Easter Break – Pongola/ Mozambique and Durban

So now that you know the story about the SA roadlink bus – you know how my trip began. So I guess you could say only uphill from there.. and it was. We got to Pongola about 11:00 on Friday and met the family. We got some food, rest and a shower. Then we went on a game drive where we saw lots of Impala, Giraffe and other African wildlife. We also got a tour of the game lodges and got to see where they were putting in a new swimming pool. It was fun to listen to the kids describe everything and point this out. Beyonca (11) was a little tour guide barbie and Dylan (5) was just running around doing whatever little boys do. Merinda was super sweet and took care of us and introduced us to the people working. We sat around and chatted for a while – they mostly spoke in Afrikaans but sometimes one of them would translate to us so that we would know what was going on! We headed back that night and ate an amazing lamb that Merinda made and hung out with the family. After dinner we got the Implala ready for the braai that would be happening the next night at their hourse. There were two sets of hind legs and tail that we had to inject with marinade and pig fat. We first had to cut a hole into the muscle – then we stuck our finger in to open it up so we could get the fat and marinade in. It was actually a fun but messy process.

We went to bed early and got up the next morning and hung out with the family and went on another game drive with Brian. We didn’t see to much in the morning but after lunch we went back out with the whole family and we got to see much more. We also went into town with Merinda that day and got to see the happenings of Pongola. It was a cute little town where everyone knows everyone. I really enjoyed being in a small town again. It felt like home. On the way home we drove by all the sugar cane fields – which is a huge part of what they farm up that way and apparently Breana and I (along with lots of people) are very allergic to it. Good think I was on my allergy meds but I could still feel it. Funny thing how I am allergic to sugar cane – good think I am not allergic to the product.

That night was the braai for one of their friend’s birthdays. It was so fun to get to meet a lots of people – even though they were much older. We got to try the meat from the back of the Impala, which was very tender and amazing. (almost as good as ostrich steak – which I love way more than beef steaks! Hopefully they have them in the states!) We also tried bacon and cherries – which was great as well. Then we filled up on more meat, veggies, bread, and salads and then came the dessert – rich chocolate balls. I may or may not have eaten about 8. I hadn’t had good rich dessert in so long – it was amazing. The rest of the night was spent sitting around the fire and one of the guys played some songs. We knew a few of them and if we knew them they wanted us to sing out and they thought that we should know all the words and be able to help them out… however they were disappointed because I barely knew any of the words! They even have a version of froggy went a courting in Afrikaans and they were surprised that we had it in English

We got up the next day (Easter actually) and hung our for a little while. It is interesting to me that they don’t really do much for Easter her in SA. They didn’t hide eggs or get candy.. I guess it just shows that we are just crazy, fat Americans who need excuses to eat excesses amounts of candy. We instead got the boat ready and headed out to a nearby lake for the afternoon. I hadn’t been on a boat in a while so it was great to be back on one. We got to see some hippo and lots of different birds but the best was when we got to see the Rhino. We were really lucky to see them I guess and I think we are the only ones out of our group to see them. It was a dad, mom and baby bull who came down to the waters edge to get a drink. They moved so slowly. We just kept getting closer and closer. Bryan said that the wind was just right so they couldn’t smell us and they have such bad eyesight so they couldn’t really see what we were. We just watched and watched as they drank water and sat in the mud hole. Bryan also pointed out that the mother was pregnant. It was funny because at one point the mom got angry with the dad for trying to get into the mud. We all said – don’t mess with a pregnant woman. It was awesome just to watch them and be able to take such awesome pictures. The lighting was perfect and the subjects were amazing and unusual (they are hard to find and see esp for that long). We headed back off the lake and made it home that night for another amazing meal. They fed us so much there I think I gained at least 5 pounds! – but I didn’t care.

It was so fun to hang out with the family and get to know Beyonca and Dylan. They reminded me a lot of my siblings and it was great to be around little kids again – I was kind of missing it. They would teach us how to play games one their DS or they would teach us Afrikaans or watch some T.V. with us. It was such a relaxing vacation. It was like I was at home in a way – just hanging out with family and friends. I was so happy that they let us stay with them and they were so accommodating. They were amazing hosts and they showed us so much of SA and so many different animals.

The final full day there we decided we wanted to go to Mozambique. So we got up early and headed towards the boarder. We paid for our visas (415 Rand) and got them stamped then headed into the country. We quickly found out that there are not many really roads in Mozambique and where we were there were none – only sand roads, which are really hard to drive and maneuver on. We finally made it to the town of Ponto De Oro and we drove right to the beach. The beach was gorgeous – nice sand and nice big waves – which I must say were better to look at then to swim in. The water was so warm – much more comfortable to be in than the water in P.E. (which is frigid). We hung out at the beach, swam with the kids and laid out to get a tan for a bit as well. Then we headed to a restaurant to get some prawns and seafood. Brian and Merianda treated us and it was wonderful. We even got to try the local Mozambique beer (DM), which was actually kind of good – first time I have sort of liked beer. After we walked around the town buying things – I got a wrap and Breana got a shirt, we went to a local bar to try some R & R (rum and raspberry). I tried some and it tasted like cough syrup so I decided to just stick with the raspberry side of it. After hanging around for a bit we hopped back in the truck to head for home. Breana, Beyonca and I sat in the back and Dylan sat on Merinda’s lap. It took us about 2 hours to get home.

We were exhausted so we went to bed early so that we could get up the next morning (Tuesday) and head for Durban. We left around 10 to head to Durban and arrived there in the afternoon. Brian drove us the 4.5 hours down there. He was so nice and I was so glad that they let us stay with them. We tried to give him some money, but of course he wouldn’t take it. We said good-bye and thanks and then headed into the hostel (Anstey’s Backpackers) to get settled. We got into a 4 person room but we were the only two there. As we were checking in we noticed Marie (a Norwegian girl) who was also staying at the hostel. They invited us to go to the mall with them and to the movies. So we grabbed a cap and headed into town. We hung out with Marie and Vivi. We shopped for a bit before the shops closed at 5 (which was really weird to me – so early!) and then caught a movie at 6 – Just Go with It. It was a really funny movie. We headed back to the hostel and mingled a bit with some people at the hostel and then headed to bed.

The next day we decided to go back into town and check out Ushaka (a water park and aquarium) and also the Indian Market. We ended up not going into Ushaka that day – instead we just walked around the beach and the shops down there. Then we headed to the Indian Market where I got a lot of souvenirs and some people got some jewelry and curry spices. Then we headed to get some food – we decided to get some Indian food since Durban has a large population of Indian! I had never tried Indian food before so I had no idea what to order. The waiter recommended some things and I picked something with some chicken and vegetables that wasn’t too spicy. It comes with a large piece of fried bread (which was amazing – I think it was my favorite part!). I immediately fell in love with the food and wanted it again! That night we hung out with some guys at the hostel (Tom and Matius) two guys traveling South Africa from Europe. They were really nice and taught us some new games – jungle speed and a couple other card games. They were a lot of fun – that is why I like hostels – you can meet people from all over the world.

The next day we decided we would just lay around the beach for the day. The waves were huge and the weather was perfect. It wasn’t windy like P.E. and the sun felt so nice. We relaxed most of the day and later in the afternoon we walked into town to head to Spar and the spa that was there. Vivi, Marie and Breana were looking into waxing at the spa and getting pedicures. I am not so into that (although I did my first pedicure done in P.E. down by pick and pay and I have to say it was pretty nice!) We hung out there for a little bit and then decided to grab some food. We found an Indian place and I was all for it – since when I head back to the states (Iowa) I probably won’t be able to find it! So I got something different – chicken and some spices and veggies maybe and it came with the amazing bread again. That night we hung out with Tom and Matius again as well as a few boys from all over who were in SA volunteering at Hands at Work up near Pretoria. Tommy and Dave were from England, ? was from Canada and Josh was from South Africa. They were fun to talk to and we watched them play pool for a while. Then a few of them left but Tommy was still around the hostel. I ran into him later and he was talking about going to UShaka in the morning. I said that I thought we wanted to head back into town that day as well. He said that we might be able to squeeze into their car. So I told him that would be great and that we would meet up with them in the morning.

The next morning they were around packing their things. Tommy came up to me and asked if we still wanted a ride. I said that would be great if they were sure they had room. He came back and said that we could squeeze – it would be 6 people and lots of stuff in a fairly small car. But we did it. So we all headed into town and finally made it there – we might have gotten a little lost but of course the driver, Josh, would never admit that. He is a male, which means he automatically has a sense of direction. Breana and I had planned to maybe go surfing or diving that day – we didn’t really expect to hang out with them all day but when we got there we found out they had different plans for us. We started to walk away and they said. “wait you guys aren’t going to UShaka?” We told them our original plans but they convinced us that it would be more fun to hang out with them and go to the water park. So we changed our plans and headed to UShaka – which was probably the best idea and choice we could make. We got in and headed right for the slides. We went down pretty much every slide (even the ‘biggest slide in Africa’ – which was probably as big as most slides in every water park in America!) We made sure and made fun of that for a while. The guys decided it would be fun to do illegal things on some of the slides. So they would stop themselves and then wait for us to run into them in the middle of the slide. It was awesome – we were playing around like little kids again! We ran round the park all morning – going on the lazy river and slides, and then headed to get some lunch and watch the dolphin show. I love dolphins so I was all for this decision. It was like sea world! After the show we walked around the aquarium a bit and Josh had never seen a penguin in real life so we had to go see them. It is crazy to me that he was 19 years old and had never seen a penguin – I think I have seen them like at least 5 times at many different zoos.

After UShaka we decided to head down towards the beach to chill there for a bit. The guys were supposed to leave early afternoon to head to St. Lucia but we were just so amazing that they decided to stay and hang out with us instead of leaving. We got to the beach and first grabbed some ice cream.. which made my day. Then we started playing some rugby and Frisbee on the beach. Breana went swimming but I just decided to stay dry and play with the guys. After a bit we decided it was time to get going. The guys were like ok well you need to get a cab now because we are heading the opposite way. So we started to say bye when they said just kidding get in the car we are taking you home. The traffic was horrible but the car ride was rather enjoyable. I was sitting on Breana’s lap, sticking my head out of the window and sing to the radio. We finally made it back to the hostel and we got their names so we could add them on facebook! We had such a fun day and were sad that they were leaving and that we hadn’t met them earlier. It was crazy that we had only met them that day – but we just clicked – it was like we had been friends for years! They told me lots about their volunteer program (Hands at work) and I am really looking into doing it sometime in the next couple of years. I know that I will get bored in the states and want to get out again!

That night I hung out, watched some T.V. and chatted with some peeps. Breana and I went to dinner that night at the Green Dolphin and I got some calamari (which is really good and cheap here!) I ended up chatting with some little girls that night for a while because the rest of the people that I knew had either left or went out. Elizabeth and Inez (from Cali and Germany – who are in our program in P.E.) were also staying at our hostel for a few nights. They went into down on Friday night as well. So like I said I talked to some girls who ended up calling me a cereal killer because that is pretty much all I ate. It was quite funny and they were fun to chat with. I went to bed early that night since we had to get up at 5 so we could make it downtown by about 6 for our 6:30 bus ride back to P.E.

The ride home was much better than the ride there. We arrived a bit late into P.E. but we didn’t mind because we had made it. We caught a cab home and went to bed. It was a great vacation. We met some wonderful people and got to see Mozambique as well as a part of South Africa that most of the international students didn’t get to see! I am so glad that Breana and I did our own thing and didn’t follow the crowd to Cape Town. Thanks Breana for the wonderful vacation and thanks to her parents for setting us up with Brian and his family!

SA Roadlink – This one’s for you!

Taken straight from their website: 

'SA Roadlink is a luxury passenger transport company operating long haul bus routes countrywide. Over the past 11 years SA Roadlink has made great strides in the transport sector, making us one of the industry leaders in South Africa.' 

And under their slogan - 'We'll take you there'

Now let me dissect this for a minute. 'Made great strides' - if you use the word strides - you're not even close, just give up. 'one of the industry leaders' (which would be impressive if there were 100 or even 10) but since there are maybe 3 and SA Roadlink is clearly 3rd, it's not so good. Let's do the math 3 out of 3 - that would be LAST PLACE! But yes, I guess you get 'bronze', which is a 'leader' in your eyes. 

Yes, they will take you there -- or more like somewhere... but you'll probably have to be picked up by a 3rd party or you'll make it 'somewhere' in an ambulance but at the least you better believe you WILL arrive late. But no doubt they will 'take you there (somewhere)'

(This may seem bitter, but it's not. At least not now, as I recount it later! I find it rather hilarious.. and hopefully you will to!)

So, if you came here wondering if SA Roadlink is a safe reliable bus, let me just be super real for a minute - NO IT IS NOT! Ok, now if that's all you wanted.. bye. buttttt....... if you want some first hand, unbelievable, funny proof, then here you are!



An unforgettable SA Roadlink story... that I'm thankfully alive to tell.


We started out at 6:30 AM from Port Elizabeth with the bus being 20 minutes late (I was annoyed at the time, but later realized this was NOTHING!) As the journey began - on the bumpy road, swaying back and forth - car sickness was inevitable. I was keeping it together, thankfully and trying to sleep. I noticed we make it to East London and all was pretty swell. About an hour outside East London we pulled off at a gas station and told we had a 20 minute break… well that turned 20 minutes turned in to about 3 hours. Confused as to why we had not been summoned back to the bus, we confronted the crew. A belt had broken (which explained why the air hadn’t been working the last 30 minutes we were moving). We were told we had to wait for a mechanic from East London to get there now now (South African term - meaning sometime in the next few hours, maybe). 

Trying to make the best of this situation we sat around talking, eating and soaking up some sun. The mechanic showed up, I think we might have applauded. He apparently 'fixed' something, which took about 10 minutes. (Why we waited 3 hours is beyond me). We loaded up, made some great progress of 30 minutes (sarcastic maybe slightly) to a tiny, sketch town called Butterworth. We were told that the bus still wasn’t fixed because the mechanic fixed the belt with rope. I thought this was a joke. We sat at a gas station for 3 hours for a man to come fix a rubber belt with A ROPE!??! 

Here's all we could say - T.I.A. - This is Africa. (a coined term to explain the unexplainable in Africa.) So, in case you missed that we waited for a mechanic for 3 hours to fix the bus with rope! Awesome!

Let's talk about Butterworth, where they had us posting up. We ventured into the town center (out of necessity for cellphone minutes). The chaos was overwhelming - people, animals, cars, bikes, yelling and large crowds. We found a convenient store - got in and got back out as quickly as possible while fighting through the crowds of people. The crew informed us we should probably stay near the buses, because it was not safe in Butterworth. Again, more awesomeness. 

We sat there, on the cement directly outside the buses until 7:30 PM. Now this next part was mind blowing to me and simply unexplainable. We were told a different bus was coming (from Durban). We were super excited that we would be getting a different bus and continue on our way. Then we were told, the bus was full of people and the plan was to switch busses. This part is kicker - their bus was working and ours was broken. They had NOT been informed that they would be switching a working bus for a broken bus. They called a small meeting before the (working) bus arrived and we were kindly informed that we were NOT to say a single word that the bus they were loading their suitcases on to and groggily boarding was broken and not going to be moving anytime soon. It was hard for me to watch them board the bus, finding seats, not knowing what was going on. I have no idea what happened to these poor people, but hopefully they made it to their destinations (eventually). 

We got everything put onto our new bus and headed off towards Durban. Our arrival time was originally set for 9 PM. With these 'pit stops' we were set to get there about 3 in the morning. I should add that we had a family friend of my roommates waiting for us in Durban to drive us to his home in Pongola (4.5 hours north of Durban). 

The new bus was moving smoothly and rather quickly...  maybe too quickly. But we did have, oh you know about 6 hours time to make up! Don't worry that we didn't have time to make any more proper stops, so instead of letting us off, we stopped by a fried chicken joint and they bought us each a piece of chicken and a biscuit. Now that is some awesome costumer service thank you SA Roadlink, some fried chicken always makes me happy especially now that you've made the bus I've been stuck on smells like a dead chicken mixed with BO and many other wonderful smells!

We hit yet another roadblock around 2 AM. I know, I know this is very hard to believe. (NOT!) Of course we were trying to sleep, it had been a super long day. But we woke up to a loud pop and then felt the bus halt and pull over – but started moving again after a few minutes. After another few minutes the bus was filled with the smell of burning rubber. I remember being rather angry at the smell wanting it to go away so that I could sleep – not even thinking that maybe the bus could be on fire! No, because that would be impossible! Oh wait, nothing is out of the question with SA Roadlink. The bus was indeed on FIRE!!! We were told 'get off' and 'grab your stuff', confused as to why until a passenger said, there's a fire! We quickly got off the bus and as I was grabbing my suitcase from the underneath storage outside the bus, I caught a glimpse of the back tire - which was gray from the fire/smoke and behind the tire sparks were still flying!

We quickly moved away from the bus down the road. I just knew the bus would explode and frankly was kind of hoping for it, it would be fun to see that sucker burn to the ground. We weren't that lucky. Side note for you South Africans: we were in the middle of the Transkei. Everyone else: This is not a very good place to be - period. ever. and to stranded in this place on the side of the road at 2 AM - basically a death wish.

But, instead of getting upset/scared/angry we stood there and laughed.. and laughed and laughed. (and took pictures) Maybe it was exhaustion. Or maybe it's just all we could do to keep ourselves from screaming. From screaming at the crew, SA Roadlink, or the world in general. Just when we had thought it couldn’t get worse our bus caught on fire! FIRRREEE! hahahahhahaha

As all the passangers stood there, on the side of the road in the cold, they came over and asked if anyone had any water. I did, but I had no clue how long they were going to make me stand on the side of the road - there was no way I was sharing my precious water and what did they need it for? (continue reading to find out).

Soon we were informed we would be stuck on the bus till 2 in the afternoon the next day, till another bus could come. YEAH RIGHT. I think we would have rather hitch hiked with a creeper/killer/freak! We didn't do that (mom) don't worry. Instead we responsibly called our friend, who was waiting for us. He said that he would drive the hour and a half to come get us from the side of the road.

After the fire, we were told that getting back on the bus and traveling a few miles was safer. Why? Because where we were we would likely get robbed and/or killed. Awesome, so we took our chances with a burning bus. So, it became apparent as we boarded the bus again what they needed our liquids for.... of course... it was TO PUT OUT THE FIRE! (because of course fire extinguishers take up too much room and/or are over rated). But they didn't use water, instead they used... wait for it..... Fanta and Cream Soda. FANTA!!!?  CREAM SODA?!! YESSSS!! THEY USED SODA TO PUT OUT THE FIRE!! Or maybe they drank it as they roasted their marshmallows (or chicken) over the flames! But either way, soda was somehow used in the process of 'putting out the fire'! I promise this is a true story! I know it doesn't seem like it, but it's all for realz!

We slowly moved a few miles down the road where it was supposedly safer since being on the side of the road in the Transkei is not safe (uh, duh...). We ended up parked by a couple of semis (clearly much safer?!). We tried to get some shut eye as we waited for our friend to come get us/find us. He got to the bus around 4:30 AM (almost 24 hours after we began our journey). We woke up to a gruff man saying ‘Breana?’ We got into his car and made it to his house around 11 that next morning, feeling drained and horrible for what we all had to put up with!


I wish that was the end. But it's not. We had to take the same bus home! But of course we were optimistic and thinking, our story/experience must be once in a lifetime! 

We stood outside the bus/bus station at 6 AM because the key had broken off inside the lock. This company just really has the WORST luck on the planet. They weren’t able to get into the office, so we had to wait. 

We got on the road about a half hour late – but again, if that was the worst thing that happened that would have been amazing. Well.. it was all good until we hit King Jamestown (about 2.5 hours from P.E.). We were starting to feel pretty confident that we might make it back on time ish and without any issues. 

We were wrong.... We pulled into a parking lot to pick people up and heard a commotion. We realized we had hit a truck (with one of the racks to carry ladders and things). Granted we weren't moving very fast, so it seemed it wouldn't be a big deal. But turns out we hit that truck not just once but TWICE ANDDDDDD we hit a car on the other side of the other bus too!! When we stopped at the police station to report the accident(s), we all got off of the bus to see what was going on after a while of not moving. 

That's when we found the huge, side bus windows was completely shattered and also had a hole in it. They tried to tell us that we were going to have to wait for a different bus (which would take about 12 hours). YEAH RIGHT, I thought! Luckily, they decided that clear tape would do the trick! A nice man on the bus helped out by taping it up! (Turns out he recognized us, from when he came to Butterworth to pick up his girlfriend when we were stranded there on the way up to Durban -- small world!) We finally made it home to P.E. around 10 PM! So thankful we made it, so so thankful that we made it home ALIVE!

Thank you SA Roadlink for the exciting, crazy and life threatening story that I will be able to tell my grandkids one day.


In conclusion:  

For those of you considering SA Roadlink -- Do it at your your own risk you might not come out alive (seriously)! 

Also if you think we got a refund or any sort of apology or compenstation (besides the fried chicken) you're crazy. We were told (by other passengers) not to even file for a refund because they wouldn't give it to us!

Lastly, if you have a story of your own, please write it in the comments or email it to me! I would love to hear it and would like to know if I just have really bad luck, or if maybe it really is SA Roadlink!!

Thanks for reading, and good luck if you ever take this bus!! I hope you make it to your destination with all limbs attached and all your belongings! 

Farm Weekend – Adalaide, South Africa (April 15 – 17)

yummmm.. fresh warm milk... NOT! It was gross (but maybe that is because I haven't had real milk in ages since I am lactose intolerant!)

The girls (Me, Marita, Sarah, Becca, Bridget, Kelly and Hannah)

Pictures taken at the top of the mountain that we climbed!

Giraffe head in the house we stayed at!

We left Friday morning around 10:00 to head to Adalaide – a very small town (I would say about the size of Donnellson) up in the mountains about 3.5 hours from Port Elizabeth! We made lots of stops on the way there – not for sure why but we didn’t end up getting there till around 3. When we got there we ate some cold ham sandwiches and then headed out to look around the farm. There were two couples (neighbors – but they were about a half hour by car on a dirt/gravel road away from each other!) who were our hosts. They do this every year for the international students, allow them to come into their home and tour their property. We got to milk a cow and see some of the property and then we went back to the house to chill and wait for dinner. While we waited for food we sat inside by the fire and played cards! (we didn’t realize that it was going to be so cold there so we were not prepared. After eating a huge meal of potatoes, veggies, chicken and some amazing dessert!

After dinner we headed off to where the girls would be staying (the neighbors). When we arrived they showed us the rooms where we would be staying. The first room was the Zebra room, which ended up being my room and I shared it will Chelsea – my twin she is just a ‘little burnt’ (or so she says)! That night we looked around the house a bit and then hit the sack. The warm cozy bed felt wonderful. The next morning we woke up and the guys came over to our house for breakfast (cheese, tomato, and ham toasties). After breakfast we went outside and shot guns. It was raining so he set up his gun in the shed and we shot out towards a target. The guys went first and for the first like 10 people I jumped every time that the gun fired. I have only ever shot a bb gun… so a 22 was a step up. I was one of the last girls to go and ended up not doing to bad. I was just a little bit higher then the bulls’ eye. Chelsea was the winner with the only shot that hit the bulls’ eye, even out of all the boys! Then we had lunch and after we chilled for a little while and played some cards in the animal head room! – The owner of the house was a hunter and he had heads of most animals in Africa (well except for the Big 5, which are super expensive to get license for!) including a zebra and giraffe. It was pretty cool.. a little creepy but still awesome to see a massive giraffe neck and a zebra head as well as a full zebra rug. He also had kudoo and other deer like animals and a warthog!

That afternoon we took a ride in the back of the trucks (that had a cage – thank goodness because I probably would have fallen out a few times). We took a long drive around the property, played a little bit of HEY COW – which you yell at cows and see how many cows look at you. Thanks Scott and your Wisconsin upbringing for that great game! Oh the things the people from the Midwest do. They took us to the bottom of a huge hill (almost what I would consider a mountain) and told us to hike to the top. So we jumped the fence and started the about 40 minute hike to the top. I got about ¾ of the way and wanted to stop by Chelsea told me to keep going. I finally made it huffing and puffing (which I blame on the 6,000 ft. altitude that we were at not me being out of shape!) but was so glad that I made it. The view was stunning – from one side we could see a small town and the other way we could see a large mountain range. We also got to see the clouds roll in up over the mountain and take lots of fun pictures of ourselves. The hike down was also fun – we pretty much ran down the hill. I tried to stop myself from running but that hurt worse so I just went for it. I was just happy I didn’t trip and roll down the hill. We hopped back in the trucks and headed for the warm house. Our feet were wet and freezing! At the house (that we were staying at – pretty much a mansion!) we played some more cards, drank some wine and beer and waited for the steak and potatoes to be ready. It was by far one of the best dinners that I have had while here in SA. We had steak, potatoes, bread, a couple different salads and then while we were waiting for the real food we ate desserts (lemon pie, chocolate cake and candy!).. SOOO good!

The next morning we got up and made our way back to Winnie’s house (the first house that we were at) for breakfast. After breakfast we got warmed up and watched a little bit of TV – something most of the people haven’t really watched the whole time we have been here. Breana and I are a couple of the lucky ones who have a TV – we only get 2-3 channels but it is better than nothing I guess. The SA soap operas are pretty entertaining to watch! After that we got back into the trucks and were dropped off at another part of their property and told to hike to a waterfall. We got lost a couple of times until the owner came and told us which way to go. We made it to the falls not thinking that we were have to get into the water to SEE them. We thought it was a choice whether we wanted to go swimming so none of us were prepared. We decided we had to do it if we had hiked all that way. So we all stripped down into our undies and hopped into the FREEZING cold water. I have never been in colder water. It took my breath away when I got into it.. but I did it! I got in and swam to the falls. It was beautiful and since it had been raining the whole time we were there, the water was gushing. I wasn’t able to take pictures since I didn’t feel like swimming with my camera but you will just have to believe me.. it was pretty cool. I think the best part was that we swam there in our undies as a group in freezing water!

After that we walked back freezing to the cars. I took off my wet clothes and put on my dry ones that I didn’t wear in the river. When we got back to the buses we all changed into warm dry clothes and headed home to P.E. This trip was so needed and I loved being so close to nature and on a farm. It reminded me of home and it was great to be around a family and have home cooked meals. I also felt like I got closer to some of the people in our program!

Ironman South Africa

First of all we need to discuss what exactly the Ironman is – It is a 4k swim, 180k bike, and a 42k (a marathon) run. For the people back home I will translate into miles… 2.4 m swim, 112 m bike and 26.2 m run.

The people who participate in this will burn a weeks worth of calories! And it takes them anywhere from 8-17 hours (since they start at 7 and the cutoff is at midnight).

I decided I wanted to see the start of the event so I woke up at 6 to start my walk down to the Hopi beach where they would be starting their swim in the ocean. (I got up way later then a couple of my friends who were at the pier at 5 in the morning to make sure they got a good spot – they were the first ones there!) I showed up just after they jumped into the water. I went down on the beach - close to where they were exiting/entering the water. I took my shoes off so that I could stand in the ocean and take pictures. The route was soooo far (4 k around 2 miles) and then as the first people (the professionals) got out of the water I found out that they had to do the course again! Everyone was wearing the same black wetsuit except one man who was just wearing board shorts.

After they were done swimming they had to hop on their bikes and ride 112 miles. That is ridiculous!! I watched some of them as they came out of the tunnel to start the bike course. I think at this point they were probably still thinking that doing the Ironman was an ok idea. It was about 9 at this point (2 hours after the race had started) and I was already tired so I met some friends for breakfast. I had a waffle with syrup and ice cream. After breakfast I walked back home so I could change into my swimming suit since it was turning into a hot day and I wanted to actually swim in the ocean (which I hadn’t done here yet and maybe only one other time in my life!) My friend Natasha picked me up around noon and we made our way back down to the event. We went to where a few of her friends had set up camp on Marine Drive where everything was happening. Everyone was still on the bikes when we got down there – so we cheered them on as they passed.. but they went by so fast that it was hard for us to cheer. I took lots of pictures and sat on the curb as they zoomed by. I was a little afraid they were going to hit me – especially after we saw one guy fall off of his bike. He was trying to get a drink and didn’t have any hands on his bike – he lost control and fell! But he got back up, took a couple of minutes, and kept on racing. (I guess when you pay 3,500 rand or about 550 dollars to do a race then you don’t let anything stop you!)

A little while later the first man (a professional) got off of his bike and started to run the marathon (26 miles). He ran right past where we were standing so we all cheered really loud. Then slowly more and more started to come and the first lady ran by – Chrissie Willington (or something like that I think – she was one touch chick). After another hour of cheering on the runners by calling out their name and slapping their hands we decided to head to the ocean. So we grabbed our towels and headed down to the beach. It was one of my first times actually getting in the ocean and it was wonderful – cold but so peaceful and relaxing. I felt much cooler after the swim and was ready to head back and cheer on some more bikers/runners.

Soon after we were done swimming we made our way to the finish line so that we would be able to see the first few people finish. The first man crossed the finish line in around 8 hours (so around 3 in the afternoon). AMAZING! He was so exhausted but still acknowledged the crowd and standing ovation. We waited around for the first woman to cross, which was Chrissie, who finished about 45 minutes after the first man. She set a record and so did the first man to cross. They were amazing. After I watched a few more finish I headed back to where Natasha was sitting. I kept on cheering and yelling for the people running.

It was one of the best times that I have had in P.E. I felt like it was a parade and it brought a lot of people out of their houses and down to cheer the Ironmen on! The people we were standing with were the best. They would yell “we have a walker” and then we would all start either chanting the person’s name or saying ‘go, go, go’ haha. Then Natasha started slapping people on the butt. She would yell ‘Go Mathew’ and then as he ran by she would slap him on the butt. The best was when on man went by and we were all cheering super loud and slapping his hand and Natasha slapped him on the butt.. then he turned around and said lets do that again. So he ran back by us again! Haha

I stayed their screaming people’s names and telling them they could do it and even sang them the song ‘you are the champions.’ It was such a fun event and I know that the people running appreciated it because several people would say thank you as they were huffing and puffing running by us. The race didn’t finish until midnight but I was to tried to stay that late. So I left around 8. There were still a lot of people running at that point just trying to finish because they all had to be done at midnight and if they didn’t cross the line by then – they didn’t finish. I would have liked to see the end when the last stragglers were pushing hard to finish but getting up at 6, standing, and cheering all day had me beat – I can’t even imagine how they were feeling!

Cape Town March 17-21

Is this for real batman.. ?! Watching the sunset over the ocean is one of the most gorgeous surreal things ever. This night might have sold me on living near an ocean!

Table Mountain with the Cape Town lights! (breathe taking)

Dang it.. penguins are ugly and apparently mean :( sad.. Madagascar makes them seem cool and funny!

They call me freedom.. just like a waving flag (thanks Jan for making us all listen to that song 45 times).

 Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point at the lighthouse!

MONKEYS :)

Jan and Mac.. in the Mercedes mirror.

The random parade that happened right outside of the two oceans hostel that we were staying at!

We took off for Cape Town at about 9 p.m. (or 21:00 as South Africans would say) in a Mercedes – thanks to Jan. I have no idea how he got such a nice car – I guess I will just use the explanation “It’s because he’s German.” That usually works for most things: when I can’t understand him, when he is acting weird or when he shows up with a Mercedes to pick up some 20 years olds to drive to Cape Town in South Africa. But don’t worry I wasn’t complaining: nice leather seats, A.C., a good radio, and a huge trunk. We were on our way (Me, Breana – my roommate, Mac – Jan’s roommate from California, Thomas – a German, and Jan another German also one of my best guy friends here). We ran into some rain on the way there and apparently the windshield wipers go on automatically when it is raining – that was a topic of conversation for awhile. First we congratulated the Germans on their invention and then I concluded that it was unnecessary and that they were only showing laziness (because really how hard is it to turn on your wipers). Plus it wouldn’t clean the window automatically when it was dirty with bugs – so what good is it anyway. Anyway.. we ended up staying in Knysna, which is about 3 hours from P.E. It took us awhile to find a place to accommodate us at 1 in the morning, but after using Jan’s phone – which was somehow connected to the car so that he could make calls with the car and it would transmit over the speakers – we found a nice little place.

We left the next morning headed for our destination after a pit stop to take pictures of the beautiful lake adjacent to the town. It is a beautiful town, quiet and small. The rest of the ride went pretty well.. I tried to get some sleep, rocked out to some music, and then when we got stuck in traffic I got out of the car and waved to the passing cars. It was such a great time – I loved making peoples’ day as they would pass and wave and laugh. I even got some of the semis to honk. Then as we passed the construction workers or the other stopped cars – I would stick my head and arm out the window to wave and say hi. Crappy that we had to stop and delay our arrival time but thank goodness for fun times and memories of the people’s faces who were looking at me like I was an alien! Haha

We got to CT, found our hostel and started roaming around the city. That night we went to watch the sunset over the ocean with Table Mountain and the city in the background. It was absolutely gorgeous and if I could do that every night of my life – I would be one happy camper. It almost seemed unreal and I had to keep asking myself it was real or if I was dreaming. We of course took lots of pictures and we even found a crab that we held and took pictures with. Then Mac found a jellyfish and decided to see if the dead jellyfish could still sting – conclusion it couldn’t (at least not the one that we found). After the sunset we went down to the waterfront where there was a mall and lots of restaurants as well as a massive Farris wheel. We walked around the mall and then found an amazing and sort of cheap seafood place to eat at. Jan and I split a massive plat of mussels, fish, prawns (shrimp). calamari and calamari heads, as well as chips (fries) and rice. It was soooo good. Afterwards we went down to Steers to get some ice cream and witnessed some drunk guys around our age yelling and arguing with the workers (something about he just wanted his food but he hadn’t paid for it or he changed his order or something – who knows). We went home and I turned on the T.V. to find MARCH MADNESS!!! I was probably one of the happiest people in South Africa at that moment. It was sooo great to sit down and watch sports (well real ones – the only ones that are on here are cricket, rugby and soccer – none of which I really understand). So I stayed up kind of late watching ESPN and an American sport. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until it was right in front of me.

The next morning we got up and made breakfast and then headed to try to climb table mountain but it was later in the day (almost noon) and the line to ride up was about 45 minutes long. We thought for a second that we would just hike but then killed that idea since it was probably about 95 degrees outside and the sun was out and full. So instead we decided to head back to the hostel, change into our suits and go find some penguins and the Cape of Good Hope. We started driving on the long and curvy road down to the Cape of Good Hope. I started to feel a little car sick as crazy Jan/German was driving like a NASCAR driver. But we made it safely to see the ugly black and white creature that Madagascar makes look cute and funny. It was still awesome to see penguins!! J

After our pit stop at the birds we continued on to the end of Africa (well not the furthest south but close) and made it to the Cape of Good Hope. We stopped along the route to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. When we arrived to the Cape we saw some monkeys – a dad, mom and baby. So we took pictures and observed them picking lice off of each other white the baby played with a stick. Then we started a trek up some steps to a lighthouse, which took forever it seemed like and it was sooo so hot. I think I was over heating, which caused me to be crankier than normal – meaning I was not much fun to be around. However, I tried to keep to myself and let the others go on so that I wouldn’t have anyone to listen to my complaining. After the lighthouse we went down to where the Cape of Good Hope sign was where it happened to be much cooler (which increased my mood by 1000 percent). A bus of Asians also rolled up, which of course made the day even better. They immediately swarmed the sign while screaming at each other where to stand as ALL of them had to get a picture of each one. They even ended up getting a picture with Mac and the South African flag that Jan had brought. He wanted to go to the Cape for the soul purpose to listen to a song called “they call me freedom just like a waving flag” and wave his German and South African flag at the sign. I think we ended up with about 100 pictures of him doing this and I even ended up with a couple of pictures of the Asians taking pictures, which was WAY more interesting. Oh how I love Asians!

That evening there was a parade that went right by our hostel. So we sat on the balcony and watched the sort of Mardi Graus-esque parade. There was a lot of dancing, bright lights, plastic animals and even a float full of gay men dressed as women (the obvious highlight of the parade since everyone was super loud as they were going by). The parade was great, however I somehow lost my purple Camelbak waterbottle off of the balcony. I am assuming it fell down, which hopefully it didn’t kill someone. But after that the night just didn’t go as well. I was also upset since earlier everyone else went out on the town while I was sleeping with out even telling me what was going on. But all in all it was great to see the parade and I held it together trying not to get to down. Afterwards we walked around forever trying to find some cheap food where there was not a big line – hard to do after a parade! The rest of night for me was spent with me watching ESPN and going to bed sort of early.. it had been a long day.

The next morning enthusiastic Jan (who woke up every morning to his phone playing a horrible country song singing something about I hear my alarm clock ringing…) woke me up at 6 something. I am sure my face was wonderful and my reaction was what!?! He kept saying lets go we are going to go hike Table Mountain. Yeah, just what I wanted to do early in the morning but I knew I had to. So the two Germans and I went to climb the mountain while the other 2 lazy Americans slept the day away. We started the hike and it was cool for awhile while we were in the shade but then the mountain got steeper and the sun came out and shined on our backs the rest of the way. There was really no way for me to prepare for this hike except to ride one of those stair masters – as it was pretty much solid stair steps up the ENTIRE WAY! It made me feel even worse about me taking 2 ½ hours to get to the top when a 55 + year old woman said that she does it in about 50 minutes. Are you kidding me?! I will be lucky if I even hike a mountain ever at that age let alone doing it once a week in way less than half the time it took me. I tried to use the excuse that I am from Iowa – the flattest place EVER! Haha At one point (when we were all still sort of together before the 2 Germans left me) they were speaking in German, which I had no clue what they were talking about until I heard my name, which they didn’t deny when I called them out on it. Sweet. So yeah it took me longer than them but whatever ‘it is not about how fast I get there it is all about the climb’ at least that is what Miley Cirus tells me and thanks to Jan I was able to sing and think about that song the whole way up.

The view from the top was wonderful. At first it was very cloudy and hard for us to see Cape Town or the ocean. After about an hour we checked back and it was much better so we took tons of pictures and then headed down the cable car. When we got back to the hostel we made some lunch (or I mean Jan and Thomas did). It was amazing pasta with some sort of buttery sauce and chicken. It was the best meal every - or wait maybe that was just because I had climbed a mountain and was starving. After a quick nap we headed out to the beach. That night I ended up watching some good ole b-ball and went to bed early, while everyone else went out. There was no way I could – my body wouldn’t let me. I think the heat, climbing a mountain and my allergies were finally getting the best of me.

The next day, Monday, we took our time getting ready, took some pictures of very colorful houses and started on our long trek back home. We stopped for lunch and I got a Pizone that was filled with pineapple, olives, and peppers and of course cheese. Everyone else had KFC for like the 4^th time on the trip – I didn’t eat it once but South Africans sure do love their fried chicken. I rode for a little less than half of the way back in the passenger seat, which was soo nice. I am so glad I was able to do that, as it was so much more comfortable and roomy. As we got close to getting back we were almost out of gas so Jan had to strategically try to drive slow and smart to save gas while also try to make it back fast since we had a specific time we had to return the car. We made it to the gas station I am sure on fumes – the car stopped telling us how many km’s we had left and just showed us a picture of a gas pump in the car. It all worked out - I guess he dropped the car off with one minute to spare.

What a weekend.. I am almost as tired from writing about the weekend as I was at the top of the mountain, which I didn’t mention that I might have laid down on the rocks in the shade for maybe a good 15 minutes (well until I got distracted by a lizard). It was a good weekend, it was packed and I felt like I was grumpy the whole time but hopefully I wasn’t to annoying to the people I went with and hopefully they will still be my friends :)

            

MINI BUS - and other funny things..

The mini bus drivers (these ridiculous bus type van things, which are white usually with the South African flag along the side) are crazy first of all. And second the man that takes the money and yells out the window at people usually yells - "Town town.. down town.. towny towny" and then there are some honks in between there. I usually don't take these buses because they scare me until one day last week when I was with the North Carolina guys headed down town to look around at some shops. So we waved one down and they pulled over and the door flung open. We hoped in and sat on the bench seat. When we finally got there (after the man on the side yelled at people as he hung out the window and we picked up more passengers) there were 3 men yelling as well tried to get off of the mini bus. I guess they were maybe trying to get us to get on a different mini bus.. But I was terrified. I looked at Michael and he just said - 'say no'. haha so I did or tried.


On Saturday I was in a mini bus with my friend Jan headed to Green Acres (the large mall in P.E.) which was my first time going there. It was nice to see a mall and some civilization. haha Anyway the mini bus on the way there and back was packed and it was a crappy one that smelled horribly like exhaust. We were crammed in there with 19 people when the bus is only supposed to hold 15. What an experience. :) 


This past weekend I asked the take out Chinese restaurant lady where I could get some crab rangoon.. and she looked at me like I was an alien from outer space speaking some crazy language. So I proceeded to describe them to her - and after a couple of minutes I gave up and said 'oh well maybe it is an American thing.' Dang it I just want a crab rangoon (or many) what is a Chinese place if they don't have them!!


I also found out today that nyc doens't only mean New York City but that it also is a different/slang way of spelling nice. Of course the American in me was way confused and I had to ask my SA friend what she meant because I didn't think she was meaning to say New York City! haha


More weird things they say.. they call bangs - fringe... diapers are napies... and pacifiers are dumbies! It really makes you think why certain things have such different/weird names! 

Zenathemba children's home

I work in a children's home on Mondays from about 3-5. It is something I look forward to each week. There are 6 kids living there right now ranging from 2 years to 11 years. They have either been neglected by their parents, or taken away by the social workers, or in some cases they are found under bridges or in garbage dumps. Some of them have AIDS and some don't. I think the owners of the house (where the kids are staying) said that there is currently one with AIDS in the home. The kids don't go to school and the oldest girl (11) is at about a 1st grade level. The 8 year old boy Henri barely knows the alphabet and can only spell his name and maybe cat and dog. However, they are all very eager to learn!


A couple of weeks ago Hanna (the other girl who goes with me) and backed some cupcakes and brought frosting and spinkles for the kids to make their own snake! They seemed to love it and really enjoy eating sugar. They normally get apples for a snack. It was obvious an hour later that they had had sugar.. they were bouncing off the walls and runny around like wild monkeys. haha It was great to watch them do something that they were not used to doing. They were very careful with putting the icing on and some were putting more on than others! I took pictures of the event :)


This past Monday was great at the home as well but also sad at the end! I was having a rough day on Monday and wasn't feeling well, which made me not want to play with kids. But I went anyway and I am so glad I did. We were playing outside when Henri (the 8 year old boy) came up to me and and told me...


"You are black" He said, "The clouds are white (as he pointed at them) and said you are not white you are black!"


I tried to keep my cool and not laugh. But it was hilarious. I also tried to explain to him that I was just dark not really black. I don't really know if it worked but it made my day better. Later, when we went inside Henri brought me a book (a kids encyclopedia) to read to him. So I sat on the couch reading that as well as another animal book - where he would try to sound out the words. I was glad I was able to help him learn! Then later Zen (a 3 year old little boy) came and sat on my lap - after he hit his head and was crying - and we looked at the book together. I felt like I was able to bond with the kids more and it made my day.


Everyday when we leave the kids run up to us and give us huge hugs and try to climb up us. It is usually a ten minute ordeal to get out of the house! But I love it.. I feel so loved :) and I just know that I will end up crying when I leave! But last monday was different.. the owner of the house told us that Layla (one of the littlest girls - maybe 2) was going to be leaving the next day and hopefully going back to her family. I was so sad because just that day I was thinking about how she was my favorite and how I would love to adopt a little girl like her someday. I gave her one last little hug and then past her on to Hanna. It was sad but also happy that she would hopefully get to go back to her Mom and Dad. I just hope and pray that she will have a blessed and happy life.


I love working at Zanthemba and I feel so blessed to be able to serve while I am here in South Africa. I think the kids are teaching me way more than I could ever teach them!

Got to worship - South African style :)

Sunday was relaxed. I laid by the pool in the morning and read my Nelson Mandela book “A Long Walk to Freedom” and worked on getting rid of my tan lines. I ate some lunch, listened to my roommate’s stories about a rave that she went to on Saturday night – soooo not my thing. Then I rode my bike to Spar (the grocery store) and was hoping to take my laundry to get washed at the little store next to Spar but they are closed on Sundays. So I walked around the grocery store with my bag of dirty clothes. I wonder what people think about me sometimes! haha Then I needed my bike seat raised so I walked into the hardware store (which is in the same complex as Spar, there is a Pizza place, a laundry mat, an electronics place, a liquor store (which apparently is where you buy beer – they don’t sell it in grocery stores, and then a hardware store) with my dirty laundry and my groceries.

I found a nice man to help me raise my seat and I conveniently (or not so much) wore a skirt so it was hard and awkward for me to make sure that the seat was the right height. Oh well it all worked out with (hopefully) not to many people seeing my butt! Haha. I rode home with all of my things, got lunch, hopped back on the bike and headed down to Friends (The internet café where I always go to skype and check email (and of course facebook but I think that is just a given!) when I don’t want to go to campus). I got to skype my whole family! Andrew first and then the rest of them a little later.. plus I even got to see the cat.

That evening I went to a church service with a friend, Natasha, who I met in my stained glass class. She is 25 and works as a math (or maths as they call it) tutor but in the mornings she takes stained glass! I had told some of the Annie’s people about it and I guess they wanted to go as well. So Scott, Gregor, Ano, Shawn, Alyssa and I all went with Natasha to church. Scott still had a car from the weekend adventures so they followed Natasha and I. The service was great. I got to learn some Africans – Skon (pronounced: Scone) Jesus Skon (shine Jesus shine!).

Afterwards we went out to eat at Walmer Park. I got some lasagna (which they spell lasagne). It was ok – very different from American lasagna. It was kind of bland. Afterwards we all packed into Scott’s car so that Natasha didn’t have to take me all the way home. Then on our way back – we found out that one of the guys needed a ride back to the airport from returning his rental car. So we picked him up. No problem we only had 7 people in a very small 5 seated car. Helmut was sitting on Gregor’s lap in the front, Scott was driving, and the rest of us were squashed in the back. It was a pretty awesome sight I am sure! We made it home safe and sound.. what an awesome Sunday in P.E.

WAKE – UP.

Here the sun wakes me up every morning! I roll over and look at my phone and the time usually says somewhere around 6:30. The other morning it was 6:23 and this morning it was 6:26. This tells me that winter is coming and that I will be able to SLEEP IN LONGER.. haha. I do like waking up early. I mean I never actually get out of bed at that time – I always try to sleep a little longer. I finally will get up when my stomach is growling or when I HAVE TO so I can get ready for class and get ready for my 25 min. fast paced walk to class.

But now I have a bike that is fixed with 2 aired up tires. I now just do not have the bike lock that I paid for. So I can’t take it anywhere otherwise I will end up with no bike. So I guess an unused bike now is better than it not being in my possession. So I guess I will just be patient. Thank you P.E. for teaching me how to be patient and so chill about everything (well I am still working on those two things – but I am sure it will come).