A Final African Vacation

Giant wall spider, they grow them big in Botswana where we spent several days of our vacation last week.

Not writing for two weeks makes the task even more daunting.  I don’t know why, at the end here, finding the time to blog becomes more and more difficult.  It is true that we are busy, but there is something else about life now that makes sitting and reflecting difficult. 

The last two weeks though, have been particularly worth retelling as we had some very new and unique experiences during our spring break holiday.  This is our last break before entering the ‘end game’ of our term, and for what lies ahead in the next 3 months, we really need to be refreshed to sprint to the finish.

Deciding what to do for our last break in Africa was not easy.  We thought of many things we had done before that were worth repeating: Kigoma or Zanzibar, TZ, Kenya, or the Akagera game park in Rwanda.  But since the departure of our South African friends Tim and Jeanette, from Burundi, we had always felt a desire to visit them and see South Africa.  I wanted to visit Cape Town, which many have raved about for its beauty and uniqueness.  Rebecca also wanted to go to Botswana where she had done an MCC term more than a decade ago, and wanted to revisit.

With that in mind, we began looking for reasonable tickets and found that getting from Bujumbura to Johannesburg is pretty easy as there is a direct flight from Kigali.  We left Bujumbura after school on Friday in the afternoon to connect to the Kigali flight.  We found the family of one of Oren’s classmates from the Ecole Belge on the same flight.  They are Belgian, and while in the departure lounge, we compared Easter traditions.  I was surprised to learn that in much of Europe it is the church bells, not the Easter Bunny, that brings the colored eggs and candies to children.  In a decidedly more Catholic tradition, the bells leave on Friday afternoon (and don’t ring that day) to go to Rome to get the candy.  They return overnight on Saturday with the goodies and fly back to their towers to ring in Easter Sunday.

The flight to Kigali was short, less than 30 minutes.  But our time between flights was also about 30 minutes so we had to rush to get the second flight.  We just made it as they closed the doors and taxied to the runway with us barely in our seats.  But just before takeoff the power went off in Kigali and the runway went dark.  The plane had to taxi back to the terminal where we sat and waited for the power to be restored so the lights on the runway would work.  Three hours later we took off for our 4-hour flight to Johannesburg.  We arrived late at night and fortunately had a hotel near the airport that night.

donkey cart in Gabane

Tim, Jeanette, and Isabel picked us up the next morning and took us to their town of Potchefstroom, about an hour from Johannesburg.  It is a smallish city, like Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I make this comparison because South Africa is nothing like the rest of Africa in terms of development.  It is pretty much just like America, but with more visible inequity of wealth.  The town had malls, supermarkets and was pretty much indistinguishable from a mid-size town in rural Oklahoma.  I was surprised to see such a developed country in Africa.  (This was my first visit there.) 

Tim and Jeanette have rented a small house that is located on a farm.  It is attached to the main farmhouse where the owner and his wife live. We spent the night with them on Saturday and enjoyed catching up.  Tim was just handing in his dissertation and Jeanette has been teaching computers at a technical school.  Isabel was in school and learning Afrikaans, but still preferred English.  She and David were very happy to see each other.

Tim and Jeanette

Our plan was to go to Botswana first, and to leave the following morning.  Tim very generously lent us his Toyota 4X4 for the trip which saved us a lot on a rental.  The Botswana border was only about 4 hours from their house and Gaborone was another hour away from there.  We left early Sunday morning following a map we had printed out. 

The drive reminded me a lot, again, of traveling in the rural Midwest, miles and miles of farmland and prairie, very flat, fertile, with long straight roads.  Small towns along the way had general stores, malls, and fast food.  It was honestly a bit strange.

Evidence of the legacy of apartheid was still apparent in the poorer townships, built by the government.  This is the equivalent of low income housing in the US, only it is more spread out.

One of the most bizarre things I saw on the trip though was the existence of a white underclass as well.  Something I have not seen elsewhere in Africa.  But when we stopped at a fast food restaurant an older white man came up to me and asked:  “Can I watch your car for you while you are inside?’  It made me aware that the settlers who came here were not colonialists in the traditional sense, but rather, like the pilgrims, people who came to live in what they perceived to be the Promised Land. 

The drive was long but uneventful; we crossed the border into Botswana easily enough and made it to Gaborone, and then to the nearby town of Gabane where we were to stay.

Botswana is also quite developed thanks to its diamond mining industry.  It actually does not really look anything like the dusty rural images projected on the PBS series The Number One Ladies Detective Agency.  Gaborone is large with paved highways, flyovers, and a skyline of skyscrapers.

Frank and Margaret Taylor

Rebecca had been in touch with her old supervisor from her MCC days.  She had been seconded to an institution (run by this man) that did research on indigenous fruits in order to find ways to make them marketable for export, so as to help rural communities earn income.  His name is Frank Taylor and his wife is Margaret.  He is originally South African and she is from the UK and they have spent most of their adult lives in Botswana.  I can only describe them as iconic, in the ‘Out of Africa’ sense. 

They have labored to create a beautiful parcel of land replete with almost every indigenous fruit tree in the land, and a fruit-processing factory. They have also built many stone homes in the traditional round style with thatched roofs, but fabulously appointed with modern kitchens, microwaves, hot water, beautiful landscaping and every amenity for a restful retreat.  They rent many of these to foreigners looking for an escape from the capital city. Their property is also located on a series of rocky bluffs and there are boulders everywhere that Oren and David were thrilled to be able to climb.

Frank and Margaret Taylor were impeccable hosts, in the way that I think is lost on younger generations.  They were attentive to the children and had cupboards of art supplies, and were always ready to invite us in for a cup of tea and conversation as well. 

They have been doing a lot with the ‘marula’ fruit in their factory. We sampled marula juice, jam, and fruit leather that they are trying to create a market for in South Africa among other places.  (For those of you who have tasted the liqueur called Amarula—that is made from the marula fruit.)

The time in Botswana at the cottage they had made available to us, was very restful, and I know had the spiritual impact of a sacred pilgrimage for Rebecca.  To be back in that place, see old friends, and old sights was very special for her, and to share it with us was meaningful as well.

One of the highlights for her was to meet her old Bible study small group.  She had been a new Christian in Botswana and had profound memories of her friends there.  She was able to get in contact with them and we spent an evening together having dinner.  They all seemed to be doing very well many years later and we had a very nice visit.

We generally took it very easy.  We hiked, watched birds, read, and bouldered.  We took at least one longer hike with Margaret Taylor and did some pretty high climbing.  Generally the kids did very well and really enjoyed being with the Taylors who played the role of surrogate grandparents perfectly.

Packed in for the 16 hour trip

Upon our departure, Margaret blessed Rebecca with a special gift: it was one of her paintings--a picture of tree roots and rocks, beautifully textured and capturing the essence of the land there.  Margaret is an accomplished painter and her work is quite sought after in the art exhibitions where she shows her work. We were aware that this was a very special gift and one we never could have afforded to buy on our own.  I know it will mean a great deal to Rebecca as a permanent reminder of her life and friendships in Botswana.

We returned to South Africa on Wednesday after 4 days in Botswana.  We got back in the late afternoon to Potchefstroom.  We spent the day there Thursday with Tim and Jeanette getting ready for our trip South to the cape.  Tim and Jeanette have friends with a cottage in a town called Dana Bay, a few hours from Cape Town.  The plan was to drive there in the 4X4.

I admit I had some trepidation about this plan despite its cost effectiveness. It would mean traveling for 16 hours with two families and 3 kids, non-stop.  I knew that it would probably try even the most patient of nerves, and it did. 

I will spare my readers the gory details, but we left at 5 in the morning and arrived at 9pm that night.

I will say that the landscape was quite spectacular.  It reminded me of the badlands of the Dakotas in the US.  As we approached the Cape we traversed a narrow pass through a low range of craggy mountains.  We did see some wildlife—a mongoose at a rest stop, some antelope, flamingoes, baboons, many ostriches on ostrich farms (they are raised for meat), and other livestock.

Once we crossed through the pass the land became lush, hilly and green, like going from the Columbia valley in Washington State through the Snoqualmie pass.  We made our way to the coast, which had many towns and vacation style attractions.  Dana Bay, though, is a more secluded retirement community.

After finding the place at night with some difficulty we did manage to get a good night’s sleep and woke up the next morning to find a spectacular view of the ocean from our deck that sat about 500 feet over the ocean on a hillside.  We were also very surprised to find the weather was warm!  April is autumn in South Africa and it is often cold by this time of year.  We were actually freezing in Potchefstroom.  But we were blessed with warm weather here so we headed to the beach the first morning. 

The beach closest to us was too dangerous to swim in but quite beautiful to walk on and the kids enjoyed exploring, finding dead jelly fish, building sand castles and running up and down large dunes.  At low tide there are oyster-covered rocks that are exposed as well.

The four days in Dana Bay and neighboring Mossel Bay were relaxing.  We did go to some swimming beaches, which were cold but not unbearable.  We visited a museum and aquarium, and one day we took a hike in a nearby rainforest.  That was quite an adventure with a fairly steep climb up a high hill, and an opportunity to cross a small river with a pontoon boat bridge.  Oren particularly enjoyed doing that.  We saw some fascinating birds including Turacos and the rare Black Oystercatcher. 

We had one very nice meal at a gourmet seafood restaurant.  (They cleverly had a bouncy castle in the back so the kids would leave the adults alone to socialize.)  I have to say it was a pleasant surprise to find the Dollar is currently very strong against the Rand and everything seemed extremely inexpensive to Rebecca and I.  Meals for 7 were as little as $20 at a fast food restaurant.   If we were not moving back to the US in 3 months, this would have been a great place to stock up on goodies that we miss in Burundi.

At the end of our 4 days we packed up and made the return trip, which was no easier than the trip down.  We were relieved to get back to their house and got a final good night’s sleep.

Our final day together we all went to Johannesburg and surprised the kids with a trip to a theme park:  Gold Reef City.  It was a modern amusement park complete with 5 rollercoasters and many other rides.  Again the only difference between it and one in the US was the price.  Admission was $15 for adults and less for kids. 

Oren was beside himself with excitement after experiencing his first amusement park in Kansas City this past summer.  But he was not willing to go on the scariest roller coasters because he complained that they gave him too many butterflies in his tummy.

Tim was up for the rollercoasters so he and I did the Anaconda, which is one of those hanging ones that goes through many loops and twists.  There was one ride that did look daunting to me, but Tim convinced me to try it.  The whole park was built over an abandoned gold mine, and there is an optional two-hour tour of the mine if one is inclined to go underground.  But there are several derricks left, over one hundred meters high.   One has a ride on it that is essentially an 4 passenger car that is taken to the top by elevator, goes on a track and plunges vertically 100 meters then goes into a pit where it levels out and comes out and returns to the start point.  Imagine driving a train off a cliff and you get the idea.  Since you ride it strapped in and facing down when it goes down the rail, it is in a word ‘terrifying’.  Even watching it gave me butterflies. 

But Tim convinced me to do it, and I did it, once.  It was at least as psychologically scary as it was physically.  The slow ride up, the jolt of the wheels set on the track, the tip over the edge then going straight down into a hole.  Ride over, return to start.  It does not get more vertical than 90 degrees.

We ended the day with a ride on a giant Ferris wheel together in one gondola.  It was a great day and when the park closed at 5 we went to a chicken restaurant called Nando’s.

After dinner Tim and Jeanette dropped us at a guesthouse we had booked in Johannesburg near the airport as our flight left early the next morning and we did not want to have them drive us an hour from Potchefstroom.  We said our final goodbyes that night, had some prayers together in the car, and then parted ways.

The flight home was far less eventful and we got back to Burundi in the mid-afternoon.  Felix picked us up and things seemed to have been fairly calm in our absence.  We arrived home on Good Friday and were a bit too tired to try to get out to the service at our church.  We did a family service at the house and talked to the kids about the crucifixion. In the evening our family went out to Ubuntu for pizza.

Saturday was a big day.  Julia and Teresa were in town on their way to Gitega and stayed the night at our house the night before.  Julia was here for yoga and Jennifer Price came over as well for brunch.  The highlight of the day though was an Easter egg hunt organized for American kids by the American Embassy.

We were on the guest list and went over the house where over 150 eggs had been hidden.  It was interesting to see a gathering of every American family in the whole country in one place.  It was a surprisingly small group and we all knew each other.  It was actually a lot of fun with games like carrying an egg on a spoon, an Easter egg hunt, and plenty of goodies like chocolate chip cookies.  The US Ambassador was there as well as a life-size cut out of President Obama.  We all had a good time. 

Easter Sunday was very nice.  The kids did get some Easter candy (thanks to our South Africa trip) and we went to church where Simon Guillebaud was preaching this morning.  Many of us went out to Pinnacle 19 (where the chimp is) to have lunch so we saw many of the same friends from church and the Easter egg hunt.

It was good to catch up with people about their vacations.  Many of us are asking questions about our future plans and our departure.  We don’t know what we are going to next but we are trusting that God is in control.  I did have 2 job interviews in the past several weeks and we will see if either bears fruit.

This week begins with a trip to Rwanda for me.  Sadly, there will not be much routine left with swimming in the morning in the weeks ahead.  It is time to buckle down and complete the work that needs to be done before we leave. 

We are grateful that our replacements, the Stoner-Ebys look more and more ready to take the reigns.  They will be going with me to Kigali this week.