Mountain High Forest Delights

The trip back from Kruger National Park and Peace Corps Training to our volunteer site at a TB/AIDS hospital in the mountains of Kwa Zulu Natal was harder psychologically than expected. Perhaps two weeks is too long to be away from a Peace Corps volunteer site and there is the temptation to forget the true purpose for coming to South Africa. The rental car was turned in and we faced the long walk across the taxi rank loaded with packs, luggage and some anxiety. Taxi ranks cover an entire city block and consist of thousands of people milling around with taxi vans heading in every direction, buses, and vendors trying to sell the travelers bags of chips, fruit, cell phone covers, underwear, cold drinks, clothes pin and every other imaginable household item. We found the right bus with no difficulty and began to enjoy greeting the other passengers and being part of the scene. The pleasure of Africa is its people and their extraordinary effort to include you as one of them. Lesson learned, however, bring no more than a small grocery bag and your traveling pleasure will greatly increase.

After two weeks away from the hospital and patients, it was time to return to our duties. So when Monday morning rolled around it was a pleasure to greet the patients and staff and tell them about the fabulous sights of their country and inquire about their well being. They were genuinely glad to see us and we were glad to see them and get back to work. They had many requests for sewing and handwork supplies and seemed eager to start new projects. A few patients in the sewing group had declined and were sent to the nonambulatory wards but most seemed stronger and more articulate about their needs, wants and goals for the future.

Due to our routine of spending the weekends in town for shopping, phone calls home, internet access and church, we have not fully explored the gorgeous mountain site for the hospital which is a wilderness preserve and indigenous forest home to 300 birds, baboons and waterfalls. So the last few Sundays at Mountain High, we set out on hikes to enjoy the bounty. This Sunday was spent hiking from our Mountain High home to a shrine and tea plantation in the nearby forest. We hoped that the hike to the tea plantation and shrine was manageable but we had no map, a mild day turned into a torrential storm and the 7 mile return was shrouded in dense fog. I am sure the views from the shrine are gorgeous but they will have to wait for a clear day. The tea plantation held more interest than the fog covered shrine. Tea bushes were overgrown and intertwined with lovely red and green passion fruit vines. A canopy of palms bearing red fruit outlined the tea bushes with a festive tropical look. No one has worked at the tea plantation recently due to a labor dispute but the miles of tea bushes beg for someone to care for them. No surprise when the office complex for the Tea Plantation housed a “Tea Room”. Tea time is a sacred rite in South Africa when all work stops at 10am for the required cup of tea, biscuit and social exchange. My coworkers are astounded when I tell them that coffee breaks in America have fallen into the same dust bin as Christmas bonuses, and 8 hour work days.

The hike last month to the wilderness preserve in the indigenous forest was truly an adventure. After walking down the dirt and rock road to the tar road, we walked for 2 km to a sign for the Ngome Indigenous Forest and Bee Station. We walked down the road to the forestry station which consisted of 7 homes for the foresters and offices. Signs warned that trespassing was forbidden without permits from the Forestry Office (which was closed). We finally located the forester on duty and he showed us the trail and told us to enjoy ourselves. We then entered the beautiful indigenous forest with canopies of trees overhead, lovely orchards and tropical flowers, carpets of ferns next to waterfalls and beautiful calls from birds. KwaZuluNatal is covered with planted forests of pine and gum but the birds and wildlife prefer indigenous forests. The planted forests are beautiful to walk through but are devoid of the sounds of life. We passed no one on the trail in the forest but got lost and hiked 12 miles instead of the 6 we had planned. The hoped for loop trail only carried us further and further into the 40 miles of trail in the wilderness passing by the refuge of a Zulu warrior. At last we gave up and returned the way we had come, fording the beautiful creeks and enjoying the bird calls. Finally a few km from the entrance two baboons and a baby were spotted on the track. They watched us intently and then retreated into the bush. A little farther up three more baboons came out to enjoy the day. They were also quite shy. We had been warned not to throw rocks at the baboons as they pick up the rocks and return the favor. Truly a pleasurable day in the woods!