We’re back from a week traveling the Garden Route- so named because it’s so beautiful and diverse, it’s like the Garden of Eden. It was a cool experience, and we saw a lot of beautiful places. I’m exhausted, but if I wait to do this, I’m afraid I’ll forget everything, so…

Week 2- adventure week!

Monday: Traveling all day on the world’s bumpiest, most motion sickness-inducing truck. Yes, truck- it was sort of like a combat vehicle. Saw the Indian Ocean for the first time. (It came over the horizon while I was listening to my favorite song by Explosions in the Sky, my favorite band.) Ate lunch in a town called “Wilderness”.  Finally finished reading Eat Pray Love. I have mixed feelings about it overall- a little too much dragging on of the personal information mixed in with the enlightenment for my tolerance- but I’m glad I read it. Stopped at the Knysna Waterfront and had gelato, then went to the first of two hostels we stayed at over the week. This one was up in the mountains, basically in the forest, and had a breathtaking- literally, every time- view of the stars. We sat around the campfire talking pretty late into the night. Our truck driver, whose name translates as Thinkwell, was so awesome the whole week- that night, he told us stories about some crazy experiences he’s had with rogue elephants while guiding people on safaris.

Tuesday: Safari at the Tsitsikamma Game Reserve in the morning (awesome) and bungy jumping off the highest commercial bungy jumping point in the world in the afternoon. My new friend Sarah Elizabeth and I didn’t jump, because we’re saving our money for other adventure activities, but we walked out to the jump point on the bridge with everyone to cheer them on. The walk across- over a flexible wire metal cage attached to the underside of the concrete bridge- was terrifying. I think it took that walk to make me realize just how scared of heights I am. (And I’m going abseiling off table mountain- the highest commercial point in the world, if I’m not mistaken- in a few weeks…) I got a paint chip splinter from holding on to the railing so tightly as we were walking across. We played soccer with young kids at the school down the road from our hostel in the afternoon. All the kids were SO sweet and so much fun to hang around with. They played with my hair for a long time- as if it wasn’t crazy enough on its own.

Wednesday: Morning hike at a national park- my favorite place we’ve been (nature-wise). Went to the wild cat sanctuary (no separation within the enclosures except for with the leopard. Got a picture about a foot away from a cheetah that was hanging out in the grass- I was ready to use Sammy as a human shield), elephant sanctuary (I rode one!, but I’m not sure how I felt about the whole experience there), and had lunch in a monkey sanctuary. Monkeys are mean. Drove to our new hostel in Sedgefield. It was right on a sandy beach and they played a lot of Jack Johnson and Bob Marley while we sat around the camp fire. We spent some time that evening at the Masithandane (“Let us love one another”) Community Center making & painting “huggables”- crazy looking little pillow creatures.

Thursday: Went to an Ostrich Farm in the morning. Some people rode them briefly (ridiculous looking), got "neck massages" (holding the food bucket in front of your face while the ostriches pecked around you), and so on. Later on, we went to the Cango Caves. I thought we were going caving- REAL caving, in the dark and mud and everything- but it wound up being a walking, lighted tour. I didn't get to use my new headlamp, which was a bummer (I'm unreasonably excited about it). The caves were incredible, though, and unfathomably old. I wouldn't shut up about ancient cave art to Sammy for the first two or three chambers. (Such a geek.) That night we made s’mores around the camp fire with some of the guys who worked there, who were all SO cool and easy going. Some people were playing guitar & a djembe while a few of us played a really good game of “Would you rather…?”. A few other people went for a walk/some stargazing on the beach- without my knowing, otherwise I would have been there in a second. I didn’t get to walk on that beach at all, which I regret.

Friday: Got up at 5am, drove 5 hours to the shark diving harbor. The sharks were spectacular and terrifying. The boat was nauseating and smelly. I’m glad I did it because I like sharks, but I do not plan to go out to the open ocean again any time soon. And I’m not sure how I feel about the sharks/tourism business… or any animals/tourism business in general. Drove another few hours back home (did I just call my apartment in Africa home?) and hung out with my roommates, two of whom I hadn’t seen in a week. Nicole made us pasta for dinner- such a sweetheart.

Tomorrow I’m going to sleep in then go to the Old Biscuit Mill market for breakfast with my roommate Nicole, and then probably come back and rest for most of the day. I’ve been really sick for the past few days, which has been a bummer. I think it’s making me homesick, too. Sitting on the bus feeling sorry for myself just made me want to be home in Georgia in my own bed and be able to eat American food.

I do still love it here, though. 2 weeks down, 3 to go. Next week is my service week in St. Lowry’s Pass. Not sure what to expect, but I’m looking forward to it. 

Goodnight, and good luck to the UGA rowers at ACRA tomorrow.

-M