Camp Duties
Gecko Creek Wilderness Lodge is what is called in South Africa, a self-catering camp. It is a wonderfully eclectic collection of cabins, permanent tents and safari tents that people may rent or they can come with their own tents or camper vans. It is a collection of buildings nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and it is without a doubt one of the most tranquil places on earth.
When you first arrive, the first structure you will notice is the Lapa, a beautiful octagonal open-air building which houses gas cookers, refrigerators, pots and pans, plates, dishes, cutlery, utensils … in short everything you need to prepare meals. Guests bring their own food and prepare their own meals which may also be eaten at the tables in the Lapa. it is wonderful to watch, smell and chat as visitors from all over the world prepare wonderful dishes and the banter is always lively as rich aromas waft from pots simmering gently on the stoves.
In the evening, guests often gather in the “Boma”. This circular structure is basically a high, circular fence built out of vertical sticks. The word “Boma” means stockade and one of its traditional uses is to enclose animals. In the centre of the Boma is a fire pit, around which guests laze in comfortable beanbag chairs under the magnificent South African night sky. You have not experienced darkness until you have been here. Even the spectacular Milky Way and plethora of brilliant stars of the southern hemisphere strewn as far as the eye can see cannot penetrate the blackness of the cloak of darkness here.
The Boma also houses the three “Braii”. To the uninitiated these may seem like merely Bar-B-Que pits … and they are … but to “Braii” in South Africa is more than just to throw some burgers on an open flame. It is an entire epicurean, social and cultural event. Where to start … To begin with, food prepared on the Braii expands far beyond what you can even imagine. Every kind of meat can be and is prepared on the Braii. Vegetables as well either on the open flame or in a potjie (3 legged black pot cooked in the embers of the Braii or open fire), rolls, bread … you name it, these people have mastered cooking it on the open flame.
Traditionally it is the men who do the Braiing and they are wonderful at it. It is as much a social event as it is cooking with the men gathering round, joking and chatting as the Braii coals are readied and the meal is leisurely prepared. Nothing is rushed and it takes hours to prepare, enjoy and participate in a Braii. The men have an extremely good sense of humour and are terrible pranksters and the cajoling, insulting, bantering and teasing that goes on is merciless.
You cannot imagine the amount of food that is prepared at the braii and if you’re lucky there will be leftovers to be eaten up the next day.
While this is a wilderness camp, the facilities here are absolutely stunning and provide just the right balance between “roughing it” and “creature comforts”. With this in mind, the solar heated showers housed in the beautiful ceramic tiled washrooms provide a welcome touch of civility to the wild experience.
Life at the camp is very peaceful and tranquil and visitors come and go as they please but as with any business, the responsibilities associated with running the camp are quite onerous. The opportunistic nature of crime in South Africa means that someone must always be in the camp to ensure that nothing walks off. The responsibility of being here for the telephone, responding to enquiries, taking bookings, keeping the facilities tidy and in good repair, and being present to greet and help new guests settle in, means that it is difficult if not impossible for management to get a break away.
Usually there are two people here managing the camp but my friend Ingrid took ill about 3 months ago and has had to stay in Cape Town for medical reasons. This has meant that John has been abandoned to run the camp on his own for the last several months. As wonderful as this place is, you can imagine that not being able to have a break can be quite exhausting and even more than that, quite isolating.
During my stay here, I have encouraged John to get away for a few days here and there to give him a break before I have to leave. Most weeks I have gone to Cape Town for a few days during the week and then when I have come back John has headed off for a weekend with his chums after giving me a crash course on the basics of camp life.
True to this routine, I arrived back from Cape Town a week ago Thursday and John headed out on Friday. He had made an appointment to have his “bakkie” (truck) looked at in Cape Town as he was having some trouble with it. As I stopped in at the main house to check in with him just before he was leaving, he was going over his mental checklist of things he had with him … keys, licence, passport … Passport? Hey wait a minute. Passport? “What the heck do you need your passport for,” I joked. “You’re not planning on skipping the country on me, are you?”
Despite his good natured assurances that it was just in case he needed it for identification, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since and that was over a week ago! Hmmmm….
John? John? Are you out there John?
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Morag