It is true that I am thankful for my phone. It is turning out to be more functional than I ever thought possible.
It is also true that black mambas are super fast! Growing up in Arizona it was normal to see snakes whenever you went looking. The snakes I grew up with had fast strikes, but generally moved at the speed you would expect a snake to move at. The puff adders in Swaziland apparently move slow also, and constantly get stepped on. The black mamba I saw yesterday moved fast enough to make me shudder, and fast enough for all the bomake(mothers) in the village to sprint after it while the chucked rocks and tried whacking it with sticks. In the end it was bomake 1 snake 0. We have been told that when you have a snake just tell the women of the village, and the snake problem will be taken care of. In the case of it being a living animal, it is sad to see an animal meet its demise due to humans, and then not get eaten or made into boots. Knowing that at 6 feet it was a small mamba, but potentially a man killer (or cows, donkeys, goats, or puppies, they were all there) made me feel slightly better. I do regret not taking the body and doing something with it.
4 meters is the length the black mamba will get up to according to the “Wild Swaziland” nature book I bought a few weeks ago. I got the book at a bookstore here, but it is likely available on amazon for $10 or so. Speaking of Amazon I have started a “wish list” both there and on www.thinkgeek.com Also. They are under my email address. Karen (my sister) mentioned that a small flat-rate box from USPS is only $13 to here. (hint hint) It turns out that the only things that aren’t available here is technology and delicious candy. They have solar panels at most shops, but they are really expensive compared to their bought online counterparts. Fixed solar panel installs are apparently a common target for theft, so the portable solar that we brought is turning out great.
One of the best things so far that I brought were the small $2 solar lights taht are intended for your driveway. Without electricity, those things are great! I have one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. We had an electrician out to the homestead a few days ago to quote prices on getting juice, and it is extremely expensive, coming in just under $1000 US. So we are sticking woth solar. I have been in an email fight with this company that sells solar laptop chargers, since it is not charging my laptop. The customer service rep says she will send me some additional equipment to remedy the situation, so I will not disparage the company’s name yet. Being a techie for the group is paying off as I can say things like I have 15 orders I need to place, and I am govt, etc etc.
Once the solar/tech issues are fixed, it seems the largest issue is getting a candy fix. They have some candy here, including kit kats. What they don’t have is root beer barrels and m&m’s. I had the luck of running across both of these before I left, but supplies are running thin. We may be able to run across to South Africa and find them there. We haven’t yet crossed into Mozambique either, but that is coming soon.
Even without candy and power, we are getting an amazing amount done. I am finishing one book a week. The last book I finished was Jason Carter’s “Power Lines.” It is a story of the Peace Corps volunteers life living on the border of South Africa and Swaziland. It is very interesting, and pretty accurate to our own life here. We are making progress on work, our 3 month assessment of our community is going well. We made it to the outskirts of the community yesterday and saw the second high school. They also have a really nice computer lab, so I am really excited about that. Sadly the transport back from there is difficult, and even with a partial ride, we walked about 5 or 6 miles in the 105 degree heat, going about 1000 feet uphill to. From the bottom of the plateau to the top. I will remember to bring more water.
The walk wasn’t all bad, we did see a squished puff adder that moved to slow.
that almost sounds like “when I was a kid I had to walk uphill both ways in the snow barefoot!” cept its uphill in the bloody heat stead of snow. Pop says the weight limit on the big box is 20lbs. but thats not too shabby. Sounds like you are having adventure after adventure.
Um, what did you do with the black mamba body? And what types of ‘delicious candy’?
And good to hear from you!
It sounds like you are doing well despite missing your candy…LOL I really enjoy reading your blogs. It lets us all be there with you and “experience” it with you. Keep them coming. I admire what you and Krista are doing. It’s admirable and I’m sure it give you a rewarding feeling as well.
I have a ton of candy to send you guys. do you want me to add M&Ms to the assortment? i don’t believe in rootbeer barrels though, so i can’t include those. =P
i was attacked by a 5ft tall mutant praying mantis the other day. ok, so it was more like 5 inches tall, and it didn’t really attack me, as much as stare intensely… it was a cool story until i read about the mamba.
Well… guess what time of year it is here…. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself well stocked with candy come November.
🙂
Is the black mamba inedible? Or did the method by which it was killed make it so? Or does the culture eschew Reptile eating? I have had Rattlesnake a on a couple of occasions (just this last week at Hot Doug’s actually) so I know venous snakes can be eaten.
Have you been dreaming of Uma Thurman Kicking everyone’s ass with a bad-ass Katana sword since your encounter?