Farewell Zithulele...

As alluded to in the previous post, Candace and I left Zithulele last weekend and are now back in Cape Town.

It was a privilege to be a part of the Zithulele community and the Mercy Vision team, but our time in the Eastern Cape province has come to an end. We enjoyed our five months in this scenic area of South Africa. It was great to meet new people and interact in a new cultural setting. The photo here is of the Mercy Vision eye team prior to our departure.

We have some exciting plans in the near future, so stay posted for more!

Ngcwanguba Clinic...

Candace and I went out with the eye team to Ngcwanguba Clinic last week. (7th August.) This was to be our final trip to see the field eye team in action, as we headed back to Cape Town a few days later. It was awesome to see the crowds waiting when we arrived. These are people who would have had minimum eye care had the Mercy Vision team not been in the Eastern Cape region of Zithulele. But as it is, there is hope for them! It was a great day!

 Candace uses the Auto Refractor.

 The eye as seen through the Auto Refractor.

 The patient has to look at the house in the Auto Refractor.

 Mandini is a translator and eye assistant.

 Mohau is our optometrist.

 Unathi helps with the Auto Refractor and the VA chart tests.

Asanda manages the team's administration duties.

River in the sky...

A river of blue divides a sea of cloud. It makes for a beautiful sight!

Water tank transport...

These green water tanks, most of them holding around 5,000 litres of water each, are common sights in the rural Eastern Cape. Piped water is often unavailable and so rain water is a more reliable source of water. We were at Ngcwanguba Store and noticed this big double-trailer there last week. It's clear that there is a huge demand for these tanks!

 Ngcwanguba Store is where we can get a large variety of products.

I wouldn't like to be the one driving this vehicle!

Chips for Africa...

Have you ever seen a bigger bag of chips? They sell these large packets at the local general dealer and they are very popular - but clearly not very healthy!

One bag is well over half Candace's height in length!

Jalamba Clinic...

We went out to Jalamba Clinic for our eye clinic this past Monday. (5th August.) We had a quieter clinic but still saw around twenty patients. Jalamba Clinic is on the dirt road past Tafalehashe, which is where, according to local legend, Piet Retief's horse died. Hashe is the Xhosa word for horse. The road to get to the clinic is quite a challenge!

 The turn to Tafalehashe. We also have clinics in Mpame and Bulungula.

Deep dongas in the road.

Late afternoon in Zithulele...

Standing on the stoep and watching ships out at sea is one of my favourite ways to spend time as the shadows lengthen towards the end of day. Even when there aren't ships out at sea, the view itself is still quite special.

 The dredger Charles Darwin sails up the coast on a blue ocean.

 A closer view of this 2011-built vessel.

 Two ships approach from the north-east.

 This is the High Speed Craft Bourbon Norte, a new vessel that will transfer crews to oil rigs.

Two ships pass each other out at sea.

 Rays of light shoot down from the clouds.

 Dusk approaches at Zithulele.