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!

T.I.A. (This is Africa)!

            Another relatively uneventful school week went by, but concluded with a lot of fun over the weekend!  Monday is really the only day that we did anything noteworthy, which included our first Rugby match.  We walked with a small group of friends from Annie’s and arrived a couple of minutes into the match.  Upon sitting down we discovered just how lax the rules are in regards to crowd etiquette.  A small cluster of boys were smoking “hookah” right in front of us during the entire course of the game and another individual was carrying around a beer bong allowing just about everybody to use it.  There was also a random man painted in blue that ran back and forth in front of the crowd during the game’s duration and was constantly having beer cans thrown to him (which he would then toss back at the crowd once he had consumed them).  Overall, the experience was entertaining and definitely worlds apart from college sports in the U.S.

            Friday was the first day of our Frontier Farms trip with NMMU.  This trip entailed a group of international students (there were 22 of us total) traveling about 4 hours to stay with 2 South African farm families who would show us what they do on a day-to-day basis.  Shane and I got up at 7:45 to ensure we would be ready to leave for the school at 9:00 (as the bus was scheduled to leave at 9:50 -- it didn’t).  We all packed ourselves into 2 vans (our bags were thrown into a small trailer attached to one of the vehicles) and headed out.  The drive was leisurely and scenic; immediately outside of Port Elizabeth you see the Indian Ocean for a little while, followed by sand dunes that look like huge mountains interspersed with green grass, then on top of a high ridge that overlooks valleys full of trees, vegetation, and civilization, and once the pavement ended we were surrounded by mountains.  About an hour and a half outside of Port Elizabeth we made a pit stop at Nanaga Farm Stalls where we were able to purchase snacks (similar to a convenience store, but with a bakery, restaurant, and courtyard).  Shane and I had a buttered roll, a koeksister (which we only had a bite of because it was too sweet-looks like a braided pretzel coated in a sugary glaze), and a circle of shortbread.   It was also unusual having to pay to use the toilets.  We crammed ourselves back into the vans after about 10 minutes and headed out.

            I spotted a couple of antelope species and a monkey before the pavement ended and we found ourselves on barely graveled roads.  The vans shuddered and made horrendous sounds the entire way through (which seemed like an hour).  The views were nice here though because we got our first taste of the mountains and quick flashes of wildlife in the distance.  Upon arrival at our destination we met Winnie and Manus (and their Schnauzer, Charlie Brown) who welcomed us and quickly brought the group inside to eat sandwiches.  After stuffing our faces we went back outside with Manus and helped catch sheep.  It was quickly apparent that herding sheep and catching the ones with tails was difficult for our uncoordinated group.  When a baby was finally snagged we were horrified with what we were actually doing with them.  The sheep need to be both castrated (if male, obviously) and have their tails removed.  Saying this made us think we would be cutting off appendages, when in fact we would be using a contraption that places a rubber band around either the base of the tail or scrotum.  Over time the body part just falls off because of the cease in blood flow.  All of this is done because of a certain species of fly that targets sheep; these flies lay eggs on the animals, which in turn hatch and begin eating the animal alive (which as you can imagine is both unpleasant and fatal).  The castration was necessary as all of his sheep are bred to studs from another farm to remove the possibility of inbreeding.  Apparently the animals don’t feel any pain when the blood flow is stopped and the extremities fall off within a week.

            After pestering the sheep and leaving covered in feces, dirt, and our own blood (not me, as I helped herd, but did not pick any up) we were taken to a mountain pool and waterfall.  To accomplish reaching our destination we all packed into Manus’ truck bed (again, there were 22 of us) and drove up some rough, barely visible roads.  Once there, we had to pile out and climb down some steep cliff faces to get access to the pool.  The water was refreshing and it was a challenge to swim against the current (so that we could sit by the waterfall).  We were able to play and explore for about an hour before we headed back to the farm to milk cows. 

Before going to see the cows we were all given the opportunity to feed “Tiny,” their rather large Eland (the largest antelope, weighing in at 1,500 pounds and standing 5’ 10”).  We left Tiny and went to the milking stall.  Shane and I opted to watch a couple of people help milk the cows as they simultaneously kept an eye out for those relieving themselves. 

We freshened up (as much as possible) before we were fed some corn on the cob, fresh bread (heated up by fire) with butter, and freshly squeezed orange juice.  Winnie and Manus also provided some beer and wine, which neither of us touched.  About 2 hours after being fed the corn and bread (and socializing with everyone) we were brought inside to eat dinner (this being 8:30pm).  It was delicious and consisted of chicken (which was seemingly haphazardly cut as there was a lot of gristle and bone), a vegetable concoction, sweet potatoes, pumpkin bars, and garlic bread!  Around 10pm a small group of us left which included all 4 boys and whatever girls were unable to stay with the first family (which included me) to stay with the other family (Francois, Arielle [sp], and their Wire Fox Terrier Busman-kind of rhymes with loose man).  The drive from the first farm to the second was about a half hour in the dark and was scary as we crossed over a bridge that had been washed out by flooding (the driver was literally inches away from having our tires be off the side of the bridge).

 

            Upon arrival at this second home the girls were brought to a guesthouse and the boys stayed in the main house.  We quickly spotted a rather large spider on the ceiling (in the girl’s accommodation) and enlisted Francois to dispose of it.  No one here uses screens for their doors or windows, so bugs are nothing to them when they enter the home (though they are promptly killed if discovered).  After killing that first spider the rest of us checked under our beds and in corners for other overtly large arachnids, we found none and promptly went to sleep.   Shane had a more uneventful night in the house, but rather enjoyed his zebra-themed bedroom.

            The next morning we were served breakfast on a patio with thatched roofing (just entwined twigs and vines) that consisted of fresh cereal, milk, and coffee.  Shortly after finishing the cereal, breakfast sandwiches were brought out (these consisted of cheese, egg, and tomato) along with freshly squeezed orange juice.  We were able to explore their home after finishing the food and were pleasantly surprised with the “mansion.”  The house had a very large kitchen, dining area, foyer, guest bedrooms, master bedroom, trophy room with a bar, family room, swimming pool, patio, tennis court, and excessive grounds (perfectly manicured with a lot of fountains).  After eating, the group piled into three trucks and drove out to see how sheep are sheared.  Francois was driving the truck that Shane and I were in and actually chased some Ostriches with it before we got there. 

            The sheep were essentially catatonic while being worked on and only struggled when the blades of the shears nicked them.  Once all four sheep were done being trimmed a prize was given to the employee we deemed did the best job (fewest cuts and overall quality of the job).  After that, we drove for at least a half hour to the base of a mountain we would be climbing that day.  It was definitely more work than I anticipated and each time I crested a ledge (thinking I had reached the top) there was another one waiting for me! 

After about 5 breaks (where I sat down on a rock and panted) I reached the top.  Ryan was the first male to the top and Erin the first female so they were each awarded a bottle of South African wine.  We were some of the first people to reach the peak, so we were able to cool off, take pictures, and enjoy the scenery while the rest of the pack slowly made it to the top.  It was hard to find places to sit down because a herd of sheep climbs up there every night to sleep (makes it more difficult, if not impossible for predators to reach them) and poop over every inch of grass.  When everyone was satisfied with picture taking we climbed back into the trucks and were driven to a “dam” to swim and have a picnic.  Again we were provided sandwiches (these with ham, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and mayonnaise), orange or banana/guava juice, apples, and chocolate treats filled with marshmallows.  Another long bout of driving on incredibly bumpy roads brought us back to Francois’ home where we enjoyed the pool and four different fresh pies that had been baked for us. 

            At this point in the day we were all exhausted and many took naps.  I explored the property while Shane napped and later hung out with Zach (from Minnesota) and the family’s pet Parrot named with the equivalent of “Birdie” in Afrikaans.  This bird was capable of making the most shrill car horn sound ever!  It also muttered a couple of indecipherable phrases (perhaps they were spoken in Afrikaans).  Once Shane awoke, we made our way back into the family room (where everyone was surrounding the TV watching a rugby match).  We probably floated around in there for an hour and then were brought out to a storage shed to shoot a target with a .22 caliber rifle.  I opted not to shoot, but Shane was the second person to go (out of 15 or so) and hit the absolute dead center of the bull’s eye on his second shot (each person was given two bullets).  We watched everyone else take their turn, with a couple of them getting close to, but not quite at, the bull’s eye.  Shane was awarded a bottle of South African wine, which we won't be opening until we get home.  Later in the evening Shane and I went into the trophy room where Francois walked us through each trophy he has mounted.  The Giraffe was incredible and required 4 shots from a .416 caliber rifle to bring down (he explained to me that this Giraffe was on a friend’s property in Zimbabwe and was a loner – did not interact with the other 4 which meant no breeding would occur).  We were abruptly pulled from this conversation to be presented with a bottle of sparkling wine and a note attached congratulating Shane and I on our 5-year anniversary of dating!  Neither of us anticipated this gift and was shocked at how discreet everyone managed to be!

            Shortly after that surprise, dinner was served: steak, corn bread, scalloped potatoes, cold pasta salad, and bread with butter.  We all inhaled this delicious meal and then piled back into the trucks for a night game-drive.  We spotted Impala, Mountain Reebok, Kudu, and even a Bat-Eared Fox!  During the drive we were startled by Josh (who had been riding in the truck in front of us) as he had hidden in the bushes and jumped out at us as we passed.  He repeated this performance later on to get back onto the truck he started the trip with.  We all went to bed once we got back from the night drive and slept soundly.

            Sunday morning brought a cloudy day, though still comfortable outside in comparison with the cloudless day before (90 degrees).  Our group packed up our stuff and met up with the other group at Winnie and Manus’, where we had breakfast sandwiches (tomato, cheese, and egg), coffee, and fresh orange juice.  Manus also showed 5 of us a baby Kudu (2-weeks old) that we helped feed. 

After this we waited for those staying at Winnie’s to pack up their stuff and then said goodbye to Winnie and Charlie Brown.  Manus drove with our two vans to a clearing where Francois was waiting in his truck.  We all piled into the two trucks and drove through some farmland and a couple of properties to a path (where the trucks could not travel).  We all clambered out and walked through tall grasses, short trees, and crossed a small stream that required us to jump from rock to rock.  We finally reached a small river of water that disappeared around a bend that had two sheer cliff faces on either side.  Some of the group opted to ride in canoes, while Shane, myself, and the others swam to the waterfall.  This water was much cooler and the bottom was impossible to reach in some areas (though most of the time we could stand on slippery rocks under the surface).  To reach the waterfall we had to climb a little ways and once there, found a small pool surrounded by rock on all side that the waterfall poured into (it was maybe 5 x 5 feet around).  In here we also watched a crab drop into the water and decided to not swim in that general area. 

 

            A couple of those in the canoes got soaked (making us glad we opted for swim suits)!  A small contingent of us swam back to land and walked back to the trucks (the others had to go one by one in the canoes to get back to land from the waterfall).  We waited there for a little while and then requested to go back to the vans to get into dry clothes before the drive home (instead of waiting for the other people to get back as they were taking forever)!  Caramel suckers and more juice greeted us when we got back to the vans.  The other truck showed up after about ten minutes, we said our goodbyes to Manus and Francois (who told Shane and I that the next time he sees us we better still be together), and headed home.  

Lions, Tigers, Africa...OH MY!

This past school week didn’t bring anything that exciting with it, though Thursday morning brought with it some rain.  Shane and I opted to leave our bikes at home to try and catch a Kombi (normally they are everywhere) naturally we were unable to get one and ended up walking the thirty-minute stretch to campus in the pouring rain.  By the time we arrived both of us were thoroughly soaked and dripping.  Sitting through Xhosa was torture, but the day improved once we finished with it.  The sun was back out and not a cloud was in sight (after Xhosa Culture) so we sat on stairs by the food court and dried out for the hour or so before Tourism.  After classes that day we spent the rest of the night hanging out with friends at Annie’s Cove where we taught some people “ratfart” and “peanuts” and ended the night with more of Roman’s pizza!

Female and Male Nyala

            Most of Friday was spent coordinating our weekend plans and getting transport figured out.  We quickly discovered that an international drivers license is required to book a car with the company we had originally selected, so a couple of changes were in order.  Shane filled out a form online, pasted a couple of photos (picture of his Iowa drivers license, photo of himself, and a photo of his signature), and submitted it.  Surprisingly, the international ID was delivered to our house today (Monday)!  Back to Friday, we knew we couldn’t use the first company so we acquired the number of a family with an extra car (after a lot of back and forth communication with our friends) and were able to book with them.  

            Saturday morning started early (for us) at 6:45, as the car would be delivered at 8 o’ clock.  We had no idea what year the vehicle would be, but were not anticipating it being older than 10 years! 

Go-cart run by Gerbils

The car got us from A to B, so I guess I cannot complain too much.  The early 90’s or late 80’s Volkswagen Jetta was sometimes reluctant to open the rear passenger door and required someone to open it from the outside, it also had a brake that required extra effort (as in, it required you to mash it to the floor), and it had a tendency to vibrate while idling (which we did a lot of while driving through the game park).  Shane drove us from our home at Southport Road to Annie’s Cove, without too many issues.  I reminded him a couple of times to stay on the left side of the road (as everything is backwards here) and navigated a short roundabout.  When we arrived at Annie’s we were greeted by a drunken man, who incoherently talked about South Africa and asked about our origin (I think he may have said something about “Calfernya”-California).  To avoid him we had to go back into Annie’s and wait for him to walk away.  After that we were able to pile into the car (Scott drove) and stopped at some ATMs.

            The first destination was Seaview Lion Park, which was about a 35-minute drive from Port Elizabeth.  There were constant reminders to, “stay left,” along with two abrupt U-turns because of the poorly labeled roads here.  Somehow, we made it.  The first part of the park had us driving through open land with wild animals here and there (though no predators are free-roaming).  We were able to get some fun shots with a giraffe and other antelope/deer species.  The drive was rough, as the Jetta did not negotiate hills well, rest assured that those gerbils got a workout!  A short while later we found the beginning of the park 

where the adult big cats are kept.  It was odd here as the walkways were all sealed and we did not see even one employee!  We attempted to take a few photos here, but gave up pretty quickly.  We piled back into the car and drove up another challenging hill and came to the sanctuary where the cubs and café are situated.

            We purchased our tickets to get into the Lion, Tiger, and Serval enclosures.  The Lion cubs came first, after being told not to touch their ears, paws, or allow them to bite you, we entered.  These guys were pretty lazy and didn’t do much, though they were still adorable!  One of the males scratched me and started to bite at my knee (this is on video), but it lasted a short couple of seconds.  The Tiger cubs (two females) were much more active, though uncooperative in terms of photographs.  These guys had a small pool in their enclosure, which both visited and consequently got covered in sand.  Each time the Tigers shook themselves sand and water stuck to my legs. 

Galia - Female Serval

Lastly were the Servals.  Both of these cats were adults and were incredibly relaxed, though the female apparently does not care for men (thus Shane kept his distance).  At around noon we opted to eat at the café and enjoyed some Chicken/Mayo sandwiches (you can get them everywhere here), chips (fries), and a Coke.  We topped this off with the equivalent of fudge bars while sitting on the deck and ogling a Bulldog puppy that was playing with another table.  After all of us were fat and happy we climbed back into the “giant-vibrating-go-cart” and drove to the Kragga Kamma Game Park.

            We arrived after another U-turn and an incredibly bumpy road.  After purchasing our tickets we switched drivers (Shane was now behind the wheel) and headed out.  We were met with a plethora of deer/antelope, Giraffe, Zebra, and birds.  Our goal for this park was to see the White Rhino, which we subsequently found at the very end!  The Cheetah enclosure was interesting as we drove the entire circle with our eyes peeled and saw none; not until we were at the gate to leave the enclosure did we find the three of them hiding from the sun about 5-feet from our car.  Back on the trail, we came across a Warthog (subsequently named Pumba) who refused to move off of the road.  The Jetta made some protests to this as we were on a steep hill and shuddering heavily.  After Shane practically tapped the Warthog, she moved away along with her two little ones.  About halfway through the reserve we came to another café and found an Ostrich just floating amongst parked cars.  On the trail to the café we came across two Cheetahs in an enclosure and shortly discovered that we could pet them (Shane, Allie, and I promptly bought the tickets which were only like 5 dollars).  Mark and Monte met us with indifference.  They had been exposed to people since they were five months old (now four years-old).  These two were marginally softer than the Lions and Tigers (and calmer).  Monte scared me at first because he began purring when I started petting him and it sounded more like a growl, much deeper than Binx is capable of!  Mark gave Shane “kisses” by licking his hands with his incredibly rough tongue (apparently he has never done this to any women, just men).  We were able to get some neat shots with these two and were reluctant to leave.  After that we briefly traversed a monkey walk (only saw a very large grasshopper that Shane avoided) and got back into the car while simultaneously avoiding the Ostrich standing five feet from the passenger side.

 

            Back in the car we saw more of the same thing, until we finally came across the White Rhinoceros.  He lumbered in front of our car and continually came towards it causing Shane to freak out and reverse (this became difficult as there was a car right behind us).  After giving us all a rise in blood pressure, the Rhino moved off of the path and we were able to pass.  The drive back went smoothly and required a stop at the gas station to top off the tank and figure out how much everyone owed us.  While the attendant pumped the gas (you do not do it yourself here and you tip the man when he is done) we calculated the bill.  Scott, Annie, and Sarah got dropped off and Shane and I took advantage of the car and stopped at Superspar.  Typically we ride our bikes to the grocery store and load up our backpacks, which is a lot of work, so this was an opportunity that would not be missed.  After grabbing all of the heavy things we could we drove back to Southport, somehow managing to stay under the allotted 100km of free mileage we got with the rental (we ended up doing exactly 100).

            Sunday was busy as well as we spent the afternoon at the beach with a group of people alternating between swimming, sunbathing, and kicking a soccer ball around.  After a couple hours of this, Shane and I headed back to clean up before we went to Annie’s to have our first braai (grill-out).  We only brought a couple of things: chicken breast, fire-starter (kind of like a block of wax coated in kerosene), Coke, Pringles, and a Melk Tert (South African pie that tasted like vanilla pudding with Cinnamon sprinkled on top).  Scott did all of the cooking while the rest of us socialized and hovered around.  The food was very good and filling (finally)!  We spent a little more time there and made the short bike ride back home. 

            Today (Monday) won’t have too much going on though we will be watching our first Rugby match tonight.  This weekend we will be taking a “Frontier Trip,” so until then, more school and enjoying the beach!

First Week of Classes...

This last week brought with it the beginning of school and a busier schedule (though not much)! On Monday we started the school day at 9:30 with Tourism as an Economic Activity, which consisted of 6 students total! Our second (and final) class of the day was Introduction to Xhosa Culture. Shane, myself, and twelve others ended up being a half hour late to this class as we spent that time sitting/standing in front of the wrong door on the wrong floor. Our school schedules list first a building number, a floor number, and then a room number. The floor numbers are listed as such: -01, 00, or 01 meaning bottom floor, ground floor, and top floor respectively. We (the 14 of us) had failed to note the negative symbol and thus wasted 30 minutes of time. After asking a teacher as she passed by, our mistake was pointed out and we found the correct room. The teacher laughed as he had just dismissed the rest of the students, but quickly went over the syllabus for us stragglers.

     Tuesday consisted of our one and only class for the day, Ethics and Corporate Governance. This room was more or less an auditorium and had probably 300+ students in the class. We anticipate this class being more work than the other two, but seeing as we are only taking three, I cannot complain! It is also nice that Shane and I have the exact same schedule, so studying and doing assignments together will be a plus!

     On Wednesdays we have no class, so we slept in and then moseyed down to the beach (which is conveniently 5 minutes or so away). We spent about two hours just sun bathing and relaxing. Something to take note of: it is always windy in Port Elizabeth. Being at the beach means getting sand everywhere! Laying down on your towel means that every time a gust of wind hits, sand gets in your ears and sticks to whatever is exposed. Shane and I also meandered into the water (about ankle deep until the tide washes in and becomes knee deep) and enjoyed the ebb and flow of the water. Shane also managed to grab a couple of shells he found as they washed ashore.

     More school came on Thursday, but it is odd here as the classes are switched around. Our first class of the day was Intro to Xhosa Culture (in the same room we had Tourism in on Monday) and our second class was Tourism (in the room Xhosa had been in on Monday)! At the beginning of class (Xhosa) our professor informed us that we would be covering five concepts and then cover the next five on Monday; I interpreted this information as meaning it would take an entire class period (hour and twenty minutes) to cover those first five, but instead it took thirty and class was dismissed… Seems like a waste to me. We used the entire time block for Tourism (though it only takes up one on Thursdays). The semesters at NMMU are broken into two terms: right now we are in term 1, term 2 will begin in the second week of April. The classes are also broken into time blocks and typically use up two per class, so we can expect to be in the room for an hour and twenty minutes. I won’t complain about being released early, but I do realize the waste when much more material could be covered.

     After class on Thursday we ate a quick lunch and then made our way down to the beach again with some friends from Annie’s Cove. We spent more time laying-out and finally got fully immersed in water. I had forgotten just how salty it can be! It was entertaining riding the waves as they came in, but could only tolerate being in the water for about ten minutes before I was too cold. It helps that the sun is relentless here, but the combination of wind and cool ocean water make everything comfortable. Shane and I are definitely many shades darker from being in South Africa. I swear that sunburn here equals four back at home and I am that much tanner because of it. I have “permanent flip-flops” on because of the patterns now burned onto my feet. When we left the beach we went to Friends (the internet café) and met up with Melissa and Allie (also from Annie’s Cove). Shane and I shoveled down two orders of chicken-mayo sandwiches and two milkshakes each! We intended to go out that night as well, but were worn from two consecutive days of sun and opted to sleep!

     Friday passed very quickly as we have only Ethics to attend and were let out a half hour early. Shane and I made a trip straight from class to a “Superspar” where we picked up groceries and then went home. We realized shortly after getting back that I had lost our cell phone. This wasn’t a big deal cost wise, as the phone was only $14, but it was inconvenient in that we had lost all form of contact with our friends. It also sucked because the day before we had loaded more air time and texting onto the phone. We made the brief trip to Summerstrand Village and intended to buy a phone when we were reminded that a passport and proof of living were required. Shane and I were too lazy to go home and back so went without a phone that night. The next morning one of our housemates came over with the phone… apparently I had left it on the counter in their house when I grabbed the liquid measuring cup! Later that day (Saturday) we met up with 10 others and played soccer on the North Campus’ field. When I say played soccer, I mean that I watched while everyone else played!

African Penguins!

     Sunday included a trip to a local marine sanctuary where we got to see some African Penguins and was educated on other wildlife in the area. It took about an hour to walk from our house to Annie’s and then to the sanctuary. We were lazy on the way back and took a Kombi (a bus that drives around town honking and hollering at everyone it sees to try to get passengers). The trip back was marginally faster :) We then walked to a pizza place called Roman’s with Scott and Melissa and had a delicious pepperoni and garlic pizza. The bill ended up being 66R = less than $10, for three medium pizzas (this is very cheap, but it should be noted that a medium here is about the same as a small in the states)! It was much better than the place that delivers which we had tried a week prior where a pepperoni pizza really means a pepperoni-mushroom-onion pizza. That about covers this week, I will probably post again next Sunday after visiting a couple of parks!

Scott, Myself, Sarah, Susanne, Shane, Allie, and Melissa

I am burnt...

         I realize that it has taken me an excessive amount of time to get this blog started, my apologies for the delay.  It took Shane and I about a week after arriving in Port Elizabeth to acquire any form of internet at our accommodation!  Anywho, to get caught up with what we have gone through I should start with leaving Des Moines on Wednesday the 1st of February...

         We (this will be used all too often as this blog is to express both Shane and I's experiences) flew out of DSM at 11:12 that morning (after crying and hugs for everyone) then arrived in Atlanta after about 2 hours in the air.  That was all fine and dandy, then came the long haul.  We entertained ourselves in the Atlanta airport for 5 hours by doing a lot of reading, scouring for food, and watching the first few episodes of The Big Bang Theory (courtesy of my brother).  If I recall, we boarded at about 7pm on February 1st and landed at 5:40pm in Johannesburg (which keep in mind is 8 hours ahead of Des Moines--so the flight ended up being 14 hours and 42 minutes long).  After about 2 movies into the flight we were pretty restless and found sleep was impossible in such a cramped space; this may not apply to everyone else, but being 6' 2" was a huge hinderance.  It also did not help to have a child cry every time sleep starts to wash over you!  We touched down in Joburg and rushed through the airport, as much as we could anyways (stood in line for 40 minutes or so).  We grabbed our bags, checked them in again, then walked the length of the entire airport to locate our terminal.  We waited briefly (20 minutes), to board our final plane and got on our way for the final stretch.  This final flight being about an hour and twenty minutes was measly in comparison to the rest and felt more like 10 minutes.  Deplaning was odd, as stairs were rolled up to the plane versus the ramp/chute contraption typically used.  It was muggy when we touched ground and thoroughly depressing because of the incessant rain (though more like a 'spitting').  The Port Elizabeth airport is incredibly small so we were able to grab our bags instantly and locate the guide from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (though we were not expecting her).  She (Richelle) had us wait for the other students who had come off of our flight and then the 7 of us walked the short distance to our hotel.

         Shane and I took no time at all to fall asleep (plus we had some handy sleeping-aids) and got up at 6:45 the next morning to make the short walk to the airport (as this is where a shuttle from the school would be picking us up).  The schedule for the day stated we would be picked up at 8am, brought to the school to sign for our housing and check-in, be dropped off at our accommodation to leave some luggage there, and then leave at 9am to go on a weekend orientation camp.  It was raining yet again so we trudged in our group of 6 (the guide from NMMU didn’t stay at the hotel) to the airport and waited about a half hour for our driver to show up.  We have discovered that just about nothing starts on time here, the school seemingly allots about an hour of waiting time for each event.  Our group acquired two more at the airport and we all (8) squeezed our luggage and ourselves into the van/bus.  We arrived at a place called Annie’s Cove, which is one of the options for off-campus housing (and one Shane and I had applied for, though did not get).  We unloaded our luggage, left it in the rain, and crammed ourselves into a very small, make-shift office where we signed some papers acknowledging that we knew where our accommodations were and to confirm our place at the bush-camp/orientation that would be departing in 30 minutes.  It turns out that Shane and I could not be placed on this camp as all 90 spots had been taken (would have been nice to know before we got here)!  Three members of our group (from California) made the cut, but didn’t have time to go to their housing so had to shove all of their luggage on the bus and leave immediately.

         We ended up standing around in that office for an hour until a shuttle arrived to bring us to our accommodation (we live at ‘Southport’).  It was abrupt because we were brought to our house and then left alone.  Shane and I had mental checklists to fulfill: acquire internet, a phone, bedding, currency, and food… We quickly discovered that no help was forthcoming and had no means to call a cab or use the internet to pull up a map of this city.  Eventually our landlord showed up and gave us a brief tour of our home (which is two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a hallway/kitchen) so it took milliseconds and then called us a taxi.  Pang (our driver) is hilarious, you immediately sit down in his little blue Toyota (the left rear door has issues) and he bombards you with information and complaints.  He took us first to the airport to exchange some money (chattering the entire way), to a small convenience store where we bought a $14 phone and bedding that smells horrible, then to a Pick n’ Pay which had minimal food in it (we later discovered that this was a cheaper part of town and now know where to go to actually find options).  After unpacking, Shane and I literally did nothing but sleep for the next two days (and cooked ourselves some Ostrich burgers-tasted like sausage).

         On Sunday the sun finally showed up and we went exploring.  We were paranoid about being robbed because everyone has told us to be wary: don’t go anywhere alone, don’t travel too much at night, only take private taxis, lock everything up--even when you are there, don’t wear jewelry, don’t carry a camera around, etc.  Obviously nothing happened to us on this short excursion.  When walking around Port Elizabeth you immediately note that EVERY house has massive walls/gates with electrical wiring, warnings about dogs, and alarm systems—it is daunting.  Though it was later explained to us that all of these securities were thrown up right after the end of the apartheid because people still feared retaliation and whatnot.

         We got back to our accommodation, which I should describe in more detail.  Shane and I share a two-bedroom house, which has a small kitchen and bathroom.  Our house is attached to a bigger one that houses 6 guys (though I believe it has 8 bedrooms): 3 are from France, 2 from America (California), and 1 from Germany.  There is a smaller house attached to the boys’, which has 4 girls in it: 2 Americans from N. Carolina, 1 from Amsterdam, and 1 from France.  Our property also has a pool and an outdoor lounge-area.  The house was incredibly quiet over the weekend as only the guys from France did not go on the bush-camp and they are ninjas (you can never find them when you want to)!

        

         On Monday we went to orientation which was brief and consisted of staff welcoming us and warning us about this and that.  I luckily had Martin sit next to me (1 of the people from our airport group-from Germany) so we were able to exchange numbers.  After the brief presentations we were left on our own until 4pm when we were supposed to find a café on campus called Madibaz where a small school function would be held.  Shane, Martin, and I found some food on campus and ate (I had about 1 bite of my burger and was disgusted with it—though the fries [called chips here] were delicious) and then walked around campus exchanging stories and discovering various buildings until 4.  A small raffle was held at Madibaz when we got there and prizes were given out to a select few.  The food provided was horrid, it consisted of some odd sausage links, a mass of goo that smelled like grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, and bread (which was the only good part).  We walked home (30 minutes from campus) and crashed—I seemingly cannot stay awake past 8pm here!

         On Tuesday Shane and I were scheduled for a City tour from 8am til 5pm.  The bus did not leave until 9am, but that was expected.  We first drove into downtown and got out to walk past a couple of art sculptures in desolated areas of the city, then to a pyramid/lighthouse created for Elizabeth (the city's namesake) by her husband. 

These stairs lead up to the above lighthouse/pyramid.

We got back on the bus (after more facts from our tour guide) and were driven to the largest mall in the Southern hemisphere under 1 roof.  We were given an hour of time in the mall and spent it eating (I avoided another burger and instead had some spare ribs—better, but still not home).  After our stint at the mall the bus drove into the shantytowns, which are segregated into white, colored, and black.  It was depressing seeing how some people live, their shacks are literally no bigger than our shed at home.  The children we passed were incredibly excited when our bus passed (as they know foreigners usually get out and give them things).  We went through a museum tour that day and ended the tour in a backpacker’s lounge run by unemployed women who live in one of these poorer areas. 

         Wednesday was registration day and ended up being the nightmare we had anticipated.  Half of the classes we are unable to take because the qualifications here do not match up (I am a senior, but am only able to take up to 3^rd year classes here).  Some classes that were said to be in terms 1 & 2 were now in 3 & 4…. Shane and I ended up finishing registration on Thursday after our campus tour.  On a high note, Shane and I got internet at our house on Wednesday (though it is limited, we purchased 3 GB of usage).  We also purchased bicycles that were delivered Thursday.

         I apologize if all of that was an excess of information, but we have been here for 9 days and I had not had a chance to share anything!  I will be posting more frequently (dependent upon events) and hopefully a lot less information!  We have our first day of classes on Monday, so we shall see how that goes….

The beach is about 5 minutes from our house (we are on the Indian Ocean).