It is interesting to contrast Kruger vs. a nice American zoo. Let me preface this post by saying I far prefer Kruger!
Visability: at the zoo you are nearly guaranteed to see each animal. That's pretty cool, except it means that habitats for them are lacking (not as private as they would prefer in the wild), and it also eliminates the thrill of the search.
Food: at the zoo the animals are fed, in Kruger they have to fend for themselves. I have never understood why it is ok to give dead, previously killed animals as food in zoos but it isn't ok to give live animal as food. Why is it ok for humans to kill the animals but not for their natural predators to? (I guess if you read my last post you could say that we are likely to kill more humanely - though that can be debated.) In fact I've always found it odd that people don't want to see an animal get eaten at the zoo yet they go to the zoo food stands and eat dead animals there... Very odd... It seems we are happy so long as we are removed from the death.
Lifestyle: at the zoo the animals are given enrichment activities to fend off boredom, but in Kruger the animals aren't bored because they are doing what they are meant to do. It is amazing how different elephants seem when they are 99% of the time foraging for food - they are constantly active - the elephants in Kruger didn't look bored at all!
Cages: at the zoo the animals are in cages - or more properly are behind electric fence. At Kruger, you are in the cage (in your car outside the rest camps), or you are behind the electric fence (at the camps). It puts things into perspective... This is their land, you are just visiting...
Comfort: at the zoo, human comforts are actually minimal - made for mass use and low quality. Kruger is actually quite comfortable. Granted you are likely to stay overnight in Kruger and that won't happen at the zoo, but you could do Kruger in quite a high level of comfort. There were people getting out of cars at "picnic" spots (where they cook and serve you fresh food) in fancy clothes with designer purses. That was my biggest shock in Kruger. In fact, the one member of our party made the comment that you can tell who the locals are - they are the ones in the camps NOT wearing khaki or neutral colors!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Life and death in Kruger
The last two days I've watched 3 episodes of the BBC series "planet earth" on DVD. They have a decent amount of footage in Southern Africa, where I could name the birds and animals before the announcer - which was pretty cool. It is an amazingly filmed series, though not very informative. Worth watching though just because it is so beautifully filmed and gives new perspectives into certain animal behavior. The DVD is fun too because it has an extra special after each episode on the filming of the biggest challenge in that episode. It really puts it into perspective when you see the guy waiting in a hovel for weeks to spot a snow leopard!
In last night's episode, one scene was crocodiles hunting cape buffalo. The announcer said that it took an hour for the crocodile to drown the big bull he caught. They win by not letting go. It is amazing how many prey actually manage to escape the hunt - and when you see the few hundred thousand impala at Kruger you feel sorry for the big cats because they actually have it pretty hard - it's exhausting, dangerous, and not always successful for them to hunt.
All that being said, while I was in Kruger, when we were at the main Skukuza camp and had a few hours to ourselves, I took a long walk by the Sabie river (of course, everyone is inside the electric fencing...) and reached the far end of the camp just past dusk. (It was neat to see the private large rental houses along the river, much nicer than the hut-shaped hotel room I had.)
Just at dark, at the edge of the camp, I heard the most terrible squealing that was so distressed and heart breaking - and it just wouldn't stop. It lasted for what seemed like nearly 5 minutes. I thought I must be mistaken about the noise (though it was hard to imagine why anything would sound like that if it weren't struggling for its life) because surely whatever was hunting would kill faster than that... I asked the guide, and he said it can take a long time for the kill.
We did not see any kills during our trip and for that I am glad. It is part of the life in Kruger, but hearing it was enough. The sound haunted me for days...
In last night's episode, one scene was crocodiles hunting cape buffalo. The announcer said that it took an hour for the crocodile to drown the big bull he caught. They win by not letting go. It is amazing how many prey actually manage to escape the hunt - and when you see the few hundred thousand impala at Kruger you feel sorry for the big cats because they actually have it pretty hard - it's exhausting, dangerous, and not always successful for them to hunt.
All that being said, while I was in Kruger, when we were at the main Skukuza camp and had a few hours to ourselves, I took a long walk by the Sabie river (of course, everyone is inside the electric fencing...) and reached the far end of the camp just past dusk. (It was neat to see the private large rental houses along the river, much nicer than the hut-shaped hotel room I had.)
Just at dark, at the edge of the camp, I heard the most terrible squealing that was so distressed and heart breaking - and it just wouldn't stop. It lasted for what seemed like nearly 5 minutes. I thought I must be mistaken about the noise (though it was hard to imagine why anything would sound like that if it weren't struggling for its life) because surely whatever was hunting would kill faster than that... I asked the guide, and he said it can take a long time for the kill.
We did not see any kills during our trip and for that I am glad. It is part of the life in Kruger, but hearing it was enough. The sound haunted me for days...
Things that made me happy yesterday
So I should preface this post by saying that I'm still recovering from the stomach virus and don't feel great to begin with, plus I miss not only the beauty of Cape Town but of course I very much miss my friends... While it is good to be home, I wasn't exactly happy yesterday morning...
Top 10 list:
1) Happy dogs - Waking up in the morning to a dog that is so thrilled you're up that she makes her mouth into a funnel, exhales and makes that gentle "aahhooo" sound that I love, then squeezes herself as close to me as possible for morning cuddles
2) The sun - you can see the hills and the mountains and all the different greens are amazing - the weather is perfect right now
3) Working in a friendly department - I lost several hours yesterday catching up with 2 of our 5 staff members and 5 of the other 12 faculty members. The only reason more aren't on that list is they are the only ones I saw in the building yesterday!
4) Fresh food - even though I had no appetite, knowing there were healthy options across the street from work was great, and the fresh fruit and soy smoothie I had for lunch hit the spot and was the first thing I've had all week that didn't irritate my stomach. It was so good I managed a blueberry-lemon muffin after it! (the most flavorful and rich food I've had all week)
5) Friendly people - ever had a construction worker stop you to ask how your day is going? Not to whistle - but to strike up a conversation? He went on to explain the progress of the project and was totally nice
6) Construction - speaking of the construction, it was so cool to see the new lecture hall and classrooms being constructed after all the committee work and plans that went into that this past year! It's actually happening :)
7) Open windows - I can leave my porch door at home totally open and let the fresh air in, no worries about burglary - oh yeah, and no bars on the windows either!!! (7.5 - taking a walk with Audrey yesterday and leaving the house unlocked - no worries in this town!)
8) Open fields - the field across the street from my house was a great place to play frisbee with audrey when I got home after dark - and I could stand their safely in total darkness, looking up at the vast stars, enjoying the fresh air
9) Feeling organized - I went to the co-op yesterday and thought, shoot, I forgot to bring the milk jugs for return - then found that in July I had put them in my shopping bag that I keep in the car, so when I pulled that out I had the happy surprise of feeling on top of things
10) Happy cats - it wouldn't be fair to put Audrey on the list and not my boys. They wanted non-stop cuddling my first day back and have now settled more into a routine, though they are waking me up a lot at night wanting to cuddle a bit too much, but it is sweet having two purring little bodies around
So, as you could guess, by the end of the day I was happy! I still couldn't stomach much dinner, and I still miss my friends, but I am very happy to be home...
I have to amend this post - the next morning brings two more things:
11) Beautiful paths - Audrey and I enjoyed a walk in the paths in my neighborhood today - I forgot how peaceful and nice it is. We also saw several friendly people along the walk, and Audrey enjoyed wallowing in a mud puddle then bathing in the creek :)
12) Ease of getting around - my car is due in for service and will be at the shop all day Wed. I thought, what will I do without a car all day? How will I get around and to work? Then I though - oh yeah, DUH! I can walk! This town is so small :) It may be a bit far from the service shop to work, but there are buses, too... It won't be a problem at all!
Top 10 list:
1) Happy dogs - Waking up in the morning to a dog that is so thrilled you're up that she makes her mouth into a funnel, exhales and makes that gentle "aahhooo" sound that I love, then squeezes herself as close to me as possible for morning cuddles
2) The sun - you can see the hills and the mountains and all the different greens are amazing - the weather is perfect right now
3) Working in a friendly department - I lost several hours yesterday catching up with 2 of our 5 staff members and 5 of the other 12 faculty members. The only reason more aren't on that list is they are the only ones I saw in the building yesterday!
4) Fresh food - even though I had no appetite, knowing there were healthy options across the street from work was great, and the fresh fruit and soy smoothie I had for lunch hit the spot and was the first thing I've had all week that didn't irritate my stomach. It was so good I managed a blueberry-lemon muffin after it! (the most flavorful and rich food I've had all week)
5) Friendly people - ever had a construction worker stop you to ask how your day is going? Not to whistle - but to strike up a conversation? He went on to explain the progress of the project and was totally nice
6) Construction - speaking of the construction, it was so cool to see the new lecture hall and classrooms being constructed after all the committee work and plans that went into that this past year! It's actually happening :)
7) Open windows - I can leave my porch door at home totally open and let the fresh air in, no worries about burglary - oh yeah, and no bars on the windows either!!! (7.5 - taking a walk with Audrey yesterday and leaving the house unlocked - no worries in this town!)
8) Open fields - the field across the street from my house was a great place to play frisbee with audrey when I got home after dark - and I could stand their safely in total darkness, looking up at the vast stars, enjoying the fresh air
9) Feeling organized - I went to the co-op yesterday and thought, shoot, I forgot to bring the milk jugs for return - then found that in July I had put them in my shopping bag that I keep in the car, so when I pulled that out I had the happy surprise of feeling on top of things
10) Happy cats - it wouldn't be fair to put Audrey on the list and not my boys. They wanted non-stop cuddling my first day back and have now settled more into a routine, though they are waking me up a lot at night wanting to cuddle a bit too much, but it is sweet having two purring little bodies around
So, as you could guess, by the end of the day I was happy! I still couldn't stomach much dinner, and I still miss my friends, but I am very happy to be home...
I have to amend this post - the next morning brings two more things:
11) Beautiful paths - Audrey and I enjoyed a walk in the paths in my neighborhood today - I forgot how peaceful and nice it is. We also saw several friendly people along the walk, and Audrey enjoyed wallowing in a mud puddle then bathing in the creek :)
12) Ease of getting around - my car is due in for service and will be at the shop all day Wed. I thought, what will I do without a car all day? How will I get around and to work? Then I though - oh yeah, DUH! I can walk! This town is so small :) It may be a bit far from the service shop to work, but there are buses, too... It won't be a problem at all!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Congrats to my friend!
I posted this past spring about my friend who is training for boxing. She is also doing power lifting, and just competed in her first tournament. She took first in her class, which is super cool! She dead lifted (no assist) 275 lbs... Wow!
http://www.apa-wpa.com/2008NutmegOpenResults.htm
How's that for motivation? And she started training around the age of 40! I appreciate being in better physical shape than I was in my 20's - here's to the idea it can keep getting better :)
http://www.apa-wpa.com/2008NutmegOpenResults.htm
How's that for motivation? And she started training around the age of 40! I appreciate being in better physical shape than I was in my 20's - here's to the idea it can keep getting better :)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Going out in Cape Town - music and dancing
Partly in the last 10 days I didn't post anything, I was busy going out in Cape Town... it wasn't all work! I emailed the few local argentine tango teachers and found one in the town 45 minutes away. Not sure how I would get to the lesson, he told me of a German student who had just moved from that town to Cape Town and was commuting down for their Tuesday night dances. He got me in touch with her, and she was happy to take me along - and even go early so I could get a lesson before the evening of dancing. (She actually normally goes early to visit her friends there.)
The dance scene in Stellenbosch (the town we went to) is nothing like in Oregon. There were about 15 people at a cafe with a concrete floor. The people were super friendly though! The lesson was fun - it got me warmed up, but I found most of the people there thought of the dance as a series of steps, so weren't so fun to dance with. One guy was nice though - a farmer, mostly of different types of fruits.
I got excited about getting into the dancing scene so I pushed to get a lesson with the Cape Town teacher later that week, who turned out to be fabulous! I had two lessons with him overall, and they were the most amazing dance lessons I've ever had. After the 2nd lesson with him, I left feeling 2 feet taller and half my weight! I felt light, but balanced - strong and stable, but free to move with his lead. It felt like I was doing the dance right - and really dancing! I hope that the things I learned stick with me so I have more good dances back home!!
http://www.tangocapetown.co.za/
Here is a picture of the teacher and his partner - who also teaches:
That Sunday I was stoked to try tango in Cape Town where the scene is bigger and there are some great dancers. However, I was disappointed to find the scene very snobby, and only two people asked me to dance, besides the farmer who had come up from Stellenbosch. And one of those two hit on me while we were dancing close - which is not cool...
So after 2 hours of not much dancing, the German student wanted to go salsa dancing instead, and invited me along. I don't know much about salsa, but people there were nice, and taught me to dance - I was doing all sorts of things I didn't know I could do by the end of 2 hours at that club! I met one nice guy she had made friends with, and over the noise he thought I said I was 24 - turns out he believed it! I can't believe I can pass for that... Salsa was fun - but after the 2nd awesome tango lesson I can't imagine giving up tango...
On top of the dancing, my host's masters student plays bass and invited me out to see him play covers for his weekly Friday night gig. He was in a band and they were going to tour in Canada, but they didn't all get visas, or something like that, and he ended up starting the grad program after undergrad instead. He also took me to a coffee shop before my trip to Kruger to hear some friends of his play. The band was fun to listen to though I was way too old to be out with that scene. People were seriously superficial there - loads of barely legal people making out... I may be able to pass for 24 by looks but I certainly don't want to act like one!!
At any rate - it was fun to go out and explore the night life a bit. As awesome as my host is, he wasn't going to help me on that account :)
The dance scene in Stellenbosch (the town we went to) is nothing like in Oregon. There were about 15 people at a cafe with a concrete floor. The people were super friendly though! The lesson was fun - it got me warmed up, but I found most of the people there thought of the dance as a series of steps, so weren't so fun to dance with. One guy was nice though - a farmer, mostly of different types of fruits.
I got excited about getting into the dancing scene so I pushed to get a lesson with the Cape Town teacher later that week, who turned out to be fabulous! I had two lessons with him overall, and they were the most amazing dance lessons I've ever had. After the 2nd lesson with him, I left feeling 2 feet taller and half my weight! I felt light, but balanced - strong and stable, but free to move with his lead. It felt like I was doing the dance right - and really dancing! I hope that the things I learned stick with me so I have more good dances back home!!
http://www.tangocapetown.co.za/
Here is a picture of the teacher and his partner - who also teaches:
That Sunday I was stoked to try tango in Cape Town where the scene is bigger and there are some great dancers. However, I was disappointed to find the scene very snobby, and only two people asked me to dance, besides the farmer who had come up from Stellenbosch. And one of those two hit on me while we were dancing close - which is not cool...
So after 2 hours of not much dancing, the German student wanted to go salsa dancing instead, and invited me along. I don't know much about salsa, but people there were nice, and taught me to dance - I was doing all sorts of things I didn't know I could do by the end of 2 hours at that club! I met one nice guy she had made friends with, and over the noise he thought I said I was 24 - turns out he believed it! I can't believe I can pass for that... Salsa was fun - but after the 2nd awesome tango lesson I can't imagine giving up tango...
On top of the dancing, my host's masters student plays bass and invited me out to see him play covers for his weekly Friday night gig. He was in a band and they were going to tour in Canada, but they didn't all get visas, or something like that, and he ended up starting the grad program after undergrad instead. He also took me to a coffee shop before my trip to Kruger to hear some friends of his play. The band was fun to listen to though I was way too old to be out with that scene. People were seriously superficial there - loads of barely legal people making out... I may be able to pass for 24 by looks but I certainly don't want to act like one!!
At any rate - it was fun to go out and explore the night life a bit. As awesome as my host is, he wasn't going to help me on that account :)
Driving is disorienting!!
Although it is great to have my car again, it is very disorienting to drive! It is bad enough to drive after not driving for nearly 6 weeks, but on top of that I got throughly used to always being on the left of traffic and sitting in the passenger seat on the left side of the car! I was so confused pulling into traffic today! Good thing I live in a small town without much traffic :)
Speaking of being back in my small town... I am very glad it was sunny today and I could see the beautiful mountains and hills all around. It is disorienting to be home. I have to think about where I am and where I am going - roads that were 2nd nature probably still are, but briefly I am not sure where they lead and which way I'm going!
It is good to be home - and I picked up Audrey today. Having my sweet dog here is wonderful. My cats are also very happy to have me back. Home is comfortable (it is also dirty - working on that...) and best of all, it is my home...
Speaking of being back in my small town... I am very glad it was sunny today and I could see the beautiful mountains and hills all around. It is disorienting to be home. I have to think about where I am and where I am going - roads that were 2nd nature probably still are, but briefly I am not sure where they lead and which way I'm going!
It is good to be home - and I picked up Audrey today. Having my sweet dog here is wonderful. My cats are also very happy to have me back. Home is comfortable (it is also dirty - working on that...) and best of all, it is my home...
I've really become an Oregonian...
So all my talk about enjoying the fashion on campus, and the fancy big-city style at the waterfront, I had a chance to go shopping alone on Saturday, and where did I go, but Cape Union Mart - South Africa's version of REI!! I bought a fleece, a sweater, and a scarf! Nothing high fashion there at all... Maybe it was the influence of the stormy weather, maybe it was the oncoming stomach virus, but I just didn't even have interest in trying on any of the cutsey fashions at this high-end mall!
http://www.waterfront.co.za/
This is THE shopping destination in cape town. If you want cute quiet boutique shopping, yes there are other places to go - but this is the place with gucci, armani, burberry, chopard and so forth... And I BOUGHT A FLEECE!!!!
http://www.capeunionmart.co.za/
http://www.waterfront.co.za/
This is THE shopping destination in cape town. If you want cute quiet boutique shopping, yes there are other places to go - but this is the place with gucci, armani, burberry, chopard and so forth... And I BOUGHT A FLEECE!!!!
http://www.capeunionmart.co.za/
Haircut
When I went to Cape Town I was in need of a haircut. I was debating about letting it grow out a bit, so I wasn't too worried - but I figured I could get it cut there if need be. Well, soon after getting there I realized that was a mistake - I really needed it. However, my host and friends all being guys were none too sympathetic to my plight and kept putting off taking me to a salon. I tried to make a booking online on my own, but that does not seem the way to do things in South Africa - responses are frustratingly rare to online inquiries!
Eventually, after about 3 weeks, my host was taking me for a walk with two of his long-time female friends and I asked him to ask them where he can take me THAT DAY! Fortunately they knew of a place, and it seemed to be a good place - I was quite happy with it. I was, however, quite frustrated at having my hair get so out of control, that I let the stylist go a bit crazy and now I have very little hair at all :) So much for growing it out...
Here is a progression. The first pic is my hair back in early June - before it got 2 months over grown. The second and third pic are of my new cut - one with the "bangs" down and the other with it spiked up. It looks quite cute spiked up - these pics don't do it justice - I just took them in bad lighting with my laptop webcam...
Eventually, after about 3 weeks, my host was taking me for a walk with two of his long-time female friends and I asked him to ask them where he can take me THAT DAY! Fortunately they knew of a place, and it seemed to be a good place - I was quite happy with it. I was, however, quite frustrated at having my hair get so out of control, that I let the stylist go a bit crazy and now I have very little hair at all :) So much for growing it out...
Here is a progression. The first pic is my hair back in early June - before it got 2 months over grown. The second and third pic are of my new cut - one with the "bangs" down and the other with it spiked up. It looks quite cute spiked up - these pics don't do it justice - I just took them in bad lighting with my laptop webcam...
Heading home
I can't believe it's been since the 18th since my last post! Well, I was very busy, then my last weekend I got sick, so I just never caught back up with posting.
At the moment I have little energy and want to close my eyes again, I just thought it would be fitting to close out my trip posting from the shuttle, just as I started the trip back on the 26th of July. I am about 45 minutes from home, in the airport shuttle. Amazingly, I have better internet on this shuttle than I have had the entire time I've been away!
This past weekend was not great - I got a stomach virus, my host got an upper respiratory infection, and my good friend ended up in the hospital visiting a family member.
On top of none of us being in good shape to do anything, the weather was horrible. There was some sort of winter storm that seemed to me to be at least tropical storm level. The wind was horrible and the rain came in huge bursts. It started on Thursday but the violent wind didn't get bad until Saturday. It was downright scary that day. Sunday wasn't much better...
I was bunkered down in my bedroom in that big old drafty house - I had the portable heater going nonstop, and had my biggest sweater on under all the blankets. It was perhaps good I was sick on top of it because I didn't even feel like getting out of bed, and there was no where to go anyway!!
The flight home would have been horrible as I'm still getting over the virus, except I saw a dr. before the flight and he gave me lovely sleeping pills... I solidly slept 19 of the 24 hours of my in-flight time. It is 2am and I'm on the shuttle (SO CLOSE NOW...) and I can't sleep now, but I'm sure it's just the anticipation of being almost home...
I miss Cape Town, but this trip I was ready to head home. I am sure I'll go back again and I look forward to ongoing work with my host, and keeping up my friendships..
I am much more comfortable back in Oregon than I was in NYC. I have to amend - I spent my 13 hour layover with a much appreciated rest and visit at my good friend's house (see blog links on my page) - but in the airport and such I felt culture shok. Oregon is calmer, nicer, quieter... Cape town is too big a city for me sometimes, but it is a friendly place - maners are different there. You don't over hear people talking too loud and about unseamly things :)
Cape Town is a beautiful place with beauiful people, so there is at least one thing - I no longer feel underdresesd now that I'm back in Oregon :) Being on campus, especially in the physics dept was of course not a place to play dress up - but you should see the glam at the fancy shopping places and out on the town!! I would have to try hard to keep up!
No stressing about it now :) Now I can go home, rest, cuddle my animals, rest some more, take a hike in the woods, and relax!!
At the moment I have little energy and want to close my eyes again, I just thought it would be fitting to close out my trip posting from the shuttle, just as I started the trip back on the 26th of July. I am about 45 minutes from home, in the airport shuttle. Amazingly, I have better internet on this shuttle than I have had the entire time I've been away!
This past weekend was not great - I got a stomach virus, my host got an upper respiratory infection, and my good friend ended up in the hospital visiting a family member.
On top of none of us being in good shape to do anything, the weather was horrible. There was some sort of winter storm that seemed to me to be at least tropical storm level. The wind was horrible and the rain came in huge bursts. It started on Thursday but the violent wind didn't get bad until Saturday. It was downright scary that day. Sunday wasn't much better...
I was bunkered down in my bedroom in that big old drafty house - I had the portable heater going nonstop, and had my biggest sweater on under all the blankets. It was perhaps good I was sick on top of it because I didn't even feel like getting out of bed, and there was no where to go anyway!!
The flight home would have been horrible as I'm still getting over the virus, except I saw a dr. before the flight and he gave me lovely sleeping pills... I solidly slept 19 of the 24 hours of my in-flight time. It is 2am and I'm on the shuttle (SO CLOSE NOW...) and I can't sleep now, but I'm sure it's just the anticipation of being almost home...
I miss Cape Town, but this trip I was ready to head home. I am sure I'll go back again and I look forward to ongoing work with my host, and keeping up my friendships..
I am much more comfortable back in Oregon than I was in NYC. I have to amend - I spent my 13 hour layover with a much appreciated rest and visit at my good friend's house (see blog links on my page) - but in the airport and such I felt culture shok. Oregon is calmer, nicer, quieter... Cape town is too big a city for me sometimes, but it is a friendly place - maners are different there. You don't over hear people talking too loud and about unseamly things :)
Cape Town is a beautiful place with beauiful people, so there is at least one thing - I no longer feel underdresesd now that I'm back in Oregon :) Being on campus, especially in the physics dept was of course not a place to play dress up - but you should see the glam at the fancy shopping places and out on the town!! I would have to try hard to keep up!
No stressing about it now :) Now I can go home, rest, cuddle my animals, rest some more, take a hike in the woods, and relax!!
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