I am still at the hostel in Chintsa. It is beautiful here. Set on a hill, overlooking the lagoon and out to the ocean. As soon as we turned off the highway, something about the trees, the hills, the water perfectly captures “The Wild Coast”. My dorm has a porch with a perfect view. I’ve spent time there - reading, knitting (as part of a hostel project to make a blanket for AIDS orphans), chatting or just looking out to sea. This morning I woke up early, for no apparent reason and sat out on my porch reading a bit. Kevin [View Full Entry]

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I could not be happier, simply being out of Port Elizabeth and on with my trip. I am now in Chintsa, a teeny village on a bay on the Wild Coast. In fact, I’m staying at a hostel across the lagoon from the teeny village of Chintsa. The bus turned off the highway, then off a regional road, then off the paved back road onto a dirt and stone drive. A few kilometres along, we reached the hostel. Only half an hour after getting here, I was off. The hostel had a free trip to a nearby school: Bulugha Farm School. [View Full Entry]

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Traveling is generally filled with incredible moments. And most of this blog is filled with exactly those. But just as regular life at home can't always be perfect and good, neither can time on the road. Two nights ago, I arrived in Port Elizabeth. PE is a city on the east coast of South Africa, about halfway between Cape Town and Durban. It's a mandatory stopover night on my bus route. I arrived super late, almost midnight (the bus was behind), and if I'd left the next day, would've been on the road at 6am. I decided I had the time, [View Full Entry]

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Today is Jeffrey's Bay. "J Bay" is known for surfing. I'm booked at a hostel right on the beach, complete with a surf school. Last night when I arrived, there was a beautiful view of the moonlit beach and ocean waves under the stars to greet me. I sleep horribly at the hostels. I just wake up constantly, every hour, all night. Apparently I'm a light sleeper after all those months in quiet pitch-black rocking cabins of the ships! I don't think I've slept solidly since I arrived in the country, save maybe when I was staying at Jackie's. This morning, [View Full Entry]

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Today I spent in Plettenberg Bay. The hostel was very nice - very clean and super comfy beds. But I didn't sleep in; I was up and off early. It was about a 15 minute walk down to the water, to Central Beach. As soon as I turned a corner and could see the shore, I literally spoke aloud to myself "No way!" - because it was so beautiful. (Traveling alone, I frequently find myself speaking aloud to no one!) The beach itself was almost empty, so quiet. But I found Dolphin Adventures, the sea kayak company I'd decided to do [View Full Entry]

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Another incredible day. Again though, I am exhausted! Today I was in Knysna, a town located along the Garden Route of the East Coast. The town is built on the Knysna Lagoon, a body of water that is connected to a river to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the south. The huge lagoon opens to the ocean at a spot called The Heads: two cliffs of rock on either side. It is known as the most dangerous river opening in the world because of its rocks and sandbars - most of which are hidden. Today, I did a cruise [View Full Entry]

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I think I’ve found a piece of paradise . . . Late yesterday afternoon, I arrived in Wilderness, a small town in the Garden Route along the East Coast. The drive was nice. The Baz Bus is excellent. We dropped someone off at a Wildlife Reserve. It was gorgeous there - and I saw another zebra! We passed through Mossel Bay and I got my first glimpse of the Indian Ocean. Soon after that, we turned a bend in the road and suddenly there was forest everywhere. Wilderness. My hostel is about 2 kilometres out of town, at the bottom of [View Full Entry]

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This morning I took the Baz Bus and started moving up the coast. I had one final drive through the winelands. East of the Cape, are mountains that have to be passed over to continue East. Past them, the area is called Overberg (over the mountain). We snaked our way up the mountain, having a perfect view down onto George, the Strand with it’s lovely beach and right around and across False Bay for one last view of Table Mountain. I love love love this part of the country. I could happily spend a very long period of time there. Cape [View Full Entry]

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The last few days have been so incredible! My friend Jackie, who I know from my first cruise contract on the Carnival Legend, came to Cape Town on Thursday. She and her friend, Rico, picked me up and whisked me off to the Boland. It was so good to see her - it has been a long time! Going home with Jackie has given me the opportunity to experience a different culture - Afrikans. Everyone in her home area speaks Afrikans, so most of the time, I haven’t a clue what people are saying! Most people know English to speak to [View Full Entry]

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Today I decided it was time I explored some of the city on foot. So I headed out from my hostel and walked down Long Street, one of the main strips in Cape Town where there’s lots of restaurants, cafes and shops. I spent quite some time in Greenmarket Square, an open area lined with stalls selling crafts and curios. I ended up doing all of my gift shopping, buying more than I’d intended to purchase. I have very little Christmas shopping to do! Now I just need to decide if I’m going to carry it all around or try to [View Full Entry]

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