Kenton 2005
April 2005 - thoughts of our trip, emailed to Erica and published in the local community paper:Amazing, touching, contrasting experiences all in one day, one that we will remember for a very long time to come.
It seemed a long way from where we had started, long winter nights trawling the internet. In a bid to save some money and also just because it was fun seeing what was out there, we decided to ditch the tour operators and go it on our own. With two young children ages 4 and 5 the success of our holiday adventure was going to depend on a balance of culture/tradition/sightseeing for Ben and I with a good dose of beach for the kids to run off some of that seemingly endless energy. As it turns out South Africa was spot on. Louise and Daniel's image of Africa before we left the U.K. was wild animals and perhaps a bit more obscurely drums. A safari was therefore top of the list of things to do. This was to be the start of a series of happy coincidences that were to take us to Kenton.
The safari itself was not an easy search, ideally only a short flight from Cape Town (the kids love flying so cost was driving this aspect) and somewhere that welcomed children (most safaris places will not take kids under the age of 7 - presumably safety and also I think in part based on the assumption that others don't want their experience ruined by rowdy kids). We settled on Kariega - a short flight to Port Elizabeth and a drive up the coast to Kenton and after some negotiation over email they agreed that the kids could come out on the game drive.
In the back of my mind, I also wanted to see some of the real Africa. After some soul searching and a bit of reading, it seemed that a township tour would be the best option. The idea of peeking into people's lives for leisure purposes seemed somehow insensitive but whatever reservations we had before the tour, were swept away as we experienced the warmth and vibrancy of these informal settlements. Having visited Robben Island earlier in the week and been shown round by Sparks, an ex political prisoner, this was to really confirm to me that all across the country somehow people have managed to come out of Apartheid with a real feeling of positiveness and pride in a country that is trying to bring people up (a stark contrast to the situation in Zimbabwe). There does not appear to be any bitterness, a truly wonderful sprit in people that means that South Africa has a great future ahead.
Anyway, back to the planning. Our safari was booked for 2 days and so in order to cram in as much as we could, we decided to fly up the day before and stay at the beach at nearby Kenton on Sea, sounds like a dodgy English seaside resort but it was to be a real find. In reading through the Rough Guide to South Africa, I discovered Erica McNulty's name - the name had stuck, probably because I thought it was unusual to name an individual in a travel book. Anyway I turned back to the internet to have a look at the area around Kariega. Kenton had its own web site! Embedded the list of accommodation details and activities was Erica's name. I decided to email Erica asking about accommodation ands a township tour. I didn't really expect a reply but when I did that was good enough for me. That was it, we agreed to meet up and in the weeks running up to our holiday we traded emails and by the time we got there we felt that we were firm friends.
Erica had provided us with loads more detail about accommodation available and we had gone for a place called Wings. Right on Bushman's river with breathtaking views and our wonderful hosts Marijke and Mike. After an evening on the beach and a good sleep, the kids woke up in the morning, eager to go upstairs and play with the dogs as soon as they had got dressed. Over a delicious homemade breakfast of muesli, muffins, bread and full cooked, we heard about Marijke's work with local people and how they had struggled and tried to rebel in their own way through Apartheid. It was an interesting discussion, I often wonder whether we would be prepared to do the same, I'd like to think we'd do the right thing but recognise especially that with kids we also have a responsibility to them. We also met Mike who is now a minister, again working with the community, following retirement from his career in Jo'burg.
After breakfast we met Erica who took us to Marselle, one of the newer townships in the area. Our first stop was the pre school which has children aged 2-7. They were really pleased to see us and after some initial nervousness, Louise and Daniel sat and played with the children. The children did some singing and then we watched as the kids just got on with what they do best - playing and having fun together. It was a very moving experience. After an hour and half of being completely absorbed, Marijke kindly offered to take the kids back to Wings whilst Erica took us further into the township. Although we only met Erica a few hours ago and Marijke yesterday, somehow it seems like we have been friends for ages. Erica drove us along to see some of the houses and explained that donations are being used to encourage people to convert their shacks into solid houses. We met a healer and also went inside one of the houses - it was much bigger than it looked from the outside. The lady explained that as there is no drainage, when it rains the water floods through the house. Erica explained that most kids are brought up by grandparents as their parents look for work. In this area 90% are unemployed. We then met some local ladies, including Evelyn who have setup a bead making venture - this is what Erica is all about - helping people to help themselves. It was a real mixture of feelings - clearly things have progressed over the last 10 years - the children are now in school (where they get a nutritious meal), most houses are now concrete with some electricity and central water. Equally there is still so much to do - we were painfully aware of the inequalities that life brings.
After an emotional goodbye we went back to Wings to collect Louise and Daniel - they had been happily playing with the dogs and had built a house on the balcony using umbrellas - it even had a bed. It was then on to Kariega. On the way the car suddenly came to a holt as across in the bush we could see two giraffe - we hadn't even arrived but already we were hooked. Kariega is amazing - the lodges and restaurant are all done in a very traditional style which blends into the surrounding nature. After lunch we met our ranger Leonard who took us out on our first game drive - we headed off down the bumpy track and into the bush. The scenery is stunning and after only a few minutes we see giraffe (so close that we can see the giraffe swallow down its neck) and Wildebeest. Then a bit further down Impala (Louise and Daniel liked the link to McDonalds - they have a dark marking on their rump in the shape of an 'M' - the lions think of them as fast food McDonalds) Next are the zebra including one very pregnant one due to give birth any day. After a couple of hours we head over to the other side of the reserve - this is where the real predators are and we are not to be disappointed. This is now really thick bush and we are holding on tight as we bump our way through muddy tracks. We come to a group of elephants - 11 of them including the matriarch who keeps them all in order. We track them and watch as they pull apart trees on their way. We then head off to the top of one of the hills to watch the sunset with a beer and some crisps. As dark falls we go in search of the lions. When we find the two males they are still asleep (with legs cocked up in the air) Everyone is silent for about 20 minutes and then we watch spellbound as one of them walks off into the bush ready for a night of hunting (further down the track on the way back we see a pile of ostrich feathers from where the lions have been successful earlier in the day).
On that note, we head back to for the evening and some reflection of an incredible day. We had combined the real Africa with breathtaking beaches and wonderful game
all the more special because we had organised it ourselves. Thank you Erica, Marijke and Mike for sharing a piece of your life with us. Don't tell too many people though, we'd like to come back to your spot of paradise again some day.
Enkosi, until next time,
Sharon, Ben, Louise and Daniel Jenkins.
link back to Computers for Africa
posted by Sharon, Ben, Louise and Daniel @ 2:49 am
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