Advertisement
Published: September 5th 2006
Well, I am finally in Africa. The past week has been so amazing, and tiring, that I find it hard to find time to write. We flew into Johannesburg a week ago and have been on the move ever since. Today was amazing, we went out on the Indian Ocean and cruised beside a pack of about 20 dolphins - I can't even describe the feeling. Being out on the open ocean in Africa with dolphins frolicking infront of you and beside you is the best feeling in the world. The guy that took us out said he hasn't seen a pack of dolphins in months and that he was really "stoked" about our encounter today. He said we were extremely fortunate to have that experience. We sat and watched a southern right whale and her calf playing in the ocean too and that was amazing as well. The mom came right up to us to check us out and then swam under our boat. A very strange feeling to have a 4500 pound animal under you on the open ocean. However, towards the end of the day I started to feel a bit sea sick and am still having troubles
shaking the feeling. As a matter of fact, I am in a hammock right now and even that is giving me motion sickness. Yes, I am in a hammock in Africa writing my blog after a morning of boating with dolphins and whales!!!! Who would have ever thought! Life is so amazing. It was weird though, I heard about Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, and that he died yesterday and it seems to have really affected me. I was terribly sad when I heard, someone so vibrant and so alive....... we need more people like him, sad that he is gone. It especially reminded me of it being out on the ocean today which is where he died, and strange too that he was killed by a stingray. I have swam with them before but didn't really think of anything like that, probably wouldn't swim with them again knowing what I know now - or maybe I would.....who knows.
Yesterday Jordan and I went to this place called Birds of Eden. I know I am supposed to be looking at the birds, but they had the most amazing little monkeys that looked like the "last of the
mohichans". I wanted one sooooooo badly. I was in this little corner of the sanctuary (over the fence, shhhhh) and there were three little ones eating. Absolutely no one was around and I had the entire section to myself to just observe these mind boggling little creatures. I can't believe they exist. There were some very aggressive little parrots that kept flying at me and landing on my head when we stopped to have a sandwhich - they were very bad little birds - they operated in a pack and would gang up on you. I felt like I was in the Compton area of the "Birds of Eden". But there was also this really inquisitive little parrot that crawled all over me and wanted to know what my camera was. He used me as a playground and it was very amusing. It is amazing how much you can connect with these animals, it is like you can hear their thoughts they are so tame and have so much character.
The day before yesterday we went to the elephant sanctuary. The staff kind of sucked, but the elephants were magical. We got to walk through the forest
while they held our hand with their trunk. You could feel their breath in your hand, it was very cool. Then we got to ride them. It was a great experience too, but it was rainy and I could tell something was up with the atmosphere of the staff. They were very hurried and uneasy. They kind of took the magic out of it by rushing everything and acting kind of sketchy. I was told after by some locals at the local hangout that the elephants get very irritated by the rain and the stormy weather and they were surprised we were able to do the program on such a crappy day. No wonder everyone was acting all weird, they were all hoping we wouldn't get trampled to death!!!!! After the elephant sanctuary we went to this place called Monkey Land. It was unbelievable! It was a 1km walk with hundred of all different types of monkeys, AND LEMURS!!!, all swinging and playing around you. It was magical too. When we had a drink in the cafe after, we sat at these tables while all these monkeys checked you out and two lemurs sat and watched us at the table
next to us. I could spend the rest of my life hanging out with all these animals. I have seriously experienced true happiness in these past few days - I could live here. Away from the city and all the problems that humans create. Just hang with the monkeys and the dolphins - sounds good to me.
Arriving in Johannesburg was an experience all in itself. In a few hours I had gone from Germany, to Qatar, to Africa - it was a really neat experience. The weird thing about arriving in Johannesburg was that I could not intuitively figure it out - at all. When you arrive in a new city, usually you have a good grasp of the collective energy and you can kind of feel the attitudes and how things are run and what's expected of you. Not in Johannesburg. I had no idea. I couldn't figure out the "pecking order" of the society, or the people or the social standards. I couldn't tell what was safe, what was not, what you should do, what you shouldn't do. Germany was easy and so was Qatar, but Jo'berg, as everyone calls it here, baffled me
and I felt like I had no ability at all to make a proper decision there so I caught a plane immediately to a little town on the ocean call Port Elizabeth. One sad thing that happened at the airport was when I went to get a pack of sugar from this basket at the coffee counter at the same time as a black lady and she pulled her hand away very quickly and backed up allowing me to go first like she was "lower" or something. She actually was there before me but backed right off when I went to get some. I didn't know how to handle it because I don't have a racist bone in my body and I wanted to stand back and let her go first but knew instinctively it would only make her more uncomfortable. This is the way it is here. It was a terrible feeling taking the sugar ahead of her. I have encountered that same terrible feeling a number of times here when "colored" people feel they can't look you in the eye, and they look down or when they are surprised that you say hi to them. I guess 10
Uneasy sign of the times
Notice what the sign says upon closer inspection - this is where the back machine was.years post-apartheid is not enough to undo 50 years, but I look forward to a day when I can come back here and no one would feel they would have to step down for anyone else. I guess that is the dream here, but racism is still so rampant, even in those who continually claim "I'm not racist but......" Just the nature of that statement, usually followed by some reason they are, shows the amount of work left to do. I love that Canada is a melting pot.
Another very strange thing was this post office that was next door to this shopping mall. You had to enter a first door and then were in kind of like a holding cell with the second door yet to be opened. Jordan and I tried to enter the second door but - NO. We could not figure it out. The girl behind the counter kept holding up one finger and we kept insinuating back: "No, there are two of us". Finally a man came out and said that the second door will not open if more than one person at a time was in the holding cell. You had
to enter one at a time, wait for the first door to completely close, wait for a green light to go on and then, and only then, open the second door. Same routine to get out as well. So by the time we finish mailing our stuff home and leave the post office, I need to go to a bank machine. There is one in this little mall right beside us. As we were walking in to the little strip mall I noticed a sign that read: "Enter center at own risk"!!! Now that really makes a girl feel like going in and using a bank machine......... Certainly makes you appreciate Canada even more than you already did.
We are staying at this fabulous hostel called Albergo in Plettenberg Bay right now and it is amazing. Everything about this trip is amazing. It has a pool table, a card playing area, a tv room, hammocks and a big fire pit area that everyone barbeques their dinner on at 7:30 each night. Up until now Jordan and I had been staying at hotels and only moved to hostels yesterday on the advice of Ina, the lady that owns
"Charlies" restaurant. She has been invaluable in her advice. She has travelled all through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe and was able to give us really good travel tips that will keep us really safe on the rest of our journey through Africa. I am soooo glad I decided to dedicate 2 1/2 months of my trip here, I love it so much.
So much more has happened, but I feel like I have been going on for hours. I wish I could better describe the feeling of BEING in Africa rather than WHAT we are doing in Africa, but it is so hard. There is no feeling like the one I had driving out of the car rental place for the first time sitting in what felt like the passenger seat to me because they drive on the wrong side of the road here, and just cruising into the African highways with my son. All the landscape and the sounds and smells, everything being so different but so right. Baboons on the side of the road, yellow spotted dassies everywhere, amazing cliffs and canyons, everything so free in the wild.......... I knew I always wanted to get
here.
We are spending about another week in South Africa. We are heading to Cape Town and we are going out on the ocean again to go Great White viewing. The price is the same for viewing and going down in a cage to view them from IN the ocean, but that is yet to be seen if I have the nerve to do that. I hope I do but something tells me I don't. Maybe when all the others are doing it, I will be able to - would be the experience of a lifetime. But something tells me viewing them from the boat will be enough. After South Africa we are going on to Namibia where there is 1000 other things to do as well.
I am so glad I am here.
Take care and talk to you all soon,
Heide and Jordan
PS: Jordan will be adding his blog shortly. It has been hard getting him to settle long enough to write in this first week, but now that school is back in it is part of homework assignments, so look for his blogs shortly.
PPS: Sorry about so many animal pictures, but I LOVE them!!!! Hopefully I have most of it out of my system until I go on safari. I could spend years hanging with these guys.
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
Juanita - Shania Twain
Advertisement
Tot: 0.156s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 17; qc: 94; dbt: 0.0996s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb
Heide and Jordan
Heide and Jordan
Hi from Canada - Deanna
September 6th 2006 Hi from Canada " Hi Heidi and Jordan, I feel as I am with you on your journey. Attention to detail in your writing really brings your amazing experiences to life. Wanted to say hi to you both from Nat and I and may all your journeys be safe. Love, Deanna Re: Finally in Africa..........