RICHARD’S BAY, SOUTH AFRICA (2/6/2007)

From: Sherman Rootberg (biggiroot)

Date: Feb 6, 2007 4:36 PM

Subject: Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

RICHARD’S BAY, SOUTH AFRICA

Richard's Bay was nothing until about 1968. That’s when they started to build the port. It is the only deepwater port in the area and in 1972 it became the largest coal shipping port in the world, they claim. In forty years it went from nothing to a large port with many huge ships waiting to enter.

We docked at about 2:00 this afternoon and quickly hopped on a bus for our tour to the Zulu Nation. They have a reservation much like the Indian reservations in the US except there is no gambling.

The ride to get there was about an hour and a half. The roads were well paved and most of the way we saw tree plantations. These were quick growth trees used mostly for paper products. Except for driving on the wrong side and the funny traffic signs and signals, it could have been the US. I expected Africa to be either desert or one big jungle. We have been told many of the wild animals are all over. Jackals, and hyena are the most common of the predators around civilized areas. The Jackals always run but not the hyena. They can be dangerous, or so we have been told.

As we got off the bus at the Zulu village, we were greeted by two Zulu men in native dress. One was a nutso hollering and yelling stuff in Zulu and waving a spear around. Reminded me a lot of some former help I employed. The other guy I’d swear I’d seen on Maxwell Street in Chicago quite a few years back. He must have found this better job now. They tried to teach us to say a few things in Zulu while I talked to them in Yiddish. Then we got a Zulu woman guide who led us into the village. They have one very good custom. Men always go first. That is because they are the protectors. Right on.

First they passed around small pottery bowls filled with their idea of beer. You don’t want to know what it was made of. I don’t want to know what it is made of. Everyone was supposed to take a sip and pass it on. I did smell it. I did pass it on quickly. Then some women sang a little, one topless, and the men did a wild dance with spears and shields. Very active and tiring dance that was more like warrior training. They were very good.

Next we were shown to different areas to see the huts they live in, How they make the beer, how they make the pottery, how they make the spears, and shields, etc. It was all very interesting and real but Bobbi and I would have rather have seen a real living Zulu tribe, with children, in an occupied area.

Naturally the tour ended with a very special tour to the gift shop. All of our offspring, you are now the proud owners of real Zulu dip or chip bowls with carved animals drinking out of them. That is if we get them home in one piece.

They didn’t get us back to the ship until about 7:45 at night. I was ready to eat a Water Buffalo live. It had been a very interesting tour and we finally got to see real native African warriors. They were far smaller then I expected. The tallest were around 5’ 6”. They were also far more friendly and easy going then I expected.

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