We got the following message from Jackie and the group..... (22/06/03)

It is hard to take pictures here. We are all completely awed by the traditional tribal village experience. We are assigned different huts, depicting the various African tribes residing here at the village. The huts are actually setup to meet the standards of the hotel association to which it belongs while still maintaining a very close relationship to the traditional efforts of the builders. That is to say, we still had hot showers, coffee and tea making facilities and flush toilets. However, the sisal carpeting and the thatched grass roof and the roped rod hanging in the middle of the room (presumably, an "open" closet) added to the African ambience. Our bags were taken to our huts and we followed our hosts through dirt footpaths, passing cows, goats and chickens.

We were allowed to relax for a short while and told to report to the reception area later in the afternoon. (I went ahead to warn one of the shopkeepers that my colleagues would be coming and would probably wipe them out..:)) The people of the village were very friendly and greeted us with warm smiles and "hellos".

At the reception area, we were given a lecture of the four African tribes represented in the village. We stayed with the Xhousa and the Pedi tribes. However, we visited each of the tribes and were briefed on the greetings which we must use in entering each tribal area. The huts are small and low. We sat on the floor of one of the huts. The men were seated in one area so that when the door opened they would be ready for attack, while the women and children were seated in the more vulnerable but "protected area". We tasted some grain that was being prepared outside the hut. We paused at the village area where only the men were allowed to congregate. I am hungry and I am thinking about food, but there is a "first wife" in front of one of the huts who is mixing some sort of creamy substance on the ground. It is elephant dung (droppings). I manage to think of other than food.

Back to the reception area, where we had previously viewed a historical film of the various tribes. My favorite was the Zulu warrior nation, our host and guide is a Zulu. We were taken to another area where interpretative dance was featured and we were invited to participate. Gracie, still our weatherperson, was elevated to a "title unknown" when our host the Zulu tribal chief, picked her as his "dancing partner". We had been given a whiff of some smoky substance that allowed us to pay homage to our ancestors. I imagine my ancestors being very far away, as that is the way I felt as I danced with visitors, children, members of the various tribes. As the euphoria set in, my thoughts wondered back to the food.

It was a feast, held in an elaborately decorated room. I will skip the details of the presentation of the menu. I am sure our food critic, Jean Setering, got the details which I will get from her for a later report. But there were stories about the Mozambique fish, and the crocodile. On the menu were the impala, the beautiful animal which we had just seen in herds on the safari. There was beef stew, cabbage, meli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fowl and various desserts and salads, fruit and cream sauces. This was a gourmand's delight!

Toward the end of the meal, the throne of the chieftain, which had remained unoccupied, was taken over by a male who could assume the position. From among all the other male tourists gathered from various countries, emerged our own, J Bernard Luc. He assumed the position as if it was rightfully his and if that was not enough, all the rest of our group, assumed the role of wife one through seven. Jean Luc was in his glory, afterall we had just had a birthday celebration for him at the Savanna Camp. His glory was short-lived as we proceeded to the outdoor fire for storytelling. The storytelling was preempted for awhile since a few of the group members had persuaded the shopkeeper to reopen the shops for them. These unabashed shoppers had to be recalled to the storytelling area, where Choncha, the Zulu tribal chief, now storyteller waited patiently. We were all ears as we were transformed to tribal life and our most intimate questions answered.

I wondered as my eyes grew heavy, if I would be able to sleep in my surroundings. The cows mooing and the rooster crowing were like music to my ears. I slept happily among a people to whom I felt connected.

With my best regards,

Jackie

Postcard from South Africa - Part 5