Early in the morning, we drove south along the N2 to the Bushlands exit to DumaZulu for the 08:15 village tour and show. As we got out of our car, a man dressed in traditional costume came up to us and excitedly gestured and spoke to us in isiZulu. We exchanged greetings and watched as he drew a diagram in the dirt explaining the layout of the village we were about to see. He also taught us a few words to remember: yebo, unjani, siyaphila. As we approached the entrance of the village, which was surrounded with a high fence made of branches, two crossed branches signified that we had seek permission to enter. Our guide helped us call out a friendly greeting and we entered into the centre.
Each of the different displays was described in great detail by our guide. It was uncomfortable for the villagers to be sitting there, going through the motions, and uncomfortable for us to watch, knowing there were just performing. We learned a few interesting things: Zulu women go topless if they are not married, are partially clothed if they are engaged, and are fully clothed if they are married; two kinds of spears are named onomatopoeically for the sound they make when they fly through the air, and when they pierce a body; the central post in the huts is slapped by the men when they want the women to come over to their side. Perhaps the most interesting fact we learned is that this living museum is not owned by the villagers themselves; rather, it is managed by an anthropologist who pays them a token amount for their performances. Had we known this, we might have thought twice about attending.Here are two videos taken at DumaZulu:
Around 10, we drove down the road to the Emdoneni Cat Rehabilitation Centre. Our host at the guest house called this a cheetah show which evoked visions of cats performing tricks, but it turned out to be a rescue for animals that have been orphaned, often by humans who thought they would make good pets. With a little hesitation, we followed our guide directly into the fenced pens of each of the cats, as she assured us it would be safe.
The servals turned out to be relatively harmless, hanging out in the tree or hiding in the grass. They didn't really pay much attention to us. However, the caracal (also known as a lynx) was very playful, chomping on a blade of grass that another visitor held, and cuddling with S. We weren't allowed to go inside the African wildcat's pen though; our guide said that's the only cat that's ever given her stitches.
There were two cheetahs at Emdoneni, a male and a female. They were in separate pens; otherwise, if they were allowed to play together, they would think they were siblings and refuse to mate! We cautiously approached the cheetahs, mindful that we were inside a pen. With cheetahs. During the afternoon tour when the cheetahs are fed, the guide holds the cheetah's head in a bucket that has blood in it. It is apparently safe to pet the cheetah at this point.
We made our way back to the other side of Hluhluwe to go to Ilala Weavers for some lunch. Tip: skip the milkshakes and try the fruit smoothies instead. The craft store had a wide range of items for sale, from beads to baskets to pottery to clothes.
We had to get moving to make our appointment at the Mkuze Game Reserve where we were booked for a wilderness hike. Unfortunately, we totally underestimated both the distance and the roads. After taking the Mkuze exit off the N2, we turned onto dirt roads full of holes that led us through many hills and small villages. There were few signs and we flagged down one of the few trucks we saw to give us directions. We entered through the west gate and find ourselves at one of the camps where we found out that Hluhluwe Guest House had booked us for the 06:00 hike! Since we missed both our scheduled 14:00 and another 15:00 hike, we pleaded with the staff to make arrangements for a guide.
He arrived, a deep-voiced, soft-spoken man who toted a rifle to scare off any potential animal attacks. We drove a short distance, parked, and then set out on foot into the field. The ground was covered in small rocks and very thorny bushes. Aside from the wind rustling the trees and our own footsteps, it was quiet. Every so often, our guide would point out old piles of rhino dung, or the footprints of an another animal. He spotted a group of giraffes in the distance and we slowly made our way towards them, but of course, the giraffes saw us first and lumbered away each time we got close. The realization that our actions caused them to react made quite an impression on me.
Over the hour and a half that we hiked, we came across some rhinos, saw a few zebras and antelope, a wildebeest skull and even a dung beetle. This was perhaps the best part of our trip so far. Sharing the same ground that these animals walked on made us feel like we were really immersed in the environment. We decided to avoid the dirt roads leading back to the highway and exited the reserve via the east gate. This route took us to a dirt and gravel road but it became paved soon after. Unfortunately, a rainstorm began and S bravely drove us home in darkness as we passed cars with their highbeams on and villagers walking on the side of the road.
Complete set of South Africa pictures in my Flickr set.
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