Me and Mrs Ples

I think I have a new candidate for best part of the trip. To begin, we arrived at Karein's, a friend of Nathan's house in the capital city of Pretoria, home of the bulls (see the super 14 post). Karein had a hot meal ready for us along with two guest beds complete with a chocolate on the pillow. It was several steps up rfom the cow dung hut we stayed in the night before. To make it even better, I mentioned that I wanted to visit a place called the cradle of humankind, a site with paleontology significance, and her father had all kinds of insights into what to do. He even said that he could set us up with Dr. Francis Thackery at the Transvaal musuem. This would be an incredible honor!

THe next morning we got up at sunrise and had breakfast, prepared for us by Karein! Then we headed off to the city center where he amde a call for us over to the musuem. Unfortunatley Dr. Thackery couldn't meet with us but we were invited to see the famous fossil finds of Dr. Broom! The musuem has them locked up in the basement. When we arrived we met Stephanie, a paleontologist that works at the musuem. We were in for a very neat tour!

We bypassed the admission office and just walked right into the upstairs exhibit. At first, Stephanie was very formal and we went over stuff that was pretty basic. But Nathan was new to human evolution and it is always nice hearing professionals speak about these things so I just relaxed and went with the flow. Eventually, the tour became more informal and after about half an hour, it was basically like we were just talking with Stephanie as she gave us some cool stories about the finds and the people behind them.

Then, we went downstairs. We entered THE BROOM ROOM. Imediately I spotted Mrs Ples. It was amazing. A fossil that I had seen in books and read about for so long was right in front of me. She opened up the display and I actually got to touch and hold the skull in my hands. A 2 million year old ancestor, in my hand! For me, it doesn't get any better. For some people it's the pyramids, for others it's the collesuem. For me, it was this. Holding a hominid that lived so long ago. This peice of pre history. It was undescribable!

FYI - Mrs Ples is the name of a skull of australopithicus africanus, an upright walking ape that lived 2 million years ago. it was very human like in many regards. We also saw an africanus skeleton, and fossil remains of paranthropus robustus, a more robust hominid.

The tour ended two hours later when Stephanie showed us the lab and then talked about life as a fossil hunter. She let me drill her for a few questions that are helpful for the purposes of my screenplay.

From the transvaal musuem we went to Sterkfontein, a famous cave site where Mrs Ples was discovered along with several other fossil hominids. The tour over there was very cheesy, including a plasma screen TV short that explained how the caves formed and how the fossils were excavated. The host was much less helpful than Stephanie (although Stepahnie absolutely rocked so that is not saying much), but the caves were a lot of fun and also very neat to see a piece of history. I recognized many things from books and documentaries.

The best part, this day has given me a lot of excitemnt for my story and a lot of new ideas. And some pictures that, while goofy, are very neat to me. Footnotes: I have just written 6 blogs in less than 1 day and I have written each of them on a whim. So please forgive me for the typos and sloppy writing. Hopefully I will have more time in the days to come! Look for new pics. I am going to add them now.

Father Philaemon had many sons

Tiff came to Africa hoping to experience the culture. And since her bags were lost, we spent two days in a suburb of Jo'berg and 4 days in Kruger park. With 2 days to go, we decided to rent a car and visit the kingdom of Swaziland. Not knowing much about it added to the excitement.

As we drove in we noticed children everywhere. Turns out, 200,000 children are orphaned due to HIV and poverty in Swaziland, a high number considering it has less than 2 million citizens. We arrived in Ezulwini and called a guy named Richard who I was told would set us up with a cultural tour. We eventually found him and he introduced us to our host for the night: Philaemon.

Philaemon lives in the mountains and survives a traditional life. This means, he has two wives, and 20 children, and lives in a hut made of cow dung. For 100 Rand (about 15 dollars) we were able to stay with him for the night and enjoy a dinner and breakfast. Since they hardly spoke English, the tour basically meant that we were invited to come observe an average evening with him and his family.

As we arrived we were greated by dozens of kids. It was a baby factory. There were babies everywhere. Children and grandchildren of Philaemon. We spent the first hour just playing with the chilren. I'm guessing it was Tiff's favorite part of the trip. One girl in particular caught her attention and Tiff spent a lot of time with her. We sang songs and watched the kids dance. SOmehow they learned a dance where they tuck an arm into their pants and start humping. It was hilarious. We laughed for an hour and the mother said that they looked like donkeys.

We learned quite a bit about life in Swaziland despite barely being able to communicate. Pictures will tell the experience as well as anything. After a terrible night of sleep, we drove all day to make Tiff's flight. We arrived a bit late but oh well. Tiff's departure was much like her trip, very quick. We pulled up, slammed on the breaks, grabbed her bag, she hit me in the nuts on accident and then she was gone. It was a good visit and I think she had a lot of fun. Look forward to guest blog coming soon.

The Big Five: Don't ever pimp me out again!

The final day we set out at 6 am (when the gates open) with the goal of spotting a lion and possibly a leopard. Talking to folks the night before in camp, it seemed as though everyone was spotting lions. One guy saw 18 of them. Lucky SOB. An old couple, and by old I mean 90, saw 5 or 6. We felt like we must have been the only people that weren't spotting lions. So we left nothing to chance. Sun up to sundown, driving at a slower pace.

Unfortunately, between 6 am and noon we only saw Impalas, and a guy that said he just saw a caracal (a rare, small mountain cat). It was very discouraging. The afternoon was more of the same. The only hihglight was that we saw a Rhino very near the car. They are very intimidating creatures. They look like dinosaurs. They weighed more than our microbus. It was very cool.

We left the park and before finding a place to crash we went to the grocery store deciding that we would celebrate our last night with our new friends by cooking a delicious meal over a bar-b-que. We bought steaks. Unfortunately, the hostel that we went to was terribly run down. The kitchen had not been used for years and whoever used it years ago failed to clean up after themselves. On top of that it was pouring rain. It was the most ghetto hostel we have been to so far.

But, we made the best of it and even enjoyed nathans creative cooking schemes. I should note that all of Nathan's cooking schemes have been "creative" and by creative I mean disgusting. But not all his fault. The ingredients here are few and often poor and Nathan prefers complex meals. SO complexity + poor ingredients usually results in funny meals. But he's a good shit so I don't give him too much trouble.

The highlight of this night was that this tall guy came up to me and said, "this, long long man. me, long long man but this, long long long man." Then he looked at Tiff and Helena and said, "which one." I said that they were my sisters and he said, "how much." I said "30 rand." He didn't understand, and I have a feeling I didn't understand what he was saying. We all laughed, except for Tiff who made me promise that I will never pimp her out again. She was dead serious. Whcih only amde it funny.

But for the record. I will never pimp Tiff out again.

The next day we had to leave the Germans. It was very sad because it was such a joy to meet them and spend so many days with them. The greatest part about this trip for me has been the way that we have been able to meet people and become such intimate friends for a few days. I really hope to meet them again some day. As we left they gave us a gift. A postcard with the big five on it, only the leopard was crossed off because we did not see it. On the back they said that the ROAD EXPERIMENT (a reference to a sign we saw) was great due to THE BIG FIVE: TIFF, ADAM, NATHAN, FLO AND HELENA. I couldn't have said it better my self. Adios Kruger. And safe travels to Flo and Helena!

Sir, there's a Rhino over there

Day 3: Floand Helena slept every night in the back of their microbus. I think that they prepared the perfect trip for a couple. I am very jealous of them and I would love to go on a similar trip with Sheila sometime soon. They bought a microbus in Cape Town and they just camp in it and travel along at their own pace.

Anyway, we were only able to book one bedroom with two beds and so my choices were either to cuddle closely to Nathan or take one for the team and sleep in Nathan's hammock. The night was cold but I was well covered in blankets. I slept well enough but woke up with my but hanging on the ground (the hammock sagged throughout the night) and I had a sore throat. I feared right away that it was the first day of strep throat. I know what that feels like and it felt like this. Helena has had a lot of experience with strep and said that she could tell me what to expect if I showed her my throat. She took a look and then the look on her face was priceless. It was this face of, "oh my god!"

I took some medicine and decided to just take it easy, maybe even sleep a bit in the car. Fortunately, it never got worse. But I was very worried for the next two days. Strep throat hits me like a sack of bricks. But I guess I dodged a bullet. No more hammocks in cold weather for me.

Our goal on day 3 was to spot a Rhino. There are over 1000 in the park and we figured that we should have seen one by now. It took the work of the eagle eye - some of you don't know but I have something that the apache's call the eagle eye - but I saw what looked like a rhino about 200 meters away entering the bushes near a river. We stopped and looked as hard as we could see. An Elephant emerged so we assumed that it was just an elephant. Then a buffalo emerged and so we figured it was probably a buffalo that I saw. Right before we moved on, Helena screamed, "It is a Reeno" (reeno = rhino).

It was far away but it was still exciting since we had a pretty dull day of spotting wildlife. But the best part came when a British guy pulled next to us to ask what we saw and Nathan replied in the heaviest British accent "Sir, they's a Rhino ova ther'." Tiff and I cracked up for about 10 minutes. He sounded like a 10 year old boy. I'm sure the British guy was like, WTF? You're not british. It definately goes down as one of the funniest moments of the trip.

To end the day, we had to go about 140 k's in one hour. The park booklet suggested that the drive we needed to take would require 3.5 hours. Helena had to get us there, on a dirt road, in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. We hauled balls. It was great because evening is the best time to spot wildlife. We passed another Reeno, elephants, a huge heard of Kudu, Zebra, and Impalas, and nearly gave a Girraff a heart attack. Girraffs are the most awkward runners and this one got scared when our car came screeching to a hault. It started running full speed and looked like it was going to collapse on itself when it tried to slow down.

We passed an old couple (and by old I mean about 40 years old) that was eager to point out this colorful bird. He waved us down and said, "Look, there's a blue spotted guinefowl!" With great excitement in his voice. We looked and then said, "Cool, man." Then he said, "No, look a blue spotted guinea fowl." Then he pulled out a bird book to show us a picture and we looked, smiled and then floored the car to 120 k's, trying to make it to the campsite by ngihtfall. We laughed about that for the next few days.

The Big Five: Day Two

The next day we followed a river south. We saw tons of hippos, kudu's and crocs. Kudu's are large elk sized antelopes with beautiful spiral horns. They stand with their chests out which makes them look like the kings of the forests.

We came around a corner and saw a bunch of cars huddled around a dead Giraffe carcass. Inside the belly of the mangled Giraffe was a lion. We parked and watched the lion for an hour. It was such an intimidating creature. It was not bothered at all by the dozen cars full of people snapping photos. It had blood on its lips and would literally rip flesh off of the dead carcass. Every now and then it would quickly raise it's head as if it heard something that it didn't like. When it gives that look of suspicion, you realize that they are powerful and dangerous animals. I've seen bears before but Lions take the cake for scariest animal to see in the wild. But the excitement for me is spotting the animals and then feeling like you are really in the wild. It was hard for me to feel this way when you have a dozen cars gathered around a lion that doesn't seem to care about being watched. So in that way, the lion was not as exciting as I hoped it would be.

The highlight of the second day, and possibly of the entire park visit, came as we stopped at a viewpoint and spotted a few vervet monkeys. We turned off the car and got out for a stretch - something that is, for the safety of the visitors, illegal except in designated areas of the park. The clan of monkeys would come close but run off if you made a loud noise or put your arms up in the air. But they wouldn't run far and they would each time try to get closer to the car. Finally, I ran after one of the monkeys that had gotten too close, only to find that it was a sort of decoy. Right when I stepped toward the one intruder, another jumped into the car through a window, ran toward the food, grabbed an apple and hurried out. It was a bit scary but mostly hilarious. I officially got outsmarted by a group of monkeys. Once we regained control of the car, we closed the doors and rolled up the windows. But then the monkeys just climbed on the hood and roof and stared at us. It was awesome! I made a face at one monkey and then he made a strange face back. It was like he was messing with me. Monkeys are just awesome! We all cracked up for about 15 minutes watching them. The pics wont do it justice.

One problem that we came across was that we did not book our rooms or camping sites in advance. So every morning we had to try to find a place to stay for the night. The first night was no problem. The second night, every site was full. The only place that we found accommodation was about 100 k's away and we had about 30 minutes to get there. The speed limit is a fixed 50 k's per hour because of the massive amounts of wildlife on the roads. That night, Flo drove a steady 60 kph to get us to the site on time. We passed about 100 elephants and countless other animals as we blazed down the road.

The Big Five

Approaching the eastern part of South Africa you begin to get acquainted with terms like "The Big Five." I don't know why but that term disgusts me. It's a touristy term that game parks use to show that they have the 5 most important animals, Leopards, Lions, Elephants, Rhino's and.... Buffaloes? It bugs me because there is so much to see in these parks and people act like a park is not as nice if it doesn't have the big 5.

But, the term has been completely redeemed for me by two great people that found a new meaning of the term. The big 5, Tiffany, Nathan, Adam, and Flo and Helena.

Nathan and I met Flo and Helena a week ago in Drakensberg (far away from Kruger) and found that our paths are heading in the same direction toward Kruger Park, the largest game park in South Africa. We got along well and decided that it would be cheaper and probably more enjoyable if we joined forces, their microbus and our... gas money.... So after Tiff arrived we took a bus out to Kruger to meet up with them.

It was an early candidate for best decision of the trip. Not only did it save us money, and not only was the microbus the coolest car that I have ever stepped inside (even cooler than my ol' hermit), and not only was the park one of the greatest outdoor experiences I have ever had, but these two Germans were two of the sweetest and most interesting people that I have ever met. In fact, the two of them and the dozens of other germans that I have met in the last few months have made me decide that the Germans must be the greatest people in the world. Seriously, I have met so many great Germans in the last few months. Guten Schletzin!

But now about the park. There is really no explaining adequately the experience that I had. So I will just give highlights. We arrived in the park and spotted a few Impalas. We stopped and took soem photos and marveled over them. Little did we know that we would see approximately 5,000,000,000,013 Impalas in the next 4 days. In fact, for the first hour and half, all we saw was Impalas.

But the wait ended when I spotted an Elephant trudging through the bush about 30 meters away. Elephants are amazing! They are so huge! And seeing them in the wild is unreal. We spent the first day driving through the northern part of the park (about 100 k's or less). We saw Girraffs, dozens of Elephants, warthogs, and hippos. By lunch, we found a campsite and picniced in front of 4 Elephants splashing in a nearby river. (queue the jurrasic park music).

In the evening we saw a giant Elephant walking beside us on a remote road. We rolled down the dirt road and came across his clan. Nearly two dozen Elephants, including a few baby's! As we got nearer, the adults formed a circle around the baby. It felt very wild. They were protecting it from us.

We returned to camp at sundown and had a delicious dinner (rice bowls). Since our camp was right by the river we could hear animals just on the other side of the electric fence that kept us safe. Here is where I cannot write enough to explain this experience. Sitting by the fence for hours. Just hearing the animals move around in the night. Hippos, elephants, lions, everything! They were literally right on the other side of the fence. It is one of the best exeriences. I know that my parents and family would all love this!

Arrrrrggghhh... Time is up. To be continued. Pictures coming soon.

Vacancy

I am listening to Neil Young while riding across the Eastern province. In the same way that hotdogs and hamburgers taste better when cooked over a camp fire, Neil young sounds better as a soundtrack to this beautiful drive. His voice sounds sadder and of course, this I like.

Tiffany has arrived but her bags have not yet. They shou8ld get in tomorrow. Fortunately, the hostel that we were recommended to has not only been helpful, but an experience all its own. The owners are Bruce and Gerdie, two beautiful people that are eager to both accommodate us and shoot the breeze over a bottle of wine. Or in their cases, 3 bottles of wine. And as is always the case, wine opens the heart and the mouth.

After several enjoyable hours of what would seem to like small talk amongst old friends, the wine drove the conversation to more personal matters. Africa, apartheid, race, poverty, pessimism, and the more ambiguous points of life. Bruce has lived in South Africa his entire life and worked as a transportation engineer for 38 years. He has seen a lot of things happen in his country throughout the years. Undeniably, he is pessimistic about the future.

For most, the conversation would become uncomfortable. Bruce has some interesting perspectives, some which I strongly disagree with. The wine provides a great deal of political incorrectness.

But I like Bruce. And I respect him. And I can tell that he feels the same way about me. And I believe that he has a good heart. But anyone that has grown up in South Africa, in Johannesburg (Jozzie) for the last 50 years will have a different perspective than my own. Tonight, for the first time, I get to listen to this perspective.

And after a trip to the moving museum of Apartheid, and a terrifying drive through central Jozzie...

Gerdie wanted to show us the "real" Jozzie and so after picking us up from the museum she drove us through central Jozzie. Explaining that through the apartheid years, downtown (or central) Jo'berg was a beautiful metropolis. Business was booming, and the city was decorated with wonderful architecture. From the highway, this is still the impression you get. Come closer and notice that the buildings and skyscrapers are all abandoned.

Jo'berg is bigger than downtown Los Angeles. Imagine that every building is vacant. Most with broken windows and boards to patch vandalisms. The only space that is used is the ground floor of each building.

After apartheid the city was invaded by thieves, drug dealers and violence. The city became too dangerous and the businesses vacated the buildings. Today the city is lawless. The police don't venture into the center. It is too dangerous for them. Gerdie locks the doors as we begin to drive through. We are the only white people in sight. The street is flooded with people. One guy looks like he is seriously ill. He eyes are car suspiciously. The street backs up. Something is going on. What are we waiting for for so long? Finally we see. In front of us, some thugs demand payment from a car with out of town license plates. Refusal to pay will result in smashing the windows. We spend nearly 20 terrifying minutes downtown.

... I can start to understand the thoughts and feelings that Bruce has. He is not a racist or a jerk. But he knows that there are terrible truths about the state of South Africa. Apartheid, and every form of segregation, is shameful. But the end of apartheid has only brought on a new set of challenges.

From the beginning of this trip I have noticed something troublesome about this country. From a distance, this country is like Jo'berg central. It would seem that a mix of cultures and a good infrastructure would make for a wonderfully diverse place. But come closer and I see that there is a lot of things that divide the people here. Racism, prejudice and suffering plagues this country. I would love to believe that the end of apartheid is some huge milestone for this country. And it is. But there are growing prejudices and concerns over the direction that this country is going.

My head is very full. I will need a very long time to sort out my thoughts. It is made even more difficult by the violent images that we are confronted with on the drive to Nelspruit. A minibus taxi smashed to pieces. A dead body lying on the ground. Our shuttle (first class) follows the ambulance for 15 minutes. The injured must surely be suffering unimaginably. So many people in this country that suffer, denied the most basic human rights.

Don't expect an update from me for a while. I will be "in the bush" for a week. But great photos are soon to follow. We are headed into Kruger park with a German couple that we met in Lesotho.

Footnotes: We saw a herd of Zebras on the way up. Nathan and I saw a bunch of monkeys. They were awesome.

Jumela Me

Hopefully the slopyness of the last blog and the spelling errors allows you to understand how pressed for time I am to write these blogs. It is difficult to find internet and when I do finally find a place it can get pricey. But nonetheless, I enjoy it and I hope you do too!

After the traditional healer we all went horse riding. 2 hours cost 7 dollars! What a deal. It was a great way to experience the surrounding villages. Everyone stares at us while we pass but again, just shouting out to them in their language shows them a bit of respect and they almost always repay you with a smile.

I mentioned our guide and the two Dutch girls that we went up with because they really were great to have along. I prefer doing things independently but both times that I have hired a guide I have been happy. One example of our spirit on this trip. On the ride home we started singing pop songs from the last 5 decades and everyone in the car was screaming out to the tunes of the Beatles, Temptations, Eagle Eye Cherry and many more. It was great fun. It was a great cultural experience but also a great time to just have fun with cool, interesting people. This trip deserved two blogs and so much more because the truth is, there is so much to talk about.

In closing, last night a guy told me that he has been traveling for 5 weeks and that the time has just flown by. For me, I have had 16 wonderful days in Africa and it feels like it has been 3 months. It isn't because I am bored, but Nathan and I wake up everyday at sunrise, and pack so much into each day. At night we usually spark conversation amongst the backpackers and dont get to sleep until 11 or midnight. That, along with missing Sheila makes the time here seem very long. But I am glad. So much has happened that I will have plenty to talk about for quite some time. This blog is only an appetizer to the stories I can tell!

Shoutouts: Asian - for writing the best comment on my blog (see Jewsuems blog), David - for writing me, Patrick - for writing me, Abi - for driving us to the hostel today safely, Matthew - for being a great guide, Inga and MJ - for the laughs and good times and also the moose game, Volkmar - For ping pang pong (it will be sweeping the states in 2 months) and of course to Sheila - the most beautiful woman on any continent!

Jumela Dade

The past 4 days have been spent in an isolated town near the Lesotho boarder. When we booked the night, we didn't realize that Sani Lodge was in the middle of nowhere, that we would arrive without cash or groceries and that there was no easy way to get either of these things. No internet (which is why i am playing catch up) no transportation, and no heating. At the abse of the mountains at the start of winter, it was cold!

The highlight of the week, and possibly the trip, was the overnight cultural trip that we signed up for that would take us into the nmountain kingdom of Lesotho (pronounced, Le sue too). We would be accompanied by 2 Dutch girls who deserve mention, Inga and MJ, and our guide, Matthew. We became acquainted the night before by playing silly card games and we all got along wonderfully!

To get to Lesotho you must pass through the Drakensberg mountains, which are impressive rocky shelves that overlook the flatlands of Zululand. 75 % of the country is mountains and the enviornment is made harsh by the altitude and cold.

The people of Lesotho live very traditional lives. They farm corn and wheat, raise cattle and goats, and live in round huts made of mud and cow dung. But despite the harsh envioronment, the people are very warm and lovely. Calling out "Jumela Dade" (hello father, a sign of respect) to the men, or "Jumela me" to the women, always earns a bright smile and a wave along with a jumble of words I cannot understand. OUr host greets us at his home with a bright smile. His short arms extend to greet us with the 3 part handshake that symbolizes peace, rain and prosperity; the staple of Lesotho life.

He quickly welcomes us inside his home for warmth of a fire that is fueled by cow dung. The hut is smokey and i can hardly breathe but he is very proud to have us.

At night we explore the village played with teh kids, and then were treated to singing and dancing by the women. They all sing and dance wildly. Their voices aren't perfect but it still soudns nice because of the way that they belt it out. Their dancing is VERY impressive. Shoulders move in ways I can't explain. And their butts shake in ways that neither Nathan nor myself could master, although we would try several time, much to the delight of the women of the village. The songs are very personal chants about the village, prayers for rain and homage tot he ancestors.

I should mention that none of this seems touristy. Tourism is new to Lesotho so the people are not very acustomed to people coming into their village and watching them. But it is equally uncomfortable at first as it is unbelievably interesting. Soon, everyone lightens up and we are able to really experience their way of life.

At night we drink locally brewed bear and play a few games with one of our hosts. He is very anxious to show us his marijuana plant, whcih he is very proud of. The next morning I visit a traditional healer. She tells me that I get head aches sometime and sometimes my stomache is upset. She is right! I ask ehr what my ancestors think of me and if they are proud. She tells me that they are laughing and that they are glad that I asked. They always watch over me and will keep me safe throughout my trip. Although I don't believe, it is strangley comforting. I pay her 25 cents.

Time is up. To be continued...

Willy's Express

Willy's Express. The only shuttle service available for us for the 100 K htrek from Pietermaritzburg (a tounge twister of a town) to our destination; Sani lodge at the base of the Drakensberg mountains.

Having experienced minibus taxis and crowded buses we knew that we were prepared for whatever "willy's express" might entail. We were especially suspicious given the fact that our hospitality guide in Pietermaritzburg is 13 years old. I'm not joking, she was 13. And very smart for ehr age. But it was wierd doing business with a 13 year old. But to her credit she was very professional. Strange huh?

Willy arrives. He looks like RObin Williams on speed. He's got a heavy accent and tiny white shorts on. He's that simple type of fella that always has a (drunken) smile on his face. I know right away that this will be a bumpy ride.

He shows us the shuttle. A 1984 toyota corola that hasn't been serviced for a decade. His wife and grandson are in the front seat. You see, it turns out, Willy's express is just Willy's corola. And Willy lives near Sani lodge and occassionally drives into Pietermaritzburg. But this is Africa, so Willy's express is a tenured shuttle service.

But Willy's express is not a straight shot to Sani. We realize that when we stop at an office supply store, 45 seconds into the trip. "I've just got to pick up a few things in town." Nathan and I realize that we will be running errands for the next 3 hours. 1) Office store 2) Tile Shop 3) Gas 4) Groceries 5) Bathroom 6) Daughter's house 7) Sani Lodge

The car has a terrible gas leak and the exhaust blows straight into my face in the backseat. I can hardly breathe. I'm choking on gas and start to think to myself, a small spark could light this car on fire.

Then Willy asks, "Mind if I smoke?" It is a rhetorical question, the cigarette is already lit.

But Willy is a good guy. We chat for the entire 3 hours and learn a bit about life in his home town of Underberg. How affirmative action has cost him his job as the post master. How the paved roads are goign to ruin this town. He asks, "why is England wealthier than Africa? Africa has all kinds of open land right?" I'm not sure I follow. "I mean, where does all of their money go, anyway?" I have no idea what he is talking about.

We arrive after sunset. Pay Willie 200 Rand, (about 30 US dollars). And tip our hat to the finest shuttle service in Pietermaritzburg; Willy's Express.

Lost in Translations

First off let me just say that I have an amazing sense of direction. Time and again I have found my way around the trickiest places here in Africa, without the luxury of a map, street signs, or anything else. I must have a GPS somewhere in my brain.

One highlight that I wanted to mention about this trip has been the people that I've met. The blog is mostly events and things but most of the fun is just meeting interesting people. Hanging out at hostels for the last week or so has been neat because we have met people from all over the world. Sitting around a camp fire or a pool table, listening to dozens of accents get thrown around. There is really no need to introduce yourself. It seems irrelevant to mention your name because you'll only know these people for a day or two. Just dive into conversation about whatever. Where you going? Where you been? Some people are funny, some are smart, some are strange, some are rude. It's like one night stands, only no sex.

At the last hostel we stayed at in P.E., it was like a little party of strangers. No one knew the person next to them very well but you wouldn't know it. We just hang out all day the last day talking about things as if we were all great friends. A british old guy that threw books into the fire, had everyone cracking up. partly because he had the heaviest British accent, partly because he was 40 and partly because he was just a funny guy. A couple swiss girls, a bunch of dutchmen, and a handful of P.E. ers and it was a little party. Several accents and perspectives. Hosteling is great fun!

We are in Durban now. The city is large and hectic. People are everywhere and you can't walk without rubbing shoulders with the person next to you. It is a dirty city but I enjoyed walking around it all day. Nathan and I ate a sausage from a street vendor which was probably the least sanitary thing I've done so far on this trip. But it was not bad and cost less than 2 dollars.

Hanging out here for the night with some Germans that seem pretty cool. Then it's off to Drakensburg (dragon mountains)!!!

Through a glass window darkly

13 hour drive from Port Elizabeth to Durban via the Translux 1st Class bus. My first real chance to catch images of rural South Africa.

I can't stop looking out my window. I am addicted to it. I always have been, ever since the days of riding in the backseat on camping trips, with the constant impulse to look for wildlife. This time I spot a few antelopes but I am not sure exactly what type they were. Probably some Elands and a few bush boks.

Soon enough I don't notice the wildlife anymore. Once you get far enough outside of the city it begins to feel like you've gone back in time. White people are no longer seen. Only the faces of people that fight everyday for the most meager life.

Run down huts hardly provide shelter. It is a cold windy day on the "sunshine coast" and old women wrap themselves in rugs and blankets as they stood in line for bread and fruit. Children huddle around a fire in the lawn.

Driving through this, or rather past this, I realize that I can never truly empathize with these people. And thankfully so. In the saddest way possible I feel very lucky.

I look out at a man through the glass of the bus. Like everyone else so far, he spots me right away. I stick out as the only white passenger on the bus. And everyone that spots me pauses for a moment to watch me pass by for just a few seconds.

Looking at me wandering the same things that I am. How did I get this lot in life? And what must life be like on the other side of the glass? Every person that spots me stares and then gives this same stare, thinking this same thing. For just a few seconds and then I am gone.

I came to Africa knowing that this is what life is like for some. But looking through the glass is eerie. It's indescribable, and I apologize if this seems poetic or bombastic. I don't mean it to be but I'm writing this as I ride along.

And then there is this look of shame and guilt, from both of us. From them for the condition of their town, their clothes, their bodies. They look at me like life is just a habit that they can't seem to kick. For me the shame anyone would feel when you look at another human being like this through the window of a first class bus. You feel guilty for being so lucky.

For me I can't stop looking out my window. But there is still 500 miles of this ahead. And thousands more eyes to catch mine, from the other side of the glass.

Footnotes: Tomorrow I will be more upbeat and write a happier blog. We are in Durban and safe. I take back everything I said about South African's knowing how to cook Mexican food. We both smell pretty poor, most of the time. My beard is getting long and sexy. New Photos are up!

South African Malibu

Blogging has been slow, not because I am dead, in prison, or in some remote part of Africa, but because the last few days have been 'a boring. We left Cape Town and headed for a place called Wilderness where we "rested" for about 3 days. Wilderness is a beach town with summer homes and B&B's and noting else. We were the only ones in the hostel one night. The place was dead. The best I can offer you in the way of stories is one day we made a sand castle (actually it was a giant penis) and the other day we stayed up shooting the breeze with a German dude with the coolest slang/accent of all time. He was a surfer and had a combo of south African and Aussie accents with a bit of a German accent. It sounded like Russel crowe if he played a german surfer. We spoke for hours and all I can tell you about him and that he has lived in Wilderness for 3 years, loves surfing and hanging out with hippies.

But Wilderness was boring and I did not pay money to come lay out on a beach. I came to see Africa. That being said, I think Nathan enjoyed the town and so the Bowles family and other members of "team Bowles" should take this with a grain of salt.

Now we are in Port Elizabeth and will be here for just one day. We are ahead of schedule a bit with both our timing and spending and so we need to slow down. Unfortunately, public transport is monopolized by a terrible company called Bazbus. They cater to so called "backpackers" because they provide safe transport directly to hostels. However, they cost nearly 4 or 5 times the price of regular transport. Even by US standards they are expensive. It kind of takes away the feeling of backpacking. But Nathan and I will probably give in because we don't want to arrive in a city at midnight, 3 miles from our hostel like we did in Wilderness.

P.E. is very nice and we have already met some nice folks, locals, who we will probably hang out with while downing pints of jemjam's (a local cocktail) and watching the Rugby championship where for the first time 2 South African teams are in the final!

Footnotes: I saw a wild ostrich. I have learned a bit of Xhosa. We played pool with a cool dude from P.E. that beat me with his eyes closed, literally.

South African Bus Stop

Two days ago we left Cape Town to travel up the coast on what is called "The Garden Route." Our first stop is a small town called Wilderness. It is a one stop light town built for summer homes and B&B's. We got here by taking the first class bus (like a greyhound) for 110 Rand (nearly 18 dollars). The bus was a lot like busses in the US only it stopped at KFC when the driver got hungry. And also, the driver drove righ pass the bus stop in Wilderness because he forgot we were going there and instead dropped us off on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere at 10 PM.

We had to walk to a gas station where we asked if we could call a taxi. The people laughed and said no taxi's drive this late. So we asked a guy for a ride and he was glad to help out. We were lucky cause it would have been a 3 or 4 km hike in the dark, in the cold, and it was fairly difficult to find.

Backtracking... the people on the bus were very nice. One guy tried to get Nathan to flirt with a beautiful girl right next to him. It was hilarious. I sat next to a young girl that tought me some Zulu and also Xosa (sounds like "click" c/t osa).

We also met a young man named Donovan who had come from Tanzania in search of a better life. It broke my heart to talk to him. He came up to me with the brightest smile you have ever seen. He had this happiness and optimism in his eyes. I must have looked affable because he came right to me and introduced himself. He showed me how to give a proper handshake; around the thumb, the hand, and then snap your thumbs together. I showed him the fist pound and he seemed to like it. I asked him where he was going and he said to George, a tiny city about 5 hours outside of Cape Town, where he will hopefully find a shelter before dark. It was already very cold and hopefully he wouldn't have to stay outside before looking for work in the morning. He only had a raggy suit jacket to keep him warm. I don;t write all of this to make you feel sad, but it is an interesting story of the economic climate for many Africans in cape town. Many people stand on corners hoping for someone to pick them up for a days work. Somedays they get picked up, somedays not. The going rate is 100 Rand per day.

A bit more about cape town. There are so many different groups of people who speak so many different languages. Enlgish is a common language in that most people can speak some English but it is rarely the first language. Afrikaans is a type of Dutch that is spoken by most of the whites and colored( I'll explain later) people. And then there are a majority of the black people that speak either Xosa, Zulu, or dozens of other languages. On our bus ride we were the only white people on board. But the girl next to me spoke primarily Zulu. The driver spoke Xosa along with the majority. But many other people spoke other languages. The language barrier is very strange, it obviously causes divisions among the people.

Colored people are people of mixed blood. Either back from the colonial days or whenever, they are considered colored. Blacks are the full blooded African people.

Today we are off to the beaches of Wilderness. Pictures will come soon but just think of Malibu, without Mel Gibson driving drunk through the streets, and you will know where we are. In a few days we will hitch hike to Knysa, a slightly bigger town and check it out there for a few days. One final quickie: One of the guys that works at the backpackers dorm is a german with a crazy accent and an even crazier slang. Every sentence ends with "boo" which he uses like "dude." He is a surfer, if that helps....

Planes, trains and minibuses

So, I'm in Africa! A ten hour flight to London felt like 5 minutes. I boarded the plane, fell asleep, had a dream that I was in a plane crash and then woke up as we were flying over Ireland. It was strange. Moral of the story, 2x the does of sleeping pills will really knock you out.

Rootbeer was waiting for me in London and after 3 hours of hanging out in the airport we boarded for another 10 hour flight. Oddly enough, the time change worked out so that my second flight took off at exactly the same time as the first flight, 9:00 PM. We were serve a meal and everyone fell asleep. I had only been awake for about 4 hours so sleep was out of the question, even with 2 more sleeping pills. Fortunately, for yours truly, Nathan only slept for about 4 hours and the rest of the 6 hours were spent giving each other high fives and pumping ourselves up for the trip.

Finally, the arrival.

At first Cape Town looks like any other city. But not long after we left the airport (by a private taxi, 10 miles, 20 US dollars) you start to see the townships. They are mixed into the developed parts of the town, kind of like L.A., where rich and poor neighborhoods are separated by only a few yards. But besides the very clear presence of slums and shanty towns, Cape Town is a very gorgeous city.

We arrived with our host, Van Zijl (Fan Sale), a fellow couchsurfer who is hosting us for this first week in Cape Town. He is a very neat guy, fellow film maker, and a great host. Gave us a key to his house and has made us feel at home. We were pumped to "experience Africa" right away so we took off to catch a taxi into the city center. Van had advised us to take the minibus taxi's as they were the cheapest mode of transport.

So we walked to the street and a minibus (looks like an old VW hippie van) skidded across the busy traffic street to see if we wanted to go to Cape Town. The van already had 8 or so people in it, including a breast feeding mother, but for 6 Rand (about .90 US dollars) both Nathan and I could ride the 4 km's or so to the city. The ride was awesome! Packed into the bus like sardines, going 50 mph through traffic. Of course, we were the only white people on the van and we had tourists written all over us (camera's, backpacks, lost look on our faces) so the people on the bus started asking us where we were from. The 10 minute ride to the city was filled with friendly chit chat. our immediate thought was, people here are so nice.

When we arrived downtown, an old woman, about 60, overheard us talking about going to table mountain. For no reason at all she offered to show us where to catch the right minibus that would take us to the top. I could only understand about half of the words she said and we followed her for 5 minutes o so and I thought, "this must be a scam," but sure enough she arrived us at a minibus that took us up to the top. The minibus, once again overcrowded, cost a steep 15 Rand (2 bucks) and the woman just took off after helping us. We couldn't believe how helpful people were, for no reason at all!

Table mountain is amazing. Cape Town is between the ocean and the foot of Table Mountain, a giant rocky flat top shielding the city from the rest of the continent. Once at the top you can see for miles. The pictures don't do it justice (because I suck as photographer).

Back in the city Rootbeer asked what time it was. I said, "probably around 4 or 5, we should head back." He said, "I bet it's closer to 1 or 2." Turns out it was 11:45. Neither of us had a clue. So we stopped at a delicious pizza parlor and split a nice big pizza, 28 Rand (4 bucks).

The rest of the day was spent walking around the city. The city really lively. Hundreds of people line the streets, doing business, hanging out, doing whatever. It is awesome. We walked around for nearly 4 hours before really hitting the wall and nearly passing out. A coffee shop employee gave us a few pointers (everyone was so helpful and nice) and then we went t catch a minibus back to Observatory, a small suburb where we wil be staying.

Again, the bus was packed, this time with about a dozen people, and this time the driver was insane. He honked the horn 4,596 times in 23 minutes flat. A new world record. The horn meant: 1)get out of the way, 2)I'm not stopping' 3)anyone else want on? and ) screw you. He drove on the shoulder just to pass cars at a red light. It was unbelievable. We would approach a red light behind 6 cars and somehow be the first ones to cross once it turned green.

You should also know that minibus driving is a team sport. One driver and one guy on crowd control and promotion. The driver drives and doesn't talk to anyone while the backseat guy hangs out the side yelling at people to get on the bus, collects money, and pushes people out when they approach their stop. It is hustling at it's finest.

Unfortunately, we were the ones getting hustled. Not knowing our way around, we asked to be taken to UCT (univ. of Cape Town) where we could find our way to Van's house. The guys said okay and drove us for 30 minutes. then demanded more payment because it was so far away. Payment meant 1 more dollar so I said whatever. 20 minutes later we were in the middle of nowhere and I said how much further to UCT and he said not far. I turned around and asked a fellow passenger if they knew where UCT was and they said, "about 4 km's behind us, we passed it a long time ago."

I asked the driver if it was behind us and he just said, "yeah, way back there." We got out, hopped on another minibus, it got dark and eventually we got dropped off on campus. Unfortunately, it was the wrong campus and we ran around asking people if they knew how to get to the medical campus. We had to pose as UCT students and hop on the free shuttle which took us 4 km's to Van's house. It was... awesome!

Rootbeer and I laughed, came home and nearly passed out right then and there. We shot the breeze with Van for a while and now we are exhausted. Anyway, sorry for the rant but it was such a funny day that I felt the need to share. Tomorrow we are going to a few museums and probably explore Cape Town some more. XO to Sheila.

Love, Adam PS - note to Tiff, British Airways is the nicest airline and the flights were both the nicest flights I've ever been on.