Those who have and those who don't

Security is an issue in Cape Town and almost every house displays a plaque from their security company as a deterrant to would be burgalars. Obviuosly you don't want to mess with these guys but not evertone can afford the ultimate protection:

Homeward Bound

Saturday was the start of the long journey back to the UK. It started with a 20 hour coach journey back to Cape Town and then a 15 hour plane ride back to the UK. Not only that but I learn the weather is 6 degrees C in the UK and it is 30 degrees C in Port St John.

Not only are there extremes in temperature but as I travel back to the western world I become consious of the extremes of wealth and poverty in South Africa. In Port St John people of living on 5 rand a day which is about 35p. A teacher in the school in Sisonke is paid 1000 rand a month or £74. Admittedly the cost of living is a lot cheaper and life is more laid back in this part of the world. However walking through the tourist spots of Cape Town I am suddenly aware of the number of white faces snapping up pictures of Table Mountain. In the harbour is the cruise ship "The World." How many of those passengers will experience the real South Africa?

Friday 1st Feb

Today it is my last day and we spent the morning at the school finishing off the path to our shelter. Already the shelter is being used by Prince. He is a helper in the school who teaches the children local craft. Here he is making some money boxes and jewelary boxes with the children which he hopes to sell for 100 rand which will pay for their school fees for a month.

Before I leave the school we have a photo session. The children love have their pictures taken and once they get hold of your camera they are busy taking pictures of all their mates.

We returned in the afteroon to the jetty where we put the finishing touches to the chicken run.

In the evening it was time for my leaving do and to see the sun go down over Port St John for the last time.

Wed 30th

Today we visited the site of the Sicambeni Rural University. The idea of this is to show the local community how to use permaculture on their land to provide a variety of fruit and vegatables not only to support the family but to sell for profit.
The staple crop in the area is maize and cabbage so providing a more nutritious diet is a priority.
The project here started last August with one garden which has been cultivated. The next phase is about to start with agreement being reached with the local chief to hand over 2 more gardens to the project which are to be used for cultivation.
We returned to the Jetty in the afternoon to plan our next task which is to build a chicken run. The job has a urgency as one of the local hens has laid 15 eggs which are due to hatch in the next 10 days.
In the evening we had a visit from one of the school teachers for our lesson in the local Xhosa language before going to the Amopondo Backpackers Hostel for a leaving drink as it was Carrie's - a volunteer from Seattle - last night.

Tues 29th

Over the last couple of days we have been working on the shelter. This has meant getting all the wood to the school, cutting and fastening it all together wirth our unique design. The roof is made of bamboo which we found along the banks of the river. We spent several hours cutting it down using a "borrowed" machette and transporting it up to the school.

Sunday 27th

Today we visited Magwa Falls. We started off with a hour drive - most of it on rough track through some remote villages to our destination.


Although described as a tourist attraction there are no trappings of tourism life gift shops or street vendors. Just two signs of western influence - an abseil rope and a zip wire. The waterfall is impressive - 106m wide dropping into a 240m gorge.

On the crest of the waterfall local women are doing their washing.

Luckily not many blankets are being washed away over the top of the waterfall today.

We did a 10k hike which does not sound a lot in the searing heat it was draining to say the least. We walked along the top of the gorge and then decended steeply to a village at the bottom of the gorge where we had a traditional lunch of pap and cabbage. Then it was the long hike up the side of the gorge back to the pick up. Along the way we have to ford a couple of fast flowing rivers We are told that the local children do this hike everyday to their school ay the top of the gorge. The school being so remote that they have difficulty in recruiting teachers as they would have to live in the community.

Sat 26th

Today Tom and myself are off clay hunting with Patrick. The idea is to get some clay so that the kids can use it to make things at school.

Patrick is a bit of a character and is in charge of another local project - the local orphange. We head off in his buccie to this remote village in hunt of our source of clay. The only problem is that Patrick has not been clay hunting himself for 2 years and in that time the village has expanded. People have built houses on the outskirts, they have brought and are still bringing electricity to the village and paths which existed 2 years ago are barely recognisable today. This was his excuse for the amount of running around we did in search of a patch of mud. To make it worse he tells us that the locals cover over a patch of clay after they have dug some out. He takes us down this valley in search of this stuff explaining that it was just behind this bush and under that tree.

In the end we find a spot and start digging, transferring the contents into plastic bags to haul back up to his buccie.

It also gave us an insight of what life was like living in remote villages. Only now are the huts getting electricity. This consists of a power line from a lamp post into each house and then to a single socket. If the owners can afford it they can switch on a light at night.

In the afternoon we take a walk into Port St Johns which includes crossing the River Mzimvube by a passenger ferry. This consists of a raft powered by a Honda outboard motor. We later learn that until last year the ferry was a rowing boat but a freak wave caught it one day and four of it's passengers were drowned.

Friday 18th

Friday is normally an easy day and today was no exception. We all went to Forest Glade which is a garden that Dianne owns in which she grows a lot of the fruit and vegetables we eat using the same permaculture techniques as in the Sicambeni Rural University. That is of soil improvement and sustainability. This garden was forest when Dianne first came here but now it is an oasis and test bed for a whole range of plants from mangoes to banana and carrots to coffee. The picture shows a bunch of bananas we picked from the garden and are hanging up to ripen at the jetty.

The garden will eventually be used by the volunteers as a place to stay overnight. At the moment it boasts one of the best views from a toilet in Port St John and an outdoor bathroom - see the pic:

After a bit of gardening Dianne takes us for a walk along this jungle path to a waterfall where some of us cool of with a swim.

We then follow the river back to the Jetty for a rest and recover for tonight we are off to the night life in Port St John and a visit to two of the pack packers hostels for a few beers and shots a couple of the volunteers are leaving tomorrow.