Waking up at 5:00 am is nothing I ever do by choice. However; to go on a Safari game drive in South Africa, I can be convinced. After a 6:00 breakfast, we head out at 6:30.
A 2.5 hour drive from Pretoria to Pilansburg National Game Park showed the many faces of this region of South Africa. Vastness. Undeveloped land - miles of it. Brush grass and scrappy trees. There are some patches of grass coal black from massive field burnings to control pests and fertilize the land. Rich green grass will sprout through the dead-looking black tar fields in the spring. Flat lands on both sides of the highway, for what seems a couple of miles, rise into foothills and mountains. The cloudless blue sky against the mountains meets in a beautiful contrasting line that begs the eye to follow it as the hills jut up, down, dip in and roll into the next.
Random, small flocks of goats, a few donkeys and guinea fowl are sprinkled on both sides of the endless highway at different intervals along the drive. Suddenly, a flowing sea of yellow jumps into view, breaking the vast flat grassland - sunflowers! Rows and rows as deep and as long as you can see. Their little faces are perked up to the sun and resemble a baby looking up at its mother waiting for a response or a smile. They actually seem that alive. On our drive back, their little heads sadly lowered their faces to earth as the sun set and they went to sleep for the night.
The sunflower fields graduate back into flat grasslands as squatter shacks haphazardly and precariously set here and there giving off great color. Corrugated metal 'houses', broken down cars, hanging laundry in colors of bright turquois blue, pink, brown, yellow, black, red and green dot the landscape with complete disorder. Children in mismatched outfits, most with bare feet, run about. A woman balancing a very tall cylinder something on her head walked with purpose carrying her bags, while her upper cargo never moved or teetered. Women wearing white and blue dresses; a cross between a prarie dress and a tunic don white heavy cloth chef-like hats. Young girls dressed the same, walk with men and boys dressed in their Sunday best as they head to their Zionist church for worship. Barefoot teenage boys dangled oranges and nuts in netted bags at every 4-way stop - assertive, yet friendly as they try to sell their goods.
Very close to the park, we stop in a strip mall for water and apples. Guards with night sticks survey us as all seven cars pulled into the lot. In fact, everyone surveyed the minorities as we pulled up in our mini stick shift vehicles. They are curious where we were from. In this parking lot, along the highway, in fields, and at the intersections, South Africans were walking, talking, doing and living in an outward and unreserved, yet civil fashion in such a way that you would never experience in an American city or suburb.
Random, small flocks of goats, a few donkeys and guinea fowl are sprinkled on both sides of the endless highway at different intervals along the drive. Suddenly, a flowing sea of yellow jumps into view, breaking the vast flat grassland - sunflowers! Rows and rows as deep and as long as you can see. Their little faces are perked up to the sun and resemble a baby looking up at its mother waiting for a response or a smile. They actually seem that alive. On our drive back, their little heads sadly lowered their faces to earth as the sun set and they went to sleep for the night.
The sunflower fields graduate back into flat grasslands as squatter shacks haphazardly and precariously set here and there giving off great color. Corrugated metal 'houses', broken down cars, hanging laundry in colors of bright turquois blue, pink, brown, yellow, black, red and green dot the landscape with complete disorder. Children in mismatched outfits, most with bare feet, run about. A woman balancing a very tall cylinder something on her head walked with purpose carrying her bags, while her upper cargo never moved or teetered. Women wearing white and blue dresses; a cross between a prarie dress and a tunic don white heavy cloth chef-like hats. Young girls dressed the same, walk with men and boys dressed in their Sunday best as they head to their Zionist church for worship. Barefoot teenage boys dangled oranges and nuts in netted bags at every 4-way stop - assertive, yet friendly as they try to sell their goods.
Very close to the park, we stop in a strip mall for water and apples. Guards with night sticks survey us as all seven cars pulled into the lot. In fact, everyone surveyed the minorities as we pulled up in our mini stick shift vehicles. They are curious where we were from. In this parking lot, along the highway, in fields, and at the intersections, South Africans were walking, talking, doing and living in an outward and unreserved, yet civil fashion in such a way that you would never experience in an American city or suburb.
Entering the game park under a thatched roof portico, we drive past several vendors selling bowls, wood carvings of all shape and sizes, beaded jewelry and tapistries. In a nearby lot we board two safari vehicles. Our group has the distinct pleasure of having Gift as our driver - a most knowlegeable and funny guide who skillfully navigated any bumpy, narrow, muddy, rutted stretch of road we encountered. http://www.pilanesberg-game-reserve.co.za/
A two and a half hour tour on roads in excess of 320 miles yielded quite an array of wildlife; wide rhinos, black rhinos, hippos, 2 giraffe, an elephant, many zebras, 2 kissing klip springers (think deer with cute round ears), 3 lioness, impala, waterbuck, wildebeast, a crocodile (huge - sunning himself), gazelle and one very mean baboon. 
Gift even stopped the safari truck at one point to pick up some extremely oversized elephant dung and broke it open just to give us a closer look. He details the different plants the pachyderm had eaten over the last day or so while displaying the specimen for us. At the end of the drive, we witness a rare sight - seven or eight baboons chasing each other and quickly climbing up trees. A baby baboon is being groomed by its mother. One very mean male baboon however; has some business with us. Walking along one side of the vehicle, he jumped up on the small wall of the bridge next to our vehicle. If animals are capable of giving dirty looks, we witnessed one right there. I could have reached out and touched him, he was that close. He let out calls demanding we leave his territory, and we wisely obey - thanks to Gift. They were our last prize of the day as we bumped along back to our vehicles.
Passing by a soccer field on the return from Pilansburg prompted a pullover by the front car in our convoy. Several soccer guys realize an opportunity for an impromptu pickup soccer game with some young boys playing on a field just off the highway. We circle back and the boys quickly piled out of the cars, running onto two fresh green soccer fields, which had been laid only days ago – a rare gift for children of any township. The young boys, from the nearby township of Tsitsing, were just finishing a tournament game. They eagerly lined up to receive their medals – true motivation for these kids who rarely receive any such rewards. They couldn’t have been more excited.
Dave Woeste and crew introduce themselves to the coaches, and before they could finish the conversation; the coaches, boys and Dave are on the field showing their stuff. Serious competition swept over the field. One field over, Josh, Mattie, Moses and a few of our athletes initiate a pick-up game with the some boys from the township who are not part of any formal league, but were spectators from the previous playoff game. The local kids won – a score of 3 to 1. I can only imagine how they felt.
The real story on the field, however; was Samba Soccer. Ronnie Caro, a Brazilian, started the organization just three years ago. He and four other friends, along with a gentleman from Ireland, began the dream remotely from their home countries. After many trips across the Atlantic, all five men made the move to South Africa and now live here full time working with the children. They have grown from a idea to an organization with over 10,000 kids in the program. They work in many villages with one full-time staffer and many volunteers. Samba Soccer also encompasses karate, net ball, rugby, and track (which is called ‘athletics’ here.) The men exchanged their stories and business cards. The similarities and possibly synergy between the two groups is full of promise. In future Hope Cup days celebrated on National Youth Day, I’m sure Samba Soccer will be at the top of the invite list.
Arriving back at the hotel, we are greeted by Tina’s lovely sister Debbie and her husband Adrian who had prepared and delivered a meal of homemade soup and rolls. What a welcome sight and treat that was! Everyone eagerly grabbed a bowl and headed for the soup line. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much Debbie and Adrian for another great meal and all your help. You have been such a blessing to our group. Thank you.
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