Swaziland-Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Today we're going to a Swazi wedding.  We don't know either the bride or groom but Frances, the lodge owner, goes to the church with the groom and it is an honor to have out of town guests attend so we will go.

We get up early so we can leave by 9:30am.  Frances is driving. The wedding will take  place at the church where the bride attends, which is quite far away.

We are a little late, but apparently there is no such thing as late in Swaziland. We arrive and see Tendon, our driver from Thursday. He looks very handsome in a suit.  Many people are very dressed up in their finest clothes.  Luckily, it is much cooler today than yesterday-back into the 70's with a nice breeze.

The church is packed.  Everyone from both churches will attend.  There are no invitations-everyone is invited.  We sit in the back pew so we can leave early.  Swazi weddings have been known to go on for 4-5 hours, before the reception.

Rev. Orma arrives and she and Cindy move closer to the front of the church.  Fred and I stay back with Frances.  We are now packed into the pews and the seat is about the same size as the balance beam that is used for the Olympics.  The flower girls arrive, dressed all in white with tiaras in their hair.  Only they are not throwing flowers, they are tossing hard candy into the crowd. I mean, they are really flinging it.  I duck, not so much that children can get to the candy, but mostly to avoid getting my eye poked.

Next are the bridesmaids and the ushers.  Together they dance up the aisle.  Frances says that their dancing is quite tame compared to others she has seen.  Now the groom comes in to much applause and cheering.  He is in a white suit and is just beaming. He makes his way down to the middle of the aisle. Now comes the bride.  She walks in with her mother and father on either side of her.  Behind her is a young man in jeans, looking sullen and bored. Who else can it be but the younger brother?  This entire time, there has been singing, and the singers are terrific.

As soon as the bride and groom make their way up the aisle everyone swarms into the aisle up to the front of the church to see them. They stand directly in front of the couple and they are all taking pictures and videos. It's impossible to see the wedding couple now. A ring of chairs has been placed around the altar so that the wedding party and the family can see.

Now, the priest Father Advent introduces some guests who have come from Botswana.

Then the bride and groom exchange vows, and at this time, all the priests in the church are called forward to give the couple a blessing.  Rev. Cindy and Rev Orma go up, and Orma gives the blessing for the entire church.

Now the priest hangs an apple from a string over the heads of the bride and groom and they must each take a bite from it. The bride takes a rather large bite and everyone laughs. She is very lovely.

Then it's time for the speeches and it's time for us to go.  Orma walks out with us.  She has packed for us snacks and drinks for the long day.  It was such a lovely thing to do, knowing that we would be there a long time.

As we are leaving, people fill our empty seats.  There are as many people arriving now-90 minutes into the wedding-as there were when it started. People arrive for hours.  Many of them walk to the church and it is very far away for the members of the groom's church. You never know how many will show up so there will be lots of food for all.

When we leave, we pass by the stadium.  Today is the day of the 40/40.  There are many people arriving for that, even though it started almost four hours earlier.

We drive very far north, almost to the border to the glass factory.  Unfortunately, the glass blowers are not there today-due to the celebration.  We eat lunch there and look at the lovely things they sell.  Fred and I buy some glass penguins to remind us of the penguins at Simon's Beach in Cape Town.

On the way home, Frances suddenly stops the car and tells Fred to drive.  She tells him that if we are renting a car and driving to Kruger National Park on Thursday, he needs to practice. They drive on the left side of the road so that means the clutch is on the left side.

Fred takes the wheel and does a respectable job of getting us home.  Remember, this includes a gravel road, then a dead end, then a dirt road.  We make it safely back, where Frances tells Fred that he did a good job but she recommends that we ask for an automatic.

Back at the lodge, it's a bright blue day.  The fires in Swaziland have been very bad.  There is no fire department to speak of, so the fires just continue until they go out on their own.  The air quality has been terrible. So it's nice that the lodge is high up in the mountains.

Fred and I sit on our patio and read and take pictures of the surrounding area. The lodge sits on a besolith-a granite mountain.  There are only two in the world, and the second one is in Australia.  Apparently, this makes for frightening lightening storms.

But today is gorgeous, and the three resident rottweilers are eating their bones.  I take some pictures, and walk down the hill. I see an animal scurry past me.  It's not a squirrel-it's a mongoose!

The sun is out, it's 4:30 and the afternoon wind is picking up.  We went to a wedding, talked to our children, shopped and had a fabulous day.

Swaziland-Friday, September 5th, 2008

Today we were supposed to spend the day in the downtown area, but the news is all about the bombings.  Yes, there were TWO bombings.

One was in a trashcan at the KFC (yes, they have a KFC!) and one was at the bus depot-both across the street from where we were.

We decide to stay away from that area.  There are still protests going on and the celebration is tomorrow so we change our plans for the day.

But first, good news!!  At breakfast, Cindy tells us she got a phone call from the Heifer International people.  At their meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, they decided to begin projects in Swaziland.  Their first project will be with Orma's Fund!  Everyone is very excited, (and some of us are a little relieved.)  

Humor..it's a global thing!

Orma arrived at 9:30am and we leave to see the Rev. Mahalo. He has just gotten out of the hospital for back surgery, and is wearing a big back brace. His wife is a high school English teacher.  Rev. Mahalo has six parishes with 600 children. He spoke of not only single and double orphans, but also of "vunerable" children. His wife's students tell her that during school holidays (four times a year for two weeks each) they have nothing to eat.  (They usually get a meal at school.)  They said they go to the river and pull up grass and eat the roots.

We are able to videotape the interview.  They have a two month old grandson and we take turns holding him. We leave because we do not want to tire out Rev. Mahalo anymore.

We pass the stadium where the big 40/40 celebration is being held.  There were a LOT of people on the roads, and by the stadium.  Cindy says she has never seen so many people on her trips here.  And the country is much cleaner than it is normally-all due to this celebration taking place.

We went to the Baylor clinic to thank the doctor who visited the Care points.  She had recently given all the children blood tests for Aids. They were very happy due to only three children testing positive for HIV-a very low number. Those children will now receive help from the clinic.

We made our way to a local handicraft area called Gone Rural-which had lovely woven placemats, tablecloths, etc. Up the road we stopped and had lunch outside.  There was a breeze, which we were thankful for because the temperature was about 96 degrees.

From there we went to a local candle factory where I tried to make a piece of wax look like an elephant, and succeeded in making a coaster.

Now it was Fred's turn to shop, so we went to a local hardware store.  He needed a large measuring tape for the project. He was able to get prices for the materials that will be needed for the building.

Back at the Lodge for dinner, we reflect on children who have to eat grass to live, and happiness due to only three children having HIV.

Swaziland-Thursday, September 4th, 2008

We slept well.

The architect for the community center project, Dennis Horn, arrived at 9am for a meeting with all of us.  We looked over the plans for the building.  Then the Rev. Orma joined us at 10:30. She is the woman who began the four Care Points.  She is the first woman Anglican priest here in Swaziland. Fred gave her a construction hard hat and vest.  We took pictures.

At 11:00, people from Heifer International arrived;  Allistair, his wife, Marie, and Robson-all from Durban, South Africa. Allistair used to be on the board for Heifer and is now a consultant. He used to be involved in commercial agriculture, but now is interested in developing agriculture.  Marie has just retired from teaching nutrition at a college.  Robson is with Heifer International.  We decide that everyone will drive to the building site at Eukophelani. Fred, Cindy and Dennis went in Rev. Orma's car and I'm with the Heifer Intern'l people.

On the way, I learn that both Allistair and Robson are from Zimbabawe.  We talk about the problems that country is currently having.  They say that the average person cannot tell the difference between who is in power. (It seems a lot like the United States.) It is not as dangerous as people may think. They both agreed that Durban is a more dangerous place.

Now, it's about a 30 minute drive and I have a captive audience. So I go into my spiel about undressing in the security line and Fred flying first class, and how bad the weather was in Cape Town.  They ask if I saw Table Mountain and I tell them I only saw the bottom. To get a good picture, I will have to cut out the top of a brochure and paste it onto my picture of the bottom.

Marie tells me that elephants go crazy at the scent of oranges so I promise them that I will dump my citrus body lotion.  Allistair asks me if Fred and I attend Cindy's Anglican church at home.  I tell him no.  I say we are "mission mercenaries-we'll help anybody."

So I'm having a fabulous time. None of these people have ever heard any of my jokes and I'm on a roll, and they seem to be enjoying themselves as well.

We arrived at the Care Point and there weren't as many children due to the upcoming celebration on Saturday-the 40/40.  This celebrates the King's 40th birthday with the country's 40th anniversary. We stayed at the building site for awhile.  A few children were watering the vegetable garden. We stayed until they had their lunch-their one meal a day. Allistair, Marie and Robson were able to see what they were eating-a maisie meal-rather like a corn/rice combination. Orma was able to discuss her plans for the children with them.

It's time for us to leave.  Allistair, Marie and Robson are meeting with the Minister of Agriculture at 3pm.  They were going to leave from there but Cindy tells them I need them to drive me back. I make sure to thank them when we get in the car. They laugh and tell me they weren't going to leave me.

We all meet up at the local bishop's house and Orma stays there for a meeting with him.  Cindy, Fred and I have a driver who takes us to The Mall-a small set of shops downtown with an ATM and a phone store so we can purchase minutes for our Swaziland cell phones.

We ate lunch there, used the ATM and were leaving the phone store, walking outside when there was a loud explosion directly across the street.  A bomb had gone off.

Apparently, there had been protestors there that day protesting the King taking his wives and children to Dubai for new clothes.  All the locals ran right across the street to see what was happening.  Luckily, no one was hurt. But we were shaken up a little bit-it was so loud and so close.

We went back to the Lodge and just relaxed for the remainder of the evening. Well, we relaxed as much as possible having experienced our first bombing.

Over dinner, I asked Cindy why she didn't ride with the Heifer International people.  She just froze. She said, "I should have been in the car with them. I wasn't thinking."  Now remember, Cindy just flew in yesterday-she is still seriously jet lagged.

She goes on to say, "I have been meeting with those people for three years, trying to get them to commit to helping Orma's fund."

Now it's my time to freeze!  "Excuse me?"

At this point, Cindy has her head in her hands, and is saying, "I wasn't thinking clearly, I should have ridden with them."

And I have my head in my hands, saying, "Think! What did I say?!!"

So it's now a combination of "Why didn't I ride with them?" and "Why didn't you tell me?"

I try to console Cindy as best I can. It was only a car ride and I was really, really funny.

I think.

Swaziland-Arrival-September 3rd, 2008

We arrived late last night-around 10pm.  We arrived at the Cape Town airport two hours early which ended up being about two hours earlier than we needed to. We got through the ticket line and security in 10 minutes time. Of course, we now knew this did not involve undressing. Cape Town airport is very small.  It will soon be renovated for the World Cup in 2010, but right now it is only one square room with a gate every 5 feet with a glass wall. You take a shuttle to your plane. Fred and I actually saw a taxi pull up outside the gate and someone got in. It looked so funny. Flight was uneventful with no one getting first class. Lunch was served on this one and one half hour flight-with silverware!

We met with Rev. Cindy Vorhees at the Joburg airport and we were all picked up by Rev. David Gooday. We settled in for our four hour drive. It got dark about 90 minutes in. The roads were two lane but pretty good. We were going about 75 miles per hour.  It's so dark you can hardly see anything. About three hours into the drive, my cell phone rings.  I'm so excited! I'm in the middle of nowhere and it's dark and who could be calling me? I answer the phone and this is what I hear,"Warning! The factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire."

Seriously. I am in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Africa and I get a telemarketer call.  I don't get reception this good five minutes from my house! I can't believe how much I have just paid for this call. And I think I woke Cindy up.

Rev David tells us about his farm in Swaziland. He has five dogs and now has seven more puppies. He also has security lights, a security alarm and a night watchman. I asked if safety was an issue.  He said, "Better safe than sorry."  Now to me, "better safe than sorry" seems about one night watchman and three dogs ago, but I don't say anything.

We finally arrive at the border between South Africa and Swaziland.

We have to get out of our car and walk into the building-one hallway, two windows. We show our passports and leave.  The guys take a bathroom break and give us the keys to the car.  Cindy accidently sets off the car alarm so at least Swaziland knows we're coming.  We drive 50 yards over the border and now get out in Swaziland. Much bigger building.  We show our passports again.

We had a 30 minute drive to Brakenhill Lodge.  We turn off and start up a gravel road.  Then we see rocks across the road and a detour sign.  We take the detour and go around a curve...to a dead end. We go back to the first detour and make our way around the rocks until we come to another set of rocks across the road and another detour sign. Now we don't know what to do. We get ahold of Frances at the Lodge who tells us that the first detour sign was correct-it's just that when we come to the dead end, we leave that road and take a dirt road up the hill the rest of the way.

Of course.  It seems so obvious now! Gravel road, dead end, dirt road.

Our room is nice-right by the pool.  It's not as fancy as An Africa Villa but it is fine.

We are treated to some tea and cheesecake so all is well.

We are here!

Cape Town Impressions-Wednesday, September 3rd, 08

Leaving Cape Town today.  This city leaves me with many different feelings.  We were so warned about how unsafe this city is.  On the flight here, my seatmate was a young girl from Constantia, a very wealthy area of the city.  Her family had been the victims of a home invasion robbery.  She went to school in London, and told me she was desperate to live in the United States.  I asked her why she wanted to live in the US so much.  She answered, "Because the United States gets so many things right."   She believed that if parents loved their children they would move away from Cape Town.

But our guides love Cape Town.  It is, undoubtedly, a very beautiful place.  It actually resembles northern California a great deal.  When asked if I think it is beautiful, I answer, "yes."  It just looks a lot like home to me. This just shows me how incredibly lucky we are.

Close to the airport is a very large township.  A township is an area where most of the blacks in Cape Town live.  It is hard to describe.  They are nothing more than cardboard shacks with corrugated roofs over them.  We pass many people hovering near a bonfire built around several of these "homes." Our guide tells us that incest and rape are common here, probably due to the close living arrangements in townships.  South Africa leads the world in rape.

There are also "coloured" people in Cape Town.  This class consists of people who originally were brought to Cape Town as slaves and stayed-Indonesians, Arabs, etc.  Until about 15 years ago, a coloured person could be arrested for marrying a white person. This class is considered above the blacks and their living conditions are generally better.

I was told that even blacks who have good jobs do not usually move out of the townships.  They do not feel comfortable.  Fred and I pass many shops where "township" art is sold.  I cannot believe people would put these pictures up on their walls.  I cannot believe that the whites who live here do not die of shame.

Our guide also tells us that the Minister of Health for South Africa believes that the best way to cure Aids in their country is with fruits and vegetables.

I picked our bed and breakfast, An African Villa, because of its safe location in a residential neighborhood.  But the day we arrived, a Canadian couple on their honeymoon were held up at knifepoint.  They screamed and the robber ran away.  But the owner of the B & B sat us down, gave us a map and drew circles on it where it was not safe for us to walk.  He now circled two blocks from where we were.  

Usually, Fred and I get to know a city by taking public transportation and walking. Sadly, we end up taking taxis everywhere.

Fred says he would like to come back to Cape Town.  I cannot say if I would ever come back to this town. I feel uneasy being here.

So much diversity...so little appreciation of each other.

Cape Town-Full Day Tour-Tuesday September 2, 08

Had our full day Cape Tour.  We started the tour by oversleeping.  I mean, what type of establishment doesn't have an alarm clock in the room? or even a clock?

We got ready in about 15 minutes, then rushed down and ate breakfast.

We stopped first at the Kirstenbosch Gardens for about an hour-really pretty.  Then we drove down the Cape Peninsula, taking our time.  We went to Simon's Beach and saw African penguins.  There are a lot of them, right in front of you.  It was really fun to see them in the wild on a beach.  Fred got some great pictures.

Then we went to Table Mountain National Park (different from the top of Table Mountain) and saw some Bunta buck-pretty antelope-type animals. We saw wild ostrich's, but no baboons. Our guide said they can be very aggressive and she had been attacked before so almost glad we didn't see any. Fred climbed up to the top of the lighthouse and took pictures.  Sadly, he did not have anyone take his picture while he was up there, so it's only his word that he climbed all the way.  ;-)

We went to the Cape of Good Hope-the southwestern-most point of Africa.  It used to be believed that this is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet together (that's no longer believed to be true) but we had our picture taken at the sign.  They had their biggest storm of the last seven years last weekend and another cold front moved in today.  Really windy and about 55 degrees.  Our guide kept saying, "We get 300 sunny days a year."  I'm like, "Can you please stop saying that?"

Then we drove back up the eastern side of the peninsula.  It is pouring rain now.  Just got back in.  We are pretty tired but it's only 6:30 pm.  Afraid to take a nap that lasts 15 hours!

We leave tomorrow to fly back to Johannesburg, then a 4 hour drive to Swaziland for part two of our travels.

Jeri

PS. Fred had to sit in the back seat for the whole day and after the first class stunt, I'm still not done with him yet!