Hearts and Hooters - 11/21/12

Gabriele enjoys the spread

BEN - We woke up today and had a mass exodus of check outs, as we got rid of (and collected) both the four Cape Townians and the German couples' money.  The couple was so happy with their stay and our service, that they gave Gabby and me a R80 tip (about 10 bucks!).  Nice!  We got them out the door, sent the American guys (Michael and Greg) on a hike and actually had a few quiet minutes to ourselves.  The day was extremely grey, foggy, and bit chilly; not ideal for any outdoor activities.  We lit a fire and enjoyed its warmth until the American guys got back.  We hung out and chatted with them a bit.  They were super interested in both Expedition 2012 and Keewaydin.  I think one, or both may actually apply to work their next summer.  What a crazy story that would be if it worked out; 'Well we met Ben at the foothills of Lesotho and he told us about this summer camp in Vermont, and now we work there.'  Eventually, Michael and Greg busted out some playing cards, and knew how to play hearts!  YES!  We played a full game to 100, but the boys just weren't up to caliber, passing shooting hands way too often.  I ended up winning on a shoot.  It was nice to have some American company, and a great reminder of home with a game of cards.

The endless game of fetch with Karoo

After our extremely relaxing afternoon, the evening got crazy.  Steve and Lulu were out of town and dinner was on us.  The guests started rolling in:

• Gabriele and Carol - Two 60 something space cadet Frenchmen.  Very frustrating to please
• Xandra - German couple who were very weird.  He only eats eggs and bread and she a vegetarian.  They told us they have were married in Vegas and love to travel there.  They always go back just to visit Pizza Hut, Hooters, and Walmart.  They will be travelling to Lesotho with Greg and Michael tomorrow.
• 2 South Africa Motorcyclists - Older Afrikaans men who liked to drink
• 2 Argentinian magicians who would be doing a magic show for payment for their room (a typical non money-making deal made by Steve)
• A Luxembourgian Couple - Befriended the old Frenchmen instantly, and didn't speak English again for the rest of the night.

Gabby (with my increasing prowess as sous chef) again prevailed against the herds with a delicious curry chicken.  We all ate happily and talked about this and that.  After dinner, the magician decided to do a show for everyone.  We all sat down and were amazed by a variety of card, ball, and rope tricks; all performed in broken English.  He was quite good, and a pretty cool guy to talk to.  He and his wife have been traveling for almost two years, performing magic to all kinds of audiences.  Interesting way to travel.  Gabby and I cleaned up dinner, served a last round of drinks to anyone who was interested, and retreated from the madness to bed.

What the Hail?!? - 11/20/2012

Hineville and me - My horse for the 2 hour ride

GABBY - This morning, I got up early to make breakfast for the incredibly kind German couple.  I cooked up a simple meal of scrambled eggs with onions and fresh chives from Lulu’s garden.  The group of 4 friends from Cape Town easily convinced me to join them on their 2 hour horse ride in the morning.  Ben whipped up a thermos of tea and sent along a packet of biscuits (standard for a 2 hour or 3 hour horse ride).  It was a perfect day to be outside and riding a horse.  It was my first time since a 2 hour meander in the woods on horseback 6 months ago in Wyoming on a family vacation.  Out of the 4 South Africans, Anton, Janice and James were scared shittless to be on a horse, while Hayley was calm and experienced.  Eric led the way after taking a few pictures and set up towards the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains.  All of the horse rides are done on the farm and provide an incredible view of the Drakensbergs, while also getting a view of Lesotho.  We climbed some steep and tricky passages through boulders before reaching the highest point on the farm: Eland Peak (the point Ben and I hiked to yesterday).  It’s an incredible view up there, so we stopped for some tea and biscuits.  On the way down, Anton decided to pull the Trigger (horse’s actual name) and gallop through the field.  Holy crow these horses can move!  I was pretty terrified to be running that fast without a guide in front, but I managed to hang on and breathe normally again.  I couldn’t believe the contrast of the 2 hour ride I did in Wyoming and the 2 hour ride I was doing at Khotso.  The difference was pretty much night and day.  In South Africa, the mentality for these activities is that if you want to act like an idiot and get hurt, then it’s your fault.   After we got back from the ride, I went into Underberg with Anton and James to buy the groceries for the backpackers.  I bought a bunch of food for dinner, which I was making for the German couple, Ben and me.

Check out them balls!  Hail this size...can you believe it?!? 

When we arrived back at the backpackers after our trip to the Spar, we noticed interesting clouds forming over the foothills outside.  Within the hour it began to hail down on Khotso.  I have never experienced anything like it in my life.  There’s a green card in Apples to Apples that says golf ball sized hail, which I always thought was a strange card.  It now has an entirely applicable meaning for both Ben and me.  Instead of golf ball, it was actually hailing field hockey or lacrosse balls.  I have never seen anything like it before.  It was complete madness at the backpackers.  Everyone was running to their cars, dodging the potentially impairing hail to cover their vehicles with towels and blankets.  Ben and James were having fun running through the hail to collect the biggest balls of hail.  We stared in wonder until the hail passed and brought a steady flow of rain.  

I began to cook dinner with a recipe Amy (my sister) found from the show, The Chew.  I made a pasta dish with corn, bacon, chicken, cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and other spices.  It was delicious (if I do say so myself) and left everyone full and satisfied.  After dinner, 2 guys checked into the dorm rooms who happened to be American.  Greg and Michael were both from California and were just finishing studying in Port Elizabeth.  They were staying for a couple days, which was exciting since they were American, young, fun and friendly!  They were the first Americans we had seen at Khotso, so we befriended them quickly.  Ben and I called it a night after a few beers with the Californians.

Eland Peak - 11/19/2012

The Drakensbergs from Eland Peak

BEN - We woke up and crushed through our morning chores.  Gabby's eye looked almost normal; so much so that she was able to put her contacts back in, and we decided to hike.  At around 11:30 we made a bunch of sandwiches and geared up for a hike to Eland Peak, the highest point on the farm.  We walked out the back door and through a few barbed wire fences, and we were off.  The day was bright and hot, but it felt amazing to be out of the confines of the backpackers and exploring the beautiful countryside.  There are no trails on the farm (some horse paths) so we just had a general idea of what direction we needed to go.   We hopped a stream and headed up a large valley, our only landmark being the river.  We ended up spooking a large herd of grazing cattle, but continued to follow the river bed, occasionally spotting little geckos or giant colorful grasshoppers.  We eventually got up high enough for our first view of the Drakensberg Mountains.  At this high point we also spotted our destination, Eland Peak.  Rather than follow the circuitous horse path up the top, we decided to just go for up and push straight uphill.  Both Gabby and I were absolutely covered in sweat, and were relieved to reach the cool breeze of the summit 15 tough minutes later.  We sat down and devoured our sandwiches while taking in the spectacular 360 degree view.  After some pictures we headed down the mountain and valley, and retreated to the backpackers.  We had a bunch of newcomers arriving so we made sure everything/everyone was prepared.  The first arrival was a nice German couple who we got

Mountain Babe

along very well with.  The man had burned his feet quite badly during the day.  They were driving through a small town with traffic and a boy had opened their back door and grabbed his bag which contained camera, passport, wallet, etc.  Without thinking (and without shoes)  the man chased after the kid, grabbed him, broke his sunglasses, and got his bag back.  Pretty good work for an unassuming, kind German guy.  They were tired from their ordeal, so they went to their room to rest for awhile.  The next party that came were four 20-22 year old students from University of Cape Town (2 guys, 2 girls).  At first they were a bit stand-offish, but they eventually loosened up and hung out with us a bit.  They were a bit strange, and Gabby and I still cannot figure out their group dynamic.  It didn't make sense.  Anyway, a friend of Steve and Lulu's named Lee also came.  He is the South African representative of an organization called World Challenge, which sounds pretty cool.  We ended up having a pretty full house which means one thing in South Africa, time to braai.  With Lulu's help I manned the braai and cooked up some steak and borvost.  We all sat down and had a big family dinner, laughing at Steve's antics and stories.  This backpackers certainly has a warmer, more welcoming feel than others we've been to.

A Lazy Sunday - 11/18/12

Lamby and me 

GABBY - We woke up around 7:15 in order to be at reception at 7:30.  The German couple was leaving today, so we needed to collect their cash money.  While they were eating their porridge, we dumped our knowledge of the Garden Route on them.  We went through the Coast to Coast book together and gave them the best tips and treasures that we discovered on our trip only a month ago.  I think it was a little too early in the morning for them to appreciate the gems we were providing them with, but Ben and I took a nice trip down memory lane.  Lulu called during our info sesh to alert us of the time she was leaving to go into town.  We hopped into the car around 9:00.  I spent the entire ride to Underberg in the back of Lulu’s truck learning Zulu from Thembi.  She speaks both Zulu and Xhosa, which happen to be way more similar than I expected.  Lulu dropped Ben and me off at one of the two internet cafes in Underberg called The Grind for about an hour.  It was especially nice to upload the blog and check in with friends and family.  We met up with Lulu and Thembi an hour later and learned about another one of Lulu’s side businesses.  She sells one or two wash packets of shampoo, conditioner, hair cream and Vaseline.  She was talking to a man named Alex about selling the packets in his local craft shop.  While Lulu and Thembi sold products to some local women, Ben and I took a look inside Alex’s store.  We learned that he was originally from Kenya and sold crafts mostly made in Lesotho and Kenya.  We knew it was time to go when we heard the honking of a horn coming from Lulu’s truck.  We drove to the local Spar (supermarket) and bought some of Ben and my essential foods.  We left with avocados, mushrooms, viennas (hot dogs), and chocolate (of course with Ben).  It was a really slow day and a Sunday, so Lulu told us to relax and chill.  Ben and I made a feast consisting of cheese dogs and guacamole with Doritos.  

There's a storm a-brewin'

We decided to watch “The Hurtlocker”, which was good the 2^nd time around for the both of us.  While we watched the movie, an extremely friendly Dutch couple came and wanted to go on a 2 hour horse ride.  We kicked ourselves in gear, called Eric and told him to rally some horses, made a pot of tea and sent along some biscuits.  A successful send-off!  We finished our evening eating pasta with mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, garlic in a cream sauce and beginning the fourth season of “The Sons of Anarchy.”  The night reminded me of a casual date night in the states with Ben.    

Football's for Pansies - 11/17/12

Ben with Storm

GABBY - We woke up very sluggishly and began our daily duties of stocking the bar, feeding Fergie (Fluffy/Fergeson) and cleaning up around the backpackers.  Adrian came down around 9:00 after we had finished checking our e-mail, Facebook, and blog.  He was going into town to sort out some banking issues and told us that we could hang some posters of other backpackers on the walls inside.  There were also a couple pictures of Steve that he wanted hung somewhere.  Ben and I organized the posters geographically starting with Cape Town and ending with Joburg.  Adrian has been a bit of a backpacker’s mentor when it comes to this place.  He has told us our duties as volunteers and is always available for questions.  Today is Adrian’s final day at the backpackers because he has let his visa expire.  He has to leave the country by Monday, so he has booked a flight to visit his family in Hong Kong, which leaves at an absurdly early hour tomorrow morning.  Ben and I are essentially running this backpackers after being here a grand total of 4 full days.  We are definitely getting the hang of it, but it will be very strange not having him around as a lifeline.  Lulu and Steve stopped by on their way to Drakensburg.  They were going to deliver some of the water that they bottled for a company called Drakensburg Gardens.  Lulu gave us a couple of tasks to keep us busy, which included trimming the hedges, cleaning rain gutters, and moving some things down off the porch and out of the way.  Our day was spent sprucing up the backpackers with posters and pictures of Steve, while completing the jobs Lulu laid out for us.  

The terror herself: Smeagal

When Adrian came back, he invited Ben and me to go watch Rugby with Steve, Lulu, and him around 4:00 at the Trout Hatchery Restaurant right down the road.  We excitedly agreed and prepared for our big night out on the town.  I went with Lulu and Steve around 4:15, while Adrian and Ben stayed behind to try and fix the fax machine for Adrian.  The poor guy has had such a rough time trying to fly out and get everything squared away in preparation for his departure.  The three of us (Lulu, Steve and me) walked into the restaurant and sat on bar stools, waiting for the game to start.  I ordered a glass of red wine and cheered for South Africa as if I knew the game of rugby inside out and was a diehard fan.  I must say, football at home doesn’t seem quite as hardcore when you’re watching men hit each other with no padding whatsoever.  In the first 10 minutes of the game a guy was knocked out cold for a couple seconds, shook it off, and setup for the next play.  These guys have some serious cohunes.  When Ben and Adrian arrived we ordered two rounds of chips (fries), which were crispy and delicious with some All Gold ketchup (not quite Heintz, but closest thing to it here).  South Africa won, which was good considering there was a rather aggressive, rowdy fan nicknamed Johno who was getting riled up over anything and everything.  After the game, we decided it was probably best to get back to the employee-vacant farm/backpackers and check on the German couple staying the night.  They had hiked the whole day, so they were already in bed when we got back.  Adrian, Ben and I joined Steve and Lulu at their house for a family TV dinner.  We watched Manchester United play Norwich in football (soccer) and chowed on Lulu’s delicious concoction of lentils, rice, Greek yogurt, carrots, and other veggies.  I always feel very full, but healthy after eating her food.  Ben and I said a final goodbye to Adrian, since he was leaving early the next morning.  It is a really unfortunate situation and blows considering Adrian is the only person our age here on the farm.  I think we really could have gotten along great if given a month and a half together.  Anyway, we walked home and finished the night with 3 rousing episodes of “Friends”, which I have to admit, were pretty funny.  

Hey, Want to Run a Backpackers? - 11/16/2012

Leading a lost lamb back to his pen, just another day at the farm

Some of the horses on the farm

BEN - We woke up this morning ready to go.  Gabby's eye is feeling a bit better and the swelling is finally starting to go down a bit.  Steve and Adrian were down at the backpackers early in the morning and asked if we wanted to paint.  We of course agreed and took on the large undertaking of painting the entire front hallway.  The hallway is kind of a nasty, mustard yellow color with chips and residue of old posters and stickers all over it.  We moved the tables and other furniture out of the way, laid some newspapers down, and got to work.  The wall required two coats each so this was definitely an all day project.  I was on roller duty, while Gabby was in charge of the small paint brush, handling the finer details, ie coloring inside the lines.  The project took the entire day, with requisite stops for lunch, to play with Karoo, or to feed Simon some piece of food that he probably shouldn't have.  By late afternoon, the walls and I were completely covered in white paint, and looked great.  As we were marveling at our own handiwork, Adrian came in and dropped a bomb on us.  His tourist visa was expiring, and no one would help him renew it.  His work visa was not coming through.  In short, he had to leave the country.  He was flying to Hong Kong in 2 days, to go visit his parents for a month before coming back and resuming his duties as manager of the backpackers.  Just like that, Gabby and I were in charge of running a backpackers; a full blown business.  We were now responsible for customer care, finances, and upkeep of a hostel.  What the hell?!  We had two guests at night, a nice German couple, and one of the strangest most frustrating ladies I've ever met.  We were talking to the Germans about India (they had some good advice) and this lady was blatantly making up facts and talking over everything the couple had to say.  She was very frustrating.  Gabby and I ended up making some stir fry for dinner which was tasty as always, and we headed off to bed, our guests happy and new business running nice and smooth.

The Wild West - 11/15/2012

BEN - Gabby's eye looks marginally better this morning, but she is still sleepy and just doesn't feel right.  Together we completed our morning chores, and went out to help Tash.  Gabby and I got the wonderful task of shoveling horse poop out of the main corral because there were some rides going out.  As we shoveled, the main herd of riding horses were herded down the mountain into the area we were shoveling.  A few of the horses were extremely interested in us.  They are truly magnificent creatures; huge and muscular from long treks into Lesotho and around the farm.  Adrian told us we could go on the ride.  Gabby just wasn't feeling up to it, so she decided to go to bed, and for the first time I sadly went off without Gabby.  My horse's name was Storm, sturdy brown male.  Eric was leading the 3 hour trek with me and a couple on their honeymoon as the riders.  The couple both had riding experience, and Eric is Zulu, and thus came out of the womb on horseback.  As we trotted off, Tash yelled some last minute instruction and words of advice.

A small piece of the Khotso Farm

We set off straight up the nearest mountain and climbed to the top; the horses expertly maneuvering the rocky terrain. At the top, my jaw dropped at the unfathomable scenery.  I hadn't really gotten a proper view of the are until then.  We were in the foothills of the giant, beautiful Drakensburg Mountains which make up the Kingdom of Lesotho, or as it is called, The Kingdom in the Sky.  Opposite the mountains is a luscious  green valley filled with farms and streams running from the mountains.  After our first peak, we rode along a high flat plateau filled with wild horses and tall grass.  The Khotso Farm is massive, stretching as far as the eye can see.  Eric took off at a trot which all the other horses began to follow.  At first my balls took some punishment, but I eventually got the correct form down so as to save my future children.  We slowed a bit when Eric turned and gave me a sly grin and said, "Ready? Lean forward, balls of your feet on the stirrups, knees together, Go!"  With that he took off at a full on gallop.  I was still looking down at my feet, figuring out how to get them i the stirrups correctly, when Storm took off.  For about two minutes I hung on for dear life as we raced across the open plain.  We were at the next mountain in no time, and when I finally opened my eyes, there was Eric on his big horse with the same grin.  Whoa!  We climbed a couple of more peaks and eventually reached the highest point on the farm, Eland Mountain, where we dismounted and had sandwiches, tea, and crackers.  We let the horses graze and I chatted with the honeymooners about this and that.  After some pictures we were off again down towards the other side of the farm.  Multiple times I would hear Eric's call, see the grin, and we would take off.  I eventually got used to it, and could actually enjoy the rush by the end; my horse weaving between the others at full speed.  At one long straight away I was a bit behind the other three when I looked up and saw Eric and the other guy on the ground, their horses still running way ahead of where they lay.  "Whoaaaaaa," I cried in true cowboy fashion, slowing down Storm's gallop and cantering over to the guys.  Apparently Eric's horse had stepped in a hole, and had gotten a scare, causing the other horse to freak, and kick off both men.  Eric was up in an instant, but the guest was a bit slower.  No serious injuries, but the guy was a bit shaken and bruised.  Eric took off and grabbed the other horses, corralling them back to us.  Everyone composed themselves and we set off again, trotting back to Khotso after an exhilaration  beautiful 3 hours of riding (I just want to point out that the 'beginner' didn't fall off, but the horse master did. Ha).

Eric gives me some advice before Storm whisks me away

I returned to the backpackers to find Gabby sleeping.  I woke her for some food and the next round of meds before heading off to help out Eric and Sipho mill feed.  This meant starting up a big, loud machine that kicked up all kinds of dust.  Eric loaded my bucket with corn, I lifted the heavy bucket up into the machine, Sipho hauled away the milled grains of corn.  Lather, rinse, repeat for about an hour until I was nice and sore and the corn was all milled.  We finished around 4 and I headed back for a much needed shower.

Gabby seemed to finally feel a bit better, and we were happy to be invited up to Lulu and Steve's for dinner.  Lulu made a magnificent chili type sauce that was then drizzled over sweet potatoes.  We talked and laughed; we both really like and respect both Lulu and Steve.  Just as tea was being poured, Steve got a call.  He came back and said, "There is Basotho movement on the mountain, Adrian let's go, Ben can you shoot? Do you guys want to come?"  Adrian pulled a rifle out of no where and with that I was standing in the back of a giant Land Rover with a spot light, Adrian next to me with the rifle, Gabby and Steve in the cab.  Our mission was to either catch or scare the hell out of the Basotho trespassers.   Basotho are natives of neighboring Lesotho and steal horses, cattle, and sheep.  Adrian told me that normally the Basotho haul marijuana over the border.  For their return trip, they steal a horse or two, using the farmer's barbed wire fencing as the horse's bridle. On horseback, they heard sheep or cattle back into Lesotho.  He said Steve has even chased the 'Basoths' into the country and gotten his horses back, but their spirits are broken and they are unrideable due to the barbed wire.  In dry season, the Basoths will set fire near your house and then steal your cattle.  Which would you rather save, home or herd?  As I held on to the back of the cab, standing in the bed of the truck, scanning the darkness, occasionally catching little deer or antelope in the beam of my torch, my adrenaline pumped like mad.  We drove way out into the farm, Adrian occasionally firing shots whose noise ricocheted off and all around the mountainous terrain, hopefully scaring any trespassers.  Eventually Steve cut the engine because he saw some lights, and a bent over fence (usually from passing heavy bags of weed over it).  He grabbed the rifle, and told us to drive 200 m away and cut the lights/engine.  There we left Steve, standing in the blackness, only the thousands of stars lighting his way.  We waited on the truck, heard him fire a few shots, and 15 minutes later he appeared out of the darkness.  Balls of steel.  We drove back and Steve manned the light as I held the rifle.  I had another 'What the hell am I doing moment.'  I am standing in the bed of a pick up, holding a rifle, hunting humans right outside the border of Lesotho as the most stars I've ever seen watches from above.  Not your typical evening.  We returned to the backpackers, me amped up, Gabby a bit shell shocked, but both thankful for the experience. T.I.A.

The Khotso Crew - 11/13/2012

Simon breaking into the kitchen

BEN - I woke up to find Gabby still in a lot of pain with a very swollen eye. She's getting upset and scared and I am doing everything I can to take care of her and figure this thing out. After getting up, we almost immediately met Thembi, one of the Zulu women who cleans the backpackers. She immediately took to caring for Gabby, gently bathing her eye in some warm, soapy water. Thembi is already way kinder than the women who worked at Orange Elephant who would not even make eye contact with us. All the workers here are Zulu people and have gone out of their way to welcome us. Before I continue on with the day's story, I guess I should introduce the full cast of characters:

• Steve: Owner of the farm and somewhat of a living legend in South Africa. Addicted to running. Once ran from here to Knysna to visit his daughter, has plans to run the Iditarod in Alaska (you know, the dog sled race). I immediately respect him and he has been nothing but warm and hospitable to us.
• Lulu: Steve's wife. From Mexico, Lulu was a guest here 8 years ago and since married Steve and loves this place. Incredible cook. Involved in the Zulu community tutoring children. Loves to chat.
• Adrian: 22 year old British guy who is in charge of the business side of the backpackers. Very nice guy with a lot on his plate.
• Allaster: Steve's brother who is addicted to running, the outdoors, and alcohol. In a rough spot and is kind of a lost soul. He is very animated and friendly.
• Tash: In charge of the horses and animal care on the farm. Super fit and pretty much runs the whole farming operation. Seems like a cool person.
• Thembi: Mentioned above, unbelievably kind and motherly. She has set on the seemingly impossible task of teaching us Zulu.
• Happiness: Zulu woman in charge of Steve's house. Have only briefly met her but is apparently the nicest woman in the world and Lulu's best friend.
• Andreas: Head Zulu man. Does any repair/handiwork around the farm. Always smiling with a big goofy grin. He has been dating Thembi for 8 years.  Andreas also leads most of the horse treks into Lesotho.
• Eric: Zulu handyman who does everything. Very outgoing and kind of a goofball. I'm excited to get to know him better.
• Sipho: Always with Eric, very quiet and shy. Apparently is a bit of a thief occasionally.
• Smeagul: Giant Anatolian Shepard dog. Dog in charge of the herds, sheep are her babies. Biggest job is killing jackal and leopard. Must give her a wide berth, and must let her come to you.
• Karoo: Border collie with unlimited energy. Very young, and supposed to be a sheep dog, but has fallen victim to the stick. Incessantly, unrelentingly, obsessed with fetch of any kind of stick/log/branch.
• Fluffy/Fergie: Huge fat cat who lazes around all day and is very talkative. Have to constantly wrestle her out of our bed.
• Simon: Very old horse who thinks he's a dog. Loves Steve, but is starting to slow down a bit. Sometimes comes into Steve's house to lie down and sleep when a door is left open.
• Jess #1: Long haired border collie. Follows Allister around
• Jess #2: Queen bee. A bit old, and follows Steve around. Lovey once she trusts you.



Our backyard

• On top of all those characters there are 150 wild horses, over 300 sheep, cows, and various other farm life making for a full, lively, and always entertaining environment.

Anyway, getting back to the day's story. Gabby was not feeling any better, so I asked if we could hitch a ride with Lulu into town to see a doctor. One beautifully scenic drive later we were in Underberg, a small but cool outdoorsy, farming town. The doctor stoically and silently examined Gabby. He said it could either be a viral infection or shingles. He prescribed a cream to rub on the eye and an antibiotic that turned out to be pretty expensive. All drugged up, we headed back to Khotso. I'm still a bit nervous, but hopefully the drugs kick in and everything turns out ok. We decided that we would try going for a short hike around the farm, but a few minutes in Gabby stopped because she just wasn't feeling up to it. Even in our short walk we saw some absolutely incredible scenery; rolling hills full of grazing horse and sheep leading up to the towering Drakensberg Mountains and Lesotho. We can see the Kingdom of Lesotho from our backyard. We returned and Gabby napped for a bit. Eventually we were able to sit down with Adrian to find out our duties and responsibilities. Pretty simple stuff. It is really nice to have our expectations set up front rather than be expected to know them or try and figure them out. Later, Candice, Steve's 21 year old daughter, came with some friends to make dinner. They made an excellent butter chicken over rice that ran out way too soon for my liking. We ate and chatted with Lulu about education of the Zulu people and how squatters affect the farm. There are some seriously bizarre laws and rules in Africa. After dinner we said goodnight and watched The Emperor's New Groove in bed, much to Gabby's delight.

The Wheels on the Bus... - 11/12/12

I'm Sexy and I Know it

GABBY -We woke up with the sun in order to catch our bus leaving from Port Elizabeth at 6:55.  My eye had gotten worse overnight and hurt to keep open.  John was convinced it was a sty and gave me some eye ointment to apply.  Ben and I said goodbye to John and got into Andries’ buggy.  I slept in the back of the truck all the way to the Greyhound station in PE.  Andries was kind enough to make sure we were sorted with our bus tickets before saying goodbye and departing for a fun-filled day of working at his photography store.  The bus rolled to a stop right outside of where we were waiting.  We loaded our backpacks into the bottom compartment of the bus and walked to the upper deck and sat down in our seats.  The bus was much like a US Greyhound bus.  Ben even commented that it was “more comfortable than our flight here”.  There were even TVs, which played movies starting with “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” starring the hilarious Jim Carrey.  Periodically, the bus would stop for 15-20 minutes, which allowed us to get our chocolate, salt and vinegar Lay’s and Coca Cola fix.  Throughout the entire bus ride, my eye was in constant pain.  Sometimes I would try and keep it open to see the movie and it would immediately tear up and start throbbing.  It wasn’t quite swollen shut, but I tried to keep it closed as much as possible.  Anything else would cause extreme pain.  At this point, it was getting pretty close to the 5:25 p.m. time that Adrian and I agreed upon.  It was about 5:00 when I saw the sign that Kokstad was 170 km away.  That’s at least 1 hour if not 2.  Since Ben was sitting in the aisle and had a normal looking face, he was the one chosen to ask to borrow someone’s phone.  He did so smoothly and with grace and managed to use a woman’s phone to call Adrian’s number that she gave me via e-mail.  Ben talked to someone who didn’t seem to speak English well, but was able to get the point across that we were going to be at least an hour later than we said.  I get really stressed out if I am making people wait, so I tried to remain calm and think that there was nothing we could do about the current situation.  

Mthatha Traffic Jam

We passed through the town of Mthatha, which was experiencing gridlock traffic while we were passing through.  I was able to snap some pretty cool pictures of the small town as we stood still for close to an hour.  We managed to get out of the town and drive through beautiful mountain ranges that highlighted the incredible sunset.  I was getting more and more concerned that Adrian was not going to be there to greet us.  It was 8:20 when we finally pulled into the Kokstad Wimpy bus stop, which translates to a 3 hour delay .  It took us 13 ½ hours to reach our destination in Kokstad from PE.  I was convinced that we were going to need to spend the night in the hotel we spotted right behind the gas station and Wimpy (fast food burger joint).  We gathered our belongings and headed towards the fluorescent lights of the Wimpy.  As we were walking, I heard a voice call out my name.  I turned and saw a well dressed white guy approaching me.  He introduced himself as Adrian.  Apparently Adrian was not Steve’s daughter, as I originally thought, but a 22 year old guy from England.  I could not have been more relieved when I heard my name.  I had convinced myself of the scenario that we were going to have to stay the night in Kokstad, call an incredibly irritated Adrian, and possibly lose our volunteering opportunity because of a late bus.  I need to start wrapping my head around the fact that we are in Africa: no stress, no stress.  He had slept in the car for 3 hours and didn’t seem the least bit upset with the situation.  We hopped into Steve’s actual daughter’s small, white car and headed for Khotso backpackers.  It was a solid hour long drive, which was spent discussing the backpackers and lodge, the characters we would meet, travel stories, and volunteer duties.  It was nice to hear some of the stuff we would be expected to do.  Ben and I were able to ask more direct and appropriate questions about the backpackers having worked at one for the past 3 weeks.  I was a bit quiet and out of it in the back of the car due to the pain on the ride side of my head and neck.  Finally, we reached Khotso, which was located 6 km past Underberg (small town, but puts Addo to shame) and down an extremely long, pot-hole ridden dirt road.  We met Lulu and Steve, who are the owners of the farm.  Steve’s wife died about 10 years ago, and he remarried Lulu.  Lulu is a warm, hospitable woman from Mexico City who originally came to Khotso as a guest and ended up marrying Steve 8 years ago.  Steve is a gangly, older man who is obsessed with running.  He ran from Khotso to Knysna because his daughter lives there.  That’s an extremely far drive, let alone run.  They had prepared us a delicious dinner and made us feel right at home.  After dinner, we set off to bed in one of the backpacker’s nicest double rooms because our actual room still smelled of paint.  I already feel very welcome and comfortable with the people we have met.  Hopefully, this sentiment continues over the next month and a half here.      

Hot Hot Heat - 11/11/12

Top row left to right: John, Cheryl, Andries, Kait, Sarel, Regina, Lisa
Bottom row left to right: Gabby, Ben, Corinne
Left to right dogs: Ninja, Dopey,

Walking in the Orchard

GABBY - I woke up this morning with horrible pain on the right side of my neck, ear and eye.  I have been struggling with this pain for about a week, but today it came to a climax.  I broke down in the morning, scared of the unknown and lack of medical assistance here.  Currently, my right eye is swollen, and I have a swollen lymph node and glands on my neck and around my ear.  It is really painful, uncomfortable and frightening since I don’t know what it is.  Ben theorizes that it could be allergies or an insect bite.  Ben’s been really supportive and fed me some IB Profen, which seemed to help for the rest of the morning at least.  We went with Sarel to try and figure out the mystery that is the dirty tap water.  You can’t drink the tap water here, but you shower and brush your teeth with it.  For the past two days it has been tree bark brown.  We went into the orchards and to the dam, which is the source of the backpacker’s water.  No one really knew what we were looking for, but Sarel managed to kick some fishermen off of the private property.  Ben and I walked in the orchard for a bit, looking at the growing limes.  The orchard is stocked with lemon and orange trees, as well.  We returned back to Orange Elephant and enjoyed “pancakes” made by Regina and Lisa.  The German version of pancakes is the American version of crepes.  Americans just seem to do everything bigger than everyone else.  Even our pancakes are huge.  I wrote a couple postcards and melted in the unbelievable heat of the African sun.  It was 42 degrees Celsius, which meant about 107 degrees Fahrenheit.  Hello heat!  We tried our best to keep cool by sitting in the shade and lounging around.  Ben and I finished our laundry and retreated to our cave, which was surprisingly nice and cool to watch a movie/pack.  During the “Blood Diamond”, we cuddled occasionally, trying to avoid the exchange of too much body heat.  About halfway through the movie, we were pleasantly interrupted by an ice cream Lenmore’s run.  Everyone jumped in the car and bought multiple ice creams from the shop.  The ice cream pops were devoured within seconds.  After Ben and I finished the movie, we headed into the outdoor oven that was the backyard and prepared ourselves for the Sarel Sprinkler Session.  Sarel had control of a hose and let loose, spraying everything in reach of the water.  Ben and Sarel did push-ups while I dominantly sprayed them in the face, on the back, and down the shorts with the hose.  It was a really nice way to literally let off steam and cool off, while having a great time together.  Cheryl arrived back home first, followed by a liquefied John on his bike.  He was in a motorcycle getup similar to my dad’s, which consisted of a heavy jacket and pants to protect from any falls, flies, or foolish drivers.  Needless to say, the guy was drenched in sweat.  All of the volunteers, Kait and Sarel participated in a rousing game of speed ball (beer ball as Ben calls it) and eventually settled down to gaze at the sky illuminating sunset.  I was able to Skype with Amy and my parents, which was a nice treat.  I wanted to talk with them seeing as I don’t know what the Khotso internet will be like.  Could be the last time I speak to them in awhile.  We had a DIY dinner, which was a bit disappointing seeing as it was Ben and my last night in Addo.  We wanted a full on braii, but that wasn’t in the cards for the night.  We sat around and drank beers until I finally was able to coordinate a group picture of the whole Orange Elephant clan.  Ben was freaking out because Andrie’s took out a bunch of his camera gadgets and hooked them up to his camera.  His Rebel EOS has never looked so fancy.   We finished the night watching Friends and talking kak with Sarel.  It was very strange saying goodbye to everyone.  I’ve grown very close with Sarel and Corinne especially.  Lately, we have just been having so much fun with Sarel.  I feel like we are finally becoming very close and now it’s time to leave.   I know adventures await us in Southern Drakensburg, but it is never fun to say goodbye.    

Lookout! - 11/10/2012

Betty Crocker

BEN - Gabby woke up early to cover the reception desk as I slept in a nice long time.  When I got up and went to reception, I was greeted by a completely unexpected, and wonderful breakfast treat.  McDonalds Big Macs!  One random night we had been talking with Sarel about how we all secretly love, and crave McDonalds.  Sarel had been in Port Elizabeth early in the morning to drop off some guests, and very thoughtfully got us all a Big Mac for breakfast.  To top off our monging of American excess, Captain America was playing on TV.  We sat and watched, as Corinne rolled her eyes at the corny German accents the bad guys all had.  The afternoon got very hot, the hottest we have had yet; about 90 degrees F.   Summer is definately coming.  Gabby and I decided to get all our laundry done as this is our penultimate day in Addo.

After our chores we decided it was finally time to show everyone what they were missing the most here, chocolate chip cookies.  We whipped them up to the best of our abilities, substituting ingredients and cookware with whatever was lying around to get the job done.  The cookies turned out pretty well, although a bit different (I think because the South African brown sugar is much lighter than the US).  Everyone liked them and I of course ate more than my fill (of both dough and cookies).  The other big excitement of the evening was that I was able to talk with my extended family, who are all in Michigan for the annual autumn leaf rake.  Everyone seems to be doing well, especially Aunt Laurie and Jim who have gotten engaged!  Congratulations!!!

The lookout

The night was clear, so the crew decided it would be a good night to go to a lookout of the valley.  We drove down a bunch of dirt roads and climbed up a staircase to have a wonderful view of the entire Addo Valley.  We all hung out and took pictures as the sun set and turned from bright yellow to orange to pink as it disappeared behind the mountains.  When we returned, Gabby and I decided to go over the Hazel's for a final delicious appetizer.  We had fresh sweet potato bread with hummus  and warthog kabobs.  Warthog is interesting, kind of tough, but covered in a sweet pineapple sauce that was tasty.  We chatted with Hazel and Randy about their new restaurant location for awhile; they are getting very excited.  We got back to the backpackers and decided to go to bed.  Of course, Sarel was not about to let that happen calling us 'soft cocks,' an endearing new South African phrase.  We ended up staying up and watching a movie before going to bed.

Home Alone - 11/09/12

GABBY - Happy Birthday Momma!

Today, my mom turns another year older (won’t say which one), but she looks younger than ever!  It’s weird not being able to call her and say “Happy Birthday”.   Today my family is spread out over 3 different continents: USA, Africa, and Asia.  Well, Mom if/when you read this, Happy Birthday, I love you! 

Andries, the professional photographer and Allderman family friend

Ben, Corinne and I held down the fort today because Sarel and the Germans left for a full day in the park and John and Cheryl went to P.E. to prepare for their night of braiing with friends and time away from the backpackers.  It is still a little unclear where they are going, but we know it will be just us tonight and most of the day tomorrow.  We made some delicious egg, Vienna (hot dog), mushroom, and cheese breakfast sandwiches before getting to our maintenance work.  Ben began cleaning our flat from last night’s carnage, while I talked kak with Kait, Andries, and Corinne.  I joined him to take the rickety, wooden pong table back to its rightful place outside of Hazel and Randy’s.  As we walked, pieces of the table fell to the ground.  We made it to the restaurant with about 3/4 of the table we started with.  Yikes, that will be the last time anyone ever plays a drinking game on that table.  Ben and I split up the chores, me on mopping our flat and Ben on window painting.  I finished mopping and then started varnishing the wooden door I sanded 2 days ago.  I worked for awhile until Corinne and Andy decided it was time for lunch.  We just went right up the road to Lenmore’s and got some premade curry bunnies – fried dough sandwiches with curry veggies and ground beef in the middle.  After lunch we returned to painting and varnishing.  I listened to the Beyond Unison mixes, which made the time go quickly.  I finished the door as John and Cheryl pulled in.  John gave me some positive remarks on the door, which was unexpected.  We lounged around for the rest of the day, saying goodbye to John and Cheryl for the weekend.  I started to feel sick with some stomach pains, so I went to snooze it off for awhile.  2 ½ hours later, Ben woke me up and got me moving again.  At around 8:00, the kids finally rallied and started preparing for dinner.  We had pretty immaculate burgers with toppings of tomatoes, lettuce, hot cheese sauce, fried onions, sweet Thai chili sauce, and cheddar cheese.  Corrine and Kait even whipped up some chips (fries)!  We ate outside as one big happy family and divvied up jobs for dish duty.  I think we had a record number of people in the kitchen to help clean up – 6.  Many hands make light work!  Everyone was exhausted (except for me due to my 2 ½ hour nap), so we went back to our flat, finished the 5^th (2^nd) Star Wars movie and fell asleep.  I’m not sure what we are going to do because we are missing the 6^th and final movie, which happens to be my favorite.  We have to find it somewhere.  I feel as I have some unfinished business with Darth Vader to attend to.   

Lisa and Regina - the 2 German volunteers

Check Ben and my Facebooks for recently updated pictures from our entire trip thus far!

Elephunk - 11/08/2012

My favorite picture I've taken so far

Hands down the weirdest animal in the whole kingdom

BEN - Saweeeet!  Somehow Sarel got  John and Cheryl to agree to let us tag along on another full day game drive in the national park!  Gabby and I jumped at the chance, thankful to get away from the paint fumes and reception desk.  We packed up and headed out with Sarel and a timid, but friendly English couple.  We listened to Sarel's spiel; listing facts, picking up a dung beetle and letting it crawl around, etc. Eventually, we started spotting some animals.  Our first elephant was a giant, lone male bull.  He was definitely in heat, as he had a massive prominent feature that no one could miss, dangling and dragging on the ground (hint: it wasn't his trunk).  We moved on and spotted the requisite varieties of antelope; zebra, kudu, red hearted beast.  Finally we spotted a large herd of elephants moving through the bush towards a road.  We stationed ourselves right in the herds path and waited.  This was the largest herd we've seen so far with lots of young teenage elephants, and the smallest baby we have seen.  It was amazing watching the entire herd circle up around the little guy to cross the road safely.  The baby was too cute, all floppy ears and swinging trunk, marching proudly as close as possible to his momma.  After a few more elephant encounters we went to the picnic site for another lekker braii.  The day was beautiful and hot and our mission for the afternoon was to spot a lion, which was said to be seen in the southern section of the park.  We drove into this less tread upon and less touristy section and started our search.  Almost immediately, Sarel called 'Lion' and we all jumped to one side of the vehicle scanning the grasslands.  We saw what he was looking at, a small patch of white that didn't seem to be moving.  We waited a bit before calling it a rock and moving on.  We drove the long, hilly loops of the southern side with the occasional warthog or ostrich sighting.  Gabby even got in a nice dos in the backseat.  With no lions in sight, we decided to return to the first area.  Again we returned to the mysterious, white rock.  It hadn't moved in the hour or two since were last there.  This made us certain that it was a rock, "when all of a sardine", the rock rolled over, and put a giant paw in the air.  Boom lions!  Sarel couldn't have been more proud of himself.  The combination of telephoto lenses and binoculars allowed us to just make out that there were two males and a female, probably the same we had seen on our first trip to the park.  We watched for awhile and got an occasional scratch, head lift, or upturned paw, but it seemed that the cats were going to nap the day away and not move any closer (lions sleep 19 hours a day).   We called it a day and exited the park.  When we returned to the backpackers, Andries (family friend and professional photographer) had arrived again, so we sat and talked for a bit, Gabby even earning herself the endearing nickname 'Cupcake.'  John and Cheryl got back and asked if we could whip up something for dinner.  Gabby proved herself once again, making a creamy tomato sauce with mushrooms that we drizzled over pasta.  Later it was decided that Andries must experience some good old fashioned American drinking games, so we set up a table and taught everyone chesties, the most hilarious and ridiculous drinking game we know.  Everyone loved it and we had a blast, Andries taking beautiful portraits the whole time (when he wasn't playing).  Great day!

GO PIRATES! - 11/07/12

Flak vark - Pumbaa

Private room in Kilimanjaro  

GABBY - We woke up to another morning of John in a grumpy mood.  Ben and I defined him as a bully.  His bullying nature can be really off-putting and nasty, which I don’t understand and don’t mesh well with.  During our pillow talk last night, I told Ben that he runs an interactive, friendly, cultural business with brute force.  It could be managed with so much more grace and so much less hostility.  So, we woke up to another morning of that.  I can tell Ben is getting frustrated and stir-crazy.  There are things we still want to do here, and it’s looking like it is becoming less likely as the days dwindle down.  We are leaving Orange Elephant in 5 days.  We set-off doing some mundane window painting until we decided to try and check an item off of Ben’s list of things to do before we leave.  We went over to Hazel’s to see if she could whip us up some of her highly recommended Springbok burgers.  It was a miracle that she was actually there, considering they have stopped serving lunch there altogether to give them more time to prepare their new place.  She told us that she was going to the new restaurant for an hour, but would be back to make us some burgers.  Score!  At least something was going right for us today!  We returned back to paint for an hour and then sat down to enjoy the freshness that is Hazel’s cooking.  Randy was also in a foul mood, having kicked 2 customers out last night because he overheard them bitching about prices.  The aggression is almost too much to bear around here sometimes.  We waited patiently for our burgers and sipped on Cokes.  Hazel served us the burgers with chips (fries) and salad topped with her famous honey mustard –esque dressing.  Hazel strikes again!  The food was delicious and worth our weeks of waiting.  We returned to our work in a much better mood; satisfied and full.  We finished our task for the day, showered, and changed for our big night out on the town –ship.  Sarel and Kait have a friend who works in the park that invited us all to a jazz club in the townships called Kilimanjaro.  I have never been in a township at night, but we were meeting someone and were in a group of 7.  I didn’t think this was the smartest idea, but no one else seemed to have any reservations.  We got in the car and drove as the sun seemed to set with incredible speed, making it darker and darker.  We walked into the jazz club to find an entirely black crowd.  No sign of Marcel.  There weren’t that many people there, maybe 10, but oh the looks we got.  I think the bartender could count the number of times a white person stepped into that club on her right hand.  We made a beeline for the bar, which was behind steel bars.  I didn’t feel unsafe, but I certainly didn’t feel comfortable.  I hate to admit that I was thinking of ways to best protect myself, should any danger arise.  Awful thoughts, but I just want to be prepared.  We were directed into a small room with a sliding glass door with couches and a flat screen TV.  Overall, the club was really clean, almost to the point of immaculate.  We drank and talked, easing the mood and my mind.  There was a football (soccer) game on and clear Orlando Pirates fans in the building.  The Pirates scored and the place erupted with cheers.  After an hour or so, and Marcel still a no-show, we decided to depart.  On the way out, we passed a lot of fans watching the game, so I shouted, “GO PIRATES” as we left.  The place literally ignited with screams, cheers, whistles, and hollers.  It was an ice breaker, which occurred a little too late, I think.  I still left with a smirk on my face and with the notion that people aren’t so different from each other.  A sport is a sport; fans are fans.  You can rally fans wherever you are in this sports-obsessed world of ours.  After Kilimanjaro, we went to Africanos for more drinks and pool.  Ben and I kicked ass, winning 3 games straight.  I’m getting better!!  We returned to the backpackers extremely hungry and a bit drunk.  We made some sandwiches out of the roasted chicken and gobbled them up in what felt like a fraction of a second.  Ben and I walked through the rain and exhaustedly fell into bed.

Paw Prints - 11/06/2012

Our paw print mosaic

African buffalo

BEN - We woke up early and excited, packed up quickly and jumped in the car with Sarel.  This morning we had planned a horse ride in the national park.  We drove to the main gate where we passed as South Africans (for a discounted price) and continued on to the main office.  We walked in and were told that the ride today would be outside and along the fence because the lions were too nearby.   We were also told that our chances of seeing any animals were very small (obviously because we weren’t even going to be in the park)!  This was not what we had signed up for, so we rescheduled and headed home dejectedly.   Bummer.  Gabby and I decided that we would spend our morning grouting our paw print table and officially finishing it.  We wrestled with and eventually figured out the grout and filled in all the cracks with the nasty stuff.  The table looks pretty cool and now resides in front of the backpackers for all to see.  After the table completion, Gabby went for a dos while I went into town and ran some errands with Sarel.  We picked up slap chips and coke in a glass bottle, and feasted on our oily treats with a side of Gabby’s sandwiches when we got back.  In the afternoon Gabby and I joined the German girls in another wonderful round of sand, paint, and paint again.  This time our canvases were window frames.  John was in a terrible mood all day and was snapping at people left and right, putting everyone in a crappy mood and on edge.  We ate dinner and decided to get out of the negative atmosphere.  Sarel suggested we each grab a beer and follow him.  The three of us went out into the front field/lawn and sat under the stars.  We had a bit of a bitch fest about what is wrong with the way some things happen around here.  We had a really good time just sitting, talking, and getting things off of our chest.  Sarel has become a good friend and we are lucky to have good people like him and Corinne to keep us sane sometimes.

Hey Pumbaa, Not in Front of the Kids - 11/5/12

Baby!!!

GABBY - WOO HOO!  Yesterday, we found out from John that we were able to go on a full game drive with Sarel as our guide.  A German couple was going, so that meant there were 3 extra seats in the Condor.  We asked Corinne if she wanted to join, and she delightfully and thankfully agreed.  A full day tour in the park means, you get to the park around 9:00 a.m., enjoy a morning of Sarel-guided driving around Addo Elephant National Park, feast on a braii for lunch, and end with another 3 or 4 hours of driving.  It’s actually a super tiring tour because you are focusing your eyes on the brush to find animals and you are driving in a car for 6-7 hours.  Ben and I were ecstatic to be in the park again because it is only our second time and it is a full day tour.  The one thing that sucks about the Condor is it doesn’t have windows that roll down in the very back seat.  Ben and I switched off so that each of us would spend about half the time in the 1^st row of seats with the telephoto lens and the window that rolled down.  Ben started off and was able to snap some great pictures of elephants walking directly next to our vehicle.  We came across a herd of elephants with the smallest, baby elephant I have ever seen.  The full grown elephants really guard and protect the babies.  It is obvious that the little ones are really skittish and easily frightened by cars, loud noises, or any foreign presences.  Sarel stopped the car and picked up a dung beetle that was crossing the road.  He gave an up-close and personal view of the creature for everyone to see.  One thing I didn’t know was that the dung beetles try and push the dung balls, which house their laid eggs, under the brush.  Doing this not only hides their eggs from predators, but also provides a natural cycle of compost and manure for the Addo brush.  Ben and I switched spots, so that I could get some hopefully frame-worthy photographs.  We had a bit of a dry spell until we came to a watering hole.  It was a hot, sunny day, so the animals were gathering.  There were warthogs (flak farq in Afrikaans), exotic birds, and elephants.  One elephant was particularly interested in cooling himself off.  He would dip his trunk into the water and either tip his head up to drink from it, or spray himself with the liquid he collected.  Watching him splash around was the highlight of my day.  It was a fascinating sight to see him spray water and mud on himself to try and beat the heat.  We decided to break for lunch at a picnic site, heavily guarded by electric fences and barbed wire.  Sarel started the grill, which meant he lit the mass amount of coconut shells on fire and added some charcoal.  Usually a braii is cooked with wood, but since this wasn’t the full production braii, charcoal was used.  We enjoyed spiced chicken kabobs and boerwors with rolls and pasta salad.  After our lunch, we got back into the car and saw our first African buffalo on the southern side of the park!  There were two grazing in the bush to our right.  We continued on and stopped on a hill overlooking elephant, warthog, ostrich, zebra, and kudu when we heard a lion’s roar.  Sarel’s ears perked up and he immediately stuck his head out the window and put the truck in reverse.  The zebra and ostrich also reacted to the call by picking up their heads looking in the lion’s general direction.  We waited for a couple minutes, but decided to move on with the realization that it could be quite far away, since these calls can carry great distances.  We didn’t see any lions, but I would call it a very successful day in the park.

My favorite of the day

For dinner, we had a jambon with a roux sauce, boiled cauliflower and potatoes, mashed pumpkin, and salad.  Ben and I helped to boil the potatoes, pumpkin, and cauliflower.  I watched and learned as Kait made a roux for the jambon.  We went to bed feeling full from the delicious meal and satisfied with the game drive.    

Roux Recipe

Ingredients: mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, butter, flour, milk, cheese

Sautee mushrooms with Worcestershire sauce, oil, and spices.  In a separate pot, melt butter over heat.  Then, take 2 handfuls of flour and add it to the pot.  Next, add milk and whisk.  Continue to add milk and/or flour until you've gotten the right consistency.  Add mushrooms and shredded cheddar cheese to the sauce.  Stir until cheese is melted. 

Mashed Pumpkin Recipe

Ingredients: pumpkin, spices, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon

Peel and de-gut pumpkin.  Cut into small pieces and add them to a pot of boiling water.  Boil for about 30 minutes until soft.  Mash the pieces in a bowl and add butter, spices, brown sugar, and cinnamon to taste.