St. Lucia Weekend

Last week’s blog recounted my embarrassment when I was alarmed at the fire along the dirt road leading to my home in Kwa Zulu Natal, Mountain High Hospital. Ironically, the fires and wind were in fact true menaces that destroyed thousands of cattle and trees while we were gone during our trip to the Northwest Province last week. For three days the Hospital was without power as the wind blew down trees, power and telephone lines and the fire raged through Zululand. Fortunately the Hospital buildings and land were not harmed but the staff was worn out by the ordeal and told of their frustrations living without power or phones for three days when we returned. This week has been an effort and exercise in creating fire breaks around the property.

This weekend we are in St. Lucia, a UN World Heritage Site, to celebrate Women’s Day August 8. By taking one leave day on Friday, we are able to have a four day weekend in this wetland which encompasses five ecosystems including estuary, ocean beach, Game Park, sand dune and river. The small town of St. Lucia is situated on a narrow peninsula between the Indian Ocean and Lake St. Lucia, an estuary with hippos and crocodiles its native inhabitants. One can view the hippos from the shore or take a boat ride to their favorite hideouts along the mangrove estuary. Hippos take shelter in the water by day and run ashore at night to feed on grass. Reportedly, hippos have been seen running down the streets of this small tourist town and are unstoppable in their chosen path. Baby hippos will ride on their mothers back in the water. Crocodiles as old as 140 years lounge along the sides of the estuary, content in their place in this grand ecosystem.

The game preserve is a fantastic site with palm and acacia studded hillsides sheltering impalas, zebras, nyala, and waterbuck. Our game drive through the preserve was rewarded with a sighting of a new rhino mother and baby tagging behind. The baby grew impatient with the mother’s speed and leapt ahead, splashing mud at her mother. Just before exiting a herd of Cape buffalo was spotted near the road grazing on the new green grass. They are magnificent animals with broad curled horns and huge black bodies.

St. Lucia is a tourist town like Carmel in California but on a much smaller scale. It can only be reached by crossing one bridge so it is somewhat cut off from the rest of Africa. From the water it is invisible as it has no tall buildings and the estuary and ocean have no commercial buildings. The guide on the boat stated that a study was done to determine whether to develop titanium or tourism in the area and the outcome was that tourism would be more profitable and create more jobs. The town has a bird preserve and many parks with tropical vegetation. An African pleasure is to walk through the bird preserve, listen for the bird calls and quietly look for the bird lodged in the tree above the trail.

In town I gained a personalized Beading class as a kind Zulu woman at the Crafts shelter took the time to teach me the more intricate beading stitches. She demonstrated the beautiful lattice work in black, gold, off white and brown small beads and then watched as I tried to recreate her stitches. Both of us beamed up in delight when the student caught on to the master’s instruction and true learning had occurred.

We left St. Lucia by way of the famous Umfolozi Game Park and were rewarded with close game viewing of White Rhinos, a herd of Cape Buffalos, Waterbuck, families of Giraffes, Nyala, assorted buck and warthog-bush pig but who can tell the difference? The game were as frequent and familiar as the wildlife in a zoo in a major city but how can one ever imagine viewing animals behind protective structures after this extraordinary experience in Africa?