MOMENTS OF JOY

The last Saturday of 2013 will be remembered as one of my best days this year.  According to the Chinese calender, 2013 is the Year of the Snake and 2014 will be the Year of the Horse.  Interesting that both snakes and horses are near to my heart.

On the last Saturday, Francois, Dee and I, left Sasolburg very early to visit friends in the East Rand or Ekurhuleni, as it was renamed when South Africa became a democracy in 1994.  Ekurhuleni is a Tsonga word, meaning "The Place of Peace".

Cattle farm

We drove through picturesque countryside. Kilometers covered in luscious green corn fields and cattle farms as far as the eye could see. Indeed, it's a picture of peace and tranquility.

Corn fields

South Africa, or as it is often called, The Rainbow Nation, is a country of widely diverse cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences.  It has 9 Provinces and 11 official languages, namely English, Afrikaans, Sepedi, Sotho, Xhosa, Tshonga, Tswana,  Swati, Ndebele, Venda and Zulu. All of these are represented in the Ekurluleni Metropolitan Area..  With this much diversity throughout the nation it is understandable that the anthem of South Africa, is the only neo-modal anthem in the world and employs 5 of the 11 official languages, i.e. Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, Afrikaans and English.

The lyrics of South Africa's Anthem

Nkosi sikeleli' iAfrika
Maluphakannyisw' upondo lwayo,
Yiswa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo
.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso
Fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso
Sethaba sa South Africa - South Africa

Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee.

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land.

                                                                                                    

Our first stop was in Nigel, Gauteng, where I met with Oageng, my pretend "son" and Retha, both former work colleagues from years ago.  Both became and remain dear friends.  We had a lot of catching up to do, but the little time we spent together was precious.  Gifts and hugs were exchanged and it was with great sadness that I left them behind.  Luckily the photos and memories are mine to keep..

With Oageng and Retha

With Oageng

Nigel, like so many towns on the outskirts of Johannesburg, are famous for the discovery of gold in the 19th century.  In 1886 gold was discovered on the farm Varkensfontein (The Fountain of the Pigs) and the Nigel Gold Mining Company was established.  Naturally the town grew around the mine.

Aerial View Nigel - Photo Beeld 

Midday came too soon and it was time to stop for a bite.  The "kids" (Dee and Francois) had the majority vote and the Colonel (KFC) provided the clean restroom and the lunch.

According to the Y-generation, who grew up with all that technology has to offer, KFC and McDonald's always provide the best value for money when it comes to buying instant meals.  Both Francois and Dee are part of this generation.   Me, as a baby-boomer never had the luxury of fast food outlets when I was their age and still find it unhealthy and over-priced.

Francois and Dee

Our next stop was, of course, the highlight of my day.  Jenny and I have been friends for many years.  She is one of the most humble persons I've ever met.  She has been my sister, my friend, my mentor, my crutch and my guru ever since we met at the Department of Education way back when.  I salute you Jen!

With Jenny

Jenny stays with her husband and kids, in Springs, a town 50 kilometers east of Johannesburg.  Originally called 'The Springs' and declared a town in 1904.  In 1888 a good quality coal was discovered in 'The Springs' and in 1899,  it is believed that  gold was discovered accidentally when the coal shafts were sunk.

Many famous South Africans were born in Springs.  Nadine Gordimer, the first South African Nobel prize winner in literature (1974), was born in Springs and attended the very popular and prestigious Veritas College.

Penny Heyns, the double Olympic gold medalist in swimming (1996), was also born in Springs and attended local primary and high schools.

Springs enjoys a four season climate and grassland vegetation.  The famous Blesbokspruit Wetland Area houses more than 300 species of birds, water mammals, black wildebeest, springbok, zebra, reptiles, lizards and the well known African bullfrog.

It was good to walk down memory lane for one day.

SA Bullfrog

My next trip will be to Pretoria, one of the three capital cities of South Africa.

.

STILL GOING NOWHERE

 I've stopped counting days.  The only thing important to me on this soul-searching journey is to live for the moment and  never forget what this trip is all about.

 We celebrated Francois' birthday on the 23rd with  a deli cake and candles galore!  The cake was too small for 30 candles, but what the heck! With a little bit of imagination and a little bit of pretend maths it all added up.

   

And then it was Christmas.  I normally spend this special day with the Camp people in Eersterus, Port Elizabeth.. Eersterus is an informal settlement  on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth.   So it was a bit of a disappointment not to be with them.

Spending the day with Dee and Francois, however, was a treat on its own.  We had lunch at Redwoods where good food, good wine and good company turned the event into a celebration.

THE DAY OF THE MOMOS

In South Africa, 26 December or Boxing Day, is a public holiday. Boxing Day was first introduced to South Africa by the British.  In 1994 it was renamed The Day of Goodwill to finally cut the colonial ties of our past. Of course, for most South Africans it's become a day of recovering from the Christmas indulgence. Unfortunately, in this household the indulgence just continued.  Dee prepared momos, a traditional food of Nepal. All I can say it was more good food, more good wine and the company still the best! From this day forward Boxing day will be Momos Day on my calender.

Francois ate his with SA chutney.

It is believed momos (dumplings) originated in China's Han province and was only brought to Nepal, Darjeeling, Bhutan and neighbouring countries decades later.

Dee's Chicken Momos with Chillie/Tomato Atjar

GOING NOWHERE

Day 1   I left Cape Town just before 5 in the morning and traveled 400+ km to a town called George, still in the Western Cape, where I spent the night with family.

George is famous for its timber, ostriches, majestic Outeniqua Mountain and diverse scenic landscapes. Rivers, farmlands, forests and the ocean add to the beauty of this region. George is the 6th oldest town in South Africa and is located in the center of the famous Garden Route.

Aerial view of George

Day 2  I left early for Uniondale.  Had such a lovely stay on a farm called Oskraal. The guided tour on the farm was amazing.  An abundance of history, peace, tranquility and fresh air was shared by Lawton, my host, to whom I owe many thanks..

Oskraal

Uniondale is a quaint little town with lots of character. Of course, it's more famous for its hitch-hiking ghost, Maria Roux.

Maria Roux

Legend has it that during the Easter weekend of 1968, a young couple were traveling on the road near Uniondale, when the boyfriend lost control of the vehicle and the girl was killed.  It was a bitterly cold, stormy night. The girl was asleep on the back seat of the car when the accident occurred.  They were on their way to tell their respective families of their recent engagement.

The first sighting of the ghost was during  Easter weekend in 1976.  It is believed that the ghost (the girl with the long dark hair) hitches a ride and vanishes in the dark a few kilometers further. On more than one occasion she even hitched a ride on a motorbike and disappeared within a few kilometers..

Day 3  Unfortunately I left my laptop at Oskraal and had to turn around to fetch it.  A 10 hour, 1000 km trip turned into a 15 hour, 1400 km journey. I arrived in Sasolburg just after 8 that evening, exhausted, hungry and jittery.

I drove through 5 of our 9 provinces in one day :  Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Gauteng and Free State.  I once again realized how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful and diverse country. The roads were extremely busy as it was peak holiday season in South Africa.

Day 4  Regrettably, the 15 hours behind the wheel on my way to Sasolburg, caused my leg to act up again and for the next several days all I could do was rest and recover. It's been 2 years since I last saw Francois (my son) and Dee (his wife) and really treasure my time here with them.

Day 7.. Finally returning to normal again, thanks to Francois' tender love and care to mom's knee.  He is a Master Masseur. Dee, on the other hand, attends to every  need a granny/mom could ever ask for.

But my restless soul needs to be out there and Day 7 seems like the perfect day to hit the road again.  This time I'll be heading to a town called Randfontein where my cousin and her husband are expecting me.  Two lovely people with pieces of gold stuck in their hearts.  Walking down memory lane with family is always a treat.

Randfontein is situated 40+ km west of Johannesburg.  The farm Randfontein was bought by J.B. Robinson in 1889. He started the Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Company which has the largest stamp mill in the world.

Randfontein mostly consists of farms and small holdings and rumors have it that the Kruger Millions were buried on the original farm Robinson bought.  He was a very close friend of President Paul Kruger.

More later..........

LAMENT

the shy moon silently bends down

liquid rays of energy

give birth to emptiness

shuddering, chanting, 
venting her pain
she weeps alone
he is no more

WINDOWS AND DOORS

        DESTRUCTION AND DISPLACEMENT

      Abeyi -   Sudan

Thousands of civilians were affected, first in 2008 and again in 2011, by the conflict in Abeyi, a town on the border between Sudan and South Sudan.

These photos were taken by Steven Hind and tell a story of killing, looting, disputes and tensions. This hospital was destroyed in the last fighting in 2011.

the shooting and looting

cause destruction and pain

women are raped

and children are maimed

all that remain

are ashes and ruins

disputes and tension

conflict and war

is it all about oil or is it the soil

senseless killing of innocent souls

soldiers, artillery

weapons and hate

the mighty Nile's spirit

with it's fertile floods

witnessed atrocities

and the violence of war

her spirit is crying

for freedom and peace  

20131204/jk