A weekend of Untouched Africa

After a rather hectic first week on assignment with the Limpopo Technology Innovation Hub the weekend loomed large - my very first weekend in Limpopo and the opportunity to 'go native' and explore parts of the province that are well and truly off the regular tourist beat.

Friday evening in Polokwane Reserve didn't disappoint.  Within the first half hour of setting off we were treated to a family of rhino, some zebra, sable, water buck & impala.  Not to mention a SPECTACULAR sunset that saw me almost dropping to my knees and weeping.  This was the Africa I'd been waiting since I was 4 years old to see.

On Saturday morning we set off hideously early (no weekend sleep in!) to visit the tribal homeland of the Moletjie in the Northern most reaches of Limpopo.  An untouched corner of the province that was a great insight into the real lives of Africans.  We were shown around by Charles - who'd trained as both teacher & priest before answering the call to become the clan's "Sangoma" (aka healer or witch doctor) who allowed us to sit in on a traditional 'throwing of the bones' session.  I was up for some insider information on a cure for diabetes but unfortunately it wasn't forthcoming.  However we did find out that our French colleague Isabelle will be getting married, so I'm looking forward to visiting Paris for the wedding!

 Charles the Sangoma

The bride to be at the front, looking somewhat nervous.......

We then headed to Zulani lodge, nestled between the Blouberg & Soutpanberg mountains.  A truly beautiful eco-lodge run by Elizabeth & Gordon Brace.  Now this couple has truly lived an adventurous life.  They've been shipwrecked in the Indian Ocean to be rescued by an airforce carrier by the British Army, have hunted  all over the world and are now running Zulani - a beautifully simple permanent campsite on their game reserve.  

Now gentle reader this is where I could wax lyrical and talk about experiencing what can only be termed a life changing moment.  But I'm not going to bore you with the details.  Suffice to say that I will now die a fulfulled and happy woman.  I experienced Giraffe at sunset and a steady stream of truly 'Out of Africa' moments - all I needed was the muslin and Robert Redford.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.......

Bed for the night

Our Zulani hosts - Gordon & Elizabeth

After a traditional Brai (meat from one end of the table to another - you gotta be happy with that), it was a night under the stars soaking up the sounds of Africa at night.  One of these days I'll work out the settings on my camera so I can take better night shots.........

Today we headed  to the Makabeng region of Blouberg.  Now this place just rocked my world - quite literally.  A very arid area filled with red dust and the most spectacular sandstone rock formations, which are home to some early cave art dating back nearly 4000 years.    Elizabeth & Gordon joined us, along with Eunice our guide, who lives at the base of the mountain.  He lives so basically, with no running water or electricity yet this guy has 2 natural sciences degrees under his belt and is in his final year of an honours in archeology.  He's had to study off and on as funds would allow and is extremely passionate and dedicated about sharing the rradition San art of his ancestors with university teams (and the odd lucky group such as ourselves).  This region is well off the tourist track and remains relatively untouched.  It was fantastic sharing it with such a knowledgable guide, as well as Gordon & Elizabeth who are equally passionate about the importance of this region.  You've probably already worked out that I'm not much of a photographer, so I don't know that my photos will do it justice, but it's a part of the world well worth seeing.

Sandstone outcrop overlooking the Gorge we were heading to

The Gorge on the way to the cave.....

Charles in lecturer mode......

A nice spot for lunch.

How's the serenity?????

The day finished with a race for home against the local transportation.  We won, but let me tell you it was close!

The driver checking out the competition......

Horse Power vs Donkey Power

And on a final note gentle reader, those that know me well will realise that it is indeed testimony to my complete and utter enjoyment of the weekend that I did not even notice the 3 inch layer of red dust that covered me from head to foot, the sunburn on the back of my neck or the bush toilets - not to mention the small mountaub if red dust that came out of my socks when I got home!

It's back to work tomorrow, with a very busy week of data collation and initial recommendations, followed by a weekend in the Kruger.

A girl could get to like it here..........

Polokwane

OK, so at the risk of sounding repititive - check out the Jacarandas in this town!  The streets are a sea of purple with Jacarandas lining both sides and creating the most perfect purple canopy over the streets.  An unexpected and delightful surprise.

The rest of Limpopo is quite poor & dusty, but they've done a fantastic job on the downtown (CBD) area - I expect because some of the World Cup soccer matches were held here.

I've done a bit of walking around to try and get to know my home for the next month and I certainly stand out!  Polokwane's white population is only small (about 5%) and there are absolutely NO blonde heads to be seen anywhere.  It makes a walk down the street very interesting - the kids love to test out their english skills and I generally end up with a long line of them following behind me singing out "HELLO"!  And they get SO excited when you say hello back to them.  And if you give them a lolly when they say hello well you've made a friend for life!  The smiles are wonderful.

The one thing that has struck me since being in South Africa is the warmth & hospitality of the people we meet.  Particularly in Limpopo.  The people here are very proud of their culture and the work they have done to build their community & infrastructure but they are very poor in comparison to our western standards.  It is incredibly humbling to realise how much I take for granted on a day to day basis and yet these people always have a warm smile for a visitor to their province and are always wanting to open their homes & share tea & food with you - food which I expect they can ill afford to give away.

I'm happy to say it's knocked my perspective on it's head - I hope in a very positive way.

I'll be spending the week working with our client who has already taken us to lunch on our first day, dinner last night and has a golf game planned for Thursday - for project planning purposes I'm assured ;)  I'm told that most client meetings in Polokwane are held on the golf course though.

This weekend the team plans to head off to the Polokwane Game reserve for a night safari and traditional outdoor dinner.  We'll then head to some traditional villages on the outskirts of Limpopo where we'll see some wood carving, traditional art and visit with a Sangdoma - an ancient form of Health Healer or Witch Doctor who follows the ancient ways.  I plan to get some hints & tips on diabetes management whilst I'm there....  We'll stay Saturday night in a lovely lodge in one of the river villages on the Limpopo/Zimbabwe border and then head to Blouberg on Sunday to see some ancient cave paintings and walk the famous Blouberg route before heading back to Polokwane.

As usual I've also been taking the opportunity to taste some of the excellent local wines and beers.  Here again, there are striking similarities to Australia, with some fabulous wines (particularly the white varietals) and some truly thirst-quenching beers.  And to make it even better, the average beer or glass of wine costs about $2 in most restaraunts!  A girl could learn to love that..........

Til next time dear reader.

Touchdown Johannesburg

Wow.  After an epic flight have touched down in the sprawling metropolis of Johannesburg.  Finally on African soil!

Here I was expecting something very different to Brisvegas, but with the jacarandas blooming and summer just about to kick off the similarities to home are striking.  But that's where the similarities end.......

First night we sampled some traditional South African fare and I gotta say I think I'm going to enjoy it here - meat, meat & more meat! Cooked slow and falling off the bone with some succulent exotic spices thrown in.  I will not lack for protein.

Full team day on Saturday.  A visit to the IBM head office and a meeting with the South African IBM team who gave us a very warm welcome.  It was then on to Soweto - home of Nelson Mandela - for a spot of lunch in the street where he lived.  Somewhat touristy but touching just the same.

Tomorrow we leave for Polokwane, which I'm told will be very different to the thriving Johannesburg, but I'm looking forward to making it home for the next month.

Giddy Up!

 The Jacarandas from my hotel window in Johannesburg

 South Africa Team 7 on the steps of IBM Johannesburg Office

 Outside Nelson Mandela's house in Vilakazi Street, Soweto

Just in case anyone gets confused.......

Flight 587 to South Africa is now boarding.........

Well it's the day of departure and I'm about to embark on what feels like the adventure of a lifetime.  What can go wrong I ask myself?  So what if I might get eaten by a hippo or bitten by a mosquito?  I'm sure I can rig up a spare insulin pump if necessary.  And how hard can it be to manufacture insulin out of dirty well water?  I'm nothing if not creative............

Tomorrow I wake up and set foot on African soil.  The cradle of life as they say.  Can't wait for this particular chapter to unfold.

Stay tuned folks - it's going to be better than Wild Kingdom!

2 more sleeps.......

Well just 2 sleeps before the big tin can takes me to Johannesburg.  Scared, excited and somewhat dumb-struck all at the same time.  Lots of hard work ahead of me....... and maybe a lion or two will let me take photos ;)

POL-O-KWA-NE here I come!

Polokwane.  What to say?

The capital of the Limpopo Province, Polokwane or “Place of Safety” is the largest urban centre in the province. Polokwane is said to have been founded because of the presence of gold in the area, but today Polokwane is primarily an agricultural centre.
In 1867 the Dutch farming outpost of Schoemansdal was attacked and overrun by neighbouring Venda groups. The Dutch beat a hasty retreat to Marabastad where they sought the protection of a local Pedi chief. At that stage their local government was in the hands of the Landdrost, who reported directly to Pretoria. However, the situation of two administrations, Dutch and Pedi, co-existing side by side in the same area could not last and before long, the Dutch were petitioning the Transvaal government for the right to establish a new town in the area. This was put in abeyance during the brief period of British annexation but was renewed after their departure, and approved in principle by the Volksraad on 25 October 1881. On 11 November 1884 the town of Pietersburg was established on the farm Sterkloop, and the seat of its magistracy was formally transferred from Marabastad to Pietersburg on 31 July 1886.
The decision to establish the town was probably motivated to a large degree by the discovery of gold in the district from 1871 onwards, leading to the proclamation of the Lydenburg gold fields on 14 May 1873. However this wealth proved to be illusory, and by the 1890s Pietersburg had retreated to the status of a regional agricultural centre with farming as its primary economic focus.
The establishment of apartheid government in 1948 gave Pietersburg new prominence as its centralised position and close proximity to Venda, North and South Ndebele, Tsonga and Pedi heartlands made it a primary focus for the newly-established Department of Bantu Administration. This was sustained by apartheid’s system of migrant labour, many of whom passed through Pietersburg’s Native Commissioner’s offices on their way south to the gold mines and the Witwatersrand industrial and manufacturing centres.
This was reinforced after the proclamation of a Republic in 1961 and the establishment of democratic governments in Zimbabwe and Mocambique after 1975 led to the expansion of its existing military facilities. This expenditure gave the local economy a much-needed boost and today the city, since renamed Polokwane, is the provincial capital of Limpopo, and a major centre for economic and industrial activity.


While I have visions of me being like this....

It will be more like this...

Adieu to my IBM Team

So...I'm three days away from my fabulous adventure in South Africa.  Although I'm REALLY looking forward to the wonderful experiences I'll no doubt have on the Corporate Services Corps, I've no doubt my IBM team mates will miss me terribly ------  so I've included some pics of just a few of them so they can pretend I'm still around ;)



Betty & Nons



External Relations Team - 80s Style! - Liz/KD/Nons/Pilar/Maris

Maris, Cath, Nons & KD

Nons & Karen

Maris & Nons - 80s style