It is a beautiful part of South Africa. This photo looks a little too much like a postcard, but it is the real thing. This is the way it looks. I took the photo, I was there. I hope I get a chance to go back.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Namaqualand
A relatively narrow strip of land along the western coast of South Africa from the Namibian border to a few hundreds kilometers south is called the Namaqualand. Port Nolloth and Springbok, an other small town where I stayed, are part of it. The plants in this part of the world are amazingly plentiful and varied and quite a few of them are endemic to the area.
It is a beautiful part of South Africa. This photo looks a little too much like a postcard, but it is the real thing. This is the way it looks. I took the photo, I was there. I hope I get a chance to go back.
It is a beautiful part of South Africa. This photo looks a little too much like a postcard, but it is the real thing. This is the way it looks. I took the photo, I was there. I hope I get a chance to go back.
Then there is the detrital diamonds of the west coast
Those diamonds are not found in kimberlite pipes but in the sediments brought to the west coast by the Orange River. To get there you have to drive through a very dry plain. As you arrive from the desertic inland the first sign that the coast is approaching is the bank of grey fog in the distance. 
The town (Port Nolloth) is in fog most of the time, they say 8 months of the year, and is amazingly cool even though 10 kilometres west of it is probably one of the hottest spot of South Africa. It is always hard to take picture of the fog but just here are the diamond dredging boats in the harbor.
These are used to get diamonds on the bottom of the ocean along the coast. They basically vacuum the ocean bottom to catch all the gravel. Then the gravel is sorted out to find the diamonds. All diamonds found here, unlike those found in kimberlites, are gem qualities. The theory, and it makes sense to me, is that it is because all the diamonds which are not gem qualities are not as strong and are destroyed by the transport and weathering.
Over 80 kilometers of the coast are closed off and are behind fences. And by the way, they mean it. They really really do not want people wandering in those areas.
In this photo you can see the difference between the white clouds and the slightly grey fog coming off the ocean and hanging around the coast.
The town (Port Nolloth) is in fog most of the time, they say 8 months of the year, and is amazingly cool even though 10 kilometres west of it is probably one of the hottest spot of South Africa. It is always hard to take picture of the fog but just here are the diamond dredging boats in the harbor.
These are used to get diamonds on the bottom of the ocean along the coast. They basically vacuum the ocean bottom to catch all the gravel. Then the gravel is sorted out to find the diamonds. All diamonds found here, unlike those found in kimberlites, are gem qualities. The theory, and it makes sense to me, is that it is because all the diamonds which are not gem qualities are not as strong and are destroyed by the transport and weathering.
Over 80 kilometers of the coast are closed off and are behind fences. And by the way, they mean it. They really really do not want people wandering in those areas.
In this photo you can see the difference between the white clouds and the slightly grey fog coming off the ocean and hanging around the coast.
There was the diamonds of Kimberley
This is the famous Big Hole, which is not the oldest diamond mine but is right down town Kimberley.
They have had the sense to make a visitor center where one can go and see it from close. This visitor center also has a very good museum with everything related to diamonds: from the theory of kimberlites (for the non-geologists) to an exhibit with thousands of real diamonds showing all naturally occurring shapes and colours found. It was a great spot which nicely made up for an otherwise hellish town. Though, to be fair, I should say that I met some really nice people in Kimberley and went out for a drink with some of the locals at the motel where I stayed. One of the old guys, who was the carpenter doing the renovations at the motel, took me round town the nest morning showing me the old De Beers office, the diamond sorting center etc.
People in South Africa (mostly outside big towns) are usually very friendly.
Yep! 2722 kilograms of diamonds came out of this kimberlite alone. And it is not the best. De Beers best diamond mine so far is near Mesina (You may remember I went to Mesina on my trip to see the Limpopo). It is the richest and has the best diamonds so far, but it is still active and visiting it is not an option.
They have had the sense to make a visitor center where one can go and see it from close. This visitor center also has a very good museum with everything related to diamonds: from the theory of kimberlites (for the non-geologists) to an exhibit with thousands of real diamonds showing all naturally occurring shapes and colours found. It was a great spot which nicely made up for an otherwise hellish town. Though, to be fair, I should say that I met some really nice people in Kimberley and went out for a drink with some of the locals at the motel where I stayed. One of the old guys, who was the carpenter doing the renovations at the motel, took me round town the nest morning showing me the old De Beers office, the diamond sorting center etc.
People in South Africa (mostly outside big towns) are usually very friendly.
Yep! 2722 kilograms of diamonds came out of this kimberlite alone. And it is not the best. De Beers best diamond mine so far is near Mesina (You may remember I went to Mesina on my trip to see the Limpopo). It is the richest and has the best diamonds so far, but it is still active and visiting it is not an option.
more random photos from north western South Africa
A typical view of the wind mill with its water tank. You see a lot of those.
Where I bought mangoes for breakfast just outside Welkom (a gold mining town). Note: people drive on the left hand side of the road in South Africa, in Mozambique and in Namibia.
Sheep farm with the typical wind mill. For what ever reason I really like this photo. Some days it was hard to make any headways driving. I would stop every few hundred metres to take another photo or just stand outside and look at the view. It seems that the views changed drastically from one perspective to the next.
Just a view I liked on the way back from Port Nolloth.
Another small town.
Where I bought mangoes for breakfast just outside Welkom (a gold mining town). Note: people drive on the left hand side of the road in South Africa, in Mozambique and in Namibia.
Sheep farm with the typical wind mill. For what ever reason I really like this photo. Some days it was hard to make any headways driving. I would stop every few hundred metres to take another photo or just stand outside and look at the view. It seems that the views changed drastically from one perspective to the next.
Just a view I liked on the way back from Port Nolloth.
Another small town.
some random photos from north western South Africa
A small town called Concordia, also a fairly typical view of a small town in this area.
Part of the road going through the Kalahari. The most amazing thing about the 200 kilometres I drove cutting through the edge of the Kalahari was how varied it was. Those two hundred kilometres could be considered flat or more realistically be seen as a succession of shallow valleys after shallow valley. And each valley looked different from the other. There was the wide flat bottomed valley with now vegetated red sand dunes. There was the wide flat bottomed valley with little but pale yellow grass (the one in the photo).There was the narrow valley with black rocks, red soil and pale yellow grass. Then the narrow valley which had the tall cacti and dark green bushes. Every single valley had some characteristic that rendered it unique. It made the drive very interesting. Each valley was under 10 kilometre wide. It was an excellent day.
The Orange River which brings diamonds to the west coast and life to its valley. A river in the part of the world is a miracle. I stayed one day and one night at the spot in the photo. It was wonderful.
Just a sign for a farm by the side of the road.
After miles and miles of flat fields somehow this small mesa seemed amazing at the time.
Part of the road going through the Kalahari. The most amazing thing about the 200 kilometres I drove cutting through the edge of the Kalahari was how varied it was. Those two hundred kilometres could be considered flat or more realistically be seen as a succession of shallow valleys after shallow valley. And each valley looked different from the other. There was the wide flat bottomed valley with now vegetated red sand dunes. There was the wide flat bottomed valley with little but pale yellow grass (the one in the photo).There was the narrow valley with black rocks, red soil and pale yellow grass. Then the narrow valley which had the tall cacti and dark green bushes. Every single valley had some characteristic that rendered it unique. It made the drive very interesting. Each valley was under 10 kilometre wide. It was an excellent day.
The Orange River which brings diamonds to the west coast and life to its valley. A river in the part of the world is a miracle. I stayed one day and one night at the spot in the photo. It was wonderful.
Just a sign for a farm by the side of the road.
After miles and miles of flat fields somehow this small mesa seemed amazing at the time.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
on the the way to Calvinia
I'm a little under the weather today. I have an incredible head ache that makes the French guillotine look like an attractive prospect, anything to get this head off my shoulder! But I thought I would post one of the pictures I took on my way to Calvinia on the R27. Between Vanrhynsdorp and Nieuwoudtville the R27 goes up the escarpment onto the Bokkeveldberge and this is the view you get when you look from it to the West.
In case you are lost as to where all this is, it is in western South Africa just between the Western Cape Province and the Northern Cape Province. Technically what you are looking at here is the plains of the Western Cape and the ridge of the Bokkeveldberge which is in the Northern Cape Province since the escarpment is exactly the boundary between the two provinces.
It is a beautiful view, as usual it is hard to do it justice in photos.
Imagine yourself standing there with the sun already warm (it is about 8:00am) but the air still reasonably cool. The smell is the smell of the desert with a very light breeze. This plain goes for as far as the eye can see to the North (to the right) and the ridges break it in the South. And this all view came as a bit of a surprised since you had never realized before that the so called escarpment here was actually true to its name and was a cliff that would offer you a view.
In case you are lost as to where all this is, it is in western South Africa just between the Western Cape Province and the Northern Cape Province. Technically what you are looking at here is the plains of the Western Cape and the ridge of the Bokkeveldberge which is in the Northern Cape Province since the escarpment is exactly the boundary between the two provinces.It is a beautiful view, as usual it is hard to do it justice in photos.
Imagine yourself standing there with the sun already warm (it is about 8:00am) but the air still reasonably cool. The smell is the smell of the desert with a very light breeze. This plain goes for as far as the eye can see to the North (to the right) and the ridges break it in the South. And this all view came as a bit of a surprised since you had never realized before that the so called escarpment here was actually true to its name and was a cliff that would offer you a view.
Monday, February 04, 2008
actual update
By the way, I am home for 6 days. I am just back from a short road trip in north western South Africa. I had a great time, I took quite a few pictures. I'll blog about this later, right now the internet is way too slow and anyway I need to sleep.
I'm going back to work in South Africa but probably for the last time this saturday.
The client company cannot decide whether to continue drilling or not, but I should imagine that it will be over really soon.
I'm going back to work in South Africa but probably for the last time this saturday.
The client company cannot decide whether to continue drilling or not, but I should imagine that it will be over really soon.
The Famished Road by Ben Okri
I have to admit that I nearly gave up on the book many times. I had such a hard time getting into it. At first I loved the fact that the book was written by a Nigerian author since I was coming out of two books I had really enjoyed by Achebe, another Nigerian author. And I loved that the main character was Azuro, an abiku child, a spirit child who is born and dead many times from the same parents and always tempted to die again to go back to its spirit world. This was also something that had been present in the previous books from Nigeria I had read, but then there was so much about the visions of the spirits in this world by Azuro, it was described in such details that what others had read and admired as a colourful descriptions of visions came across to me as an easy on going descriptions designed to shock: “monsters” with three heads, red eyes etc etc etc. I found it boring! Sorry, but it was just boring regardless of how imaginative, colourful, different and unexpected the world he described were. They just did not bring me to see anything that I either wanted to see, or wanted to avoid. I was just bored by them. But as I had finally decided to give up the book and admit defeat Azuro descriptions of what happened to him when he nearly died made sense. In this context his descriptions of the spirit world made sense to me. Then the father somehow, and not by some trick of “anything is possible in the spirit world” but by what felt like a genuinely possible set of circumstances, Azuro’s father becomes an important character in the novel and I found myself wanting to find out more about the story. By the time I realized that I was reading the book again I was a hundred page from the end of the book. And I really enjoyed the last third of the book. Call me simple, but I like books that tell me something, a story, facts that I either wanted to know or did not know I wanted to know, but something else than words written all together to startle and show what can be done with words. The
Having enjoyed the last third so much I thought maybe it was because I was in a different head space, or maybe I was finally getting into the style of the book so I immediately restarted the book from the beginning but once again I couldn’t get into it past the first few pages.
So my verdict stays: too much shaft, not enough wheat!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
we're not kids anymore!
Ben is getting married on the 5th of May! Wooooo hoooo!
I'm so happy for him, and I am SO going to the wedding in Thailand! So going!
I tell you we are not kids anymore! Somehow it is not quite registering...It should! I am 44 today! We are all grown us now. Well at least I am!
I'm 44, might just as well be 444!!
I am closer to retirement than to school!!!!
WOW! In a way I fell like I am as old as the hills but also as young as the grass growing on those same hills. I do get a real sense of my mortality though. I tell you, I am staring at old age, right here in front of me. I can see it looking back at me.
For my friends in real life (sorry about other friends, but you know what I mean) I am on Skype quite regularly now. I am trying to talk to people. I have to organize a stag party!!!
I'm so happy for him, and I am SO going to the wedding in Thailand! So going!
I tell you we are not kids anymore! Somehow it is not quite registering...It should! I am 44 today! We are all grown us now. Well at least I am!
I'm 44, might just as well be 444!!
I am closer to retirement than to school!!!!
WOW! In a way I fell like I am as old as the hills but also as young as the grass growing on those same hills. I do get a real sense of my mortality though. I tell you, I am staring at old age, right here in front of me. I can see it looking back at me.
For my friends in real life (sorry about other friends, but you know what I mean) I am on Skype quite regularly now. I am trying to talk to people. I have to organize a stag party!!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
the rainy season finally
This is it the rainy season has found us. Today is sunny but the last two days we had torrential rain....well, tropical summer rains!
The road leading to the location passes through a couple of swampy areas and apparently they are not swamps but are more like rivers right now.
This morning I asked one of the Baker Atlas guy who had to come in a four wheel drive how the road was and he answered: "I saw a fish cross the road where the little bridge used to be."
I guess this means "the road isn't good".
All I am asking is for the roads to be passable on Thursday when I am going to the airport for the final time....... asking for passable roads for myself and for a well behaved Zambezi for the people of northern Mozambique. The first one will be easier the second one here!! Tomorrow the forecast is for rain again.
The road leading to the location passes through a couple of swampy areas and apparently they are not swamps but are more like rivers right now.This morning I asked one of the Baker Atlas guy who had to come in a four wheel drive how the road was and he answered: "I saw a fish cross the road where the little bridge used to be."
I guess this means "the road isn't good".
All I am asking is for the roads to be passable on Thursday when I am going to the airport for the final time....... asking for passable roads for myself and for a well behaved Zambezi for the people of northern Mozambique. The first one will be easier the second one here!! Tomorrow the forecast is for rain again.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Breath!
Yet another shit morning here with the company man being once again rude and unpleasant just because he thinks he can.
This morning I got: "It's too early in the morning for your crap"...MY crap!!!! ..... The internet not working at morning report time is MY crap!!!!!
I realize that I have lost my sense of humor about it. The last few incidents have just gotten to me when I should really just have let it slide. I think I need a break.
I've typed a letter of resignation, then realized that the only appropriate way to handle it is to first tell the people in Calgary I work for (since I am a sub-contractor here). If I am going to do it I have to do it right.
Between now and then I am trying to figure out if I feel mostly happy about it, or mostly worried since I have no prospect of another job lined up.
[Added a couple of hours later]....In a situation like this the best thing to do is to apply for jobs! I've started sending my resume around. It's totally new to me. I have never before just sent my resume to recruiting companies on the internet. The first one felt weird...but the second one was a lot easier!
This morning I got: "It's too early in the morning for your crap"...MY crap!!!! ..... The internet not working at morning report time is MY crap!!!!!
I realize that I have lost my sense of humor about it. The last few incidents have just gotten to me when I should really just have let it slide. I think I need a break.
I've typed a letter of resignation, then realized that the only appropriate way to handle it is to first tell the people in Calgary I work for (since I am a sub-contractor here). If I am going to do it I have to do it right.
Between now and then I am trying to figure out if I feel mostly happy about it, or mostly worried since I have no prospect of another job lined up.
[Added a couple of hours later]....In a situation like this the best thing to do is to apply for jobs! I've started sending my resume around. It's totally new to me. I have never before just sent my resume to recruiting companies on the internet. The first one felt weird...but the second one was a lot easier!
Nigerian authors
I've never been to Nigeria. Honestly I am not even thinking of going to Nigeria, and it is on my list of countries where I am unlikely to agree to go to work...and there are only three countries on that list - I am not counting the countries where I will not work because it is illegal for a woman to work there or travel there without a male relative.
I am doing the Expanding Horizons reading challenge and I am considering of doing it with just Nigerian authors... though I can't help but wonder if this does not do the exact opposite to what the original intent of the challenge was, ie. narrow my reading down as oppose to expand it, but since I had never before read any Nigerian authors I think it might still be in the intended spirit.
I had thought about it, then abandoned the idea but I just read Veronica's review of "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I started looking around for other Nigerian authors. As it turns out Wikipedia has a page for Nigeria authors.
Here is a copy of their list that I have changed a little. I've put the name so that they are all written with the last name first, and I have added year of birth if I could find it, in a few cases years they were writing instead and in a some cases comments relevant to me.
I am doing the Expanding Horizons reading challenge and I am considering of doing it with just Nigerian authors... though I can't help but wonder if this does not do the exact opposite to what the original intent of the challenge was, ie. narrow my reading down as oppose to expand it, but since I had never before read any Nigerian authors I think it might still be in the intended spirit.
I had thought about it, then abandoned the idea but I just read Veronica's review of "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I started looking around for other Nigerian authors. As it turns out Wikipedia has a page for Nigeria authors.
Here is a copy of their list that I have changed a little. I've put the name so that they are all written with the last name first, and I have added year of birth if I could find it, in a few cases years they were writing instead and in a some cases comments relevant to me.
- Abani Chris (1966)
- Adedeji Remi (1937)
- Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi (1977)
- Afolabi S. A. (1966)
- Ajayi Tolu (1946)
- Akinwunmi Isola was writing in the 60s)
- Amadiume Ifi (1947)
- Babafemi Badejo (1955)
- Barrett A. Igoni (1979)
- Bode Sowande (1948)
- Clark John Pepper (J.P. Clark Bekederemo) (1935)
- Dibia Jude (1975)
- Diego Odoh Okenyodo
- Ekwensi Cyprian (1921)
- Equiano Olaudah (1745)
- Esehagu Rosemary (1981)
- Fagunwa Daniel O. (1903)
- Faleti Adebayo
- Femi Osofisan (1946)
- Festus Iyayi (1947)
- Fulani Dan (writing since 1981)
- Ihekwaba Rita (1966)
- Imam Abubakar (1911)
- Itunu-Abitogun Oyinlade (writing in 2001)
- Iweala Uzodinma (1982)
- Munonye John (1929)
- Johnson Samuel (1846)
- Lagunju Abimbola (1960)
- Maimo Sankie (born in
- Mama Amina (1958)
- Oguine Ike (first novel 2000)
- Ogundipe Molara (writing in 1995, feminist)
- Ohanyido Francis (1970)
- Okonkwo Rudolf Ogoo
- Okri Ben (1959)
- Okwelume Obinna Charles (1981)
- Omotosho Kole (1943)
- Onuora Nzekwu (1928)
- Rotimi Ola (1938)
- Saro-Wiwa Ken (1941)
- Solarin Tai (1922)
- Soyinka Wole (1934, Nobel Prize in Literature)
- Tanure Ojaide (1948)
- Tutuola Amos (1920)
- Udechukwu Ada (1960)
- Unigwe Chika (1974)
- Wiwa Ken (1968)
So now of course I am again considering keeping the challenge to Nigerian authors. I didn't picked my list before starting, so up until the end I can change my mind.
The Save River then and now
Zambia has had quite a bit of rain. Mozambique has been dry so far but the some of the rivers have to go through Mozambique on their way to the sea. Today I went to see the Save (pronounced Sa-vey) which I had not seen since Winter (winter here, summer in the northern hemisphere).
I could tell that the level of the river had already dropped down by a metre or so from the high water mark on the shore, but still, what a difference!
Here is two views of the East side of the bridge.
This is the other side. It isn't quite the same view but on the left in the distance you can recognize the land coming towards the river. It ends with a sort of a rounded nose because of hte trees. You can also see the difference in tree colours between the two seasons.
Looking in the distance, again on the East side of the bridge. Similar view in Winter and in Summer. Note this time the two shores look like they will meet and end more gradually and look like a shard point going to the water.
I could tell that the level of the river had already dropped down by a metre or so from the high water mark on the shore, but still, what a difference!
Here is two views of the East side of the bridge.
This is the other side. It isn't quite the same view but on the left in the distance you can recognize the land coming towards the river. It ends with a sort of a rounded nose because of hte trees. You can also see the difference in tree colours between the two seasons.
Looking in the distance, again on the East side of the bridge. Similar view in Winter and in Summer. Note this time the two shores look like they will meet and end more gradually and look like a shard point going to the water.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
GGRRRRRR
I hate everything about this blog right now: the colours, the set up, the style.... There isn't enough choices of colours, not enough choices of lay out!!!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
How I live at work
This is my room and my office:
My personal laptop on the night stand with the two water bottles...one is empty but not discarded yet...I didn't clean for the picture.
The bed is used as extra desk space when I am not sleeping.
Print out of one of the chameleon picture I took on the wall. It is positioned so it looks like the chameleon is looking at the person in bed, or at the empty space on the pillow when the bed is empty.
Desk in front of the window with the work laptop.
Note the piece of toilet paper hanging from the air conditioner on which I put drops of lavender oil when I want my room to smell relaxing.
The desk:
Work laptop and monitor of work monitoring system put in a way that I can see it from my bed.
A kettle.. It was actually hard to find one here but life is not worth it without it.
A box of mango juice bought in town yesterday.
My cup...somehow having your own cup feels like a treat.
My knife..never be without it. I always have in the same pocket and when I go to town and take it out I often find myself feeling for it, missing it.
A little pile of rocks picked on the road sitting next to a business card.
Some paper
A copy of "the Famished Road" by Ben Okri...which I am having a really hard time reading and I may abandon.
Two little wooden sculptures (one African buffalo, one hippo) bought from one local guy.
I know Christmas is long gone, but since I am showing how I live: this was Christmas dinner.
And this is the Polish crew I work with. Great guys!!! Really great guys.
My personal laptop on the night stand with the two water bottles...one is empty but not discarded yet...I didn't clean for the picture.
The bed is used as extra desk space when I am not sleeping.
Print out of one of the chameleon picture I took on the wall. It is positioned so it looks like the chameleon is looking at the person in bed, or at the empty space on the pillow when the bed is empty.
Desk in front of the window with the work laptop.
Note the piece of toilet paper hanging from the air conditioner on which I put drops of lavender oil when I want my room to smell relaxing.
The desk:
Work laptop and monitor of work monitoring system put in a way that I can see it from my bed.
A kettle.. It was actually hard to find one here but life is not worth it without it.
A box of mango juice bought in town yesterday.
My cup...somehow having your own cup feels like a treat.
My knife..never be without it. I always have in the same pocket and when I go to town and take it out I often find myself feeling for it, missing it.
A little pile of rocks picked on the road sitting next to a business card.
Some paper
A copy of "the Famished Road" by Ben Okri...which I am having a really hard time reading and I may abandon.
Two little wooden sculptures (one African buffalo, one hippo) bought from one local guy.
I know Christmas is long gone, but since I am showing how I live: this was Christmas dinner.
And this is the Polish crew I work with. Great guys!!! Really great guys.
Friday, January 04, 2008
We've got bugs
These are small night bugs trying to find some shade as the sun comes up. This is just a piece of rock not bread or any food that they might want to eat. They are truly trying to get shade, or some sort of darkness.
In the morning these days we always get these nice looking guys all over our front steps...this is our front step.
Cute little shiny guy...You can see were the "bug" car name comes from.
This guy is more substantial but totally armless. I just don't like the way it feels when they grab your finger. They can hold on quite tight.
In the morning these days we always get these nice looking guys all over our front steps...this is our front step.
Cute little shiny guy...You can see were the "bug" car name comes from.
This guy is more substantial but totally armless. I just don't like the way it feels when they grab your finger. They can hold on quite tight.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Angry Chameleon
When chameleons are very angry they inflate and they turn black.
this one is very very angry (and probably very scared) after having traveled for nearly an hour in a forklift.
slowly he got better and calmed down a little.
And even better.
I never did get a picture of him totally relaxed because he just could not relaxed in front of the camera.
Next morning he was gone, probably not about to forget his ride in the forklift, but ultimately it saved his life since the driver found him in the middle of the road.
this one is very very angry (and probably very scared) after having traveled for nearly an hour in a forklift.
slowly he got better and calmed down a little.
And even better.
I never did get a picture of him totally relaxed because he just could not relaxed in front of the camera.
Next morning he was gone, probably not about to forget his ride in the forklift, but ultimately it saved his life since the driver found him in the middle of the road.
Mozambican night butterfly
I hid it in my room during the day so nobody steps on it. I am waiting for night time to let him go again. However if he is one of those butterflies who only lives for 24 hours this will not help.
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