Final Day in South Africa: Subterranean at Sudwala and a Fishy Nibble

Maybe it's my hermit nature but I love caves. There is something so refreshing about being underground, in the darkness, constant temperatures, away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. So when I first heard about the caves at Sudwala, I knew they would probably be on my itinerary at some point. With one day left to explore, I set out to see a little of underground South Africa.

Deciding against the all day caving expedition that is available once a month - after all, my clothes would get muddy and I had little left that was fit to wear on my flight home as it was - I settled for the regular hour long tour. As luck would have it, I arrived just as one was beginning.

Our excellent guide Owen explained the history of the caves to us. During the 19th century, they were a hide out for Samcuba, related to the king of the Swazi people. A giant flow stone near the cave entrance was used as an alarm bell to warn his people of possible attackers. One whack on the stone could be heard throughout the cave and on the land above. A variety of tools used by the Swazi people remain on display in the cave.

Later explorers suspected the cave of being the hiding place of the Kruger millions, a massive amount of gold bullion that went missing during the Boer War. Despite excavations, the gold has never been found, here or anywhere else.

In the 1960s, Philippus Rudolf Owen bought the land above the caves and decided to develop the underground caverns as a tourist attraction. He even built an underground amphitheater, taking advantage of the cool temperatures and excellent acoustics. Stars such as Miriam Makeba  have performed concerts in the amphitheater.

Of course, one habit I have once I get into a cave is taking tons of photos of random patterns and designs within the cave walls, hence:

Impressionist Art or Cave Ceiling?

Once the tour was over, I decided to skip the neighboring Dinosaur Park and make the most of the onsite fish spa. Having enjoyed a garra rufa pedicure during my last visit to England, I wasn't about the pass up the chance to let fish nibble on my feet again. And what a nibble. Apparently four weeks of flip flops and sunburn had taken their toll, and for the next hour, dozens of fish happily ate all the dead skin, much to the amusement and chagrin of everyone else in the spa. (One woman joked that all the fish were so busy feeding on me, they had none left for everyone else!)

If you've never tried one of these pedicures, I highly recommend them. It is wonderfully relaxing and my feet felt fabulous after.

Feeding all those fish did make me hungry though, so before I left, I made sure to visit the restaurant for a smoked trout salad and an opportunity to admire the view.

This was certainly a relaxing end to a memorable trip.

Kruger National Park

The watch alarm gave a timid beep. 4:30 am. I leaped out of bed and grabbed my clothes.

That alone should give pause to those of you who know me. An early bird I am not. Yet during my month-long stay in South Africa, my alarm beeped at 4:30 am four times, and each time, I hopped out of bed. Three of those times were so that I could do the early morning feed with the marmosets. This time was different. This time was Kruger.

And so at 5 am, I left the hostel and hit the road for Numbi, the nearest gate to where I was staying in Nelspruit. Funnily enough, several people had tried to explain that I should not go via Numbi but instead drive further north to the next gate, since the drive would be prettier and through fewer townships. Since I had no concerns about driving through the townships, however, and I preferred to spend as much time as possible in Kruger, I stuck with my original plan, arriving at the gate shortly after 6 o'clock. Following a quick registration process and armed with my trusty R35 Visitor's Guide, I was off again, ready for a day of whatever wildlife I might see. (The Visitor's Guide is well worth the miniscule price - full of maps, approximate driving times, and info about the animals you may see). With only one day to spend at the park, I knew that I would cover just a fraction of the park's 20 000 sq km so I wanted to make the most of my time.

I quickly left the main road, taking one of the gravel roads which would lead me from Numbi up to the Dolspane Road. I drove slowly in the early morning light, carefully taking in as much as I could. I paused at several watering holes, hoping that the early hour might let me see signs of life, but nothing. Undeterred, I kept going.

My first glimpse of Kruger's animal life came just as I turned onto the Dolspane Road. Standing in the road ahead of me were three zebra, their tails swinging in perfect synchronization. My camera was at the ready so I slowed and started clicking. Satisfied that the day was off to a good start, I kept going. Only twenty minutes later or so, my path was blocked again, this time by an elephant.

This would be the first of many elephants that would cross my path during the day, and each time I marveled at the silence. I'm not sure what I expected, perhaps a crashing of undergrowth as these magnificent beasts tromped their way through the bush. Instead, each one caught me completely by surprise, appearing as if from nowhere to cross the road in search of more tasty greenery. They were a photographer's dream.

So there you have a description of how I spent most of the next eleven hours - driving through parts of the park, stopping at the lodge areas only long enough to buy gas, some jerky, and a present for Nic.

I loved the peace and solitude of being out in the park on my own, just me and nature, and the anticipation of what I might encounter next.

I followed the road from Skukuza Camp along the Sabie River down to Lower Sabie, past Ntandanyathi towards Crocodile Bridge, then up the Burne Road to meet with Napi Road, which would lead me back to Numbi Gate.

Occasionally I would pass another car but more often than not, especially in the afternoon, I could drive for quite some time without seeing another person.

In addition to elephants and zebra, I saw wildebeest, hippos, a wide variety of deer and antelope, warthogs, monkeys, giraffes, tortoises (I feel compelled to include them since I saw so many) and birds in an array of colors.

Some tourists might have considered the day disappointing since I didn't see rhino, lions, or leopards, but for me, the day was as close to perfect as it could get.

And as I neared the gate late that afternoon, ready to make my way back to Nelspruit, it seemed wholly appropriate that the last animals I should see at Kruger were a troop of vervet monkeys, making their way down the road. It was monkeys that had brought me to South Africa; it was only fitting that they should wave me goodbye.

Yikes, This is Real!

Nic always despairs that I rarely get overexcited or overemotional about things. He explains it as being a product of my British upbringing. My being "mildly enthusiastic" is what he hopes for, since he knows I'm not about to jump, scream, and generally carry on.

So of course he was out of town on business all this week, in particular at 2.30am this morning when full on panic finally set in.

I'm going to Africa in a little over 6 weeks.

On my own.

Crap!

As the dogs lay snuggled in the bed, I was pacing until I decided I felt too jittery to pace. I was hungry so I ate some peanut butter which I promptly threw up. There then followed 20 minutes or so of "This is really happening!"

This unexpected attack of panic made me realize one thing. It has been far too long since I've traveled on my own. Not traveled as in going somewhere on my own, I still do that fairly regularly. I mean going somewhere outside my usual comfort zone. Somewhere completely new, where I don't know anyone and have no idea what to expect. In fact, I haven't done that since I moved to Japan back in 1995. Moving to the US wasn't exactly a bold leap, but this....

This is really going to happen...and after a few hours of sleep, I felt very excited this morning as I drove to the doctor's surgery to get my first two hepatitis shots, plus a prescription for malaria pills and one for antibiotics. (Good tip: Take a course of antibiotics with you when traveling somewhere out of the ordinary. It can help you cope with a whole range of ailments, if needed.)

I'm going to Africa in a little over 6 weeks. On my own. I have no idea what to expect, but I know it will be an incredible experience.

Splendid Isolation

I wanna live all alone in the desert

I wanna be like Georgia O'Keeffe

I wanna live on the Upper East Side

And never go down to the street.

"Splendid Isolation" by Warren Zevon

I admit it - I like my own company. And while I'm not quite the hermit my husband likes to think I am, we all need human contact after all, I do enjoy working, traveling, and living alone. It's why I don't mind so much when he has to travel for work, but also why I am happy to see him when he gets home again.

Photo courtesy of www.morguefile.com

As I prepare to go to South Africa, one of the questions I am asked most often is whether Nic is going with me, followed by whether I'm scared about going on my own. 

Not at all.

In fact, that's part of what is so invigorating about it, and a little scary at the same time because it has been a while since I traveled somewhere new alone.

I'm used to traveling alone and I have found it opens up some wonderful possibilities, and allows you to discover incredible things about the world around you and about yourself. Some of my favorite memories from solo travel include:

• Going to Germany after high school to spend three months working on a mountain hut. One way day's hiking trip I was adopted by a Romanian couple who called me their daughter of the Edelweiss. They spoke no English; I spoke no Romanian, but we were able to communicate through French.
• Moving to live in rural Japan. The first few weeks were incredibly lonely, but I started to pick up the language and become known in my little town. Neighbors and farmers took me under their wing, and soon I'd find myself arriving home from a simple walk armed with fresh produce from their gardens.
• During a solo trip to the Japanese coast, I loved walking and people watching. One evening, I was the only customer in a small Italian restaurant. The chef opened a bottle of wine and joined me for dinner.
• On a train ride around the western US, I met a group of women on their way to see Oprah, an elderly woman who had grown up in an earth house on the North Dakota plains, hiked in Marin County, and more.

Now any of those experiences could have happened if I had been traveling with someone, but chances are they wouldn't have been so memorable. When you're traveling in a group, it's easy to be less adventurous, to go with the crowd, to have little to no interaction with locals. 

So when I think about my upcoming trip, am I nervous? Of course. But I am also exhilarated by the knowledge that I will rediscover strengths I didn't know I had. And that's part of the fun of travel.

To contribute to my IndieGoGo campaign, click here. 

You've Got Questions...

And I'm here with the answers.

Since launching my IndieGoGo Campaign earlier this month, I've been asked a number of questions so here is my attempt at providing a few answers.

Why South Africa?

Not as simple as you might first think. You see at the end of this year, I will be celebrating a birthday (one that starts with 4 and ends with 0). Back in the spring, I was suffering a certain feeling of impeding doom accompanied by the inevitable sense of "What have I done with my life?" This coincided with my family starting to think how they could help me best celebrate my birthday and Christmas. The result, they decided, was to help me go on a trip to do something I had always wanted to do.

Thus Africa.

Once we started looking and gasping at the expense of some locations, my sister found Original Volunteers, a UK-based organization with a program in South Africa working with primates. Great! A little more digging and I learned that Jane Goodall's Chimp Eden Sanctuary was also nearby.

And as they would say on the A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

Why Pay to Volunteer?

This is a question that frequently comes up. If you're volunteering, why do you have to pay? There are some programs out there that charge through the roof, we're talking more than $1000 a week, for the opportunity to volunteer. The programs I have chosen are incredibly reasonable by comparison since I am paying purely for basic room and board.

So What Else Do You Have to Pay For?

While the program costs are relatively low, there are other expenses involved in my trip. Insurance is a biggie, particularly given that I will be working on another continent with wild animals. Another expense is vaccinations - more about that later. And of course, flights to South Africa.


What Exactly Will You Be Doing?

Fulfilling a dream!
Making a difference!
Learning!

Ok, you want a bit more, I know. The work is not glamorous. If you think I'll be spending all day cuddling baby monkeys, sorry to disappoint. At each location, I will be working five days a week, helping to build and repair enclosures, cleaning enclosures, preparing food for the animals, and so on.

At Chimp Eden, I can also undertake a week long program geared to teaching me about chimps, their habitat, conservation issues and so on.

During my time off at weekends, I plan to visit Kruger National Park, Pretoria, and other surrounding areas.

Is It Safe?

Safety is obviously a huge issue. How safe is it to be working with primates? And how safe is South Africa? Let's deal with the latter question first.

A few years ago, when I traveled to Mexico, everyone kept asking us if we were worried about going there, especially since we'd be going through Juarez and Chihuahua. Once there and later, I heard from Mexicans who asked how did I feel safe in the US, where people have guns.

It's all about perspective. And a good measure of common sense. In Mexico, I was not walking around  unfamiliar city streets after dark. But then, I probably wouldn't do the same in LA, DC, or many other US cities.

When I arrive at Johannesburg, the organization will be meeting me to take me to the sanctuary. I will be doing some travel but will be following the same common sense tips that I would use anywhere.

Now about the animals. Chimp Eden was in the news earlier this year when a visiting student was horrifically attacked by a chimp. We all heard about the woman in the US who was mauled several years ago. As a teen, the zoo near my home has an incident where a keeper lost his arm.

All primates are wild animals. It is all to easy to look at a cute monkey and think they are cuddly. Think again. They are not pets. They are not a source of entertainment. They should be treated with caution and respect at ALL times. Chimp Eden has a strict no contact policy. The goal is for the chimps to live as they would in the wild, which means with minimal human contact. We observe. We learn. We do NOT touch.

So About Those Vaccinations...

I don't like needles any more than the average person, but if I want to go to Africa, they are a necessity. My TB should be up to date but I will need shots for cholera and rabies, probably hepatitis too. The information I've received for malaria is conflicting so I will be checking with several experts, but I will probably need anti-malaria pills on the grounds of better safe than sorry.

Then What?

I expect this trip to be more than a vacation. I will be using it as a chance to learn and study as much as I can. Once I return, I plan to compile a collection of photos, and a nonfiction work. I also hope to sell some articles to magazines. Finally, I will be preparing a presentation to offer to local schools about my experiences. My niece's school in England has already asked if I can speak to them.

I will also be blogging about my experiences.

Hopefully, this answered most of your questions, but if not,, leave a comment and I will answer ASAP.

If you would like to make a contribution to my trip, please visit I'm Not Monkeying Around.

Why Primates? Why me? Why Now?

Image courtesy of www.morguephoto.com

Did you have a passion as a kid? Mine was apes. I could spend hours watching the gorillas and chimps at the Aspinall parks in Kent, where I grew up. I wanted to learn more about them. My college friends even said that I was most likely to be trekking in the jungles saving apes in my future.

But I didn't believe in myself enough to follow that path. Instead, I went to grad school, worked, married, and settled down. Admittedly, I didn't exactly do that in a conventional way, but I knew I wasn't a scientist so what could I do?

As it turns out, I could and can do a lot. You see I write. I write for a living. I write about things that fascinate me. And I write to teach others. I've authored several books, written for encylopedias, magazines, and more. 

So now it's time.

It's time to believe in myself, believe in my dreams, and write about apes. 

I'm heading to South Africa. That's an important point - no matter how much funding I am able to raise here, I am going to South Africa in the spring of 2013 and I will be volunteering at a primate rescue facility. 

So where does IndieGoGo come in? Simple.

I can afford to spend some time at one facility, but the more I raise, the longer I can stay and the more research I can. Raising extra funds will allow me to spend time at two facilities, including Jane Goodall's Chimp Eden, where I can not only volunteer but undertake an in-depth primate education program, learning about chimp habitats, rehabilitation, conservation, and so on.

With that extra time, experience, and research, I can produce a better result:

• a book of photographs from my stay, illustrating conservation programes in South Africa
• a non-fiction book about my time there and about the importance of primate conservation programs 
• a slideshow and educational program which I can give at local schools and community groups

To learn more about my IndieGoGo campaign, click here. 

I'll be posting updates on this blog in the coming months, and will be starting a private blog for funders during my trip.