A Visit to Lesotho...and Downtown Jo'Burg!?!

The coach took 12 hours to reach Bloemfontein, most of which I spent sleeping, and we arrived at around 8am in the morning. It was straight in a taxi to the kombi rank where we easily found the kombi leaving for Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. It was then a easy hop over the border (such a relief seen as we had to be out SA by the 5^th to avoid a fine and managed to leave on the 3^rd) and we were in Lesotho. The country was like being back in the real Africa and reminded me a lot of Swaziland! In the city they had a funny taxi system, where for M5.50 the taxi driver would take you where you wanted to go, but at the same time would fill up the taxi with other people heading in the same direction. So it was a kind of kombi/taxi system that I actually thought was pretty cool! Before we headed to our first destination in Lesotho, Malealea, we had to stock up on food as we were heading into the most rural of rural. A stop at shoprite to buy bread, pasta, instant noodles and fruit then it was to the kombi rank to find the kombi to Malealea. We had a lovely man lead  us through the rank to the kombi and then it was a half hour wait before we were off! Lesotho is honestly one of the most picturesque countries I have ever been to. There are mountains all around, with valley's and rivers running in between them. It was all just so breath-taking! As we went off the main road and onto a dirt track road we switched to another kombi that then took us straight to the gate of Malealea Lodge. Now, I have to be honest and say that Robyn and I didn't have much clue as to where we were. We had just read in the Lonely Planet that it was a good place to go and so just went with it! So one coach, three taxis, three kombies and 22 hours later and we had made it to Malealea, Lestho. A good but tiring days travelling!

Malealea Lodge was absolutely stunning. It was situated right in a village and only used people from the local community as employees. They only had electricity, which ran off a generator, between 6pm and 10pm, which made for a very relaxing atmosphere. On our first evening there we pretty much put up the tent then went to bed because we were so tired from the great distance we had just travelled. The next day we went on a 6 hour pony trek through the mountains and valleys that lay all around us. Pony Trekking is a must do in Lesotho. I had a horse called “Icetea”, whom I had my full trust in and had to have given the steep mountains he took me up and down! It was a brilliant day as I rode along, taking in all that was around me and experiencing the real Africa once again. The trek took us down one mountain, across the valley and river, up another mountain, down back into the valley, up the mountain again and then back to the lodge. It was just an incredible but indescribable day! That evening we spent quite a bit of time writing in our journals, Lesotho being the perfect place to try catch up on the days we had missed! It was also the perfect place to come relax and completely chill out after the crazy few weeks we'd just had in South Africa!

The next day we again headed out for the day, but this time on foot as we had a local guide take us to the waterfall and Bushman painting which could be found in the valley. Our guide was called Emmanuel and he was brilliant for telling us everything and anything about the area. After around 2 hours walking we made it to the waterfall which was absolutely stunning! It was hidden right in the valley amongst over-grown bushes and rock faces; the seclusion of it made it feel very special. It was then time to head onto the bushman painting which required another 2 or so hours walking to reach. Before reaching the painting, though, we came across the “Echo Cave” which the bushmen had used to communicate with each other while hunting. If you shouted into the cave the sound would hit off it, travel to another cave across the valley and your voice would be echoed across the whole valley. It was amazing to hear! A steep climb down the valley then back up the other side and we reached the caves where we could see, with our own eyes, pictures depicting hunting stories that had been painted by the bushmen 400 years ago. Real African rock art! On the walk back to the lodge we got caught in a thunderstorm passing over and got absolutely soaked! There was even hail at one point! Again, “Journal Club” took place that evening, along with some traditional fat cakes (basically just extremely stodgey bread) and some coffee liquor which Robyn kindly made. It was also this evening that we had to use a public phone to contact Beth, who is a vol in Jo'Burg, to ask if we could stay for a couple of days before heading back home. The phone had a huge ariel (that's how cut-off we were there) and the reception was so bad that I ended up shouting down the phone the whole time and attracting quite a crowd from around the village. Funny times, but Beth said yes so it was all good!

After our 3 night stay there it was time to head to another part of Lesotho and our chosen place was Bokong Nature Reserve in the north. This day turned into a full days travelling as well, although we didn't cover anywhere near as much distance this time round. It took us 5 kombies, numerous change overs and  a lot of help from the few people who could speak English, only to end up in a village, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Let me explain...We did make it to Bokong Nature Reserve, although it did require a quite scary ride up the edge of a mountain and back down (remember kombies aren't the safest of transport in the first place, never mind adding in a steep ascent). However, contrary to what the Lonely Planet said, the visitors centre didn't offer camping. This pretty much left us stranded in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to sleep for the night. The kombi then took us to the nearest village, though, where we managed to find a holiday village type place (after a trek down a mountain with all our stuff) that offered us a single shally for the night. This place was DESERTED! I'm not even exaggerating when I say we didn't see another person the whole evening and morning we were there! With only a kettle and some cups (which Robyn had to go hunt down) we had instant noodles out a cup for dinner, after a whole days travelling only to arrive in the middle of nowhere. We had to laugh, as annoying as the situation was, it has been a funny and adventurous day and the area we had somehow ended up in was extremely beautiful!

The next day, it was time to leave the middle of nowhere and head back to Maseru. The following day we were heading to Jo'Burg so wanted to be near the border in the morning so as we could leave the country and be on our way as early as possible. The trip back was MUCH easier, although did require a trek back up the mountain and one of the most squished kombi rides I've ever experienced. Eventually we made it to Maseru Backpackers, which is quite possibly one of the worst backpackers I've ever been to. All they had facility wise was a toilet block and a kitchen (that didn't even have any pots or pans)! So with nothing else to do, we sat in the kitchen most of the evening just writing in our journals (by this point I was ALMOST up to date). Just as we were heading to bed, in preparation for our early rise the next day, a thunderstorm began. Now, our tent doesn't do well in wind, and that's exactly what it was windy. The sides of the tent were collapsing and all I could think was “thank goodness it's not raining”. And then what happened? It began to absolutely pour it down! Anything that was against the sides began to get soaked and eventually it got so bad that it actually started to rain inside the tent! By this point I'd had enough, so grabbed my small backpack and sleeping bag and moved to the toilet block. Eventually even Robyn couldn't handle it any more, and we took all our stuff out the tent, moved it into the toilet block and then moved the tent and tied it to the door so it wouldn't blow away. And that's the story of how we ended up sleeping in a toilet block in Maseru. I didn't get to sleep until 3am and we had a 6am start the same morning. Although it was a bit harder this time, we still found the strength to laugh about this one as well!

The next day, or should I say same day, it was time to head to Jo'burg. We were up and packed early and by 7am had crossed the border and were on our way to Bloemfontein where we could catch a kombi to Jo'burg. Getting to Jo'burg was easy enough and by 2pm we were heading into the city. Right into down town Jo'burg I should say. Not a place you want to be. As I looked on out the window as the kombi drove down dirty, burnt down streets, I REALLY didn't want to have to get out. Beth was coming to pick us up, but we were going to arrive before she did. I have never been so scared in all my life! The street was jam-packed full of people, it was dirty, cars lay burnt down, buildings abandoned, it just didn't have a good vibe to it at all. Luckily a man helped us with our things to the nearest restaurant (chickin' lickin') where we waited for Beth to come. Soon enough she arrived, we got our stuff in the car and we were out of there! I'm just glad I made it out that place without being mugged!

The next couple of days were just spent hanging out in Beth's flat, watching tv and chilling in her lounge. She is so lucky to have her own sofa and TV! All I have to myself is my tiny room! We helped out at her project some of the time as well. She works at “Cotlands”, which is an orphange type organisation that takes in orphans, abandoned children and those needing extra and gives them a home and support. It was a really good experience to see a different project from our own and work in a more social care situation than teaching.

On Wednesday 11^th of January it was time to head home! We caught an early kombi (although it was more like a REALLY nice mini-bus) from Park Station (much safer area this time) that took us all the way to Manzini. Probably the easiest stretch of travelling we had done the whole holiday!

Once we had reached Manzini it was straight on our final kombi that would take us back to Big Bend. I felt very proud as I walked through the taxi rank, not needing any help to find the correct kombi. Definitely a local now! And I had been back in Swaziland all of 5 minutes when I had my first marriage proposal of the year. It was good to be back! Stepping out that kombi in Big Bend was the biggest shock I've ever had. The heat was UNBELIEVABLE! I'd forgotten how hot it gets here and in the time we had been away it had only got hotter! Take me back to the cool coastal breeze!

So, that's me back home now. My clothes are clean and I'm no longer living out a rucksack which is a lovely feeling! Work has started again and this morning we made a trip to Injabulo to sign up all the kids. Ready to start teaching now! This year Robyn and I have switched classes, so I'm now going to be teaching the younger Lizards class. A new challenge for me but one I'm looking forward to! I've had an amazing 6 weeks travelling, and it's something I don't think I'll ever forget, but I'm now ready to settle back into life in Big Bend and make the most of the 8 months I have left here!

When in Cape Town...

WE HAD ARRIVED! The long anticipated visit to Cape Town was finally upon us. Now, don't get my wrong, I'd had the time of my life travelling down the coast but this was the big one, the place where we were to spend our Christmas and New Year and where all the volunteers would come together and have one big party!

Our first two nights were spent at the Capetown Backpackers but after some negotiating with Longstreet Backpackers we managed to get ourselves booked in there for the rest of our stay. It was where all the other vols would be staying and right in the centre of everything, so it was definitely the place to be. On our first morning, Michael and I, took a walk to check out Long Street (the party central of Cape Town) and to meet my neighbours from back in good old Philpstoun who were spending christmas in South Africa. My family had given them a christmas present to give to me, meaning I would have something to open on Christmas day, which is really nice. Lovely to see some familiar faces from back home! Later on in the day we took a wonder round the District 6 museum, where they tell you all about the uprooting of thousands of family's from an area, called District 6, in Cape Town during the apartheid, when the government decided to make it a “White Area”. Really interesting to learn about how the apartheid had an effect on specific places. That evening was our first night out on Long Street, which included a trip to an Irish Pub named “The Dubliner” and an early morning trip to McDonald's which was conveniently placed at the top of the street!

The next day was our first trip down to the Waterfront. After moving into Longstreet Backpackers (which I will refer to as LSB from now on) we met two SA vols, Tilly and Sally, and so spent the day with them, wondering around the waterfront and doing a spot of shopping (well browsing because it was very upmarket down there!). When trying to get a taxi back to LSB we unintentionally started a fight between two taxi drivers after pointing out to our driver that the other had stolen his “taxi” sign. A quick exit from that taxi into another one, leaving the two drivers fighting it out. Oops!

And before you know it, it was Christmas Eve! Many of the vols that were going to be there for Christmas weren't arriving till later that evening so it was left to those of us who had already arrived to buy in all the food for out Christmas Day Braai! A trip to Pick N Pay and soon enough we were fully prepared for feeding everyone on Christmas day. In the evening we spent time chilling on the LSB balcony which over-looked the whole street, having a few drinks and getting to know each other. At around 7pm the Lady Grey vols turned up and, knowing that the others wouldn't arrive till around 11pm, we headed out to a cocktail bar and had the most amazing cocktail. “Sex on the Beach”. After this, news arrived that the 6 girls had finally made it and so it was back to LSB to see them all! The place erupted when we all reunited and before you know it we were all out on Long Street once more. This turned into a brilliant night. A trip to “The Dubliner”(the prices for a drink are extortionate in there) where I somehow managed to get hold of the microphone and shout “Project Trust” across the whole pub. Classic PT banter.

Christmas 2011 was a very strange but fantastic day. I didn't wake up at a ridiculously early time through excitement but instead slept till the unheard of time of 9am (after a rather late return the night before). For breakfast a few of us headed to McDonald's where we wanted the breakfast but missed it by 10 minutes and so instead I resorted to a 6 piece McNugget's meal...as you do on Christmas morning! It was then back to LSB, where everyone spent time opening their presents and chatting to family on the phone and skype. In my Christmas package I had socks (classic), a t-shirt from H&M which was exciting, a magazine, some chocolate coins, “make your own” Christmas party hats and party blowers. Not your average Christmas! I also had lovely letters from my sister and friend and a USB with new music (something I'd been missing out on while in Swaziland)! In the afternoon we all chipped in to begin preparing our Christmas day braai. As always happens, we didn't have all the food we needed and so I, armed with a shopping list, made about 6 separate trips to the only open food shop on Long Street to get everything we needed! To add to this very untraditional Christmas we had the most untraditional Christmas lunch imaginable, but it was GOOD! Braai meat, rolls, salad, vegetables, potato salad, crisps and immaculately prepared eggs (thank you Robyn). Some of the traditions were still kept up though; Christmas crackers and eating ourselves sick! In the evening all of us hopped in taxi's and took a trip to Camps Bay to sit on the beach and watch the sunset. The perfect way to end a very successful Christmas and something that felt special to all of us. Camps Bay is really beautiful, with the sand and crystal blue water and then Table Mountain dominating the background. And then what better way to end Christmas day than another trip to McDonald's to eat some cake!

On Boxing day a group us spent the day on the City Sigh-Seeing Open Top Bus so as we could explore Cape Town. They are the exact same buses as you find driving around Edinburgh and London. First stop on the bus was the South African Museum and it was HUGE! We spent a good hour exploring only a fraction of what the museum had to offer before deciding to make the most of our bus tickets and get back on a go somewhere else. On driving to our next destination we passed the actual deserted land that was District 6, and got to see some of the new houses that were being developed in the area. The next place we got off at was The Castle of Good Hope, but compared to what you find in Scotland it was not a castle at all and more like a fort! Still interesting to wonder around though, visiting the Torture Chamber which is always a highlight and then watching a man set off an actual canon from quite close. From the top of the “castle” you got a really good view of Table Mountain and the immediate city. It was then time to get on the big red bus again and this time we decided to stay on all the way to the waterfront. Our trip on the bus took us right up to the beginning of the Cable Cart that goes up Table Mountain, passed the Town Hall where Nelson Mandela made his speech when he was released from Robben Island and through all the posh holiday homes along the waterfront. We then made it to the V&A Waterfront, as it's called, and chilled out there for a while, had a smoothie then walked back to LSB (a walk that we were told would take 15 minutes and ended up taking 45!) That evening we treated ourselves to a meal out at Spurs. On a Monday they have a “2 for the price of 1” on burgers (see, still thinking about the money) and so it seemed like a reasonable enough excuse to go eat a good burger and not the usual pasta and instant noodles we had been living off! That evening was also the creation of what is now know as “Journal Club”; a group of us who will all sit together and write in our journals, otherwise we all know it would be put off and soon we would forget what actually happened each day!

Tuesday and it was time for a well-deserved day on the beach. After an extremely lazy morning, in which most of us did nothing and then a trip to Pick N Pay to buy enough food supplies to last me the rest of my time in Cape Town, we headed down to Clifton Beach (right next to Camps Bay). It was a lovely, if not a little over-crowded, beach. The water was FREEZING! I'm talking colder than in Scotland cold. You had to just wait until your whole body went numb before you could actually enjoy being in the water. It was because we were on the west side of Cape Town, which looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean, and because of the current movement the water is colder in summer than in winter. Strange. So the entire day was basically spent there, lazing in the sun and then cooling off (or more like freezing off) in the ocean. As it started to get late some people headed back to LSB but a couple of us stayed behind so as we could watch the sunset again. We wondered over to another beach and found a perfect spot on top of a rock, the waves threatening to come too high and splash us the whole time. Even though it was blowing an absolute gale and it was pretty chilly it was the perfect way to end the day. The sunset was as beautiful as ever and it was really nice to just sit with the group and chat about everything and anything as the sun slowly disappeared. After this lovely moment it was time for us to also head back to LSB. That evening we didn't head out but instead sat round the table and just chatted. Don't as me how it came about, but at one point we then proceeded to rub yoghurt into our eyes. It actually feels really nice! You should all try it at some point.

The next day another vol, Sarah, and I were up early to try make a plan for that day. It ended up we just spent the day wondering around the museums and having a picnic in the Company Gardens, which was actually really nice. Even though I was the first person up that morning, I still managed to sit around all morning, doing absolutely nothing, and ended up being one of the last to have breakfast and get changed. LAZY! That evening it was Michael's birthday and his mum (who had come over to visit him) kindly invited Robyn, Martin and I to join them for birthday drinks. We met them at the most amazing restaurant, situated on a beach. It was called “The Grand” (and it definitely was grand) and in the posh part of town, so it made a nice change to all the usual places we had been out to eat when we are on a budget. Some drinks, a lovely conversation with Michael's mum and some desert made for a very sophisticated evening. The four of us then headed back to Long Street, where everyone else had just completed a game of “100 shots in 100 minutes” where you have to take a shot of beer every minute for 100 minutes, so as you can imagine they were all rather drunk when we met them in Bob's Bar. Now, Bob's Bar became quite a hit with all us PT-ers. Not only did it make the most amazing pizza's during the day time but it also had an extensive list of shots for only R10 (around 90p). BOB'S BAR-Home of the R10 Shot! Wednesday evening ended up being another memorable night out, where we all ended up in a bar called “Baghdad Cafe”, which was tiny but had an amazing atmosphere so we spent the majority of the night dancing there. It was then another early morning call to McDonlad's. Lethal having a 24 hour McDonald's so close to us but oh well!

Now, Thursday was wine tour time! A big group of us were up early and off to the winelands for a day of wine and cheese tasting. A nice sleep on the bus there got rid of the hangovers and set us all up for the day ahead. The wine lands is an astonishing place of beauty. Rolling hills in the background and then hundreds of vine yards stretching for miles! On our first wine taste, at a vine yard called “Spice”, we also got a chance to look round the cellar where all the wine is made. I never realised it was such a long process to make wine! It was on our first wine taste that we learned the proper way to test wine:

1.      Tilt the glass towards a white background to inspect the colour of the wine

2.      Gently swirl the wine around in the glass (circular motion) to release the flavours and smell

3.      Stick your nose right in the glass and smell all the different tastes

4.      Take a small bit of wine into your mouth then suck in air between your teeth. This helps to give you the full flavour

5.      Then, either swallow the wine or spit it into the buckets provided if you don't want to swallow it.

By the end of the day we were all spitting the wine into the buckets; there is only so much wine one person can take in a day! At our second vine yard, called “Delheim”, we tasted the best rose wine I have ever tasted in my life! It was a really strong wine, that you would only be able to enjoy a glass of with a meal, but it was lovely! At our last vine yard, “Fairview”, we were treated to a wine AND cheese tasting. Fair to say we all took full advantage of the cheese! With our stickers that gave us unlimited access to the cheese tasting counter, we all went round with our little cocktail sticks AT LEAST three times, taking lots of pieces of cheese from the plates at a time. Eventually though, we were all too stuffed with cheese and wine and it was time to head back to Cape Town. I think everyone slept on the bus back home. And just to top it all off, Ellie and I had cheesy pasta for dinner. Cheese overload! That night we all went to the cinema (somewhere I hadn't been in months!) to see a late night showing of “New Years Eve”. Loaded with popcorn, chocolate and slush puppies, we headed into the cinema and enjoyed watching your typical “feel-good” American hollywood, festive, film. It did almost have all the Scottish people in tears at the end though as they sang “Auld Lang Sang”!

On Friday we headed on the Baz Bus for the last time as we went on the Baz Bus Cape Peninsula Tour. This tour was to take us from Cape Town all the way down to Cape Point and The Cape of Good Hope. First stop on our day out was Hout Bay where we went on a short boat trip out to a small island where there were seals. The boat ride itself was the highlight of this as it fought against the waves and felt as though it was flying out the water and landing back in the water the entire way there and back! After Hout Bay we went a drive along Chapman's Peak, which is a road that follows the coastline along a cliff-edge. On one side of us we had a sheer drop into the ocean and on the other a sheer cliff face with nets all along to stop loose rocks and boulders landing on the road and causing an accident. Soon, we crossed the Cape Peninsula to the other side, where the Indian Ocean is. We made it to Simon's Town and Boulders beach, where we saw the African Penguins! Weird seeing penguins where there isn't any snow! On the streets you could find warning signs with pictures of penguins to warn drivers of penguin on the road. It was then time to head into the actual Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where the bus pulled over, we got out and cycled for 5km to the area we would be having lunch. It was a nice, leisurely cycle where we got to experience the landscape out in the open. As we were cycling I went along shouting “absorb it” to everyone, so as they would take in all the plants and vegetation around them. It's the only place you would find some of these species you know! It was then lunch at one of the visitors centres before we had a short drive to the bottom of the lighthouse. The walk up to the lighthouse was steep but the view from up there more than made up for it! You could see out to the ocean for as far as the eye went, and the two different oceans on either side of us. In the far, far distance you could make out Table Mountain and when you looked down you had a wonderful view of the cliffs and beaches below. On one beach someone had wrote “Kimi, will you marry me?” in the sand. How romantic!?! After spending quite a while here we headed onto The Cape of Good Hope and the most south-westerly point of the African continent. Obviously we had our photo taken at the sign! And that was the end of our trip and, as we had done every other time we had been on the bus for any length of time, we all fell asleep on the way back to LSB. These days out really were jam-packed and tiring! In the evening the majority of us decided to stay in and have an early night in preparation for what the next day was to bring. We had journal club in the dorm, and this evening it moved up in the world when we made a sign, song and video! A tad sad? I think not! We also took a walk over to the local “Mr Pickwicks Cafe” for some pudding and a milkshake.

And before we knew it, it was NEWS YEARS EVE. A.k.a The last day of 2011. So it was up Table Mountain we went! We headed off around lunchtime and took the Skeleton Gorge route up the mountain, which we soon found out appeared to be the hardest but, as they say, “go hard or go home!”. It was a very steep trek up the mountain side, which included climbing up ladders and an actual climb up rocks to reach the top of the gorge. Even from here the view down over the city was AMAZING and it only spurred us on to keep going and reach the top so as we could take in the view from there. As is expected when 20 odd people are walking together up a mountain, it was a slow process to reach the top, with people always wanting to stop a different time, but we were determined to all stick together. Around 3 hours into the walk I remember I had my iPod and speaker in my bag, so I got it out and started playing lots of Scottish songs to get everyone going. It was such a good laugh and at one point we all stopped on top of a rock (ALMOST at the top by this point) and had a sing and dance to “Waka Waka”. Amazing feeling. After momentarily getting lost and a little panic because it was starting to get late, we eventually made it to the top of Table Mountain and it was just a half hour walk to reach the cable cart and visitors centre. Suddenly though, the notorious “Table Cloth” (a sheet of cloud that covers the top of the mountain) was upon us, so it was a quick march along the top to reach the visitors centre and safety. “Waka Waka” was again played as we made the final stretch to the end and then those who had brought champagne in celebration popped it open and we all celebrated! It had taken us 5 hours though, and we still had have dinner, get ready and celebrate new year, so it was soon time to head back down to the bottom. A few us were keen to walk down again but were advised against it because of the wind so instead had to get the cable cart, which did end up giving us a fantastic 360 degrees view of Cape Town. Once we were back at LSB everyone was busy having showers etc and getting ready for the night. The majority of us then headed next door to Nandos for our last meal of the year! We brought in the new year at the backpackers, as that was the best way for everyone to be together. We all sat around  table and played some drinking games before heading out to the balcony, where we could see out onto Long Street and it was extremely busy, and counting down into the new year! “The Flower of Scotland” and “Auld Lang Sang” was blared out by almost everyone (even though some people were English) and then we made our way down to join the street party! The rest of the night (and early hours of the morning) were spent in Zula Sound Bar which was a really good club AND I managed to somehow get myself in for free which was an added bonus. And what better way to start the new year than with a 5am trip to Mcdonald's (that place NEVER closes) with everyone. It was 7am on New Years Day before I got to bed. A very good new year!

As you can imagine, not much happened once everyone had finally dragged themselves out of bed at around lunchtime. Tiredness and hangovers made for a very lazy day just spent chilling in the backpackers. If I remember correctly, I ate a ridiculous amount of instant noodle that day. I have no idea why. I also got to speak to my family on skype for a little while, all be it with a bad connection. It was then that they told me they will be coming out in June to visit for a while which made my day! Really excited for them to come out and see what I'm doing out here! The following day many of us, including Robyn and I, were leaving and so that evening we attempted to go out for one last time but, after a trip to Bob's Bar, most of us ended up heading back early,  completely shattered!

Monday was our last day in Cape Town as that evening we would be leaving on a coach that would take us to Bloemfontein overnight. In the morning though, it was time to say goodbye to Michael and Martin, as they were heading on a coach to Jo'Burg, where they would be heading back to Botswana from. Really sad having to say goodbye to them after the month we had spent travelling with them! I'm sure we'll see them again though at some point. It was then time for another lazy day, everyone still catching up on sleep from new years eve. For lunch, though, we did all head to spurs as the time had come again for their “2 for 1” on burgers. Delicious as ever! I returned from the restaurant to a text from SA Roadlink (the bus company we were travelling with) saying our coach had been delayed by 3 hours, so we wouldn't be leaving till 9pm now! This extra time gave me the chance to upload 135 photos to facebook (something completely unheard of in Swaziland)! Soon enough though it was time to say goodbye to everyone, which was very emotional, and head off to the bus station. The SA Roadlink coach was luxury compared to the other modes of transport we'd been taking. I settled myself down, plugged in my iPod and, as we headed out of Cape Town, I fell asleep thinking about all of the amazing times I'd just had!

Next stop Bloemfontein, where we would be making our way into Lesotho for a couple days. My adventures in this wonderfully mountainous country are in my next blog!

Let the Travelling Begin!

No sooner had we finished work than it was the 3^rd of December and after packing (at 2am in the morning) it was time to head to Manzini where we were to be picked up and taken White-Water Rafting for the day, a must do while in Swaziland! This was a fun day all round. I saw my first wild crocodile as we cruised down the river (all be it small crocodile...), experienced a completely different part of this very diverse country and managed to somehow end up going down a rapid, without the raft. Rather dangerous and I did have a few bruises to tell for the tale, but exciting nonetheless!

Then it was time to jump on a kombi (which had gone up in price by E20 because of a 14% tax that's been put on EVERYTHING here) and head into South Africa where our first port of call was to be the town of Hluhluwe. As we soon found out, there isn't really much to this place and after spending a couple of days out in the middle of the bush we decided to head onto Durban. A hitch hike to Richard's Bay (which was an exciting experience) and then a kombi and soon enough we were there! We spent a few days on the beach and then it was time to head on the Baz Bus, which over the course of the next 2 weeks was to take us all the way to Cape Town, with many stops along the way of course. The Baz Bus is basically a bus (obviously) that travels along the coast of SA picking up and dropping off travellers at many backpackers in different places. It was a really good way to travel as it meant we weren't having to haul our huge rucksacks on public transport and finding out own way to our accomadation.

Anyway, out first stop on the Baz Bus was the coastal village of Coffee Bay. We arrived to pouring rain and pretty dire weather in general but that didn't dampen our moods, as we arrived at the Coffee Shack (where we were to be staying) to an amazing atmosphere! This place had an amazing vibe all the time. The bar was always busy, with a free pool table attracting many vibrant competitions. During the day we were taken on hikes to caves and the famous “Hole in the Wall” by members of the local Xhosa community and one evening we spent time in a local home, learning their traditional dancing, eating the traditional food and trying the local beer (didn't actually taste too bad!) In the evenings it was time to chill in the bar, play a game (or two) of pool and sit and chat with everyone! In the bar they had this crazy rule that, if you drank with your right hand, you then had to down whatever drink it was you had. This made for some pretty funny chants of “Buffalo”, which was the word used to point out someone breaking the rule. We then went on to adopt this rule for the rest of the holidays. And even though it did rain most evening (and we were camping our way down the coast!), nobody let it affect their time there!

It was then time to jump back on the Baz Bus and head to Cinsta, another coastal village. Here we were staying at the Buccaneers Backpackers, which is said to be one of the best in South Africa! After a walk across the river in the pitch black to find somewhere to eat on our first night, we spent much of our days lazing around the campsite playing cards and eating egg mayo sandwiches, with a few trips to the beach. In the afternoons it was time to take full advantage of the Buccaneers free activity and play volleyball with FREE WINE! One rule as a backpacker; always take advantage of free things! We're on a budget... Highlight of Cinsta, though, has to be the FREE meal we had cooked for us by an actual Italian chef. In Coffee Bay we met an Italian couple, Diseppe and Ely, who ended up coming to Cinsta at the same time as us and offered to make us a meal. RESULT!

Next up on our travels was a short stop over in Port Elizabeth. I should mention that in order for all 4 of us to be able to get there on the day we wanted to, Robyn, Michael and Martin got a lift from someone who had been staying at the backpackers earlier in the day and I was left (with ALL  the bags) to get the Baz Bus, which didn't get me into PE until 1am! It was all good though, as they had fishfinger sandwiches waiting for me on my arrival. Delicious! It was in PE that we met 6 other Project Trust volunteers from the north of SA. Beth, Laura, Ellie, Sarah, Fiona and Rhianna. After meeting them and spending some time all together (during which time we managed to fit 9 people in a 5 seater taxi. Project trust record perhaps?), the 4 of us changed our plans so as we could spend some time in Jeffery's Bay as a 10!

Jeffery's Bay is a very surfer orientated town. The backpackers we stayed at was probably one of the best out of our whole travels, Ubuntu. I mean, they had free wifi! So as you can probably tell, everyone was taking full advantage of it during our time there. On our first afternoon/evening there a few of  us headed out to watch some football and have a few drinks. This was the day I got my my cuff pierced on a whim and ended up in an Afrikan's hospital because my foot got cut by glass while we were out at a club. Not good, and it left me with a numb and then painful foot and  R900 medical bill. The rest of my time there was pleasant though, with a visit to the beach, an (awful) attempt at surfing and a browse round the Billabong Factory Outlet Store.

The 10 of us all the headed to The Crags where we were to stay for one night so that those of us who wanted to do The World's Highest Bungee Jump could. Not me though. The thought of falling through the sky upside down still makes me want to be sick and after just paying a R900 medical bill, I wasn't really in financial situation to be paying for it either. Instead, Ellie, Rhianna and I sat in the bar and watched on as the other 7 very bravely jumped off a bridge 216m high! We had a hilarious time watching each of them bungee from a screen in the bar and attempt to take very distant photos of each of them. I think it's fair to say we made a right scene every time on of our guys popped up on the screen and I am very proud of each of them for doing it, even though I was extremely nervous for all of them. Nothing compared to Ellie though, who I think was more nervous for them than they actually were for themselves! That evening was spent chilling and playing a few drinking games before it was time for us to head our separate ways for a couple of nights before we would all meet again in Cape Town.

The next day was our last day on our Baz Bus ticket so it was time to head to our final destination...CAPE TOWN!!! The 6 girls were all going to spend a couple of days in Plettenburg Bay before joining us. It was a long stretch to get there with 12 hours spent travelling but eventually, at around 10pm, we came in over Table Mountain and could see the whole city lit up below us!

Lots and Lots of Christmas Parties

Okay, so it has been FAR too long since I lasted posted a blog and a lot has happened in the time that has passed. This has meant that events leading up to this point have been split into 4 separate blogs so as not to confuse all you lovely people!

This blog focuses on everything that happened before we went travelling for 6 WHOLE WEEKS! More on that one in my 3 other blogs...

By the middle of November the temperature was getting hot, hot ,hot! I realise that in every blog I seem to be complaining about the heat but I now realise that every complaint I've had before is nothing compared to what I am now having to deal with. Guaranteed, when we return in the afternoon from a morning of teaching at Injabulo or Moriah Centre a jump in the pool or a cold shower is needed, otherwise I just can't get through the rest of the day! I mean, I actually envy the cold winter you lot have had and I've missed out on!

On the 11^th of November we had a community at Injabulo so as we could talk to the parents directly and hopefully iron out some of the problems we've been facing there. The start time was 1pm but nobody turned up till around 2pm (typical Swazi time)! The meeting was a great success and we got across all the points we wanted to. Then there was a huge discussion between everyone (a mixture of English and SiSwati) as people came up with suggestions and asked lots of questions! There was even talk of a school uniform being introduced, although I think we need to have classrooms clean and the E10 paid before we start considering uniforms! It was really good to see everyone getting involved in the meeting though, and to know that they all had actually been listening to us. We still turned up on the Monday to unclean classrooms though. Constant struggle!

The last week before the holidays (28^th Nov-2^nd Dec) was a hectic, hectic one! This was the week of all our Christmas parties, staff parites and graduations and it was also the week that Michael and Martin (volunteers in Botswana) arrived to visit our project before we all headed off travelling together!

Thanks to a generous donation of money from my parents (they gave us money towards Soup Kitchen and Injabulo instead of buying christmas presents for everyone) we were able to head to Shoprite and buy MASSES of food! Cash in hand, we stocked up on rice, mealie meal, beans, tinned peaches, gravy, tinned vegetables, bread, sausages, lots of sweets and all the ingredients you would need to make the most amazing cakes ever! The plan was to buy in enough food for Soup Kitchen so as the orphans could still be fed even while we were away during the festive season. Such a good feeling to know that they are being fed, and not starving, while I wasn't there and there was no food at hostel to take to them!

The Monday of this week went pretty much as normal. At Injabulo the Crocodiles spent a lot of time making christmas trees, christmas stars and paper chains (with a christmas theme of course)!

On the Tuesday it was then time for the long anticipated (and rehearsed) Moriah Centre Graduation! Yes, it was time for the Lions to show the world their brilliant rendition of “10 in the Bed” and it went perfectly! Robyn had the camera out to video the whole thing and I was there with the certificates for the children who would be graduating. Sad to be saying goodbye to half my class, but I'm sure they will all do well in primary school. After the graduation it was time for Robyn and I to stick on the santa hats and hand out all the presents to the children that had been donated by members of the Big Bend Church. Delighted little faces as they pulled out dolls, cars and SWEETIES!

On the Wednesday Robyn and I spent the entire afternoon baking the most amazing cupcakes for the kids at Injabulo and some spectacular looking trays of sponge cake to dish out at Soup kitchen and Injabulo! They were each decorated with red and green icing and lots of little sweets. Delicious! In the evening the Botswana boys arrived in Big Bend to spend a couple of days looking round our project and what we do!

Thursday, and it was a quick pop to the garage in Matata to repair the puncture the truck has received (near disaster there but, luckily, easily fixed) and then it was a morning of cooking tonnes of rice, sausages and gravy to give everyone at Soup Kitchen a lovely, fresh meal.

And then it was time to head off, the back of the truck FULL of food! We had all the children lined up and first to be dished out was the sausages, rice and gravy with a fresh piece of bread and butter! Line up again and next up was a cup of juice which was downed by everyone within about 10 seconds. Line up again and out came the biscuits and peanut butter! Line up AGAIN and it was time for some cookies. Then, and this was the big one, it was line up and we brought out the trays of cake which we had kept hidden in the truck! All their faces lit up at the sight of it and I think it's fair to say it was the cake that went down the best with everyone. It was an amazing feeling to be able to give them all this as a christmas present and to see how much they all appreciated it and enjoyed the afternoon! Once all the food had been handed out and we'd spent some time with the kids we headed over to Aunti Vina's house to deliver the mountain of food we had in the back of the truck for her to keep and give out to the orphans while we were away travelling. She was extremely thankful and promised us she would feed them just as we would every week which was reassuring! We then all spent a good few hours playing tig and football in her garden before it got dark and it was time to head back to hostel. Successful Soup Kitchen Christmas Party!

Friday, the last day of our hectic week, and it was time for the Injabulo Christmas party! Again, we had fresh rice, gravy and sausages for them to have. Makes a change to the maize meal and pap they're all used to. First off though it was time for some good old fashioned party games! Musical statues, musical chairs and musical bumps! Highlight of the whole party has to be when Michael and I started doing the maccarrena along to one of the songs and we had EVERYONE copying us, resulting in a mass Injabulo maccarrena. Brilliant! Once everyone was danced out, it was into the next door classroom where we had the meals all set out, with juice to accompany it. After the meals had been finished, each child got a slice of cake (which again went down a treat). It was then time to hand out the presents (a pair of pants for each of them), give them each their bag of sweets and cupcakes and say goodbye to them all before the holidays started. Some of them I won't see again as they head off to primary school! And that marked the end of working for the year and all that was left now was to pack and head off on our travels! Oh, and a lovely lunch at Nisela with the staff from the Moriah Centre. Even here we were playing party games and eating masses of food. That just seems to be way everyone celebrates Christmas...

THIS IS THE POINT WHERE YOU NOW HAVE TO MOVE ONTO MY NEXT BLOG, WHERE MY TRAVEL ADVENTURES BEGIN...