Day 4: March 15th
Today started in the early morning at 7:00am for breakfast at Trekpad before we went on a long and very bumpy dirt road ride that reminded many of us of how South Dakota gravel roads are.
Our first stop was at Leadwood Game Ranch. At Leadwood, we met a couple that were game hunters and farmers. A large part of their income comes from game hunting where many people from all over the world, including many from the U.S., go to hunt. They also have cattle and sheep for supplemental income. The cattle they have on the ranch are a very adaptable and hardy breed called Nguni. These cattle have adapted to the environment very well, being able to eat the vegetation that most cattle would not be able to eat, including trees. A fun fact about this breed is there is eight different color patterns. You can see some of the patterns in the pictures. They have just included an Afrikaner bull to the herd in hopes that they can improve the performance of the calves that are born as Nguni-Afrikaner mixes. The Afrikaner bull is from the herd, owned by Trekpad, that we saw yesterday. They also have sheep, which includes Dorper and Damara breeds. They have introduced a Meatmaster ram and are selecting for better performance with the sheep as well. As you can see from the pictures that the sheep in their herd look like goats because of their color patterns and are often mistaken as such!
After the ranch, most of our group went back to Trekpad for lunch and some downtime before our next activity. After another crazy ride and a bit of getting lost, we got to Trekpad and waited for the rest of our group to return. While we went back to Trekpad, some of our students, including both nursing majors, went to visit the hospital clinic that our hosts, the de Kocks, own. Dr. de Kock is a medical doctor so he jumped at the chance to show our nursing students around his clinic.
Once the rest of the group returned, we ate lunch and jumped back into the vans to go about 15 minutes down the highway to our next stop, Koedoeskop Cotton Gin. We got a tour of the gin and were told why it is called a gin, because it used to be called a cotton engine but us in America shortened it to gin. We learned that this cotton gin is the biggest in South Africa where they produce 60,000 tons per year. Our host showed us the different stages cotton goes through to be made into our clothes. After a demonstration using a small cotton gin, we got to tour the entire facility. Once done with the tour, we were given refreshments before heading back to Trekpad.
At Trekpad, we had a little break then went into the dining hall where our fantastic coordinator, Dr. MacNeil, gave us a presentation on what he does while in South Africa and some of the South African students he has helped here with their research. With that, he told about said research as well as papers him and our wonderful facilitator of this trip, Dr. Scholtz, have helped write.
Finally, we had a lot of downtime while the amazing staff at Trekpad prepared the dining hall for dinner. The dinner was perfect as always and we said goodbye to many of our hosts as it is our last night staying here. Tonight is going to be a very laidback evening sitting near the campfire, soaking up the last of Trekpad before leaving, and enjoying our last night here!
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