Moving Around

As Living Lands inherited 2 mountain-bikes to increase mobility of the students, this week I started biking to the office.

Up to a certain distance, biking is the perfect way to move around the Kloof. The office is 12 km from the Waenhuis (student accommodation). That would not be an extreme distance in the Netherlands, but on the unpaved roads of the Kloof is all ups and downs and rocks and baking in the sun. But the view and the experience (together with the promise of a better fitness) are worth it all. It is just great to be able to go from A to B in a relatively short time compared to walking, without being dependent of someone driving and with the possibility of stopping anywhere at the side of the road and enjoy the view. Another plus point: Wildlife is not keeping as much distance as with cars, maybe because it is less loud. On Monday, three female kudu crossed my way, the closest I have seen these animals on foot. Such graceful beings. Yesterday a velvet monkey ran a couple of meters just aside of my bike, before going back in the bushes. I might have found my favourite way of transport. I did not see any other bikes in the Kloof yet, but I am sure they must be there. There are not so many people with a car around here.

Recently I was considering the friendliness of people in the Kloof. In the beginning I found it hard to believe that few people (1000-2000 inhabitants) spread over hundreds of square km could possibly be a close community. I was right...and wrong. On the one hand there are different communities: farmers and workers to start with, but also Living Landers or students would be a group on their own and the different groups have different issues within. I am not yet sure about the organisation (if any) or the relationships between these groups, but everyone is extremely friendly towards anyone.

Imagine to be walking on the road, everyone, EVERYONE, will raise his hand in greeting the moment they see you: people chilling in the garden, people on their car or donkeys, children, white, coloured,...everyone. You are also very likely to get offered a ride (though I do not know if that is a special case for people recognised as ‘students’) ...for me it happens every time.

The point is: everyone knows everyone. Somehow news and information about people travel far around here. That is also what makes this place so safe. If you steal a bike and your neighbour sees it, he will know you have stolen it and the news will get around. If someone gets rich from the day to the other, people will notice. If some violent crime would occur, people will know the culprit.

Social control. Little crime, if any.

So our house is always open, bikes are left unguarded and I take the rides which are offered by people of the Kloof.  I worry more about snaked than people around here.

Since the day I got too close to a cape cobra I have been paying more attention to where I put my feet when walking around. So far, I already saw two of the most poisonous snakes around here: Cape Cobra (n. Nivea) and Boomslang (D. Thyphus). I only miss the Puff Adder to clear my snake-bingo.

If you are worried now (and I am mainly thinking to my mom here) don’t be. Although the most common snakes around here are all poisonous, causalities due to snake bites are extremely rare. A meeting between a snake and a human is usually to be considered as an unpleasant situation by both parties: Cobras and Boomslangs, will usually move out of the way far before you get a chance to step on it and will not bite if it can escape. Puff Adder on the other hand is more tricky, because it tends to hide under her camouflage, but its poison gives usually more than enough time to get to the closest hospital (Willowmore) and get antidote.

From people to snakes.... where did that association came from?

Anyway, I hope this extremely long update compensated for the weeks of silence...enjoy!