March 2012
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Special thanks to Plettenberg Bay!
The little gems that have provided much comfort to us along the way have been gracious backpacker’s hostels. And in Plettenberg Bay, we had the opportunity to stay at 3 different ones! Between the awesome owners, we got to stay for four nights in the area, and ended up taking 2 days off to relax (and stay out of the rain). Please check these places out; each one of them has a unique flavor...
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George, George, George of the Jungle.
That song (from the movie, you know the one)has been stuck in my head for the past week. If you spend as much time with me as these guys do you will learn quickly that songs tend to get stuck in my head a lot, and sometimes I will start to hum or sing them, and I’m usually not even aware that I’m doing it.
But, we did pass through the town of George a few weeks ago! It was a beautiful...
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It's one of those days
when you take an extra hour to get started in the morning because you want to fill your water tank in the car. Kind of important. A 60liter tank can last up to a week if we use it sparingly.
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Real backpackers hostels are...AMAZING!
“It’s a travelers life bru, get one” – one of the comments made by our friend Angelica at a backpackers hostel we stayed at recently. (“Bru” means “bro” essentially)
I know if you have seen the movie “Hostel” you might have flashbacks of kidnapping and cutting of limbs. I want to reassure you that this is NOT what happens. At least so far…dun dun dun.
It’s really nothing like that. They’re quite...
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A personal note about intentions and a challenge...
I have previously made some comments in the past on this blog; written some observations, and have told stories of interactions with others that pointed towards the inequalities that still exist between black and white here in post-apartheid South Africa. I think that some may have misunderstood the intentions within my comments, so let me clear a few things up.
1. My intentions are not to blame...
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Grossest things we've eaten so far
Packaged ham that was set to expire the next day. Marty was almost sick.
“grits” with no fire to heat them – aka SAND.
Not too bad I suppose.
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Frustrations and hang ups
- Marty’s migraine in the middle of the night.
- The dogs that wouldn’t stop barking all night right outside the door.
- When the Land Rover’s brakes go out. Something we were planning to fix, just not that day.
- When the people who are supposed to fix your car break your gearbox and then try to cover it up.
- When the fastest internet in town will let you upload a 3 minute video in 7800...
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Questioning...
After about a month of seeing and experiencing some different things here in South Africa, here are just some of the questions we have been asking ourselves.
- Why is it that all the people I pay are white and all the people that “serve” me or clean the spaces I’m in black?
- Why do you need a fishing permit for an overpopulated species of mussel?
- How do you interpret poverty when it smiles at...
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The Diving Adventures of Aaron
So, I might have just made one of the best monetary investments of my entire life: swimming goggles and a diving knife. Here along the coastline, there are countless underwater reefs, inlets, and rocks to explore. AND THE COLORS!!! They are so vivid in the crystal waters. Diving in the kelp beds, there are places where so much life abounds that the rocks beneath cannot be seen! Mussels, clams,...
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At least people think we're nice!
Down some dirt roads with wooden signs slightly out of town, we arrived at a backpacker’s lodge with wooden cabins resting under the mountains. Not seeing a clear reception area or knowing where anyone in charge was, we came across one of the “permanents” (often at these type of places you also have people that rent rooms or beds by the month.
I was making small talk with him, but suddenly,...
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Mr Bones!
The other day, we were walking, and sometimes as he does, Marty was waiting ahead in the Land Rover, having scouted out part of our proposed route for the day, which is important when we’re not sure of map/GPS accuracy.
When we got to the vehicle, he informed us that we basically had two options.
The first was to continue on the road we were currently on, which is not very direct to where...
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