January 29, 2003

Hello once again

I had a great adventure last weekend. The plan was for a number of Rotarians to travel 270 km north of Bulawayo to the Big Game hunting camp of Rotarian

Jack Andrews. I was there last year and loved it. We were leaving Friday after work.

On Thursday at 5pm Jack phones me. The camp is out of water and the pump is not working. Can I please go up there earlier and see what can be done. I say, why don't I leave now so I have the whole of Friday to sort it out. So he quickly gets some staff together, some food and finds me 70 litres of diesel for my vehicle and off I go at 7pm.

We arrive at midnight in the camp, light a campfire, have a few drinks and sleep. By 8am the next morning I am on the road with my vehicle picking up a dozen men in the village sites to help us pull the pump. Put on 50km just picking them up on sand roads in the bush.

The pump is an old deep well cup leather pump run by a diesel engine. It is 220 deep on 2 inch galvanized pipe. We rigg up pulleys with ropes and proceed to pull the pipe out of the ground, uncoupling it every 30 feet. Find one leak on threads, another corrosion leak through the side of the pipe and worn cup leathers at the bottom. At 5 pm we have the repairs done, the pump re-installed and water running to the tank in the camp. I am absolutely exhausted from hard work and the sun/heat. I still have to drive everyone back to their home. These men worked their asses off doing the bull work, I just used my expertise and supervisional skills but was still pooped.

Got back to camp about 7pm, had a shower, a nice meal and then waited for the Rotarians to arrive, which they did at about 9pm. They were ready to party all night. Fourteen of us. I finally went to bed at 2pm but some saw the sun come up. A few of them are fabulous story tellers and keep you in stitches with tales of past experiences. Some went home on Saturday but 8 of us stayed to hunt. We were out during the day and I got a few birds like Guinea Fowl and grouse.

Another great campfire and then home the next day. We stopped at several schools to let them know about the well drilling program we have planned and to pay school fees for the children.

Then worked our way back to Bulawayo, stopping at most bottle stores for a "refreshment" and arrived home at 7pm. Great weekend with lots of memories.

This weekend I am off to Botswana with the same group to visit a Rotary Club

there who have invited us for a golf weekend. We are also going to tour a gold mine and go underground. Hope my claustrophia won't cause a problem.

I am right out of diesel for my vehicle. Running on dry. Just enough to get to town and then try and find a que where I can get the vehicle and spend the morning working my way to the pumps.

Got to run.

Love to you all,

Doug