Barbecue in the Bush

At the end of our second day, we bid farewell to Sybil and began our time with Pieter (the two of them are close friends). I was very excited when David informed me that Pieter (since we really only had one night with him) was going to take us out to stay in a very remote village way out in the bush...

We had a great lunch in the afternoon consisting of chicken, rice, and salad. How good it tasted to have fresh vegetables! We hadn't been able to have them prior to Pieter's because they had

been washed with city water

and we would have gotten ill. After lunch we then began the drive to Mukhatine (moo-kuh-teen-ee), which was a very enjoyable ride through the bush...

it took about 2 hours to get to the village.

Upon arrival we checked into the guest house, a gorgeous accommodation (See the photos - somewhat church retreat-esque inside, 4 bunks, solar powered lights...) which was originally built for Cedar Springs church in Tennessee who supports this village. Pieter then took us out to the self sustainable agriculture project he helped

kickstart in the village. This just blew my mind. I will have a hard time explaining it through type, but the program is essentially this: there are 60 plots, each with 2 rows of tomatoes, 2 rows of papaya trees, and 1 row of mango trees. The crops were strategically picked by Pieter so that the tomatoes yield in 4 months or so, the papayas in 1 year and the mangos in 4. Mangos are very hard to come by in the south here, so it was set up so that the villagers could gain quick profit from the tomatoes, a steady profit from the papayas, and a large profit over time from the mangos. All 3 crops also fetch a very high price in the markets in Chokwe (where they ship the produce). So each farmer is given a plot and has to maintain it by his or her self. A pump was donated to the compound so that they can water their crops through drip irrigation, and that's where the logistics get a bit complicated and lengthy. I hope I was able to get the main points across effectively. Basically, each farmer chooses how well they want their crops to do by the amount of work they want to put into it... it's very similar to the way a community bank or micro credit is set up.

After a remarkable sunset, we headed back to the guest house...By this time it was now dark, so we sat outside underneath the stars waiting for dinner (which was a tasty steak bbq and open roasted grilled cheese w/ tomato sandwiches. Steak! Yum). After dinner, the 4 of us chatted and laughed and looked for faces in the coals of the fire, much like one would look for faces in the clouds. But my favorite part of all was our night walk underneath the stars. There is zero electricity in the village, so the night sky is absolutely stunning out in these remote areas, enough so that I managed to get some great photos... Which will follow in the next post.

Photos are: Sybil and her family, the sunset, Pieter, and one farmer's share of crops