Termite Mounds and More

Termite Mounds

I knew the basics of termite mounds before I came to Africa - I minored in Anthropology in college and remembered reading about them as favorite snacks of the pygmies who live in the Ituri rain forest. I knew they shared many similarities with ant hills and bee hives, that they often went as deep into the ground as above, and that termites are among the top 3 species that cause change in the natural landscape (following humans and elephants) but nothing prepared me for the actual sight of the mounds. They come in all shapes and sizes - some are truly large; others barely visible. Some no longer function; others are decades old. It all depends on the age and viability of the queens.

Here is an average size one - maybe 3 feet tall. Notice the gray color. 

This was from our first camp at the Chobe River in Botswana.

This is a really large one - note the trees growing from the top and grasses
 from the base. The plants start as seeds blown onto the mound and,
 if conditions are right, they grow.

Another large one at the Okavanga Delta (Botswana) - note the reddish
 color of the sand. So different from Chobe.

Now, add a guide to show better perspective.  They could get BIG!

Look how many termite mounds are on this part of the 

savanna - they are each 1 - 3 feet tall.

Okay, in case you are thinking about the upcoming football season and need interesting hors d'oeuvres, you know - not the same ol' same ol', here is how you prepare termites:

1. Catch them (not that hard at the right season).
2. Put them in a bit of water to kill them.
3. Let them dry and then drop them into hot oil.
4. Crisp 'em up and they are ready for munching.

Our guides said, "Yum."  I didn't have the opportunity to test it so can't verify!

A Day in the Life of a Zimbabwan Village

One of the things I like best about Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is that the organization supports the local communities where groups visit. When we toured Egypt, right before their revolution broke out, we visited an OAT foundation that provided both a school for children and a workshop for women to create crafts for market. We also visited two Egyptian families - one in Luxor, the other (Nubians) outside Aswan. We had to ride camels to get to the second family - ah, a memory I hope NEVER to repeat! That hour long trek across the desert was unnerving as the camel deeply swayed to the left and then to the right and almost tossed me forward over his head whenever he rose up or sat down. Well, that isn't completely true. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to experience a camel trek, but once done, have no need to do it again.

Here in Africa we visited a village near our camp in Zimbabwe.  It was fascinating, heartwarming, encouraging and a bit overwhelming as you inevitably compare conditions with those at home.

Let's start with the work of women - not a lot has changed since I learned about such villages in college anthropology. Women still do the majority of physical labor and much of this revolves around the need to supply water for their family. Many women walk several miles each way to the nearest well where they gather 40 pounds of water in tubs which they balance on their heads for the walk home - and they do this 4-6 times a day. This supplies water for family members, crops and cattle.

All of the following photos are from Anna - thank you!

Here is the pump - I helped pump for about 5 minutes - hard work 

because the handle goes up high. It was often a group effort.

It was a social activity as well as economic - loved, loved, loved interacting

 with all the children who accompanied their mothers.  It seems like every 

child I have met world-wide knows the high-five response. Such fun.

We then visited Ziga elementary school where the children 

greeted us with cheers.

They preformed - charming.

And then they tried to teach us some of their local language - it 

involved clicks right in the middle of the words. Not easy.

And I loved every minute - once a teacher, a teacher forever.

Sally C had exchanged emails with their principal (the tall one!) and we 
brought gifts he suggested - soccer balls, maps, school supplies, etc. 

Once we saw the need, we all wished we had been able to squeeze
 more into our suitcases.

After lunch at school we visited the village headman's family to learn more about traditional ways. His compound looked exactly like drawings and photos in my college anthro books - the same raised grainery, the same round kitchen, the same barriers of branches to keep cows in and intruders out - with one exception - the satellite dish. However, he told us it is not connected - no electricity - but he got a good deal on it and it will be ready when electricity comes. Of course, in many ways village life has changed since my college days: they are aware of modern ways; the kids dress like children the world over; they are in school - but the first impression is that of tradition.

We women were invited to sit on the floor (the male members of our group sat on benches as would males in this village family) while the leader shared how his family lives their lives. All most interesting.

Listening to the village leader - inside his hut.

Women of the village compound.

The women then invited us to a craft fair and this is where my wallet shrank. I knew these families were poor, that schools cost money and that everything has to be paid in American dollars. Why, you ask? Zimbabwe gave up using their own currency several years ago after a period of hyper-inflation (in fact I used to use Zimbabwe as the example of hyper-inflation when I taught Economics). The government needed to restore faith in the economy so they switched to American currency (as do other countries as well). But how do subsistence farmers like the people of this village get dollars when they don't have much to sell? From things like these craft fairs and I, the teacher who values education and believes it IS the ticket out of poverty, wanted to support it. I spent lots of money at the craft fair but I saw each dollar spent as getting another child into school. And now I have lots of small carved animals and bowls and wood necklaces, etc. - far more than needed - but I consider it money well spent.

A fascinating day.

Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls

After 3 days at camp in Zimbabwe, we flew to Victoria Falls. It was hard to leave camp life behind - I have never experienced anything quite like it - and, at first, it felt a tad odd to be back in "civilization." Of course, that in itself, is a bit funny given the small size of the town of Vic Falls (as everyone calls it).

In my wildest dreams I never thought I would see Victoria Falls. I had added it to my quick hand-drawn maps of Africa in my geography classes - along with the Nile and other key geographic features of the continent - but I never thought I would actually stand in front of it and see it with my own eyes. Not surprising, it is wonderful. We saw it in winter when the flow is lowest and it was still spectacular. In some ways we were lucky to see it in winter - the mist is so great in summer that it is harder to see.

It is over a mile wide but, unlike Niagra Falls, you can't see the entire width from one viewpoint because it tumbles into a long, narrow gorge. You can walk along the gorge's rim, across from the Falls, and see it segment by segment, but you can't get a wide overview.  This photo shows just one segment.

Well, there is one way to get a sweeping view and we did it the next morning - by helicopter:

Even this wonderful photo of Anna's doesn't show the whole face of the Falls - there is more extending from the bottom of this photo. But look at how the photo captures the mist that the Falls creates! I hadn't been on a helicopter in a long time and this ride was spectacular. The pilot circled the Falls four times so that people on each side of the helicopter could get great shots. He also flew further up the river so that we could see how tributaries join together to create the huge volume of water.

After the helicopter ride 6 of us took a separate tour of the 100-year old Victoria Falls bridge which crosses the Zambezi river about 1/2 mile below the Falls. You can walk across it in 5 minutes but it took us about 45 minutes to walk along the original catwalk below the bridge - the one the workers used when constructing and maintaining it. We were strapped in so we couldn't fall off into the river below. It was fascinating to see the bridge from underneath as we crawled under and around structural beams. Marsha brought a copy of the Monterey Herald - so, folks back home, watch the newspaper for our photo. We are on the cat walk and you can see the Falls off to the right.

And then, quicker than I thought possible, it was time for our Farewell Dinner.

Four of us flew back to the U.S. the next day while the rest of us flew on to South Africa. I am glad we went to Vic Falls. It was fun and a good transition between safari camp life and what awaited us in Cape Town.