March 11th, 2010

Day Three in Singita

On day three of our stay at Singita Game Reserves, we woke up to a glorious morning.  The sky was bright blue, the clouds were white and puffy, and the savannah was a grassy green.  The plan for that day was to board a small plane and fly to Boulders, another lodge in Kruger National Park, also owned by Singita.  It was a rather short flight, just sixty miles from Lebombo, but it was fascinating flying over this vast preserve.  One of the reasons we went to Boulders was to visit an authentic African village, called Justacia Village, about a forty-minute drive by jeep from the lodge.  It was intriguing to discover how self contained and efficient this small village is, and how welcome we were made to feel.  The village is populated with Shangaan people, who came originally from the neighboring country of Mozambique and it was truly great spending time with them.

I also wanted to share this entry in the Singita Journal with you, written by our guide, Marlon Du Toit.  It may shed some light on his passion and the life he lives in South Africa:

I often get asked if I get tired of doing this. You drive the same roads everyday. You see the “same” animals everyday. That may be true, but let’s consider the following. Let’s look at the word passion. It refers to an intense or overpowering emotion towards something or someone. It is the object of someone’s intense interest or enthusiasm. I could be stuck in traffic in the urban jungle. I could be behind a desk filing though a stack of paper work heaped up in the corner. Yes, someone has to do that, but not me. Instead my skin is touched by a golden African sun as I search for that elusive male lion. Up ahead I notice a cloud of red dust lifting up from the earth as a herd of buffalo stampede. Could this be it? I pick up the pace and as I gain sight of the herd I notice a tawny figure amongst flailing hooves. It is him, the king, running them down searching for weakness. You can’t but help but be swept up by the drama that is Africa. She has a way about her that is both charming and deadly. It is intoxicating.This to me is home. This is my way of life. This is my passion.
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1 The morning of day three at Singita was simply glorious.

2 Here we are boarding our plane to Boulders.

3 The runway was dazzling in the bright light as we took off for Sabi Sand and Boulders.

4 When we arrived at Boulders, we were immediately fed a glorious breakfast, cooked outdoors on huge grills by an accomplished staff.

5 The chefs built a portable kitchen outside and cooked very elaborate food for breakfast.

6 There were many guests and the quantities were large.

7 My iced cappuccinos became popular with everyone - just pour a single short cup over ice cubes.

8 The tables were very nicely set and appointed.

9 Elephants frolicked right before us in the Sand River. This is one of the common sights at Sabi Sand.

10 Another view of one of the elephants who came to bathe

11 Another very important set of rules for guests' behavior - and some disclaimers

12 The entrance to Boulders is lined with a very long stone wall.

13 Rustic planters lined the wall

14 Clever use of space for storage of wine glasses from the bar

15 Tables for outdoor eating

16 The thatched roofs are a work of art - we were interested to learn that there is a very specific grass harvested for these roofs, which last about twenty years.

17 The lodge at Boulders is very large and open - it is decorated very differently from the lodges at Lebombo.

18 Natural, organic furniture fashioned out of ancient woods

19 Comfy couches and settees

20 The 'globes' of the chandeliers are carefully pierced ostrich eggs, illuminated with light bulbs inside.

21 A closeup of the pierced egg

22 Another gorgeous hanging fixture - Kevin and I snapped away recording all the details.

23 We loved the giant couches and the very chic upholstery.

24 The chairs were covered in a coarse linen - everything was very earthy and natural.

25 This is our guide from Zamani Tours, who took us to Justacia Village.

26 The village was self contained and the agriculture was impressive. Everything was sustainably grown and well tended, including these cattle.

27 A view of the village - a combination of very old and new.

28 An example of a modern house which has running water, electricity, several rooms, and a garden.

29 Three women emerged from the countryside with bundles of herbs and twigs - we were told they were foraging for medicinal plants.

30 a better photo of the herb ladies

31 one of the many corrals in the village used to retain the grazing animals- cows and goats

32 We were entertained by three local groups. These orange suited gents did a very lively song and clap dancing show.

33 This group of 'warriors' danced a more tribal dance.

34 The village children were clean, happy, and very lively.

35 Small shops were found along the road - here is the local telephone.

36 Another shop - this one selling tobacco and snacks

37 A prickly pear cactus just beginning to fruit - right behind it is a large papaya tree.

38 Another papaya tree just beginning its fruiting season

39 The village had quite a few older houses in the traditional round house style.

40 One of the older houses with thatched roof and mud brick walls - indigenous to the region - handmade bricks are a dying art - the people now prefer buying cement blocks for construction.

41 A good view of the handmade bricks

42 The out potty is a fixture in most yards.

43 Women still go to the woods in search of branches for firewood.

44 This is the fruit of the sausage tree - the fruit is inedible but interesting to look at.

45 The Shangaan people of Justacia Village still prepare some of the native produce in the old fashioned, traditional ways and we were treated to a demonstration. This is the table prepared for us.

46 Corn had just been harvested in this patch - the ground had yet to be turned over for the planting of the next crop.

47 The corn used for grinding is a large whitish kernel, dried on the cob and then removed.

48 The corn is ground in a giant mortar and pestle made from a local wood called leadwood - combretum imberbe.

49 The chaff is separated from the corn kernels - nothing goes to waste - the chaff is fed to the backyard chickens.

50 The kernels are pounded and pounded until the corn is quite finely powdered.

51 The flour is then sifted in the wooden box fitted with fine screening.

52 The 'farina' is ready to use. It is cooked like cream of wheat or grits with boiling water and a bit of salt.

53 The ladies with their pestles grinding corn

54 I gave it a try - I think I did quite well!

55 These are the ladies of the village who demonstrated the local foodstuffs.

56 These are the delicious nuts of the marula tree - the nuts are a favorite of the elephants and monkeys, and I must say, they are kind of like cashews in flavor.

57 These peanuts were harvested in the yard and were lightly toasted - very plain but good.

58 I preferred the shelled peanuts roasted with salt.

59 And I loved the peanuts ground into a real flavorful peanut butter - all natural.

60 The local spinach was cooked with the ground corn - this was good too, only I wanted it to have a bit more salt.

61 The initial sampling of the food - what we liked we took more of.

62 A neighborhood child

63 Some funny signage on the local stores and eateries

64 A barber shop

65 The family store was very poorly stocked and very dark and empty.

66 Goats in an enclosure - good milk for the porridge of ground corn

67 A choral group of young ladies with beautiful voices - they also did a sample shuffle dance.

68 Some of the local wood carvers' animals and figurines

69 Rhinos and leopards

70 We returned to Sabi Sand before flying off again to Lebombo.

71 We rested a bit on the giant couches.

72 This is Susan ready to fly back to our own lodge.

73 Upon arrival, we had superb cosmopolitans served straight up in martini glasses.

74 The drink was very well made.

75 We ate lunch at the lodge and it was really good. This is Kevin's club sandwich - chicken, spinach, bacon, fried egg, and lots of very good homemade mayonnaise. The fries were so delicious too - I think it had to do with the type of yellow potato used.

76 A closeup of the sandwich - red basil and a spicy sauce accompanied the club sandwich.

77 Susan had the chicken livers with tomatoes and water cress.

78 I had a green salad.

79 And homemade fettuccine with zucchini, cheese, and basil - really good - the chef is a young, very talented woman.

80 The fish curry was really good.

81 And the salade nicoise was delicious too!

Posted on March 11th, 2010 in Photo Gallery, Travel | Permalink |

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