Finding New Roads
Trip Start
Dec 25, 2009
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11
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Trip End
Dec 14, 2010
Enkosini, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Yesterday I had to run a few errands before checking the Eastern Fence Line. This meant running to main gate to let the people hopeful for work here that we'll be trying to contact them next month. Between doing this (there were 2 groups) I went up to Zebra Plains to see if there was anything wildlife-wise – those illusive zebra or perhaps the giraffe. Nothing there but on the way down I did see a male kudu. (Love their horns, this one must’ve been equivalent to in his 20s because he only had 2 turns and the older they are the more turns they have apparently.) When I finally got to checking the fence line I ran across (not literally) a bird I’ve never seen before so I need to try to identify it at some stage. About a minute after that I got my first people on the property. There were 2 guys chopping fire wood in the forest by the fenceline – wheelbarrow and all. Luckily they weren’t poaching cat (a native bush that provides LSD like symptoms when chewed or made into a tea.) because I was on my own but the 2 guys were very obliging whilst we waited for F to meet us. It turns out they were Malapos (I did try to ask them this but their English wasn’t the best, basic communication again.) who live in a small community within the property. They only have a certain number of roads they’re allowed to be on and this wasn’t one of them (nor are they allowed to take firewood from the property either.) We told them they weren’t allowed to do it, and they said they "not repeat" and got their names and photos for future reference. The rest of the fenceline wasn’t eventful aside from meeting a chameleon which I watched for about 5 minutes… I’m fairly sure it was just confused as to what this thing was that was watching him. At one stage it did feel a bit threatened and tried to puff up in the chameleon way (which isn’t much) but then went back to just doing his thing. So there were a few more random errands after that and then the end of the day.
We were supposed to have a meeting with K that evening but as F had one last errand to run, she arrived while he was still out. Then about 15min later he radios saying he’s run out of fuel and even has no reserve and needs me to bring him some. So I leave K to start dinner while I head off to the rescue. I find F at the top of the mountain and he’s literally bled the tank dry. Even me, who is very much not mechanically minded, knows that’s a big no-no. It was stops and starts all the way down. We ran into K who had decided to head home and see us the next day instead. (F’s quad is still suffering today as a side note)
Today, again, was an errands day. We were finding out if we were moving some of the workers up to Sakabocsh Mountain. It took half the day to find out if we were doing this or not when we finally found the person who we also needed to do this. F and I had been chopping firewood (or more specifically, he had and I had been dragging it into a pile by the road.) I had to stop because my hip gave out, though not entirely because of the work, I nearly flipped the quad after I missed a turn and stupidly didn’t reverse but ran up an embankment. Any normal person would’ve been fine but the angle my leg had to support the weight of myself and the quad meant it wasn’t good. Then moving logs – it gave out. I’m nicely drugged up on painkillers now and stretching every half an hour so I can hopefully walk tomorrow.
Anyway, we were chopping firewood when 2 of the Volunteer Co-ordinators came past and we talked about the plan for the workers moving up to Sakabosch. There were time questions and day questions, even practicality questions until it was finally decided to get Ch, who would know all. (This guy really does and, aside from being very much 'old’ South Africa (if you get what I mean) he is such a nice guy, and he really tries to teach you stuff rather than just doing it.) When we found him, Ch and the boys decided that we would do the move on Monday, a relief for me because there’s a bit of walking involved which my hip today would not have been happy with. We had to give one of the workers a tent because of this so it was off to North Gate to drop that off and while we were there Ch showed us (F, myself and A – one of the Volunteer Co-ordinators) a road that previously existed but he wanted to redo. It wasn’t very long but took you to the edge of the cliff face and a beautiful view. I think it was the slowest I’d driven since my first day though! Definitely off-road even for a quad! He also showed us some of the native plants there (including stories about spear grass which proved boys will be boys in all countries, haha). He also asked which one of us ran over a chameleon near Main Gate, going by when he found it, it seems to have been me though I don’t remember it at all. Poor little guy.
This afternoon has been yet more errands. And we also found out that we’ll be heading into town for the morning tomorrow. [some comments removed]. Tonight the plan is to finish reading “Tropic of Capricorn” by Simon Reeve so I can send it home in the post with some other things. (Good book by the way, must see if I can get his first one “Equator” at some stage.) Then it will be an early night (like last night – 2030 in bed, it’s just not right but then again I feel like this is what would have been the norm before electric lights were commonplace because I don’t have a light aside from my head torch in my cabin. The only light is in the kitchen/ lounge cabin…) before an early morning (even earlier than usual).
