The last of my life in Underberg

Here are a few more pictures...a final update before I leave The Berg to continue my travels:



Our VW Kombie that I got to drive...fun stuff! It barely started most mornings. It is almost impossible to get it into reverse and often pops out of first. Good Times.



This is Belindile and Jabalile..our hired staff at the house. This was nice! Almost everyone here has "ladies" because labour is so cheap.


Our truck full of school kids. There must be about 20 in there....


Our favorite farmer on Scottston road...Graeme. We spent a morning helping to feed his many cows...



Fly fishing for the first time...not actually as easy as it looks...Didnt catch a thing!



My surrogate parents in Underberg: Sam and Cathy Knox. Spent many a night at their place having dinner and trying to stay warm with their under floor heating.



Danika, Fiona and I



Our Spar...the grocery store. Spent a lot of time and money here over the last 5 months.



This picture is for you Danika! The video store guy..we rented a lot of movies from him...



This is the happiest lady in the village. I never saw her without a smile. She always made me laugh.



The road crew....carrying their cones. It is amazing what they carry on their on their heads...just about anything!!



A baby tied to the mommies back using a towel. They all do this!



The women carrying massive loads of wood on their head.





Danika carrying Mealie Meal on her head...the staple food down here. Made from corn.

I am leaving Underberg in a week and heading to the coast...
Hope all is well at home!!

Aprils Events

Here are some random pictures of some of the events in April...
Spent a weekend out in Durban which is along the Indian Ocean and nice and warm!! Spent 2 days at the beach, trying to work on my tan before heading back to the mountains.
The last weekend with the younger volunteers, we participated in "The incredible race". It turned out to be quite fun actually. We had to race around town to do some physical challenges and gather clues...we didnt have a local, but we managed to do ok. We didnt even come in last!!!
One day in the village, we had a doctor come out and spent time with the kids. He did a mini exam on one of the kids infront of the rest. The kids actually really liked it!
John, Fiona, Danika and I all got to help feed a calf...that was intersting. Never agian...I ended up with so much slobber on my hands...:)
All you people in Edmonton dont have to feel so bad about having a snow fall recently....We also have snow now. Though it isnt on the ground at our house, it is covering the mountains and the temps have gotten much cooler...I think that I will be happy to be leaving the mountains soon!!!



Dr. Biaggio visiting the pre school kids to teach them about medical exams. This kid didnt know what he was in for!


Team Spar Canada for "The Incredible Race" through Himeville and Underberg. Danika, John, Fiona and I


A sunset in Underberg


At the beach in Durban


Durban Beach


Visiting the Himeville museum. They had these manequins in a lot of the rooms...


Our first view of snow on the mountains....Its getting cold out here!


A village child wearing the mother theresa vest..


Me with the bottle...waiting to feed the baby calf for one of our neighbors


Me feeding the baby calf...getting completely slobbered on.....never again!



Danika with a bush mans painting out in a cave near Himeville

Kids at the village

Here are some shots of the kids in the village:

The Dentists

The women of the village performing a welcome dance for the dentists


The dentist's bus stuck in a ditch, as they make their was to the lodge in the pouring rain


The dentists getting set up at the community center


Me working with one of the hygenists



The dentists at work


One of our patients after being tortured by the dentist...he cried and cried...


Another patient


Me with a family that I helped get to see the dentist


We had two groups of dentists visit us at the community center. Each group stayed and worked for 7 days straight. Over 1000 patients were seen for fillings, extractions and cleaning. The first group of dentists were quite unlucky and had to endure a week of cold and rain...and many trips into the ditch. The second group were happy to see some sunshine. Our home based care workers worked very hard throughout, translating and teaching all the villagers about the importance of dental care. Despite it being a long few weeks for the Canadian volunteers, it was a very successful visit!

Sani Pass to Lesotho

Danika and I in the car as we are leaving Underberg


A view of the landscape


A view of the Sani Pass




A view of the Sani Pass from the top



At the highest pub in Africa....


In a little Basoth hut...this woman let us try her homemade bread and beer. The beer was a bit different than good old Kokanee


A view of the Sani Pass Road as we were driving down....the corners were a bit tight


The Edzimkulu volunteers decided to go on an excursion through the sani pass. This is a long road that goes up a mountain into Lesotho and you ascend over 1000m in a few hours. Most of the drive is through no mans lands..between the South Africa and Lesotho borders. The drive was rocky to say the least....
We made a few stops along the way to take some pictures and get some info about the area. We made it to the top and were stamped into Lesotho. We enjoyed some lunch at the highest pub in Africa, which gave a really nice view of the pass and the food was quite good. We drove into the country a little ways and visited a small hut where we were fed fresh bread and beer.
The drive down was long....I was actually quite happy to step out of the vehicle and get back on solid ground.