The Sunday Times Mirror - Into wild, wild Africa

The drum beat… noises of folk songs and dances… all amidst the thick green jungles packed with wildlife, yet to be discovered. This is what comes to our mind when we talk of Africa. Jehan Nalin Goonaratne of S. Thomas’ College and Vinod Malwatte of Royal College had the chance to be in the ‘International Wilderness Expedition 2006,’ which took them on an adventure to South Africa in August.

This programme, organised by Cathay Pacific, was open to students interested in wildlife, while ‘Ubangani Wilderness,’ a wildlife team from South Africa, sorted out the logistics. Both, Jehan and Vinod are involved in various extra-curricular activities in school, and after much sorting out from applicants of different schools, they were chosen to experience the African adventure.

With much expectations, the duo left the country on August 22 and were in transit in Hong Kong, where they met all the delegates, eight from Hong Kong, three from Vietnam, China, Japan and Taiwan, two from Pakistan, Bahrain, Thailand and Malaysia; and they were yet to meet their 10 South African pals. Soon they embarked on a thirteen-hour journey and landed in Johannesburg in the morning. The adventure had begun…

“We were in Hotel Inbada, where we met our South African delegates. All of us were divided into four groups, and the first activity was to find what was common amongst the group members. In my group the common thing was that all the members identified with the ‘Mexican’ flavour. In Jehan’s group, they found that they could twist their tongues in weird ways,” says Vinod.

After a few more orientations, they boarded the bus again for another three-hour ride to ‘Botshabelo’ – where the adventure team was based.

The second day was an outing and the team drove and walked by fountains, over plains and along river sides. In the event that there were questions, maybe to do with the identification of plant or animal, each group had a tour guide to help them. This day was special for Jehan and Vinod, as both of them cooked a Sri Lankan meal for lunch.

“Everyday one country had to cook their traditional food for the whole team – that is nearly for 50 people. We decided to cook yellow rice, chicken and cadju curry. Cooking was not new for us!” says Jehan, however, who admits that this is the first time he’s cooked a cadju curry and it tasted good.

“We took spices with us thinking that there won’t be any, but in fact they provided us with the spices needed,” says Vinod, adding that the Sri Lankan meal was awarded the ‘Best Meal.’

When it came to introducing the country and its culture, the boys say, “While explaining about Sri Lanka, there were questions about wildlife, especially the human-elephant conflict, the tsunami and how we are rebuilding and there were questions about our gem city – Ratnapura, but there were no questions on the ethnic conflict,” notes Vinod.

Later in the day, the group had a night orientation and went out to talk to the ‘Ndebele Tribe,’ one of the native tribes of South Africa. “It was like a remnant of an abandoned stone castle built in the midst of grassland. At the entrance there were two huge stone towers about 20 feet tall, echoing with the memories of the past. We visited their hamlets; each one is different from one another – the village chief had his hut with more covering and it differs from the ordinary person’s hut, which is with less covering. The people wore large rings around their necks. We had dinner with the tribe and it tasted like flour paste, with chicken and potatoes. After that, we were taught to read the stars and to learn how the stars could guide us when we lose track in the middle of the jungle. It was very educative,” described Jehan.

Another morning started with a surprise, when a huge tapping noise woke up Vinod. “It started around six, and I felt as if something was hopping on the roof. But when I went out, I realised it was tiny ice particles – a hailstorm,” says Vinod.

The team also visited the Bird Rehabilitation Centre, where only Jehan was able to hold a falcon on his arm. And they visited ‘Loskop Dam Nature Reserve,’ which is a national park, where Vinod was able to get close to a huge Rhino while he was on a boat voyage. They witnessed huge pythons and spitting snakes in the Reptile Park. In the midst, the whole gang got the chance to get muddy in a huge mud pool. Great Fun!

The team also had the opportunity to do community service by painting a portion of the school and planting vegetable beds in the surrounding area.

This was not only an adventure tour, but also a cultural exchange and to show an important aspect of culture, the programme included a ‘mock wedding,’ where Vinod was the bridegroom and Jehan, the kapuwa. “We got a South African girl to get into a Kandyan outfit. We had to explain how our wedding ceremonies take place. Some wedding ceremonies had dances after the formal vows,” says Vinod.

The final night out was something personal. The whole lot went out, once again to the place closer to the ‘Ndebele Tribe’ and made a campfire. While the wood slowly burned, the songs and dances of diverse cultures fused together to form a different beat. Later, they slept out in the open with each person allotted a period of an hour to wake up, witness the fire and write their thoughts. Vinod had to wake up at 2 a.m, and it was a time he was in dire need of sleep, however the memories of the day’s events kept him up and inspired. Jehan was lucky that his time was between 5-6 in the morning, and was able to view the beauty of sunrise, as he scribbled in his ‘Reflection Dairy.’ This was the last day in ‘Botshabelo.’

“Definitely, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. It taught us many things and we are bringing back the experience and the lovely memories, which we may be able to use someday in life,” says Vinod, while Jehan adds, “We all have preconceived notions about people and their cultures.”

“I imagined all South Africans as fierce, but finally when I met them, I realised that every one of us aren’t as different as we assume we are,” says Jehan.