On To Tzaneen

Spoke with Daleen on the phone today. They finished up their week-long holiday up in the mountains and headed on to Tzaneen to her parents house. The resort where they stayed was apparently very nice. My father-in-law got to play a lot of golf which he loves to do. Colin got to take some pony rides and they had a big children's play area where they had a trampoline for him to jump around on. (He loves trampolines.... although he doesn't know to stay away from the edge which is always a little unnerving for us.) The resort was up in the mountains so it didn't get too hot and it rained, but usually for just a little while in the evenings. They left early this morning to make the seven hour journey home.

Tzaneen is a large town in Limpopo Province, which is situated in the northeast corner of South Africa. It is centered in the Tzaneen Valley and has a sub-tropical climate. The name Tzaneen is derived from the Sotho language and the main industry in the area is citrus farming (bananas, oranges, mangoes, avocados, etc). The town itself is very hilly and contains a downtown with a large shopping area (they even have a mall) surrounded by many suburban style neighborhoods. However, the neighborhoods drop off quickly into farmland. The Limpopo river runs through the town and they have a real hippo crossing sign by the river which I think is pretty cool. (By the way, Hippos are extremely dangerous and injure more people in Africa than all the other animals combined. Consequently, the churches do not do river baptisms there!)

Daleen grew up in Tzaneen. Until last year, her parents owned and ran a small fruit farm. They grew avocados, mangoes, and litchis (a small, red, and very sweet fruit which I love). Her dad bought the property when it was just wild land. He built their house and grew all the trees in their orchards while working full time for the railroad driving trains. After his retirement from the railroad, he took on the farming operations full time until he and my mother-in-law were really ready to retire.

My father-in-law was concerned about going fully into retirement. He once told me he had worked so hard, for so long, that he had no idea what he was going to do with his time. I didn't think it would take him very long to figure it out. He did spend a couple of weeks relaxing and reading Louis L'Amour books which were his favorite when he was working on the railroad. Now they've moved into a house that is a real fixer-upper and dad has happily gone back to work. He's basically his own general contractor for the house which is keeping him busy although just like here, many of the contractors he is dealing with frustrate him to no end.

I haven't seen their new house yet. I think the next time I go I will be disappointed to not be going back to their farm. While I won't miss getting up at the crack of dawn to pick fruit (yes, they put us to work when we go over to visit), I will miss all the open space and I'll definitely miss their swimming pool. (Did I mention it's subtropical there...as in Africa-hot subtropical.)

Tzaneen is really a wonderful place. I always enjoy going to visit, and I know why Daleen gets so homesick. There is just something about the town. They have this strange mixture of people and cultures. On one side, there is this high level of civility. It's the British influence that includes specific times for meals, tea, and afternoon coffee. There is a mall, nice neighborhoods, beautiful houses and golf courses. There are blue laws, and Sunday afternoon barbecues. When we go in the summer, it is Cricket season, so watching sports on TV includes watching guys in white uniforms play a gentleman's game that stops for lunch and tea breaks. The shops and stores there understand real customer service where they know how to smooch up to you and there is an unbelievable level of politeness. It's civilized.

However, there is also a side of the town which counters the civilized British influence. There are numerous Africans who work on the farms in the valley. Many of these people don't have cars and simply walk everywhere. You can see the poverty. Often, their homes consist of corrugated metal shacks or brick with thatched roofs, and they cook their meals outside over wood fires. They usually don't have toilets or running water. Donald, one of my father-in-law's employees, has a home in the nearby town of Modjadji, where the "Rain Queen" lives. The Rain Queen is sort of a tribal religious figure who supposedly has the ability to control the clouds and rainfall. It's really wild to see these people who are carrying on with very ancient traditions and ways of life, meshing with a modern civilization. I think it's hard for many of these people to get beyond the past and move into the future towards what we would consider a better life for them and their families. There are many circumstances and cultural and educational obstacles that need to be overcome. They're moving forward, but it's slow progress.

Daleen and Colin are going to be with her folks for another two weeks. She's got family and old friends to visit. There are several safari animal parks nearby so Colin will have plenty of opportunities to see some lions, zebras, and elephants. I have no doubt they are going to have a great time. I miss them, but am glad they are spending time with her family. I just hope they don't run into any hippos.....