Acts of Random Kindness II - Zim Judicial System

So after leaving Blantyre went to Monkey Bay and Cape MacClear in Lake Malawi.... there it was time for some R&R following some intensive travelling.... beautiful landscape, fantastic sunsets and amazing fish.... and quite cheap as well... my plan was to spend there only 5 days and then continue to Zim and finish the trip in Botswana however, the plans changed yet again....

Whilst at lake Malawi I met up with two English (Johny from London and James a professional photographer leaving in Cape Town who was travelling in Malawi and Tanzania taking pictures of NGO for his portfolio).

James was driving and he was going back to Jo bergh passing through Harare so, I waited a couple of more days on the lake and after go with him dropping Johnny off in Zomba... Eventually as I was so excited about Zim Johny eventually changed his plans and decided to come with us...

First part of the journey was to return to Blantyre to get a transit visa as we had to pass again by Moz and also to get money (dollars as three months ago the zim dollar was abolished as it was reaching ridiculous numbers - one example a bus journey in the city was about 3 trillion)... because the president of Malawi decided that forex should be closed (and the only ones that remain open offer atrocious exchange rates) and the banks only change money if you hold an account with them, we had to go to the black market to get some dollars... after that we decided that we should get on the way and, because there were three of us and all had tents we could just do some wild camping somewhere....

So around 17ish we got on our way to Moz... before we had to stop to get some Malawi delicatessen... on the side of the road there are vendors that sell mice on a stick... whenever I am in a different country I always try to eat something exotic and of course this time it was no exception.... the mice (small ones) were only dried and had some spices ... they still had all the fur and the insides hadn t been removed which let me to almost back out... but in the end I ate it and I must say it was quite tasty... although I only ate one and didn t get all of them in the stick (about 10 or so).... by the time we were done with all this and the driving itself it was already night and we crossed the border into moz just before it closed... we drove for a while (about 40km give or take) and started to look for villages.... when we saw one that seemed to be nice enough, we entered it... when I say village I mean a group of 4/5 circular huts so we were hoping that they would be quite welcoming... because we were so close to the border they spoke chicheua (Malawi language although I belief I am misspelling it) so my knowledge of Portuguese was useless.... but we had N 1 Power sachets (Malawi gin which comes in sachets) so, after a while the universal language of sharing a drink surpassed the initial language barrier... although I believe that they still considered us crazy muzungos (white people) which decided to invade they small gathering of houses (and when we got there everyone was asleep but after when we were setting up the tent the whole village was there - about 15 people) ... we had great time and I guess so did they and we were probably the most unusual guests they ve ever had...

Our journey continued towards Zim... again we passed the border very late specially cause we had to bride the police to let us in.... because South Africa has a big problem of stolen cars being taken to Zim they have requested that all car owners must have a letter from ZA Interpol to prove that the car really belongs to that person.... well James didn t have that letter and the fine was US200... after greasing some palms we managed to pay only us40 but this was very time consuming and we wouldn t made it to Harare at night... so again we decided to stay at another small village and where hosted by Isac ... this was quite an interesting experience because not only allowed me to have a feel of rural life but also, the guy was the chairman of the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change - Zim opposition party) so he could tell us in the first person what the election period was like... in the village of about 40 people everyone was related in the first degree and the surrounding villages they were also relatives.... the surrounding villages were ZANUPF (Mugabe's party) and because they were starving they accepted to not only support him for exchange of few vegetables but also got them to intimidate Isac including threatning his life... the next morning he took us to some caves where he used to hide during the frequent raids carried out by his relatives.....

We continued to Harare and one of my friends from Edi (Tinashee) had spoke to his family which was living there and we were welcomed like family... there are no words to describe the gratitude I fell towards my new Zim family... they took us in like we were their sons and let us stay in a flat of one of the ants who was living in the UK... unfortunately we were a bit lax in regards to security and we paid dearly for that... during the night the car got broken into and they stole everything in it.... 25l jerrycan of petrol (although there is again petrol in Zim it is very expensive) and stole James passport and his external drives with all the pics he had taken for the trip (and like I said earlier the whole purpose of the trip for him was to built his portfolio).... for me they stole my bag full of book and unfortunately in it there was one of my black moleskin with everything for the past two years... they also took all my toiletries and malaria and bilharzia (bug that lives in snails in lake Malawi that gets into your skin and deposit larva's that eat you up from the inside)... so we went to the police to file a report... as soon as I got in they started questioning me why I was there in Harare, if I was a tourist why was I not in a hotel, what I was doing there and so on... for a couple of minutes which seemed never ending I though that not only had I been a victim of a crime but also was gonna end up spending a night in prison... what made things worse was the fact that I was staying in a flat right next to the presidential palace which I guess could have triggered some suspicion (and I looked quite dodgy not having shaved for three weeks and now I am unable to do it until I get back)... on top of it all it was a long weekend with Monday being heroes day and Tuesday armed forces day... Murphy law "all that can go bad will go bad"... the rest of the time spend in Harare I was just chilling and hanging out with Tinashee s brothers who showed us around....

After Harare took a night train to Vic Falls and again was welcome by the fantastic hospitality of Tinashee aunt Barbara and uncle Gordon... they not only organised the lodge we stayed in but also organised all activities such as white water rafting, bungee jump (I know that I said I wouldn t do it again but well...) and perhaps one of the most amazing things a private game reserve visit with the manager... I had done quite a few self game drives but this was totally different... Ian knew what he was looking for and his knowledge of animal life as well as all subjects related were immense... in addition he loved his meat so during the night whilst listening to the wild life (we slept in his house inside the reserve) I got to eat all sorts of exquisite meats... Kudu, Croc and elephant (no it is not cruel.. they have to be shot down for population control purposes).... all and all it was an amazing couple of days.... leaving Zim was though and things although still hard are much better.. it is a country of great prospects and opportunities so I may try to come back for work.... in 2011 there will be other elections and hopefully this time it will go smoothly and the country will regain its greatness (Zim was the biggest success of Africa - better in many ways that South Africa in terms of development and natural wealth)...

The trip from Vic Falls back to South Africa was very long... it started at 10pm on Saturday and arrived at Bulawayo around 09am... after waited until 1pm and got on the bus back to j burgh... although the bus I got was not the ryanair of buses it was certainly the easy jet... I was a bit concerned that I would be arriving at 2am which is not a good time to arrive specially to j bergh but, I was assured that I would get to the main station (Park Station) thus it would be fine... unfortunately it was not so... we stopped at a some other station in an old garage and although I could see the main station it would still be a 15m walk so there was no way of doing that at night... on top of that I was also robbed of my South African mob so I could call no one and, because only people with less money use this service (the others prefer to use greyhound or city to city which is more expensive) taxi s dont go there... so I had to wait in the bus until it got light and then fill myself with courage and tackle the streets of Jozi.... around 6h30 I asked around if anyone was going that way but no one was so I had to make the short journey on my own... everyone has heard gruesome stories about Jozi and I also watched Louis Theroux documentary of "Law and disorder in Jozi" (which looking back may have not been very wise) but it was 6h30 so hopefully the thugs would be sleeping and I hadn t showered in 26h and hadn t shaved in a month.... I also tried to make my meanest look (which I have been told it doesn t look that mean) and so I went... the first couple of metres everything was fine.. there were only commuters and people obviously going somewhere ... I was thinking that it maybe wasn t that bad even as I looked at the above the ground tunnels which connected the different buildings internally so that people that have to go outside... and then, saw about 6/7 dodgy looking guys and one of them looked at me and said something to all the others who started staring at me... the first though through my head specially after having jst returned from the bush is that I was a impala with broken legs at the mercy of a pride of lions that was jst salivating at the prospects of an easy meal... at that moment I did something that I normally condemn but at the time felt that it made me look tougher.... so a spat on the ground and then......... well i crossed the street to the other side and started walking briskly.... other people for sure was aware of what was going on as two of them also crossed the street and started calling me.... it was at that moment that I saw the police station and decided that this was not a time to try and elegantly walk briskly but to run... and so I did... my experience so far with the police in Africa has been a conflicting one as most of the times they are trying to get money off me through brides but, this time they were amazing.... they went outside with me and at this time the guys that had previously chased me were still there but there was nothing the police could do since they hadn t committed any crime... so they let me use the phone to call a hostel to pick me up and asked the people on the CCTV cameras to keep an eye on me until someone came to pick me up....

I am now in the safety of the hostel and only been out once to go to the apartheid museum as I like to limit my close encounters with grievous body harm at one per trip.... tomorrow I flight back....

It has been absolutely wonderful time and there is still much that remains to be seen so I definitely have to come.... hope that everyone enjoyed my little adventures and until the next big trip...

Cheerios

Acts of Random Kindness...

So I made it to Tofu... this was the first time that I probably went on a real mini bus with all the mama Africa s and there are a lot of those here... in a place where normally about 1 people would fit they somehow manage to put 15 plus all the bags, chickens and whatever else people need to move around...

The first days in Tofu was dedicated to find the cheapest diving centre... this was the day just before my birthday and, I was hoping that I was going to be able to swim with the whale shark for my bday present... but the weather was awful and since diving here is quite expensive i preferred to wait it out.... the following 2 days I did go diving but saw nothing... well ok saw loads of fish, got to see some hump back whales on the way to the diving spots but no whale shark..... after I had already given up I decided to go on an ocean safari where for two hours we only look for the overgrown fish..... after 1 1/2 hours we finally saw one... there was already there another company thus there were about 30 people on the water, but shortly everyone got tired and, I managed to swim me and jst another girl for 5m mano a mano with the whale shark.... finally can scratch off that from my list to do b4 i m 30 (which is coming closer and closer..)

Following that, went to Vilanculos, first catching a ride with a fisherman from Imambanhe to Maxixe and after another 6h with the Mama Africa s and my big rucsack on my lap (i really need to pack a lot less next time)... in Vilanculos went to an island on the Bazaruto archipelago for the day which was the only day we got nice weather ...

Mozambique brought some changes.... unfortunatelly my dear travel companion Frieder has left to go back home.... I can not tell you how much he saved my derrier.... from getting lost (specially when trekking in the Berg portuguese style - thus without a map, he was the one pulling my fin down when i missed my safety stop whilst diving.... all and all he become I great friend and, although we only met for 2 months it felt like a life time...

The other big change is the end of the tourist (aka expensive) activities... from now on it will be not so much the destination but the trip there.... and this is were the random acts of kindness come in. I met up a ductchie (Barend) whom I previously had met whilst I was in Coffee bay (he was actually one of the guys that warned me about the packs of dogs - which i know now they are there and they are evil) and I met him again in the Berg.... so we are now traveling together.... as we are two guys who don t really have a plan (although unlike me he does have a guide book and I must admitte that at times it is quite useful) and, because a tourist never knows where he s been and a traveller never knows where he s going, we decided that the best way to continue our journey was hitch hikking... so from Vilanculos to Chimoio we got a ride from a white guy from Zimbabwe who now lives in Vilanculos but has to go to Zimbo to renew he s visa every month ... he as had quite and interesting life having lived in Zimbo when all the white farmers were kicked out (him and his family included...) he lived close to Mutare where they found diomand fields (honestly he said you would kick a rock and a diomand would be under it) so he dedicated part of his time smuggling them outside the country... if on one hand he had loads of fun stories, on the other hand the movie blood diomands was constantly on my mind but, sone people at the hostel vouched for him and, they knew that I was going with him so it was ok....

When we got to Chimoio we tried getting a bus ticket to another Tete from where we could make our way to the malawi border... but you had to buy the ticket in advance and it was a mess to get it, we decided that we try our luck again hitch hikking this time jst on the street... first leg of the journey we got a lift from a South African guy and, the second part with a truck driver.... but this wasn t any truck it was a proper american freght liner... those things are huge.... of course the truck driver Almiton or Tone for his friends wanted money so, we agreed on a price and there we went... luckly he was going to Malawi so he could drop us off the next day... the road there was filled with pot holes so it took us 12h to do 700km... but we used that time to chat... it is increadably interesting to find out what people from different backgrounds think about their country and where it is they believe it is headed.... because we drove so long we had to stay the night in Tete and, by this time, Barend and I (specially me bc of language barrier and also as I have a little problem with keeping my mouth shut) Tone said we could stay in the truck (as it had two beds) and took us to a place to eat where no white man had gone before (or at least very few) ... everyone we passed by - mainly other truck drivers kept asking him who were the two whities (unaware that I could understand them) and Tone very proundly said they are with me.... the next day when we arrived at the Malawi border and we were gonna pay the agrred price he said that only half of it would do.... it was an increadible journey and I must say that, although life on the road doesn t attract me the slightest, it would be quite cool to jst have a joy ride in a truck like that (I did ask him if I could drive a bit jst around the parking lot but Tone just laughted ... I guess that was his polite way of saying no way you crazy portuguese...

Mozambique is a wonderful country with great people and wonderful landscape... I m sorry that I didn t have the chance to spend more time there but, this small part of southern africa is so big that you have to leave somethings behind and Zimbo calls for me.... the only odd thing was that no one understood my portuguese no matter how slowly I spoke ... there was even in a market a guy when I was buying fish (amazing fish and really cheap... one 5kg barracuda for 6 eur) who said that he could see I was trying really hard to speak portuguese and if I prefered I could speak in english that he also understood... I was about to explaine to him that my portuguese was perfet but I decided to drop it and speak even slower ... if another portuguese was around (and there aren t many any more - at least I didn t see them) we would for sure think that I had some sort of mental handicap...

I m now in Blantyre in Malawi and gonna head to the Lake tomorrow and in a week or so make my way to Harare... from here I probably not gonna be able to get online but I m sure I ll be ok...

Hope everyone is well

Cheerios

Ps Thank you for all your bday whishes and comments on the blog
PPs again sorry for the lack of pics...

And then there were two

As I said in the previous post S left Durban on the 28th to go back to the motherland and me and Frieder headed up to the freezing yet majestic mountains of Drakensberg.... the original plan was to go there with S and only spend two days or so but, I am glad that things changed as we got to stay there for 6 days and still it felt that so much could be done also with S gone (remember she was the one that got tired whilst we were mountain biking downhill) we could pursue outdoor activities without any fear of someone being left behind... ...

The landscape is breath taking and words cannot describe them so, I will let the pics speak for themselves (I will upload pics another time cause this internet connection is super slow and I can t stay here all day)..... on the first day we arrived to Southern Drakensberg (or as the local call it " the Berg" we sorted out a visit to Lesotho (one of the Countries within South Africa)... the trip involved using a old trade road - know as the Sanny Pass - using a 4x4 (funny enough we were going to try it with our Fat Cat as Frieder's book stated that a 4x4 was recommended hence, not absolutely needed) into Lesotho... was we got in the country and after driving about 60km (the country is tiny) we changed transport to use a horse (or a over grown pony)...

I have never seen such lazy horses... no matter how much I would kick it in the ribs or scream AI AI AI (as did the horses owner) he would only have two speeds... slow or slower... that is unless the owner said it at which point we would gallop as if running for his life... at night we stayed in a local village where we were served a typical Lesotho dinner (although of course meat was a luxury which not many people can afford...)... the country like so many in Africa was increadibily rich up until the population increased so much that, all the food they used to export was needed to feed the population and, eventually they required also to import much of what they need having since become on of the poorest countries in Africa....

The experience at the village was quite rewarding and, despite them being used to host tourists, it is always from what I gathered a reason to celebrate whenever foreigners were there... on the way back because the ground was freezing my horse was going even slower than the slowest speed which was absolutely fine by me however, the owner seemed to disagree.... as he ordered my horse to galope he obeyed and eventually slipped on the ice and, of course we both fell... fortunatelly I was able to take my leg out so he didn t crush it and I was jst shaken up nothing more and I can thank luck cause I don t think it was my cat like reflexes (which are nonexistent :P)

After we left to Central Berg (Injisuto) were we did some more trecks... we S gone we also have opted for the tent rather then staying in dorms... the difference is not much but, as they say in Tesco every little helps and over the course of the remaining 2 months that I have left it will make all the difference..... The only problem is that at night it went to -5 C which meant that during the morning we woke up to freezing cold and even inside the tent there was ice... we sucked it up one more night whilst in Injisuto but, eventually opted out to go back to dorms once we arrive Northern Berg... Again we did some amazing treks but, one in particular " The Gorge walk" was by far the best one... in terms of landscape all were quite similar however, this one took us along the river into the foot of the Amphitheater wall... Frieder who is becoming ever more portuguese left the map in the car... this was a very demanding walk where many time we had to climb steep metal ladders... we though that we were going off track as we met a mother with two small kids (the older no more than 8y) and carrying another in her back said she was making the same walk... once we passed by a straight in which there were some spikes we had to climb we were sure that we were in another track only to hear (when we stopped for lunch) the kids screamung wuth excitment after they finished climbing the same straight we though was so hard... this of course shattered completely my feeling like Indiana Jones ....

Hluhluve-Umfolozi and Santa Lucia and Cape Vidal National parks were our nxt destination for some more self drive safari and of course going back to the coast and the warmth.... and of course to the tent :D

The next stage was Sodwana bay were we stayed inside of the national park for some great diving.... the day before I got there the group had gone out to the 9 mile reef and saw not only whale shark (which I have been chasing since 2006 without success - although Jacques Cousteau only saw 2 in his entire life so I guess I ll just have to keep hoping) and hump back whales.. in the same dive... I paid (in South Africa don t know if I ve mentioned it before but duvung here is reallllly expensive) for 2 dives and, if it was amazing I would go for another two... one the day of the dive came, everything was great until I actually got into the water.... my mask was letting water in and because my nose was clogered so I couldn t expell the water and I had a panic attack... I was only at 19m so it was short way up and I tried with a different mask but, it even let more water in and the second time it was worst... after I had no other choice but to go back to the boat and of course no refund.... second day ended up not going diving and, have to wait to Mozambique (where I am at the moment - in Maputo) for the whale sharks.....

As I said I will try to post some pics however I make no promises as tomorrow I am going to Tofu for diving and after to Tofinho (close by) to surf and internet there is not only very expensive but also extremely slow...

Hope everyone is ok..

Cheerios

Change of Plans

After we left Storms River we headed up towards Addo Elephant Park (the cheapest self drive safari in this part of the country)... on the way there we tried to go to some hot springs to relax and mend our sore bones and muscles from all the walking we had done the previous couple of days but, I must of missed the street where we should turn and, by the time I realized it we had already done 50km and the only person who really wanted to go was S and she was asleep me and Frieder decided to move on ... that meant that we had an extra day in the park...

As the name itself suggests this is an elephant park and although there are also the big 5 most of the day we only got to see elephants... originally they started with 15 elephants and at the moment they have over 150 (this inbreeding resulted in some of the elephants not having tusks).... we started at 7am and as soon as we drove 2km we saw immediately one (ok Frieder saw it... it is unbelievable how it is possible that I missed suck a huge animal... but I did).. this was the first of many elephant sightings... when we passed a waterhole there was a herd of about 30 elephants drinking water and at this particular hole you could step out of the car... and so we did.... there were several parts where one could get out of the car at his own risk of course because of the lions... of course we all left the car as it is gonna take more than an overgrown pussy cat to prevent me from stretching my legs...

The most remarkable event of this self drive was when we saw to huge male elephants coming up.. they like most of the other animals we came across were either going to the waterholes or coming back from them... we positioned our car in a way that we would cut him off so I could take my National Geographic picture - which I did as you can see... there is no zoom in the camera the thing was about 2m away from the car - the funny thing was that the elephant didn t go around the car as we though it would but, kept going straight towards us with his ears flapping (which I later found out it is a sign that he is not happy and is considering to charge) at this moment I stick my head back in the car and tell Frieder to go... Go.... GO..... I don t know why but he didn t go immediately and, as the elephant came closer I started to roll up the window of the car (like it was gonna make a difference) and at this stage S was ready to burst in screams... everything was fine and I got a cool pic :D In this park we also saw warthogs - Pumba for Disney fans, Kutas, Buffalo, Zebras and other assorted animals whose name doesn t occur to me right now... I think it is important to note that our Fat Cat did very well... even in roads where it was only 4x4 only he never let us down (and of course the only reason we tried it was in pursuit of lions - which we ended up not seeing - and because there is no excess on our crash insurance)

The following day we went to a private game reserve... this gave us a chance to see a lot more animals because we were going on Land Rovers (so could go where the Fat Cat wouldn t take us) and because the area is a lot smaller then the National Park all the animals are more concentrated so they are easier to find and the rangers know exactly where they are (well more or less).... there we got to finally see 2 lioness and one with its cubs in the distance, gnus (wilder beast), white rhinos (unlike the black rhino who is one of the big 5, white are like big cows and, whilst they were grazing they came quite close to the car which allowed for some very cool pics), hippos etc..... nothing as exciting as the day before happened although we met a Dutch girl who told us where we can go to canoe amounts the crocs and hippos so they will be something to look forward to...

We continued North in search of warm weather, beach and some R and R time... we found it in Coffee Bay.... this was the first time that I truly felt that I was in Africa and, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons... the city is in the White Cost which is the poorest region in South Africa... people aren t miserable but, everywhere you see signs of poverty..... we walked along the cost for a about 6km until we got to a rock formation called the hole in the wall.... the hike there going up and down the hills was great it was the coming back however that was a pain... we couldn t go back the same way because it was getting darker so it would be dangerous... we were told at the hostel that we could just go to the main road and there we would easily find a ride back because the road only goes to Coffee Bay... we walked for about 1h30 and not a single car passed... in that time we were attacked 2 times by packs of stray dogs... we had heard that some girl had been attacked before and we were prepared, but to be honest I never though it would be so bad... every time we passed by a group of 3 or 4 houses we would have 5-10 dogs showing us the teeth... we ended having to call someone to come and pick us up as the first attack we managed to fend them off with our walking sticks and stones ... the second attack they came closer and closer and I think should we have kept on the road we would be bitten (and both Frieder and S have Rabies jabs but, I chose to skip that one - 160 pounds... extortion...)

After we left we were gonna stop in Durban just to go to Avis and get an extension on the rental of the Fat Cat but ended up managing to completely change our plan... S changed her flight from Swazi to Durban (saving us 1000km jst to go and take her there) and we got to do things more relaxed as Frieder still has another month and I still have another two months... because of this change of plans we went diving (just me and Frieder) and I got up close to a Raggie Tooth shark... it was the first time that I was diving in cold water and the tide was very strong so I managed to suck my air in 42m but, it was enough and to be honest I was absolutely freezing so when I saw that my air was running out there was a mix of happiness that I was gonna get out of the water and sadness because of the stuff I was gonna miss... and of course as soon as I left there was a school of sardine and a manta ray... oh well next time...

S leaves tom and me and Friender are going to Drakesberg and I will be incommunicado for the next 8 days... when I m back I ll let you know... if I make it of course because I wasn t planning on going to snowy mountains and all I have is two jumpers and one polar jacket...

Hope everyone is well

Cheerios for now...

The Garden Route

I am sorry for the delay between post but as I said earlier since I left CT I have had little or no access to internet.

To put you up to date ... I left to Hermanus where I did the shark Cage diving (can scratch that from my lists of things to do before I am 30)... it was absolutely amazing... for 4h I was Jacques Costeau exploring the great misteries of the oceans greatest predator... there were loads of sharks coming for a piece of 73kg of prime portuguese beef ... the water was freezing and of course that the wetsuit that I took had a huge hole in it so not only was trying to focous so that none of my precious limbs were outside of the cage, but also trying not to freeze... it is wonderful because although i was cold, my lips were purple and I couldn t stop shivering I wanted to stay in the cage as long as I could and went back several time...this meant that actually it turned out to be quite cheap as the ratio money paid vs. time spent in the cage significantly increased.

The biggest shark that came was 4,5m which although is not a huge one (they can grow up to 8m) it was pretty impressive specially when you focoused on its souless eyes and multiple rows of teeth.... one of the occasions the shark was following the bait and it didn t turn in time to avoid hiting the cage... with its fins inside the cage I could of touched it but I chickened out perhaps it was the cold that prevented me from my arm obeying my brain... t be honest now looking back I think it was the latter one :D

S chose to stay on the boat she didn t want to go diving with the overgrown fish because of a mix of fear of both the shark and hypothermia... that proved to be the less of both evils as by staying on the boat not only did she get sick but, to make it more interesting another person who also was staying on the boat got sick and vomited on her ... not close to her, not around her... ON HER :D also the day before the dive she found out that the guy that took her card for a few min (couldn t be more than 2m) had somehow tried to present his girlfriend/wife with 4000eur worth of jewelery fortunately everything turned out to be ok as the transaction didn t go through.... I told her a holiday with me would be something she would remember for a long time ...

When we were back at the hostel we met a german guy Frieder who was also heading the same direction as we where going so, he joined us in our trip... we rented a car (a little Hyunday Atos which we call Fat Cat because the 2nd day we had it the crazy german almost ran over a very fat cat which was impossible not be be seen) as between three people it turned out to be cheaper than to take the bus... by having a car we can also buy food in supermarkets and take it with us... and food prepared by Chef Filipe and Frieder is for sure better than eating out... specially after 4years in Edi eating Tesco Value produce I now hold a Phd in Pasta ...

Frieder is a really cool german, great guy and the best.... he s got a plan and a guide book which is more than I have... he actually brough a map from germany and as done proper research and he wants to do more or less the same things as I do so it turned out to be perfect... also having another person travelling with me and S has prevented that we kill each other as we are used to different types of travelling...

All those that have had the pleasure of being driven by me know that I am not the most attentive driver so there is an extra element of adventure being brough to the trip....the first time that I saw a baboon on the side of the road I was staring at it whilst almost running over five other baboons that were crossing the road in front of me which caused everyone to have a heart attack (jst in case you are wondering iI didn t hit any)... also on a few occasion I have missed some very poorly signaled stop signs and, on some occasions I have the tendancy to drive on the left... despite all these minor incidents I always lock the doors... we might crash but I tell you we will not be car jacked...... safety first... the other driver Frieder isn t much better.... whilst driving at night, we chose to ignore my directions (which have a 50% chance of being correct) and managed to drive us straight into the middle of a gang (or if you prefer a gathering of 15 dodgy individuals looking at us like we were fillet mignon ready to be devoured)... luckily nothing happened as he accelerated and whilst we were passing nxt to them I put on my meanest look..

The next day we kept going to Outshoorn where we did a beautiful pass (Swartberg Pass) downhill on mountaine bike.... the scenery was completely breathtaking and it got us in the mood to continue to do the 54km we had to do that day (which unfortunately weren t all downhill).... that same day we went to the Kango caves where 4years of poor tesco value eating took its tool as I had to pass through some very narrow passing and, I not always managed to pass them in the most gracious manner... the day ended with a visit to an ostrich farm were we got to hear the history of the industry and, of course the highlight of the visit... ostrich riding.... (I have the video but can t upload it cause it would take too long...but it is worth waiting to see it once I get back)...

I though that my only financial excess in this trip would be the great white shark cage diving but then I heard about the worlds biggest commercial bungy jump... from a bridge into a gorge free falling 216m.... it was quite pricey (specially because I also bought the DVD of the jump) but, I was told that during the rebound you go up and it is like jumping again from the 2nd highest bungy in the world so technically I got two jumps for the price of one so, I went for it.... the atmosphere under the brige whilst preparing for the big jump was like everything else in Africa... very chilled out, everyone is laughting and having a good time.... in sum not the kind of staff you want when they are strapping you to a rope and literally throwing you off a brigde... yes throwing you.... as I was walking towards the edge like a poor sailor walking the plank I told them to wait wait wait and I would jump in my own time but, they jst pushed me anyway... I have never screamed so much in my entire life.... all I kept thinking was of my dream (when I was taking malaria pills in SE Asia on of the side effects is very realistic dreams... everyone has the dream when they are free falling and wake up before they hit the ground... well I actually hit it) and that 1/25m people that bungy have their eye balls popping out... fortunatelly everything was fine and obviously I made it :D

The trip continued along the garden route until Storms River where we did some amazing hikking rock hoping along the coast.. this is the famous Otter Trail which takes about 5 days and it is always along the cost which allows you to see beautiful landscape but also whales and dolphins (we didn t get to see the whales per say but we did see it spray ... twice)

The computer is again really slow so I will try and upload some more pictures when I can find a quicker connection...

I am going to Safari for a couple of days and after to Swazi to drop off S... I will try to post again as soon as I can... Hope all is well

Cheerios

I am alive.....

Hello... I am ok... Haven t been able to get a decent internet connection as I am in the countryside in ZA.... have lots to say and promise I ll post an update soon...

Cheerios

Cape Town... first impressions...

I arrived yesterday after a 11h flight... I think that it was the first time in a long time that I am not sitting next to the screaming child so that was a big plus. After waiting for my friend (hereafter refered as S) for two hours we went into town...

The hostel is ok although it is not central as mentioned on the website... We are about 10m walk from Long Street which all the guides refer has the big city centre where everything goes on... first impressions... during the day it is empty, all the stores are loocked and if you want to go in you have to be buzzed in and, during the night the only interaction I have had with the locals is when they are asking me for money (if they only new Cheap Man lararararara - you know the song you numpties all sing when you are talking about me :) or when they ask if I would like to purchase their fine colombian produce....

The first day we walked (rather than taking a taxi) all the way to the Waterfront... Cape Town no one walk - unless they are quite poor - everyone drives... so it was quite an interesting walk :P When we finally manage to arrive to the Waterfront a Marina like many others with a few restaurants a shopping centre and people performing in the streets chilled out for a while there and after went back to the hotel... this time because it was already night time S decided to take a taxi (not as cheap as me).... went back to the hostel had a few drinks during happy hour and went to bed...

My friend S.... 6 months or so ago, she told me that the friends she normally goes on holidays couldn t make this year and she didn t have anyone to go... I told her that she could come with me however, I made it very clear that a trip with me isn t your normal holiday it is more an adventure (what can I say... sh** happens to me... a lot)... she laughed and said that it is what she was looking for... I also told Pat to come with me but I guess he knows me better than her...

Today finaly she understood how adventurous my holidays really are and she already said she will never come again with me... and this was our first full day and still another 3 weks to go :P the day started with me being late, being the good portuguese that I am, and so rather than going on one of those city sight seeing buses we went to visit Bowders beach where there is a colony of penguins... we had several options to get there but the most economical one was just the local metrotrain... after finally convincing her we went in search of the train station...

Just before we actually made it to the train station as I refuse to use a map (you know the whole portuguese ancestry) she wanted to withdraw cash... we went to the ATM and this is when some random guy started trying to show us how to use the machine and ended up nicking her card... finally I noticed that he was hidding the card put my shoulders back (to pretend I was quite big) and took it back and left the bank... as we were trying to go to another ATM machine in another location I noticed that he s friend (a dodgy looking friend with a big scar on his face - and that is why I noticed him) was still following us.... we therefore ended up not getting any money (well her because I can live of 5 pounds a day) and going to the Metro.. at this point we actually realised that this was South Africa and that most people in Cape Town aren t exactly walking on the street... I think that here you end up hearing that this is the safest place in ZA that you can sometimes get a false sence of security altough I think that despite being a little of a hassle it wasn t motive to get too stressed..

The trip to Bowlers beach was fine and got to see how people who don t drive actually move about between the city and the suburbs... isn t travelling meant to give us a glimpse of how the other half live... I though it was a very enriching experience...

The beach itself was closed with a path so you couldn t mengle with the penguins anymore... this is the result of tourist coming to close with the birds with the morning suits which not only stressed them, but also they wouldn t hatch their eggs properly... innitially the colony had 3000 birds but, we only saw about 500 (estimate of course) so it is a big difference...

The ride return was even more hectic because we came back during rush hour but, because we started in the last stop (Simon s Town) we got to sit down... now I am back at the hostel and happy hour is about to begin....

This has been quite a big entry I am sorry if I bored you... by the time I noticed how big it was it was already too late to resume it... I promise the next ones will be sweeter and shorter unless you like the details... pls let me know what you reader think about the lenght of the entries... too long, too short, too boring etc..

Hope all is well... Cheerios for now

Ps the spell check isn t working so I appologise for any errors :P

Leaving the burgh....

After 3 1/2 in the Burgh I am leaving the city permanently to continue to gospel about the wonders of the Portuguese empire and how it makes complete sense to restore it ... so with what one collects in that time (minus what my cousin and her friend took before and what I had taken previously to London), Patty and Magda (who felt sorry for the poor condition of my crippled back after an intensive vacuum cleaning session - it was the first time that Chez Filipe was completely cleaned and I didn't even get to enjoy it) accompanied me to the station .... this would prove to be an impossible task to be done on my own (as may be seen in the picture) hence on top of everything else you've done for me I will be eternally grateful to both...

It was a very sad couple of weeks as I had to say goodbye to all my wonderful friends (unfortunately missed a few people) but at the same time I am quite looking forward to go and tame the red continent with my little flag... and if I put down the flag its mine :D There are of course those who are happy that I leave.... mainly my poker buddies from whom I took money which allowed me to eat meat rather than Lidl noodles... unfortunately this didn t always happen specially when I was in a loosing streak (which looked as I was in one most of the time)... I though that it wasn t all misfortune... I think the fact that my poker ranking knowledge ends at three of a kind played a somehow relevant role in my mischief....

The intention of this blog is to try to keep everyone who might be interested in what I am up too updated... I am not sure how easy it will be to access internet and, I don t even know what my itinerary is ... with the same spirit that my ancestors who discovered the world without a map I will go with the flow and see where the cheap local buses take me..... for those that know I am leaving tomorrow around 19ish and I shall land in Cape Town on Monday.... not sure what I am gonna do whilst I am there (which I will be for approximately 3 days) and after going to Hermanus to do some White Shark Diving.... I will try to post something after.... if I don t please be happy for the shark who has eaten 72kg of prime portuguese meat ...

Hope that all is well... please feel free to leave your comments and accompany my adventure through the red continent...

Cheerios