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| 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.
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| 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.
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