Rorkes Drift

The second (and better known) of the two battles associated with this place is the battle of Rorkes Drift. Fresh from the victory at Isandlwana, a contingent of 3,000-4,000 of the Zulu warriors who had not tasted battle moved to the south to attack the British camp at Rorkes Drift.

The camp consisted mostly of a group of engineers, left in charge of the bridge, and a field hospital. All in all fewer than 100 British soldiers successfully defended the encampment from the onslaught.

Our guide, Dalton, told us of the time between the two battles, the origin of the buildings at Rorkes Drift and finally of the battle itself. How could one help but have been moved?









Once again, Kevin had brought poppies to decorate the memorials of both sides.

Our drive back was slowed considerably by the occurrence of a huge thunder storm accompanied by hail ranging up to marble-size. It was an adventure, but Kevin got us home safely with the aid of Angie's navigation.

Wherever you are today, I hope you've been moved by something!

Don Bergquist – 15 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

My god! It's Full Of Stars!

It is about three thirty and I am wide-awake. For some reason I cannot exactly put my finger on, I came awake about thirty minutes ago. Not being able to go to sleep again, I grabbed a glass of water and headed out to the verandah of my room to look out at the sky.

Immediately, the line from 2010 by Arthur C. Clark sprang to mind. David Bowman's last words broadcast to the Earth as he fell into the monolith were "My God! It's full of stars!"

Even with the layer of smoke clinging to the valley, the skies are clearer than I have seen since I was in Arizona for the first time years ago. The Milky Way is clearly visible running through the sky. The sounds of the night animals are the only company my thoughts and I have as we sit here, staring over the dark landscape. The world is at peace.

Wherever you are this morning, I hope you’re enjoying a quiet moment alone with your thoughts

Don Bergquist – 15 November 2007 – Isandlwana Lodge, Zululand, South Africa

Isandlwana

Today's adventure was to visit the battlefield at Isandlwana. The less famous of two related battles I the Anglo-Zulu war, The Battle of Isandlwana took place 22 January 1879. Other than the occasional reference by my friends to the battle (for which I had no context), I had never heard of Isandlwana before the planning for this trip began.

In short, a massively outnumbered British force had crossed the Buffalo River into Zulu territory and was destroyed by the Zulu army. In a single day, 1,200 British forces fell to an army armed only with spears. Granted, the size of the opposing armies was greatly disparate; the Zulus numbered 25,000. Even at the three-to-one ratio that the Zulus fell that day, sheer number made it inevitable that the battle was lost before it began.

We had a local man whose great-grandfather had been on the battlefield that day. It was fascinating to hear the stories of what led to the war, what happened that day, and the aftermath. It was moving to be in a place where such a horrific battle took place.

Before leaving, we climbed Isandlwana Mountain to the place where the last of the British troops fell. Kevin had brought some poppies and, it being the week of Remembrance Sunday, he placed a wreath on both the British and Zulu Memorials. It was a very moving day.

Returning to the Isandlwana Lodge, a lovely little hotel overlooking the battlefield, we had a dip in the pool and then dinner and drinks. After a while looking at the stars on the veranda, I turned in with the sounds of the night filling my room.

Wherever you are tonight, I hope you've had a moving experience today.

Don Bergquist – 14 November 2007 – Isandlwana Lodge, Zululand, South Africa

Chilling

Today we've done nothing of note. How wonderful just to hang-out with friends, splash around in the pool, have a bite of lunch, do whatever comes into our heads. This afternoon, we had lunch at a fish and chips shop in Ballito. It was excellent.

Tonight we have a trip to the pub planned and then it's back here for a braai dinner. Other than that, we're just chillin'.

Wherever you are today, I hope your day is as pleasant.

Don Bergquist – 13 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

Shopping

Apparently, it's the biggest mall in the southern hemisphere. A whole bunch of shopping! Oh Boy! To quote an old line from a comedian (which one, I cannot remember) "there is a reason the menswear is located right inside the door to the mall…"

It was interesting at least to see the differences between what you'd see in a mall here and a mall back home. The building is more-or-less the same. This one was a bit more opulent than some, and more diverse. There was a three-storey rock climbing structure at one end where the atmosphere of the air-conditioned park-like setting changed to more cave-like, but al-in-all, it was still a mall.

We were there to get stuff that everyone needed to buy while here. A few things to bring back to London, or to the flat in Ballito, a lot of shopping to take advantage of the exchange rate between the pound sterling and the rand. At the best of time I do not really enjoy shopping… I run in, get what I need, run out. It is almost as if I am afraid that I will spontaneously combust if I spend too much time in a mall.

Besides that, I already have too much stuff to bring back to the states with me in two weeks. It is as if need to get more stuff. So I walked down the mall, looking at the people and the way they interact with each other. People Watching: the one really good reason to go to a mall; in my humble opinion.

There are subtle differences. There were more bare feet than I would expect to see. Perhaps it was an anomaly, but shortly after one guy walked in with three sons in tow (all bare below the ankles), I spotted a woman walking around barefoot. Ironically, she had two shoeboxes in her arms.

The real difference was the behavior of the staff. They were helpful. Too helpful. On the off chance that there would be a store that I actually wanted to see, I stopped to peruse the directory. There were a number of stores whose names were familiar, even more that weren't.

After a few minutes of reading through the list, a uniformed person came over and stood at my right, just in my field of vision. "May I help you find something?" he asked. I assured him that I was just looking and had no specific destination in mind. Okay. That was strange.

The fact that it happened two more times with more-or-less the same exchange in the space of the time it took me to read through the list is what makes this interesting. It wasn't 'til I had re-grouped with my friends that it was brought to my attention that I had missed something. Something that was pretty obvious now that I think about it. There seemed to be more staff than shoppers in the mall.

We had adventures trying to get out of the parking lot due to a malfunctioning exit gate that would not open, then when it chose to open, it slammed shut before we could reach it to exit. Drinks and dinner later, we finished another wonderful chill-out day of holiday

Wherever you are today, I hope that you're having a lovely day!

Don Bergquist – 12 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

Happy Birthday to my cousin, Michael

The Prawn Shack

What a blast! In a trip that has been rife with good times and adventures, today has been another highlight. My friends who have been here before have been trying to tell me about this place but nothing that they said fully captured the spirit of The Prawn Shack fully.

Let's start with our preparations: we hired a local that the owner of the pub recommended as a driver to take us up there and back. This proved to be an excellent preparation as the food and wine flowed the entire time we were there. Around noon, we headed north on the motorway for a leisurely afternoon lunch/diner.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial for the place, you've got to go there! The views of the beach are spectacular, the food is exquisite, and the atmosphere is totally relaxed. We arrived at the beach about an hour north of Ballito and were greeted with a round of Camparinhos.

The bar is literally a shack! It has a sand floor and swings instead of bar stools. After drinks you head up to the deck above the bar to enjoy a leisurely seven courses of the local delicacies. As you can tell from the name, feature heavily. They appeared in four of the seven courses. Heck! There is even a live prawn/tequila shooter.

There is no worry about accidentally breaking dishes either, the bowls are all hewn out of logs, the plates and the glasses are enameled tin. The shot glasses and the fish tank was the only glass I saw there.

The dessert was one that was unusual as well: caramelized camembert! Wheels of cheese covered in sugar, caramelized to a crunchy finish and served with crackers and fruit to top.

What a great afternoon! The staff were friendly and we all had a great time. I so enjoyed myself that I want to share the experience. If you find yourself in the area of Durban and want a thoroughly enjoyable experience, look them up! Their website is the place to get more information: www.prawnshack.co.za

Wherever you are today, I hope you've had a relaxing, enjoyable day surrounded by friends.

Don Bergquist – 11 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

Veterans Day

Sleeping In

I didn't get up 'til almost 07:30 this morning. The first thing I did was to unpack the computer, offload my pictures and start looking at them. I think I go some really nice pictures!

I then spent most of the morning while the rest of the group slept in drinking coffee, working on my pictures, and catching-up, transferring the notes I had kept of the safari into the document I am writing for updating my blog when I return to London.

The maid showed-up just before ten. I asked her if she could have waited as my friends were still asleep but she didn't seem to understand the question. She wiped few surfaces, made the bed, and pushed a dust mop over part of the floor and left.

Remaining notes from the Safari: Drivers here are crazy! The things they do on the roads disturb and amaze me! There were a number of times the drivers ahead of us came perilously close to disaster yesterday on our ride back. People here seem to take a very caviler view of when they need to clear the road. A couple times, we saw people just sauntering across the motorway!

Phil and Lucy are returning this afternoon from their trip to Kruger and we'll compare notes, swap stories, and go to the pub. (Though, not necessarily in that order...) We've ordered a curry for tonight. I am sure this will be one hell of a day. It is getting on in the morning, I am off for a swim.

Wherever you are today, I hope you'll have an excellent day!

Don Bergquist – 10 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

Downer Moment

With the great time I've been having, what a strange notion that I would be down. This evening as we were sitting after dinner, having a drink and chatting of the things we had done and the things we were going to do, I had a really down moment.

It happened as my friends were making plans for the holidays. Who was hosting which dinners, where they were going on Boxing Day, etc. It suddenly occurred to me that the plans that were being made didn't include me. I'm going home. This is my last blast as a part of the group.

The dinners they are planning will be for them; the parties will not include invites for me. It made me sad to think that the next time I see these friends of mine will be months (or years) away after this month ends. Unless they come to the states on holiday or I return to the UK on business or on holiday, we will not be sharing a beer at the pub.

I guess that I am looking at this from the wrong angle, though. I had these same feelings when I left Tampa for Memphis, then again when I left Memphis for Denver. Heck, I had the same fears that my friends in Colorado would not remember me if I had the opportunity to move to London.

I guess that the thing to do is to remember the good times, hope that the pleasant memories are mutual and hope to see my friends again as soon as possible.

Wherever you are tonight, I hope you'll take a moment to think of the special friends you have in your life.

Don Bergquist – 10 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

Safari And Stupidity

It was another great day at the park! I've been getting-up naturally early with just the alarm on my watch as a back up, but I have been awake before it each morning. My first task on this trip each morning is to make hot water for the flask so we can have coffee and tea before we pack the bus to go and then again in a couple hours at our breakfast stop.

This morning, we packed the bus for going home, headed out and had another wonderful day of spotting animals. We saw hyeanas and crocodiles for the first time. We also saw lots of reptiles: geckos, monitors, snakes, etc.

The encounter of note today was not between the wildlife and us this time. At a stop at the Hilltop Camp, we saw a couple of local guys who decided (in spite of the signs) to try and approach a cape buffalo to get a better picture. They soon found-out that there was a reason for the warnings. The buffalo charged them. One of them lost their shoes trying to run away. Luckily, (for them) the buffalo was more interested in asserting his territory than in getting them. He stopped after a few steps. They kept running.

There was some idiot driving along with one of his passengers hanging out the open window of the car sitting on the door, hanging onto the roof. Besides being dangerous, it spooks the animals. However, the idiot of the day award goes to the couple who actually parked their car, got out and tried to get their own picture standing in front of a herd of zebra that were totally freaked by their presence.

Mid-afternoon we drove back to Ballito for a stop at the pub for some drinks and a dinner at a local restaurant. Then, totally knackered from all the activity, we turned in. We're all planning on sleeping-in tomorrow.

Wherever you are today, I hope you've had an excellent day!

Don Bergquist – 09 November 2007 – Ballito, South Africa

Roughing It And Other Adventures

Camp just doesn't seem the right word for it. The tents are not so much tents as canvas hotel rooms. If scout camp had been anything like this, I would have loved it! I liked scout camp, but this place is great!

The tents are huge and on raised wooden platforms about three feet off the ground. Each is comprised of two rooms: a sleeping area big enough for two single beds, a cabinet and the other accoutrements you'd be likely to find in any hotel room; and the bathroom with a huge shower, lavatory and basin. Each tent also has a large covered entry area with outside seating. A thirty-foot raised deck that has a large kitchen tent with sink, cooker, and refrigerator joins the two tents. Of the kitchen is a deck with a picnic table. Just down the steps from this is a braai (barbecue grill).

Last night we returned later than we had planned and had to eat in the dark. There are lights in all three tents of the suite, but they do not shed much light on the dining deck. Oh, they also turn off all the power at 22:00.

Today we had another great day of spotting game. Angie and Terry really are good at this! They took us to some great places to spot game, birds, reptiles, everything. The weather continued to behave itself and we had a good day for spotting.

It has worked-out great too! Kevin has done most of the driving in the park with Angie navigating from the front seat. I've been allowed to sit in the middle with Terry in the back. I know that the back of the van is the least comfortable seat, but Terry keeps saying that the middle is better for shooting pictures. I have easy access to open windows on both sides of the van.

Speaking of photography, I think I am getting some good pictures. I hope so at least! I have filed three cards on my camera… I cannot wait to get back to civilization to see the shots on something larger than the 1.5" preview on the back of the camera!

An interesting shot that I got was of a baby rhinoceros nursing. I guess I knew that they suckled their young, but I have never seen it! The calf just lay down in the middle of the road and started feeding off its mother. What a cool sight!

The big adventures for today include seeing my first lion in the wild. We saw a female, a juvenile, and a cub cross the road in front of us. Unfortunately, I was not in a position to shoot because they were right in front of us. Kevin was looking off to the left trying to spot where they had gone in the underbrush when he happened to catch movement out of the corner of his eye. This big female had hung back to watch that the family was safe before joining them.

A little ways on, we saw a family of rhinoceros ahead of us. They were crossing the road when we came upon them as they were crossing the road. They were already agitated because the stupid family ahead of us (family of humans) was hanging out the top of their vehicle to take pictures. Guys, here is a word of advice: Fight the urge! Don't leave your vehicle or break the line by standing up out of the sunroof, or hanging out the windows. It spooks the game and you will lose the chance to see whatever it is that you are trying to get a better view of.

So, spooked already, the group was watching us very closely as we inched past them on the road. The bull was off the road by about ten feet… really too close to get to a rhino! To our left was the thicket they were in, to the right a pretty sheer decline into the valley.

According to the reconstructions we all shared later here is what happened:

Kevin decided that it was safe to go because they were paying no attention to us. I was trying to move my camera from the right side to the left to get shots of the beast as we passed. We got just a little too close for the bull's comfort and he charged.

Kevin did lots of mental calculation. "We're going over the cliff unless I can keep it on the road. I turn the wheel to the left and gun it to keep it on the road… that kind of thing."

Angie was looking out the window and saw the beast come to within a foot of the side and so she rolled up the window and braced for impact.

Terry was trying to decide how to explain this to the rental car company: "you see, there was this rhino…" would start the explanation. Our tale would be met by eye rolling of the "Oh! Not that old story again" variety and we would lose the deposit on the van.

I pictured the side of the van collapsing as the main horn was headed straight for me. It came within inches of hitting the side of the van. I dropped the camera on the seat next to me, grabbed to the handholds and yelled "Oh, god! Oh, God! OH GOD!"

At the last second and with distance estimates varying from a couple to a few inches, the beast feinted and moved off… we were heading out of his personal space by that point had he was convinced he had scared us off. He had!

In the aftermath, we all laughed, caught or breaths and exchanged our views of what we had just been through.

Wherever you are today, I hope you've had an exciting day!

Don Bergquist – 08 November 2007 – Mpila Camp, Imfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa

Tales From The Pub

"So Seriously, I mean it!" Jones, the big bull, was saying to his companions. They all stood around the floor of The Watering Hole pub reliving the day at the office for the delight and amusement of their friends.

"I had just said to Johnson: 'Johnson,' I said, 'all it is going to take is one more thing to set me off!' it had been a bad day. First, I showed-up and discovered that the grass I had chomped just a week ago had been replaced and I had to chomp it down again! I mean who does this!?

"Have you noticed it? You get rid of a particularly bothersome clump only to have some asshole replace it so that the next time you come by, there it is!"

His companions are all muttering and nodding their assent.

"And then to make it worse, you have the boss riding your back! Mr. Redbill, the little twerp! I mean sure, he gets rid of the bugs in the system, but what kind of qualifications does he have? And, am I wrong, he seems a bit flighty to me."

This elicits a laugh as he takes another slug off his grass juice highball.

"So anyway, with the boss riding me, and the problem trying to decide which project to tackle next, what should happen but this big-ass white box comes up behind me. It was making this strange sound… kind of a rumbling sound so I turned to watch. It quit making that noise and then I could hear a clicking sound.

"Well, this I didn't like at al so I told the big white box-beast to just fuck off and get on with whatever he was supposed to be doing. But is the box-beast smart enough to comply? No! He isn't! He just stands there!"

At this point, Smith tries to add to the story that he had seen a big blue box-beast a few days ago, but Jones didn't stop talking long enough to allow him an entry.

"I took my best 'Bugger Off' stance. Finally, the idiot white box-beast got the idea and started to retreat, I gave him what-for! Advancing to make sure that he didn't come back, I made sure he got the point. I had a lot to do!

"After that, I got back to a bit of clump chopping I had on my agenda before the evening meeting. What a day!" and then to the bar maid he added, "Flossy, another one over here please!"

Charlie Jones, Cape Buffalo First Class – 07 November 2007 – The Watering Hole pub, Imfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa

Imfolozi Game Reserve

Regular readers of my blog may remember that I was in South Africa on business back at the end of the summer. (Their Summer – not ours; I was here in February/March.) At that time, my colleague from the Denver Office who was out in Randberg with me and I went to Pilanesberg Game Reserve (near Sun City Center) on a weekend and I christened it a "Dearth of Game Park". It never prepared me for the Imfolozi Game Reserve.

The weather was foreboding as we got up this morning. It was coming down in buckets and the forecast was for it to continue raining all day. The entire drive up here was misty, drizzly or rainy. We stopped at the last town of any size (about an hour's drive from Ballito and halfway to the park) to eat breakfast: pickle sandwiches, a boiled egg, cold sausages, and coffee. I took over driving at that point and carried on to the park.

About twenty kilometers from the park entrance, the weather relented. Full of hope, I turned off the wipers. A few minutes later, I pointed out to the wiper status to my friends. It would be overly generous to say that the weather was good today, but it seemed, grudgingly to cooperate with us. The skies remained overcast and the air damp. At least it was not hot and it was not raining.

This place is huge! The game here is much more ever-present than at Pilanesberg. Almost immediately, we saw giraffe! It was our first sighting and was within minutes of entering the reserve. It was far from the last. I can't remember all the things we saw, but the number was impressive.

There is something called "The Big Five" here in South Africa. It is a list of the five most dangerous animals to hunt. (The Big Five are: Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Lion and Rhinoceros.) Of the five, we saw three on the first day.

Other than having a great day with good friends, being in an awe-inspiring place, and seeing loads of game in the wild, there are two things about today that stand out in my memory. The first is seeing a grouping of Rhinoceros. They were back off the road only a few feet. The size of them was impressive! Even more impressive is that I am told that this group is a bachelor herd… they are not fully-grown!

Seeing elephants feeding as a family was another cool sight! There was a big male (we took to be the father), a few medium sized males, a large female and a small female. They grazed on the grasses and trees just off the road and sauntered back-and-forth across the road slowly feeding as they pleased. We tried inching past the group after watching them feed for a while. It was obvious from the way one of the bulls flapped his ears at us that we were no longer welcome… he was getting annoyed. So we drove on.

One of the last things we saw was a heard of Cape Buffalo standing around in the middle of the road doing nothing much. We stopped and watched them. Some were grazing; some were just standing there as the oxpeckers combed their coats for mites, bugs and other tasty morsels. One, a large bull, stood in the center of the road defiantly as we approached. He stood us off. We stopped a good distance back and watched a while and then he took a more aggressive stance. It was clear we should leave. We did. Backing off slowly as he advanced to match our retreat. He followed us just far enough to assert his superiority over us. We were the vanquished and he wanted us to know it. It was a Mexican Standoff South African style.


Wherever you are today, I hope you've done something new and exciting.

Don Bergquist – 07 November 2007 – Mpila Camp, Imfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa