HaiBo

Translation – exclamation. Indeed exclamation it has been quite a while since I last go behind the keyboard so we can skip the not so interesting bit and just get down to the fun facts. The 8^th was one of those not so interesting day but on the 9^th after been thoroughly stuff full of food by the cooks I had my debut as Jonny the Wattle crane. For the grade 2 course it was decided someone should dress up in the crane suit and do a bit of pantomime with the kids and well that someone just had to be me. After my career as an actor was over it was back to driving; this time delivering mattresses to the next village, hopefully before the big storm hit. So off I went but TIA and my navigator decided we should stop for a few drink so not been one to say no we did. By the time id managed to get him back in the Bucky (pick-up) the rain was well and truly on its way so driving the 2WD triton up what appeared to be a path, but was insisted to be the road with standard tired on was interesting to say the least, but we survived and the mattresses only got a bit wet so not a bad outcome you could say. The following day I went for another trek up Mt Lebanon but after summiting I soon saw the very big, dark cloud coming my way so it was quickly back down and that was the  end of  that day.  11^th cleaning – boring, moving on. 12^th even worse with exams but the 13^th I was let loose on PNB (Pietermaritzburg) to do the town trip, which basically involved driving round in circles until you found the right shop going in and getting what was on the list. But I had good fun driving around apart from when the back of the Bucky fell open and drop some shopping on the main road, but TIA. In the evening it was time for a birthday Braai but unfortunately this would be the last one for a while as them Braai burn a bit of a whole in the wallet. The 14^th to the 16^th I was kept busy with a course of 74 grade 8 girls so that was interesting. But even more interesting than that was on the evening of the 16^th I was called out to be the emergency pick up driver for a new crane at the sanctuary. But it wasn’t as straight forward as go there picking it up and drive back, oh no. I also had to incorporate drop offs at homes, taxi ranks and a few shops. But eventually we made it to the crane tied its cage down and slowly drover the 2hr drive back along, the motorway, through a few villages, to the petrol station then along the pot whole filled roads that you could loos a truck in then finally back to the centre. Not much happened from the 17-19, I stalked an eland on the 18^th (it got away) and got a bit of a fright when the Koreans turned up at our house. Thinking the bagging on the door was one of my fellow colleges I invited them in but after establishing they where here for the fly fishing I showed them to their dorms and life went on as normal. The 20^th was a day of abseil training, so after learning a few knots in the office it was a hot walk to abseil rock where we put the practise into effect. After quite a bit of fun abseiling we went to our home away from home for the night. A cave. Actually quite a nice sheltered cave with a waterfall in front and a shot walk to the top of Mt Lebanon to watch the sun set. The only problem was the incline of my sleeping spot so I spent most of the night sliding down the hill and not really sleeping at all. The following morning we had organised some “staff training” at giants castle. So after eventually find the car and getting everyone ready off we went to look at the very impressive bushman paintings. The paints mainly painted in the 1800 depict general bushman life and even show the good old colonials shooting people. But there’s also a lot of eland, the San (bushman) liked eland. So after this hard work we went to chill in the river before heading back to camp where for the next few days id be looking after 50odd fishermen. That night I helped out in the kitchen, ran a bar and organised/drove the local taxi service to Nsonger, fitting 16people on one Bucky. The following day I was up at 0600 to help with breakfast, then had planed to do some office work and sleep. But this wasn’t the case. Before I knew it I was been bundled into a car and sent off to marshal the South African Fly Fishing Nationals. I did explain I knew nothing about fishing or any of the rules but they just seemed happy to have enough marshals now. The marshalling business wasn’t too bad, first chap was a nice geezer who should be the ropes and the second one caught a lot of fish so the 3 hours sessions flew by, guess that why they call in fly fishing. In the evening it was back to the same old job, before the same formula on the 23^rd except with a lot less fish caught. And on the 24^th I though it was all over, with one session in the morning then the prize giving in the afternoon. But oh no I had one more 0600 start to give these guys a last breakfast, before the fat lady finally sung.

Welcome Back

After my 10 days away from the burg id forgotten about the ‘joys’ of office work but on the27th I was quickly reminded how mundane it all is and yet again found myself looking out the window longing to get out. Luckily for me today we were off to Nysonger to prepare an ‘educational visit’ for the next school so I was granted my freedom for a few hours. After work it was decided to go for a small jog. However this soon turned into an intense hill training session. Not the chilled jog I was hoping for but still I felt good afterwards. What wasn’t good though was the lack of electricity at the staff house. So our electric cooker was a bit useless. By this time it was around 1900 and my stomach was beyond talking to me; so determined to eat I got a fire going and once there was a few ember ready to use I got my cooking on. It was nothing fancy but at least it was something. The following day the internet had disappeared in the office and so had all the work for us to do so I was rather bored. But never mind somehow I found a way to pass the hours and when evening came it was off on another jog. This time the slow gentle jog I had been after the day before. The 29^th provided a welcomed change of scenery for me, in the morning a couple of keen birders had arrived at the crane centre and after been give the tour ask if they could have a guide to try help them find the cape black cap and some wattle cranes in the wild. Well I told them I wasn’t the best bird spotter but id be more than happy to take them. Apparently not fazed by my complete lack of knowledge we went on the hunt.  After a few hours in the forest our hunt had come up dry but the couple, again not fazed by the lack of birders seemed very grateful for my help (I was very grateful for the chance to get out of that office) and after dropping me off went with high spirits in search of the wattle crane. Skipping the after noon in the evening we went out to hit the ‘town’, ok we actually just went to the nearest pub that was open on a Thursday. But we still got all frocked up and after finding the pub had a good time chilling out and relaxing with a couple of drinks. Thursday was a day spent organising for the course arriving the following day, which I had the joy of been in charge. The following day came but the course didn’t. Well not until 2230, they had had a bit of engine trouble with the bus; it broke down sever times on the way and when faced with a big hill the passengers had to get out and walk, so not the best first days for our new group. After a night in the tent (that’s right the tent; this course had requested that someone slept outside the dorms in a tent, joy of joys.) it was off to pick up the ladies then off to do the activates and to try and lifts the groups spirit. But I couldn’t and still can’t figure this group out, there incredibly well behaved and always do what you ask them, but they seemed to find every activity a laborious task and not fun in anyway. But never mind I enjoyed myself, the Nysonger trip on the 3^rd went well, managed to get rid of the drunks before the kids turned up at the house, and our day up in the mountains was great fun. But ay, courses for 6 days it sure take sit out of you. So once the course had left on the 7^th we made a plane to get some braai meet and to celebrate and unwind in style. But upon returning from the town trip the rain and thunder had arrived. But TIA and nothings going to dampen our spirit, we just simply moved the braai pit underneath the porch and carried on the party late into the night.

The Getaway

It been quite a while since iv been able to update the old blog, not because iv been extremely busy but rather TIA and internet comes and goes like supplies at the co-op and much like the good old co-op it will be out of stock for various reasons for a ‘good’ amount of time. But anyways what have I been up to. Well I had a day off a miracle I know but the day after the course left I woke up at 10.00 and did nothing. But it couldn’t last and the next day I was back in the office preparing for the next course, for this course outside help had been brought in by the name of Caroline. That evening I had my first proper South African Braai (for those of you speaking queens English that’s a Barbeque). The following day the course arrived but you don’t want to know about that; that it was one of the trickiest courses yet and how they were ridiculously unfit, or even how through a bit of hard work the group actually managed to improve and work as a group. No you want to hear about my 10 days off seeing the sight of South Africa. On the 17^th I said goodbye to the burg and hello Grey town. Like all the other Grey names settlement you could see how it got its name. But with a cricket, football, rugby and hockey pitch along with a swimming pool at my disposal I think I’m gong to get on ok here. The following day it was off to the mall for a propa day out, but like all shopping centres its all very pretty but also very expensive so it was a day of window shopping. However the following day was also spent on the look out but this time for something a bit more interesting at a new pair of jeans. After a leisurely morning I went with matt and the family to Weenan game reserve to try spot me some wildlife. And it appears im a lucky chap as after drive no more the 5km through the park we’d spotted, Hartebeest, Eland, Duiker, Ostrich and quite a few Zebras. At the hid there were a few more Zebras chill-axing in the mud and quite a few terrapins. For the lunch spot I found an appropriate fig tree and proceeded to climb it but I didn’t get the look out point id hoped for so after a quite bit it was back in the car and back on the hunt for some game. We soon came across another heard of Zebras but soon after we spotted our first giraffe and then a few warthogs and the rather cool the rather classy Water Buck. But eventually the fun had to come to an end and it was back to Grey Town for a Braai, oh yer. The next few days were spent chilling at grey town and seeing the limited sight and on the 23^rd taking a strole to the cross, which was meant to give a good view of the town but instead it give a nice view of a few trees. But not wanting to walk all that way for a few trees I climbed to cross and got the view. At the weekend we went to stay in the grand city of Pietermaritzburg relaxing with beer and pizza in front for the super 12 rugby Saturday evening before our big day out. Sunday it was up early and off to the sandy beach of Durban. Upon arriving we set up camp and headed for the water. Unlike most beaches iv visited the waves here were rather large perhaps up to 3 meters high, so to jump them proved to be a mission and for the first 10 mins or so I at the mercy of the wave. But eventually I got the technique sorted and have quite a good time, jumping over, swimming with, floating on and driving through the crashing waves. After the beach it was back to the burg for a braai before getting back to the grind stone. But first the braai, we decided the old plastic chair just didn’t cut the mustard so we lugged a few sofas outside got the fire going and spent the rest of the evening Braaing and chilling round the fire.    

Water (Bear) Buck