Birds in the electric box

The electric box attached to the outside wall of my flat has provided me with some enjoyable moments of excitement and curiousity. Not only is it the place I go to check the electricity level, as well as load prepaid electricity codes, but also a place I have visited to view Mother Nature in the works.

When I first arrived here in July, there was only an empty nest in the right corner of the electric box. Figuring it was an abandoned nest, I did not plan to see any birds or eggs hiding out in the nest. Much to my surprise, one day I was greeted by bird life upon checking the electric box. I now do not remember which I found first, the sitting bird or the eggs, but regardless, I was excited to see some signs of spring life here in South Africa.

I was excited to check in on the eggs every few days, always standing back in anticipation of the protective bird that would fly out from its post on the nest when I would open the cover to the electric box. I thought the eggs would sit and mature longer than they did, so the day opened the box and found hatched baby birds, I felt like I had found a secret treasure.

Once the birds got strong and flew the coop, I figured that was it for my bird watching in the electric box. I was again surprised a few weeks later, when there were another 3 eggs in the nest. A few more weeks later, and 3 more hatched birds out of the nest, and I was left wondering if I would get to see a third batch of spring birds. There have not been any more since, but I have enjoyed passing the time with the first two batches, enjoying watching and waiting on the natural wonders of the world.



Road Trip!!! Tsitsikamma...

The weekend before Halloween was spent on what I'd describe as a classical roadtrip with the ladies :D We drove west along the coast 3 hours to the Tsitsikamma National Park area.



Ethelyn, Neelu and Aleschia with our car that we hired (rented) for the weekend.



The car was picked up from the Port Elizabeth airport on Friday morning. We caught a ride with Pang, our usual cab driver, to the airport to get the car. Pang has often told us he is the cheapest, among telling us all sorts of other true/ridiculous claims about any given thing. We have now twice found out, that Pang is indeed the cheapest for us, at least for surely on rides to and from the airport. 

We brought the car back to Annie's Cove, to load it with luggage and ladies. Luggage being more of just a play on words :D It was small bags we all brought, you saw our little bubble car in the pic above right?! We of course made a brief stop off at the Green Acres shopping center, a place any of us rarely go due to the combination of factors ie. student budgets, transportation.

Neelu and Aleschia got piercings, and Ethelyn and myself found wallets for a really good price. We stopped at the music store and invested in a transfer cord for the IPOD to car stereo, got groceries and some good old McDonalds and hit the road to Tsitsikamma.  

We made it safely to Storms River Village, the area of the Tsitsikamma region we stayed in. We stayed at the Tube and Axe, a really comfortable backpackers resort. There was quite the variety of accomodations to choose from at the Tube and Axe; tent sites, raised tents, dorms, rooms. We stayed in a 6 person dorm room the first night, and in a really nice 4 person room the second night. We were very excited about the full bathroom that we had access to outside of our room the second night.

After arriving and checking into the Tube and Axe on Friday evening, we went down the road and had dinner at a really cute hotel restaurant. The food was really good, I was totally excited to be able to have a caprese salad (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, balsamic and pesto). After dinner, we went back to the Tube and Axe and sat around the fire conversing with the other international travelers. After some time at the fire, soaking up the warmth, we were ready for bed!

Saturday morning was marked with excitment. Ethelyn, Aleschia and Neelu were scheduled to bungee jump from Bloukran's Bridge, the highest bungee jump in the world. Bloukran's Bridge, is a huge public bridge, a cement structure, set over a stunning river valley, opening into the ocean. Being that I have bungee jumped once in the Wisconsin Dells, I opted to be the supportive role of a "bridge buddy" :D That was awesome, going out on to the bridge with the ladies, and getting to be there while they took their plunges off the bridge! I had to wear a back support harness belt, which Ethelyn humorously questioned the need for. I assured her it was probably a necessary safety measure enabling me to be able to walk in the cage under the bridge, bringing us to the jumping platform. We never did find out the exact purpose of that harness belt, it was never used for anything, leaving us laughing about it after the fact.

The afternoon was spent at Tsitsikamma National Park, climbing around on the rocks and hiking out to the suspension bridge where the Storm's River meets the Indian Ocean. We had a great time, taking in the fresh air and scenic coastal views.

Take note of the little fellas relaxing on the rocks above.

After Tsitsikamma, we drove to Plettenberg Bay. We passed through a toll, as well as made a stop off at Monkeyland. Monkeyland is a sanctuary for monkeys, providing them with a natural environment to live in, after being rescued from unhealthy lives as pets, circus performers, zoo exhibits etc.

From the time we drove onto the main road leading to Monkeyland, we began to have exciting sightings. The road leading up to Monkeyland was full of free roaming baboons.

I was really surprised at the variety of monkeys that we saw within Monkeyland. They were free roaming and got VERY close to us. We were warned by our guide to stay on the trail and hold on to our belongings, because the monkeys are not afraid to take stuff from people.

Our guide through Monkeyland. Note the monkey on the feeding table.



We were not supposed to take pictures while on the suspension bridge, we were supposed to focus on walking across. I of course am taking a picture while walking across the suspension bridge in the picture above, hence the odd face I'm making...



After Monkeyland, we drove into Plettenberg Bay. We stopped off to sit on the beach and soak in the view and then had dinner at a quaint cozy Italian restaurant in Plettenberg Bay.

Yep Aleschia is in the water with her shoes on....by accident of course :D

After dinner in Plettenberg Bay, we hit the road to head back to the Tube and Axe for the night. Sunday morning we slept in a bit and then got up and packed the car and hit the road back to Port Elizabeth. We had a great time, enjoying being out of Annie's Cove, taking in the scenes of the coast along the road, seeing new places and trying new things!

A Weekend on the Farm-Day 2 & 3

Saturday and Sunday on the farm, were as adventurous and eventful as Friday on the farm was. My camera battery died midway through the weekend, now making it a bit challenging for me to remember every different thing we did on day 2 and 3. I'll try my best to remember everything though!

The day started out with breakfast at Fransoice and Aurelia's farm. We had breakfast sandwiches and juice/coffee/tea. Wrangling up some deer like animals was one of our tasks for the day. The animals we were wrangling up were being sold to a farmer, so we needed to round up the 5 that were being sold. Needless to say, we wrangled up 1, and then left it to the farm hands to wrangle up the other 4 while we moved on to other things.

To capture the animal, the herd had to be chased to a corner area. Once they were grouped against the fenced area, we formed a line with a net. The animal was chased towards the net and captured with only the net between us capturers and the charging animal. I was glad that the animal did not make a dash into the part of the net I was holding. When it leapt into the net, the people that were on the net where the animal jumped into were yelling and jumping back from the excitment/scariness. I think it was Max who tackled the animal and held it down, so that it could be loaded into the pen, and eventually the trailer.

A visit was paid to Fransoice's trophy room, an impressive collection of African animals he has hunted (seemed to be 15-20 different trophied animals in the room). The giraffe is the highlight of Fransoice's trophies, and he is in the midst of building a large trophy room with vaulted ceilings, so the giraffe can be displayed to scale, in regards to its height.

Shooting lessons were another activity of the day. We had a target we were shooting at. The person with the best shot on the target got to go out on the land and shoot an animal. I held my own, with the best shot through the first few rounds of shooters. My shot was eventually surpassed by a better shot, although I was still glad I could say I actually hit the target. I was nervous right before I pulled the trigger, not really knowing what to expect, as far as force, noise etc. When I did pull the trigger, I was surprised at the volume of the sound of the gunshot. It messed with my hearing for a few minutes, but was nothing major. Shooting was a positive experience, and something I would try again.

A lot of time was spent cruising around in the back of the truck, checking out what was on the land, and going between the two farms. Bumping around the mountains with about 15 of us in the back of a truck was an adventure in itself!



The region where we were for the weekend was absolutely beautiful. There really is a lot to be said for how relaxing and freeing it is to be out on the open land.

After a lunch of sandwiches, homemade desserts and tea/coffee, Winnie and Aurelia took us out hiking up one of the mountains. It was a really nice afternoon, and felt great to be out moving around in the sun. The first male and female hikers to the top of the mountain got a prize, which I can assure you I was not the winner of! I had to hike back a bit from the front line of the race and catch people in case they tumbled back down the mountain.....ahahahahahaha

After our hike, we went back to Fransoice and Winnie's farm to relax, watch rugby and sit outside conversing. Supper was another scrumptious spread, again leaving us feeling like it was Thanksgiving. Steak with homemade mushroom sauce was definitely enjoyed by all of us, who do not regularily dine on steak in Annie's Cove.

After supper, we loaded up into the truck and went on a nightime game drive, looking for animals. While we did not see much on the drive (we didn't stay very quiet, which probably didn't help much), it was an enjoyable way to end a good day.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at Manus and Winnie's. We had breakfast sandwiches and juice/tea/coffee. After breakfast we loaded into the truck with Manus and went out to hike down to the river that runs through Manus's farm. The area which we swam runs between two really large rock structures, so it was really scenic. The water was freezing, a temperature I barely adjusted to while swimming through the water! It was warm outside though, so I had no problems warming up once I got out of the water.

After our hike/river adventure, we loaded up the shuttle and started our trek back to Port Elizabeth. The weekend was really enjoyable, made so awesome because of the gracious and welcoming hosts we had. It was really great to spend sometime out in the mountains, in good company, getting a taste of the family experiences that we all miss at moments during our time abroad. Thank you Manus, Winnie, Fransoice and Aurelia for a great South African farm experience! 

A Weekend on the Farm-Day 1

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard



Sheep on the farm. We started back far from them, and moved all the way in close, chasing them down along the fence, where we then were able to pick them up.



Manus, one of the farmers that hosted us, herding the sheep into a group so we could try and pick them up.



Gotcha! The sheep were really soft and seemed to enjoy being held once we were able to get at them and pick them up.

 “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial NehruIn mid-October, I spent a weekend at a farm in the Winterburg Mountains, about 3 hours out of Port Elizabeth. It was a trip that was organized by the NMMU International Office. Myself and 13 other students, went with Divinia (International Office) and Shaddley (Bus driver-also in March). We were hosted by 2 families, who were related to each other (cousins), at each of their farms. The farms, in the mountains of South Africa, were just a quick truck drive down the gravel road from each other. Manus and Winnie, and Fransoice and Aurelia, were our host families for the weekend. They were absolutely great hosts, and welcomed us so fully into their homes and onto their farms. The guys stayed the weekend at Manus and Winnie's farm, and we ladies stayed at Fransoice and Aurelia's farm. From the time we arrived Friday at lunchtime, until we left Sunday afternoon, our group spent a lot of time between both farms learning, trying new things, relaxing, and enjoying great food and company.

When we arrived to Manus and Winnie's farm Friday afternoon, we had lunch (sandwiches, homemade desserts, tea/coffee) and then got busy exploring around, learning of the different aspects of Manus and Winnie's farm. Feeding was one of the first things we did. The animal we are feeding below is a big one. I am going to struggle to remember the names of some of them, the pictures will give you a good idea of what they are though, generally speaking :D  (blesbok, kudu, angora sheep/lambs, goats etc.)

nom nom nom nom

corn fed

I really enjoyed seeing the chickens and turkeys. Something about them totally intrigues me. One of those things I just can't quite put my finger on.

This chicken was up to something, hiding out under here, we just knew it....

You've got to chase the turkeys, if you want to catch them. I tried it, got close, but couldn't bring myself to go for the grab. These turkeys are BIG, with thick tough necks!

Milking the cows in the milking barn was another activity on the roster for Friday afternoon. We each took a try at hand milking, as well as tasting milk straight from the cow. The trench which we stood in to milk the cows, was between 2 rows of cows, a cement basin to catch you know what from the backs of the cows (not milk). That made it a bit more risky business, standing down in the trench where the cows do their business, shoulder to shoulder with 15 people. All went well though, and nobody got "blasted" or kicked.  



Removal of the sheeps tail, as well as castration of the male sheep, was another skill Manus taught us. The tail of the sheep is clipped to keep that area of the sheep clean. If the tail remains in place, maggots take over the area because it is unclean, due to bathroom excretment. The male sheep are castrated to prevent sheep from breeding within the same family. Much to our surprise, Manus needed to use his teeth as part of the procedure of castrating the sheep. With the castration pictures below, you will note that, as well as noting the resulting product as a delicacy on a cracker.



After a busy afternoon full of adventure, we enjoyed a tasty home cooked supper at Manus and Winnie's. There was a variety of dishes, reminding me of Thanksgiving, and filling us up similarily. After supper, we enjoyed a fire outside, leaving us nice and toasty, ready for a great nights sleep.



Day 1 at the farm was awesome, as was the rest of the weekend, two more days which I will cover in my next blog.