon realised that he was actually a teacher at the school and had been told to meet us. It was quite a funny situation! The teacher was called Mahoey and during our week at Bana Ba Metsi (the school that the boy’s work at) we were always around at his house for cups of tea! Once in Shawake we met the boy’s and from there we headed right into the middle of the bush, where their project was based. To get to the project involved a trip on a ferry across a river that is part of the Okavango Delta and a 50km ride along a gravel road, heading further and further away from civilisation. On our way to the project we stopped off at a small village, where they boy’s bought a goat that we would later slaughter and eat. A big joke was made out of this as I was a vegetarian before coming to Africa, and the killing and skinning process was not very pleasant it has to be said!
Moonset over the Okavango Delta
Bana Ba Metsi is a school for street boys and boys who have been kicked out of their school. The campus is like a little village in itself; with the school, communal area, teacher’s houses and student accommodation. Our time spent there was really good. We watched the boys teach and spent a lot of time with the children that they work with. In the evenings we spent time down at the river; watching the sunset and listening to all the animals that were around us, including hippo and elephants.
Bana Ba Metsi
From Bana Ba Metsi we crossed the border into Namibia to begin our adventure that was getting to Victoria Falls! The boys gave us a lift to the border, where we said our goodbyes (we’ll see them again soon though!) and then it was time to try making it to Kasane in one day. Kasane is a town in Botswana but the easiest way to get there was to enter Namibia, travel along the Caprivi Strip and then come back into Botswana in the north-east. Once over the border and in Namibia we had to wait around an hour before we managed to get a lift off a truck driver, who would take us to the main road. So, that was my first experience of being in a HUGE petrol carrying lorry, casually travelling through a game reserve. T.I.A! Once onto the main road that would take us all the way to Katima Malilo, we managed to find a lift at a garage that would take us all the way there. 4 hours spent in the open, with the sun beating down on you, in the back of a pick-up does make for some serious face burn! All along this stretch of road there were signs warning drivers of elephants and so I spent most of the journey looking out for them. Just as I was giving up hope I managed to spot one right on the side of the road! My first sight of one of the big five not in a game reserve. At Katima Malilo we jumped in a taxi that then took us to the Namibia/Botswana border. And from that border we managed to get a kombi that took us the short trip to Kasane. This trip also took us through Chobe National Park, where we saw even more elephants!
Hitch-hiking through Namibia
Kasane is a town renowned for the big game that they have wondering around. It is not advised to walk around at night when the lions etc etc are most active...so of course Robyn and I found ourselves walking along the side of the road, as it began to get dark, in search of the campsite we would be spending the night at. To be fair, the campsite wasn’t too far away though and we quickly set up camp, grabbed some dinner and headed to bed after another long days travelling!
Monday morning, and after a mission to get our pula (Botswana currency) changed into US dollars, we made it to the Botswana/Zimbabwe border. I have no idea how many borders I crossed in those 3 and half weeks of travelling! It was $55 for our visa into Zimbabwe, but eventually we made it into the country!
From the border post we caught a taxi to Victoria Falls the town. While driving there, the taxi man suddenly stopped, reversed back a little and in jumped to guys who had appeared from in the bush. I was confused to say the least, but then a lady who was also in the taxi informed me that they were illegal immigrants from Botswana. Again, T.I.A! (This is Africa).
Victoria Falls is a lovely town. Very touristy, this is what made it so safe, but clean and peaceful! There are curio shops everywhere and people on the streets who were always trying to sell us fake Zimbabwean dollars! We were staying at a backpackers called Shoestrings. This was a really nice backpackers, with a bar and restaurant, so it was good to just chill out there in the evenings.
On the Tuesday it was time to go witness the almighty Victoria Falls with our own eyes! As we walked to the National Park entrance, I could already hear the roar of the falling water and feel the spray that was coming off the water. We entered the park and took some time to wonder around the information board before heading off in the direction of the viewing points. The Falls were SPECTACULAR! To watch that amount of water fall continuously was unbelievable. We took some time to view the falls from all the different viewpoints, getting absolutely SOAKED as we walked along. There was so much water falling that at some points you couldn’t see anything but a wall of spray! At the last viewpoint we got a view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, which connects Zimbabwe to Zambia. By the end of our time in the National Park we had been to all the best viewpoints 3 times. Each time we left to go dry off we ended up going back again for another look, it was just so amazing!
That evening we went out for dinner. This meal consisted of Crocodile Curry and Warthog Schnitzel. Warthog is the nicest meat I have tasted so far in my time as a non-vegetarian and, while driving along the road to Soup Kitchen and coming across one, I have been very tempted to knock it down and cook it up! That evening we also met a girl at the backpackers who also lives in Swaziland, as she is studying there! Think it was my first time to meet someone else who lived in Swaziland!
On Wednesday we (including our new friend, Anne-Caroline, from Swaziland) got some dodgey hire bikes off our good friend Etela and spent the day cycling around Victoria Falls the town itself. We took a trip to Victoria Falls Bridge, where we took a walk on it and “technically” entered Zambia. Etela then managed to get us within 20 meters of an elephant that he spotted in the bush...and we were ON FOOT! If I’m honest I was pretty scared but Etela did seem to know what he was doing. We finished the day off with a cocktail at The Victoria Falls Hotel, which was extremely posh and had a lovely view of the Victoria Falls Bridge and gorge.
Robyn, Anne-Caroline and I at Victoria Falls Hotel
On Thursday it was time to embark on our long travels back to Swaziland! First was an overnight train ride from Vic Falls to Bulawayo, a city in Zimbabwe, but that wasn’t until the evening so we took the time during the day to spend the last of our money on crafts from the market. Then in the evening we headed for the train. The train was very old looking, and used the same carriages as it had when it was a steam train, but now used an engine. We had booked a 2nd class, 3 person compartment for $8 each! When we first entered the compartment we thought they had got something wrong, as it looked as though there was no way 3 people could sleep in such a small space. It turned out they could, with the 3 beds piled one on top of the other, with such a small gap between them that there was no other option but to just lie down. With 3 people and 3 huge rucksacks in there, there was literally no other room to move! Luckily enough though, I managed to sleep most of the night, even as the train made its way slowly through the Zimbabwean bush. This train was pretty much just like a kombi; stopping in the most random places to drop off and pick up passengers. It was going to take us 12 hours to travel only 400 km! At around half 7 in the morning I woke up to a broken down train. We waited for another hour before another train came and gave us a new engine. The train then headed off only to break down AGAIN! It was another long wait for another engine to be dropped off before we could be on our way again. Eventually we made it to Bulawayo at...wait for it...1pm on the Friday afternoon! That meant we had just spent 19 hours on a train, in the small compartment and had only made it 400km. I’m not going to complain though; it was quite an experience!
2 hours after getting off the train we were onto a coach that would take us all the way to Jo’Burg. So this was a 16 hour overnight bus ride. The Zimbabwe/South Africa border post was absolutely crazy! So many buses, full of people, trying to get through and it was like 10pm at night. It took us almost 3 hours to get through the border and back on the road again. FINALLY, at 8am Saturday morning we made it to Park Station. Beth picked us up and it was back to Cotlands flat to shower (after two whole days) and have a proper rest and sleep (after two nights without an actual bed). And on the Sunday it was time to head back home to Swaziland... (this was the train compartment >>>)
Back in Swaziland, it was straight to work on the Monday morning. At Injabulo, Teacher Nelsiwe informed us that almost 2/3 of the children would be going to Grade 1 next year and so would have to know how to write their name. This has meant lesson plans have changed a little, and the classes are more inter-mixed. Every day after snack time the children that will, hopefully, be going into Grade 1 will practice writing their name, while the younger children do some sort of worksheet or activity. It’s all very crazy, with everyone switching rooms and doing different things, but it seems to be working well and I’m having a great time every morning! After almost 4 weeks away, it’s been really good to see all the children again. Not that long left with them now before it’s time to head back to sunny Scotland!
Speaking of the weather, it’s now pretty cold in Big Bend. I say cold in the sense that, in the mornings and evenings, you can quite comfortably wear a jumper but by midday your back to shorts and t-shirts and being too hot!
On the first Friday after we had returned, Robyn’s dad paid her a surprise visit! I had known about this before we had headed off travelling and it had all been a big secret that I had, thankfully, managed to keep! She was obviously over the moon to see him and that weekend we spent time taking him around some of Swaziland, including Manzini market and Hlane Game Reserve, where we came across an elephant that began charging at us and I had to reverse as fast as I could. I pretty much failed at this task, as I started panicking too much, and it was left to Robyn’s dad to get us out of there! Very scary! Even more scary than the hippo incident! The 3 of us then spent the week working away as normal, braaing at the dam in the evenings, and then on Friday we headed off to the Swaziland Bushfire Festival. This is a festival held at House on Fire where all sorts of artists, including musicians, poets and comedians come and perform. It was an amazing weekend! There were people from all over Africa there but it had a real Swazi feel to it. On the Saturday we were joined by Beth and her mum, as they were doing some travelling in Swaziland at the time. A very enjoyable weekend! On the Monday Robyn’s dad headed back to Jo’Burg to fly back home and Robyn and I headed back to Big Bend to continue with working...
And that pretty much sums up everything that has been going on. Busy, busy, busy, but it has been an amazing few months! Now we only have 2 months left, but in that time there is a still lot to do. My family are coming out to visit at the end of this month and we have a school trip to plan for Injabulo! Thanks for reading J
P.S. I realise this blog is shocking in the sense that my English writing ability seems to have gone downhill and the grammar and punctuation in it is most likely horrible. I’m sorry, but really I just wanted to get everything that’s been going on said so that you could read and enjoy J
