Far far away, where the fairies like to play...Visit Hogsback

Hogs back is a magical place in the Eastern Cape, run by people who truly lose themselves in all it has to offer. With Fairy walks and carefully manicured gardens, you can really enjoy a weekend away physically and mentally.

There are two theories that I know of as to how the little town got its name. The commander of fort Michell was called Captain Hogg and it is believed that the village was named after him. Others think it may be because of the three peaks that are near to the town, as they look like a hogs back when you see them from a specific angle.

In South Africa we don’t have snow during Christmas time, but many indulge in a second Christmas during the July winter season, where a “White” July Christmas can be enjoyed amongst friends and family. When I went there, it was late winter, and the snow had already disappeared.

Upon arrival, I had no idea what to expect, and was advised of a few places to go and see, and educated on the numerous possibilities of entertainment. The first place I chose to stay was at Away with the fairies, a place that firstly sounded like my kind of spot and secondly they are very environmentally friendly, respectful and conscious. Me being the nature person I am, I could not resist the sound of it, and was more than excited to climb the scariest tree house, or have a bath in the tub with a view.

When we arrived there, the Hippie vibe surrounding the whole town was very evident, but I really enjoyed it. The break, the escape in the natural rolling hills and forests, with people who truly live freely was exactly what I needed. After setting up tent in what felt like someone’s backyard, we went to have a drink the Wizards sleeve bar. Too excited to explore we kept conversation short and headed straight for the tree house!

It was a short experience at the tree house, because Hogs back boasts scores of hiking trails (and wild forest cows) in which you are exposed to a beautiful indigenous forest, wonderful crystal waterfalls and over 150 bird species. With a map in hand (which never proved to help us, due to our lack of care to sticking to a path) we hiked every single day. Some days we hiked twice a day. Being that it is so beautiful it was easy to hike without thinking of the exercise involved in exploring the beautiful forests.

There are many places to stay in Hogs back, so whether you prefer the rustic environment with camping or a B&B or an inn, there is an option for every type of person, although I do suggest stocking up with your favorite supplies as the grocery store is more of a small convenient store, which is more than sufficient if you are not a fussy type. There are also wonderful restaurants, and I enjoyed two of them during my stay there. One that served chilli chocolate samoosas with a wonderful fireplace was Happy hogs, I sat there and drank great wine while enjoying the awesome food and the cozy flames.

During the days spent there, we visited the St Patricks Church which is situated on the left around a windy road. The garden is full of bright rhododendrons and azaleas. There is also a brass bell (which I couldn’t help but ring) that stands as a memorial for the Reverend Dr Bride Dixon, who was the first woman priest in South Africa as well as the Doctor there. We also went on the fairy walk which is owned by an elderly couple. The gentleman allowed us to watch him in his art studio as he created concrete sculptures of fairies that once painted, and carefully placed, come alive and sparkle with magic.

We also spent a night at Swallowtail, which was wonderful due to the rain, as they had a traveler’s lounge where we could make a fire, enjoy a glass of red wine, and cook our meal. Swallowtail is perfect for campers and caravaner’s alike, with wonderful bathroom facilities and amazing hospitality.

All in all, I would definitely go back there. It is one of those places that captured me, enchanted my spirit and left me dazed in peace when I left. If I had not gone there, I would have put it at the top of my bucket list!

To see more information about Away with the fairies i have added a link below:

http://awaywiththefairies.co.za/

When the laugh of a hyena gives you chills

The spotted hyena is a skillful hunter but also a scavenger. Truly an opportunistic feeder, it selects the easiest and most appealing food, so a herd of buffalo with a few calves are bound to be the perfect targets.

Last night while the camp slept and the birds silenced, the night sky became the perfect assistant to a local spotted hyena clan. The silence of my bush sleep was broken by an ear wrenching gargling scream. I woke up in such a panic and the hairs on both my arms stood to attention  while my heart pounded so loud it was audible.

Being that I live in an area where we are on constant edge and alert because of poachers, this was not the pleasant awakening that I had become  accustomed  to.

Suddenly the nights silence was filled with hyena calls, followed by more blood curdling screams. I could only lie back and pray that whatever they were ripping to pieces was going to be granted a quick death. This was not to be, as the cries  of the chosen midnight snack continued  for another 15 minutes while the hyena calls became louder and more desperate.

Hyenas make a variety of sounds, including wailing calls, howling screams and the famous "laughing" call used to alert other clan members in the surrounding area that dinner is served.

After a sickening  thirty minutes I presumed the fight was over and the hyenas had won, as there were no more screams, just a night full of hyena laughter. I said a prayer and closed my eyes in order to catch a bit of a sleep before I faced what had happened just minutes  before.

This morning when I woke up I went straight to the lodge to find the night guard, who I was certain would be able to give me a few more details regarding the clans evening activities.

He confirmed that the clan that had been hovering around our plains, found the herd of buffalo that were bathing in the watering hole just the afternoon before, and viciously grabbed one  of their young, causing distress  to the mother of the unfortunate calf who was no match for the clan of four.

Usually hyenas chase their pray to exhaustion, but this buffalo calf was bitten and eaten alive within minutes of the attack. The  clan then dragged it's barely alive, but still breathing body into the bush where our guard lost all sighting  of the feast but spent the rest of the evening listening, like me, to a few more screams which slowly subsided and transformed to hyena laughs.

The kill was within meters of my garden, and the sounds are something I will never forget. No bush experience I have had before could have prepared me for that dread I was left with after hearing those screams. All I could do was listen and respect nature and my surroundings for all that it is. And it is, sometimes, more real and raw than anything I have seen of felt before.

So as the sun goes down, I await to see if tonight will bring the same terror as it did just 18 hours ago. Although for now, I'm blessed with a chorus of birds and a honking of Harry the Hippo, but I am in no means ignorant  to the reality behind these beautiful  lands. 

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South African Gypsy http://cherylsmart.blogspot.com/

Don't blink, you will miss it!

When I made the decision to come back to South Africa after a good six years of travels, I came back with two goals. One, grow within my chosen career, and two, travel Africa.

After a good five months in a small local game reserve, with good people and great experiences and memories, the option to head to the more vast, untouched part of Africa has finally come up and who could say no to that?

Sometimes on the long roads around South Africa I drive through so many small towns, and if I had to squint anymore trying to take photos with bad eye sight of all the old buildings, farm cattle and churches, you would swear I was Asian. Everyone knows Asians see and take pictures of everything around them. They also don't just click once and take a single digital image, they click three to four times per shot. They need to be certain that they have a few good photos of that old, decrepit house and dirty goat.

I find that these long road trips excite me alot more than they used to when I grew up here. I am so aware of my surroundings and take pictures of things I never used to notice before.

Sometimes you don't need to jump on the first plane, or in my case a ship, to another continent to travel. Sometimes you can just take a weekend camping trip to a local dam or a road trip to another province. Or if you are as travel obsessed as myself, you can go as far as to make a goal to reach as far north as the African continent allows you. Travelling around Africa never appealed to me when I was younger. I never appreciated living in Kenya as a child and I certainly had no plan to galavant back there as an adult. After those six years away from Africa, I grew very desperate to head back and really go and see it with new eyes.

Now I also take three to four snaps of a dirty house and a dead tree to make sure I got the best shot, and I really get excited to sit and watch an African sunset and drink a dark beer. Making the decision to get a job in the bush was one of the best decisions I have made for my current years. The pace is not according to a clock or the day of the week. Nature and people and moments separate days. Trips to local towns and weekends away to more desolate areas are as exciting as a trip to Paris.

"Always keep your eyes open, keep watching, because whatever you see can inspire you. "

"One way to open your eyes is to ask your self, what if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?"

Love is

I have just come back from a wonderful two week holiday in the city. I must say, I had a few separation issues from the bush whilst I was amidst the hustle and bustle of traffic and people.

My two week trip was taken for a wedding. Being that the bride was one of my best friends and all, and I had been asked to be part of the bridal party, I could not exactly RSVP a no, and I wouldn't have even dreamt of doing that.
So I packed up my car and made the great trek of 12 hours through to Kwazulu Natal, my place of birth.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drive, and found the change of scenery to be rather refreshing. From rolling hills speckled with aloe to more rolling hills sprinkled with acacia trees. It was breathtaking.  I made a short sunset stop in Kokstad to visit a very old and dear friend. So while we sat in my car, and watched the sun go down over the beautiful city, we laughed, caught up and shared new stories.

This trip, as I mentioned, was for a wedding, and it was nothing short of spectacular.  When I was thinking about the words I was going to string together for my speech, I had a good long think about marriage in general. Why do people get married? And are they sure its to the right person? How do they know if it's true love? I was thinking about all these little things and decided to rather just think about the couple at hand and write about them, and THEIR love. I started by browsing through a few quotes until I concluded that they were all utter rubbish, and mostly pretty boring. So I invented an array of quotes based and inspired by my two friends that were tying the knot. The speech was a hit and I had a few members of the crowd in tears. The truth was, I had written that speech in about 15 to 20 minutes, as my darling two love birds had left me with so much material to use, I could not have written anything short of four pages.

During the ceremony and after spending so much time with the couple, it hit me...almost as hard as the few glasses of champagne I had been generously receiving. It hit me like an epiphany! Love is...

Yup, thats it! And so I began thinking and wrote a little reminder on my facebook page so that I wouldn't forget the moment and the way I thought about it all. Being a girl who has grown into a woman terrified of marriage, I did not want to let my progress of warming to the idea to completely disintegrate with my wonderful bubbly feel good liquid.

Love is unique to each person. It has no boundaries or rules, because if you truly love, then there wouldn't need to be boundaries and rules. Love is caring more about another person than about yourself, wanting to give them the best that you can because. ..well...you love them. Love is free, it isn't scary when it's real,it's glorious. Love is not always with another person, love is sunrises and sunsets, love is the sound of rain on any surface. Love is not meant to be exploited or used, be careful with it because it is rare.  It can only be seen and felt with open eyes and pure hearts. Love is helping another person when you can, love is kind words and positive actions. Love is uplifiting and gentle. Love just is....

I have been blessed in such a way that I have fallen in love everday for the past six years. I fall in love with my environment and all the things in it. I fall in love with the people, be it friends or mentors, but the one thing I have not done very well is love a man, a partner, a person who should mean more to me than me myself, more than my passion for travels and adventures...until now.

He was a chapter in my past, that life very strangely brought back into my future after a very personal conversation I had with the higher powers and after a statement I made to the world. I asked God in a very pleading manner, why he had given me a soul with so much passion and fire for the world and its people and no one to share it with? Why had he instilled in me a heart so big with so much love and no one to go home to everyday? Why is it that he had given me a love to travel and experience the world, when a lifestyle like that makes it almost impossible to bump into someone along the way who may want to embrace that way of living too.

Ha...im sure he laughed, because the very next day someone did enter, or should I say re-enter my life, and started to change my whole way of looking at love in the means of another person. This is what I wrote...

" Are you allowed to be in love without fear, without worry or insecurities. Are you allowed to be in love without boundaries, without change without doubt. Yes you are, you can be whoever you want to be and whoever you are. And when you find that person that allows you to dance without following rules then you can love without all of that other stuff."

And even if I dont know what the outcome will be, i will continue to dance....

Come sit at the fire and hear a tale

It has started to get very cold out here in the bush, and nights consist of fire places and sherry. The good thing about being able to build fires again is the conversation a fire draws. People forget about their phones and laptops and all huddle around together and swap various stories about back in the day. Each one has some form of soothing liquid in a glass combined with a witty tongue to add to the humorous session around the crackling flames. Hunters swap stories about their different trophies and whose is in fact the largest. In between these very serious discussions, the stories about bush toilets, and involuntary bowel movements sneak a bit of the conversation lime light.

After much laughter and plenty of liquids I get to know each and every individual on a few different levels, and in winter, the layers of each character slowly peel away until it feels as if I have known some of these guests for a good life time.

In fact, right now I have an elderly gentleman, (if a gentleman and hunter can be used in the same sentence) who has concluded to calling me his girlfriend.

It all started one early crisp dark morning when I was going about my morning wake up calls to get the men up and ready for their day. The mornings commence at around 4:00am, and as I got to Craig’s room I noticed his light was already on and he had in fact beaten me at the wake up. To be sure, I took a peek inside to make sure he was up and about and a knock on his door was indeed no longer necessary.  Well I did find Craig up, but he was still in bed and it seemed as if he was reading, so I just shouted a friendly good morning to remind him that it was time to take on a new day of hunting.

A chain of events continued as a result of my very innocent duty of wake ups. Craig entered the lodge for breakfast and we started to chat. A few of the other hunters and their Professional hunting guides were already up and about indulging in their first cup of coffee for the day. After a few good mornings I said to Craig “I noticed you were up before your wake up this morning, but I peeked to make sure you were definitely awake” well, I could not have given the guys a bigger door to run into and snag me. The comments that followed were PG rated and some serious blush enhancing material. A long story short, I have been labelled the wanted peeping tom of the lodge.

Days like these make me really appreciate every single individual that steps foot into my home away from home. These gentlemen like Craig are businessmen, entrepreneurs, doctors, pilots, family men, grandfathers, fathers and sons, but when they enter our lodge they are just people, people that like to unwind, make a few dirty jokes, share stories and bond over a fire and the bush.

Nature has this funny way of bringing everyone down to the same humble level, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what your title is, or what great things you have achieved. In the bush you are secondary to nature and the guy sitting next to you is just another human being.

I was asked last night if I had a dark side, I was initially a little confused, and when I asked for a further explanation to the rather strange question, my guest elaborated by saying that I am always so happy, in the mornings, in the evenings and generally every time he sees me. I had to admit to him that yes I do in fact have my down days but they don’t last for longer than an hour or so.

When I look around what do I actually have to be grumpy about? I am blessed with surroundings that are not only breath taking but have this magical way of stripping all your layers and burdens and bringing everyone back down to earth, literally and figuratively. I meet wonderful people every single day, and I get to know them from the core. In fact a grown man left us a few weeks back and there were a few tears at his parting.

Nature shows us cruelty and some heart wrenching things, but it is combined with extreme appreciation and understanding of a balance between cruelty and compassion. This lesson alone will help you grow in leaps and bounds.

How can I have a dark side in a place where fires burn and people bond, in a place that comforts you and accepts you, that blesses you every single day with sunrises and sunsets, with new births and regretted deaths?

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining. They just shine.”  

An elephant is a mouse with an operating system

It is 3:30 in the afternoon. The sun is beginning to dip and there is a chill in the air. The birds are warming up for their afternoon chorus to end yet another day. A shadow is covering the trees as the blanket of the night prepares to move in and coat their leaves.

It has been yet another glorious day of sunshine and sounds.

I arrived to "work" this morning and was greeted by a very disgruntled boss, who explained that gaiitjie our male elephant had chased her last night.  Much to her disgust he ran at her with absolutely no intention of stopping. She made a great escape in reverse and called a fellow ranger who intercepted the two and chased gaiitjie away. Apparently gaiitjie is in musth, meaning he is looking for a lady lover and can be a little feisty.  

My day that had started fairly quietly soon became an endless string of events. From receiving stock, to menu planning, to gallivanting around in the bush looking for flowers for our arrangements.

So as I sit here pondering over my last few hours and soaking up the last warm rays of the African sunlight, I cant help but wonder. Are we on the land of the elephants? or are they on our land? And I have decided like many times before, that Africa and its land, demands great respect, and so I truly believe we are mere passerbys in the land of the grand elephant.  We are privileged and blessed enough to leave a footprint, that will remain for such a short while, before the wind scatters a layer of the red earth over it.

You are a spectator, a visitor, and if you have respect and understanding you may consider yourself a guest. For Africa will treat you well, and bring fire to your eyes, but tread carefully, because her creatures will leave their footprints on the same dirt as you, and their legacies will be carried through in stories that will be told to teach your children about values and respect. 

As they say in Kenya " Hukupata nguvu za kushinda njovu" .You do not have the strength to defeat an elephant.