Tuesday 13 March 2012

Plettenberg Fun!


     Another week has passed only too quickly here in South Africa!  It went by fairly uneventfully, though we discovered that Shane’s bike had a flat tire when we got home from the Frontier Farms trip.  Embedded in the tire was a “devil’s face” which is a cruel spiky ball that you find everywhere here.  The bicycle shop would be unable to replace the tire until the following Tuesday as some event would be keeping them busy throughout the week.  On Wednesday, Shane and I traveled to the beach with Sarah (not the one who lives at Annie’s, but actually stays at Southport), Tessa, and Arielle (sp).  We enjoyed some sunbathing and met a friend of Sarah’s who has actually lived in PE his whole life, André.  We talked for a little bit and then André left us.  Shortly after his departure, we all fell asleep on our towels.  About 5 minutes into this pleasant nap the tide pushed the water so far it actually washed over all of us (towel and all) and left only about 6 feet of the beach dry!  Never has the ocean come close to doing this on previous visits.  It is safe to say that the surfers were thoroughly enjoying the waves that day!  Thursday night found Shane and I hanging out at Annie’s Cove making plans for our weekend trip to Plettenberg Bay.  After being there for a couple of hours Shane and a small contingent of people left and played the equivalent of Ultimate Frisbee (with a rugby ball) for about an hour while Sarah, Scott, and I ate chicken breast and fried potatoes.  By the end of the evening we had booked a car, a room at a backpackers lodge, and an ocean kayaking trip for Sunday morning.

     Friday found us packing our things and Shane in a rush.  The car rental company (Avis Europe) requires a printed-out copy of the e-mailed confirmation letter upon arrival and obviously Shane and I have no way to print here at our house.  He had to make the trek to school just to print this sheet of paper and was rushed, as he needed to be back for the taxi that would be taking us to the airport to pick up the car at 1:00 pm.  Seeing as the sound on our phone was un-working we would be unable to call and tell her (Rochelle) to pick us up at a later time if Shane had been late.  Shane made it back at 12:50 and was able to pack his bag before our ride arrived!  At the airport we were able to sign for the car and drive away in about 10 minutes time (this was a surprise seeing as South African time is usually much slower).  We piled our things into our brand new Honda Jazz and headed out to Annie’s to pick up Sarah, Allie, and Melissa.

     It didn’t take the girls too long to get everything comfortably packed in; we made a quick stop at Superspar to get some groceries for the weekend and money from the ATMs.  The drive was pleasant as it was only 3 hours and didn’t require too many last minute turns!  For a majority of the drive we got to see the Tsitsikamma Mountains which made an incredible backdrop and drove over the Bloukrans Bridge which we will be jumping off of in two weeks time!  We made it to Plettenberg and were pleasantly surprised by the city (this could be attributed to it being more of a tourist destination than Port Elizabeth is).  The streets were slightly confusing, but somehow we ended up at a gas station and were able to get directions to the backpackers lodge from there.

Melissa, Allie, and I
     Amakaya Backpackers was quaint and comfortable, though they were having issues with the website we had booked through (as in they did not have room for our group, but the website had still allowed us to book it).  Dan (the owner) placed us in 3 different rooms instead of the dorm for 10 we had anticipated sleeping in.  The rooms were small, but comfortable.  Shane and I got a room upstairs, Allie and Scott shared one downstairs (separate twin beds), and Melissa and Sarah shared a bunk bed in the room attached to the kitchen.  It was odd staying in a hostel as I am unaccustomed to sharing bathrooms with the community and having access to a kitchen where you wash your own dishes.  We were given a brief tour of the place, which included two buildings.  The first building had the two dorm rooms, which probably had 20 people sleeping in them and the office squeezed between.  The second building housed the separate bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge area (couches and a television), and a bar/patio on the top level.  Outside in the yard there were 3 hammocks to relax in and an insufficient amount of parking space. 

     We were all incredibly hungry when we arrived (it was 5:30) and ate at a place about 300m away from the hostel, it was recommended to us by one of the staff (his fiancée owned it).  We killed time until the end of 6:00 as he was going to have the food waiting for us at the restaurant at 7:00.  Shane had a chicken calzone while I enjoyed a pepperoni one; these were massive and delicious!  After savoring our food we ambled back to Amakaya’s and spent the night socializing.  A couple of hours passed and found us slowly making our way to our rooms for the evening.  Before Shane and I made it upstairs, Allie came running from her room freaking out about a cockroach.  We found Scott and dragged him back to the room, but were unable to find the thing.  Sure enough, the second Scott left the room, it scurried across the floor.  The bug fled under the door into the room next to Allie and Scott’s.  We knocked and said, “there is a cockroach in your room!”  A man calmly opened the door, chased the bug into the bathroom, killed it, laughed, and went back into his room.  With the bug eliminated we headed towards our own room for the night.  Upon passing Melissa and Sarah’s room, Sarah came out freaking about a cockroach in her room!  This one had tucked itself under a cabinet (everything was screwed to the walls and could not be moved) and as far as we know stayed there for the night.  Sarah and I named it George (so it was less scary) and left it at that.  Shane and I did not get a complimentary cockroach (probably because we were not on ground level) and enjoyed an insect-free night.

Kaya!
     Everyone was ready by 9 the next morning and spent a little time socializing and eating breakfast.  We were introduced to a cat that had let himself onto the property and spent a portion of the night sleeping with Ryan on his bed.  The cat was Siamese in appearance and was overtly social.  We deemed him Kaya and were pleased to discover that the owners intended to keep him!  After all of this we headed to a Superspar in town for supplies to Robberg Nature Reserve.  Seeing as there were 6 of us in the car for this trip, we tucked Allie away in the trunk.  This decision ended up being beneficial for her as we had to pay ($5) to get into the park and she got in for free! 

Tidal pool.  The colors are just amazing!
     Robberg is essentially a peninsula, which makes Plettenberg’s bay.  It was beautiful.  The Tsitsikamma Mountains were always visible in the distance, though deeply shadowed.  We had to travel the length of the peninsula in under 3 ½ hours (though it says it takes 4) to ensure we would make it to our 2:00 appointment to swim with wild seals.  This time allotment ended up being insufficient as Scott and myself fell behind the other 4 and were unable to catch up to them (it didn’t help that we took the path backwards)!  We (Scott and I) kept an eye out for the others and attempted phone calls, but had absolutely no reception.  Instead of wasting time, we briskly traveled the length of the park (which was no small feat).  Pictures were taken as quickly as possible and we even skipped the “Island,” for fear of missing the other group while traveling it.  While Scott and I got to enjoy a majority of the park, Shane and the others spent a lot of time looking and waiting for us.  They anticipated us catching up to them on the trail, but this would never happen seeing as we were going about everything backwards!  Essentially, the park was gorgeous; the views of the mountains, Indian Ocean, beaches, rock formations, tidal pools, wildlife, and clear skies made it all perfect.

 
Scott, Melissa, Sarah, Shane, and I
     Scott and I made it back to the car about ten minutes after the others and were able to make our appointment with Outdoor Adventures.  Upon arrival we were each given a wetsuit, flippers, goggles, and a snorkel.  We were then led to a large speedboat sitting on the beach.  After everyone had gotten a seat and had a life jacket on, the boat was pushed into the ocean by a tractor.  This boat ride was brief (about 10 minutes) and was incredible.  I was able to see wild Dolphins for the first time in my life!  They were jumping on all sides of us as we made our way to the seals.  The Cape Fur Seals were adorable and quiet loud as we pulled up the rocks.  They are total acrobats in the water and move effortlessly.  Everyone in the boat donned their gear and hopped in!  The ocean was cold initially, but the feeling was quickly forgotten as seals swam inches from you.  Sometimes they would swim at your face making you reel backwards in an awkwardly slow attempt to get out of the way (of course each seal turns deftly at the last second).  Shortly after jumping into the water I was startled as a baby swam against the length of my arm and passed through my hand, it was so soft!  Naturally, I freaked out because I thought it might turn and bite me (none have ever bitten anyone, though they are completely wild)!  Shane had a couple of fun encounters of his own as he frequently had seals slowly float in front of him, face-to-face, and the animal would suddenly open its mouth and display its teeth.  We have no idea if it was talking to the others or making a display, but Shane panicked each time and surfaced quiet rapidly.  We were incredibly lucky to have Scott with us as he has an underwater camera, so he was able to both film and take photos of this excursion! 

Me and some Cape Fur Seals!  Was awesome!
     About a half hour later we had to get back into the boat and head back to land.  We saw more Dolphins on the way back and were able to attempt some photos.  Coming back onto land was interesting as the boat pointed itself directly at the beach and was then launched onto it.  Everyone was grinning ear-to-ear as we walked back to take off all of our gear.  We went back to the hostel and took turns showering (which felt good after having salt water destroy your hair).  The rest of the evening was spent upstairs in the bar, as this was where the food was going to be cooked (earlier in the day Dan had purchased food and we each paid him 30R for the meal).  He started us off with sandwiches; these were essentially bread with butter, tomatoes, cheese, and onions.  These sandwiches (along with all of the food) were cooked in an open oven (similar to a fireplace).  Everyone inhaled this first tidbit.  Second came the sausage, this tasted similar to Ostrich, but no one was positive to its identity.  Next came some pork chops, though they were good, only about 2 inches of mine was edible as the rest was gristle and fat.  After this, some people ate little slabs of beef (I didn’t).  The conclusion of the main course brought with it the dessert, bananas filled with chocolate and caramel.  These were delicious!
The "Oven."

     After being fed, Melissa, Shane, Allie, Sarah, and I went down to the lounge area and played Catch Phrase.  It didn’t take long for Mark to join us.  Mark is an odd character that no one knows (as in he was not an international student like everyone else there), he was average height, barrel-chested, with a disproportionally small head, and we believe the number 30 shaved on the back of it.  Throughout the duration of our stay he would awkwardly join our conversations, games, and activities.  You could pointedly ignore the guy and would still get input and weird laughs.  We all quickly discovered just how tired we were from a day of activity and sun exposure (and wary of Mark) and slowly made our way to bed.

     Sunday morning we all packed up and loaded our things into the car.  We turned in our keys and said goodbye to Kaya, who was incredibly cuddly that morning.  It took about an hour for us to actually be able to leave as a car had parked behind us and the owners were nowhere to be found!  After searching and questioning everyone we determined that they had walked somewhere into town.   We promptly lifted the car to left of ours and set it down at an angle in the hopes that it would be enough for our car to squeeze past.  After much maneuvering, Shane was able to get our car next to the ownerless vehicle.  We then allowed Glenn (from Ireland) to move a car that was partially in the way.  Success!  Earlier in the weekend we had planned on doing a sea kayaking trip, but had opted to swim with the seals (it is that much better to swim with them than to see them from a distance in a boat) instead.  With the morning now free, we did some shopping and were able to get some awesome gifts for friends and family back home!  We enjoyed lunch on the beach with myself having a chicken mayo, chips (fries), and a blue slushy.  Shane opted for a chicken burger.  After eating we did a little more shopping in the parking lot (as people post up everywhere) and snagged a couple more things. 

Ring-Tailed Lemur
     After a little indecision we decided to travel to Monkeyland which was about 20 minutes out of town and on the way through to Port Elizabeth.  Before even entering the park, we spotted wild baboons interacting on the side of the road.  After taking a couple of photos we parked in front of the park, loaded up with bug spray, and headed in.  We were slightly rushed as we discovered the tour takes about an hour to get through and Melidssa and Sarah’s appointment for the bungee jump was at 2.  This ended up working out alright as we left for Bloukrans at 1:50 and the company was still getting everyone else in their time slot ready.  Back to Monkeyland, the park is actually a sanctuary where monkeys go after being owned by people to be rehabilitated and to learn how to be wild.  We were not allowed to touch any of them, but they are allowed to approach you (which numerous did without hesitation).  There was one instance where a small contingent of us (Shane, Sarah, Jamie, and I) fell behind the rest of the group and got very close to Ring-Tailed Lemurs.  We were scolded by the guide as he had to come back to fetch us, but this was worth it.  We saw many species of monkey and my visit was complete upon seeing the one Black Lemur in the entire sanctuary.  At the very end of the tour we were able to cross one of the largest suspension bridges in Africa!

     Seeing as we were cutting it awfully close for Melissa and Sarah’s appointment we practically flew to get to Face Adrenalin (the company that does the jump).  While they got suited up, Shane and I made our way very slowly past all of the souvenirs that were laid out on the lawn in front of the businesses.  We did not end up purchasing anything and walked into the restaurant where there was a view of the bridge.  We spent an hour and a half watching each person take their turn off the jump and got increasingly more excited for our own turn which is sadly still a couple of weeks away!  I will go into more detail about the bungee itself once Shane and I do it!  The ride back to Port Elizabeth was relaxing.  We stopped at Pick n’ Pay to get groceries while we still had the benefit of the car and then dropped the girls off at Annie’s.  Shane and I then stopped at Roman’s to have a pizza.  We got home, scarfed the food down, and crashed.

     Monday morning was lazy, especially since we were able to drive the car to class (it did not need to be returned until noon).  After class we brought Scott home with us to simultaneously give him a tour and exchange photos from the weekend.  With the photos successfully exchanged, we dropped him back off at the school and headed to the nearest Pep store to purchase a new phone (since ours only worked through texting). As we were headed to the store I was playing with our phone and suddenly it was making sounds with each button press.  I took advantage of this and called Rochelle to ensure she would be waiting at the airport when we dropped off the rental.  The call worked!  With this revelation we went back home and waited until it was closer to noon before heading to the airport.  Dropping the car off took about 5 minutes in which the staff gave it a cursory check and sent you on your way.  Seeing as this was again faster than we had anticipated we waited for the taxi to show up and discovered that the phone was again faulty.  When Rochelle arrived we had her take us to Pep where we bought another phone and then were dropped off at Southport.  We hung around for a little while and then walked out to Annie’s (as the bikes were not to be picked up until today [Tuesday]).

     Once there, Allie and I began working on our watermelon helmets.  The ones worn by two guys while at a rugby match inspired this random idea!  The carving went well and in our down time I was able to acquire some Disney movies from Sarah!  We spent a couple of hours working on these helmets and only donned them for about 10 minutes, but it was well worth it.  The rest of the night was spent working on homework for Ethics and Corporate Governance.

     Before heading out for class this morning, Shane made a call to the bike store to confirm them picking up our bikes today.  The time they told us they would be coming would have us both in class, so we gave them the lock codes for our bikes and left them secured to our front gate.  During the call Shane had intended to ask questions about the bikes, but was unable to as our phone ran out of airtime during the call (this is incredibly annoying when this is never a problem with our 700 minute phone plan with Verizon – curse prepaid phones).  The walk to school this morning was hot. The sun was out in full force and there was surprisingly no wind.  After an incredibly boring class with a difficult to understand professor (today’s lecturer originates from Germany) we ate with André at Madibaz and then walked back home.  I promptly took a 3-hour nap (totally necessary)!  Shane managed to do laundry while I was out and then joined me in some much-needed rest.  Once I woke up, I started dinner (chicken breast on toast with French fries).  I can never quite get the timing right on the food, but Shane took over and fixed it.  As we were sitting down to eat, one of our roommates, Adam, knocked on the door and came in.  He informed us of a white man in his early forties attempted to steal our bikes while they sat out front today!  Apparently he was harshly jerking on the chain, but obviously accomplished nothing.  Adam chased him away and then watched as 30 minutes later Action Cycles showed up and took our bicycles to the shop.  It is pretty pathetic when someone resorts to an attempt at theft in broad daylight.  The rest of the night should be easy-going, though I get to Skype with my parents in an hour and a half!

1 comment:

  1. Awh shucks. I missed you. One of these days we need to skype! I loved this post ps. I'm so jealous that you got to swim with seals?!?!?!?! That's awesome. And I can't wait to hear about your bungee jumping experience lol. I miss you both a lot! Wish you could be here... wait, scratch that.. wish *I* could be *THERE* lol. Love you two!

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