Knysna sits between George and Plettenberg Bay on
the Garden Route in the Western Cape Province. The town is easy to reach from
Cape Town. It only takes five to six hours. A place with a backdrop as glorious
as you would find it in any award-winning TV travel documentary. It has been
awarded “South Africa’s Favourite Town” several times. I am not exaggerating
when I call Knysna picture-perfect. “Place of Wood” in Khoisan. With its
lagoon, the ocean, and the forest, it has a rich history and heritage and is
one of South Africa's oldest towns.
I travel to South Africa to see her wildlife. I
dream of lions, rhinoceros, giraffes, zebras, and leopards. I would in most
places see exotic birds. The kind of bird I forgot exists, as in flamingos,
sunbirds, and penguins. I came across many places where troops of chacma
baboons roam. I visited places in and near forests, where I saw vervet monkeys.
People in the times of the coronavirus crisis – Eyewitness
Teresa Da Mata in South Africa
For now, everyone has been told to stay home to
save lives. No one can travel to or through South Africa right now. We can
still do two things. One: We can always dream of South Africa. Two: We can ask
the locals to tell us about their country. We can ask them to tell us about how
they experience life during the coronavirus crisis and what they make of it. If
we cannot visit South Africa right now, stories from South Africa needs to come
to us in the form of stories. I contacted Teresa from Ocean Odyssey in Knysna. I asked
her to tell me about the current coronavirus crisis. I wanted to find out how
she feels. To begin with, I was interested in what is expected from locals
during ‘lockdown’ in South Africa?
“South Africa implemented a 21-day lockdown on the
27th of March. Lockdown was supposed to end by the 16th of April but has been
extended till the 30th of April. We are expected to stay put! We are only
allowed to venture out once a week to purchase groceries or if we need urgent
medical assistance or collect grants. Government has also put a halt on the
sale of non-essential items such as cigarettes, alcohol, clothing and other
random items.”
Update, according to the official Twitter page of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa "South Africa will be placed on alert level 3 from 1st June 2020. Public gatherings and other high-risk activities, especially those that involve close contact between large numbers of people, remain prohibited to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. ... All borders of the republic remain closed except for the transportation of goods and repatriation of citizens"
Everyone I speak to feels as if we are in a state
of emergency. I also have been wondering what Teresa helps right now. She
reacts positively. “Access to the internet and being able to stay connected to
family and friends. This also allows us to keep the marketing side of the
business alive by keeping our Social Media pages active, answering email etc.”
Majestic giants of the ocean
Knysna is a place that feels as if you are a
million miles away from it all, like a slice of paradise. Due to the pandemic
we live through right now, we cannot visit Knysna at the moment. I ask Teresa what
visitors would see in nature if they were to go on a tour with Ocean Odyssey
this month. She explains it vividly and in such a detailed way that it makes it
especially hard not to be in Knysna right now. "South Africa is in autumn
which is a lovely time of the year where it’s not too hot or too cold! The
Garden Route coastline, in particular, starts changing gears from hot and long
summer days to cool and short winter days. Dolphins start to become less
prominent as they make way for the majestic giants of the ocean. Our migratory
whales – humpback and southern right whales – slowly start hitting the liquid
highway that leads them to Cape Point and veers east towards the tropical water
of the Indian Ocean. Beyond the Knysna heads is an aquatic acrobatic display of
our most treasured marine animals.”
When Teresa speaks about Knysna and the ocean, one
can hear the love she feels for the town and her job. Her job involves
dolphins, people and whales. I imagine it as particularly hard to not be around
people all the time. I wonder how she feels at a time where tourists cannot
visit South Africa any longer. Her response is a mixed bag of emotions. “I am
constantly surrounded by people, even now. I live with my family and there are
seven of us in total! However, I am missing daily interactions and dealing with
tourists from all over the world. I am keen to get back to normal and
constantly thinking about the things I want to do once things get back to
normal.”
A farm just outside Knysna
We live in strange times. Everyone has heard of the
ones saying that life drags on right now. Understandably
so. It can feel as if life stands still, supported by the fact that no one
knows what is going to happen next. Teresa will have none of that. She has the
strength to look at her situation favourably. “I
started noticing the surrounding of where I live more. I stay on a farm just
outside of Knysna with forests and farm animals around me. Normally I would not
have much to do with the daily runnings of the farm but now since it is just
us, I have been involved in the garden and even planted my own seedlings that I
take care of daily. Also got back into baking which I was quite fond of once
upon a time.”
To me travel is to live, it sounds cheesy and over
the top. It is how I feel about it. There is so much to see in this world.
People all over the world are already waiting to travel to South Africa soon
again. Many, including me, already have detailed ideas for their first travel
adventure in South Africa. Everyone wonders when the situation in South Africa
will normalize. Teresa cautions "I am hoping soon, however, I have a
feeling that the lockdown may be extended again as the situation has shown
improvement. But cases seem to be growing slowly which is a small relief. I think
things will take a while to go back to “normal” and it would probably be in
stages.
But I do feel that the tourism industry will be on
lockdown until the entire globe gets the virus under control. I do think the
responsible thing to do is not open our borders for travel until things get
better everywhere else. Even though I am in the industry and this will affect
our business greatly I do understand that that is where it may lead to,
unfortunately.”
Pre-corona and the future
The whole situation we are in makes me think about
the life I lived pre- corona, and it makes me think about the future. Even more
than the usual waking up in the wee hours. "Que sera, sera. Whatever will
be, will be, the future's not ours to see..." Right. I know. It sort of
feels we are all in limbo. Teresa shares her feelings. She shares what she
hopes will be once the coronavirus crisis is over and Ocean Odyssey is going to
be open for business again. “Definitely hoping to be open for business. Maybe
appreciate freedom and travel a bit more. Always stuck into work or at home
that I do not get to explore much of my own town. So once things normalize, I
do think that I will take more time to appreciate my surroundings and hopefully
one day even go beyond my surroundings and travel overseas.”
Awake curiosity and joy in learning
Parents are suddenly faced with the challenge of
home-schooling (together with all the other challenges parents face right now).
The coronavirus crisis turned parents all over the world into teachers. Now it
is their turn to awake curiosity and joy in learning. Teresa talks about her
new role as a teacher when she adds “It has been a shock to the system, but an
eye-opener. Those that have children, like me, have had to start home-schooling
their kids which has been a massive eye-opener for me as I didn’t realise how
much work my child needs in certain areas – I wouldn’t have known if this
hadn’t happened.” On the other hand, she through and through embraces this
newfound situation at work. “In terms of business, we have all had to adapt to
doing business unusually via email, zoom, skype WhatsApp etc. But the nice
thing is, this time that we all have on our hands, has allowed people to relook
things and redo things. Operators are updating their records now they have time
for it and reaching out to products and requesting information.
Like a wave that rolls over Knysna’s beaches
One lifelong motto is to never stop dreaming. Let
us dream of a time when the coronavirus pandemic rolled over us like a wave
over one of Knysna divine beaches... never to return. Teresa’s tells me what
she dreams of doing. “Adventure wise – I look forward to a road trip along the
coastline and exploring hidden gems and all the usual touristy spots that I
have not had the opportunity to explore before.”
Before she leaves, she offers helpful and heartfelt
advice. Her thoughts provide us with something to reflect on in the days and
weeks ahead. “This may seem like the worst thing that has happened and for certain
aspects it is, but it has also given us time to think about what we have taken
for granted and what we need to appreciate more!"
Looking for more stories from South Africa? Dream
now - Travel later.
From Berlin with love