Natalian Board of Tourism

[Natal]

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The Board of Tourism​

Understanding Natal
The Federation of Natal, situated in the southern coasts of Himyar, along the Northcott Channel, which links the Indala Sea with the Wadjet Sea, is one of the few megadiverse countries of Europe. It is a relatively sparsely populated county, with around 40 million inhabitants while its geographic elements range from temperate regions on the southern coasts to savannas, deserts and even rain forests. The Natalians usually proud themselves as the 2nd most powerful nation in Himyar after Pelasgia. They are a proud people, very appreciative of their pioneering past, something omnipresent in the Natalian pop culture.

Modern Natal has been created in the aftermath of the disbandment of the Engell Central Himyari Company and the coming together of the three coastal republics that resulted from that and three majority Nethian states from the north.

What to see
Natalia is the best place to visit for both environmental tourists but also for people wishing to see different cultures. From the lush valley of the Natal River, after which the country is named, to the caustic lakes of Ashhall, Natal has anything a person would like to see. One can witness the arrival of penguins in the winter in the coasts of Lower Natal, or the great migration of antelopes, rhinos and elephants along in the savannas, or the arrival of the huge flamingo colonies at Ashhall which are coming to feed on the red algae thriving on the salty and corrosive waters of the nearby lakes.

It is a country of extremes. At one point you have the Grans (short from the The Granite Mountains) which provide a shield for the southern coastal regions giving them their temperate climate and shielding them from the hot air currents in the north and east and on the other side, close to Balaka and Wynyard you have the Garoo Savanna, part of the greater Sea of Fire Desert, dominating much of Himyar.

Tourists who want to taste the culture of Natalia are as lucky as the ones visiting for its environment. Natalia is situated in a territory which was inhabited by the first species of humans and it can truly be seen as a cradle of humanity. From the more recent history, with cities created in the early 17th century like Harton, Blackmere and Camp Hill to extremely ancient places like the terraces and irrigation complex at Engaruka or the great enclosure on the ancient city of Great Mapungu or the ruins of Bambandyanalo. There are also many paleo-anthropological sites around the Grans, where some of the oldest human remains have been dug up by archaeologists.

Climate
Like it has been stated before, Natalia is an extremely diverse land. Climate and weather wise, one can expect everything from warm temperate climate to tropical jungles and even hot arid deserts. The clime around the Indala sea is the mildest as the sea breeze cools the atmosphere while the Grans are shielding Lower Natal and south Langfield from the hot currents of the north-east. It wouldn't be a surprise if once or twice a year it snows up in the Grans and sometimes even ski resorts are quickly organised, though they don't last more than a week, two at maximum.

Most of the country is covered by savanna, being a heaven for the local fauna. Thanks to the influence from the Indala Sea and the Southern Thaumantic Ocean and the high altitudes of the central plateau, the country has lower temperatures than other countries at the same latitude, for example inland Loago being far more hotter than Natal. Being situated in the southern hemisphere, the winter starts in June and lasts till August, spring starts in September and lasts till November, summer starts in December and lasts till February and then the autumn takes over and continues until June.

Summers are hot and dry, while the winters are usually mild and rainy. Springs and Autumns are generally warm and rain can be expected at least once a fortnight. Usually when the first rains starts in the winter, the sun burnt savanna blooms back to life and from the golden colours it reverts to a verdant green in a week or sometimes even less.

Arrival and getting around
Most people arrive by plane in the country either through the Belvedere International Airport, situated in Camp Hill, or through the Jacaranda International Airport, situated in Harton. Both are hubs for the flag carrier of Natalia, the Central Himyari Airways, with the Harton Airport being also a hub for Jacaranda Air, the low-cost subsidiary of CHA. While Jacaranda mostly provides low-cost flights to Pelasgia, Auraria and Azraq, the Central Himyari Airways are providing premium services to Gallo-Germanian nations like Bourgogne, Eiffelland, Bergenheim, Serenierre, Lars and Gunnland. There are also direct flights to Beautancus, Clarenthia, Sylvania and the capitals of Xinhai, Kadikistan, Jyskerige-Ostveg and the Engellexic Republic. The flight from Goterhavn to Santa Cruz which has been set up early last year is officially the longest non-stop long-range flight in the world.

There are also ferries linking Arsinoe in south-eastern Pelasgia to Mzuzu in Northern Natalia.

For internal trips, Jacaranda Air offers cheap fares to flights from Harton and Camp Hill to Mzuzu, Wynyard, Blackmere or Balaka. While the plane is the fastest way of transport (a flight from Harton to Mzuzu lasting for around two hours), it isn't a particularly cheap option. For that there are rails and buses.

The TransNet Infrastructure is the state owned company which supervises the quality of the rail infrastructure and which has in the last five years managed to create a higher speed mainline along the coast from Parow to Harton and from there to Blackmere. There are more than 20 privately owned railway companies operating in the country. Even so, most of the bigger cities are connected by some sort of rail line with active services. Train tickets are better to be bought in advance as there are chances to find lower fares than last minute buys. The most famous Natalian train in the Trans-Himyarite, a luxury train service operated by Shosholoza in joint venture with the Pelasgian Railways and it provides a service between Harton and Propontis, the train being transported by ferry from Mzuzu to Arsinoe.

Interbus is the biggest bus transportation company, created in 1990 after the amalgamation of 13 bus transportation companies. They provide a cheap alternative having routes connecting all the big cities and from there secondary routes to smaller towns and even villages. Though on it rural routes, it wouldn't be unexpected to see the quality of services lowered than on big inter-city routes.

In the next issues the Board of Tourism will present each of the state of the Union.

 

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Republic of Lower Natal
Peace, Excellence, Paradise.​

Understanding
The Lower Natal province is the most populous and most affluent of all the states of the confederacy. Its capital, Harton is the biggest city in the country and has been known as a cultural and economical hot spot for Himyar since the early 1950s.

Leaving Harton aside, the Republic houses the Liuwa National Park , one of the most successful sanctuaries for rhinoceros, the Reconciliation Park, the Lower Plains of Natal and the imposing Southern Gran mountains.

Extremely Short History
The regions of the Lower Natal have been inhabited by the Homo Erectus since at least around 1.8 million years ago and by the Homo Sapiens since at least 17,000 years. The region was inhabited by hunter gatherer tribes which have later been either pushed to south-western Himyar with the migration in the early middle ages of the Nethian peoples. The Lozi become the dominant group in the Lower Natal valley creating a slew of kingdoms and polities. By the 14th century, the fortified citadel of Litunga, led by a Paramount King called a Nalol, becomes the most powerful polity. In those days the Engell presence in the Souther Thaumantic and the Indala Sea started to be felt and in the mid 1600s, the city of Harton is founded as one of the first trade outposts of the Engell Central Himyari Company.

A growing number of Engell pioneers leaving Harton for the inland provokes the anger of the Lozi. A series of five devastating wars are fought between Harton and Litunga which end with the disappearance of the Lozi as they are reduced so great in numbers, that when they move north they are assimilated into the other tribes. Those wars are seen as a black stain in Natal's History. After the Lozi wars, the pioneer numbers swell so much that the Central Himyari Company becomes one of the most important polities of Himyar.

After the company was disbanded, Lower Natal becomes one of the Coastal Republics, and in 1910 it becomes a part of the Federation.

Harton
Harton is the heart of Baja Natalia and the primate city of the Federation. With a population of 10,500,000 it is more than seven times bigger than the second city of Natal. If the Federation is to be described as a rainbow nation, then Harton truly is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The city offers a seafront made of classical Engell sandstone architecture from the early 19th century, but as you go inland, the old gives way to the new, as the CBD dominates the skyline with futuristic skyscraper buildings, with the ANG Building being the highest in all the Federation, having 70 floors. The Central Railway Station is situated in the CBD. Even more to the east, lies Southern Toyou, a district where Touzeni, Jurchens, Kashtani and most importantly, mostly because of the goup's size, the Kollamese live.

To the south of the Old Seafront and the CBS lies Wakerley, one of the biggest neighbourhoods in the city, which houses the old fort defending the Hartonbay, where an important attraction is the noon cannon signal. Every day exactly at noon, one of the cannons of the fort is fired. Wakerley takes its name from a now pedestrianised boulevard which is littered with cafes and parks. Parallel with Wakerley Road is the world famous Coogee Street, the world capital of entertainment. High end theatres, cinemas and cabarets have made the street a renowned place, as a premiere on Coogee for any type of play or movie is a huge prestige bonus and usually guarantees success. Originally, the district was divided into Coogee, which was originally a very affluent neighbourhood and Wakerley which was an industrial district. The switch from industry to services in Santa Cruz led to the decay of the original Wakerley in the mid to late 1980s, which was followed by a rejuvenation and gentrification of the district in the mid to late 90s. In 2005, the two neighbourhoods have been united by the city administration when the Wakerley Road Constituency was created. Since then, the district has become a hub of bohemian and alternative cultures, with many cafes, bars and clubs, being the home of many such enterprises such as the Hyena and the What What nightclubs, Southern Block Records and the Three Oaks and Fat City Bars. Wakerley is home to the John Savage Stadium, owned by the Harton Oryxes Rugby Club . The Harton Aquatics Centre is also situated in Wakerley.

To the north of the Old Seafront and the CBD lies Sandton, the centre of tourist life in the city. The district runs along a series of sand beaches where tourists can find hotels from two to five stars. The beaches along Sandton are world famous for their surfers, but in winter months tourists will be advised to avoid the beaches where penguins and seals will be coming to form colonies. Inland in Sandton, the Malozi Archaeological site can be found, offering the chance to visit a 7th century Lozi fortress, which was reconstructed for this purpose. The Malozi Site is extremely important for its prehistoric rock carvings representing what archaeologists and biologists believe to be long extinct marsupial animals.

National Parks
Lower Natal is the home of two important national parks. The biggest one in Natal, which expands into Langfield is the Liuwa National Park, which is nearly as big as Crotobaltislavonia itself. The Park is famous for its mammal migration, as every year, one million wildebeests, 250,000 zebras, 200,000 antelopes and 400,000 gazelles migrate during the wet season from Lower Natal to Langfield where they all give birth to calves in a period of 2 to 3 weeks. The Park is also a home for around one thousand cheetahs, seven thousand hyenas, four thousand lions but also warthogs, elands, buffalo, wild horses and wild dogs. Safaris are organised by all sorts of companies, many are starting directly from Harton or Camp Hill.

The other national park is the Reconciliation Park, which is centred around the preservation of the Lozi heritage. Here a tourist can find reconstructed native towns, ethnic enclaves and can discover the art, culture, dances and history of the natives living in the Lower Natal.

The Southern Grans
Northern and central Lower Natal is occupied by the Southern Grans. The mountains provide a shield from the breeze and offer The Wine Country immediately to their east, the perfect climate for grapes to grow. The Southern Grans are a wonder as at their bases, tourists can see some of the world's last temperate rain forests, as the Northern and Eastern Grans protect Lower Natal from the hot air currents coming from the savanna, giving her a warm temperate climate.

During cold winters, when cold air currents come from the deep south Indala Sea, it is possible to see snow on the mountain tops, but such a thing happens once in a few years. The Southern Grans are a perfect destination for hikers as there are many trails which crisscross the mountains. The Chewa Falls are a destination for most tourists, deep in the Southern Grans.

Cuisine
As Natal has a strong Engell cultural influence, its cuisine has many Engellexic products, but they either come with a twist or in some regions they are completely replaced either by native products or by other non-Himyari products.

Lower Natalia has the purest Engell cuisine in the Federation, but even here are many twists to be found. Usually potato products are omnipresent, even in breakfast. It can be observed that the only element of Engell cuisine which can't be found in Natalia are the mushy peas, but they are usually replaced by Pap, which is a type of cornmeal porridge.

The Braai is one of the most important social events in the country. The Natalians love their barbecues and usually thanks to the huge coast lines and the debit of the Natal river, the people are mostly into fish and seafood. The condiments are mild here, but influences from the north can be felt. The Piri Piri chilli is the national plant is everyone who owns a house has at least three plants of piri piri planted in the backyard.

In Camp Hill and Harton it is extremely easy to find Kollamese, Larsian, Touzeni and Bourgundian food.

The land south of the Silver Canyon, where the Natal River passes through the Grans, around Windvale, Muden and Camp Hill is known as the wine country, thanks to the huge vineyards, which make Natalia one of the biggest wine producers in the southern hemisphere. Wine is the mostly drunk alcoholic beverage. Tourists have the chance to take on tours leaving from Harton around the wine country and enjoy the best of what rural Lower Natal has to offer.

Arrival and getting around
Tourists can enter the Lowr Natal through three main gates: Jacaranda International Airport in Harton and Belvedere International Airport in Camp Hill. The Central Himyari Airways offer flights to most capitals of Europe.

Inside the republic, the cheapest way of travel is by buses, Interbus, Southern Traveller and Atlas are the biggest companies offering buss and coach transportation services in Lower Natal and have routes connecting the majority of towns in the province. Car rentals or hitchhiking are two more methods available, but for car rentals expect to pay at least 70 Ponds per day for a small car with an empty reservoir.

The Train is another moderately cheap alternative as the province as a very well developed rail network. Regional trains are linking towns along the coast and the Natal Valley.

As a fast but expensive alternative, air transport is possible inside the Republic, as there are regional airways like Jacaranda and the Lower Natal Aerial Postal Service which provide regional flights between Harton and Camp Hill, but also with Blackmere, Parow, Balaka, Mzuzu, Tsandi, Mpika, Port Edward, Port South, Calvinia and Wynyard.

 

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Langfield Free State
Tranquillity, Wealth, the Frontier.​

Understanding
While the Langfield Free State is the newest and biggest state of the confederacy, it is probably the one keeping the frontiersmen tradition up to its heart. The land is one of the richest in the Federation, with diamond and golden mines being the biggest employees. The frontier life is still lived here, as here are the most cattle stations and haciendas you would find in all the country. Above all this, flies the banner with the two wildebeests, the regional animal, and a true symbol of perseverance and sheer force of nature.

The capital of Langfield is Parow, which compared to the likes of Harton, Camp Hill, Blackmere or Mzuzu might feel a bit rural, but it is the perfect spot from which to start really feeling the vibe of the less cosmopolitan and metropolitan Natal.

In the rural regions, giraffes, elephants, antelopes, zebras and all sorts of big cats are omnipresent. It is considered that the province has managed to offer the best ratio between human development and environmental protection.

Extremely Short History
The lands have been inhabited by humans since the Homo Erectus. Hunter-Gatherers have been living in this region for most of its history. The Port Edward-Lady Grey culture has similar traits to the Fante ones present in Loago and Port Stanley and it seems that the Benue migration has extinguished Fante presence in Natal.

The Free State has been set up in the late 18th century as the Engell Central Himyari Company has conquered the territories of the Damara and other Benue people and pushed them either to the north, where they have been assimilated by the Loda or to the east.

The Free State existed as a "Coastal Republic" after the ECHC was disbanded in 1850. There were a series of projects of it to be incorporated into the Republic of Lower Natal, but neither went through and then it joined the Federation of Natal in 1910, becoming the 4th state to do so.

Parow
The capital of the province, Parow, is the 3rd biggest city in Natal, after Harton and Blackmere, having around 1.5 million inhabitants. While it doesn't offer the futuristic and modern skyline and skyscrapers which you can find in cities like Harton, Camp Hill, Blackmere or Mzuzu, Parow is seen as an architectural gem, offer classicist wooden Engellexic architecture from the 18th century, followed by sandstone buildings constructed in Himyar's biggest social housing project in 1890, when the those city was demolished to be rebuilt from scratch.

Today Parow is seen as a hub for artists and bohemians and is seen as a younger brother of Harton. It is one of the cheapest regional capitals to visit and even to live in. The seafront borough, named, Morningside, is the central hub of tourist activity in the city. Here one can find everything from villas and 5 star hotels to cheap hostels to rest a place to stay. Compared to Harton which attracts many Gallo-Germanian tourists, Parow managed to attract many Westernesse tourists, so it might not be a surprise to see prices even shown in Cussian or Engellexic pounds.

Thanks to the currents of the Indala Sea entering the gulfs of Edward and Lady Grey, the beaches of Parow are seen as the best for surfers and thanks to the tropical climate, they provide for a year round attraction.

The city is well connected, the Protea International Airport has daily flights to Pelasgia, Beautancus, Eiffelland, Clarenthia, SoCRER and Auraria, but also to Natalian cities like Harton, Blackmere, Wynyard or Mzuzu. They are provided usually by the Central Himyari Airways or Jacaranda, but also by foreign operators. Parow North is the central rail station of the city and it represents the terminus on the Parow-Harton mainline, one of the two higher speed railroads in the country.

The Sango Lake
One of the strangest but most important natural wonders in Natal is the Sango Lake. Colloquially known as The Caustic, the lake sits close to the Morongo Volcano, at the end of the Eastern Grans and is heated up by the volcanic activity. This also makes the water highly alkaline and caustic.

While one might imagine that such an environment is adverse to life, the lake sees a unique phenomenon, with the migration of thousands of flamingos to the lake during the Wet Season. Many tourists are coming to the lake to witness the migration and thus there are many resorts developing around.

The Eastern Grans
The Eastern Grans continue from Upper Natal, where they break from the main chain, into Langfield. While the mountains themselves aren't are big and majestic as the Northern Grans, they can offer a respite for a tourist who wants an oasis of coolness in the tropical climate.

On the southern slopes, some of the world's unique temperate rainforests can be found, being safe havens for gorillas. The mountains are home to all sorts of Himyari fauna which is protected since the parts of the mountains have been declared a national park.

Resorts have been build around Otavi and George in regions considered virgin.

Cuisine
As Langfield is still deeply Engellexic, the same things that you have in the Lower and Upper Natal can be found here too. The biggest event in every weekend in the Braai (a Natalian style barbecue) which is a social even uniting families and friends together.

In Langfield, even if the state is coastal, seafood isn't that popular like in the other coastal provinces. Here game is eaten more so it might not be a surprise should you see on the menu a zebra stew or an antelope steak, rather than prawns or scallops.

The most important meat however is beef, as the region is the home to most of the country's cattle stations. Corn, potatoes, peas, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes are omnipresent.

Foods are spicy and flavoursome, like in the rest of the country, with the piri-piri chilly, together with limes and pepper being seen as the best elements, used in nearly all dishes.

Arrival and getting around
Tourists can enter Langfield through two main gates: The TProtea International Airport and the Parow North, for those travelling by rail.

Inside the republic, the cheapest way of travel is by busses, Oryxbus and Atlas are the biggest companies offering buss and coach transportation services in the province and they have routes connecting the majority of towns in the Republic. Car rentals or hitchhiking are two more methods available, but for car rentals expect to pay at least 50 Pounds per day for a small car with an empty reservoir.

The Train is another moderately cheap alternative as the province has three lines running parallel east to west, one of those being the higher speed main line linking it with Lower Natal.

Advice for tourists
Langfield has a culture of hospitality which is unmatched in much of the world. Even if a tourist didn't manage to book a room for accommodation in a hotel, one can try to find a place to stay in one of the farms, homesteads or cattle stations that dot the rural landscape. For a mostly symbolic sum, they will be happily invited to dinner, for a beer and if they stay more days, even for a Braai. This has recently also developed a new form of rural tourism.

 

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Republic of Upper Natal
Sun, Heat, Friendship​

Understanding
Upper Natal is the northern most of the three Coastal Republics of Natal. It is the second oldest polity created after the disbandment of the ECHC, after Lower Natal, and it's capital is Blackmere. The region is moderately developed with the coast offering much of the first world life, while inland it makes way for virgin lands along the northern slopes of the Grans and the upper Natal valley.

There is a friendly rivalry between Upper and Lower Natal, especially between the rugby clubs of the Blackmere Cobras and Harton Oryxes and also culturally between the musical scenes of the Blue Room in Blackmere and Coogee Street in Harton.

Being situated more to the north than its sister province and closer to the equator, Upper Natalia is hotter and more humid than the other two Republics of the Federation, hence the first two elements of its motto being Sun and Warmth.

Extremely Short History
Upper Natal is considered to be the cradle of the Nuk-Nuk civilisation which dominated the central and northern coasts and even attacked in antiquity the Kephites of Memphis, being presented by them as the "Sea People". They left behind a series of cities which have been discovered in the coastal jungles such as "The Lost City", Mapungua, Mutapa and Torva.

The Benue migration destroyed the Nuk-Nuk civilisation, which is considered now to be Proto-Fante and moved in the Lozi, Loda, Mbunda and Rozvi people. In time, the Lozi who lived in southern Natalia have been defeated by the Engells and they migrated to the north where they were assimilated by the Rozvi and Loda.

The city of Blackmere was set up by the Engell Central Himyari Company in early 17th century and has been the first centre of administration of the Engells in Himyar, before it was moved to Harton.

Blackmere
Blackmere is considered the main cultural and economic hub of northern Natal as it is the economic centre of not only Upper Natal, but also of the regions to the north. It has a population of 2,3 million, which makes it the second biggest Natalia city, after the nearly 10 million Harton, but before the 1,5 million of Parow and 1,3 million Camp Hill.

Woodton is the main touristy hotspot in the city, as it is the neighbourhood situated along the seafront. It features classical Engell colonial architecture with the world famous Westcott Way, a pedestrianised boulevard going along the coast for the entirety of the city. The neighbourhood features pink sand beaches and has some of the few blue flag beaches of Natalia, such as Red Arena and Eland's Bay.

North of Woodton is the city's CBD with 50 storey high skyscrapers, while to the south is the neighbourhood of Glenwood, known for its Touzen style gardens, and for having more than 40% of its surface covered by parks. The downtown is inland, east of Woodton, where more Engell colonial architecture can be found, such as the Green House, the town hall.

Along the Westcott War, right when Woodton ends and Glenwood beings is the world famous Blue Room Club. Set up first in the late 1930s, the Blue Room has become a staple of the music scene for the whole of Natal. Refurbished and reopened after a 5 year hiatus in 1972, the Blue Room is now Blackmere's and even Natal's biggest music venue and night club. Promoting Natalian traditional music such as the Himyari Beat and mixing it with the modern sounds of Surf Rock, Psychedelic Rock and Pop, the Blue Room has become the lunch pad for many Natalian artists such as Aking, Beatenberg, Zebra & Giraffe and the groups that have paved the path towards NatRock, such as SPIRIT and Nkosi Family. The Club stands in a focal point in the rivalry between Blackmere and Harton in the music scene, where Blackmere has presented itself as a more modern and less elitist option to the musicals and theatres on Coogee Street in Harton.

The Coast
The coast of Upper Natalia is represented mostly by sandy beaches, with some around Blackmere, Oldtown and Westcott receiving the blue flag of excellence, while the more northern ones, such as those around Chatsworth are rocky.

Much of the coast is covered by the Coastal Plain, and those too are covered by rainforest and jungles of all kinds. Only two main roads link the inland with the coast, as the jungle makes the terrain nearly impassable. Both roads are going along rivers, one from the coast to Hot Springs, along the Silver River and another from Oldtown to Engelltown in the Northern Grans, along the Golden River. The jungle is so dense that even now there are reports of people stating that they found ruins of lost cities that the authorities have no idea of, this still fuelling the myth of a lost Nuk-Nuk era city made entirely of gold.

Close to Westcott, in the northern parts of Upper Natal is the Still Lake, which can be reached by train, as a narrow gauge track leads from Westcott to Solwezi. The mud of the lake is said to heal all kinds of illnesses and this has made Solwezi to become a respectable Spa Resort.

The Northern Grans
The northern wing of the Grans are occupying the central and eastern parts of Upper Natal. The rise in altitude is limiting the development and the growth of the jungle, leaving the mountains to be covered by a more temperate forest.

The main settlements in the Grans in Upper Natal are Engelltown, Irene and Hot Springs. While Hot Springs is mostly isolated, being only linked by a road going through the jungle, it is known as the place where the the water used to make Lion Lager comes from.

The Pass between Engelltown and Irene is known by many climbers and hikers from Europe as offering some of the best vistas in Himyar. To reach it, busses leave from Blackmere or Oldtown for Irene and the trail traverses the Grans to reach Engelltown, in the Silver Canyon. From there, trains go along the Natal River to Camp Hill, the country's capital.

Cuisine
Upper Natal is a place where Engell and Himyar cultures intertwine. From south Natalian beef Braai and sausages to Himyari Pap and Chakalaka, everything seems to be found in the cuisine of Upper Natal.

Prawns and fish are a staple in Upper Natalian cuisine, but also more exotic meats such as antelopes, zebras, giraffes or crocodiles.

The Northern Grans and the Natal Valley is the place where you can also find many sheep and goat herders and there are also many kinds of cheeses which can be found very cheaply all over the province.

Arrival and Getting Around
The Robert Ocampo International Airport in Blackmere is the main entry point in the province with CHA providing flights from Trier, Palmerton, Solis, Tauritania and Roanoke City. Jacaranda Air provides low cost flights from Jugol, Propontis, Solis but also from Harton, Parow and Wynyard.

The main railway station of Blackmere is Glenwood Central and lies on the main higher speed main line linking the city with Harton. The railway then goes along to coast up north to Mzuzu.

Interbus offers cheap travel along the coast, linking the capital with Camp Hill and Harton but also linking the coast with Irene and Hot Springs.

 

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The Loda Chiefdom​

Tradition, History, Mosquitoes.​

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Understanding
The Loda Chiefdom is the second oldest policy in the Federation of Natal, being created by Chief Ingonyama (The Lion King), when the Loba were part of the wave of Benue migration that pushes the Nuk-Nuk to the east. The descendants of Chief Ingonyama, still lead the Loda, over a thousand years later. Because of this, the land is deeply steeped in tradition and history.

The administrative capital of the Chiefdom is Balaka, as it acts as the seat of the administration of the province, but the town of Chama is seen as the spiritual capital of the Chiefdom, as it is the place of the Summer Residence of the Loda Nkosi (King/Chief).

Extremely Short History
The lands of the Loda were inhabited first by a people known simply as the "Giraffe Mural Painter Culture", whose most known historical remains are in the form of mural paintings in the Ijubane National Park, many of them representing stylised giraffes. They were overrun by the Nuk-Nuk who were migrating to the east, pushed by the Benue migration.

The Loda arrive on the territory around the 10th century and dominate the land, after a series of wars against the Lozi and Mbunda, usually profiteering from the ups and downs of the Rozvian Empires. By the 18th century, the Loda power wanes as they they conquered by Cetshwayo Mbunda, who begins a devastating war to push the Engell Central Himyari Company out of central Natal. Even to this day, as much as he is seen as an Mbuna, Cetshwayo is deeply respected by the Loda, being described as a modern Himyari version of the Pelasgian conqueror Anaxander.

When the Federation is created in 1910, the Loda Nkosi, Thando kaIngane decides to join the Rozvi Kingdom in being a founding member of the Federation of Natal.

Chama
The usually sleep town of Chama is bustling with activity usually in the dry season, when the Loda Nkosi is moving his court there. The town is one of the smaller urban settlements of the province, with a population of less than 100,000, but sometimes it manages to attract up to half a million tourists, coming to see the Giraffe Prehistoric Murals, the Inqaba ruins and the Friday Ceremony.

The old town of Chama is a maze of very small streets through which not even small cars could really navigate,with many buildings made of sandstone or of adobe, usually with two storeys. Many of those have open lobbies which are transformed usually in cafes or pubs, or more typically into spaza shops (very cheap shops with usually low quality products).

The Inqaba ruins are the remains of the old Qasbah-style fortress around which the town of Chama was built. It was constructed by Urudoah and Mbunda slaves took by the Loda in the 1300s and was the seat of power of the Nkosi until the main administrative centre was moved to Balaka, in the 1930s. Now, close to the ruins, the Inqaba Palace is the summer residence of the Loda Nkosi. Every Friday, the court assembles and the tourists can watch the ceremonial, and the Nkosi comes forward, mounted on a steed and followed by the Impi guard and declares if the next week should be one where the Loda go to war or remain at peace. If the Nkosi comes on a black steed and wears his hide shield, his knobkerrie and red robes, it is a symbol of the war to come. If the Nkosi comes forward on a white steed, in white robes and wears his ceremonial bronze circlet crown, the next week will be peaceful.

The Malaria Coast
Natal's border to the east with the Dune Sea is mostly marked by Lake Malombe, which transforms from a normal and typical lake in the Wet Season to a marsh in the Dry Season. The Malaria Coast is the name the Loda gave in a tongue in cheek way to the coastal region of the lake because in the early Dry Season, when Malombe is slowly drying up and the temperature of it's waters starts to rise, it provides for the perfect environment for mosquitoes and tse tse flies to develop in large numbers.

Even so, the lake is an attraction for many environmental tourists and geologists who are interested in the lake because it is fed by rains and underground rivers, with little to no overland river flowing into it. The Malaria Coast National Park is also a sanctuary for the big five of Himyar, lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinoceros.


Cuisine
The Loda regions, together with the Mbunda are some of the most isolated and least influenced by extra-Himyari non-Nethian forces. Beef is replaced by the omnipresence of the goat in the Loda Chiefdom, with fish from the Malombe lake also being a staple.

Umngqusho is the staple meal which is made usually two times a week in every household. It is a stew of corn kernels mixed with sugar beans, butter, lemon, onion and chillies. The food is quite spicy and chilli paste is omnipresent. It is not unusual to see even on the rooftops of the buildings of the old town in Chama that people keep cillies and peppers to dry so they can grind them.

Umqombothi is a type of beer made in the Loda and Mbunda provinces, made from fermented maize with maize and sorghum malt. It is extremely rich in vitamin B and has a low alcoholic content. It has a distinctly heavy and sour flavour. It is opaque and tan in colour and has a creamy consistency, with many people describing it as an acquired taste.

In more touristy places like Chama or Balaka, it will not be surprising to see typical Natalian foods like bunny chow or braaied meats.

Arrival and getting around
The Loda Chiefdom is quite isolated. It can be reached by plane, as Balaka has an airport served by Jacaranda Air, which has a two times a week flight to Camp Hill.

The easiest way of arriving would be by bus, as Interbus and Atlas offer links from Parow to Balaka and Chama. Travelling on those buses can be an adventure sometimes, especially on the ones linking the Loda to the Mbunda province, as many people are commuting back home at the end of the week and you could see them carry big luggage and sometimes even livestock or poultry.

With the exception of the Federal Road 78 which links Chama and Balaka to Senekal and Parow, most of the roads are striped, with two bands of asphalt where the wheels are supposed to roll, and dirt in rest. Even so, there are quite a lot of gas stations around so running out of gas in the wilderness isn't really a problem.

Advice to Tourists
Because of the many lakes and bodies of water around the Loda Chiefdom, the number of mosquitoes, tse tse flies or other illness bearing insects it is quite high. While the Hospitals in Chama and Balaka are specialised in treating Malaria, tourists are advised to come prepared with all vaccines done and with medicine.