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Published: January 14th 2008
Little Swiss Dragons
After my Soweto Burger with Hiro and a beer with Swedish surfer-lad Lars, it was time to hit the road!
I hopped on the Baz Bus, heading to Durban (where I saw the mosque that Gandhi helped get the paperwork for, when he was a lawyer there), a sort of Little India on the coast going through the Drakenberg region.
Drakenberg means Dragon Mountain and the Afrikaners apparently travelled over them on foot from Cape Town, escaping from the English.
The mountains reminded me of somewhere I have spent a lot of time. That was when I saw the sign for the town of Little Switzerland!
From there you can get to the Kingdom of Lesotho. With all kinds of adventure trips to do, from bungee to safari with skydiving as a scary snack!
Durban felt like San Francisco, rolling hills with trees, curvy streets... a huge bay and a new stadium (Soccer) being built across the street from the perfectly good (Rugby) one. Strange how two sports can share stadiums in America, but, not in most other countries, leading to largely unused stadia for long periods.
A
My Couch
Surfing the waves of the dreamworld!show of how Rugby is predominantly white and Soccer Black, making agreements difficult...
Yet, there does seem to be some progress being made and intelligent people are on hand, as well as the sugarcane money that is fueling the region, so, let us remain optimistic and positive!
Surfing Couches
Here is how I organised my disorganised trip:
My cousin worked on a project in New Zealand last year, she told me about and I checked it out...CouchSurfing!
Basically, you surf people's couches around the world... or meet up for a cup of coffee or a mojito, (my favourite!)
I joined in the Spring, but, nobody appeared that interested in surfing my couch... telling for where I lived (Chiasso in Switzerland), or just coincidence?
I had couches to stay on in Ibiza, thanks to Jordi and Arcadio, but, that is different as they are family!
In Madagascar, I actually connected with a few interesting people, but, between power cuts and missed times, it never happened.
Needless to say, my enthusiasm for the whole project was waning, especially when I was supposed to have it all sorted out in Jo'burg and
Welcome Lobster
Wine and Dine, what a life! it all fell through at the last moment!
Suddenly, I was welcomed by Riana! She is the ambassadoress of Couchsurfers in South Africa and wanted to meet up for a drink, well, well!
It was such an interesting evening, she brought another couchsurferess and both women regaled me with tales of their couchsurfing experiences in India and the Caribbean. They reassured me so much that I decided to give it another try...
Then, as if by some magic charm, the answers began rolling in... first Rinaldo, then, Lucille, then others that I declined.
Cool! I could experiment in Durban and Cape Town!
Rinaldo had never hosted or surfed and I had only had a few drinks and dinner with two other couchsurfers... I just said that we could test and if either of us felt weird, we could just agree to call it off and I could go back to the backpacker hostel, no worries.
Well, to keep it short, it was the best possible way to see South Africa, exquisite people, real insights into the life, food, problems and delights of a great people and country. Rinaldo felt like a friend and Lucille's mother, Dagmar
Couch with a View
Look out the Window! was outstanding as well as all of their friends!
I also saw my friend George and went to play a truly mixed game of Soccer (we were teammates a long time ago), where there was not a hint of any of the problems that seem to grab the headlines or what I saw in Soweto.
A refreshing and fun evening with goals galore, fine gentlemen and exquisite sportsmanship... this will be a great World Cup!
Flying Penguins
To finish my meanderings, the BazBus connected my surfing homes with the whole coast from Durban to Cape Town, passing through shark and real surf country onto wine, wind and penguin land!
I am happy to be coming back here in 2010 to do all the activities and daredevil stunts with my friends!
I feel rejuvenated and satisfied with this short stay in Africa! Thank You!
Now it is India, family, friends and body surfing!
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wayann
non-member comment
yo!
please keep some of that lobster for us! ehhehe ciao brother!