Safari!

It has been a while since we have posted but things have been busy. Two short stories to share…about two weeks ago, we went around some of the villages where AWARD (the organization Ramin is working for) has been working. AWARD has done many different types of work since its inception around protecting and ensuring sustainable water resources. They have approached this goal from many angles, from teaching people in the local communities how to build and maintain rain water harvesting tanks to working with setting up regional water management institutions. One of the projects that they recently conducted was teaching people in one village, Craigeburn, how to sustainably grow their own fruit and vegetables, both to encourage sustainable use of the land and water and also as a way to promote food security and create a source of potential income. The project started with around 100 households, and unfortunately after 18 months, only a few individuals have kept going with it. There are many reasons for this that we will not get into now, but those few who kept with their fruit and veg patch or mini farms are doing exceptionally well and inspiring others in the community. One of the ladies we visited, Clancina, is a great example. We bought the best tasting carrots, beets, and swiss chard from her, and all organic. She is growing sweet potatoes, herbs, and tomatoes too. She has a thriving garden, more like a small farm, and sells her vegetables in addition to feeding her family of ten. She has been able to open a bank account for the first time. What is amazing is that she is setting a great example and often teaches others in her community who are now interested in growing food. I will upload some pictures later this week of her garden and us buying the very fresh veg.

This last week, our very dear friends, Eliza and Daniel came to visit us from New York. Their first night here we went for a walk in the bush and “braaied” some food and had a delicious meal. We spent the next three nights in Kruger national park which is a huge wildlife area spanning three countries (SA, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe). We saw tons of animals (leopards, lions, white rhinos, elephants, lots of amazing birds, giraffes, zebras, hippos and many more), cooked some really amazing meals at the camps and drank a lot of good cheap wine sitting under the stars. It was so nice to have a little piece of home here and we’re really going to miss them.


Here are five favorite birds among the over 100 we identified:
Crested Barbet, Lilac Breasted Roller, Blackcollared Barbet, Hoopoe, and Burchell’s Coucal. We also liked the eagles we saw, particularly the Martial Eagle and the kingfishers.