Day 2 (Thursday Sept. 7th)
Lost Luggage returns! Tswaing Crater
Most of us slept in this morning, which allowed our tired bodies and minds to
recuperate from the excitement of yesterday. Tim and Magali, however, woke
early to drive back to the Johannesburg airport to see if our errant luggage
had been shepherded back.
After a circuitous route to the Cultural History Museum (a mere two blocks from
the hotel, as the crow flies, but much further along the one-way roads of
downtown Pretoria) we picked up Robert De Jong, who accompanied us to the
Tswaing Crater. During our breakfast at the museum Magali and Tim phoned back
with news our luggage was found. And there was great rejoicing.
Robert De Jong gave an excellent presentation outlining the geological and
cultural history of the Tswaing Crater. He also related to us his vision for
this park, not as a tourist attraction for foreigners, but as an educational
center for the children of this harsh and heavily developed area. We ate a
traditional African meal of salads, meat and vegetable stew, and a starch
similar to grits (all of which have proper African names none of us recall).
After a brief respite we began our hike to the crater.
Tswaing Crater was created when a chondritic (rocky) meteor impacted the
Kapvaal Craton, where we are now camped, 220,000 years ago. It is one and a
half kilometers in diameter and was originally 200 meters deep, though more
than 200,000 years of sedimentation leaves it only about 90 meters deep. As
with many other small craters, a shallow lake lies in the depression.
Preserved in the sediments under the lake is a record of the climate and
culture in the Tswaing area.
The lake is saline water does not flow out. For prehistoric man this lake
served as a valuable source of salt. It remains an important resource for
wildlife. More recently (from 1912 to 1956) a mining company extracted crude
soda ash and salt, first from the sediments of the lake and later directly
from the water.
All this information and more was laid out for us in plaques along the trail.
As the trail wound around the crater rim and down to its floor through tall
bushes and grasses we beheld spectacular views of the crater and surrounding
Karoo plain. Our best view was from Shoemaker point, which was named after
the late Eugene Shoemaker. My eyes were drawn first to the deep, startling blue of
the lake and then up the steep sides of the crater through twiggy acacia trees
and leafy bushes (and the occasional Amarula tree). In this splendidly
beautiful spot lies a plaque dedicated to Gene, around which we shared a moment
of silence after listening to Joe reminisce about his mentor and friend.
When we reached the bottom, we found the lake waters coffee-colored and
smelling strongly of salt. We took another group photo and discovered we could
create seismic waves in the water logged, salt-encrusted sediments by jumping
(or falling). On the way back out of the crater we examined a road cut that
displayed a record of the seconds that followed the impact.
We brought with us a few soccer balls to give away to children in the villages
we visited (as suggested to us by Mike Scott). Ben and Tim expressed their
interest in giving one of these soccer balls away by playing with it
themselves. Unfortunately, Ben discovered that razor wire is bad for the
health of inflated objects. Down one soccer ball, we headed for the Ndebele
village. The pickup game of soccer Ben and Tim started attracted numerous
inhabitants (all under 4 ½ feet, and all of them better than us), and the gift
of a soccer ball made us very popular. We took a tour of their traditional
homes, which are round and painted with symbolic designs. Entrance to the
homes was segregated, with women entering on the left and men on the right.
Outside we were greeted by women selling beaded articles, gourds, belts,
figurines, and jewelry of all sorts. After Kristine knocked over one figurine,
the woman selling it cheerfully instructed her on the proper way to set up the
doll using its beaded skirt. After trying and failing several times, she
bought the doll. All in all, a pleasant way to end the day.
Tswaing was our first night sleeping out under the stars we camped on the
grounds of the museum office near the crater.
Written by Kristine Nielson & James Dennedy-Frank
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