Bethlehem to Clarens, where we stayed two nights. Clarens to Amphitheatre Backpackers, otherwise known as the Thenadier Establishment (seen/read Les Miz? Remember the crooked innkeepers? the manager/owner of this place reminded me strongly of Mssr. Thenadier. Don't stay there.). The Thenadier Establishment to Richard's Bay, via Durban, where we stayed with a very kind and hospitable Afrikaneer family we knew through a friend of the group. It was so relaxing and wonderful to be staying in a home for a while! They took us surfing and to a game reserve and we cooked them Moroccan, Mexican and American food as repayment (and paid for gas for those days trips). From Richard's Bay we went to Sodwana Bay, and camped outside a dive resort there for a week as A. got his Open Water Dive certification. We were harassed by monkeys but greatly enjoyed the peace and quiet of a campsite in a National Wetland Reserve. And the waffles that one could buy at the resort. They were topped with ice cream. We went diving, and I saw a Manta Ray!!! they are HUGE. HUUUGGGEEE. We also saw a sea turtle, maybe a Loggerhead, but we aren't sure, not having had the presence of mind to count the number of paired scales on his shell. Then, on to Swaziland where we camped one night, but only passed through on our way to Maputo, Mozambique, where we are now, attempting to make our way north. We will drop off W. at her dive internship up north, and then return and continue on our way...
My only real complaint thus far is the lack of volunteering opportunities we have been able to find. Hopefully we can fix this as we continue on our path. :)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Bethlehem
No, not the Holy Land. It's near Lesotho, a small city with a neat little campsite/bunkhouse place we discovered in a book. It's cool, but the owner ran over his puppy just as we got there. She's an adorable Border Collie named Lucy. Still in kind of tough shape, but hopefully pulling through. We're on our way back south, headed for the Drakensberg Mountains. Hopefully, we'll be in Durban for the World Cup final.
The last week has been a wrap up of our time in Pretoria. Our host, John, was truly awesome. He put up with us for a whole week, and then took us out on the town the last night. I drove home (DD), which was interesting. I've never driven on the left side of the road before. It's not too bad, except for shifting gears with my left hand is WIERD. We went to three games, I saw Ghana lose a heart-breaking game to Uruguay due to a cheapshot handball that blocked the final goal. Then Ghana missed the penalty kick by all of 2 inches, it was the saddest ever. Besides that, we hung out, stiched up torn clothing and tents (durn baboons... I wasn't there, but they broke into the tent in the middle of the night and stole food), and did some sight seeing in the Johannesburg area. I went to the Apartheid Museum. It was amazing. It's as well done a museum as I've seen. A good attempt to face up to a difficult and sometimes ugly history withoutg dwelling unhealthily on the bad. It actually left me feeling hopeful. If South Africa can get from there to here, where can they go from here? Truly amazing what a few good leaders and the will of a determined people can accomplish. Also cool to learn was that Nelson Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize was jointly given with the then president of apartheid South Africa, NK something (curse my poor memory for names!). The thing is, the fact that they worked together is what made a mostly peaceful transition possible. All you have to do to see what happens when people don't work together is take a stroll through the history of Zimbabwe, the DRC, or Liberia. The difference is monumental.
Met a really awesome kid named Tshepo on a bus, who took us around the city, into his home, and into his church. People really showing real love to wanderers like us, it's inspiring. And it was a great time, too. Thanks Tshepo!!
The last week has been a wrap up of our time in Pretoria. Our host, John, was truly awesome. He put up with us for a whole week, and then took us out on the town the last night. I drove home (DD), which was interesting. I've never driven on the left side of the road before. It's not too bad, except for shifting gears with my left hand is WIERD. We went to three games, I saw Ghana lose a heart-breaking game to Uruguay due to a cheapshot handball that blocked the final goal. Then Ghana missed the penalty kick by all of 2 inches, it was the saddest ever. Besides that, we hung out, stiched up torn clothing and tents (durn baboons... I wasn't there, but they broke into the tent in the middle of the night and stole food), and did some sight seeing in the Johannesburg area. I went to the Apartheid Museum. It was amazing. It's as well done a museum as I've seen. A good attempt to face up to a difficult and sometimes ugly history withoutg dwelling unhealthily on the bad. It actually left me feeling hopeful. If South Africa can get from there to here, where can they go from here? Truly amazing what a few good leaders and the will of a determined people can accomplish. Also cool to learn was that Nelson Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize was jointly given with the then president of apartheid South Africa, NK something (curse my poor memory for names!). The thing is, the fact that they worked together is what made a mostly peaceful transition possible. All you have to do to see what happens when people don't work together is take a stroll through the history of Zimbabwe, the DRC, or Liberia. The difference is monumental.
Met a really awesome kid named Tshepo on a bus, who took us around the city, into his home, and into his church. People really showing real love to wanderers like us, it's inspiring. And it was a great time, too. Thanks Tshepo!!
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