CAMP DIARIES: THE ‘LEFTIES’ VS THE ‘RIGHTIES’ – SELATI, 16 FEBRUARY 2012

Yet another busy, but utterly rewarding week for the students (on their yearlong professional guiding course) at EcoTraining’s wilderness camp in Selati. They actually just left the camp to move over to Karongwe, where they will continue their adventure.

Wouter (head instructor) and Claire (his wife) gives some insight into their recent activities:

On Sunday the students were given a challenge by one of the instructors to construct a bow using only bush materials, much like the Bushmen would. The losing team would be sans meat with just vegetables on offer at the bush braai in a couple of days’ time. The students researched text books from the library and combined this with their own knowledge to best construct their bow and arrows.

And then it was competition time! The winner in the end was the ‘righties’ (the camp is divided into lefties and righties depending on which side of the tent you sleep). Pity was however taken on the ‘lefties’ and they were graciously also offered to be carnivores with the rest of the group.

The bush braai was held in a favourite sleep out spot, close to the river bed. The location had become quite overgrown during the wet season and some bush clearing was in order. It had indeed changed a great deal from the last time, in October last year, when the last sleep out was held in that area.

One a special note – Master chef Daniel and his trusted team of apprentices treated his fellow students and the rest of the camp to another scrumptious meal before the group left for Karongwe. It was an impala potjie with pap and broccoli/cauliflower bake. What a hit!

Note: For those of you that may not know what a potjie is – it is a traditional South African meal, consisting of a combination of meat and vegetables cooked in a black cast-iron pot, slowly and for hours over an outside fire.

(Thanks Claire for the photos!)