Ever accused someone of having a pea-sized brain? Well guess what? There are creatures whose brains are exactly that large and as logic would have it, they live up to their reputation of being quite stupid! I’m talking about the tall and notoriously stupid birds, the Ostriches, which are quite an attraction on the Garden Route in South Africa in a place called Oudtshoorn. When we reached the Highgate Ostrich Show Farm, we were told that Oudtshoorn was also called the ‘Feather Capital of the World.’ And with good reason too, for I never imagined there can be a place full of ostriches running around, what looked to me quite aimlessly on vast tracts of dry land. Some of these birds choose not to be on the move and stand absolutely still, till anyone got a wee bit close to them and then they would take off. Given their long legs and light weight, these flightless birds can really run fast.

That explains why the Ostrich Race is quite a spectacle and great fun to watch. Just like in a horse race, where you have the jockey riding his horse for the finishing line and people betting on it, the ostrich race too has tracks laid out and has men riding these tall birds to the finishing line, amidst great cheer and betting! But given that they are literally bird-brained, there can be some surprises whilst the race is on. So, though these birds are also trained and have been blinkered for the races, right in the middle of the race, they may whimsically start running in a different direction or stop altogether! We witnessed two such races where rows of ostriches ran from the start to the finishing line, kicking up a great storm, shedding their large greyish feathers along the way and virtually being egged on to the finishing line!

The farmhands had obviously put on a great show for us and it was now time for them to present us with their pièce de résistance. They came around and suggested we take a ride as well. Now, some in the group laughed off the idea and some were disqualified as they looked too heavy to ride the poor bird. Till one of the chaps spotted me and thought I was perfect to take the ride, being tall and lanky myself.

Travel does strange things to you. When you are away from the daily grind, you find yourself trying out things that you would otherwise stay away from. And so, I agreed to ride the ostrich. How hard can it be? Thanks to our country we’ve ridden the elephant and camel already. And of, course there have been the statutory pony rides in Darjeeling. And the yak in Sikkim. No, an ostrich would be manageable, or so I thought.

So as I queued up, the helper picked out a bird that looked no different from its many friends and asked me to mount it, the way I would a bike: lean back and hold on to its forewings. The bird was so far stationary with blinkers on, but the minute I was on it, it started to get edgy and flutter about. Some warnings were given to me. I was to take off anything that was shiny as the ostrich could get attracted to it and give it a friendly bite! So finger rings were the first to go. Now, the farmhand came back and assured me that it was going to be easy as long as I held on to the bird. He told me he was going to be running by my side (In case I lost my balance and toppled off). And just when I’m beginning to think whether this was such as good idea after all, he took the blinkers off and gave it a nudge.  Off went the bird! Now, unlike any other animal ride, where they either start slow and pick up gradually, or just amble about in their own steady gait, the ostrich has no fixed pace or direction. It takes off very fast and then for no apparent reason may halt without an apology. Midway, it may change track, do a U-turn, and has to be manoeuvred in the right direction again. But when it does begin to run again, its feathers flapping wildly, it gathers quite a pace till it has covered the length of the track in no time. The helper, true to his word, had tried to run along, helping the bird stick to a direction and set to rescue me, should I fall off!

It’s a crazy, fun ride that ends quickly and what I’m left with are some ostrich feathers stuck to my clothes as great memorabilia and a much harangued looking bird! After the wild ride, I made sure to pick up an ostrich egg which I was told was as big as a dozen or more chicken eggs!

Ever accused someone of having a pea-sized brain? Well guess what? There are creatures whose brains are exactly that large and as logic would have it, they live up to their reputation of being quite stupid! I’m talking about the tall and notoriously stupid birds, the Ostriches, which are quite an attraction on the