Until Next Time...

If there's anything I don't like, it's loose ends!

I flew out of Africa about a week ago now. Since then, I've reluctantly settled in back at home, very much missing the warmth of the African sun, all my new friends, and unforgetable adventures that my travels afforded me.

Apparently I was having too much fun during my last couple weeks in South Africa to make a blog post. So here's a little blurb on what went down:

With the way the Baz Bus (my transportation from hostel to hostel) ran, I had to either stay 1 night or 3 nights in Chintsa. After 1 night in paradise and an evening of volleyball and free wine, I decided it would be necessary to stay 3.

Much of my time was spent lounging poolside with my new friends, surfing in the waves (when there weren't hurricane winds), playing beach volleyball (honestly, offering free wine is the best way to get people to socialize AND be active), and enjoying the nightly shenanigans at the bar.

After my initial 3 nights, I decided to stay an extra 2.... not the worst place in the world to get stuck!

After I decided that it was time to move on, I headed to a region of South Africa called the Transkei. During the Apartheid era, this region was called the Homelands. This is where Nelson Mandela and many other influential black leaders grew up. I was told that it's called Transkei because it lies across the Kei River. Trans is the dutch (?) word for 'beyond'. So thus we have, Trans-Kei.

Ever since my arrival in South Africa, I often heard people raving about the Transkei region and how it is much more "Africa" than the rest of South Africa. By this, people meant that it was much more rural and traditional. Originally, I scoffed silently at this statement, since I had already seen this "Africa" that so many travellers romanticize about, and trust me, it certainly wasn't in South Africa. But as we entered the old Homelands capital, Mtatha, and as my shuttle bumped along the pothole'd road that led to my next destination, I bit my mind's tongue. I saw the same strangely-named tin-shack barber shops that I saw in Tanzania. Garbage, once again, littered the streets. And immaculately thatched round huts dotted the bright green hillsides. This part of Africa is incredibly rural, and access to clean water, medical care, education, and other essential services can be just as much of a problem as it is in other African Countries.

The Transkei is populated mostly by Xhosa speaking people. Xhosa is one of the click languages, and it is pronounced *click*-Osa. (Check out this video to hear all the different clicks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31zzMb3U0iY). People speak Xhosa all over South Africa. It's a difficult language to learn... It took me days just to properly say "Xhosa".

The place I stayed for the next 3 nights was called Coffee Bay. It was the most rural place I had been in South Africa, as it took us 1.5 hours by shuttle to get there. I had hoped to go to even more rural areas (Bulungula and Lubanzi), but I was running out of time and decided that it would be better to spend my days on the water than in a shuttle.

Eventually it came time to return to Cape Town. I was sad to be leaving one of my favourite places in South Africa, but I was excited to see what "Cape Town Round 2" had in store for me. I had a list of places I wanted to see this time around. 20 hours by Greyhound and I was back in the big city. I was greeted warmly by my friend that I had met in Chintsa, and we wasted no time getting out to take in the city. That night, we rounded up some single travellers and walked down to a Mexican restaurant. Didn't expect that I'd be eating some of the best Mexican in South Africa of all places!

I can't get over how fortunate I was to meet the people that I did at that hostel. All of us got along like we had been friends for years. One day, we all piled into an old VW Beatle and took off down the Cape Peninsula for a scenic drive and winery visit. Later, a few of us went off to visit the Kirstenbosch gardens, which are nestled in behind Table Mountain. And on my last afternoon (a few hours before my flight), we rounded up a crew of 7 to conquer Lion's Head, a steep peak opposite Table Mountain.

I couldn't have asked for a better sendoff, though seeing Cape Town from above again made me consider skipping my flight.

So here I am. At home. With all my creature comforts and my kitty cat by my side. But all I can think about is the warm Indian Ocean lapping at my ankles and all the friends that I had to leave behind.

Until next time, Africa!

The Kei River... I think

The view from my dorm's balcony in Chintsa!

A common site in the Transkei: Mud hut with horses roaming nearby

Cattle right down at the beach

A hike I went on in Coffee Bay took us through lush vegetation and down some seriously steep slopes

Many of the houses are painted a really pretty turquoise colour.  It's the cheapest paint colour available.

View of the ocean from a cave we explored

Convincing myself to jump off a cliff into the ocean 15 metres below

The stormy sea on another days' hike

More turquoise huts

The hostel I stayed at in Coffee bay had hut-style dorms

Beautiful Transkei countryside

Nightlife in Cape Town!

The girls on the Cape Peninsula

The boys

Wine and cheese!

One of the prettiest drives in Africa... in a cool car!

Stunning Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch had a really interesting section on medicinal plants

Atop Lions head!

And Then There Was One!

Well, February 1st marked the beginning of my solo trip. And it's been quite some time since I updated on here so let me rewind a bit!
My past few weeks have been spent yoyo-ing along the rest of South Africa's coastal region. It has been truly magnificent. There is such a wide range of scenery and climate, and I'm consistently impressed by what SA has to offer. I really wasn't expecting it to be such a highlight of my trip!
My first day alone was spent in the boring town of Plettenberg Bay. Luckily they do have a couple beautiful beaches, so I spent most of my day lounging under the safety of an umbrella, taking breaks by playing in the waves (my favorite cheap thrill). Plett Bay was quite empty of people under 65 so I started getting nervous that I would be spending the rest of my trip bored to tears, having no fellow travelers to hang out with and go on long hikes with.
Luckily those thoughts disappeared when I got to my next stop: The Wild Spirit backpackers in Natures Valley. My one night quickly turned into 2... Then 3... Then I found out the 4th night would be free, so what the heck?
This quaint little backpackers was nestled deep in the forest and looked out on the Tsitsikama mountain range. There were a number of walking trails nearby that snaked through the private forest, leading down to an 800 year old yellow wood, the most perfect waterfalls I've ever seen, and several other tiny marvels.
One day, several of us decided to hike down to a nearby lagoon. It's probably the best hike I've ever done. It's no wonder that Natures Valley is referred to as Eden! Colorful Fynbos bushes surrounded us for as far as the eye could see. Surrounding rivers were dyed a rich reddy brown by the bush roots. Rooibos is a type of fynbos, so you can imagine how good the water must be to swim in!
I met a lot of great people at wild spirit, had a lot of nice quiet time, some great hikes, and some delicious fresh and local food. I almost cried as my bus pulled out from the long dirt driveway onto the grey Tarmac. I didn't want to leave! But alas, I knew that there were equally amazing spots awaiting me on The Wild Coast in the Transkei.
Next stop was storms river, where I stayed at a lively hostel and met some more interesting travelers, including Robert, an American travel blogger (www.leaveyourdailyhell.com) who I have been traveling with since. A few of us went on some nice long bike rides through the forest and along the scenic major highway, the N2. But but was sore for a good couple days after that.
Next I stayed in Jeffrey's Bay, home to one of the biggest surf competitions in the world. The hostel I stayed at could be better described as a bar with sleeping quarters. I could see how a place like that would be a blast, but since I arrived late, was exhausted, and alone, I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I took advantage of the beautiful weather the next day though, and took a surfing lesson, since my last attempt in Tofino left something to be desired.
After J-bay, the next stop of note was the sleepy town of Hogsback, perched high up in the hills, a couple hours north of the coast. Along our way, I was reacquainted with the Fish River. Last i saw it was way up north in Namibia at the Fish River Canyon, so it was cool to see it at the end of the line, emptying into the Indian Ocean.
When we arrived at our hostel (aptly named Away With The Fairies) we were immediately greeted with a fantastic show of thunder and lighting. The storm was right above us (one bolt hit the roof!), and the echos carried down through the valley below, offering an amazing "surround sound" experience. This storm was ALMOST as cool as the one in Malawi (I think having to put the tarp on our tent half naked in hurricane winds is what really made that storm so fun).
Hogsback offered an amazing 5 hour hiking trail, a 15 meter high treehouse that swayed in the wind, and a cliff-perched bathtub overlooking a scenic Xhosa village in the valley below. It is said that this is the place that inspired Tolkien to write his famous Lord of The Rings series. Hiking through the forest, one can certainly see why!
Now I'm in Chintsa (pronounce Sintza), which is another amazing beach hostel that overlooks the lagoon and untouched white sand beaches. I feel like I'm at a 5 star resort! And it's amazing, because as Robert said, "we just drove 2 hours and went from British Columbia to Mexico".
Man I love this country!

Pictures:
Hiking through natures valley
The treehouse bar at wild spirit
The red water from the Fynbos
Biking in storms river
The view from above, storms river mouth
Surfing in J-bay
the bathtub with a view!
The hike through the magical forest!

Wilderness

Spent the last couple days in a small town called Wilderness. Our first night was spent on an old farm up in the hills. We had a beautiful 360 degree view of the Outeniqua mountains in behind and the Indian Ocean in front of us (yes! We are back to the warmer Indian waters).
Next day we went on a canoe/hike up the river. At the end of the trail were a couple of small waterfalls and pools that we could cool off in.
Wilderness is a popular holiday spot for families. There were tents and trailers set up all along the river, with their owners tending to blazing braiis in the shade of the trees. Braiis are basically South African bbqs. There's an entire braii section at the grocery store. Braii meats, braii spice, braii tools, braii this, braii that. It's a big part of Afrikaaner culture.
Our second day in Wilderness was spent on the beach. We had switched hostels to a place aptly called the beach house. From there it was a short walk down to the white sand beach. The water was quite rough but that didn't stop us from jumping in and playing in the waves. We had fun letting them toss us around for a while, but after losing our bathing suits for the 20th time, we decided it was time to call it quits.
Next stop is Knysna!
It's nice how all the towns are so close together along the garden route. Each bus ride is only 20 or 30 minutes. Until next time....

Outdshoorn

On the road again.

Well I had a 1 week rest but now it's time to get moving again. On Wednesday night a few of us got together for a goodbye drink in camps bay (the "west van" of Cape Town), and by 8am the next morning we were on the garden route. We decided to spend our first night in Outdshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world. It's a small farming community just north of the coast and beyond a set of beautiful mountains the reminded me of BC. Our hostel was full so the owners put us up in a lodge. We had the entire house to ourselves! It was complete with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a jacuzzi, a huge kitchen, another outdoor kitchen, and a large patio overlooking a pond and the mountains. Only $15 a night!
We cooked up a stir fry for dinner and enjoyed it on our private patio.
The next morning we woke up early (what else is new) to make our way to the Cango Caves- some of the oldest caves in Africa. After some nervous deliberation, we all decided to do the "adventure tour" which would require crawling, slithering, and climbing. For a bunch of claustrophobics, that was a hard decision!
The caves were chock full of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and water pools. I was so fascinated by everything that I forgot I was even in a confined space. The smallest spaces we had to crawl through were called "the devils chimney", "the tunnel of love" (because it squeezes you from both sides), "the letterbox", and "the coffin". The chimney was probably the hardest, and the first time we saw it's tiny opening, Lindsay looked back in despair and said "this is not possible".
Alas, we all made it safe and sound, with plenty of laughs along the way.
Our guide told us of one very large woman who insisted on doing the caves, and accused the park of discriminating against her size for advising against it. She got wedged in the tunnel of love and trapped herself and several others inside for 11 hours.
Can you say "I told you so"?

Next stop was an ostrich farm! We learned about the ostriches and even got to hop on for a ride. I love ostriches, but touching them is freaky... Especially their necks. It was like hanging out with a dinosaur.
Our hostel gave out free eggs for breakfast but we never tried one. Did you know that One ostrich egg is equivalent to 24 chicken eggs!

We also got to cycle around the farm land. Really pretty ride... Summer sure is kind to South Africa! We spent 45 minutes moving through the rolling countryside until we finally made it back to town.

The end for now. Next stop, Wilderness! A little beach town with lots of hiking opportunities.

- Our kitchen!
- A nice stir fry enjoyed on te patio.
- the enormous chamber inside the cave
- various caving pictures
- ostrich riding, ostrich hug, ostrich massage
- the cute old farm we stopped at for a drink
- cycling through the countryside