25.04.07 An Update from Zim

I do hope this works, as for some reason my blog has come up in Afrikaans. I think I remember where everything is, but if this is gobbledigook I apologise.

This will probably be my last post from Zim, but I finally have my plans sorted for going on, so I thought I'd let you know. Yes, yes, I know I had my plans sorted before I left, but plans change! I will be staying at Antelope Park til 12 May. That will make 2 full months, which is longer than I thought I could last, but now that I have my onward travel plans sorted I feel much more relaxed. Anyway this week they haven't chucked out any volunteers or sacked any handlers, so its been good so far. After here I will travel for 3 days to get back to Vilanculos - the town in Mozambique that I went to in March to help after the cyclone. I'm going to stay there for 3 weeks and then go to the South African conservation project on 4 June.

I'm not sure if I can explain coherently why I want to go back to Vilanculos, I just feel it is the place I need to be and I hope that maybe I can do something good there. I'm going back to see if I can work with a missionary I met there - he wants to build an orphanage, well probably more than one, to look after the children who are lost and homeless. Quite a few of you have very kindly offered to raise funds for me, and I will be making a plan for fundraising in May and let you know what I hope to do. I really hope that I can help make a difference. In many ways doing what I'm doing on this trip is quite self-indulgent, especially here at AP. It would be nice to think that by the time I leave Africa I could leave something lasting behind. There is also something more. Just for me personally it feels like a good place to be. The missionary - Jaco - and his family are wonderful people and it just was so nice to be with them. No, I haven't found god, in case you are wondering, and I'm very unlikely to with my cyncial nature, but what I have found is some people who are determined to dedicate their time and energy to making the lives of abandoned children as good as they can be, and it felt good to be part of that. And I think I can contribute something. I will need to learn to speak Portugese though. Maybe A level Latin will come in handy after all.

I am enjoying my time here more now, and I have had some great times with the lions - it really is special when you are sitting having a chat with a big lion cub sprawled across your lap, snoring gently and breathing meaty breath onto you. (You would be amazed what I can now do with meat, but yes, I'm still a veggie.) I also love walking and riding through the bush, as we get very close to the zebras and giraffes. I'm not a big fan of wildebeest at the moment. I have to confess that I fell of a horse when we were charged by wildebeest on the rampage. I'm fine - had a wee bit of concussion for a day or so, but my back is fine. Its amazing what you get used to. I quite like having a toad in my shower now, I almost miss them when they're not there, and I am able to deal reasonably calmly with all sorts of insect life. I can pull all but the biggest, deeply sunk ticks of the lions and horses, and have even calmly extricated myself from a spider's web that I rode into without squeaking once. When we walk in the bush its mostly grass and acacia trees but every so often you come across a random flower which will be stunningly beautiful. There was a gorgeous one the other day, with cream petals and a burgundy centre which was standing about 4 ft high completely on its own.

I don't underestimate this experience at all, but what I struggle with here is that yes conservation in Africa is a huge issue, but there are much bigger ones, and people are more important than animals. At all levels. It was hard to sit by the fire last night, with a sprinkler going on in the background, when the people in town have not had water for 5 days, and there is such a shortage of firewood that they are burning plastic bottles. One of the handlers told me he carried 40litres of water 8 km back to his home, at night after a long day at work - oh, and he get's up at 4.30 so he can walk the 2 hours to get here in the morning. Its a bugger. And this internet - costs me US$8 per hour - a total rip off - which is half the monthly salary of the lion handlers. The prices of everything go up every day or so, but wages only go up every 3 months. Its madness. Anyway, I don't want to go on about that anymore as I need to be mellow for my remaining 2 1/2 weeks.

Hopefully, when I overnight in Maputo I can get some cash (I've run out as I had to pay for my flight in cash, which is why I can't spend another $8 on this) and get to an internet cafe and put on some lion photos.

I hope everyone is well and happy. Keep the emails coming - I promise I'll reply when I get a chance, but it is so good to hear from everyone in the meantime.