Rhinoceros, rhinoceri, or rhinoceroses...

I got to see real ones. (Its rhinoceroses, by the way, and I saw 4 of them.) They are giant lawnmowers; they eat for 18+ hours a day. Beautiful giants, if they are happy, if angry...look out. L

Luke and I started our 11 day kamikaze expedition on Tuesday. We've been go go go since we left and I haven't been able to use the internet. Wireless isn't as common as you think and we haven't had any down time for me to type and get organized. So, I'm late getting the itinerary up (imagine that.) But, this is/was our plan of action:

Tues 11th Lalibela Game Reserve and enjoy an evening/night game drive (safari) and sunrise drive at a 4-star resort. (P-I-M-P!!!)

Wed 12th Finish up Game Reserve.
Drive to Jeffery's Bay (a surfer's dream), hostel it at Island Vibe Backpackers Hostel a 1-star budget stay (p-i-m-p...)

Thur 13th Leave Jeffery's Bay for Storm's River and the Bloukrans Bridge (biggest bridge in South Africa) in order to jump off the world's highest bungee jump (216m or 708ft.)
Drive to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa and B&B it at the Agulhas Guesthouse
Fri 14th Leave Cape Agulhas for Môreson Wine Estate in Franschhoek for some tastings and a stay on the estate
Sat 15th Stay in Franschhoek and visit Dieu Donné and Fairview wine estates for some more tastings
Sun 16th Leave Franschhoek for Capetown
Mon 17th Capetown
Tues 18th Capetown
Wed 19th Leave Capetown for Plassir de Merle (yet another wine estate back in Franschhoek) and stay at Môreson wine estate again
Thur 20th Visit Spier Wine Estate in Stelienbosch (still staying on Môreson wine estate)
Fri 21st Leave Franschhoek (finally) and high tail across the Karoo desert for 10 hours to get back to the farm (not gonna lie, probably with a hang over.)

Lalibela

"The place for which the bees have foretold greatness."

Lalibela is a 4-star private game reserve situated on 15,000 hectare (or about 18,000 acre.) The reserve boasts the "Big 5" of Africa: lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. Seeing these animals along with many many others is done on daily game drives, or safaris, that are conducted on typical roofless, windowless, 4-tiered seating Land Cruisers (Out of Africa anyone?.) There are 3 separate camps on the reserve; all set up in valleys, on hillsides or up in the treetops, with winding walkways of stone and wood that weave from personal bungalows to porches and viewing decks round to the main lodge. The ambiance screams "Hey kids, we're on safari!" with traditional tribal art and patterns and taxidermied native animals hung throughout the buildings. The 12 foot elephant head hanging over one of the main doorways is a testament to this theme. Large chair-lined tables are set up inside and out to serve food, drinks and fun for the parties of trigger-happy (cameras and guns) foreigners eager to see what Africa has to offer them.

This time of year is the off-season for this outfit and therefore the attendance was low, only 13 guests including us. (Capacity was probably about 50+ at our camp.) The other 11 guests were two Spanish families whose dads and sons hunted while the wives and children safaried. Since our camp was so sparsely populated, we got what seemed like extra TLC from the staff. Our coordinator, Hermon (Harry) a guy our age, settled us in and explained to schedule to us.

Lunch.
Safari.
Sundowners (African for happy hour.)
Safari.
Dinner.
Entertainment.
More drinks.
Sleep.
Safari, again (6:30a.m.)
Breakfast.
Depart.

A lot to cram into a 24 hour holiday, eh? Our ranger was a young chap named Keith who, at the tender age of 23, was surprisingly, incredibly knowledgeable about every animal, plant, weather pattern and dung pattern that Lalibela had to offer. The other staff members, chef, servers, native dancers, where just as hospitable as our aforementioned guides. You may be asking, how it is possible for Luke and I (budgeting backpackers) to be able to afford this certain lap of luxury? One answer: budget luxury. This is a new concept Luke and I have "developed" to be touched upon later. Through Luke's Dad's connections, we were able to purchase local off-season rates at a considerably lower price. So, a one day "P-I-M-P" safari holiday costs us R1400 (R = rands, South African currency) which exchanges to be about $150. The usual price of the safari at high season with foreigner rates, per person, per day is R4200 or $450. That, in a sense, is budget luxury my friends. And there is more to come...

Lalibela was an unexpected addition to my personal trip, one that I never thought I would be able to do. I was able to see amazing creatures in their own environment, behaving naturally who at times were less than 10 feet from our vehicle. Elephant, giraffe, lions, hippos, rhinos, warthogs, hordes of antelope and birds. Awesome in the true sense of the word. One of the first big animals we saw was the elephant. Keith, our ranger, somehow managed to sneak our truck only a few yards from the enormous thing. In the picture, that elephant was about 12 feet away from me. Awe. Its one thing to see these animals in a zoo, its something completely different to experience these animals in the wild. The giraffes were a little skittish and didn't stick around when we made our presence know. Hippos are lazy and unphased creatures. The rhinos are living lawnmowers that appear very intimidating from afar and are very intimidating once 10 feet from them. The warthogs are the cutest ugliest things you ever saw who comically run through the bush stout to the ground with tails pointing to the sky. The impala, springbok, blesbok and other antelope are graceful in their swift movements. But, by far, the most magnificent animals we saw were the lions.
Our first sighting was at night. The four cubs (7 months old and about 6 feet long) were lounging in a field waiting on mom and dad to bring back dinner. I didn't want to use my flash so unfortunately, I didn't get any night shots of the cubs. But, our luck changed the next morning. Our trusty guide Keith spotted the four cubs and two younger males (about 3 years old) lounging, again, in a field. Yet again, Keith and his stealthy ranger moves maneuvered the Land Rover right next to the pride. We were with the lions for almost 45 minutes and watched the cubs play, mostly. But, as a rare treat, we were able to hear the lions "talk." A female was a ways off in the distance and the two older males called to her, not a terrifying hollywood-MGM-lion roar, but more like a deep guttural growling roar, with booming bass that resonated in your ears. The sound was incredible, right there, 20 feet in front of us. Amazing.

Safari. To me, that word is associated with wealth, luxury, travel, foreign, the exotic, funny little English men with handle bar moustaches wearing wide brimmed hats, canvas short shorts, shin high boots, monocle and smoking pipes. It’s a word that is associated with ideas of romance and childhood fantasies, dreams. Nothing I thought I would ever get to experience. Although my experience didn't involve any funny little english men running around with guns squinting through monocle, there were fun young South African rangers, barely fluent Spaniards, and two very fortunate American kids. It may not have been the exotic adventure I dreamed of as a kid, but it was the adventure of a lifetime.

Jeffery's Bay

We left Lalibela and after a few hours of driving and we could tell that the surrounding environment was changing, we were getting closer to the coast. The road signs were getting more frequent, the air more humid and me more excited. We were getting closer one of the places I was most excited to see in all of SA, Jeffery's Bay. For being one of the most popular surf spots in the world, Jeffery's Bay (or J-Bay) isn't as huge as you would think. Its basically a surf village with one main road covered in stores, restaurants and guest houses or hostels. It reminded me of a mini version of Myrtle Beach minus the all the mini-golfs and Calabash Seafood Restaurants.

Peak surf season is during winter here (June-August) and summer is the peak tourist season October-January. So, J-Bay wasn't really kickin' while we were there. Streets were deserted, waves were deserted, bars were deserted, but our hostel was rockin! We stayed at the Island Vibe Hostel, my first hostel experience since Europe about 2 1/2 years ago. I forgot what hostel life is like...loud, kinda dirty, very eclectic, but hella fun. Our view from our room was awesome, a clear vista of the turquoise blue Indian Ocean bordered with lush tropical plants and surf boards. I can't imagine a better way to wake up in J-Bay. Although it may look amazing in the pictures, the weather wasn't warm and neither was the water. The few surfers in the water were wearing wetsuits and looking chilly.

We were only in J-Bay for one night and a few hours the next day. So, all we really had time to so was check out the beach and shop, yes shop. Lots of discount surf shops around that place. I could have spent way more money than I did. On our way out the next morning we stopped at the Supertubes, some of the wave breaks J-Bay is famous for. Beautiful. I have no idea how to surf waves that huge (I'd say they were at least 12 foot) but it was an awesome sight. (Note to self: learn how to surf (better,) come back to J-Bay, surf the supertubes.) I could have stayed in J-Bay for at least a week, that atmosphere is awesome. There are tons of guest houses to rent and mostly everything (bars and shops) is in walking distance. One day, one day I will be back...

1, 2, 3, BUNGEE!!!As we continued to drive further south, we entered a mountain range near the coast where the Storm River flows. Not at grand river by standards, more of a babbling brook. But, through the millennia, it has carved an enormous gorge in the mountain. This is where they decided to build the Bloukrans Bridge, the largest bridge in Africa. Then, some wild-eyed crazy thrill seeker decided to hang the world's tallest bungee from it and charge people to jump off. We jumped off. Holy Shit!!! That's all I can say, HOLY SHIT!!!

I never thought I would ever bungee jump, never. I wasn't scared of the cord breaking, I was scared of the bungee dislodging my bones! Luke told me a while ago that we were going to jump it. I honestly didn't think much about it, I figured I would get there and I would somehow do it, I had to. It’s the tallest bungee in the world, right at 708 feet. We get to the bridge and the guys there weigh us and dress us with the appropriate harnesses and walk us down to the bridge. We got a mini lesson on how to jump from out instructor, head up, arms out to your side, swan dive. Sounds simple enough. We are walked out to the jump site via a cat walk hanging under the bridge, a cat walk you can see through. So, the 5 minute walk over the gorge, on a see-through walkway gives you an idea of how high you really are, and it’s high. We get to the jump site and they line us up in order of weight. So, since I weighed the least, I went last. I wasn't sure how I felt about watching 2 other people jump before me. I kind of wanted to go first to get it over with. But, I waited. At this point I wasn't nervous yet, not at all. I watched the first guy go and started to smile. This was going to be fun. Luke was next. Luke had the privilege of already doing this once before in May. So, he was even more nervous this second time, knowing what to expect. I thought that seeing Luke freaking out would scare me. No. Luke jumped and I was practically dancing I was so excited.

My turn. I sat down, our instructor tied ropes and knots around my ankles (it looked strong...) and then asked me to stand up. (Still not nervous.) I hopped out over to the area where the actually connect the bungee to those oh so strong knots around my ankles. (Still not nervous.) Then, with a guy under each arm, I hopped out to the edge and curled my toes over it. I looked out and saw the drop. (Unbelievably, still not nervous.) Then the countdown started, 1,2,3,4 (and on four they let me go) BUNGEE!!! It was at about 3 that my body said, "What the FUCK are you doing?!?!?!" And at 4, my mind said, "Just do it!!!" So I jumped. I was so crazed that I couldn't concentrated on my beautiful swan dive that I planned to do, all I could do was look down, wide-eyed and try to find the air in my lungs to scream. I found it and screamed the entire way down, five entire seconds of thinking you are going to die until the cords pulls. It is the most amazingly terrifying sensation I have ever experienced! I recoiled up, still screaming and fell a second time. The second fall is still the tallest bungee in the world. It wasn't until the bungee pulled again that I stopped screaming. The next 2 or 3 minutes are spent bouncing up and down, upside down, waiting for the little man on a rope to shimmy down the bungee, connect you to him, and drag up back up. In other words, rescue. The way back up is another terrifying experience, hundreds of feet below you there is a rocky gorge and you're being hoisted up slowly by a wench with a carabineer as the only thing holding you to your rescue rope. It was just a scary.

The feeling you experience once you are standing on something solid again is indescribable. Adrenaline is pumping endorphins through your entire body and you feel incredible! You jumped off the highest bungee in the world!!! That is one of the biggest fears anyone could conquer. After that, you feel like you could do anything. The feeling is amazing. I will do it again in a heartbeat!

Luke's Take: Cape Aghulas

What do you mean we’re in the wrong town!?

Hello friends of Lindsey, this is Luke… getting a feature on ‘The Blog.’ I feel honored. I don’t think that Lindsey could have told the tale of this day correctly anyway, so you really are getting the truth.

So, Thursday the 13th started off like any other day, checking out the knarley Super Tubes in Jeffreys Bay; jumping off the highest bridge in Africa, getting in the car and heading down the road.

We stopped off in the gorgeous town of Knysna. One of my favorites, situated right on the coast and amazing sights every way you turn your head. Our adrenaline had settled (jumping off a bridge will get you pretty pumped up, let me tell you) so it was time for a meal. A small pizza place on the main street did just the trick. The pizza seemed amazingly healthy, so we polished it off! The weather was perfect so out outdoor dining experience was just what we needed to settle us down from a pretty hectic morning. Yeah, it was pretty perfect… the guy eating sugar straight from the sugar bowl and stealing the salt and pepper shakers was simply seen as entertainment.

We needed at least a day or two in Knysna, but Lindsey had
already booked us into a very nice backpackers hostel in L’Agulhas, or so we
thought. The southern most tip of Africa, L’Agulhas, was over 5 hours away, so there was no time to ‘dilly dally.’ We fueled up and took off for the tip of Africa.

3 hours into the drive Linds called the backpackers hostel and let them know that we would be arriving later than estimated and to please keep the doors open until we got there… around 8pm. The drive was nothing less than stunning and we enjoyed an awesome sunset on the road. Drinking and driving is still a crime so there was no time for sundowners.

We arrived in L’Agulhas after dark and it had begun to drizzle a little so we were a little anxious about finding our way around. This is a place even I have never been to… so we are dealing with 2 tourists in this story. We spotted a couple of police officers at the local gas station, so we pulled over to see if they could point us directly to our hostel. 8:15pm was the time and the hostel reception was set to close at 8:30pm, so there was no time to mess around in the dark.

Curve ball for all you baseball fans! Yeah, they had no clue where the place
was and then informed us that it was not even in L’Agulhas.

Uh, what are you talking about YO! Hermanus?
No way bro! Hermanus is like 2hrs away!
Give me the travel book Lindsey!
Oh yeah, the place on the left is in
L’Agulhas, and the place on the right… uh, yeah, umm… it’s in Hermanus!!!! 2
HOURS AWAY!
The fine print, what do they say about that crap!?Please read it LINDS!

Yeah, you get the picture. We were booked into a place 2 hrs away. These towns are not like the States… things actually close! Hotels? Not quite folks. Bed & Breakfasts are all you have to choose from in these small towns. And yes, they close after 8 or 9pm… The police said we could sleep at the station. I’m not even going to elaborate on the conversation between Linds and me on that one.

By the grace of God there was a B&B directly across the street, with a neon red sign, flashing "OPEN, OPEN". We took it as a sign and made our way over. Rang the doorbell and the coolest old guy ever, Derrick, opened the door and took us in like 2 of his own.

I’m out. Linds can take over from here. Thanks for listening and you guys keep well.

Regards,
Luke (the guy who didn’t book us into the wrong place)

What's next...

As I said earlier, we haven't had much down time so I haven't been able to type. Today we are in Fraschhoek again for more wine tastings. I had a little time this morning to type and make it to and internet cafe. There is much more for me to show and tell you guys, but it will have to wait. The southernmost tip of Africa, my hostel f-up, what I've learned about wine, our ride to Capetown, the city I could fall in love with, the Cape of Good Hope and more and more and more... Stayed tuned kiddies.