Malawi

MALAWI PHOTOS:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.646403660158.2079321.43700183&type=1&l=2bbe416681

The start to my time in Malawi was not ideal, as I had just come off a 25 hour bus journey, but luckily that was not indicative of the rest of my time there.  Unlike Lusaka, when I got off the bus, no one seemed to care that there was a tourist, which was great, but I was used to having dozens of people attack me from all directions shouting “Muzungu, Muzungu, taxi, taxi!” (“Muzungu” meaning “white person”), except this time I actually did need a taxi.  Lilongwe’s international bus terminal is nothing more than a stop on a dirt road which at 6:00 am is used as a rather putrid smelling fish market.  Finally I flagged down a passing car, and he was kind enough to take me to my backpackers where I promptly had a shower and a long nap!

Fortunately I was able to find some friends, we had a look around Lilongwe, and then made the most of our Friday night in town!  I turned up at the bus station again early the next morning, and made sure to learn from my previous experience and find a bus that was nearly full before hopping on, and was fortunate enough to sit next to the dearest man, Edmond, who was keen to practice his English, learn about America, and teach me about Malawi.  Because Malawi has roadblocks every 30 minutes, it seems, Edmond  helped me ascertain what all the goods were that were being shoved in the windows on sticks at every stop, and what was being sold on the side of the road at the blocks where we had to unload while police checked the bus.  It was clear to see which regions grew which vegetables, because every stop sold primarily one thing (tomatoes, bananas, avocados, peanuts, honey, etc.).  It seemed to me that surely they must be able to grow more than that one thing, and that they would all do a lot better to sell different things rather than having all 20 women running up to the bus all selling whole dead fishes on sticks, but hey!  Around mid-afternoon I arrived in Monkey Bay, and was pleased when a nice young gentleman offered me a ride in his matola (flat-bed Mac truck) to Cape McLear, and was careful to settle myself in the center among all the goods.  Turns out I needn’t have worried, since we proceeded to pick up another 15 people, as well as many more packages of who-knows-what, each time thinking surely we cannot fit another iota of things on the truck, and yet we did.  Finally we were full and took off on the African highway (very rough dirt road), until we came across a biker who had crashed and then piled him, his bike, and his massive load of goods on, as well.  The ride was actually a blast, and they had great fun making fun of my fear of losing everyone off the side.  Cape McClear was a welcome sight, though, and it was absolutely stunning as we approached the gorgeous lake, and I was happy to spend a few days on the beach snorkeling in Lake Malawi and eating loads of fresh fish!

My trip back to Monkey Bay was much the same (I was just glad not to be in the back of the pick-up carrying the cow), and I spent a whole day missioning up to the North of the lake to Nkhata Bay, again having the most delightful day chatting to locals on the bus who were the warmest, most welcoming people I’ve ever met, and it was clear to see why they call Malawi “The Warm Heart of Africa”.  If I thought Cape McClear was impressive, it’s because I hadn’t yet seen Nkhata Bay!  It was dark when I arrived, but I already knew I was in heaven, and planned to spend several days there getting my Open Water SCUBA certification.  Fate had other ideas, though, and I met a great group of people there, and after a few days of playing on the lake by day, and trying out all the local bars by night, we all decided to head off together to one more stop in Malawi that was highly recommended.

One guy in our group had been traveling around the world by bike (on three years and counting), so we had to bid farewell to him, as we weren’t able to convince him to throw his bike on top of the minibus—maybe the fact that the door fell off the hinges and they couldn’t get it back on was a dissuading factor??  The rest of us piled into minibus after minibus (at one point we counted 20 people in a bus meant for 12—the African sense of personal space is a pretty faint line) until we reach Chitimba, a tiny village at the bottom of a mountain, 10km downhill from where we wanted to be.  We were extremely fortunate to have a truck pass going uphill, and I ran to catch it and we piled in for the long road up the mountain.  It was well worth it, though, as it would have been a torturous climb with our bags, and the campsite was perched on the side of the cliffs with views of the lake and surrounding mountains that was second to none.  There were no buildings, just a couple shelters, a composting toilet, and a shower that had only three sides, the fourth side which was open to the world overlooking the view—most stunning shower I’ve ever seen.  We spent a few glorious days there, and got to visit Livingstonia, the old Colonial village named for Dr. David Livingstone, and were fortunate enough to come across Darlington, the kindest, most nimble (none of us could keep up with him) 65 year old we have ever met, who showed us the way to the waterfalls and caves, as we acquired quite an entourage of local boys who wanted to come along, as well.  It was an incredible day, and we rounded it out with a rowdy night before having to say goodbye to Amy and Laura as they were off to hike Kilimanjaro before going back to graduate medical school in the UK!  

As Luck would have it, Dave (the biker), had boogied up the mountains and surprised us all at the campsite in the morning before we departed, despite having pushed so hard that he had passed out in the street the previous evening and been taken in by the village chief.  We had a hearty breakfast before Rory, Rob, Brad and I had to set off to hike down the mountain and head off to Tanzania!  

Malawi was indeed a special country, and it set the stage for a fantastic two months to follow.  

Zimbabwe and Zambia

My stays in Zimbabwe and Zambia were both fairly brief but great, and today marks one month since I have last seen a cloud in the sky!  Though it took quite awhile to clear the Zimbabwean border post, the wait was well worth it thanks to the elephants who strolled on by while we were waiting for our visas.  Victoria Falls wasn't far from the border, and we were happy to check into a backpacker's after another full week of camping, and then quickly headed off to see the falls!  

Mosi-oa-Tunya, or "the smoke that thunders" certainly lived up to its name.  It was a gorgeous day, but it looked like there was total cloud cover over the the falls, and as we approached we got drenched as if we were in the middle of a monsoon!  Zimbabwe is just coming off rainy season, so the falls were at their highest of the years, and we were bitterly disappointed to find that we weren't able to go white water rafting on the Zambezi because of this.  On the other hand, I was grateful I didn't have to make the decision of whether or not to go in "Devil's Pool" (the pocket of water on the edge of the falls that you can swim in), as it is only possible when the water is very low.  The next day I was to walk over to Zambia, so I packed up my things and a couple of us stopped on the bridge to jump off ... with a bungee cord of course!  In fact, we chose the economical option and got a package deal to do a zip-line across the ranging Zambezi, followed by the bungee jump, followed by the gorge swing (a second free fall off the bridge, only to swing out away from the bridge and just hang above the river for the longest 3 minutes of your life as they pull you back up!).  It was exhilarating to the max, but I think I've ticked that box for now and won't need to do that again anytime soon!

Livingstone, Zambia, is about 12k from the border, so luckily I found a fellow backpacker at the bridge who was traveling Africa on his motorcycle, so I got a free lift back to town- an unexpected treat, although it must have been quite the sight with my bags!  I spent the next couple days hanging out in Livingstone before catching a bus up to Lusaka for a night.  I bought a bus ticket for 6 am the next morning to Malawi, turned up at 5:30, and promptly waited 11 hours on the very hot, smelly bus for it to fill up, at which point we departed on the 14 hour journey-- I suppose I shouldn't have been worried about getting into Malawi in the dark, since it was light again by the time we arrived.  Busses in Africa don't leave until every seat is full, so regardless of the scheduled departure time, they will sit in the bus station and rev their engines all day long until enough people board- not sure that's saving any gas, but hey!  Fortunately and unfortunately, I passed the time by shooing off the constant stream of vendors who boarded the bus selling everything from food and drinks to watches, underwear and clothing, radios, cell phone chargers, newspapers, and pretty much everything else under the sun.  

Botswana

BOTSWANA PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.643064142578.2078697.43700183&type=3&l=9a616cd1d8 We crossed the border into Botswana very unceremoniously, but were immediately treated to much better roads and easier travel through the Kalahari desert. Unlike most of the places thus far, though, instead of the animals being fenced in from the people, the people are (generally) were fenced in from the animals. Botswana has more of both goats and cows than people, and it is home to 70% of the world's elephants. Just driving on the major passes we often saw kudu, orynx, zebras, pumbas, giraffes, baboons, and of course elephants. Our first stop was at a camp in Ghanzi where were stayed with the San (bush) people and learned some of their traditions and dances. We had to keep moving though to Maun, the launching point for the Okavango Delta, one of my "big five" reasons I came to Africa. The delta is the largest inland delta in the world, and is home to infinite types of wildlife. A huge 4x4 truck took us into the delta, through multiple rivers, to the mokoro (long, skinny dug-out canoe) station, and we loaded them up and met our guides/polers who would be with us for the next three days. My guide, Casey, was wonderful, and we had a great time getting to know all of them over the next few days. The guides were all born and raised in the delta, so they are expert polers (the mokoros are moved by sticking a pole in the water and pushing off the ground), and they navigated through the tiny canals formed in the tall grass to our island. When we arrived at camp, we were startled to find plenty of elephant droppings in and around camp, only to be warned by our guides that we needed to wake them at night if we had to use the toilet (hole in the ground), as the elephants wander freely through the camps, and often the hippos come on land during the night... I was sure to schedule my bathroom breaks strategically! We had a couple hours to go have a dip in an area of the delta that the hippos supposedly don't frequent, then went for a nature walk to learn about the area. We we're up early the next morning to go on a bush walk, and got within 15 meters of a herd of zebra and wildebeast just casually grazing- it was exhilarating to see them on foot rather than from a vehicle, but a little unnerving, as well! We cooled off again in the swimming inlet, and one of the polers took me out to have a try at poling the mokoro, which is far harder than it looks, but was great fun. In the evening we took the mokoros out for a sunset spin and came across a lagoon full of hippos playing and happily chomping on the water lilies just a few meters away. I was very glad to have the guides, as hippos are responsible for more deaths than any other animal in Africa, and my poling skills weren't quite up to snuff, just yet. After dinner over the fire, we organized a "nationality night", as we were representing 10+ counties between the 20 or so of us, including the guides. Each nation stood up and preformed something representative of their county, but of course none held a candle to the incredible spirit and life of the Botswanan songs and dances, and it ended up being one of the best nights I've had so far (especially when someone brought out sparklers and the polers loved them!!) Much as I didn't think the delta trip could get any better, a couple of us organized a helicopter flight over the delta on our way out, and it was absolutely breathtaking, and a thousand times better than I could have ever imagined (especially as I had never been in a helicopter before!). Our pilot swooped us all around, getting so close to the ground when there we no animals, and hovering high enough above when there were. Because the vantage point is so much better from the air, not only is it a stunning view of the delta, but it is miraculous to see just how many animals there are all together, and I felt like I was watching a scene out of the Lion King. An absolute highlight of the trip, thus far! Next stop was the Chobe national park, and we took a boat cruise along the Chobe River which goes in to the park, and was spectacular. It was a simple boat, you bring your own sundowners, and we were saw more hippos than I could possibly count, as well as dozens of elephants swimming around in the water to get to the lush green island (our driver brought us right up next to them, and they didn't seem to mind), a giraffe drinking among hundreds of baboons, and a few crocodiles, kudu, buffalo, etc. Feeling that couldn't be topped, I skipped the game drive in the morning and took the opportunity to explore the nearest town on my run, adding probably half a mile to my run from continuously having to dart across the road to avoid families of pumbas and baboons who seemed to have the run of the town early on Sunday morning. The pumbas look very sweet from the car, but on foot those nasty horns sticking out look quite scary, particularly when you realize that you have inadvertently gotten closer to the babies than the mama is! All in all Botswana was a pleasure, and certainly wowed me!

Namibia

PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.637480597048.2077853.43700183&type=1&l=1e572dc7bd When I look back on the past 10 days in Namibia, the image in my mind is cloudless desert and just massive expanses of land. Every day was around 80 degrees, but the nights probably got down to the low 50s or so, so we had some cozy camping nights! Namibia is the least populated country in the world (relative to its size), and less than 10% of its roads are paved, so much of it is untouched. In this way, as well as many others, it is a stunning country. My first stop was Swakopmund, on the coast, right in the middle of Namibia's famous massive sand dunes. I was bummed in Chile in 2010 when I ran out of time to go sand boarding, so I made sure to do it in Swakop. Unfortunately, it's low season for tourism (I can't understand why because as far as I can tell this is the best time to be here) so there was no one else going, but I was not easily dissuaded and found a local to take me, highly unofficialy. He turned up at my backpacker's the next morning right on time with two snowboards in the back of a rattling pick-up truck, told me to climb in, and off we went. A friend of his was taking us out to the dunes (only 15 mins or so) , but he told me we'd have to hitch back, as is common in Namibia as public transportation is virtually non-existant. Because it was common practice, I have faith that most people are generally good, and was in the mood for a bit of adventure, I happily agreed (and I was getting virtually free sandboarding, afterall). We got to the dunes, climbed up (consirably more laboriously for me, I might add- for every step forward, you sink back half a step in the sand), strapped in to our boardsn, and down we went! It was a blast, and much easier than snowboarding (not to mention far more comfortable to fall on sand rather than snow). Lastly, someone had left a couple of pieces of plywood (smooth and waxed, as they use for lay down sand boarding) on the dune, so my new friend, Polly, showed me how to lay down and shoot down the ridiculously steep dune head first, explaining that people often reach 60k/hr on the way down-- it was terrifying, but so much fun! We hitched back without a problem, and Polly showed me around town for the afternoon. Swakop is a charming little town, dripping with German influence, as it was settled by Germans and still remains a popular holiday spot for them... you would never know you're in Africa, though. I met a couple of other Americans later that day, and we decided to go kayaking to see the seals. The next morning we hitched down to nearby Walvis Bay to meet a guy who was to take us out. We loaded the 4x4 and had an eventful ride out to the end of the beach peninsula, spotting some jackal working on a seal carcus in the distance. Our initial search for dolphins was fruitless apart from a couple distant sightings, so we headed over to the seals. I was impressed by the first colony we saw about 20 yards away, playing on the sand and in the water, little did I know hat was to come. As we carried on, seals began surrounding our boats as they got more comfortable with us being there, until we were in the middle of literally thousands of them. The babies were about six months old, so they were old enough to be brave, but young enough to be curious, and it was often difficult to paddle because they were biting at our paddles so much and we were trying not to hit them with the paddles. They were so comfortable that they would lay on their backs relaxing, and they were shockingly unaware of our whereabouts to the point that when they would turn over and start swimming again, often it wad right into the kayak or even jump on it if we were where they didn't expect us. It was truly one of the most mesmerizing experiences I have ever had, and something I will never forget. I joined up with an overland tour in Swakop to go out camping in the bush for a bit, as transportation in Namibia is so unpredictable. We headed up to Spitzkoppe, a very impressive red rock mountain in the desert. We set up camp and went exploring, having a grand view of the sunset from a neighboring mountain. Because we were hours from anywhere, the stars out there were like none I have ever seen. We spent several hours just sitting around the fire, gazing at the milky way and watching the shooting stars- absolutely incredible! In the morning we continued up to camp with the famous Himba tribe, and spent the day getting to know them and their highly unique culture (they live entirely off the land, wear only loin clothes for cover (men and women), and the women paint themselves in ________ to make their skin red). They don't speak any English, so we needed a translator, and very few of them ever go to school. We played with the kids for hours, and it just goes to show how far a smile and non-verbal communication can go. While I don't like the idea of organized tours, I would not have been able to learn first hand about their culture otherwise, so in that respect it was good. We spent the next few nights in Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia, spoiled with bush showers and electric outlets! The campsites were overlooking watering holes, so we were treated to watching several herds of elephants drinking, as well as rhinos and giraffes-- we even witnessed a stand off between a giraffe and a very impressive white rhino. I felt so lucky just to be sitting so close to these magnificent animals in the wild, watching them as they would be naturally, completely oblivious to us, and it's pretty amazing to fall asleep to elephants trumpeting to each other just 100 yards outside your tent! Only problem was the jackals can get through th fence without a problem and they wander freely through the campsites helping themselves to whatever they fancy! During the day we did game drives, seeing endless zebra, springbock, ostriches, and wildebeast, as well as several elephants, giraffes, and multiple lion sightings, many up close. As we were leaving the park, we were delayed about 20 minutes because two lionesses were strolling in the middle of the road, and while the rest of the pride moved off into the bush, these two just sauntered along giving us quite the show, and we were more than happy to wait and follow behind them! We were all keen to have a good shower, so we had a great night out in Windhoek, Namibia's capital city, and treated ourselves to a night in a backpacker's, before heading to Botswana in the morning. We weren't inside for six full days, and it was absolutely incredible! Namibia was an excellent host, and I am so glad I was able to explore so much of the country and meet so many wonderful people.

Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa, and Lesotho

SA PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.631898768078.2076914.43700183&type=1&l=60598e8ab0 LESOTHO PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.634929938588.2077432.43700183&type=1&l=a1049f44df After two months in South Africa, I am very sad to leave! I can't believe the time has gone so fast- I have grown quite fond of this country, and the time has passed FAR too quickly! After I left Durban, I finally said goodbye to the beach and headed into the mountains, which many of you know is my preference, anyway, and I certainly was not disappointed. My first stop was the Drakensberg Mountains. The backpackers was an absolute paradise with a huge property (converted farm, so you sleep in silos) with absolutely stunning views of the amphitheatre (the surrounding mountains look like an amphitheatre) and endless corn fields! There was loads of hiking to do, so the first day I met a bunch of South Africans who were there for their long weekend for the public holidays, and I tagged along with them to go hike Tugela Falls the next morning. The falls are the second highest in the world, however, due to the lack of rain in the dry winter season, the waterfall was little more than a trickle! The hike to the top though was fantastic, complete with having to climb up and down two sets of chain ladders about 20 meters high over a cliff to get on top of the mesa. The top though was stunning with grasslands all next to the river leading to the falls, and I was absolutely green with envy when I realized that you could camp up there and there we were, tentless :(. After a testing our nerves a bit too close for comfort next to the cliffs, we had a quick snooze in the sun before heading back down before sunset. It happened that this was my birthday (was sung to on the top of the mountain!), and I could not have asked for a more perfect day with more delightful people- what a blast! The next day I thought I would check out a new country, and took a tour over to Lesotho, about a two hour drive with a thorough "African massage" the whole way (the nice way of saying absolutely atrocious dirt roads that pitch you all over the car!). Our first stop was at the school in the village of Mafika-Lisiu, but unfortunately it was a public holiday, so no school! We had a proper lesson though in the little desks about the history of Lesotho, which was very interesting. I learned that it is the 3rd poorest country (next to Somalia and Ethiopia), and because of this they rarely use cash, but rather trade most things (at least in the villages), and also that due to poor heathcare, the HIV rate is an outrageous 45%. Our guide explained to us before we set out hiking that when the children yell "[the name for white people, I can't remember what it is]", that while some consider it a negative term, but is not meant that way. In fact, the name literally means "people of the water" because they first saw white people arrive by boat and did not know there was land elsewhere, and therefore thought they were from the sea. We carried on though and hiked to the caves with the old paintings from the bushpeople (600-800 years old) then looked for white or yellow flags above the houses to indicate that they have with maize beer or pineapple beer, respectively. Because people can't afford to buy most things, when a family has a surplus of something that will go bad before they can eat it, they put a flag above their house to indicate to the village to come eat or drink, (a red flag indicates meat, which is very rare, and a green flag indicates vegetables). Luckily we found a white flag and headed down for a maize beer, which we drank warm from a bucket ... it was not, err, the best tasting beer I've ever had, but the Basotho people seemed to enjoy it just fine! Our last two stops were to a traditional healer in the village (Mokoma), and to a local home to try some Lesotho food (much better than the beer), before having to get back to the South African border by 5 pm. What a great day experiencing a very unique culture! I had a couple more days of playing in the mountains (and attempting to run at altitude through the cornfields- ha!) before catching a ride up to Johannesburg/Pretoria to meet up with a couple guys I had met on the Wild Coast in Chintsa. After a quick welcome drink, we concocted the highly flawed and poorly planned mission of heading up to the dam to go camping, and after a series of mishaps, ended up stumbling upon a backpackers in the middle of nowhere that happened to overlook a game reserve- excellent! We braaied (barbaqued) while watching the impala and wildebeast come drink at the watering hole just on the other side of the fence, and it was so much better than we could have ever expected! It was great to spend a couple days with those guys, and then it was back to Jo'burg to meet up with one of the guys from the Drakensbergs before departing for Nambia in the morning... South Africa will certainly be missed, but I am excited to check out a new country!

Wild Coast (and Durban), South Africa

LINK TO PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.630589866128.2076716.43700183&type=1&l=9bcd5642b1 I can't believe it's time for another update already-- time is going way too fast! Since I left the elephants, I have been heading up northeast along the coast, hopping from tiny town to tiny town (if they can be called that), trying to keep ahead of the chilly weather change and moving towards increasingly warmer waters of the Indian Ocean. So far this has been pretty successful, with the days nearly always perfect and sunny, warm enough to swim at the beach, but cool enough so that hiking is still enjoyable but the nightly fires are well appreciated! When I left Plettenberg Bay I headed up for a quick stop in Port Elizabeth. Two nights and a full day there was enough to spend some time on the beach and explore the little city, as there's not a whole lot to see. They were preparing for the Ironman coming to town a few days later, so the music was pumping at the beach and the energy was electrifying with the athletes warming up all over the place! I so wish I could have stayed to watch it, but I settled for running just a smigin of the marathon route along the boardwalk. I met up with a friend of a friend there who took me up to Richmond Hill, a great little section of town that I would not have seen otherwise! Next stop was Chintsa, and I left my heart there! Meaning to stay only one night, it ended up being five due to a remarkable place and even better people! The backpackers was absolutely in the middle of nowhere, set up like a camp (picture the movie Dirty Dancing) on the bottom of a mountain, each dorm/room/tent in its own structure, all of which afforded breathtaking views of the ocean and the mouth of the Chintsa River. Every day there were free activities (kayaking on the river, beach volleyball and bocci ball, poolside games, theme parties, etc.), and plenty of free wine! It was the most amazing setting, and between the river, ocean, pool/pool bar, and huge camping ground, it would be an ideal festival spot! We had an incredible group there and all of us got stuck much longer than we had planned because we couldn't leave. We had a horseride on the beach, and after a cancelled game drive, managed to get some complimentary time playing with the cheetahs, and of course the bonfires. All good things must come to an end, though, so reluctantly we parted ways, and I headed up to the highly recommended Coffee Bay. On this drive is when I started to appreciate the name "Wild Coast", so called for the dramatic landscape, raging waves, wind, and general unpredictabily and "wildness" of everything. It is an extremely rural area, and even on the main highways we had to stop many times to wait for a stubborn cow, herd of sheep, or pack of pigs (or donkeys, goats, children, etc) to clear the road, and on the back roads swerving potholes is more of a science than an art! The ride was great fun though (if you like a good butt massage) and well worth it, as Coffee Bay will charm you from the start- the backpackers was again on the mouth of a river (this time the Mbombu) feeding into the ocean, but you had to forge it (up to waist deep in high tide) to get to the mud hut rooms ... doing this in the cold and dark at high-tide, though, is somewhat less charming! The village is one highly deteriorated dirt road in town with the backpackers, a drum shop, small cafe, and shop that carries only non-perishables, but it definitely makes you appreciate "Africa Time". We spent the days at the beach mostly, but had a good 12k hike through the fields and cliffs and scatted huts to the aptly named "hole in the wall" (a hole in the big rock island that resembles a wall, just off shore that the waves come crashing through), finishing up with a swim (the water warmer than the air, eek!), and toasted sandwiches over a fire on the beach before heading home. Perhaps one of the most fun things, though, was going for a run around the time that school let out, and all the kids running with me and showing me some new ... mm, creative (read: arduous!) routes. They were absolutely running circles around me, yet held out that I would be better at soccer than I am running ... joke was on them though when I was the most awkward, clumsy person you can imagine, not at all aided by their deflated ball and sloped pitch! I had to say goodbye to the Wild Coast though and headed up North to the South Coast (I presumed named so because it's just South of Durban) and had a couple quiet days in Warner Beach running errands, doing laundry, and generally collecting myself. It was a beautiful backpacker's with two rock pools, so I enjoyed the beach in my preferred method of listening to it while I sit comfortably away from the sand next to the pool! A couple more days in Durban were lively and a bit of a whirlwind, as it was a long weekend, so everyone was out to celebrate! Durban was a nice little city, but I have to admit I wasn't terribly taken with it. Just a good city beach and fun nightlife (and I got to try some Bunny Chow-- hollowed out bread filled with curry ... Durban has the largest Indian population outside of India). I did have my first mini-bus experience though which I'm happy and sad to report was fairly uneventful ... it's too easy when there is no language barrier! Alas, it is time to leave the beach though and head into the mountains!!

Elephants Galore! (South Africa)

And so with a heavy heart ends another chapter of my African adventure :( I spent two weeks volunteering at the Knysna (pronounced Nysna) Elephant Park (KEP) in South Africa, and it was incredible! The park is a sanctuary for orphaned elephants, so the herd is out in the field by day, and then returns to the boma (barn) around dinner time to eat and sleep for the night, as they would not be able to survive in the wild anymore. As volunteers, our job was primarily to assist with the research that the park does, but also to help with the physical, day-to-day tasks of running the park. I am blown away as to how much I have learned about elephants in such a short period of time, and how unique all of their personalities are (and how attached to them I grew). I could go on forever (and probably will), but I will try to be as succinct as possible… The vast majority of the time at KEP, I felt as though I was at a crossroads between a horse show and camp. A horse show because naturally you are working with large animals, they have a similar routine of leaving the barn in the morning, getting their pens (stalls) cleaned, their food for the day prepared, then us coming to check on them and give them more food after they have come in for the night, (as well as many other similarities between elephants and horses). It was like camp in that everyone lives together at the park (with elephants right outside your window!), and you wake up in the morning, check your schedule of activities, before setting out for the day, having your meals together, and organizing activities off-site for your nights and days off. The weather was second to none, sunny nearly every day, quick rains that came in and left fast, and you can feel the summer burning off as they come into fall. It was ideal for running, and I spent many hours exploring the endless dirt roads in the area, although I will admit that there was less and less running going on as I discovered more and more horse farms and had to stop and play at each one! A typical day would consist of rising at 6:15 am to be next door at the boma for 6:30, seeing the elephants out to the field, then getting started removing the branches from their pens, and helping the boma guys clean the pens out. Around 8:30 the boma would be completed and we would attack our breakfasts as though we hadn’t eaten in a month. The rest of the day was divided into two hour blocks, wherein you would be doing activities such as “herd activity” (going out to the field to observe the elephants, tracking what they are doing every ten minutes), “nearest neighbor” (also in the field, but noting how far the elephants are from each other one every five minutes), “enrichments” (preparing the food/toy buckets for the elephants for when they come in at night), “elephant handler project” (translating text book articles on elephant topics to more layman terms for new guides—sounds boring but was actually fascinating), and “break”, etc. The day was done at 5:30 when the elephants were itching to get back to the boma for dinner, at which point we were free to run, have some sundowners, eat dinner, go out, etc. I tell you I could watch elephants interact all day, everyday and it would never get old! The nights and weekends we had free, and had some great times riding in the back of the pick-up truck to the local market, going for hikes, heading into town, braaiing (bbqing) etc. One particular highlight was during the second week when Khulumani (one of the guides) brought us to his church in Kwanokathulu (the location/township outside of Plettenbergbaai) for Easter service. I can without a doubt say I have never experienced anything like it before. Please excuse my long-windedness, but I have to give this a fair description to even give you the faintest idea of what it was like: Because many of the guides and KEP staff live in the location, there is a bus that takes them back after work, and we hopped on this to get there. When we arrived, we walked about 15 minutes through the township to Khulumani’s “flat”—one room in the base of a dilapidated building that was never finished being built. Here he lives with his wife and two children. The room is divided into two sides with a curtain down the middle, and is no bigger than most bathrooms. Presumably behind the curtain is the bedroom, so to speak, although we did not see this. He was so very welcoming asking us to come in, however, with four of us and the furniture, it was difficult to even close the door. The room had a bench on one side facing two old tvs sat side by side, so that the adults and children can both watch at the same time, but having to sit on the dirt floor or bench. There was a two burner portable stove on the counter, as well as a microwave, but as far as I could see, no running water, so cooking water and bathing must be done outside. All I could think of is how very difficult it must be to see tourists all day long who are spending more to see some elephants for an hour than you can afford in housing for a month. Regardless, he was so very proud and hospitable, and couldn’t wait to take us to his church. After another 15 minute walk or so (during which scores of children were chasing after us singing/chanting “white people, white people” in Xhosa, their native language), we arrived at the church. I should take a moment to describe it: a one-room shack, approximately the size of half a volleyball court, with logs tied together as the primary support overhead (covered by a tin roof), and scraps of wood nailed to the outside in no more sophisticated of a fashion other than that they were all generally horizontal. The inside was insulated with cardboard boxes broken down and stapled to the wood, and there was a single bare light bulb hanging from a wire which dangled from a support log. Khulumani’s wife came out to greet us when we arrived, and she assisted us in tying our scarves around our heads, as women had to have their knees and heads covered, and everyone’s shoes tossed in a pile outside. There were probably 40 people sitting on the dirt floor when we entered, and they all shifted to allow us to sit, and welcomed us a graciously. Because Khulumani is the minister/leader, the service then began, and although primarily in Xhosa, it was easy to recognize it as a church service. Another gentleman stood to give the sermon, and explained that four our benefit, he would speak in English, which everyone understands. It was actually a lovely sermon, and afterwards, they asked us to introduce ourselves, which we did. That is where both the English and any resemblance of a Westernized church service ended, and where we thought the service ended. I should also mention that throughout the past hour, another 30+ people (thanks to Carl’s counting!) had entered, and true to the African sense of space, there was no limit to how many people could fit, we just all piled on top of each other. There were also three large drums in the corner, which until now had only been gently used. When everyone stood to their knees and faced in one direction, we understood that we should follow suit and join in the prayer. Then everyone rose, formed a circle around a few in the center who were signing a book, and the drums, singing, clapping, and stamping began and was so electrifying that I would swear you could feel even your blood thumping… it’s a wonder the shack didn’t fall over it was so thunderous and energetic! The few in the center knelt down, and being that we had worked ourselves to the outskirts (thankfully), we couldn’t see exactly what was going on, but it somehow involved eggs, hot water, candles, some type of milky substance, and several other things about which we are still unclear. The two preachers would place their hands on the person kneeling’s head, chant something for a bit, and then after a few minutes the person would have what appeared to be something in line with an exorcism, many of them falling backwards knocking any amount of people over, and continuing to flail in an exceptionally violent fashion for a fairly extended period of time, taking anyone or anything in their path down with them. Obviously the members of the congregation were expecting this and could see what I can only imagine was sheer panic on our faces (as after 2+ hours of this our claustrophobia and agoraphobia had developed, peaked, and roared their ugly faces), and did their best to shield us and keep us on the outskirts. When a person appeared to be through, they were stood up and returned to the others clapping and singing, but many were not quite through, as they would again be overcome by whatever they were feeling and would fling themselves across the room again. There were multiple babies tied to women’s backs in towels, and they were often passed around from woman to woman, and I greatly feared that one of them would get caught in the crossfire. The dummers also switched frequently, as the room was very hot, and the intensity of the drumming could not be sustained by any one person. Now, I will take this opportunity to say that I am not a huge believer in spirits, etc., however, I can honestly say that I have never seen people looked as possessed as they did when in this trance-like state. They truly looked and acted as though they had no control over their bodies. So intense was one woman’s flailing that she reached up and clear smashed the light bulb to pieces, plunging the room into complete darkness, and yet no one skipped a beat; the drums, singing, and clapping thundered on like no one had noticed. After a few minutes, some industrious soul had acquired a new bulb, and with the help of cell phone lights, unplugged the light, unwired the socket from the wires, wired in a new one, screwed in a new bulb, and then used strips of a plastic bag to tie the bulb higher, closer to the support branch, leaving a bit of the bag dangling just next to the bulb which was rapidly heating up. Being I think the only ones in the room even remotely aware of our surroundings, all of our westernized fire-safety instincts were on high alert as we became acutely aware of the fact that we were packed into the back of a tiny shack with 75 people, no windows, and a door that opens inwards- hmm! Fortunately, after nearly 3.5 hours, the “service” came to an end and Khululmani later explained to us that it was a special service due to the Easter holiday, and that he was inducting new members into the church, and the extreme behaviors were their negative spirits leaving their bodies. Needless to say after my lengthy explanation, it gave us plenty to think about and discuss! Strange as it was, and nervous as we were at times, we were incredibly honored that they allowed us to take part in this very special ritual to them, as it is one of the few things that I have done that was truly, genuinely African, and not at all for the benefit of the tourists (we still really have no idea what was going on, and certainly didn’t at the time). After discovering that the a taxi would not come to the location to pick us up, Khulumani was able to track down a friend with a car who took us into town to join the rest of the group for open-mic night at the bar, where Abi gave a stellar performance and it was a fantastic night there on out! Back to the elephants, though, another highlight was sleeping in the very posh Elephant lodge which overlooks the boma so that you literally can watch the elephants all night through your window or the overlooking balcony. It was lovely to have the cushy accommodation on the last night and just chill out watching them play with each other, and then wake up again in the morning- magical! Perhaps the bit most like camp, though, was the last day—I was shocked to find how exceptionally sad I was to leave after having had such an amazing two weeks with such fantastic volunteers, guides, and of course elephants! I will greatly miss our family meals, going to visit the ellies in the boma and having them stick their trunks out to greet us, and the wonderful routine and camaraderie we all found so far from home. It is safe to say that if ever you are feeling down, angry, or any other negative way, seek out an elephant and after one stroke under their trunk or a ride on their back, nothing else matters!

Garden Route, South Africa

After my family left, I hung around in Cape Town for a couple days to try to do a bit more exploring, although I have to say that Jordan covered the "things to do" so well that I had trouble finding anything we hadn't already done! Being that it was Saturday night, however, it didn't take long to make some friends at the rooftop bar and then have a late night out on Long Street! In what seemed like a grand idea at the time, we decided to go for a hike the following morning up Signal Hill. We did it, although with somewhat less consideration given to the mid morning African sun than should have been! Nonetheless, it was a spectacular view at the top, just overlooking the stadium. After a much needed long lunch at a brewery on the waterfront, we again we struck with the notion to go hike Lion's head for sunset ... we were more prepared this time and brought some drinks and snacks for the top and enjoyed an even more killer view, as the top has 360 degree views, and sunset over Camp's Bay was particularly impressive!

It was an early morning for me the next day as we departed at 5:30 am to go shark diving! After a two hour drive, we were given breakfast, briefed, and boarded the boat! Approximately 20minutes after they dropped the bait, the sharks began circling, and it was time to get in the cage! Our guide explained that the shark is not trying to attack us, as he cannot recognize us as being alive through the cage, but rather, he is after the bait, and just often comes fast enough that he comes into contact with the cage. It was certainly a once in a lifetime experience!

The next day I began making my way back up the Garden Route, first stop being Wilderness. This is very much a one-horse town, with nothing to do but sit on the beach and hike by day, and sit around the fire by night. I did just that for the first two days (including visiting the man who has lived five years in a nearby cave and has might quite the elaborate home out of it), as well as seeing some incredible waterfalls and animals. The last day it stormed, which was just fine because I had had more than enough sun, almost no rain yet to speak ofm and the views over the beach from the hostel were second to done, so great fun to watch the storm come in from the covered balcony.

Just an hour away was Plettenberg Bay, another beach town, but slightly larger. On a run around to get the lay of the land, I found myself in a beachside resort with a lovely grassy pool area, from which you were treated to watching the massive waves crash against the rocks, providing something of a daytime fireworks show. Needless to say, I wasted no time in getting back to the hostel, grabbing my suit and some friends, and parking myself there for the next three days, taking breaks only to go boogie boarding or play some beach volleyball. The hostel was great, as well, a hammock paradise with nightly fire and braai!

The beach days had to be put on hold for a couple weeks, though, as I went to hang out with the elephants at a sanctuary for orphaned elephants.

Whirlwind first two weeks! (South Africa)

FOR LINK TO PICTURES, SEE BOTTOM OF THE POST!

Well, it's been two weeks in Africa so far, and I haven't a complaint in the world. My family just left for the airport, and I am certainly very sad to see them go! Jordan did an unbelievable job planning the activities thus far, and we have certainly needed for nothing. Now I suppose I am going to have to look alive and start doing some work myself, something about which I am not terribly excited! I will try to recap the last two weeks as best I can:

We arrived in Joburg, and our B&B owner picked us up at the airport and whisked us off to his beautiful home where we were grateful to be able to relax by the pool and have a little nap, followed by a fantastic South African Braai (BBQ). Early the next morning, Simon, our safari guide picked us up for the 4 hour drive to The Kruger National Park, where we set out to see the "big five" (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard). Unfortunately, the elusive leopard managed to evade us, but we were able to see the rest, as well as a cheetah, otter (rare to Kruger), and many giraffes, zebra, baboons/monkeys, and hippos... Chris counted a total of 62 different animals species! We were fortunate to have the most glorious weather, and were even graced with a 30 minute thunder shower that we were able to watch from the protection of a covered look-out over the park. It was certainly an experience not to be forgotten, being so close to the animals as they seemingly come out of nowhere and are so much bigger than you imagine!

Next we flew down to Cape Town for a few days where we were lucky enough to get a clear morning, so we shot straight up Table Mountain to enjoy the view, and a good thing because every other day the "tablecloth" (clouds) were handing around the top of the mountain so we would not have been afforded a good view. We spent the rest of the day cruising around the city, including going to the District Six museum, the waterfront, and visiting Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years). We met up with an old camp friend for dinner and sampled the game (springbok, ostrich, crocodile, and Kudu) at Mama Africa, a local African cuisine restaurant. The following morning brought us out to Cape Point, the "symbolic" meeting of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, though it is not the geographical southern most point of Africa. Regardless, it gave us a fabulous view, and on the drive we had our only rain of the trip, so we were happy to have it while we were in the car.

After about a two hour drive, we arrived at our incredible farmhouse lodging in Langebaan on the western coast, where we spend the evening relaxing before Jordan and I ran the half and full marathons early the next morning, followed by a relaxing day overlooking the lagoon and of course celebrating Jordan's 30th birthday with a nice dinner on the beach!

From Langebaan we took the incredible mountainous and scenic inland Route 62 (through the wine region) down to our next destination at Oudtshoorn. A couple days there gave us the opportunity to visit an ostrich farm (and have a ride on an ostrich!), check out the Cango caves, hike up to the Rust en Vrede waterfall, and of course, play with the baby cheetahs (and Jordan the baby tigers, as well!), which was an unbelievably rewarding experience. They are so much like house cats it is uncanny, with the biggest exception being their purr, which sounds like a Harley-Davidson rally it is so loud!

Next to last major destination was Kysna (pronounced Nysna) on the Garden Route, where Jordan had found us an incredible jungle bungalow hotel/guest house that was very luxurious and certainly unique. We had a great dinner in town on the waterfront, and the next day headed out to go on a zip-line canopy tour in the Tsitsikamma jungle, had a look at the world's highest bungee jump (although none of us with enough guts to try it!), and visited the magnificent mouth to the Storm's river, before hitting Monkeyland on the way back to the bamboo house, giving us the chance to be up close and personal with all the monkeys, without the pesky cages getting in the way (it is a giant reserve for the monkeys). My mom, Chris, and Jordan surprised me with a very early birthday braai dinner-- needless to say I was surprised! It was a fantastic meal, although we all ate well more than our fair shares. The next morning was an early one, but probably the highlight of the trip for me so far, as we set off to arrive at the Kysna elephant park by 6:30 am to have a walk with the elephants as they go walk out to graze in their massive fields. It was so incredible to be among the gentle giants as they walk next to you and allow you to hang out with them! The day continued to deliver, though, when we we were picked up for our township tour, and we brought around by two locals (one of whom lives in the township), and got an inside look at how millions of South Africans still live in shacks with little or no electricity or water. It was a very enlightening and moving experience. As our "thank you" to Mom and Chris for make this trip possible, we surprised them with a dinner cruise around the Knysna harbor and up to see "the heads" where the lagoon meets the ocean.

The next day started to bring the end in sight as we headed back off to Cape Town, but not before stopping at De Hoop nature reserve (the massive sand dunes on the beach), Cape Agulhas (the actual geographical southern most tip of Africa), and of course, Betty's Bay so Mom could see her penguin colony, which was quite a site to see so many penguins in such a warm climate (they are African penguins, though, not antarctic). We had quite a treat arriving back in Cape Town, as a stay at a B&B in Camp's Bay awaited us, and I think I can safely say it was the nicest place I have ever stayed. We had a quick dinner down on the beach and rested up for a full day of wine tasting in Stellenbosch the next day ... Napa move aside, this place is amazing! Our final full day was topped off with a stop at Moyo for dinner, where we were able to sample loads of traditional African fare while enjoying it all from a tree house.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so the last day we spent at the Botanical Gardens and then more time on the beach in Camp's Bay, before Mom, Chris, and Jordan left for the airport :(. I know this post has been full of nothing but luxuries and splendor, but I can assure you that my standard of living will now drop considerably and it will be quite the shock of adjusting for me. Countless thanks to Jordan for organizing every last detail of this trip!! Looking back, I would not have changed one thing and I cannot begin to imagine the work that must have gone into organizing everything from abroad, and of course to Mom and Chris, without whom obviously most of these things would not have been possible!

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