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Saturday 24th April 2010

My flight was quite good, although I can never sleep well on a plane. Before take off the pilot said "I regret to inform you that airspace over the U.K. has been closed again...no I'm only joking, we'll take off in five minute." A good joke but a risky audience, half of which had been waiting here for about a week to get home.

I chatted to a nice South African man on the plane and relayed my experiences to him. We arrived at 6am on my birthday and were the first plane to land at Heathrow after bouncing along the runway!

My lucky streak on the luggage carousel ran out and I had to wait ages for my bag. Outside I met Clare and my mum who drove me home. It felt nice to be home, but I felt a little adjustment would be needed to settle in.

That concludes my blog. Thank you for persevering with it and I hope it provided some entertainment. It will be an interesting document to look back on in the future and I hope it's made you want to go to South Africa. I'd highly recommend it!

Take care

Paul

Homeward bound

Friday 23rd April 2010

After a leisurely morning I showed Karen the Company's Gardens and some other sites. I was picked up by Charmaine at 1pm and driven to the Bagleys' house in Parkwood. It felt good to be back and I was reminded of how at home I felt there. I also felt safe, not anxious or in any danger as I had felt on my arrival. Les was away for the week but after a couple of barks from Zoe and Dulla I found Lecia in good spirits in the kitchen. I said hi to Lester upstairs and when I went to my old room I found Callum was in bed ill. He thought he might have picked up food poisoning from the restaurant last night...I'm glad I didn't have the lamb! I picked up some of my things that I had left behind and was then driven to the airport.

I got to the airport ridiculously early in case of problems. Flights home had been operating as normal for about 3 days now. The time gave me plenty of chance to reflect on the past two months (after answering questions for a man from S.A Tourism).

It has been quite a journey. I have experienced unforgettable things, seen wonderful sights and met fascinating people.I leave with a new knowledge and understanding of this country's culture and politics, its wonders and problems, its quirks and customs. I leave feeling like South Africa had become my home, and a part of my heart will be left behind here. It seems like a long time ago I landed here in Cape Town, so much has happened and it will be difficult to know where to start when I am asked back at home about my experiences here. I hope this blog will help to do that.

My final day

Thursday 22nd April 2010

I had today by myself and decided to make the most of my final day. I had lunch in the cafe in Company's Gardens and afterwards I visited places I didn't get round to seeing when I was last here, the Slave Lodge and the South African Museum, the latter being a natural history museum.

The Slave lodge was once used to store slaves, hence its name. It is now a museum remembering such times when the Dutch East India Company set up a refreshment base in Cape Town for ships travelling around the cape between India and Europe. This is how Cape Town was founded. Once the company discovered the resources and possibilities of the area, millions of slaves were brought in from Madagascar, India and Indonesia in the 18th Century. This event began the centuries of racial oppression that would follow.

The museum also houses the round table around which William Wilberforce and others discussed and penned the bill to end slavery in 1808. There is also a good Mandela exhibition on at the moment.

After this much time in the country I do not feel as though I am in a foreign country anymore, but walking through Company's gardens again reminds me of how different everything felt all those weeks ago when I first stepped into the park.

I was again reminded of the diversity and dangers of South Africa as I walked through the park. I was approached by an old, white Jewish lady who commented on squirrels drinking water cleverly from a fountain before launching into a tirade against the black majority Government here. I was on guard but after a short time I decided that she was no danger to me, just eccentric. She claimed that the Government are not interested in whites, only requiring their intelligence and expertise. She also complained about the Government's failure to provide what the country needs, and while I agreed with her on this point I was keen for her to go away, which after about 10 minutes she did.

The South African Museum was also interesting. Before reaching the expected stuffed animals there was a section concerning African diseases and medicine. In a surreal manner, this morphed into the animal sections with cabinets containing both creatures and medical equipment. For instance, there was a rabbit wearing an oxygen mask and a llama with a bandaged head. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos. As much as I tried, I couldn't rationalise this transition but I soon found normal exhibits more conducive to a natural history museum.

I returned to Ashanti to scribble all of this down! In the evening Callum arrived with one of our favoured Cape Town cabbies Charmaine and we went to Long St. We met Karen and Kelly (who is staying at Ashanti too) and went to Mama Africa, a restaurant on Long St followed by our old haunt Neighbourhood. It was a nice night, I kept my memory and Callum took it easy! He told me that things have quietened down a bit now and only two people are staying with the Bagleys.

Wine tour

Wednesday 21st April 2010

Wine tour day. After a strategic heavy breakfast several of us got into a van from the hostel and merrily made our way to a tour of 4 vineyards in the area. The wineries were Simonsig, Fairview, Boschendal and Tokara. We got to taste 5-6 wines in each one, with cheeses in the Fairview winery. Surrounded by the cape mountains and bright sunshine, it was one of the most decadent days of my life:





Here I am with Alex and Emily, two fellow tasters:



It was a lot of fun and a very sociable event but by the fourth vineyard I think everyone had had enough wine. The third Vineyard, Boschendal, was very old and displayed some Cape Dutch architecture:



The final vineyard gave us lovely views of the vines and grounds:







We returned to Stumble Inn around 5pm and were picked up to meet the BazBus for the short trip to the final hostel of my journey, Ashanti in Cape Town. Our room was en suite and was housed in a heritage building around the corner on Union St. Spooky to walk there after dark though.

Stellenbosch

Tuesday 20th April 2010

The weather was again bad in the morning and we decided against a tour of a rasta village and township. We watched the news which was dominated by the travel chaos, and got the BazBus at 12:30pm. At Wilderness, we stopped and got a great view of the beach:



We had a long afternoon in store, our destination was Stellenbosch. The driver put on a movie called New in Town with Renee Zellweger. This was oddly the second time I have seen this film whilst in transit, the other time being on a plane home from Egypt last year.

After a transfer and short bus ride we arrived at the Stumble Inn in Stellenbosch, which appears to be a student town mainly. The hostel is busy and noisy, serving as a base for our wine land tour tomorrow.

I persuaded Karen that we should go out for a drink and so we walked to a bar which was extremely studenty and altogether western before returning home. It felt strange to walk around at night. I hadn't done this for so long but Stellenbosch is a safe town.

Although I'm excited to be going home, I am also excited about going back to Cape Town, doing a wine tour and seeing the people I met there.

Knysna Elephant Park

Monday 19th April 2010

This morning we visited the Knysna Elephant Park, home to 12 adopted elephants. We walked with them and were able to have photos taken with them, which felt alien to me because my elephant experiences so far have involved hostility or wariness on behalf of the elephants. One particular baby elephant had its mother shot for ivory not far from the GVI project in Limpopo.

These elephants are relatively tame and have been trained, including to stand behind a metal bar and wait to be fed:



Like Humans, the babies don't obey the rules and when told to get back they sink to the ground trumpeting in protest much like a child would:



Here I am with a young elephant and then a quite large one (I'm quite scared in the second picture):





Afterwards we were driven to The Heads which is the entrance to the Knysna lagoon. This is one of the most dangerous tidal waters in the world so no boats use it regularly:



Here is a view looking in to the Knysna lagoon:



In the afternoon I wandered around the town. Knysna is a quaint little place where many people have come to retire. It also has some charm and is filled with craft shops and independent restaurants. Like Port Elizabeth it feels safe. Rains hit at 3pm and we were confined to the hostel.

Volcano newsflash: Parts of northern Britain may be open for flights tomorrow but it is being monitored very much on a day-to-day basis. South African Airlines flights home are still cancelled.

Indemnity

When you partake in an activity in South Africa, whether it be bungee jumping or walking over a bridge, you agree to waive any legal proceedings or responsibility of the company/landowner. This extends to absolutely everything. The other day I agreed such a caveat to walk in a woodland. I cannot figure out the reason for this. Either several lawsuits have occurred costing a significant amount, or the powers that be consider many activities to be unsafe. In any event each activity, however trivial, remains the sole liability of the participant and therefore any negligence would be difficult to prove. My attention has been drawn to signs which explain this on many occasions, even when I crossed a sturdy footpath over a small waterway in Knysna.

Volcanoes and Knysna

Sunday 18th April 2010

A couple of days ago, volcanic activity in Iceland directed high altitude ash towards the U.K, grounding all flights. Three days later and the majority of European airspace is almost completely closed. I therefore do not know whether I will be able to come home on Friday.

My sleep was disturbed twice in the small hours by the sound of footsteps on the wooden flooring outside my room, the second time a key was tried in the lock on my door.

In the morning I went with Rob and an Australian girl back to the bungee so that Rob could jump. After a long wait I saw him jump before the BazBus picked me up. The weather was better and I was able to take this shot of the bridge:



We drove over the bridge and continued into the Western Cape along the N2.

We presently arrived in Knysna and the Island Vibe Hostel, where we bumped into Kelly from the previous hostel. We went into the town together and ate, shopped and had some drinks before returning to the hostel to drink and chat. Island Vibe is another warm hostel run by a supremely helpful lady called Wendy.

Wooden elephants and thieving monkeys

Saturday 17th April 2010

Oh dear, another wet and gloomy day...the last thing you need when you're sleeping in a wooden box. We walked to a local village and I purchased 2 wooden elephants which I don't really need. I now have 14 of them, along with the stone soap dish, which was traded more out of self preservation than attraction to the item.

In the afternoon we were driven to Monkeyland, a monkey sanctuary in the Tsitsikamma Reserve. This was a lot of fun and we walked over Africa'a longest suspension bridge, which has been used in many movies including Indiana Jones:





The floor of the bridge is made of small branches which bend as you walk over them, but I was informed that these are very strong.

At the end, as I was walking out of Monkeyland, a monkey above me caught my attention. I tried to photograph it before it was very close, however he and an accomplice ganged up, swung down and attempted to snatch my camera:



Staying with the theme of monkeys, on our journey back to the hostel these baboons were lazing around between the carriageway and the hard shoulder:



We stayed at the hostel again in the evening. After drinking and chatting to a New Yorker called Rob, I got talked into returning to Bloukrans Bridge in the morning to provide moral support for more jumpers.

Storms River Village - Tube n' Axe hostel

Friday 16th April 2010

After an early night we jumped back on the BazBus for the short trip west to Storms River Village and the Tube n' Axe hostel. I was immediately drawn to this hostel when we arrived. It was stylish and homely as hostels should be!



Most importantly I found a left handed guitar...a sight for sore eyes:



We caught a shuttle car to Bloukrans River Bridge with two girls we'd met (Alice and Georgia), home to the worlds highest bungee jump at 226m. It was grey and cold again so my picture of the bridge wasn't great. You won't be surprised to learn that I didn't jump. I have no inclination to throw myself off a bridge. We came back to the hostel for the afternoon and I utilised the newly-found musical instrument.

Our room forms part of an outbuilding which is cramped, damp and much like a shed:



The bathroom building is attractive though, with cubicles and shower rooms within a circular building. Here is the view from our shed, the shower room on the left:



In the evening we drank with the girls and sat around the fire. Luckily my guitaring inabilities were not called upon!

Port Elizabeth - sea, shops and gun rooms

Thursday 15th April 2010

Today was another quiet day. We walked along the southern beach in Port Elizabeth and saw the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, which is built around a central lake:



The weather was cold and grey, so my idea of reading on the beach wasn't really on. I took a picture or two of Port Elizabeth beach but as you can see it wasn't exactly a hive of activity:





When leaving Durban, which has a large Indian community, our bus driver spoke about a takeaway dish called a bunny chow. It is a curry in a bread roll and according to the driver I had missed out by not getting one in Durban. I was delighted therefore to find them at a takeaway here. It was like an Indian version of the gatsby but with potato instead of chips. It was also full of chicken bones and more suitable for my sister's dog!

Port Elizabeth is quiet, relaxed and as a result feels relatively safe. I felt like I could be at an English seaside town, and the bad weather added to this feeling. However, just before you forget where in the world you are, reminders pop up. For instance, walking past a casino I spotted a gun cloakroom, where your firearms must be stored before entry:

Goodbye Bulungula, hello Port Elizabeth

Wednesday 14th April 2010

At 6am we wandered along the beach to a sand dune and watched a lovely sunrise:











After much waiting we were fed banana pancakes. In the mean time I constructed a big sandcastle with a German guy called Keijo "don't listen to her, she's Dutch!"





After, the group wandered along the beach back to the lodge:



Here are my final pictures of Bulungula:





We were picked up by the shuttle bus back to Mthatha. 8 of us crammed into a 4x4 car and a second bus connected us to Mthatha half way through. My job on the 4x4 was to open the various gates for the driver as he had a bad toe, bless. Most of the gates were actually just pieces of wood connected by wire. We arrived in Mthatha again to find the BazBus waiting and set off for Port Elizabeth. We passed Qunu and saw Mandela's relatively new house...he wasn't in!



We then left the Transkei and travelled into the remainder of the Eastern Cape.

I have enjoyed my brief time in the Transkei. Bulungula was spectacularly beautiful and I found the Xhosa people to be happy, friendly and peaceful. The kids wave at you in your car and many of the adults call "molo" as they walk past you (meaning "hello").Their language also interested me.'K' sounds are made with a 'click' sound produced by putting your tongue against your teeth and sucking. I can't do it but it occurs commonly when Xhosa is spoken. In fact, the very word 'Xhosa' sounds like 'kosa' phonetically, with a click at the start of the word. Standing at the busy Mthatha petrol station two days ago I could hear clicking all around me.

After a long drive we arrived at Langile Lodge in Port Elizabeth at 10:30pm. The lodge seems to be more impersonal than others I've stayed at but is built within at attractive A-frame structure.

In my dreams

I keep having dreams about those lions. Last night I was lying under a raised wooden platform. The lions had surrounded me but couldn't reach so were just waiting for me to come out so they could gobble me up. Aragorn from Lord of the Rings was there with me but he couldn't help. I think he was there because we had been talking about a place called Hogsback yesterday. Tolkien visited there as a boy and is thought to have inspired his books.

Women's power and beach walking

Tuesday 13th April 2010

After a long day travelling I slept well and woke to the sound of the sea. Opening our door to the hut I saw this:





Our hut is the second from the right:



The view inside the hut:



I used the paraffin showers...note to self: Do not mistake the clear paraffin container for the clear 'water for brushing teeth' container.

At 9:30 we walked with a local lady to her village to show us the life of women here while the men are away at the Gauteng mines. The walk over was very beautiful:









Here are some mud bricks drying in the sun:



Here is our guide in her hut:



And another lady. I'm not sure who she was:



We had our faces painted for decoration and protection from the sun and collected wood and water from a well:







Here is the water well:



I also collected some spinach and sugar beet from the vegetable patch in order to help to cook our lunch. We ground maize and mixed this with the spinach to form a pap on the fire:





The resulting pap:



Whilst collecting water, a group of women were also collecting. My sense of chivalry made me want to help, but I was put off by the fact that women do all the hard work and I did not wish to offend (not through laziness I hasten to add). We walked with our collected water and firewood on our heads (which is very difficult to do) and the whole experience was a lot of fun. It was interesting to look at Xhosa life in such an interactive way.

There were a couple of modern twists, however. Inside the hut was a windowsill full of mobile phones:



A tin-walled local shop sells mobile phone air time where you can buy pay-as-you-go codes written on a piece of paper. Our guide also had a T.V. for the World Cup.

I spent the afternoon walking on the beach and reading. The beach went on for miles and was totally deserted. I collected shells for people back home and had my feet in the water the whole time, feeling like the only man alive:











It was amazing and I am falling in love with Bulungula. It is such a peaceful and tranquil place. I could easily spend a week here. The rooms and living areas are so bohemian, Morcheeba plays on the stereo and it seems to attract very friendly and relaxed people. Here are some shots of the living room and chill out area:





There were also interesting decorations hanging from the ceiling:



The Xhosa people are also friendly although most of them do not speak English. In the evening I took more pictures that I think show the tranquility of this place: