Bright and early this morning, only a few moments after breakfast was done, we heard the sounds of a bus arrive. It was the much anticipated visit from the children of Middleburg Care centre which takes in some children infected with HIV/AIDS  and a lot affected by the disease. About 60 children, ranging in ages from 5 to 18 alighted the bus, eager for what our delegates had in store for them. “We had so much fun with the orphaned children, they had so much energy and we could hardly keep up,” commented Matthew Beer of South Africa.

The children aged 5-9 melted chocolate and dipped marshmallow to make a snack for everyone. The 10-13 year olds created mouth-watering chocolate hearts from moulds, and the 14-18 year olds prepared scrumptious biltong-dusted sandwiches which we all happily dug into. Each group played games. The visit lasted three hours which flew by all too quickly.

As the bus pulled off amid whoops of delight at some new-found bonds, delegates and children alike felt pleased with a morning well spent. Peaceful Mathebula of South Africa expressed what all our delegates felt, “ I felt a bit whole because of the children...that somehow made me to be very thankful of what I have and all the opportunities that come my way.”

The afternoon held a surprise for everyone. We walked out to a clearing near the Ndebele Cultural Village where we awaited the arrival of our surprise. Mark Bett from Dullstroom Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Centre arrived with three beautifully majestic birds of prey. Jiyae Hwang of Korea really enjoyed Mark’s presentation saying, “He was so funny, but was simply overflowing with knowledge of his field.” Mark began with a hand-reared barn owl called Barny.  Eight volunteers were given the opportunity to slip on a protective glove and wait for it to perch on them.

The crested eagle (Tintin) was a sight to see, especially since Mark told us that they thought it would never fly again. He struggles a little, but he flies!

The real show-bird, though, was the greater kestrel. He has been bred in captivity and enjoys perching happily on anyone’s head. Ka Kit (Gary) Law of Hong Kong experienced this first-hand: “I didn’t push up my hand which lead to bird standing on my head.”

Last night was an important evening for all of our delegates. Weddings are always a time of great preparation, excitement and beautiful clothing. It was no different for our delegates! The traditional dress was spectacular and the rituals fascinating to witness.

Bed time was long in coming because everyone was still very excited and photographs were being taken. Most are feeling like  Lok Ching (Laurence) Wong of Hong Kong feels: “We just hope that the trip will never end.”

Ka Kit (Gary) Law from Hong Kong was awarded the “prestigious” title of Bush Blossom for his enthusiastic Ndebele dancing which landed him on the ground with legs in the air!

A very spicy, HOT and extremely tasty meal was prepared by Thailand – an excellent and completely appropriate dish for a cold evening. It was called Kaeng Khieu wan gai (Green curry coconut chicken), Rice, Som Tan (Thai Salad) which was  rounded off with a delicious Ginger Pudding.