ek is mal oor Suid Afrika

This means I am very crazy about South Africa. This post may be a million pages long with a million pictures or I may break it up. I took about a bazillion pictures. But anyway here goes...

Friday we left Stellenbosch around 11:30 in 10 person busses. As were driving I saw acme wild ostriches around the side of the road which is pretty neat. Also there was a "pack" of baboons along the side of the road. Two were just chilling in the middle of the road. They were kind of like cows that hangout along the road, which by the way there are like a bazillion goats, sheep and cows that hang out there and randomly will cut across the road. Especially in the more deserted places. Our first stop was in Worcester!

We stopped at a gas station where I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and ate an orange. I bought some groceries before I left so that I could save money on the trip. After another 2 hours we stopped at Ronnie’s Sex Shop.





The reason why it is called that is because some of Ronnie's friends decided to play a joke on him one night and painted the word sex in between Ronnie’s and shop. And Ronnie never decided to repaint it. When we first pulled in I was like where is Hestea taking us. But it was just a cafe and bar. That night where stopped at the African Sky lodge. There was a buffet for dinner. I had ostrich steak and some form of sweet potatoes. I also decided that I don’t need any more buffets because I just eat and eat and eat. I felt s0 stuffed. WE didn’t eat until 8 so it gets dark around 6:30. I spent some time alone just looking up at the stars it was so peaceful. Here are some pictures from that night.

This was a wicked cool tree


Kylie, Katy, Rita

the next day we went to Cango Caves where I did the adventure tour. It was great! We climbed through some very small spaces but the rock was still wet and it was hard to get traction.

at the entrance of the caves

me inside


inside


a map of the caves

After we went to the ostrich farm where we learned about ostriches and I got to feed them and huge them as well as sit on one. I didn’t get to ride it because they only allow a certain number to do it.

me getting a hug from betty (dont try this at home normally ostriches are very aggressive and cannot be trained but for some reason betty is not)

ostrich chicks



me sitting on the ostrich

feeding ostriches


you can stand on ostrich eggs without breaking them but they do not do well with shock

After that we went to another grocery store and I ate another pb&J sandwich and it was delicious again and an apple. Then we drove to antlers lodge, which was o gorgeous!

the ceiling was thatched


a view from the lodge



the outside bar...it was beautiful

my cabin. I was in the room on the right with 3 other people.


this bug was huge!

It was relaxing. I ended up climbing a tree and just sitting in it for a wile alone and tired to take it all in. We had dinner it was a buffet. It was great we had salad, rice this chicken stuff that was basically potatoes, carrots, chicken in stew form. Also we found out Hestea is pregnant! All the girls thought so and noticed but the boys were surprised which made me laugh. That night we hung out outside by the fire and played games and talked. I had to go to bed early because I had to get up early so I did. The next morning I was up at 6:30to pack and headed out to do some tree canopy place. This is where I zip lined from tree to tree in a nature reserve. The whole thing is built so that there are no nails and it didn’t harm the trees, which was neat. It wasn't too exciting. I was expecting something better but it was still pretty.

me, becca, blakelee



chelsea

After we had lunch, which was included in the cost. It was a burger and a salad. It was my first beef burger here and it was good. They put some sauce on it, which tasted good it was like teriyaki/BBQ. Then we waited around for a while waiting for the other group to finish. Next it was off to the most exciting part of the trip. BUNGEE JUMPING!!! Yes I bungee jumped off the highest one in the WORLD! 216m! So we got there and we had to pay and got weighed. Oh boy I have gained weight but I guess the scale is off. They do this because they determine by weight who jumps when. Then we had to get our safety harnesses on and walk to the bridge to the place we jumped off of. The floor of the bridge was mesh and it was beautiful you could see everything. At this point I was nervous but not as nervous as when I go on a roller coaster. We got there they double checked our weights just to make sure that they were going to go in the right order. They had a briefing to go over what was going to happen. We could all stand close to the place where people jumped, like 5 ft, and they played like the music that pumps people up. There were about 50 of us total. The would help you to the ledge so that your toes were just over and cont 5,4,3,2,1 bungee. But pretty quickly and then you would jump. Sometimes they would slightly push you off/guide you off. People would go and they were very efficient. Everyone was cheering. It was a great atmosphere. I was very close to the end and by that point so many people had gone that I wasn't nervous anymore and it had lost comes of the excitement. There were 8 people left after me. Then some of the AIFS people opened chips and chocolates like 2 minutes before I left. I was like there better be some chocolate left when I got back and I was pretty concerned not going to lie. So I was thinking about that. So they did the whole briefing and told me what they were doing. I peaked over the edge from where I was sitting and I still wasn’t nervous. It was strange but I think that so many people had gone before me that it wasn’t a big deal. So I got to the edge wit the help of the 2 workers. I was anxious but not nervous I was worried that I wouldn’t jump well and be sprung back strangely. They did the count and I jumped I didn’t have to be pushed. For the first second I was like ahh but I didn’t scream. I thought like why am I doing this but after that like very quickly it was so peaceful. That is the best word that I can use to describe it. The recoil was pretty hard and not as smooth as others but it was still cool to see everything each though it was upside down. You could see the ocean and the mountains and it was so quiet and peaceful. I know I used the same word again but it was probably one of the most relaxing moments of my life. So I sprang up and down and it felt like a while. Then I looked around and tried to twist a little to see up and down it was cool. Then I got a little concerned because some guy gets lowered down and picks us up and flips us up the right way and then we get raised up. It felt like they took a while but everyone said that so I don’t think that it was me. And then I got raised up when I got back there was one small piece of chocolate left and I ate it it was good. Its okay I don’t really need a lot of chocolate. So all in all it was a great experience. Oh and on the way up the guy who fetched me asked me if this was the best thing ever and I was like I don’t know yet. I haven’t done everything yet. He liked that answer. I waited for everyone else to finish and then we went back across the bridge and I ordered pictures because we weren’t allowed to bring out camera on the bridge for safety reasons. They have a 100% safety record for the bungee jump. I found this out after but I guess someone brought a camera once and dropped it and hit another person on the head and they died so that is awful.


before the jump

being put on the edge





putting me the right way



me after the jump

everyone who jumped

the bridge I jumped off


Me with the guniness world record plack!

After lunch, I had a pb&j again, we went to monkey land. I was so exhausted thought. I think all the hype and adrenalin wore me out. So we saw monkeys and they were cute but it couldn’t compare to anything after bungee jumping.





it was on the satelite dish

ring tailed lemur like Zaboomafoo

Trish and Rita

We then went back to the lodge where I took a much needed nap and drove to Enricos where we got pizza. On the drive we saw a whale in the ocean it was so neat. The restaurant was right on the ocean. The food was good and the view was better. Then I came back and hung out and had some wine. We did a toast to those who bungee jumped. People would randomly go around and say "hey remember that time when we were in Africa and we jumped of a bridge and it was the highest bungee jump in the world." and I would be like holy cow I did that so now if someone says if your friends all jump off a bridge I cam say I already did. Crazy. So that night I stayed up later and talked with everyone. I got up the next morning walked around and went to Plettenburg bay beach. There I touched the Indian ocean. So now I have touched 3 oceans.

Peter and Katy touching the Indian Ocean

My first touch of the Indian Ocean



Peter and Katy

So i got a little exctited because the lichen was orange here and not green and Katy was like you are a bio major arent you and i was like yes.

That afternoon we went to the elephant park where we got to touch and feed elephants. It was really neat.




me feeding its trunk

putting the food into its mouth


Then I had pb&j, which was delicious as always. After Hestea took us to our surprise. We didn’t know what it was and we got lost but it was not a bad lost. WE found the place it was called the Campus of Eden where it took those previously disadvantaged and in the rural communities and teaches them entrepreneurial skills and it bridges the gap between their high school equivalent to university. It was so cool. Anyway there they taught us drumming on the djembe, which is a south African drum. It was so neat we had to be an element they split us up into 4 groups. I was earth and we had to make up our own beat thing. It was just cool to drum.


Also there I ran into a guy from my biodiversity class. It was so strange because he was randomly there touring the school with his dad. After that we drove to a backpackers at Buffalo's Bay where I saw the most amazing Sunset ever.




It was gorgeous and we hung out all night. At buffalo's bay we drove to the Knysna township. There we toured a Rastafarian community which was interesting it was not really my favorite thing but I got a little background on their beliefs and got to try some of their food. We also got to see a conservation effort that the government and the township put the 20 Rastafarian families in charge of. This township seemed richer than Kayamandi.



Their houses were more spread out and they tended to be bigger. There was also more construction going on and plumbing. Brother Paul the person that gave us that tour seemed to have a huge sense of community and doing things for themselves which gives me a great sense of hope. After that we were dropped off in downtown Knysna where we had sometime to get lunch and shop. It was okay but it was a really tourist area. I had pb&j and coffee n' cream ice-cream well actually frozen yogurt. I do miss real ice cream in the US. After we went on a boat to the Featherbed Nature Reserve where we got to walk down the side of the lagoon and the peninsula and see the Indian Ocean and the Knysna estuary. It was beautiful.











Rosalia, Rodger, Unique, Chris, me











this is no joke


After we went to dinner where Hestea gave us a R110 allowance to buy whatever we wanted well food not drinks. So I got a butternut soup, bolognaise and apple crisp. Hestea ordered an appetizer for us, which was like garlic pizza bread. The food was okay but the waiter forgot about my order so that was frustrating like the soup and the pasta. After that we headed back to the backpackers and said goodbye to Mama Hestea and just hung out. The next morning we headed to Buccaneers in the Eastern Cape. Buccaneers were like a resort. There was free volleyball, kayaking, canoeing, and swimming in a pool and on a beach, a yoga palace. It was wicked nice and not to expensive. R80 per night so that is like $15. We got there after dark so we took a walk and ate dinner and then talked. For dinner we had burgers and fresh pineapple grown right by there and coleslaw with potato wedges. It was yummy!

Taylor



The next morning I got up kind of early and took a walk on the beach where I saw a dead whale. It was neat and the scenery was beautiful.



Taylor



Then we went back and ate breakfast on the deck that overlooked the ocean.

After I went Kayaking with Taylor on the lagoon where we talked and I learned allot more about him. After that Taylor and I went to the beach where we watched the people learning to surf and read. Then we showered ate lunch and left for bulengula. One of the cars got a flat tire but Blakelee changed it. She is amazing. The roads at the end were dirt and the last leg we weren’t allowed to go down because it was too dangerous so we had to take a shuttle.


The bathrooms were crazy. First of all they were painted with so many cool designs and you peed in the front which is caught and the back is where everything else goes and then you pour 2 scoops of sand in the back. It is all sustainable. There is no flushing. The showers were also wicked neat. They are called rocket showers. You pour kerosene into a whole at the bottom and then light it. You turn the hot water tap on and regulate the temperature with the cold-water tap. It is about an 8-minute hot shower. The tiling on the floor was beautiful. Also the towel rack and toilet paper holder was all pieces of driftwood.

the bathroom

the bathroom

a shower in the shower hut

the inside of our hut. It was Rita and I with the boys.

me in our hut
That night we hung out and I met people from Wisconsin who go the University of Cape Town and a family that owns another backpackers north of Johannesburg. That night they were serving authentic Swiss food which was delicious it was macaroni and cheese with potatoes and bacon and on top of it you put caramelized apples and onions and then a salad. The next morning I got up and took a shower and sat by the ocean eating breakfast with Taylor. It was beautiful. Then I took part in women power with Kululwah and her family. This was day in the life of women. We played with the children, cut up this vegetable, carried water on our heads, collected firewood and then carried that back on our heads. There was a lot of down time.




Rita

Rachel

Rita fetching water. They took water from still water which surprsised me I thought that it would have been from a fast moving stream

Blaklee, Kululwah, Emily

a view from thier hut



the backpackers



We had a traditional lunch, which was pap with the vegetable that we cut up and fat cakes, which was kind of like fried bread. Then this porridge, which was not so good. It was like applesauce mixed with vinegar that you drink. They called it maize porridge. The babes would walk/crawl around with no pants on and just poop and pee wherever they felt like it on the floor or on Rita. They also to this beaded thing around their waist to measure growth. One of the women was a witch doctor, which is pretty neat. It was hard to communicate because Kuluwah was the only one who sort of spoke English everyone else spoke Xhosa. They were all so nice and welcoming it was neat. But there was lot of down time and I bet it would become very repetitive. After I went on a village tour. That was eating but kind of awkward. We got to learn about them. I learned that people in this village either are Christians or believe in ancestors. Then we went to the witch doctor where I got dressed up by her.


Chelsea, witch doctor and me


We went to the headman’s house, which actually was a woman because her husband had died. There are 2 of these in the village. Next we went to the village bar and the view was amazing. The gender roles were very strict here. At one house we went to a woman showed us how to grind maize.


Then gave us a chance to do it however boys were not allowed to. It was strange. Also girls sit on one side and boys sit on the other. Kids have all day to do whatever they want and play and the village was wicked safe. It is a neat place. But I can see how people would get bored easily. The next day I went for a walk on the beach and ate breakfast.




Then we left and headed inland to the Karoo.




We just drove and then arrived at Nieu Bethsida, which we arrived after dark. It was really neat we slept in a church because the backpackers that we were going to ran out of room and put us up there. People were getting really creped out but I didn’t find it scary at all. I discovered that I feel way more comfortable in rural situations as opposed to city ones and I am much more tense in the city. Which I think it kind of neat. That night we played mafia and went to bed. Then today we left early from there where I took a walk and then ate breakfast.

outside the church



Becca, Rita, Spencer and Chico Cherry





Kayamandi from the road

We got back around 4 and I havebeen replying to emails and writing this. So all in all spring break was loads of fun. I hope everything is well.


Cheers.