There is a common misconception that the Garden Route goes from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. it doesn't. It goes from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay. So being 'stationed' in Plett for a month was no bad thing!
I was volunteering at an organisation called the ORCA foundation, which has three principles, that of conservation, research, and education. The length of time you are involved in the programme will determine which of these three things will dominate your time. A month menat that conservation was the are that I engaged with most.
Given that a lot of the activities depended on sea and wind conditions, the week did not have the same structure as a week at the game reserve. Although, as long as weather conditions permitted, monday mornings were usually spent at sea, looking for and photographing the dolphins in the area, of which there were three sorts, if my memoey serves me correctly, the common nose dolphins, the bottlenose dolphins and the humpback dolphins, and the whales, of which we were lucky enough to see the shy Bryde's whale. The photographs we took were then passed on to the reserach faction of the porganisation who used the photos to identify the animals we had seen.
We had the privilage of going out on the boat once with one of the researchers who wanted to get dna samples of these whales, by shooting them with a harpoon, and so taking a skin sample. Despite finding a whale, it was too illusive for us, and there was no good opportunity for the researcher to harpoon him/her. But nonetheless, it was an exciting day at sea!!!
Thursday mornings were spent at the township, giving over 130 children a lesson on the marine life in the sea, playing games, and singing songs. I wont complain about making a meal for even 20 people again! Feeding 130+ kids wevery day as the teachers do at that school is quite some feat,as we realsied when we had to dish out the food and wash up the plates afterwards!!
Much of the rest of the time was spent tending to the 150 seahorses that the foundation nurture into adulthood for various sea horse aquariums in the area. This is a big job, as the tanke require cleaning, water changing, and they require feeding, and each size sea horse requires a different type of food, so lots of time was spent wading around in rivers in Plett and Kynsna looking for the right kind and size of shrimp!
Another activity was to do a SASS evaluation, whereby the animal contents of rivers is marked against a scoring scheme, the higher the mark, the healthier the river. In addition to this, we planted over 200 trees at a farm to try and increase the number of indigenous plants in the area.
In addtion to all this 'work,' there was plenty of time for some fun too! We went to the elephant sanctuary, where we got the touch and ride the elephants bear back... I think the highlight for me was not so much the ride as being able to touch the trunk, which you may know is pure muscle, and therefore gives it a very interesting texture, particularly when it moves!
We went to Tenikwa, which is a rehab and education centre for african big cats and sea life such as seals, and we had a tour of the facility. The highlight, however, was to be able to take the cheetahs for a walk. We walked them for about two hours, during which time, these apparently lazy cats spent most of the time lying down, and admiring the view! it was here that I had my famous lick, by a large fully grown male! it happened too quickly to have been afraid, but afterwards, I realised that he could have bitten my arm off! Oh well, all in a day's work in Africa!!
We also went to do a n=walking tour of the Featherbed nature reserve in Knysna, so called, because after the rough seas, the sailors who arrived in Knysna said that sleeping in port there was like sleeping on a feather bed... FYI, there are no featherbeds at the reserve... only fabulous views overlooking the indian ocean!
One weekend, we went to Oudtshoorn, which is inland from the coast, and therefore about ten degrees hotter! there we went to the Cango Caves, Quad biking, the museum, the wildlife park, where, if you were so inclined you could cage dive with crocodiles... (i didnt), and admired the fabulous scenic drive throuhg various difrerent mountain passes. On the way to and from, we went to Wilderness, Mossel Bay, and George, and so, I thinkwe can honestly, we did the Garden Route!!
In addtion, of course, there was the famous bunjy junp! I went to that Bunjy jump in Tsitsikamma 4 times.. way too many times for someone who had no intention of jumping!! I did however, do a tree top canopy tour in the forest, and even managed to get to Storms River mouth, which I believe was a great achievement!
The month passed quickly, and all too soon, it was time to say good bye to the country i have been in longer than any other country outside the UK. Following an all too quick 'squiz' of Joburg, I flew to perth, Australia.
Leaving south africa, and the friends I made there, was like leaving home all over again. I have heard it said that Africa gets into your blood, and it is certainly true for me... I am not finished with that country, or that Continent! I will be back!!!
So, in three months in Africa, what did I learn?
Probably more than I realise at this stage of my travels.. but there are some things I'd like to mention here:
1) Lions do eat waterbuck... I have seen the remnants of their kill
2) Dolphins are toothed whales, and are Apex predators and will not necessarily be as helpful as Flipper in a crisis!
3) Contrary to the portrayal of Orcas in the film Free Willy, you will be better off being in the sea with a great white shark than a group of Orca Killer whales, who are lethal and unpicky hunters!
4) Seeing a leopard is a rare and amazing sight, let alone seeing one make a kill
5) Cheetahs are the most timid of the big cats.
6) Lions and elephants can mock charge and through careful handling of the situation be encourgaed to back off, whereas Buffalo are unpredicatable and give no signs of their changing mood. This makes them the most dangerous animal in the reserve.
7) Eucalyptus trees, although desert pklants in Australia, changed their behaviour in SA and suck up too much water, and are an alien species that needs to be controlled, and elliminated.
8) Now, Just Now and Now now are all various forms of later, ranging from 10 minutes later to never! The start if many an intersting conversation!
9) the 25th word of the book of genesis is Or, light, corresponding to the 25th of the hebrew month of Kislev, the start of the jewish festival of lights, chanukah
10) the hebrew word for 'to give' is natan, and in hebrew reads the same when read backwards and forwards, meaning that you receive even when you give, and give when you receive. For a living example of this, I have to thank the Port Elizabeth Hebrew Congreagation, who not only fed and sheltered me for the better part of three months, but also became my friends and my family. Those special people gave me a home, and they alone are reason enough for me to be planning my next African adventure... they as well as the fact that whale season is fast approaching!!! lol
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