Hello!
The end is near! It has been a crazy, busy, and emotional week around Inkwenkwezi. There are 5 of us vollies leaving this weekend, so it's been nuts with everyone saying good bye! I am leaving here on Sunday, August 1st, flying to Cape Town for one more day. Then heading back to the US on August 2nd and I should be back in North Carolina around 6is on August 3rd. Gonna be another whirl wind tour to get home.
Totally mixed emotions about coming home. I cannot wait to get home and see everyone and really share all my crazy stories, adventures and pictures! So many amazing things to share and so many amazing people to see at home. Missed home and everyone very much.
But, I know when I get home I am going to want to be here. It is going to be official, I will have left my heart in South Africa.
I know it has been super long since I have posted and I sincerely apologize. Things here have been pretty busy, on top of the fact that it takes ages to upload pictures on this computer. So sorry! Here's my plan, when I get home I am going to post a bunch of pictures of the things that have happened here that I wasn't able to post throughout my trip, so check back here in a few weeks once I get back. I am looking forward to the continued sharing of my adventure in South Africa!
Today is my last day in Cintsa, Wild Coast, South Africa. Myself and fellow volly, Jannika, are going to go back to Cintsa Beach and try surfing again! Looking forward to spending my last day here splashing around in the waves and have a bit of fun in the sun.
Love and miss you all! Hope everyone had a fantastic summer, I know I did! I will be back in touch once I get to the other side of the big pond.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Surfing!
Nothing too crazy has been happening these days. Lots of work around camp, lots of having fun with the guides and the other vollies.
One of the best things I've done so far was this weekend. Myself and Jannika, another volly from Germany, took surf lessons at Buccaneer Backpackers this weekend. It was absoluately AMAZING! I didn't really get up onto the board all that often, but just being out there was incredible! The weather, the waves and the water was perfect! Had a great time with the lessons from Denver, the South African, and then we were able to keep our boards for the rest of the day, so we had a great time in the beautiful Indian Ocean trying to be surfers! So much fun!!
Love Cintsa Beach!
Paddling to catch the wave, pretty sure I fell off the board when I tried to stand up here....
oops! Gotta go back out and try again....
After a long day of surfing, the beautiful sunrise the next day was perfect!
Can't believe there are only 2 weeks left here at Inkwenkwezi, but I am sure more fun to be had!
Keep you posted! I hope everyone is having a great summer at home and enjoying themselves!
One of the best things I've done so far was this weekend. Myself and Jannika, another volly from Germany, took surf lessons at Buccaneer Backpackers this weekend. It was absoluately AMAZING! I didn't really get up onto the board all that often, but just being out there was incredible! The weather, the waves and the water was perfect! Had a great time with the lessons from Denver, the South African, and then we were able to keep our boards for the rest of the day, so we had a great time in the beautiful Indian Ocean trying to be surfers! So much fun!!
Love Cintsa Beach!
Paddling to catch the wave, pretty sure I fell off the board when I tried to stand up here....
oops! Gotta go back out and try again....
After a long day of surfing, the beautiful sunrise the next day was perfect!
Can't believe there are only 2 weeks left here at Inkwenkwezi, but I am sure more fun to be had!
Keep you posted! I hope everyone is having a great summer at home and enjoying themselves!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
More pictures
Here are some more pictures...
Mama Tofu's:
And Cliff Jumping:
Horse Back Riding on the Beach (Beautiful!):
Until next time!
Mama Tofu's:
And Cliff Jumping:
Horse Back Riding on the Beach (Beautiful!):
Until next time!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
So sorry it has been so long....
Alright, so it's been a really long time since I've posted. I apologize! Here is a quick update on things I've done in the past couple weeks:
We found the rhinos after they hadn't been seen for a couple months:
We did an elephant interaction. I got to meet and feed the big guys. They are officially my favorite! After I met them my tentmate Sam, decided we wanted to go for an elephant safari so we got to ride the elephants through the conservation. It was very neat and the elephants are awesome! I rode the biggest elephant named Ramadiba.
We also go to go in and meet the cheetahs. They have three very tame cheetahs here that were rescued and raised by people so they are like big dogs. They are so cool! You can lay with them and they purr like mad, they lick you and are so fun. Their eyes are awesome!
That weekend there was a festival at Inkwenkwezi. It was the Jikeleza festival and we all worked in the bar tent. It was an experience to try to understand the locals and to learn the whole Rand notes system, but in the end I was a regular. The festival was also awesome to meet and see some of the locals, see the music and dance from the Xhosa culture that is near by and see all the local crafts that are handmade here. It was a very fun weekend.
After the weekend Sam, two new volunteers and I went to Mama Tofus and experienced first hand the Xhosa culture. It was an awesome experience to learn about their culture and live as they do for one night. We slept on the floor, ate a traditional dinner, learned from 91 year old Mama Tofu, and her eldest daughter, Zinzin, about their customs and beliefs. They danced for us as well. It was very fun to meet the young girls that live there as well. They were very fun and full of energy, and loved to play with us! Unbelieveable experience!
On the way to Mama Tofu's I was able to experience the cold river water as well as I jumped off a cliff! Very fun!!
Today was a very fun day as well as I went with a bunch of the girls for a horse ride on the beach! So much fun!!!!
Everything has been going well and I am having a great time going on game drives, working in the conservation and meeting some pretty awesome people as I go!
I will post more pictures of my adventures soon, it is dinner time now!!!!
We found the rhinos after they hadn't been seen for a couple months:
We did an elephant interaction. I got to meet and feed the big guys. They are officially my favorite! After I met them my tentmate Sam, decided we wanted to go for an elephant safari so we got to ride the elephants through the conservation. It was very neat and the elephants are awesome! I rode the biggest elephant named Ramadiba.
We also go to go in and meet the cheetahs. They have three very tame cheetahs here that were rescued and raised by people so they are like big dogs. They are so cool! You can lay with them and they purr like mad, they lick you and are so fun. Their eyes are awesome!
That weekend there was a festival at Inkwenkwezi. It was the Jikeleza festival and we all worked in the bar tent. It was an experience to try to understand the locals and to learn the whole Rand notes system, but in the end I was a regular. The festival was also awesome to meet and see some of the locals, see the music and dance from the Xhosa culture that is near by and see all the local crafts that are handmade here. It was a very fun weekend.
After the weekend Sam, two new volunteers and I went to Mama Tofus and experienced first hand the Xhosa culture. It was an awesome experience to learn about their culture and live as they do for one night. We slept on the floor, ate a traditional dinner, learned from 91 year old Mama Tofu, and her eldest daughter, Zinzin, about their customs and beliefs. They danced for us as well. It was very fun to meet the young girls that live there as well. They were very fun and full of energy, and loved to play with us! Unbelieveable experience!
On the way to Mama Tofu's I was able to experience the cold river water as well as I jumped off a cliff! Very fun!!
Today was a very fun day as well as I went with a bunch of the girls for a horse ride on the beach! So much fun!!!!
Everything has been going well and I am having a great time going on game drives, working in the conservation and meeting some pretty awesome people as I go!
I will post more pictures of my adventures soon, it is dinner time now!!!!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Game Drive and Hogsback
On Thursday we did a bit of work around the conservation and we chopped down reeds that were growing in one of the water holes. They are in a bit of a drought here so there isn't much water in the water holes so we need to chop down the reeds so the reeds don't use up all the water and so the animals can get to the water to drink. Our guide said if we chopped down all the reeds before 12:00 (we started at 8:30) we could go on a game drive. So of course we all went nuts and we finished the whole thing by 10:00. I was knee deep in mud, and a few of the other girls were neck deep, but it was all for the animals. So we finished our task so we got to go on a game drive and go see the lions they have on the conservation.
Zebra
Girrafe
LIONS!
It was amazing to see these animals as we drove around on the landy, but we do also find some of them in camp as well (Not the lions). There were 5 white lions and 4 brown ones, awesome animals!
On Friday morning my fellow new volley (what they call us volunteers around here), Sam, and I went over to Buccaneer backpackers to be picked up for our weekend in Hogsback. We got dropped off for 11, but in regular South African Style we didn't get picked up until 1:00. But not problems, we just got to chill out with the locals at Buccs. We got to our hostel, Away With The Fairies at Hogsback and prepared for our hike the next day.
The next day through our 5 hour hike with a trusty guide dog, Flo, (A dog from the hostel that decided to adopt us for the day and take us on our tour), we saw two water falls, The Madonna and Child and Swallow Tail Falls, the tallest tree in the Eastern Cape and loads of scenary that inspired the Hobbitt by JRR Tolkein. It was beautiful!
Me with the biggest tree in the eastern cape (800 years old!)
Madonna and Child Falls
Beautiful hike!
Zebra
Girrafe
LIONS!
It was amazing to see these animals as we drove around on the landy, but we do also find some of them in camp as well (Not the lions). There were 5 white lions and 4 brown ones, awesome animals!
On Friday morning my fellow new volley (what they call us volunteers around here), Sam, and I went over to Buccaneer backpackers to be picked up for our weekend in Hogsback. We got dropped off for 11, but in regular South African Style we didn't get picked up until 1:00. But not problems, we just got to chill out with the locals at Buccs. We got to our hostel, Away With The Fairies at Hogsback and prepared for our hike the next day.
The next day through our 5 hour hike with a trusty guide dog, Flo, (A dog from the hostel that decided to adopt us for the day and take us on our tour), we saw two water falls, The Madonna and Child and Swallow Tail Falls, the tallest tree in the Eastern Cape and loads of scenary that inspired the Hobbitt by JRR Tolkein. It was beautiful!
Me with the biggest tree in the eastern cape (800 years old!)
Madonna and Child Falls
Beautiful hike!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
So much to tell you!
Oh my goodness, it has been a while! So much has gone on....
Here are some pictures from my hike up table mountain and the peninsula tour:
Our climb up Table Mountain
At the top of Table Mountain
One of the views from my peninsula tour
Penguins we met on our Peninsula Tour
My time at Buccaneer Backpackers was great in East London, the people that were sharing my cottage with me were awesome and we had a great time. Liz from Australia was traveling around for 4 months on her own and 4 guys, Dumisani, Stanley, Konrad and Odwa (all from Cape Town) were traveling around for the World Cup, all took a month of work! We also met Nina and Matt who were travling all around for a year! Amazing people!! We went to the beach together and Konrad gave me a little surfing lesson. I got up on the first couple tries! Awesome!
Here is a picture of the beach as the view from our cottage.
On Tuesday morning, I met Sam, my fellow Volley at Inkwenkwezi at Buccaneers and we met Karen who drove us over to Inkwenkwezi. We met all the other vollies and learned about everything here! We didn't do much on the first day but on Wednesday we deticked and defleaed the wild horses that they have on the conservation and then we went quad biking through the bush in the afternoon. So much fun! then we went to the lodge and had buger night where they have hugggggeeeee burgers! Very fun, but I was very exhausted!
So far today we've cleared reeds out of the water dam so the animals are able to get to the water. They are in a bit of a drought here so are trying to help the animals as we can. And it was great being knee deep in South African mud!!! This afternoon we are going for a game drive and hopefully to meet the older lions. Unfortunately, right before we got here the cubs they had here were getting too old so they had to remove them from the conservation. Hopefully they will be getting some more cubs soon, but right now we've got loads of monkeys (that like to break into our tents), cheetahs, and many more!
So far I have seen, a warthog, monkeys, a girrafe (right in camp), an elephant, some eland, and a couple large spiders. Hopefully more to come!
The view from the back of the Landy (Land rover) as we drive through the bush
About to go quad biking!
Here are some pictures from my hike up table mountain and the peninsula tour:
Our climb up Table Mountain
At the top of Table Mountain
One of the views from my peninsula tour
Penguins we met on our Peninsula Tour
My time at Buccaneer Backpackers was great in East London, the people that were sharing my cottage with me were awesome and we had a great time. Liz from Australia was traveling around for 4 months on her own and 4 guys, Dumisani, Stanley, Konrad and Odwa (all from Cape Town) were traveling around for the World Cup, all took a month of work! We also met Nina and Matt who were travling all around for a year! Amazing people!! We went to the beach together and Konrad gave me a little surfing lesson. I got up on the first couple tries! Awesome!
Here is a picture of the beach as the view from our cottage.
On Tuesday morning, I met Sam, my fellow Volley at Inkwenkwezi at Buccaneers and we met Karen who drove us over to Inkwenkwezi. We met all the other vollies and learned about everything here! We didn't do much on the first day but on Wednesday we deticked and defleaed the wild horses that they have on the conservation and then we went quad biking through the bush in the afternoon. So much fun! then we went to the lodge and had buger night where they have hugggggeeeee burgers! Very fun, but I was very exhausted!
So far today we've cleared reeds out of the water dam so the animals are able to get to the water. They are in a bit of a drought here so are trying to help the animals as we can. And it was great being knee deep in South African mud!!! This afternoon we are going for a game drive and hopefully to meet the older lions. Unfortunately, right before we got here the cubs they had here were getting too old so they had to remove them from the conservation. Hopefully they will be getting some more cubs soon, but right now we've got loads of monkeys (that like to break into our tents), cheetahs, and many more!
So far I have seen, a warthog, monkeys, a girrafe (right in camp), an elephant, some eland, and a couple large spiders. Hopefully more to come!
The view from the back of the Landy (Land rover) as we drive through the bush
About to go quad biking!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Made it to East London!
Hello!
So it has been a bit since I have posted, and lots have gone one...all great!
On Friday I hiked up Table mountain with a few of the girls from the house, gorgeous, steep and phenominal! We made it too the top and took the cable car back down! Amazing....
After that we went into cape town and checked out a local market, Green Market, there with lots of hand made things, and then went to the Water Front a gorgeous part of Cape Town where a lot of the World Cup Action takes place, it is near the Green Point Stadium. Beautiful with boats and gorgeous homes! The USA was playing when I was at the Water Front, so it was awesome when they scored to hear the USA chant. Couldn't see the TV though, way too many people! ha...
The next day I did my cape penisula tour and saw many things, including penguins, seals, beautiful views of the ocean and the whole cape peninsula! It was gorgeous. I want to be able to load pictures, but now that I've come to Buccaneers, I have no way to download pictures for now. I hopefully I can befriend someone on my project with a computer and I can get pictures to you that way! Sorry for the bad news....
So good news, in East London it is a bit warmer and the beach is gorgous here. Beautiful view of the beach from my place at Buccaneers! More to figure out as the project begins on Tuesday. I got to Buccaneers this afternoon and have a bit of time to check it out before my project begins. YAY!
Alright, time to check out dinner! Until next time...
So it has been a bit since I have posted, and lots have gone one...all great!
On Friday I hiked up Table mountain with a few of the girls from the house, gorgeous, steep and phenominal! We made it too the top and took the cable car back down! Amazing....
After that we went into cape town and checked out a local market, Green Market, there with lots of hand made things, and then went to the Water Front a gorgeous part of Cape Town where a lot of the World Cup Action takes place, it is near the Green Point Stadium. Beautiful with boats and gorgeous homes! The USA was playing when I was at the Water Front, so it was awesome when they scored to hear the USA chant. Couldn't see the TV though, way too many people! ha...
The next day I did my cape penisula tour and saw many things, including penguins, seals, beautiful views of the ocean and the whole cape peninsula! It was gorgeous. I want to be able to load pictures, but now that I've come to Buccaneers, I have no way to download pictures for now. I hopefully I can befriend someone on my project with a computer and I can get pictures to you that way! Sorry for the bad news....
So good news, in East London it is a bit warmer and the beach is gorgous here. Beautiful view of the beach from my place at Buccaneers! More to figure out as the project begins on Tuesday. I got to Buccaneers this afternoon and have a bit of time to check it out before my project begins. YAY!
Alright, time to check out dinner! Until next time...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Beach and Cultural Tour
So much has happened in the past few days! So much to share!
I find myself having a great time in Cape Town and realizing a week here is too little time! There is so much to do and I leave on Sunday to head to Inkwenkwezi. Although, I am very much looking forward to heading to the Eastern Coast, known as the Wild Coast!
But before I go! On Wednesday I went shopping with a few of the Irish girls that live in the house where I am staying. We walked to the mall here, did a little shopping and then to the grocery store. It was packed there, in the middle of the day on a Wednesday! It was interesting to look around and see no familiar brands!
After that I took a walk to the beach. It is beautiful! There were loads of surfers out in the water, with beautiful views of Table Mountain (on a clearer day you can see the top, where it is as flat as a table, hence the name!) and the sun as it began to set. It was breath taking!
The view of table mountain from our beach. (It's better on a clear day, the clouds were in the way today!)
The Beach!
That night I went out to a bar with a few of the girls to watch the world cup. Bafana Bafana did not win so it wasn’t as crazy as you would have thought. But it was great fun. My beer of choice here is Black Label, similar to a little lighter Samuel Adams. Very good! Most of the girls here like Savana which is a type of cider, a bit too sweet for me.
The next day, Thursday, I went on a cultural tour with our guide, Ursula. I went with Rebeka, from Scotland, and met up with two other girls that live in the other house, Observatory. The tour was quite an experience, very eye opening.
We learned about Apartheid, and travelled to District 6 which was the first place, out of 47, where blacks and coloured people were told they could not live. They were asked/forced to move out of their homes because the government wanted the area to only be for Whites. This happened to Ursula’s family and she said it was very, very sad because not only did your family live there, but your community became your family and they were all separated. Now there is loads of land that is undeveloped because they demolished the homes of blacks and coloured people. We went to the District 6 museum where they commemorate that difficult time.
Next, we went to one of the places they have to preserve and create art. They had beautiful pottery and dishes, paintings, wall art and some boys that played music for us. They were fantastic and so much fun to watch! They played the drums and xylophones, and the beat was great!
my favorite muscians!
After that we went to the townships which is where people with little to no money live. They live in wood and tin shacks, with no water and they steal electricity from the city. This was the eye opening experience, to see where these people live. It was a bit tough to want to take pictures of these peoples homes, where they live and work and play each day. But, the people here are well spirited, they welcomed us with open arms and most we came across were very friendly. We were welcomed into a wood and tin house of a woman named Beauty who opened her home as a bed and breakfast. She is also a dress maker for girls going to prom and graduation. They were beautiful!
What the neighborhoods look like
A view of the townships
When we were in the townships we went to Mizulo, a typical Braii restaurant (Bar-B-Q). It was very good! We had chicken, sausage and lamb, with bread, Pop (the white Maize dish) and a tomato mixture (I can’t remember the name), much like homemade salsa, with all the spice! I of course had it all over my face and fingers, as it is typical to not use utensils. We all dove right in a enjoyed!
lunch
It was a great day, with a lot to see and I am sure I could go back each day and see more and more.
Hopefully climbing Table Mountain today and then a bit more shopping to get ready for Inkwenkwezi! YAY!
I find myself having a great time in Cape Town and realizing a week here is too little time! There is so much to do and I leave on Sunday to head to Inkwenkwezi. Although, I am very much looking forward to heading to the Eastern Coast, known as the Wild Coast!
But before I go! On Wednesday I went shopping with a few of the Irish girls that live in the house where I am staying. We walked to the mall here, did a little shopping and then to the grocery store. It was packed there, in the middle of the day on a Wednesday! It was interesting to look around and see no familiar brands!
After that I took a walk to the beach. It is beautiful! There were loads of surfers out in the water, with beautiful views of Table Mountain (on a clearer day you can see the top, where it is as flat as a table, hence the name!) and the sun as it began to set. It was breath taking!
The view of table mountain from our beach. (It's better on a clear day, the clouds were in the way today!)
The Beach!
That night I went out to a bar with a few of the girls to watch the world cup. Bafana Bafana did not win so it wasn’t as crazy as you would have thought. But it was great fun. My beer of choice here is Black Label, similar to a little lighter Samuel Adams. Very good! Most of the girls here like Savana which is a type of cider, a bit too sweet for me.
The next day, Thursday, I went on a cultural tour with our guide, Ursula. I went with Rebeka, from Scotland, and met up with two other girls that live in the other house, Observatory. The tour was quite an experience, very eye opening.
We learned about Apartheid, and travelled to District 6 which was the first place, out of 47, where blacks and coloured people were told they could not live. They were asked/forced to move out of their homes because the government wanted the area to only be for Whites. This happened to Ursula’s family and she said it was very, very sad because not only did your family live there, but your community became your family and they were all separated. Now there is loads of land that is undeveloped because they demolished the homes of blacks and coloured people. We went to the District 6 museum where they commemorate that difficult time.
Next, we went to one of the places they have to preserve and create art. They had beautiful pottery and dishes, paintings, wall art and some boys that played music for us. They were fantastic and so much fun to watch! They played the drums and xylophones, and the beat was great!
my favorite muscians!
After that we went to the townships which is where people with little to no money live. They live in wood and tin shacks, with no water and they steal electricity from the city. This was the eye opening experience, to see where these people live. It was a bit tough to want to take pictures of these peoples homes, where they live and work and play each day. But, the people here are well spirited, they welcomed us with open arms and most we came across were very friendly. We were welcomed into a wood and tin house of a woman named Beauty who opened her home as a bed and breakfast. She is also a dress maker for girls going to prom and graduation. They were beautiful!
What the neighborhoods look like
A view of the townships
When we were in the townships we went to Mizulo, a typical Braii restaurant (Bar-B-Q). It was very good! We had chicken, sausage and lamb, with bread, Pop (the white Maize dish) and a tomato mixture (I can’t remember the name), much like homemade salsa, with all the spice! I of course had it all over my face and fingers, as it is typical to not use utensils. We all dove right in a enjoyed!
lunch
It was a great day, with a lot to see and I am sure I could go back each day and see more and more.
Hopefully climbing Table Mountain today and then a bit more shopping to get ready for Inkwenkwezi! YAY!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Arrival and the Wineland Tours
Greeting from South Africa!!
I arrived yesterday morning around 9:30 South African time. Keenan one of the tour guides picked me up at the airport and unfortunately it was raining, so I couldn't see much without it being clear, but it was so great to be here and no problems traveling at all! After a long lay over in london and a few long flights, it wasn't too bad. The planes were huge, double decker planes. Amazing they can get those things in the air!
Once I go here, we came to the house, which is in Table View, a suburb of Cape Town. It is beautiful and can sleep 30 people all togetherm but it looks tiny from the outside. Right now there are about 20 girls living here. Most of them are doing the programs in Cape town, the Home of Hope (an orphanage for abandond children) or SANNCOB which is a rescue project for penguins. After getting here yesturday I got my welcome brief from Megan, the volunteer coordinator, then took a long Nap. Everyone else was at work, so when I woke up the house was all in a Tizzy! It is like living in a soroity house a little bit with members from all over the world. It was great to meet all the girls as they trickled in from work. The kitchen was a bit nuts at dinner as various dishes and accents from all over the world were flying around!!
After a great nights sleep in the comfy bed here, I am sharing a room with Logan from Indiana, USA, I woke up to go on the tour of the Winlands with Logan and Jessica, from Maryland. It was amazing, we went to three Vineyards, and tasted some great wine with different tasts. First we went to one where they made chocolate to go with the wine specifically. My favorite was the cabernet sauvignon with the rock salts dark chocolate. There was one where the chocolate tasted like flowers with the white wine, very interesting. The second winery had great wine and cheese to go with it. The third was sat outside with a panoramic view of the mountains, with Table Mountain in the distance. Gorgeous country! The third winery had a Glass Blowing store as well, beautiful pieces of hand made glass pieces.
Another thing we did today was pet a cheetah at a cheetah rescue conservation at Spier Resort. It was amazing to be that close, and just a taste of what I'll be experiencing in Inkwenkwezi!
More adventures to come tomorrow, of what I do not know....Maybe a trip to the waterfront to check out the world cup! South Africa plays tomorrow....
Please See pictures of some of the wineries and the cheetah's below!
(The entrance to the first winery, Waterford.)
(The panoramic view of the third winery, who's name is escaping me)
(Me with Pheonix, the Cheetah!)
I arrived yesterday morning around 9:30 South African time. Keenan one of the tour guides picked me up at the airport and unfortunately it was raining, so I couldn't see much without it being clear, but it was so great to be here and no problems traveling at all! After a long lay over in london and a few long flights, it wasn't too bad. The planes were huge, double decker planes. Amazing they can get those things in the air!
Once I go here, we came to the house, which is in Table View, a suburb of Cape Town. It is beautiful and can sleep 30 people all togetherm but it looks tiny from the outside. Right now there are about 20 girls living here. Most of them are doing the programs in Cape town, the Home of Hope (an orphanage for abandond children) or SANNCOB which is a rescue project for penguins. After getting here yesturday I got my welcome brief from Megan, the volunteer coordinator, then took a long Nap. Everyone else was at work, so when I woke up the house was all in a Tizzy! It is like living in a soroity house a little bit with members from all over the world. It was great to meet all the girls as they trickled in from work. The kitchen was a bit nuts at dinner as various dishes and accents from all over the world were flying around!!
After a great nights sleep in the comfy bed here, I am sharing a room with Logan from Indiana, USA, I woke up to go on the tour of the Winlands with Logan and Jessica, from Maryland. It was amazing, we went to three Vineyards, and tasted some great wine with different tasts. First we went to one where they made chocolate to go with the wine specifically. My favorite was the cabernet sauvignon with the rock salts dark chocolate. There was one where the chocolate tasted like flowers with the white wine, very interesting. The second winery had great wine and cheese to go with it. The third was sat outside with a panoramic view of the mountains, with Table Mountain in the distance. Gorgeous country! The third winery had a Glass Blowing store as well, beautiful pieces of hand made glass pieces.
Another thing we did today was pet a cheetah at a cheetah rescue conservation at Spier Resort. It was amazing to be that close, and just a taste of what I'll be experiencing in Inkwenkwezi!
More adventures to come tomorrow, of what I do not know....Maybe a trip to the waterfront to check out the world cup! South Africa plays tomorrow....
Please See pictures of some of the wineries and the cheetah's below!
(The entrance to the first winery, Waterford.)
(The panoramic view of the third winery, who's name is escaping me)
(Me with Pheonix, the Cheetah!)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
It is time...
And the adventure is about to begin.
Just a short post to sign off from the United States for the next 7 weeks. I have no idea what is going to happen in the next 7 weeks of my life, so exciting, nerve racking and I'm happy I get to share it with you!
Now before I start taming the lions, I have to tame my suitcase. For those of you who know what an awful packers I am, you can imagine what I am going to be like packing for 7 weeks, instead of just a weekend. Ha!
I will be in touch once I have gotten to the other side of the Atlantic.
Amazingly, courageously and in faith I am off.....
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Just a short post to sign off from the United States for the next 7 weeks. I have no idea what is going to happen in the next 7 weeks of my life, so exciting, nerve racking and I'm happy I get to share it with you!
Now before I start taming the lions, I have to tame my suitcase. For those of you who know what an awful packers I am, you can imagine what I am going to be like packing for 7 weeks, instead of just a weekend. Ha!
I will be in touch once I have gotten to the other side of the Atlantic.
Amazingly, courageously and in faith I am off.....
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The home stretch
So, I am in the home stretch! Leaving on Saturday night at 8:30 from JFK. Started to pack last night and I have wayyyyy to much stuff, so going to try to downsize tonight. Maybe I could borrow Mary Poppins' bag!
Little bit of bad news: I found out that I am not able to leave London Heathrow Airport to do a little bit of sight-seeing. For the heightened security, I am unable to leave. Bummer! Gonna be a long day in the airport! 9:30AM-7:30PM = good times! Good thing I've got books and I've heard heathrow is huge! Better to be safe than sorry and not leave the airport....don't need a security riffle in my face!
Here's a little bit of perspective: A map of South Africa showing where I will be.
Cape town for one week to the West and then East London at Inkwenkwezi for 6 weeks to the East.
Almost there....at this time next week I will be in Cape Town, South Africa. Crazy.
Little bit of bad news: I found out that I am not able to leave London Heathrow Airport to do a little bit of sight-seeing. For the heightened security, I am unable to leave. Bummer! Gonna be a long day in the airport! 9:30AM-7:30PM = good times! Good thing I've got books and I've heard heathrow is huge! Better to be safe than sorry and not leave the airport....don't need a security riffle in my face!
Here's a little bit of perspective: A map of South Africa showing where I will be.
Cape town for one week to the West and then East London at Inkwenkwezi for 6 weeks to the East.
Almost there....at this time next week I will be in Cape Town, South Africa. Crazy.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Countin down....
Countin' down the days! 9 days until I hop on the bird and fly over the great big pond.
Picked up my Pounds for my day adventure in London, and my Rands for the grand trip to South Africa. Getting the money made it feel so real. This trip, a year in the making is about to happen! I have my pile of stuff to pack in my room, starting to get big, hope it'll all fit in my bag!
Thank you to Kelly for driving me to the airport. Thank you to Julie for agreeing to show me around London.
Can't wait to post pictures and videos of everything to share with everyone! I should have Internet access on the weekends when I am in Inkwenkwezi, so as soon as I can post things I will!
Thanks to everyone who has showed interest in following my blog, I hope to not dissappoint.
Picked up my Pounds for my day adventure in London, and my Rands for the grand trip to South Africa. Getting the money made it feel so real. This trip, a year in the making is about to happen! I have my pile of stuff to pack in my room, starting to get big, hope it'll all fit in my bag!
Thank you to Kelly for driving me to the airport. Thank you to Julie for agreeing to show me around London.
Can't wait to post pictures and videos of everything to share with everyone! I should have Internet access on the weekends when I am in Inkwenkwezi, so as soon as I can post things I will!
Thanks to everyone who has showed interest in following my blog, I hope to not dissappoint.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
One Month To Go
One Month from today, almost to this very hour, I will getting on a flight to head across the big blue pond to start a grand adventure!! I will start the adventure in London with a day between flights. I will get a chance to check out the UK scene. Maybe see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, walk The Mall, maybe check out a local pub? Who knows!? I'll have about 10 hours to see what it's all about and not miss my next flight to South Africa.
After another night flight to South Africa it would be time to meet up with the AVIVA crew and get things going in Cape Town. I will have a week to check out the sights, learn about the culture and get some guided tours through the city, beaches and Table Top Mountain.
Next, is the 6 weeks in the Inkwenkwezi Wildlife Conservation. This is in East London, SA, a coastal town on the Indian Ocean. To translate Inkwenkwezi in Xhosa, it means "Under the Stars", hence the name of my blog. I love thinking about going to live among the lions under the South African stars! It will be a real adventure between working with Lions and other wildlife, talking walks through the bush and learning about the people I'll meet from all over the world!
Lots to look forward to and lots to share....hope you enjoy!
More to come soon, probably when I get more nervous as June 12 approaches!
Ta-Ta for now!
After another night flight to South Africa it would be time to meet up with the AVIVA crew and get things going in Cape Town. I will have a week to check out the sights, learn about the culture and get some guided tours through the city, beaches and Table Top Mountain.
Next, is the 6 weeks in the Inkwenkwezi Wildlife Conservation. This is in East London, SA, a coastal town on the Indian Ocean. To translate Inkwenkwezi in Xhosa, it means "Under the Stars", hence the name of my blog. I love thinking about going to live among the lions under the South African stars! It will be a real adventure between working with Lions and other wildlife, talking walks through the bush and learning about the people I'll meet from all over the world!
Lots to look forward to and lots to share....hope you enjoy!
More to come soon, probably when I get more nervous as June 12 approaches!
Ta-Ta for now!
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