South Africa (Reserve) Navigation

> Volunteer Diaries
-------- Apply Now

Betsy Mowry writes...

...about her experience while volunteering in South Africa.

I'm Leaving Today - 26-Feb-2005
My brother will be here shortly to take me to the airport. I'm actually excited! With the accident and everything happening this week, I'm relieved to finally be doing something concrete.

I have four stitches in my chin that will need to be removed in South Africa. Julie from the Conservation said there's an incredible clinic about 20 minutes from Klipkop - so I'm sure I'll get everything taken care of just fine. I guess it just adds to the adventure.

At Klipkop! - 2-Mar-2005
I was picked up from the "Backpackers Ritz" in Johannesburg yesterday by a colleague from Klipkop. We drove about 45 minutes to get to the preservation, and it was fascinating to see the people and countryside of South Africa. The city itself is not unlike most large cities - but with it's own distinct flavor. For example, the streets are crazier than I'm used to; people wander about in the intersections trying to sell everything from cold sodas to handbags. Donald from Klipkop said it's very dangerous, and that people (mostly men) were routinely hit and sometimes killed by traffic. Interestingly, the public transportation is lacking. Privately owned mini vans provide rides, but there is still an undercurrent of segregation, and as an outsider it's difficult to get about safely. I wanted to go downtown Johannesburg on Monday during my free time, but the hostel staff severely discouraged it. The city center of Johannesburg is extremely unsafe for tourists - especially near the museums and places of interest. However, I do hope I get to check out some of the cultural places at some point.

In the city and the country, loads of people wander on the shoulders of the highways. Sometimes they try to hitch rides, but the walking, even in seemingly remote areas, appears to be the only means of getting about. Yesterday we passed a crude wagon being pulled by two donkeys! There are also many stands set up selling corn, fruit, vegetables and wares - often right beneath signs indicating that this activity is illegal. Donald told me that the local people don't like yellow corn, so a lot of it is exported - the locals grow and eat white corn. WE drove by construction workers near a big drum that was roasting corn, and everyone was wandering about munching on cobs.

Klipkop is an amazingly homey setting! Peaceful, lush, and green. Everyone is easy to talk with and comfortable to be around. The land is vast and beautiful. We saw a type of antelope grazing in the distance today. Our "supervisor" Timothy, is a trained and knowledgeable field guide. He is able to share information on everything from small insects to astronomy. I feel fortunate to be taking part in such a unique and enjoyable learning experience.

There are three volunteers including myself. One is 20 year old Serina from Holland, and the second arrived today from India - Arving (?). He is studying veterinary medicine for wild animals in Illinois. Timothy is 23 - he told me today that he guessed I was in my early twenties - what a compliment! Everyone brings something different to the experience.

The Mighty Bush - 3-Mar-2005
I slept well and woke up to the noise of Benji, one of the household dogs, barking in our room while Arving said he woke up to the sound of at least 3 dogs chasing a donkey past his window. There are eight dogs living here � of all shapes and sizes. :-} As you can imagine, I�m in heaven, especially after losing my Maggie last week. There are also a number of cats, but the dogs keep us entertained. Benji likes to come in and scratch his back on the underside of Serina�s bed in the morning. I couldn�t figure out what he was doing the first time I saw it�.he�s funny. Meanwhile, Scruffy seems to have temporarily grown attached to me. There�s also Lefty, Cujo, Smiley, Squirt, Piggy and Sacky.

This morning we had a brief workshop on conservation in the pool house and I was FINALLY able to make a real cup of coffee. They call it "filtered" � as I guess instant is more common. Tony, the home owner and our host, found a French press and some coffee grounds for me and Serina. Yay! I went to add milk and found that it was completely whole milk � no skimping here. But, I did have a hard time finishing off the thick milk with my cereal.

Tim talked to us about plant infestations and the effect it has on the animals, birds, etc. We also talked a bit about food chains and ecosystems. Short but informative, just the way I like things.

Later, we went on our first bush walk lead by Timothy. Very fascinating�.and looong - over 3 hours during midday � which ended up being a little hard on us � with the heat, the climbs and the sun beating down. I got VERY sunburned � even though I applied sunscreen. Timothy talked to us about animal droppings and interpreted information about the animals based on their tracks. We examined an area that had eroded and he showed us how they laid slate in rows and dug ditches to help retain water and seeds and rebuild the area. The dirt here is actually red clay � it�s striking! And, the slate is an incredible color. I had noticed it as flooring in the Johannesburg airport and thought it was polished marble.

After we walked about an hour, we approached a pond and saw a herd of blue wildebeest grazing. They�re as big as horses. Then we saw a herd of zebra and other animals I believe are a type of antelope. Of course I tried to get pictures, but they were so far away, they probably look like little smudges.

When we finally got back at about 3:00, I took a cold shower and laid down for a nap. Just after 6:00 � Serina came pouncing into the bedroom excited about the raging storm outside. The wind was incredible � the kind that we get tornado warnings about in Minnesota. The rain came down in buckets � but the sun was also out in places in the sky. It actually started to hail. I had no idea it would hail down here. One of the most dramatic storms I remember seeing � next to the snow storm last week that caused me to wreck my car. :-} We lost power for about five minutes, but more sadly, we were unable to grill out as Tony had planned � for the third day in a row. Also, the storm once again prevented us from going on a night game drive. Tim think that he jinxes nighttime activities when he mentions them ahead of time�.maybe he does! This Friday we�re supposed to have a camp out and astronomy lesson � so we�ll see.

By the way, I went to a local hospital yesterday and had the remaining four stitches taken out of my chin. I was in and out in about 10 minutes, and they didn�t charge me. The nurse who assisted me was hilarious! He told me that I shouldn�t apply Vitamin E to the wound � that it doesn�t do anything. He told me to be sure I kept Zinc Oxide on it and I assured him I would return to the United States and share his knowledge with the medical community there.

We just finished dinner. We eat as a group with Tony and Mary. Usually Tony cooks. Mary and Serina are both vegetarians and Arving doesn�t eat red meat. So, it�s quite a task. I volunteered to cook sometime and am trying to think of something interesting�.. I tried "Boerworst" sausages tonight, a thin cut of steak and small a lamb chop � the local meat is pretty good. For the first time I also had butter squash � popular locally. Don�t think it'll become part of my usual diet.

Ok, Tony gave me something called "Flamazine" to put on my sunburn. Time to go.

Over and out.

Survival Skills, etc. - 5-Mar-2005
Busy couple of days! Yesterday, we went out to do some fencing - and not the sporting kind. Tim drove us around the Klipkop property. We saw more wildlife, and got a better sense of the size of the conservation. Klipkop consists of many homeowners who have given their property to the conservation. So there are many unique houses spattered throughout the land. Most places are made of brick here - I've seen men hauling wheelbarrows full of brick around construction sites. I commented on how expensive brick is in the U.S. and how it is so common here, and Tim seemed surprised that we used wood instead. Arvind said that he noticed that the U.S. was the only place he knew of that built houses of wood.

Anyway, we got the four wheeler stuck in the mud, and Arvind, Serina and I waited while Tim hiked back to get help. After we got the truck moving again, we drove a bit out to where some old rusted barb-wired fence was. Part of what the conservation is trying to do is remove these fences to open up the land and to make the environment safer for animals. We spent a couple hours cutting the rusted fencing and hauling it to recycling - very hot work! Tim had once again hoped to take us on a night drive, but it rained.

Friday we walked throughout the bush with Tim and learned survival skills such as how to create shelter, what to eat and drink, how to fend off dangerous animals and how to care for snake bites. I just pray that I never have to actually use some of this stuff - namely, drinking my own urine or eating insects!!!

In the afternoon we learned to drive the four-wheeler! Although I have a license and have driven a manual transmission, it was hard because the steering wasn't power, and the terrain was incredibly rock and hilly. Serina has never driven before, and Arvin has driven, but doesn't have his license. I think Tim had a fun time driving with those two. :-} One of the house dogs, Smiley, trotted along the truck the entire time. We kept worrying she would get hit, but she's very agile and has lots of energy.

Julie, the marketing staff and volunteer coordinator returned to Klipkop from holiday last night with her partner, John. They're both Australian and very nice. We had a delicious quiche dinner prepared by Mary, and plenty of Australian wine. It was entertaining to hear about cricket world cups and such. Mary and Tony are both funny and intelligent, and I feel lucky to be surrounded by people who I feel at home with. They then went on to discuss gossip and criminal behaviors of athletes - which was funny because many popular U.S. athletes are some sort of criminal - it's all too common.

There are many houses and buildings on the property where I am staying, and we're headed over to the guys house for a Braai (cookout) with plenty of (Black Castle?) beer. I have 5+ bites on my left leg that Tony said are spider bites. they look like giant mosquito bites gone bad. The itch a little, but, although Tony suggested it, I said I didn't need to go to the emergency room....although it would be nice to see that funny nurse guy again.

I'm working on postcards, but from what I've heard, the mail service is unreliable here, so you may or may not see them in the next few months!

First weekend - 6-Mar-2005
Fairly uneventful weekend here! The Klipkop car business cares for travelers cars while they are away, and the property is likely to have more than 50 cars sitting about at any given time. Since the weekends are busiest, most of the staff is gone delivering cars to the airport. So, it's quiet around here.

Yesterday, Julie and her boyfriend John took me with them to an art/craft market. We were there for a couple of hours. Lot's of good quality stuff - painted fabrics, pottery, carvings, jewelry, organic lotions, etc. But, most of it was stuff I could get in the U.S. It was still a nice market though. I bought a silver Baobab tree pendant and some small folkish sculptures of houses. Pretty cheap.

Later, Tim took us (me, Arvind, Serina and Tim's brother Michael) to the mall. The stores here close really early. So, although it was about 6:00 p.m., only one place was open, and the bookstores. We went to a bottomless cup coffee place and talked and hung out for awhile. Klipkop is a ways from shops and civilization, so I had wanted to go to a drug store to talk to a pharmacist (they can prescribe medicine here) and possibly get some more Benedryl or Actifed type stuff. My lungs are still pretty wheezy from being in Minnesota. I'm afraid of getting sinus infection too - and those of you who know how sick I can get, know what that's all about!

My terrible sunburn from last week started peeling too, aack! The sun is really hot, but it's also breezy - going into winter here, so you don't always know how much sun you're getting. Next weekend, we hope to travel to Kruger Park - the largest animal conservation in S.A. and camp out for a few nights. Kruger is where people go to see the "big five" - elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, and cougar. Our field guide, Tim, will probably be leading us - which is great because we can save a bunch of money by planning our own trip. We can also have a more authentic experience. He worked near there for awhile and knows the property well. So, we're pretty excited. It'll take us about five hours to drive there from here. It's 48 rand per car (about $10.00) and 30 rand per person ($6.00) to go in. Time and Tony both said that's it's great to see the large animals, but that there are also many small animals, birds and trees that are interesting. Important to realize that all things are worth the education, and not just the largest and most "dramatic". I agree.

Sad news about yesterday too. One of the dogs was accidentally hit by one of the cars early in the morning - Squirt, the puppy. He's pretty new to the conservation, and being young, he fell under a tire. They buried him back near the pool house. I was really torn up about it, but I guess that type of thing is bound to happen out here.

It's a beautiful day here today - sunny and breezy. I'm going to ride to the airport to go to the pharmacy there. Tomorrow we're supposed to work on fences again - hard work! Good thing we all get along so well. Plus, it's fun riding around in the back of the pickup truck!

TAB (That's Africa Babe!)

The hot, hot sun - 9-Mar-2005
The weather has been beautiful, but I am peeling! It's hard to stay indoors here, it's generally sunny and breezy. But, my skin is not handling the hot South African sun well. I tend to blister and peel - even with major sun block. I now wear t-shirts, bandanas and hats to protect my arms, shoulders, neck and ears - and lots of zinc. But, I learned that the hole in the ozone layer makes a huge impact on the sun here, and it's definitely obvious by my skin. I went to a pharmacy yesterday and got some ointment. I'm hoping I can recover from this bout and look less scaly in a week. Bummer. Then we accompanied Tony on a grocery shopping trip and were able to pick out some of our own food. I'm also going to cook a meal this week - white sauce lasagna.

We went on our first night game drive last night. We were out for about two hours. There's really no dusk here, it goes from daylight to dark very quickly. And, it's pitch black out on the veldt. Five of us went - a very multi-cultural bunch - Arvind, Serina, me, Tim and a worker from the Klipkop auto business Taddy (from Finland). Our best sighting last night was a couple of speckled owls and a rather interesting large spider. Seeing the wildebeest, zebra and various antelope, etc. is common during the day though, so I don't think we were too disappointed. The "bucky" (pickup truck) stalled out near the vultures feeding area, and we had to push it to get it going. Dead cows and animals are dumped in a certain area for the vultures - it smells terrible, and for awhile last night, we were stalled downwind of it. AAck!

Yesterday we inspected fences on the property for signs of damage or small animals that might be stuck. There is a group of shanty's down the road and we found a ladder over the fence for people to climb into the conservancy. The primary reason for the fences, too, is to keep out poachers. Today we worked on a bird census in the bush. I drove for a couple hours - hard work over rocks and such, 4-wheel drive, no power steering. Tim was then able to ride in back and look for birds. Some of them are vibrantly colorful. Very unusual birds here. He also found a porcupine quill - really cool. He said people poach them for the quills, which are very marketable.

Our trip to Kruger Park has been pushed back from this weekend to next week. There is a lot to do here on the weekend for the staff, and Tim has to lead a bird walk. We are going to include Swaziland in our trip. We're out in the country, so it's difficult to make plans to get about on my own ( and with Arvind and Serina if they want to come). But, this weekend, I may rent a car to go to Pretoria to visit some shops and see the architecture. It may also be worthwhile to check into a cheap tour of Johannesburg - since I haven't had a chance to see the city, and I can't go alone.

Time to pass the computer along to the next person.

More later!

Theft! - 13-Mar-2005
For those of you who don�t already know, I�ve been going through quite an ordeal these past few days! On Wednesday, we were at the mall doing a bit of shopping, and my credit card was declined. I prefer to use it as much as possible when traveling so I don�t have to carry cash. Anyway, that night, frazzled about it, I came home and checked my bank account online and found that someone had charged thousands of dollars at various shops over the past week!! I still have my credit card, and have actually used it very little. Upon investigation, we traced it back to the first of March and figured the number and information must have been stolen at the Backpackers Ritz hostel I stayed in during my first weekend here. We do not have proof of this, but it�s the only place outside of a pharmacy and grocery store that I�ve used my card and the number could have been obtained by someone with less than good intentions. This is just a warning for those of you travelers who use hostels, like me. Based on my rough estimate, over $17,000 were charged over a period of about 7 days. I called my bank, Wells Fargo, that night and had the credit card blocked. We began filing a claim, but since it�s so expensive for me to be on the phone to them, I told here it would have to happen in full when I return to the U.S. Fortunately, I have a backup card, and some spare cash. I don�t believe I�m responsible for the money spent � hope not. But I�ll have to deal with it, among other things � like my accident claim, finding a car, etc. when I return to the U.S.!!!

Believe it or not, the worst part of this ordeal was dealing with the Johannesburg police. On Thursday morning, we drove to what we believed was the nearest station. After waiting about a half hour to talk to someone, we spoke to an officer who did not have the strongest English language skills. We fumbled about trying to explain the situation to him for about 15 minutes, and then he proceeded to demand of us how anyone could have used the credit card number. We repeated our impression of the situation repeatedly, while he kept coming back at us with questions about what a hostel was, where it was and how this could have possibly happened. Finally, we got out of him that if we filed a report with this particular station, we may not get the case number for days because he didn�t believe the hostel was in his jurisdiction. Sigh!!! Finally, we asked what station WAS in the right jurisdiction, and got directions to it. After being at the first station for over an hour and accomplishing nothing, we drove to the second station and went through the process again. The officers at the second station tried to direct us BACK to the first station, saying they weren�t responsible! Tim was with me, and he was having none of this. We finally got them to get the basic gist of the theft, and he wrote a police report. During this second visit, a woman arrived at the station and began berating the officers for not arriving at a nearby accident scene four days earlier and never following through to write a report. She was completely correct in being upset. With my own experience and hearing about hers, I�m afraid I got a strong idea of the police system, or lack of system, in this community!

Now, about my positive experiences here� Yesterday I paid for a half day tour off Johannesburg and Soweto. I hadn�t been to either � spending most of my time in the country, and wanted to learn more about the cities before my time here draws to a close. The tour was very informative, and almost exhausting with information. WE went through rundown downtown Johannesburg � very dismal looking, and apparently unsafe. Then we drove to Soweto, a suburb of the city which houses a large number of lower income individuals and is the site of the major school children�s uprising in 1976. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this (as I was) in 1976, [in a nutshell] the government proclaimed that all students must now learn their subjects in the Afrikaans language. This language was deemed to be degrading to the black citizens and was seen as another control mechanism from the whites. Students who had been doing exemplary work were frustrated with learning subjects such as science and math in a language they barely knew and understood. Finally, a group of students essentially "went on strike" peacefully, and as the crowd grew, the situation became out of control and students were shot � eventually, over 600 I believe. Students across the land also began marches to dispute the matter. Hector Peterson was a boy who was shot and happened to be photographed being carried away by a friend while his sister walked alongside crying. He became representative of the youth fight for their rights and in his death, was deemed a hero. During my tour yesterday, we visited the Hector Peterson memorial and museum � very interesting. His sister works there! We also visited the Nelson Mandela museum (his former house) and a small Soweto shanty town, where we got to go inside a woman�s home and see how she and her children live, without plumbing or electricity. There are thousands of these shanty homes � built with corrugated metal and found supplies, all around the area. In the U.S., poverty does not look this severe. But, the people are generally happy, and it is an accepted way of life.

Last night we went to Pretoria for dinner and to check out some bars. Outside of feeling older than everyone, I had a great time. We went to a dance club, and at first, most of the music was older heavy metal - weird! Then, it changed to dance music - mostly American, of course. Some of us spent the night at a local hostel, but three of us drove back home. I drove and it was around 2:00 a.m. I'm still getting used to driving on the left, but it's getting easier!

Ok, this is a lot for now. We are leaving for Kruger on Tuesday, and I will try to write before I go, otherwise, I�ll be out of touch until next weekend.

I�m Back From the Wild!! - 22-Mar-2005
Last Tuesday we left for the Kruger National Park. The drive took most of the day, but and we stopped off at a few scenic places. Just before entering the area surrounding Kruger, we drove into a mountainous region and I got terribly car sick. Very windy roads and sharp turns, combined with the South African driving technique of Tim was a bit much for me! Just before entering the park, we did some quick Braai shopping and Arvind and I had a Portuguese pizza � with spicy oil instead of sauce, chicken, mushrooms, veggies, and some sort of sausage. Delicious. As we approached Kruger, we passed a different conservation and saw a giraffe wandering about eating leaves!! We also saw some baboon hanging out. We got into Kruger just before the gates closed, and made it to our campsite in time to set up tents and get the grill going before it got completely dark. I think I mentioned that lack of "dusk" here � so it gets dark quickly.

The next morning Tim trickily woke us up at 6:10 a.m. (telling us it was 7:10 a.m.!) and we packed up camp. Kruger is an enormous conservation, but the roads cover only a small percentage (like 2%) of the property. Essentially, you spend the day driving and looking for animals. We saw many birds � eagles, vultures, storks, starlings, bee-eaters, louries � and before the end of the trip, we actually saw a wild parrot. Really cool! The first day we saw Giraffe, Blue Wildebeest, loads of Impala, Warthogs, Baboon, Steenbok, Zebra, Buffalo, and Elephant. We also saw tortoises, chameleons, crocodile and hippos. That night, hyenas were howling in the fences surrounding our camp site � it was very eerie.

Thursday was a little discouraging; we again saw the usual antelope type animals, Giraffe, Elephant (a couple very close). Sarina took most of the day to practice driving on the roads � she doesn�t have her license and the drive is slow and the roads are good. First thing in the morning, we spoke to a man at one of the Kruger caf�s who said there had been a lion kill nearby � they had taken down a zebra. We rushed to the area he described, but didn�t have any luck in seeing anything. We did, however, come across a baby crocodile on the drive there. Late in the afternoon, we were driving on our way out of the park, and Sarina and I both saw a cat�s tail and started shouting "Cat!!" We came across a juvenile leopard in the grass right next to the car. It was very exciting to get so close to it. Then, I looked up the road and saw something coming near us � it was a male hyena walking down the road toward our car. FYI � you are not allowed out of your car at Kruger for safety reasons. So, being the rebellious bunch that we are, at least two of us were sitting on the doors of the car at a given time � and when we saw the hyena � I happened to be balancing on the door trying to see a hippo in the grass.

Feeling as though we�d accomplished something � and had seen 3 of the "big 5" (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino), we raced toward Swaziland hoping to get there before the border closed. Yes, the country of Swaziland actually closes for the evening. We made it there in time, but Tim did not have a passport, and was unable to enter. In the past, South African residents did not need to have one; recent legislation requires that they do. We had anticipated this, and Tim took his camping gear and found a place to stay at the border. Sarina, Arvind and I (with me driving) drove into Swaziland and stayed at the first hotel we came to in "Pigg�s Peak"� a nice place called Orion � kind of like a Marriott hotel. We managed to get our room rate down to 400 Rand (about $80). We had a big meal, worried a bit about Tim, and ended up going to bed early. The next morning, we looked out upon the most beautiful mountain view that I�d seen so far in South Africa. We ended up passing on a helicopter ride � since it was $58 per person, and we decided to head toward the capital city � about 1 and a half hours a way. The entire country turned out to be as scenic as our fist glimpse outside the window. As a rookie left side of the road driver, I had an intense time maneuvering along the skinny two lane roads, dodging on-coming lumber trucks and taxi vehicles, walking people, herds of cows, stray dogs and goats. It was exhausting. We arrived at Mbabane (?) around 11:00 and had lunch and Arvind asked a man sitting at a nearby table for suggestions on craft markets, etc. drove toward the Valley and spent time poking around at the shanty-like craft shops � most of them had the same types of things, wooden sculptures, soapstone carvings, etc. Then we drove to a glassblowing studio and wooden horse making shop. Quite amazing! It was after 2:30 as we drove out of Swaziland, much easier than the drive in, but still amazingly scenic. We made it to the border patrol to pick up Tim at about 5:00. We hadn�t called him, so he was a little anxious, and the guards at the patrol gave us a hard time for not touching base with him! Of course, he was good friends with EVERYONE by the time we left!

Being so late, we weren�t going to make it home Friday night as we�d planned, so we had dinner at a burger place called "Steers" and called a hostel called Gecko Backpackers in Hazyview on the outskirts of Kruger. We made it there around 9:00. Sarina and I each took a dorm bed and Tim and Arvind set up a tent. One of the owners of Gecko and some of the guys staying there are active in anti-poaching patrols. A group went out around 9:00 to check out the area. One of the guys said that poaching is a huge problem, and that it�s difficult because the authorities don�t penalize the poachers that they bring in. There�s like a $250 Rand fine and a slap on the wrist. The things they do to animals are inhumane. We had a great time here. In the morning, we continued on our journey, stopping at a trail and waterfall site in Blyde(?) Canyon that Tim told us about and a reptile park Arvind wanted to see. We also bought some marula fruit from a vendor on the side of the road. These are small yellow fruits � just larger that a cherry tomato. You peel off the outside and eat the inner fruit. I guess there�s a scene in "The God�s Must Be Crazy" in which a bunch of elephants get drunk off of them.

We made it home around 6:00 p.m. exhausted, out of clothes and with most of us feeling a little woozy and such from the drive. I slept for about four hours yesterday afternoon � a rare luxury. It�s hard to believe I only have one week left here.

Today it was back to work, and we spent most of it delivering an entire pick-up truck the "bucky" full of rotted meat, sour milk, yoghurt, cheese, etc. to the vulture�s restaurant. Ick! Very nasty stuff.

The only news we�ve heard from the police about my credit card theft is that they have assigned the case to their "commerce" division.

Final days at Klipkop - 7-Apr-2005
I just finished writing this journal entry, and accidentally deleted it all!! Aaaaaugh!

So, for now I'll say that I had an amazing time in South Africa. It was heartbreaking to leave the friends I'd come to know and love at Klipkop. Perhaps my time there was too short? I'm already considering returning. As unique as South Africa is, for some reason, it felt like home.

Honduras
Living with a Honduran family, and volunteering at projects in rural locations, volunteers will assist a community in need.  > Read More