The Midlands

Today we traveled northwest to visit a region called the Midlands.  One part of the Midlands is known for its artists and craftspeople.  We decided to visit a waterfall and do some more souvenir shopping.   Near the waterfall itself were a variety of craft shops that were fun to walk through (at least I thought they were fun.  Dad was patient with my shopping and Miranda was thoroughly bored).  Some of the same traditional African crafts are seen in every shopping area, but these shops also had more unique items.  I was pleased to find some local artwork that I liked.  I noticed that my father was great at encouraging me to spend money (his theory was that I wouldn’t be here again so I should buy it if I liked it.  I soon spent all my cash and then had to use his!)  We ate lunch in a quiet little restaurant where we were the only patrons, but we received great service.   The waterfall was nice but nothing to write home about.

We visited another set of shops but they seemed very similar to boutique shops in the US and were not unique.  Our final stop was a Zulu Quilt Shop.  Our map was not to scale and we had to drive quite a long way on gravel roads to find it.  The Quilt Shop is a non-profit organization run by an American lady.  She teaches women from a nearby poverty-stricken area how to piece quilts and then she has multiple quilting machines in the shop to do the actual quilting.  The majority of the proceeds from the sales go to the women who pieced each quilt. 

I continue to be struck by the difference between rich and poor in this country.  The shopping areas we went to today were very upscale and all the shoppers were white.  However, we passed some very poor areas, especially on the way to the quilt shop.   Those in poor areas are often unemployed or work menial jobs.  We have seen groups of ladies pulling weeds (by hand) along the roads or cutting grass with hand sickles - very tedious work in the hot sun.  At the lodge where we are staying there is a man who tends the gravel parking lot.  He pulls little weeds out from between the stones, rakes off leaves, etc.   What one group considers pocket change is a month’s wages to the other.  It is hard to know how to respond to the poverty and the great needs that we see.


Note - we are experiencing lots of internet problems.  Either we don't have access at all or it is slow and I can't upload pictures properly.  We are so dependent on the internet for communication that it is exceedingly frustrating when we don't have access.  Dad is on a first name basis with the computer tech and hopefully, the problem is resolved soon.