Day #404 — On the Road Again

On the road to Lesotho

Apologies for the long delay in posting. Few good reasons, lots of good excuses.

It’s vacation time and we are about 30 minutes away from entering the small country of Lesotho. It is a very mountainous area and also a very under-developed country located within the boundaries of South Africa. We will be staying in some very remote areas … as in no electricity at the lodging.

We will be returning to South Africa on the 25th, and will not have internet access until that time. I hope to return with lots of pictures and stories.

Day #403 — Slumber

Padding, other than a thin blanket, would only interfere with benefits of the cool floor.

This child spent an hour on small porch amusing himself tracing the lines between tiles.

Have I mentioned lately it’s hot here? Really hot. In the early and mid-afternoon, it’s just to hot to do much. If I were brave — or foolish — enough to walk around the village during this time, I would find it still and quiet. Everyone would be sitting or sleeping under a tree or stretched out on the cool tile or cement floors of their small porches.

There are two trees in my family’s yard, but the area under both trees is not really conducive to restful slumber (picture trash piles and random junk storage). The garage and small area just outside the kitchen are the target slumber areas. Plenty of space, in the shade and a cool tile floor — who could ask for more?

Day #402 — Business Signs

“For hire” indicates rental

Dental office. Bet you couldn’s guess that one!

Surgery refers to medical, not necessarily “surgical operations.”

Can’t really explain the “Urgent” part. Tombstones are usually added to grave sites much later.

Just a few signs I walk or ride past each day as I get closer to the more commercial part of my village. I just love it when they feel compelled to add a little bit of artwork.

I truly regret not getting a picture of one business sign I saw in another village. The business is named “Tombstones R Us.” Well, why not?

Day #401 — Water Woes

Filling bottles with “good” municapal water at school water tap.

Lest you think the water tap at school is “in the kitchen” — not.

John and I harp a lot on poor water conditions (that is, lack of potable water). However, when most days average 90+ degrees and we attempt to stay hydrated with something other than colas, accessibility to drinking water becomes rather important.

The good news is that we can get some water from our yard. It comes from a bore hole (well), and we limit its use for laundry, bathing and washing dishes. It is not suitable for drinking as it contains too many minerals and the well source is located just a little too close to the pit latrine for our comfort.

The closest local access to drinking water has been turned off for several months. The next closest location is too far away for us to walk and carry back any significant amount of water (oh, for want of a wheelbarrow).

Our current solution is for John and me to each take two 2-litre bottles to school with us each day and return home each afternoon with filled bottles. By doing this we can stay just ahead of amount needed for drinking water.

Day #400 — Tree Agama

From the moment I learned that agamas, specifically the blue-headed tree agama (Acanthocercus Atricollis) were in my area, I wanted desperately to see one. What an amazing little reptile, especially if one is lucky enough to see a male species during mating season. That’s when it typically takes on the brilliant colors (although it is also reported they get colorful when feeding and when very hot).

Unfortunately, I’m still waiting and hoping. The top picture is compliments of Kelsey G., a fellow PCV who lives at the far north part of Limpopo province. (Check out Kelsey’s blog at http://www.kelsewhere.wordpress.com for another first-hand account of life-in-South Africa-as-a-PCV.) Pretty sure I recall that she saw this fellow in her village, and possibly in her yard. How fortunate.

I, on the other hand, did manage to find the remains of a small agama (bottom picture). I found the little skeleton in the field just behind the primary school. One student who happened to be passing by said he sees a lot of these around the village. Really??

By the way, mating season is March to May. That means I still have a chance to see one in full color before I leave. I may have to spend a bit more time outside.

Day #399 — Hot as Hades

At least the humidity was not so high (by southern U.S. standards).

It’s a long, dusty and hot walk to school, and even hotter going home.

Even the cows know to find some shade.

I realize that if you are in the U.S. and reading this around the day this is posted, you are quite possibly look out on a snow covered street or yard. Even if there is no snow, I’m guessing that you are not sweating much right now (unless you are sitting just a little too close to the fireplace). Wish I could say the same.

Here in the southern hemisphere, it is HOT. Or as we say in Sepedi, “Kwa fisha!”, which means either “I’m hot” or “It’s hot.” Not really sure, but it doesn’t matter as the result is the same.

The last two days I’ve had to walk the 2 km to school instead of catching a ride with my neighbor as I usually do. That, of course, corresponded with two of the hotter days we have had so far. I have given up on the “must look professional and presentable” goal. That is, not unless a red, flushed appearance and a sheen of sweat covering me from head to toe counts as a plus.

I know I have experienced higher temps back in my home states of Georgia and Alabama. No doubt friends in Texas would scoff at a mere 94 degrees. The problem here is there is no air conditioning around for respite. Our rooms at the house sit in direct sun all day, so there’s no relief there (except for the electric fan … a godsend!). My only solace is that I have to remember that other PCVs from my group are in areas that are notoriously hotter (northern Limpopo and on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in Northern Cape). Fortunately for all of us here, summer won’t last forever.

Day #398 — Trees: Trunks

These reminded me of elephant legs.

The vertical parts are part of the trunk, not just a bunch of sticks propped against the tree.

What kid wouldnt be tempted to climb this tree?

The Fever Tree … one of my favorites here. Very yellow all over, and altogether, a nice shape..

A lot of the trees here are rather scrappy and laden with thorns (indeed, I think some are just grossly overgrown bushes). Many others, however, are rather interesting. I will be happy to get home to our oaks, maples, dogwoods, and maybe even the pines, but in the meantime I will continue to enjoy the variety of trees around me.

Day #397 — Trees: Bark

Paper bark

The vertical ridges were as much as 3″ deep.

This one “bleeds” red when scraped.

The fruit (much enjoyed by monkeys) grows straight from the trunk and limbs.

I have always had a fondness for trees. It has been quite interesting living in a new environment for a period of time and getting to see trees that are totally new to me.

I do not have a knack for remembering the names of trees (and an equally limited skill for recording the information when provided). I am content just in being interested and amazed in observing some of the very unique features.

Day #396 — Eating Clay

Lady at taxi rank preparing small bags of clay.

Bags of clay for sale, along with chips, peanuts, and fruit.

The woman uses the little stick to dislodge small stones from the collected chunks of clay.

The practice of eating soil-like substance (clay or chalk) is known as geophagy. It is practiced worldwide, most commonly in rural areas. I see a lot of chunks of clay being prepared and sold in my village, so I can only assume that geophagy is performed locally.

Geophagy is practiced by young and old, male and female, but locally it is most commonly done by pregnant women. There is a belief that the clay-like substance helps to prevent nausea by effectively coating the stomach lining. It is also believed that the clay supplements the body with various minerals much needed during pregnancy. Not saying that I believe any of the above, but that’s what the locals believe.

I have tried just a taste of the clay, about the size of a small pea. It tasted, well … pretty much like I expected clay to taste. I guess it’s an acquired taste.

Day #395 — Sports Day, #4

Not a cloud in the sky. All the more reason for umbrellas.

Colorful observers

John helping with set up

Crowd control enforcer

This is the last of the Sports Day posts. Above are pictures reflecting some additional observations.
#1 – Umbrellas: The sunshine and heat was fierce that day. I almost left my umbrella at home, but certainly glad I did take it with me. Every tree (thus every bit of shade) was already claimed by the time I got there, and in order to see each event, I had to be out in the sun. My umbrella — along with a hat and suntan lotion — saved me from some serious sunburn.
#2 – Colorful jerseys: In general, very few of the kids wore sporting uniforms or outfits. Many, however, did wear bright jersey shirts in a variety of colors.
#3 – Officiating: The event organizers clearly did not have enough adults assigned to officiate the events, so John was quickly recruited to work at the discus area. In the picture he is helping to measure and mark distance lines.
#4 – This man used the rubber tube to chase people (mostly kids)away from certain areas. Such tubes are often used by teachers to punish kids during class, so the kids knew to keep a large distance between them and this man. I wasn’t willing to take a chance on getting close to him either.