Advertisement
Published: April 1st 2008
Braai at Legends
L to R: Stephanie, Kyla, Lauren, CaitlinNow back from my marathon fall break (easter break is fall break here), I’m going to try to give a rundown of all the fun things in sparknotes style because I wrote a full journal of the break for myself and it is very very long. So here goes:
18/03
Took kombis (mini-bus taxis) to Swaziland, with Kyla, Lauren, Stephanie (Lauren friend), Caitlin. Swaziland is an independent kingdom surrounded mostly by South Africa and shares a small border with Mozambique. It is made up mostly of people from the Swati tribe; it has a king (King Mswati III), who reigns will total authority. The king chooses a wife each year and can pick any woman in the country that he sees, regardless of her will, age, or marital status.
19/03
We went on a full day whitewater rafting trip! Two people per raft, me with the guide, Bheki. Suited up with helmet and life vest, it was really wild. Some crazy rapids- we capsized one time in the beginning but it wasn’t a big deal. Some more calm, fun rapids and then a lunch break.
After lunch we switched partners and I was with Stephanie. We got to
the biggest rapids of the whole trip (class 4 rapids, for any rafting nerds) and had quite a disaster. We got stuck on a rock at the very beginning and Kyla and Caitlin came too soon and knocked into us, quickly flipping our raft at the start of the rapids.
What commenced was one of the scariest moments of my life- a raft went over my head (twice), forcing me under, and I was throw into the rapids completely out of my control. I was swept along with the river very quickly, I could hardly keep my head above water- I was being thrown (literally- into the air at one point) over huge rocks and around sharp corners. I tried to maintain the ‘contact position’ which was head up, knees up toward chest, and facing forward but it was really difficult. All of this was complicated by the fact that I realized I could not breath through my mouth and was afraid to try to gasp for air, in case I might swallow too much water- I struggled to keep calm and breath through my nose only, which is really hard when you are panicking. At the end of
the rapids, Bheki was waiting in the middle of the river to help us, I grabbed his raft and finally burped up a bunch of river water and could breath again. I swam to the shore and waited for the rest. Stephanie had the same experience as me, Kyla fell in but didn’t seem to be as rattled, and Caitlin didn’t fall in until the end.
The rest of the rafting had no rapids, we just floated down the river and relaxed (and got sun burnt). The van met us at the end, the ride home was quiet as we were all exhausted. The evening commenced with a braai (South African BBQ) at the hostel.
20/03
Checked out Manzini market, got some nice souvenir stuff, including a King Mswati III flag. Later we were joined by Laurens mom and step dad and we suited up in overalls, hardhats, and headlamps for our next adventure: caving!
After a 30 minute drive and 45 minute hike, we got to the mouth of the cave. Caving was awesome, a lot less dangerous than whitewater rafting- though it was not just a hike in the cave. It was 2 hours of
crawling, squeezing, climbing, and otherwise contorting our bodies through tight spots, under huge boulders, etc. One of the highlights was when we took a break and turned off our lights and realized we were in 100% darkness- I couldn’t see my hand 2 inches from my face- it was wild.
21/03
We spent the next day and night with a Swati family living in the mountains on a very traditional homestead- no electricity or running water, cattle, crops, the whole shebang. Our host was Phillimon, a traditional healer, patriarch of two families, and quasi-priest as well.
He took us around, showed us his home, family, told us stories, took us on a hike through the mountain top, showed us incredible views, and made us feel at home. We ate a traditional Swati dinner with him, made and served by one of his wives. The meal was yams, a mealie (corn) porridge dish, and some meat things- really really good food. Afterward he took us to church, which was a building in between his two homes- filled with all his family (20-something kids and a few grandkids)- there was a lot of singing and a sermon. It could have been
awkward for some of us but it wasn’t- he was just bringing us into all parts of their lives and church is a big part.
All seven of us slept in a pretty small mud hut that night.
22/03
The next morning he let us use his one-of-a-kind medicinal sauna (remember: no electricity or running water). In one hut a wood fire was built under a metal furnace-type-thing and the water was boiled and piped into the next hut- which was insulated with tarp on the inside. Once the water was boiling, Phillimon put in an herbal mixture and the sauna was supposed to have relaxing/medicinal effects. It was a little too hot for me, but very nice for a few minutes.
After a hike to an abandoned leopard cave that he had found as a child, we said goodbye and went back to town.
Next stop was Hlane Royal National Park- where we caught a sunset game drive- and got to spot a bunch of great animals- lions, elephants, impala, and a black mamba snake slithering in the road. The lions didn’t do much, but we got to be within 15 feet of a large (lazy)
male lion, and a few of the females.
23/03
The next day I split from the group and made my way (in the pouring rain) to JoBurg to meet my mom- who was flying in that night. After an 8 hour kombi ride, I arrived in, met up with her, and we found a hotel nearby to spend the night.
24/03
We caught a flight early the next morning to Cape Town, picked up our rental car, dropped our stuff at a hostel, and went to explore the city. We checked out the Jewish Museum and Castle of Good Hope (neither one was too great), the city was pretty thought, and we caught the sunset over the Atlantic ocean (as the sun dropped toward NJ!).
25/03
The next morning was Table Mountain! We (including my mom!) started the hike early in the shade, but the incline was still intense, and soon the sun was everywhere- the ascent took us almost 3 hours. Once at the top, we learned the cable car was not running because it was too windy and- after enjoying the incredible views and walking around the top- we had to turn around and head
back down, which took another 3 hours, in the grueling heat this time.
After a dip in the pool at the hostel, we headed out to Simons Town to hang out with the Cape Penguins (the only non-arctic species of penguin in the world, I think). They were really fun and sociable, they just walk around all over the beaches, swim, play with each other, and occasionally start humping in front of all the tourists.
26/03
We headed to Hermanus, our departure point for shark cage diving! We (this time, sans mom) loaded the boat and anchored 20 minutes off shore.
Sharkdiving works like this: there is a 5-person cage attached to the side of the boat. We put on wet suits and goggles and wait with our heads above the water in the cage. The guides put chum (fish guts, etc) into the water to put out the scent; then they put a huge fish head on a long rope and throw it into the water in front of the cage. Eventually (with luck) a great white shark catches the scent and comes to investigate. He sees the fish head and swims towards it- the guides
see the shark coming, pull the bait towards the cage and out of the water- the shark comes swimming toward the cage, we hold our breaths and go under water to see, and when the bait is gone, the shark loses interest and leaves. They repeat this, sometimes with the same shark and sometimes they wait for a new one.
I got in with the second round of people- the water was absolutely freezing, literally I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. I didn’t have to wait long until I went down and saw a 9ft great white shark swimming along side the cage- a few feet away from me! This happened a few more times- one time the shark was swimming towards me for the bait! I got some shots from an underwater camera but it isn’t developed yet.
Most of the people on the boat never got in, the choppy water made a lot of people very sick- including Caitlin and Lauren (and I didn’t feel too hot either). But they still got to see from the deck- and some even got to vomit on the great white sharks!
Our next stop going east was Cape
Agulhas, the southernmost point in Africa- also the place where you can put one foot in the Indian ocean and one foot in the Atlantic ocean, which we all did. That night we got to see every star in the sky- We looked at the milky way, constellations, and relaxed until we really had to leave. We caught dinner at the southernmost restaurant in Africa and continued on to Swellendam to spend the night.
27/03
The next day (after some driving) was Tsitsikamma National Park: home to the world’s highest bungee jump! The jump is 216 m (650 ft!) off the the largest single span bridge in Africa- into a huge gorge below.
The jump was definitely one of the most insane things I have ever done- after the long wait time, my nerves had settled and I thought I’d be fine- but once I stepped up to the edge, my brain was doing back flips.
The did a count off “5- 4- 3- 2- 1- Bungee”, I bent my knees and fell. and fell. It was indescribably insane- they say that within 4 seconds, you are falling about 80 miles per hour - and you feel it.
The trees and rocks and river below are rushing up at your face faster than you can imagine and I couldn’t believe what was going on. But after 5 or 6 seconds, the free fall is done and I was bouncing upside-down over the tree tops, waiting for the guy to lower down, clip me in, and bring me back. Other than a few seconds of sheer terror and the blood flowing to my head while I waited, it was completely painless and pretty incredible.
Once everyone was done, we went back to land and continued on to Post Elizabeth.
28/03
The next morning we drove to Addo Elephant Park, home to over 400 elephants, among other animals. We took a two hour game drive and got to see tons of elephants (literally), kudus, warthogs, zebras, and some species of birds. The elephants were the coolest- we got to watch multiple herds hang out around watering holes, playing in the water, using their trunks to keep themselves wet, etc. We were luck to get to watch two baby elephants wrestling around and then later another baby fell in the water and the whole herd flipped out- they were all
making loud noises, and using their trunks to grab the baby- it wasn’t working, so one went into the water and pushed the baby, while the others pulled. Very exciting- the baby is safe and sound.
After the park, we drove on to Chintsa, where we stayed at one of the hippest and prettiest backpackers I have ever seen- called Buccaneers. A lively bar with music, lots of space, a private lagoon, and a 1-minute walk from a beautiful quiet beach. We arrived at night, set up camp, and promptly went swimming in the ocean. We hung out at the bar and I got to fire-spin with this Spanish guy named Nacho.
29/03
We spent the morning relaxing on the beach- exploring these huge rocks, with schools of fish, corals, and great shells.
We drove to Port St. Johns, Jungle Monkey Backpackers. After dinner, they had an open mic which Kyla performed for on guitar, with my backup on drums.
30/03
The next day our guide, Richard (Xoleli is his Xhosa name), took us a hike through the jungle (with mom!), complete with big scary spiders, huge vines, and great plant-life. After an hour hiking we came
Shark Cage Diving
The cage is connected to the boat, and you can see the bait on that greenish rope. to a waterfall with spots for cliff jumping over it, into the water. We all did this (sans mom), the jumps were between 20-25 feet and a little intimidating; though, at this point, I’m starting to reevaluate what is scary.
We hiked back to the car and drove to Richard’s home village- which is a small Xhosa town within Port St Johns. He showed his family's home, we walked through the town, and he told us things about Xhosa culture. After a stop at the shebeen (local bar- but it was 1pm, so we got juice), we headed back to the car, and started our way back home to Maritzburg.
Other than 30 minutes of intense fog, we got home easily, around 9pm.
Mom stayed for one more day, but I had classes so we didn't too much exciting. She got a tour of campus and a very mini-tour of town. She left last night and actually should still be in the air as I write this.
Well, thats it.
If you made it this far, congratulations. If you looked at the pictures and skipped to the end to see what happened last, that’s fine too.
Now its back to papers, tests, and… planning out my next trip.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
~Mark
Advertisement
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 11; qc: 63; dbt: 0.075s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Mike Rosenkrantz
non-member comment
What an Adventure
What an incredible adventure. This will last a lifetime!