Hey Hey
Welcome back! Hope you all got up to date on the posts while I was away! Yeah I know they're long, but if you know me in person...you know I like to talk and tell stories. This is just an electronic venue for my windy stylee ;) But now you've had almost 2 whole weeks to catch up!!!
I just came back last week sometime (I don't remember honestly) from an almost 2 week (and much needed) holiday in KwaZulu Natal (KZN), another province in South Africa. I went to school in KZN in a town called Pietermaritzburg (PMB for short cos that name needs to be shortened for sure!) in 2002 so it was nice to be back in a place where I have some history! KZN is my favorite province in the country by default cos it just has so much to offer. Durban, great beaches, the Drakensberg mountains, great people, awesome parks, bunny chow (more on this later), lots of interesting history, and probably a lot more. I haven't even seen all that KZN has to offer. KZN was previously a British colony or protectorate or something so it has a distinctly English flavor to it compared to any of the other provinces.
There are also TONS of Indian folks in Durban, so there's a very Indian flavor to the place as well. I heard a joke here that was like "What's the capital of India?" and the answer was "Durban." So that just gives you an idea of how many Indians are there. There was recently a big row about the renaming of a very very seedy street in Durban (Point Rd...think Hollywood Blvd, but dirtier) to Mahatma Ghandi Ave/Rd. People were mad cos they thought that it was wrong to name such a messed up street/rough area after such a legend as Ghandi. Renaming stuff here is really big right now. Ideally it's a way to even out years of oppression by the apartheid government. Like streets, etc named after heroes of the apartheid era have been scraped for struggle era heroes: Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, etc. This is good and should be done, but the reality of the situation is a bit different. The majority government here hasn't really really done that much for the people that really need it. They rename some streets and this is supposed to boost their support on the one hand (and make it look like the govt is doing something for the people) while they don't actually do anything on the other hand. It's sort of a bait-and-switch maneuver.
Anyways...on to holiday news.
I spent the first half of my trip visiting my friend from U of IL, Jon Warner, in a nature reserve called The Greater St Lucia Wetland Reserve. I sent out a link on the place before, but I really encourage you to read more about this place. It's amazing. It's got a bunch of different habitat types: coastal dune forest, coastal grassland (very rare in SA, cos most of it is canefields or tree plantations now), swamp forest, estuarine (has the largest estuary system in Africa), the only coral reefs in SA, and much much more. The biodiversity is off the hook...just on snakes alone. There are at least 50 species living in the park (w/a new species being discovered w/in the last 10-ish years). And that's just one critter! It was really cool to hang out for a week w/a person that is 157% focused on herps (snakes, lizards, etc) because I learned a lot about them. I don't give much thought to wiggly things like that, so it's always good to get a new perspective and new information from a very passionate and knowledgeable source. As well as being able to handle some snakes here and there. Heck, we even drove around at night to find snakes on the road...serious, this guy loves his snakes!
Jon's living in the park while he does masters' degree research on the incredibly gorgeous Gaboon Adder...a very venomous and endangered snake (photo to right). It has the longest fangs of any snake in the world...and we were out stomping around looking for these bad boys/girls. Don't worry mom I was as safe as can be...unless I distracted Jon and got "Lynsee, ummm, just don't move at all for a few minutes until I figure out where this thing is." Freeze! The snake always ended up being about 2m (6 feet) away. It's a very slow moving snake and rarely strikes unless you are a tasty rat or something moving right in front of the snake's face. Jon's dog has stepped on the snake a few times and is still living to do even more stupid things. Jon is gathering very basic information on the snake because almost nothing is known about its habits/behavior/etc. In fact, Jon is the only person in Africa (so far as he knows) that is doing basic research on snakes. That is incredible! There is so much basic knowledge out there that is still waiting to be substantiated. And here we are thinking that science has gone and discovered all the important stuff already. THE ONLY PERSON IN AFRICA STUDYING SNAKE ECOLOGY...doesn't that blow you're mind? It certainly blew mine...
Welcome back! Hope you all got up to date on the posts while I was away! Yeah I know they're long, but if you know me in person...you know I like to talk and tell stories. This is just an electronic venue for my windy stylee ;) But now you've had almost 2 whole weeks to catch up!!!
I just came back last week sometime (I don't remember honestly) from an almost 2 week (and much needed) holiday in KwaZulu Natal (KZN), another province in South Africa. I went to school in KZN in a town called Pietermaritzburg (PMB for short cos that name needs to be shortened for sure!) in 2002 so it was nice to be back in a place where I have some history! KZN is my favorite province in the country by default cos it just has so much to offer. Durban, great beaches, the Drakensberg mountains, great people, awesome parks, bunny chow (more on this later), lots of interesting history, and probably a lot more. I haven't even seen all that KZN has to offer. KZN was previously a British colony or protectorate or something so it has a distinctly English flavor to it compared to any of the other provinces.
There are also TONS of Indian folks in Durban, so there's a very Indian flavor to the place as well. I heard a joke here that was like "What's the capital of India?" and the answer was "Durban." So that just gives you an idea of how many Indians are there. There was recently a big row about the renaming of a very very seedy street in Durban (Point Rd...think Hollywood Blvd, but dirtier) to Mahatma Ghandi Ave/Rd. People were mad cos they thought that it was wrong to name such a messed up street/rough area after such a legend as Ghandi. Renaming stuff here is really big right now. Ideally it's a way to even out years of oppression by the apartheid government. Like streets, etc named after heroes of the apartheid era have been scraped for struggle era heroes: Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, etc. This is good and should be done, but the reality of the situation is a bit different. The majority government here hasn't really really done that much for the people that really need it. They rename some streets and this is supposed to boost their support on the one hand (and make it look like the govt is doing something for the people) while they don't actually do anything on the other hand. It's sort of a bait-and-switch maneuver.
Anyways...on to holiday news.
I spent the first half of my trip visiting my friend from U of IL, Jon Warner, in a nature reserve called The Greater St Lucia Wetland Reserve. I sent out a link on the place before, but I really encourage you to read more about this place. It's amazing. It's got a bunch of different habitat types: coastal dune forest, coastal grassland (very rare in SA, cos most of it is canefields or tree plantations now), swamp forest, estuarine (has the largest estuary system in Africa), the only coral reefs in SA, and much much more. The biodiversity is off the hook...just on snakes alone. There are at least 50 species living in the park (w/a new species being discovered w/in the last 10-ish years). And that's just one critter! It was really cool to hang out for a week w/a person that is 157% focused on herps (snakes, lizards, etc) because I learned a lot about them. I don't give much thought to wiggly things like that, so it's always good to get a new perspective and new information from a very passionate and knowledgeable source. As well as being able to handle some snakes here and there. Heck, we even drove around at night to find snakes on the road...serious, this guy loves his snakes!
Jon's living in the park while he does masters' degree research on the incredibly gorgeous Gaboon Adder...a very venomous and endangered snake (photo to right). It has the longest fangs of any snake in the world...and we were out stomping around looking for these bad boys/girls. Don't worry mom I was as safe as can be...unless I distracted Jon and got "Lynsee, ummm, just don't move at all for a few minutes until I figure out where this thing is." Freeze! The snake always ended up being about 2m (6 feet) away. It's a very slow moving snake and rarely strikes unless you are a tasty rat or something moving right in front of the snake's face. Jon's dog has stepped on the snake a few times and is still living to do even more stupid things. Jon is gathering very basic information on the snake because almost nothing is known about its habits/behavior/etc. In fact, Jon is the only person in Africa (so far as he knows) that is doing basic research on snakes. That is incredible! There is so much basic knowledge out there that is still waiting to be substantiated. And here we are thinking that science has gone and discovered all the important stuff already. THE ONLY PERSON IN AFRICA STUDYING SNAKE ECOLOGY...doesn't that blow you're mind? It certainly blew mine...
So because Jon lives in the park, I did too for a week. It was incredible! I want to make it abundantly clear that there aren't lions and giraffes just chilling in everyone's yard in South Africa. It's a huge misconception that I have to hear about all the time. People in SA are always asking me if I thought I would find elephants and rhinos walking in the streets of Johannesburg. I have to politely as possible convey to the poser of the question that I'm not a complete fool and happened to fall off the turnip truck at least 2weeks ago...but definitely not yesterday. Unfortunately, however, many many people who have never been here (especially people from the USA) think that when they get to South Africa it will be a wildlife paradise in every backyard. Not the case...unless you are Jon Warner and live in St Lucia Wetland Park. His "yard" was always crawling w/animals. It was so cool! You could hear hippos (and sometimes hyenas) at night. Bushpigs snorting around causing trouble in the backyard. Waterbuck setting up shop out front. Troupes of monkeys just waiting to break into your house. Lizards everywhere (in fact Jon apologized for all the gecko poop in my room...but it's just a fact of life in that part of the country). And the list goes on and on. Because Jon works all over the park and is out in the "bush" a lot he's got a ton of great stories about happening upon rhinos, water buffalo (okay, that was a scary story), leopards (one of the hardest animals to spot in SA), etc. He's living the wildlife dream!
Strangely enough I was actually really scared to be out there with all these wild animals around me. I felt really stupid for that, but Jon told me that he was also freaked out by it for at least the first month he was in St Lucia. I just felt scared because I have no information about how these animals act and what to do around them. And it was dark outside! I don't even know what half the animals even are. There are at least like 20 different kinds of deer here alone. Throw me into the mix w/some cows and I can deal with that, but what should I do around a bushpig? Should I run? Should I check it out? I mean people die all the time from encounters w/wild animals because they were acting like nature wasn't something to respect. Because that looked like a good swimming hole until a crocodile changed your mind. So all I did was just try to sit outside a bit at night...watching. Listening. Luckily it was a really full moon most of the time I was there so it was really easy to see things walking around in the moonlight. Although I may be destroying every other part of my body...I am very confident that my night vision is still one of my best assets. But I was still freaked out a lot. By the time I left I didn't need a flashlight to find the toilet...so that was a bonus. I made progress :) I just need to learn more about these darn animals.
Other highlights of staying in St Lucia...
The outdoor shower!
Yeah baby, yeah! Taking showers outside is one of my most favorite activities on the planet...and I always forget this until I get the chance to take an outdoor shower ;)
Lots of coffee chats w/Jon
Jon and I spent a lot of time just chilling in his place and talking. It was super nice to talk to someone from home and I think that he felt the same way. He's been away from CU for almost 2 years now, and it hasn't been easy for him at times. For me it was just great to speak to someone who has also just sort of parachuted into SA from the USA in the interests of making the dream come true. And we could talk about everything from Zorba's to the wildlife scene in South Africa to hilarious adventures w/Mike Schmidt! I'm really excited to have a friend like Jon in SA not just for his wildlife ties...but just cos he's a cool guy!
Sundowners and night drive w/Xander and his family, friends
One night Jon and I went out for a sundowner (see previous posts for definition!
) w/some friends of his and then had a night drive thru the park after that. We had big spotlights that we used to shine thru the fields and forests looking for game. We saw a lot of stuff even though it was really bright out (cos of the moon) and a lot of animals aren't out when it's bright. Kudu, bushpig, warthog, genet, waterbuck, hippo (that was my goal! I love hippos!), reedbuck, a HUGE spider, chameleons, dwarf chameleons (see photo to the right), blue wildebeest...and I'm sure more. I honestly can't remember all the animals we saw! Mostly a lot of "bokkie"...which is the Afrikaans word for deer/buck.
) w/some friends of his and then had a night drive thru the park after that. We had big spotlights that we used to shine thru the fields and forests looking for game. We saw a lot of stuff even though it was really bright out (cos of the moon) and a lot of animals aren't out when it's bright. Kudu, bushpig, warthog, genet, waterbuck, hippo (that was my goal! I love hippos!), reedbuck, a HUGE spider, chameleons, dwarf chameleons (see photo to the right), blue wildebeest...and I'm sure more. I honestly can't remember all the animals we saw! Mostly a lot of "bokkie"...which is the Afrikaans word for deer/buck. Mission Rocks
Jon and I went w/his dog on a walk up this beach at a place called Mission Rocks. A lot of my photos are from this place. It was so gorgeous. I'm always so impressed by the sea cos I'm from the Midwest. We were going to check out a bat cave, but when we got there...all the bats were gone. Jon thinks that they drowned :( At the beginning of March there was a bunch of events (typhoon, other crazy weather, etc) that caused huge tidal waves to hit the SE Coast of Africa. This caused a lot of damage thru erosion and wiped out tons of property throughout South Africa. In St Lucia it was a blessing because the waves and crazy weather opened up the mouth of the lake in the estuary. The mouth hasn't been open to the sea in over 5 years, so it was sort of a monumental time to be at the park. But also I think the waves drowned the bats, d'oh!
Feeding crocodiles
Yeah that's right...I fed a crocodile. It's actually not as cool as it sounds. I just kinda threw a rancid chicken at its face and hoped it chowed that and didn't come towards me. Jon runs a snake park in the St Lucia park and it's associated w/a crocodile park as well. They have weekly croc feedings. I saw the croc guy, Meka, defrosting the meat for the day and asked him if I could feed the crocs w/him. I kept joking around and telling him to save me a chicken...but to my surprise...he did! When he was doing the croc feeding for all the croc park visitors he told me to come into the pen and I got to throw meat to the crocs. It was sweet! I was a celebrity...okay that's how I felt ;) Rancid chicken celeb ;)
Sorry...my mind's going...but I'm sure that there will be more info highlights for you when you see my photos. They are sort of up, but w/out captions right now. I have so many...it's taking a long time to upload them all.
Because St Lucia is in the middle of nowhere, and I have no car and no valid license, I had to hitch a ride with Jon on his way down the coast. I really didn't want to leave, but it was just that time. It's always sad to leave dreamy Zululand. I went down to Durban where I stayed for a few days with a really nice Rotary couple. I was trying to hook up w/Rotarians during my whole trip, but St Lucia's in the middle of nowhere (so no Rotary clubs around) and also it was the Easter holiday...so many Rotary clubs weren't meeting. But it was really great to stay w/this couple, John and Maggie, in Durban. I was so thankful for their hospitality as I tried to track down people I haven't seen in 5 odd years. They seem to run a hotel of sorts for students, so they were really really accomodating. And they understood that I pretty much had no idea what I was up to next, which was really cool! I'm a half planner really. When I left Pretoria I had no idea when I was coming home what would happen to me after St Lucia...and that was fine. I had a ride to St Lucia w/someone I met here in Pretoria and that was enough to satisfy me!
So I was in Durban to try to meet up with some old friends, Tongai and Roisin. Roisin ended up being busy with family for Easter and having to do some wedding thing for a friend. Unfortunately I didn't get to see her. Tongai and I managed to hook up eventually after some miscommunication and what not. Par for the course when dealing w/my Zim guys...love you guys!!! I went out one night w/Tongai and my friend Tozi (remember him from Cape Town?) and then a few days later merged paths w/the Zim guys for good. Once we got together it was a lot of braai-ing and beers...totally appropriate for a long weekend :) Mostly the weather was just crappy the whole time I was in Durban...so we didn't do too much else except chill out.
I was really happy to meet Tongai's girlfriend, Sheila. She's from Kenya originally, but now lives in Namibia. She was just visiting for the week. Her brother also stays in Durban, so I also got to meet him. It was very refreshing to meet Sheila and I felt we hit it off instantly. A lot of girls I meet here are really boring and also I have usually have to talk to girls a lot more because the way the sexes interact here seems more polar to me. Guys w/guys and girls w/girls in social situations. It's not super drastic, but I do feel like I spend a lot more time having chitchat w/girls that have nothing interesting to say. Not the case w/Sheila! I hope to visit Namibia in June (to see a fellow Rotary scholar I met in Cape Town) so I hope to see Sheila then as well. This looks like the beginning of a very rad friendship!
And then, I got food poisoning. I'm going to blame it on a very naughty guava. I bought a guava and passion fruit/granadilla at a fruit market cos I had never eaten them fresh before. I was so excited cos I really love guava juice and dried guava. I didn't wash the guava (which I think was the problem) and I was the only one who ate it out of all these other people around. So I'm blaming it on the guava. That night I was at a braai so I ate tons of food and had tons of beer...all of which I had to watch pass me by again later that night. *sniffles* The fever was on and I just felt like crap. I was planning on visiting some friends in Joburg before my holiday was up, but I ended up just going home to Pretoria in the end. I never thought I would long for my tiny tiny midget cot in my dorm room...but I guess there's a first for everything. So I just took an overnight bus to Joburg and then back to Pretoria for some rest before school started again.
I guess this week I've just been sort of out of it and trying to get my head back into the books. I have another test coming up this week...so I need to get my head straight soon! I started an exercise program this week...which is kind of exciting. I started a fitness program in the gym and I went to my first water aerobics class this week. Water aerobics was hilarious. When I signed up for it I asked if it was for old people and the guy in the gym insisted it wasn't. I don't think he's actually been to the class though...cos I'm definitely able to be everyone's granddaughter's age. But it doesn't matter. The class is fun and I get to splash around in the pool for an hour. The older ladies are really nice to me too. And I don't have to feel self conscious around ladies who have probably had a few kids! Yes! I'm looking forward to next Thursday ;) '
On the radio tip...this week I helped record a new jingles package for the radio station. A guy from Joburg that does professional voices came in and recorded the voice for all the jingles we wanted. He was supposed to be doing an American accent, so sometimes I got to add input just cos I have that accent. Stuff like "Ummm...that's not how we say that word." It's sort of a weird reason to be an expert. The guy was super cool cos he was a huge Simpsons fan!!! I haven't really met anyone I can geek out w/on the Simpsons here. I mean people know them...but don't KNOW them. I also got to make up some jingles, so I hope those make it thru to the final stages. My first ad was supposed to go out on the air just before I left on holiday, but the event got changed to June, d'oh! I'm sure I'll have an ad out soon though. That's so sweet!
Today was "Day in the Life," but I'm a slacker and forgot to tell you all. I still did it though. So stay tuned for pictures.
Hope you are all well!
Much Love
Lynsee
Lynsee
PS: As a bonus...here's a picture of my friend Graeme longboarding in Krakow, Poland. Because I haven't seen or really spoken to Graeme in so long, seeing these photos was one of the highlights of the week! Enjoy! Graeme's on the left/in front. For more on skateboarding in Poland: http://www.antidote-krk.com/ls.htm
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