So my surprise weekend destination was Kosi Bay. It is about an hour and a half driving time from Ingwavuma and is a place of many treasures. These include: dense, fig, mangrove and raffia-palm forests; wildlife such as hippos, crocs and 250 species of bird; some of the quietest and most beautiful beaches in SA; stunning coral reefs for snorkelling; a fascinating local tribe called the Tonga (no relation to the Pacific Islanders*). Mary had booked us in to a very Kosi forest lodge.
The Nature Reserve consists of four interconnected lakes. We spent both days exploring these – the first on a motor boat, the second in canoes. Despite the presence of lots of hippos and crocs, our guide insisted that we could swim in the lakes. He assured us that we would be able to see if any hippos were in the vicinity. As for the crocs, they were most definitely ‘friendly’. This meant that the guide had never heard of them having eaten any of the local fishermen. Mary needed no further reassurance. She was in the water. Her reluctant husband followed. Re-entering the boat after our swim, a helpful German couple that had stayed in the boat pointed out a hippo about 50 metres from our swimming area. Danke.
The Tonga people live a subsistence lifestyle. We were able to watch their methods for catching fish. Without sliced bread the Tongan’s use another expression – the best invention since fish traps**. This is how they work. Narrow channels connect the lakes. The water level in these is about 4-5 feet. A straight line of sticks are planted into the water over a distance of c. 50 metres. These sticks are approximately 6 feet in length and are planted close together. Thick algae quickly grows creating a ‘wall’ through which the fish cannot pass. Instead they are forced to swim alongside the algae until they reach the end. Here sticks form a three-quarter circle. A one way revolving door occupies the final quarter of the circle. Following their natural course a large number of fish swim straight into the trap. Along comes Mr Tonga to spear the fish. Each family builds/maintains/works a trap.
The couple that ran Kosi Forest Lodge were snake enthusiasts (or more particularly, he was). They had a large number of snake books. Given the likelihood that we will come across some (SA and KZN in particular is home to all of the continent’s most dangerous reptiles), I thought I should try to get some advice on the different types and the ones to avoid. Chris quickly revealed that he kept a couple of ‘baby’ pet snakes – one a very nasty puff adder. He assured us that we would be won over by its beauty. Willing to be persuaded, we both examined the intricacies of ‘puffy’. Without doubt the colours and mosaic like patterns on its back were very impressive. Less appealing was its regular and loud hissing noise.
Our walk to the canoe on Sunday took us through the beautiful forest. Mary and another girl led the way. On our canoe trip we saw some extraordinary birds. These included the very rare palmnut vulture – the only vegetarian vulture (unlikely to be a source of kudos among his vulture friends). We saw the Jesus bird (named because it walks on water) – a favourite with the Tongan people. And we saw many, many others. On our return walk the guide led us back to the car. We immediately struck up loud conversation with another couple. After 20 minutes of walking our guide suddenly reared backwards, threw a hand in the air and turned to look at us looking utterly terrified. In 10 seconds the danger had passed.
What had caused the guide to stop us? As Mary had seen (I didn’t because I was a few metres further behind), we had nearly tripped over a black mamba – South Africa’s most deadly snake. It is very rare to come across them. They contain sufficient poison to kill over 30 humans. They are also the fastest striking snake. And they are extremely nervous characters. This means that they attack if they think they are being threatened. They rear up and can strike at chest height. Fortunately, Jerome had been alert and we were able to return to the lodge with a good story.
On our drive back we came across another adder. Indeed we ran it over. Not sure we will have dented the population numbers greatly. Anyone still keen on visiting us? Suze?
* Just imagine the confusion if the two did meet. Immediate conflict would surely ensue over naming rights. Historians would have to write about the Tongan wars in which the Tonga defeated the Tonga for the right to be called the Tonga.
** Not completely true.
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