SHORT VAC 2010: South Africa

So I have come to the conclusion that my blog posts tend to drag on a bit too much. While Krisstina and I were hiking the Drakensburg Mountains, we came up with the concept of the 20 second clip—the most telling, exciting or interesting 20 seconds of our day—as a way to tell the story of our trip. It may not include everything, but it gets the major points across.

Synopsis: Krisstina and I decided to take an adventure from mountains to coast for our mid semester break. Its interesting how everyone broke up and did there own thing—though a lot of us CIEE folk actually did end up in South Africa. Anyways, Krisstina and I first three days (4 nights) at Amphitheater Backpackers in the Northern Drakensburg Mountains of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. We were about a 3 1/2 hour drive (read: cramped combi-style minibus with our luggage on our laps and hitch hike) Southeast from Johannesburg and about 30 minutes from Ladysmith (a bit more lively than its Midwestern counterpart…haha) Amphitheater Backpackers, is truly a gem of the Drakensburg. Situated basically in the middle of nowhere, the unbeatable scenery of Cathedral peak and the vast Amphitheater, the crazy/hospitable backpacker staff, and the very spacious and comfortable accommodation made for an unforgettable experience. We hiked the Crack and Little Berg alone in Royal Natal National Park the first day and we conquered the 3121 m. high amphitheater and Tugela Falls (the second highest waterfall in the world! ) on the second day. I went to Lesotho to visit a school, take a small hike, and learn about the tallest country in Africa’s fascinating culture. We were sad to leave our new friends and home, but Krisstina and I headed down to Durbin’s Indian coast the next day. Durbin was a bit disappointing, but at least we stayed in the mountains an extra day. We enjoyed the warm yet far too windy beach and dined on delectable Indian cuisine that night. Krisstina headed home to Gabs the next day and I flew out to Cape Town to see my friend Zach from Georgetown and the sites there. Cape Town was quite a taste of western luxury with all the food and amenities. I got to meet all of Zach’s friends, watch the sunset at Camp’s Bay, learned about Apartheid at the District 6 museum, saw the penguins at Simon’s Town, climbed Table Mountain and had some of the BEST FOOD I’ve had in months. Overall, an unforgettable journey with lots of action and variety. If this little synopsis didn’t bore you to death, I hope you will enjoy my “20 second clips” from each day!! Some days I couldn't decide on one so I wrote down multiple…hope it gives justice to the variety of experiences I had.

25/9/2010 (day/month/year…it actually makes much more sense this way anyways!!!)

A. While I guard our bags in a stuffy combi to Pietermartzberg, Krisstina runs around frantically trying to find a combi that will get us closer to our Ampitheater backpackers destination. She fights through crowds of people forcing soda cans, nail clippers, and chips down her throat, being proposed to by creepy guys the entire way. Fortunately, we were able to leave the Johannesburg bus rank without being mugged!

B. The clock strikes 6 pm, and entirety of Kwazulu-Natal shuts down. No cabs, public transportation to be found. Krisstina and I stand wearily at the Shell Station in Harrismith, praying that we will be able to hitch a ride with a sober soul. Two very racist Afrikaaners are our saviors and offer to give us a ride in their pickup truck to Amphitheater Backpackers

C. After an arduous journey, we arrive at Amphitheater Backpackers to be greeted by our very inebriated hostel manager Adrian, a wild party, and chili-infused tequila shots on the house. The journey continues when we find our dorm room filled with snoring middle aged Afrikaaners headed on a 5 day hike in the morning.

26/9/2010

A. After trailblazing up the “NO ENTRY: MUDSLIDE” path through thorny bush and slippery paths, Krisstina and I find a beautiful cove overlooking the Drakensburg mountain landscape and the rolling valleys dotted by cattle and homes.

B. Summiting Little Berg some 1000 m. in the air to enjoy the spectacular views and our much deserve Clif Bars in the practically unbearable wind. We sang R. Kelly’s Sign of Victory and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough the whole way down.

27/9/2010

A. Trudging through the cold mist in ponchos, hats and gloves along the side of the cliff with only our guide Sim as an indication we were going the right way. We were unable to even see 10 meters in front of us.

B. After a grueling practically vertical 250 meter rock climb up to the top, we reached our destination—the Summit of Eastern Buttress (3121 m.) at around lunch time. We relished in the challenge we had just accomplished and the unbeatable views from the top of the Amphitheater of the surrounding Drakensburg ranges. Clouds crashed into the mountains like waves on a rocky beach.

28/9/2010

A. Playing football with a ball made from wrapped up plastic balls with smiley Basotho boys at Matikadisu Primary School, our first destination in the mystical country above the clouds, Lesotho. Matikadisu Primary school is a community-run school for preschool to eighth grade. The school is funded almost entirely by Amp and the money we pay to go on the Lesotho excursion!

B. Hanging out at the bar with our Adrian and his daughter, Devon the bartender, and Jonah. Devon entertained us with crazy cocktail concoctions, magic tricks while Adrian “wooed” us with his politically incorrect, sexual jokes. Man do I miss these crazies!!

29/9/2010

A. Three-hour combi ride from hell from Ladysmith to Durban, with the only thing carrying me through the discomfort (heat, crowded, smelly) was the thought of going to the beach.

B. Singing at the top of my lungs as I took a walk along Durban’s beautifully crystal cerulean blue Indian Ocean as the wind whipped sand around my feet. Krisstina bathed in the sun, but I couldn’t bear the sand blowing uncontrollably over my body so I took a walk to reflect over the awesomeness that had been the last few days.

30/9/2010

A. Just a few hours after arriving in the westernized getaway of Cape Town, Zach, my friend from Georgetown who is studying at Univ. of Cape Town, was robbed on Long Street! I kept walking since I was annoyed by how “naïve” Zach was to the art of street begging. Little did I know that the man was forcing him to give up his possessions at knifepoint. Luckily Zach didn’t show the man his iPhone or huge wad of Rand he had just taken out from the ATM—he ended up only losing his local cell phone

B. Eating SCRUMPIOUS, CREAMY, FLAVORFUL, CHUNKY Italian Gelato while watching the sunset over the bay at Camp’s Bay—an affluent, almost exclusively white part of the greater Cape Town area . It was awesome just relaxing and catching up on good ‘ol times and the latest gossip from Georgetown and sharing our craziest stories from Africa.

01/10/2010

A. With a few months in Africa under my belt, I took to the minibus/combi system and explored a little bit of Cape Town on my own when Zach went to class at UCT. Went to the District 6 Museum in downtown Cape Town and learned about Apartheid and forced evacuations of places like District 6. Its crazy how recent Apartheid was, you can definitely see remnants of it in the segregation and subtle racism in everyday life.

B. After a slightly anticlimactic penguin-viewing in Simon’s Town, Zach and I had to RUSH back to Mowbray so he could attend the Liesbeeck Gardens formal at 5:30 pm. The train was unbearably slow and wasn’t running from Simon’s Town, so in a desperate effort when almost all hope was lost, we basically rented out an entire combi/minibus to take us straight to Liesbeeck Gardens for a whopping 250 Rand! Money in Cape Town is sure not like what it is in Bots. We made it just in the knick of time, despite our fears!

02/10/2010

A. Went with Zach + friends for a taste of home (probably even better) at Old Biscuit Market. It was literally a culinary heaven on earth. Crepes, artisan French pizzas, make your own organic sandwiches, cheeses spreads, vegan lentil/falafel/hummus station, thai, paellas, fresh fruit smoothies, delectable pastries—you name it, it was there! Just thinking about it again makes my mouth water. Got to try tons of samples before getting a breakfast sandwich with eggs, chicken, avo, cheese, tomatoes, lettce, and TO-DIE-FOR rich garlic sauce and a fresh mixed berry smoothie. Also had a sandwich made for lunch(which I ended up eating on the bus on the way home the next day) and got some stuff to bring back to pap and tough-meat infested Gabs!

B. Taking pictures and gaping at the incredible views of Cape Town, the ocean, Lions Head, and the surrounding mountains after successfully climbing Capet Town’s infamous Table Mountain with Zach and his friends.

03/10/2010

A. Reuniting with my Gabs CIEE friends and hearing about everyone’s crazy spring breaks at the Joburg Airport before an ungodly long journey back to Gabs. People were right when they say you can’t trust Intercape—our bus broke down 3 or 4 times and we didn’t get back home to 10 pm.

It was an amazing trip, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who loves adventure. I’m super sad I am not traveling anymore…it has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of my study abroad experience!