Heading to Kruger
I've been at the sanctuary for two weeks now. I have experienced it, learned some things, and have decided to move on, two weeks early.
The Vervet Monkey Foundation is a great organization doing really important work. And the volunteers and staff are all very dedicated, very kind people.
In the end, however, it wasn't a good fit for me long-term. But I am glad I came. I learned things about monkeys and about myself. And really, that's why I travel--for the density of experiences that only travel affords, and for the new insights I glean about life and about the world and, ultimately, about myself. This experience of trying out the monkey sanctuary--something I was attracted to because it was so foreign from my normal life--reminds me of a quote I jotted down before I left. It's from Michael Crichton's Travels:
Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am...stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of your food, your closet full of your clothes, you are forced into direct experiences. Such direct experiences inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience. That's not always comfortable but it is invigorating.
So, with that spirit, I am glad I experienced the sanctuary. But I am also glad to be moving on early. This afternoon I catch a bus to Phalaborwa, a small town on the edge of Kruger National Park. I will stay at the local hostel (or "backpackers" as they refer to them here in SA) and take daytrip safaris into the park, as well as a number of excursions into the surrounding countryside. I've perused the list of safaris and excursions available...they look amazing.
Other than coordinating my new adventure, I have spent most of the last few days in the nearby city of Tzaneen (pop. 80,000), soliciting sponsors for the foundation’s upcoming event. What a shock…it is so EASY to get businesses to sponsor events here. I went with another volunteer, Nicci (from San Diego), and we never even had to make a pitch. Everything was just offered up, free of charge! And getting the mayor to agree to come to the event took all of two minutes. If only it had been that easy at IRC Phoenix!
However, my favorite activity of the last few days was, oddly enough, going on the papaya run. A local pawpaw (SA for papaya) farmer lets the foundation take the damaged fruit for free (monkeys love pawpaws) so on Wednesday I crammed into the cab of a small pick-up truck with two sanctuary workers and drove through the local countryside to load up on pawpaws. Ahh, it was great to see the African countryside--to see people working on the farms, observe the comings and goings in the small towns along the way…to see real life in Africa! (I’ve been pretty cooped up at either the sanctuary or at the lodge.) When we reached the farm, we pulled up to a large building and immediately upon falling out (we were really crammed in there), I heard a beautiful chorus coming from the main building. I peaked inside and saw twenty or so women, singing while they sorted fruit. The song was in their local language, Sotho (pronounced SueToo), and the rhythmic melody provided a great accompaniment for loading up on pawpaws. Fantastic!
Before ending this blog, I thought I’d show a photo of the fire damage. It’s very hard to capture, but this might show a bit of the extent. (That’s the sanctuary pup in the foreground, who followed us up the hill behind the sanctuary to survey the damage).
(Reminder--you can make any picture bigger by clicking on it.)
The Vervet Monkey Foundation is a great organization doing really important work. And the volunteers and staff are all very dedicated, very kind people. In the end, however, it wasn't a good fit for me long-term. But I am glad I came. I learned things about monkeys and about myself. And really, that's why I travel--for the density of experiences that only travel affords, and for the new insights I glean about life and about the world and, ultimately, about myself. This experience of trying out the monkey sanctuary--something I was attracted to because it was so foreign from my normal life--reminds me of a quote I jotted down before I left. It's from Michael Crichton's Travels:
Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am...stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of your food, your closet full of your clothes, you are forced into direct experiences. Such direct experiences inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience. That's not always comfortable but it is invigorating.
So, with that spirit, I am glad I experienced the sanctuary. But I am also glad to be moving on early. This afternoon I catch a bus to Phalaborwa, a small town on the edge of Kruger National Park. I will stay at the local hostel (or "backpackers" as they refer to them here in SA) and take daytrip safaris into the park, as well as a number of excursions into the surrounding countryside. I've perused the list of safaris and excursions available...they look amazing.
Other than coordinating my new adventure, I have spent most of the last few days in the nearby city of Tzaneen (pop. 80,000), soliciting sponsors for the foundation’s upcoming event. What a shock…it is so EASY to get businesses to sponsor events here. I went with another volunteer, Nicci (from San Diego), and we never even had to make a pitch. Everything was just offered up, free of charge! And getting the mayor to agree to come to the event took all of two minutes. If only it had been that easy at IRC Phoenix!
However, my favorite activity of the last few days was, oddly enough, going on the papaya run. A local pawpaw (SA for papaya) farmer lets the foundation take the damaged fruit for free (monkeys love pawpaws) so on Wednesday I crammed into the cab of a small pick-up truck with two sanctuary workers and drove through the local countryside to load up on pawpaws. Ahh, it was great to see the African countryside--to see people working on the farms, observe the comings and goings in the small towns along the way…to see real life in Africa! (I’ve been pretty cooped up at either the sanctuary or at the lodge.) When we reached the farm, we pulled up to a large building and immediately upon falling out (we were really crammed in there), I heard a beautiful chorus coming from the main building. I peaked inside and saw twenty or so women, singing while they sorted fruit. The song was in their local language, Sotho (pronounced SueToo), and the rhythmic melody provided a great accompaniment for loading up on pawpaws. Fantastic!
Before ending this blog, I thought I’d show a photo of the fire damage. It’s very hard to capture, but this might show a bit of the extent. (That’s the sanctuary pup in the foreground, who followed us up the hill behind the sanctuary to survey the damage).
(Reminder--you can make any picture bigger by clicking on it.)