Holiday Posts

Howzit!

Me and Sarah just finished our 4 day jaunt to Storms River/Tsitsikamma. I had the foresight to take a pad of paper and a pen, so what follows is possibly the longest post I'll ever write (and is also my account of the last 4 days).

7/1/13

Yay, we made it! We're at the Tube 'n Axe backpackers in Tsitsikamma and words cannot describe how beautiful and peaceful it is. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, it's really quiet, it's just so serene and relaxing. A nice change to the constant noise and movement that is the Home (as much as I love it).

The drive, although 11 hours long, was pretty uneventful. We admired a bus drivers reversing skills before he promptly reversed straight into a concrete pillar, partially removing his bumper and fully removing his back window, placing it in a nice little pile very nearly on one of the station workers heads!

We saw quite a lot of wildlife in our 11 hours. I've seen my first live, wild ostrich, eagle and what I'm pretty sure was a springbok but could have been a goat.

As we were leaving the backpackers to get some tea (replace with dinner/supper/evening meal as per region) we saw the baz bus pulling into the hostel with what might have been some Project Trust volunteers but we haven't seen them so we're not sure if it was them or if they're here.

8/1/13

The first day of our holiday was fairly wet. I didn't get up til 10.30 which was nice. I was absolutely shattered from the combination of travelling and not getting a full days sleep after night-shift.

We went on the canopy tour today which was fun. We didn't see a whole lot of birds or animals, but flying through the forest and the view was pretty breathtaking. It began to rain as we finished so we got a bit damp round the edges but the rain cleared the humidity so it was refreshing.

Because the weather was so miserable and we'd not planned anything, we just chilled at the backpackers in the afternoon. Planned the rest of our days and had a few games of pool. Sarah's doing the bungee jump tomorrow and I was half contemplating doing it, but just rocking up, checking out how many skeletons were piled at the bottom then maybe jumping if it didn't look overly terrifying. But Sarah chirpily informed me you have to book first. Sarah has also made the annoyingly valid point that it's only 5 seconds of my life and I probably won't regret doing it, but almost certainly will regret not doing it.

9/1/13

We started our day with the intentions of doing a 26km bike ride in the morning, then Sarah was booked to bungee at 4pm. We had to rent bikes from Tsitsikamma Backpackers and we decided to go with the non-electrical option (electric bikes are for wimps). Just normal, pedal powered mountain bikes. What we got was just that, but massive. I prefer men's bikes, so I was glad when that's what they presented us with. But I like a good women's saddle. This we did not get. Also, the men's bikes were ginormous, the crossbar reached my hips the bikes were so tall!

We set off down the trail, and it was all downhill. All of it. For about 2km. Then we reach a small bridge over where they do the blackwater tubing. And from there on, it was all uphill. For maybe 6km. We gave up part way up this monster hill and maybe an hour of climbing up took us about 5 minutes of free-wheeling down.

We got back to our backpackers with enough time for a cup of tea and a biscuit before getting the shuttle to Bloukrans Bridge. The bridge itself isn't overly impressive, but it is the home of the highest bungee jump in the world. When we arrived I still hadn't decided whether I was going to jump. I wanted to, but I honestly didn't think I would be able to. The barman at our backpackers told me an option was to pay R100 to walk to where they jump from and decide there if you wanted to jump. But when go to the registry desk, Sarah goes first and paid for her jump and they assumed I was jumping too! Decision made.

We spend the next 15 minutes watching 3 other people throw themselves off and we're trying not to panic. After the longest few minutes of my life, I'm shrugging on a harness and walking down to the safety briefing. We're jumping with 4 other people: 2 guys from (I think they said) Africa, a girl from Austria and a guy from New York. We're told we'll have a safety line attached to out harness and the bungee cord to our feet. We will have to stand with our toes over the edge of the bridge, put our arms out to the sides (like we're on the cross) and chin up so we can smile at the camera!

We walk onto the bridge and Sarah has to jump 2^nd after one of the African guys. So she jumps/falls off and the guy points to me to tell me I'm next. I go get strapped up to my safety line, then my ankles are tied together and clipped to what is essentially just several rubber bands strung together. I jump/hop as close as close to the edge as I ever want to be, with 2 guys either side of me making sure I don't fall before I should. They tell me I need to go forward more so my toes are over the edge of the bridge but I'm literally paralysed with fear. I've never EVER been so scared in all my life before. They basically carry me forward before stepping from next to me, to behind me. I can feel them holding onto the back of my harness. I'm trying no to look anywhere. Trying to forget I'm about to willingly chuck myself off a bridge.

Time has never gone so slow.

I can feel myself being pushed forward slowly so I'm leaning out off the bridge as the 2 holding me shout 5,4,3,2,1. They yell BUNGEE as they let go of my harness. I'm already off balance so I start free-falling. It seems like forever and a day before I begin to feel the cord, but I've got my eyes squeezed shut so I can't tell. All of a sudden I've changed direction and instead of falling I'm flying! This happens a few more times until I'm just swinging upside-down by my feet (feeling like the bands around my ankles could slip off at any minute). I try opening my eyes but all I see is a dizzying mess of trees, river and concrete bridge (way to high above me) so I shut them again. So lets clarify: I am currently hanging upside-down by my ankles, 216m under a bridge from and elaborate elastic band, wondering why on earth I'm so easy to persuade and why am I friends with a maniac again. Oh yes, and lets not forget, I am whimpering like a small child.

After the longest winch ride back to the brigde, I'm on solid concrete and feeling immensly proud of myself.

10/1/13

We haven't done anything today. We have both come down with something. I have another horrible head cold and Sarah's got her asthma cough, so we decided against kayaking and instead to have a lazy day at the backpackers. We've had to organise transport to Plettenberg Bay where we can get a shuttle to Knysna Elephant Park. Then we're going to catch our bus from either Knysna or Plett whichever is easier to get to.

In other news, cats in South Africa have scary ninja powers. In addition to the cat that got into a locked house at home, we woke up at 7am this morning after hearing a thump followed by a miaow I look down and there's a cat chilling at the end of my bed in our locked room. It appears to have fallen through the window!

11/1/13

We are both so ill it doesn't even bare thinking about. If we didn't have to do anything or go anywhere today it probably wouldn't be so bad. As it is, we had to be at Knysna Elephant Park this morning at 10am. That finished at maybe 12, giving us until 9pm when our bus comes. 9 hours to kill in Plett.

All we want to do is sleep. Instead we've been to 2 coffee shops before we decided to try and ask a backpackers if we could chill on their sofas for 5 hours. They said yes (albeit slightly reluctantly as we're not baz bus-ing) so that's what we're doing.

Today I rode an elephant called Chaka! It was absolutely breathtaking, elephants are HUGE, who knew?! To get on, you have to go up maybe 7 steps and stand on a platform, the elephant comes along side and Sarah just swings her leg over its back. I am apparently considerably shorter so I had to do a very dignified hop/jump/shuffle movement to not hang off one side. I would say it's mildly similar to riding a horse although I haven't ridden a horse for at least 10 years. An elephant's back is huge so you just straddle it's spine and it lumbers off. It has a very lolloping walk and it's spine rocks from side to side underneath you, it takes a little while to get used to. You really have to relax and roll with it. We then got to feed our elephants a small bucket of fruit and veg. They got beetroot, carrot, pumpkin and pineapple and they ate the tube seemingly without chewing! I would give Chaka a huge hunk of pineapple as big as my palm and he takes it from my hand with his trunk and lifts it to his mouth and is ready to take more food before he's even started chewing the previous piece!