The Kosher Safari Campfire Stories
On a traditional Safari, you spend mornings and evenings on game drives, and the night is spent around the camp fire telling stories and enjoying the great food.
So here are some stories from our camp fire. These enclosures are called a Boma, a place to sit around with a fire in the middle, or firepit.
So our game ranger tells us that whenever there is a fire in the bush there are two types. To maintain the grass at a reasonable height it needs to be cut down and the most efficient way to do this is with a fire. This is also safe and natural ecological process. If the fire is made in the direction that the wind is blowing this will produce a quick fire and will burn the just the grass. If however you want to achieve a more thorough burning the fire is made against the direction of the wind and will brn slower. There are also wild fires that can start from wither very intense heat, lightining or plain human negligence.
Our guide told us that some trees have very deep roots some go more than 10 meters (30 ft) down. When there is a very strong fire the entire tree can be burnt and the roots as well. Now after coming across a patch of veld that experienced a fire you need to be very careful of embers that may start the fire again. If it is a few weeks or months after that, you are generally safe… Except for one thing: The roots.
If you come across a big round burnt patch keep well clear. Do not walk over it even if there has been no fire there in several months. The reason is very simple deep down under the ground the roots are still burning. and on top it may look perfectly normal but deep down there could well be a fire not only can it restart but you could also get severly injured.
At one of our Kosher Safari Campfire stories
Our guide demonstrated this with one group by taking a long wooden branch and he ushed it stright into the ground inthe center of the circle and pulled it out after a few seconds. Low and behold it was smoldering!
Try this link for a list of breat boma’s in Kruger Park. Don’t forge the biltong.
