South Africa

 Hey there friends! After an absolutely interesting time in Egypt, I'm heading to the opposite side of the continent to beautiful South Africa! An absolutely breathtaking country with some of the nicest people I've met. I'll be visiting the cradle of humankind, Richtersveld area where I spoke about the Grootslang, a serpent, and I spoke to another person about Impundulu, the lightning bird. 

South Africa is the southernmost country on the African continent spanning 470,000 square miles. With a population of 61 million, this country was originally a colony of the British. Known for cultural diversity and wonderful natural aspects, South Africa is a popular tourist destination. Its three capitals (they have a different capital for each branch of government) are Pretoria the executive capital, Bloemfontein the judicial capital, and Cape Town the legislative capital.

Now that that is out of the way, time to explore the country of South Africa! 

On my first stop in South Africa, I went to a site known as the Cradle of Humankind. Officially known as the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa, this place is known as an important site because it has the highest concentration of human ancestor remains. It can be found northwest of Johannesburg. It is made up of multiple limestone cave systems. One of the caves, known as Bolt's Farm, is where the earliest primate remains were discovered. Nearby this site is the Rising Star Cave system which contained fifteen fossil skeletons of remains of a human ancestor known as Homo Naledi

This place is such a beautiful wonder to see. To think that this is such a concentrated area of the remains of the ancestors of humans is incredible. It makes you question what it was about this area that attracted so many people. Was there a significant resource? Maybe a major prey that primitives hunted? Maybe there was something wrong with other nearby regions making these caves an important home. It makes you really wonder what was the reason you can find these people here. It also makes you wonder why so many of them died in these caves, or if they just happened to end up here. Maybe a predator brought them here to eat? It's impossible to know.

After visiting the Cradle of Humankind, I went on my way to the Richtersveld Landscape, a site here in South Africa. It has a mix of cultural and botanical significance and it is a protected UNESCO world heritage site. It is a desert region filled with so much different landscape features, from fields to mountains. It also is the living site of the Nama people, who are a semi-nomadic group who move with the major season changes. It is an absolutely breathtaking place and an example of the natural world found in South Africa. However the view isn't the only reason I'm here.

I'm speaking with an expert I know here about a creature that supposedly calls this region home. The Grootslang. I'll let the expert on the topic take over from here.

"The Grootslang lives here in the Richtersveld region, specifically in one cave known as the "Wonder Hole" or also the "Bottomless Pit". This cave is thought to flow into the sea (40 miles away) and the nearby orange river. It is said that it is filled with diamonds and rich minerals. The Grootslang, however, is thought to be the protector of the goods found there. It is believed to be a snake 40-50 feet long with a body 3 feet wide. Some think it has diamonds for eyes. According to many, the Grootslang is thought to be older than the world itself and it is believed to live down in the cave protecting its treasure. It is said that its presence has an overwhelming sense of evil and it will protect its treasure for eternity."

The grootslang is something I find absolutely fascinating. South Africa is well known for its abundance of resources, and for the native population to come up with something to guard that resource from greedy people is really interesting. Especially considering the region's history with colonialism, it's not shocking that something to guard the land's natural treasures from greedy people would be created. 

After looking at Richtersveld and talking about the Grootslang, I went to Cape Town for my last stop.

I went down to a delicious restaurant in Cape Town known as Thali to meet with my last expert. Thali is named after a traditional Indian style which is a completely meal consisting of 10 or more dishes. They start with milder options and eventually work their way up to the hotter curry options. Here you can get a wide array of mouthwatering Indian dishes, something for everyone. 

While having a spectacular lunch, I chatted a bit with an expert on some of the folklore of the native population, and they taught me about the Impundulu, also known as the Lightning Bird. This is what they said.

"The Impundulu is an important creature when it comes to witchcraft. It is said to be a vampire bird that feeds on blood, thought to be the size of a person. It is believed to have the ability to summon thunder and lightning using its wings and talons. It is said to be immortal. It is thought that its fat, believed to be an important medicinal tool, is used by it to create the lightning, and it is thought that it is gotten when you catch the Impundulu as it strikes. It cannot be shot, stabbed, poisoned or drowned. It is believe the only way to kill it is with fire. The bird (seen from above) known as a Hammerkop is believed by some tribes to be an Impundulu. Some tribes also believe it to appear to most as lightning, besides to women, who it presents as a bird."

While there isn't much to specify with it, the Impundulu is truly interesting to me. It shows an important part of the historical culture of the tribes of South Africa. For long, what was considered by Europeans to be witchcraft was a part of the belief systems of these tribes, and for many it acted as a form of medicine. It was how they healed and how they interacted with the natural world around them.

And that, was South Africa. It was an amazing time in a country with possibly the most beautiful sights I have seen. Join me next time as I adventure across Ghana!