Dan had set his alarm to 5:30am thinking he and Ev had plenty of time to get up, have a shower etc. We had already heard some rustling a few minutes earlier so we decided to give ourselves a few minutes to wake up after the alarm had gone off. A few seconds later we heard some footsteps approach, followed by the voice of Russell, “Develyn?” (nickname Dan’s sister Rachel gave us) “Are you guys coming? The truck is waiting.” “Crap”. Luckily we were already dressed from the night before because it was again very cold. Unluckily we hadn’t showered since the night before last and things were starting to get a bit funkified. We quickly threw on our shoes and grabbed our jackets and day pack then ran to the truck waiting at the gates. We quickly boarded the safari vehicle and were stuck with the front seat which meant no wind protection. Man it was cold. Despite the blanket provided we couldn’t feel our feet or faces and even worse it was about a 30 minute drive.
Finally, we arrived almost frozen at our destination and we were introduced to our guides, Thomas and Philip. They explained that we needed to be very quiet during the walk, keep in single file and not to get separated. Both men had rifles to scare off any potential predators. Thomas led the group while Philip scouted the area out about 25m ahead.
The first 30 minutes or so of the walk Thomas showed us rhino tracks and showed us the difference between dung of different animals and also what sex it was. It was pretty cool but hopefully we weren’t going to talk about crap all morning. (heh? get it? Man I’m good.) Eventually there was a signal from Philip, who was scouting ahead, indicating he had seen something through the tall grass. Thomas told us to keep low and quiet as he pointed to what Philip had spotted. It was a buffalo about 50 metres away. Now, this may not sound all that impressive, but bear in mind the buffalo is one of the ‘Big 5’ for a reason. If it feels threatened it will charge, outrun and then maul you until you no longer move, so this was pretty exciting as well as fairly intimidating. Eventually the big fella went his own way. Thomas also showed us an old redwood tree that had been used by rhinos and elephants as a scrubbing brush. The animals would cover themselves in mud by rolling in it in the nearby pit to protect themselves from flies and other pests then they would rub up against the tree to remove it. The tree was covered with mud at different heights from the various animals. We then headed down into a gully and saw the remains of an impala which would have been breakfast for one of the big predators.
Clearly the highlight of the morning was the encounter with a heard of at least 100 buffalo. Just as we ascended out of the gully the massive group quickly spotted us. The females and calves quickly retreated to the back as the males formed a barricade around them. It was like a Mexican standoff, all the while taking tiny steps towards us. Out of nowhere Philip raised his arms up and out in the air with his gun and jogged towards them laughing and smiling to show the buffalo his 'horns'. Thankfully they flinched but came no closer. It was an amazing interaction of power and a little scary knowing that if they got the urge they could probably trample us all to death. We were actually eying off the nearest tree to climb. We decided to let the buffalo’s relax again as we headed back down into the gully and then up to the other side. We stopped for a 10 minute break and to our surprise Philip had packed a nice breakfast of cheese, crackers, beef jerky and some juice. We sat it silence and just took in the beautiful air and the sound of nature. It was wonderful.
We talked to the guides about their experiences and whether they had to use their weapons on an animal before. Unfortunately Philip had. The guides are taught that shooting at an animal is the last resort. They will shoot into the air to scare them off but if they approach and look like attacking humans they are forced to take it down to protect the tourist group. Philip told us he had to take down a rogue elephant a couple of years ago that was very troublesome towards humans. Sad to hear considering this reserve is actually for the animals, but you do understand. They also said that Kruger NP is a fly free zone for planes and helicopters, except for the rangers who monitor animal counts and track them. Thomas also said that if there is a natural fire, they don’t put it out, but allow it to burn naturally as it would in the wild. It’s good to know they care for the park and uphold it’s natural state as best as possible.
Back at Camp
We boarded the truck and as we headed back to camp we felt a little wiser about life in the bush and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Good to get some exercise, too. We were back at camp by 8:15am and had a quick breakfast of cereal and juice and quickly took down our tents. We needed to be gone by 9am and we still had things to do. First and foremost, shower. My goodness, it was the best shower ever, hot water, good pressure, beautiful. After his shower, Dan grabbed the clothes off the line that were still fairly damp, it didn’t matter, we had to leave. We got our tent down pretty quick and we helped with Russell’s as well. Ev then took a shower, 5 minutes before we were due to leave. We packed the truck and were ready to go but no Ev. Dan told Johannes that she was in the shower and that we should park nearby until she finally emerged all pretty and drenched. Washed hair is the best feeling! The truck was on the move again.
We had time for one last game drive, although, this would be much shorter. We saw some zebras and a lot more antelope, impala especially, but the best farewell from Kruger NP we could imagine came right at the exit gates. A group of 4 elephants were crossing the road and some even posed in the middle of the road for us, probably trying to warm their feet on the bitumen. It was a great way to end some fantastic days in Kruger NP.
Now back on the open road we are due to stay at the Mafunyani Cultural Village tonight. Before we got there, we stopped for lunch at Hoedspruit for a couple of hours. We used the internet to catch up on emails etc and then decided to have lunch at the Whimpy’s restaurant (fast food burger chain). We didn’t do much else until we boarded the bus at about 2:45pm. The drive to the Mafunyani Cultural Village was a short one and only took 40 minutes from Hoedspruit.
Mafunyani Cultural Village
We arrived at the village at 3:30pm and were greeted at the front entrance by the Village Chief’s Son and our Tour Guide, Jamaica. He was dressed in a traditional skin vest and skirt and head dress. With cameras in hand we followed Jamaica to the front entrance. He gathered the village people to perform a prepared welcoming ceremony song with traditional drumming.
We were shown around the village by Jamaica. First we were shown the Village Tree which is in the centre of the village and is viewed as the spiritual house of their ancestors. The Tree was the first landmark to be chosen to build the village upon. He then led us to a woman grinding nuts from the tree which were quite tasty and is frequently used in cooking. From there we were shown how the women produce flour. It is similar to a mortar and pestle but on a much larger scale. The woman would maize the corn seeds and sift out the flour. Dan had a go at maizing and found the maize stick to be quite heavy.
Next was a woman mixing the flour with water on a rock to make pat, which is the stable diet of the people of the village. There was a little girl wearing a pink top who seemed to love the attention she was getting. She sat down next to a woman who was making a grass mat. The grass is stripped from a corn like husk, and the grass strips are then weaved together to make string to use like rope to hold the grass reeds in place of the mat. The rope was very durable and was like horse hair. With the same rope, Jamaica showed us how to make a trap to catch birds back in the old days. It is not used any more.
We then walked through the kitchen which was a circular space with a perimeter made of sticks about 8ft high. Stumps and trees were used as seating and only women were allowed in the kitchen when preparing food. Sounds about right :) says Dan. Ev just slapped him. :P
Jamaica took us to one of his traditional huts which was a circular structure made from rocks covered in mud and grass. The floor was made from cow dung. It was freshly laid once every two weeks to keep snakes and insects out as they dislike the smell. The roof was made of straw. The huts themselves would normally sleep about 8 people comfortably. Back in the day a hut would take about two months to build but these days with modern premade materials, it takes about two weeks. We were staying in one of the modern huts with concrete flooring. We had a comfortable mattress elevated on a short post bed covered by a mosquito net. Very comfy. The walls outside the huts had unique patterns painted in orange and earth colours.
Jamaica went on to tell us that everything about the village had a circular theme. The village wall, the huts, kitchen, campfire area etc, were circular. Anything that wasn’t traditional, like the modern toilets, were square. Jamaica told us the reason for this is that the circle represents life.
After he spoke about traditional village life and how they respect their elders, we played a game. The group sat in chairs in a semi-circle in a hut and one person was given a wooden giraffe. You then could call the giraffe anything you like and give it to the person sitting next to you. The idea behind the game was that the giraffe was a gift, and that a gift is only a gift if it is received with gratitude by sincerely saying ‘thank you’ even if you don’t like the gift. If you didin’t say thank you, Jamaica would say “No, that is not its name” if you did say thank you, he would say “yes it is”. For example, Dan said to Ev “Here is a cricket bat” as he handed her the giraffe. Ev replied “For me, thank you” and Jamaica would say “yes it is”. He also told us the word for thankyou in his language is ‘Inkoomu’, so we practiced it for the rest of the day.
The group then unpacked the truck and selected a hut for the evening. There were five huts, so the three couples had one each, Russell got his own Bachelor pad (with room for 7 more) and the girls Jo, Amanda, Tracey and Deb had their own Party house. We quickly got ourselves settled into the hut and joined the village around the campfire which was a similar setup to the kitchen (minus the kitchen). It was beginning to get cool so the large campfire was a welcomed relief. We pulled up a stump (literally) and grabbed drinks from the esky provided. Ev asked the villagers what their traditional clothing was made of. The shin guards were made of goats wool and the head dress from impala and cow skin.
After chatting for about 30 minutes, dinner was ready. We followed Jamaica to the dining hut where a traditional Africa meal was served in six bowls laid out in the centre of the room. The bowls contained pat, pumpkin, cabbage, tomato sauce, spinach and fried chicken. Before dinner, our cook came around with a bowl of water and she washed and dried our hands as their guests. It was a lovely tradition. Going all out traditional, we served ourselves and used our hands and fingers to eat and got nice and messy. The food was absolutely beautiful. We went back out to the campfire area and waited for the villagers as they prepared for a traditional dance.
Tribal Dancing
The tribe performed four traditional songs. The women of the village sung the background foundation harmonies and the men sung the rhythmic complex harmonies. The dancing was vibrant and energetic with lots of dust stirring and we were all in a trance as the fire burnt brightly.
Earlier in the day Johannes warned us we would be dancing as well. We didn’t believe him but at the end of their dance, Jamaica said “Ok, now it’s your turn to dance for us.” Thankfully we had a couple of drinks under our belts. The villagers dressed us in their traditional garb. Dan wore a cow skin hat, leg dress and a type of animal cloth to cover the pantal region (new phrase). He looked smashing! Ev wore a leg dress.
Our group formed a circle around the campfire with some of the tribe members and they taught us a dance step by step. The song we sang meant ‘Be of courage’. After the dance lesson we thought we were done, until Jamaica said “We’re not finished”. The group laughed. He then looked around the group and asked us to each do a dance on our own to their drumming music. We were 2nd and 3rd to dance so at least we got it out of the way quick. Ev performed what she described as a ‘traditional crazy stupid traditional dance’, while Dan broke out the robot. The crowd went wild and were begging for more :). Katie performed the sprinkle, Johan performed a traditional African dance, which was actually good, and crazy Russ just jumped around the campfire like a madman. Jamaica asked if we would perform a dance from our culture. After a few suggestions like the Macarena, the Chicken Dance, Electric Slide and the Nutbush, we finally decided on the Hokey Pokey. It was pretty awkward to be honest and Jamaica must have thought, ‘what a bunch of dickheads!’ It was funny though.
After the dust had settled, literally (haha get it), we gave our costumes back and drank around the fire and told stories and riddles. Deb and Ev played with the shutter setting on the camer to create long exposure shots and light painting.
Towards the end of the night we also spoke to Jamaica’s Father who was the Chief of the Village. He was well dress and a very young looking 51 year old. He was a very nice man and spoke about why he started the village. He was really appreciative of visitors who stay in the village as it gives them much needed resources and an opportunity for the younger generation to reconnect with their traditional culture. We finished our drinks and toddled off to bed in our huts with no electricity and one gas lantern. We set our alarm for 5am to repack and be early for a change. Dan looks at Ev.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-ev/
Finally, we arrived almost frozen at our destination and we were introduced to our guides, Thomas and Philip. They explained that we needed to be very quiet during the walk, keep in single file and not to get separated. Both men had rifles to scare off any potential predators. Thomas led the group while Philip scouted the area out about 25m ahead.
The first 30 minutes or so of the walk Thomas showed us rhino tracks and showed us the difference between dung of different animals and also what sex it was. It was pretty cool but hopefully we weren’t going to talk about crap all morning. (heh? get it? Man I’m good.) Eventually there was a signal from Philip, who was scouting ahead, indicating he had seen something through the tall grass. Thomas told us to keep low and quiet as he pointed to what Philip had spotted. It was a buffalo about 50 metres away. Now, this may not sound all that impressive, but bear in mind the buffalo is one of the ‘Big 5’ for a reason. If it feels threatened it will charge, outrun and then maul you until you no longer move, so this was pretty exciting as well as fairly intimidating. Eventually the big fella went his own way. Thomas also showed us an old redwood tree that had been used by rhinos and elephants as a scrubbing brush. The animals would cover themselves in mud by rolling in it in the nearby pit to protect themselves from flies and other pests then they would rub up against the tree to remove it. The tree was covered with mud at different heights from the various animals. We then headed down into a gully and saw the remains of an impala which would have been breakfast for one of the big predators.
 |
| Buffalo |
 |
| Mmmm, Breakfast. |
Clearly the highlight of the morning was the encounter with a heard of at least 100 buffalo. Just as we ascended out of the gully the massive group quickly spotted us. The females and calves quickly retreated to the back as the males formed a barricade around them. It was like a Mexican standoff, all the while taking tiny steps towards us. Out of nowhere Philip raised his arms up and out in the air with his gun and jogged towards them laughing and smiling to show the buffalo his 'horns'. Thankfully they flinched but came no closer. It was an amazing interaction of power and a little scary knowing that if they got the urge they could probably trample us all to death. We were actually eying off the nearest tree to climb. We decided to let the buffalo’s relax again as we headed back down into the gully and then up to the other side. We stopped for a 10 minute break and to our surprise Philip had packed a nice breakfast of cheese, crackers, beef jerky and some juice. We sat it silence and just took in the beautiful air and the sound of nature. It was wonderful.
We talked to the guides about their experiences and whether they had to use their weapons on an animal before. Unfortunately Philip had. The guides are taught that shooting at an animal is the last resort. They will shoot into the air to scare them off but if they approach and look like attacking humans they are forced to take it down to protect the tourist group. Philip told us he had to take down a rogue elephant a couple of years ago that was very troublesome towards humans. Sad to hear considering this reserve is actually for the animals, but you do understand. They also said that Kruger NP is a fly free zone for planes and helicopters, except for the rangers who monitor animal counts and track them. Thomas also said that if there is a natural fire, they don’t put it out, but allow it to burn naturally as it would in the wild. It’s good to know they care for the park and uphold it’s natural state as best as possible.
Back at Camp
We boarded the truck and as we headed back to camp we felt a little wiser about life in the bush and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Good to get some exercise, too. We were back at camp by 8:15am and had a quick breakfast of cereal and juice and quickly took down our tents. We needed to be gone by 9am and we still had things to do. First and foremost, shower. My goodness, it was the best shower ever, hot water, good pressure, beautiful. After his shower, Dan grabbed the clothes off the line that were still fairly damp, it didn’t matter, we had to leave. We got our tent down pretty quick and we helped with Russell’s as well. Ev then took a shower, 5 minutes before we were due to leave. We packed the truck and were ready to go but no Ev. Dan told Johannes that she was in the shower and that we should park nearby until she finally emerged all pretty and drenched. Washed hair is the best feeling! The truck was on the move again.
 |
| Come on Russ, Time to go!! |
We had time for one last game drive, although, this would be much shorter. We saw some zebras and a lot more antelope, impala especially, but the best farewell from Kruger NP we could imagine came right at the exit gates. A group of 4 elephants were crossing the road and some even posed in the middle of the road for us, probably trying to warm their feet on the bitumen. It was a great way to end some fantastic days in Kruger NP.
Now back on the open road we are due to stay at the Mafunyani Cultural Village tonight. Before we got there, we stopped for lunch at Hoedspruit for a couple of hours. We used the internet to catch up on emails etc and then decided to have lunch at the Whimpy’s restaurant (fast food burger chain). We didn’t do much else until we boarded the bus at about 2:45pm. The drive to the Mafunyani Cultural Village was a short one and only took 40 minutes from Hoedspruit.
Mafunyani Cultural Village
We arrived at the village at 3:30pm and were greeted at the front entrance by the Village Chief’s Son and our Tour Guide, Jamaica. He was dressed in a traditional skin vest and skirt and head dress. With cameras in hand we followed Jamaica to the front entrance. He gathered the village people to perform a prepared welcoming ceremony song with traditional drumming.
 |
| Mafunyani Traditional Welcoming Ceremony |
We were shown around the village by Jamaica. First we were shown the Village Tree which is in the centre of the village and is viewed as the spiritual house of their ancestors. The Tree was the first landmark to be chosen to build the village upon. He then led us to a woman grinding nuts from the tree which were quite tasty and is frequently used in cooking. From there we were shown how the women produce flour. It is similar to a mortar and pestle but on a much larger scale. The woman would maize the corn seeds and sift out the flour. Dan had a go at maizing and found the maize stick to be quite heavy.
 |
| Flour Maizing |
 |
| Making Pat out of flour and water |
Next was a woman mixing the flour with water on a rock to make pat, which is the stable diet of the people of the village. There was a little girl wearing a pink top who seemed to love the attention she was getting. She sat down next to a woman who was making a grass mat. The grass is stripped from a corn like husk, and the grass strips are then weaved together to make string to use like rope to hold the grass reeds in place of the mat. The rope was very durable and was like horse hair. With the same rope, Jamaica showed us how to make a trap to catch birds back in the old days. It is not used any more.
 |
| Mat weaving |
 |
| Traditional Bird Trap |
The tribe also had a marimba like instrument. Dan couldn’t help himself at bashing out a tune.
 |
| Traditional Musical Instrument |
We then walked through the kitchen which was a circular space with a perimeter made of sticks about 8ft high. Stumps and trees were used as seating and only women were allowed in the kitchen when preparing food. Sounds about right :) says Dan. Ev just slapped him. :P
Jamaica took us to one of his traditional huts which was a circular structure made from rocks covered in mud and grass. The floor was made from cow dung. It was freshly laid once every two weeks to keep snakes and insects out as they dislike the smell. The roof was made of straw. The huts themselves would normally sleep about 8 people comfortably. Back in the day a hut would take about two months to build but these days with modern premade materials, it takes about two weeks. We were staying in one of the modern huts with concrete flooring. We had a comfortable mattress elevated on a short post bed covered by a mosquito net. Very comfy. The walls outside the huts had unique patterns painted in orange and earth colours.
Jamaica went on to tell us that everything about the village had a circular theme. The village wall, the huts, kitchen, campfire area etc, were circular. Anything that wasn’t traditional, like the modern toilets, were square. Jamaica told us the reason for this is that the circle represents life.
 |
| Round sleeping huts and Square toilet huts |
After he spoke about traditional village life and how they respect their elders, we played a game. The group sat in chairs in a semi-circle in a hut and one person was given a wooden giraffe. You then could call the giraffe anything you like and give it to the person sitting next to you. The idea behind the game was that the giraffe was a gift, and that a gift is only a gift if it is received with gratitude by sincerely saying ‘thank you’ even if you don’t like the gift. If you didin’t say thank you, Jamaica would say “No, that is not its name” if you did say thank you, he would say “yes it is”. For example, Dan said to Ev “Here is a cricket bat” as he handed her the giraffe. Ev replied “For me, thank you” and Jamaica would say “yes it is”. He also told us the word for thankyou in his language is ‘Inkoomu’, so we practiced it for the rest of the day.
The group then unpacked the truck and selected a hut for the evening. There were five huts, so the three couples had one each, Russell got his own Bachelor pad (with room for 7 more) and the girls Jo, Amanda, Tracey and Deb had their own Party house. We quickly got ourselves settled into the hut and joined the village around the campfire which was a similar setup to the kitchen (minus the kitchen). It was beginning to get cool so the large campfire was a welcomed relief. We pulled up a stump (literally) and grabbed drinks from the esky provided. Ev asked the villagers what their traditional clothing was made of. The shin guards were made of goats wool and the head dress from impala and cow skin.
After chatting for about 30 minutes, dinner was ready. We followed Jamaica to the dining hut where a traditional Africa meal was served in six bowls laid out in the centre of the room. The bowls contained pat, pumpkin, cabbage, tomato sauce, spinach and fried chicken. Before dinner, our cook came around with a bowl of water and she washed and dried our hands as their guests. It was a lovely tradition. Going all out traditional, we served ourselves and used our hands and fingers to eat and got nice and messy. The food was absolutely beautiful. We went back out to the campfire area and waited for the villagers as they prepared for a traditional dance.
Tribal Dancing
The tribe performed four traditional songs. The women of the village sung the background foundation harmonies and the men sung the rhythmic complex harmonies. The dancing was vibrant and energetic with lots of dust stirring and we were all in a trance as the fire burnt brightly.
Earlier in the day Johannes warned us we would be dancing as well. We didn’t believe him but at the end of their dance, Jamaica said “Ok, now it’s your turn to dance for us.” Thankfully we had a couple of drinks under our belts. The villagers dressed us in their traditional garb. Dan wore a cow skin hat, leg dress and a type of animal cloth to cover the pantal region (new phrase). He looked smashing! Ev wore a leg dress.
 |
| Dan in traditional African skins |
Our group formed a circle around the campfire with some of the tribe members and they taught us a dance step by step. The song we sang meant ‘Be of courage’. After the dance lesson we thought we were done, until Jamaica said “We’re not finished”. The group laughed. He then looked around the group and asked us to each do a dance on our own to their drumming music. We were 2nd and 3rd to dance so at least we got it out of the way quick. Ev performed what she described as a ‘traditional crazy stupid traditional dance’, while Dan broke out the robot. The crowd went wild and were begging for more :). Katie performed the sprinkle, Johan performed a traditional African dance, which was actually good, and crazy Russ just jumped around the campfire like a madman. Jamaica asked if we would perform a dance from our culture. After a few suggestions like the Macarena, the Chicken Dance, Electric Slide and the Nutbush, we finally decided on the Hokey Pokey. It was pretty awkward to be honest and Jamaica must have thought, ‘what a bunch of dickheads!’ It was funny though.
After the dust had settled, literally (haha get it), we gave our costumes back and drank around the fire and told stories and riddles. Deb and Ev played with the shutter setting on the camer to create long exposure shots and light painting.
 |
| I Heart U |
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-ev/
2 comments:
Would have loved to have seen your dancing! Leanne
eeeeewww funkified, haha! what a traditional experience. I'll expect that dance performed for me when you get back ;)
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