July 29 - Durban
Holy smokes I'm tired. Got up at 4AM this morning to catch a flight to Durban. It was grey and rainy when we got here - very unusually cold, so they say. We immediately went to the Toyota factory for a tour of the production facilities. It was actually really interesting - we went around the factory floor, from the stamping machine (where they formed the parts for the doors and body from sheets of metal), to the assembly and welding area (where we were showered with sparks from the welders), to the finished product, where they started up the engine for the first time. Interestingly, they don't make the cars in like batches - there is a white, right hand drive car, then a blue left hand drive, etc. Doesn't seem efficient to me...
Had lunch at the factory, then went to the Bisasar Road Landfill. It's where they have a gas-to-electric project, extracting and burning off methane and other gasses and generating electricity. It was raining when we got there, so it was a quick visit.
After that, we had a talk with the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department of the city of Durban. They discussed the challenges of environmental protection when weighed against other urban needs, such as the housing shortage. We also went to see the living roof pilot project at the nearby department building.
It was a lot of info, especially since we were all so tired from the long day. Had dinner at the restaurant around the corner - tried the Portuguese sardines, which were pretty good, and had a steak. Lots of meat here! Everyone is off to bed early tonight...
July 30 - Durban
A great day today! Packed and a bit rushed, but lots of good stuff. Had breakfast at the hotel and left early - 8AM - for the Toyota facility to meet with the South African teachers. They are in the Toyota Teach Program, which identifies at risk schools and provides a mentoring program for the teachers. We talked to several of the mentors and got a good overview of the South African schooling system.
After that, we went to the Buffelsdraai Landfill, an area where they are trying to reforest with indigenous plants as a way to offset the carbon emissions from the World Cup (and, to some extent, the upcoming COP 17 Conference). They get their trees form local "tree-preneurs" who trade saplings for basic goods like food, clothing, and school fees. This way, the local people have a tie to the project and the land.
From the landfill, we went into the community to see one of the tree-preneurs. We had to walk about 5-10 minutes up the hill to a house. Along the way we waved at many people, and then we just started talking to them - to kids on the street and women outside their houses. They were all so welcome and friendly, and wanted to show us their homes. One woman, Pel, took us down to see the view behind her house. On the way back to the bus, two 7th graders took Uzma and I to see their planted trees. It was a fabulous experience talking to the locals and we didn't have nearly enough time.
We left around 2 for lunch, at a bird park, then off to Mr Price Kings Stadium for the Sharks vs. Cheetah's rugby match. It was so much fun! Eric and I decided to try sneaking on the field, so we went down and played the dumb tourist "we're from the US and have never seen rugby and can we just take a quick photo?" Believe it or not, it worked. We basically stayed more than half the game, in the front row at center field.
The rugby players are HUGE - I can't believe they aren't all on steroids - and the hits are VERY hard. Can't say we understood what was going on, but it was still exciting to see the action and viscerally feel each hit and tackle! I can't imagine being this close to an American football game, so I wish I knew more about rugby. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable experience.
The sharks won, 40-29, and after the game I bought two Springbok Jerseys (I know, not Sharks, but the Nation'l team of South Africa).
Came back to the hotel - we were going to walk to the beach but the receptionist said it was very dangerous (as did Jameson) so Elaine and I came back. met up with a group for dinner - fish and chips, a local (Capetown) fish called Kingklip. It's Deb's birthday today, and surprisingly JL paid for all of our dinner on Toyota's dime!
Tomorrow, off to Cape Town!
Holy smokes I'm tired. Got up at 4AM this morning to catch a flight to Durban. It was grey and rainy when we got here - very unusually cold, so they say. We immediately went to the Toyota factory for a tour of the production facilities. It was actually really interesting - we went around the factory floor, from the stamping machine (where they formed the parts for the doors and body from sheets of metal), to the assembly and welding area (where we were showered with sparks from the welders), to the finished product, where they started up the engine for the first time. Interestingly, they don't make the cars in like batches - there is a white, right hand drive car, then a blue left hand drive, etc. Doesn't seem efficient to me...
Had lunch at the factory, then went to the Bisasar Road Landfill. It's where they have a gas-to-electric project, extracting and burning off methane and other gasses and generating electricity. It was raining when we got there, so it was a quick visit.
After that, we had a talk with the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department of the city of Durban. They discussed the challenges of environmental protection when weighed against other urban needs, such as the housing shortage. We also went to see the living roof pilot project at the nearby department building.It was a lot of info, especially since we were all so tired from the long day. Had dinner at the restaurant around the corner - tried the Portuguese sardines, which were pretty good, and had a steak. Lots of meat here! Everyone is off to bed early tonight...
July 30 - Durban
A great day today! Packed and a bit rushed, but lots of good stuff. Had breakfast at the hotel and left early - 8AM - for the Toyota facility to meet with the South African teachers. They are in the Toyota Teach Program, which identifies at risk schools and provides a mentoring program for the teachers. We talked to several of the mentors and got a good overview of the South African schooling system.
After that, we went to the Buffelsdraai Landfill, an area where they are trying to reforest with indigenous plants as a way to offset the carbon emissions from the World Cup (and, to some extent, the upcoming COP 17 Conference). They get their trees form local "tree-preneurs" who trade saplings for basic goods like food, clothing, and school fees. This way, the local people have a tie to the project and the land.
From the landfill, we went into the community to see one of the tree-preneurs. We had to walk about 5-10 minutes up the hill to a house. Along the way we waved at many people, and then we just started talking to them - to kids on the street and women outside their houses. They were all so welcome and friendly, and wanted to show us their homes. One woman, Pel, took us down to see the view behind her house. On the way back to the bus, two 7th graders took Uzma and I to see their planted trees. It was a fabulous experience talking to the locals and we didn't have nearly enough time.
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| Proud tree-preneurs |
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| The view from our actual seats... |
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| Then I schooled Eric on the art of sweet-talk, and got us onto the field... |
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| ...which gave us a slightly better view of the action! |
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| Plus, you get to interact with TRUE rugby fans! |
The sharks won, 40-29, and after the game I bought two Springbok Jerseys (I know, not Sharks, but the Nation'l team of South Africa).
Came back to the hotel - we were going to walk to the beach but the receptionist said it was very dangerous (as did Jameson) so Elaine and I came back. met up with a group for dinner - fish and chips, a local (Capetown) fish called Kingklip. It's Deb's birthday today, and surprisingly JL paid for all of our dinner on Toyota's dime!
Tomorrow, off to Cape Town!
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