The very first thing we were told from our coordinator Tony was: Don’t stress you are in South Africa now. We don’t like when people are stressed. So no stress – only when your life depends on it. This basically means that we only hurry a bit when we are crossing the streets, which makes sense when you see the driving here. Some are driving big expensive fast cars others are loading small cars full of people. All different kinds of taxis and minibuses are competing for customers by honking their bugles to those who walk in the side. In between all of this traffic, people randomly cross the road, others are walking in between the cars selling magazines or begging for money. My first impression was: Wow does some sort of jungle law rules on the road in this country? That was just until I got secure with the traffic system – and by the way, I have not one second feared being transported around in the city.
In general I feel so relaxed and welcome here. Everyone is patient, smiling and outgoing. No one minds waiting 5 min. A specific meeting time is offend combined with an ish – as in let´s meet at 10ish. Therefore I think “African time” is a great concept for me. All in all it makes me really calm and less worried to know that I’m in no hurry and the heat and the smiles just invite me to join the happiness and go with the flow. I guess that is one of the reasons why this is such a popular holiday destination?
As it has been this week, we have really lived and explored Cape Town, as if we just were here as tourists. The fastest we can get an accommodation is next Thursday, which means we have to stay 10 days on a backpacker place. It has been great so far, because you meet so many interesting people from all over the world with all different reasons for being here. On the other hand I feel that I need a private base. A place I can call my new home. I think I can speak on behalf on the other guys as well, when I say that it has been awesome with a week of vacation, but we are looking so much forward to get a daily life and to start on our projects. We have been eating way too much toast bread and cornflakes. Actually we mainly survive on eating breakfast products for most meals. Our room gets more and more out of hand as well. As we can’t keep on living in our backpacks and we can’t really unpack our things. Because of the warm temperature and our backpacker style I keep on forgetting the fact that this is so much more than a normal holiday. I even tense to forget that I’m in Africa. Everything inside Cape Town reminds me of different big cities in Europe, but then again there is so many small incidences were I realise that I’m actually here. For instance a couple of days ago when we were down town, I saw this woman carrying a whole box of Coca Colas on her head or when you see 6 guys sitting on the back truck of a Toyota you just realise – wow I’m in South Africa!
Table Mountain
Since I decide to go to Cape Town, I have wanted to climb the mountains. The first thing I noticed when we walked out of the plane was the impressive Table Mountain that surrounds the city and of course I had to climb it! Table Mountain got its name for looking flat as a table on the top, but the way up there showed to be anything but flat. We were told to go there on a cloud free day so it wouldn’t be cold on the top, so we did, and it was definitely anything but cold!
It was an extremely beautiful view all the way up. I was surprised how green and growth it is on the mountain side. The big rocks designed a kind of big step stairway, which through a long zik-zak track leaded to the top. Actually it wasn’t the climbing itself that was hard. It was the extreme heat that took my breath away – it reminded me of the heat inside my parents’ greenhouse on a really hot day. I felt as if it went on forever and I asked the other guys for a break every 5 minutes, but we made it to the top within two hours. We were met by SO MANY TUORIST on the top, who mainly had used the cable up there. It might be one of the most visited attractions in SA, but it’s still a piece of rough nature and in fact I read that more people have died here than on Mount Everest. Anyway we survived without meeting snakes, weird parsley looking plants that make you burn ect. And no wonder why it´s so attractive to go there, because it truly IS AMAZING. I want to go there again in a month time when it’s less hot and I’m hopefully in a better shape!
Tony’s boys
Long Street is the party street!
Not only for us, that goes for all the locals and all the tourist. Long Street is for most people a place to party during the night and for shopping and drinking coffee during the day. Tony showed us another side of the street, as we met some of his boys. A lot of street kids stay in Long Street. We met Mohammed and Richard, as we were passing through the street first time with Tony. They tense to call him dada (father) or Uncle Tony. He could in a very easy way interact with the boys. He joked with them and their situation, but in a very caring way. These boys are clearly the reason why Tony got involved in volunteer work in the first place. He brings them blankets in the winter time and food from time to time. He also brings food every Tuesday to a girl’s shelter. He is a good guy that man, and there is a very big need for souls like him in this city.
Jazz men
One of our first nights here, we were at a jazz concert in the other end of town. It was a very packed club, with many ages and nationalities represented. It was very cosy and a lot of talented local jazz musicians were jamming. As the hours passed by more and more people had left, as it was a normal weekday. Suddenly this flower salesman appeared and started to bring us flowers. We got a bit confused, as we didn’t pay for any of them. It turns out that some of the men, who were sitting around in the bar, had started to buy them for us. As if it was possible to bid on us. I felt weird about the situation, so I ended up giving a rose for one of the very talented young musicians. I have never given a rose to a man before, and it seemed just as strange for this guy to receive a flower. He was cool about it though. In fact he invited us to another jazz concert and the rose bidding came to an end, so it was worth it.
The Sandwich
I know, it may sound like a small thing and I guess that I’m just not used to argue and complain, at least not to a confrontation, which in this country is a perfectly normal thing to do. So I dared to stand up for my rights – on a very, very small scale. The issue was that I got the wrong sandwich. Normally it wouldn’t bother, but I really wanted the one I ordered. Anyway if I had dared to argued about something like that home in Denmark, I would have got an; “I’m so sorry about the mistake, I will make you another one right away.” Instead, when I was done arguing my case, the waitress did not just give in – no she argued her side of the case. Afterwards she gave in, and I got the right sandwich!
Does my service make you nervous?
As speaking of service we came across a very interesting phenomenon on Camps Bay beach. A group of men had started their own little business of selling ice creams and cokes. Nothing unusually about that I guess, if only it wasn’t because of their passionate salesmanship. They walked back and forth on the beach screaming all different kind of rhymes, as competing against each other in order to get most customers. Such as: “Ice cream, ice cream” “lolly, lollypop” “ice cold water!” Suddenly one of them stops right in front of us. And since we didn’t wanted to buy anything, he said: “Does my service make you nervous?” Shortly after another one confronted me and Sine by saying: “A water for your daughter?” It was one of those funny-because-it’s-NOT-truth moments!
The winter bikini
Olivia wanted to by a new bikini, so she went and tried some on. Meanwhile I started to chat with one of the employees, since I noticed that they were selling a lot of winter clothes, like warm hats, scarves and extremely warm winter jackets. I found it ironic to prepare for the winter, when it is still about 35 degrease outside. So I asked him about the purpose of the clothes. And we started to joke about it. As Olivia finally decided to buy one of the bikinis, she realized a price difference between two of those she had considered. So I tried to get a cheaper offer on the one she wanted. The explanation of the price difference was kind of absurd, as it turns out to be a winter bikini and only the summer bikinis were on sale. So I couldn’t help myself, by comment on it, saying: “So you tell me that this winter bikini goes with that big jacket and the other one doesn’t?” In the end, it didn’t give us any discount, but we all had a good laugh.
The concept of Minibuses
I mainly walk in this city, but when I’m going far in the day time, I take a minibus. Minibuses are fast and cheap. They pick you up anywhere, and drop you where ever you want to be dropped. A minibus is what you may know as a normal minibus with 9 or 13 passenger seats. They are always much more crowded if there are seats enough for 13 it’s not unusual to see 20 in it, plus a co-driver who yells for more customers and take care of the payment. Where you have to pay R20 as a minimum for a taxi a minibus is only R6-7. I love the concept and it’s good for the environment as well.
My very first South African friend
The very first South African I met was Ayanda. I actually met him in Denmark last summer, before I even completely had decided to travel with “Løgumkloster Højskole”. We spooked a lot back in Denmark, when I visited the school, but it was a long time ago, so I was very excited to see him again. He came around and visited us at the “Big Blue Backpackers”, one noon before a job interview close by. And it really was nice meeting him again. We spooked for more than an hour about Denmark and Cape Town and people we have in common. He is a very nice guy – so did the other girls think. Therefore it was only natural to see him again when an opportunity showed. Olivia and I spend an afternoon together with him, debating politics and enjoying the sun. (For so long that I manage to get sun burned). I appreciate him for standing up for his own cultural background as well as accepting my beliefs and background. Like the fact that he finds a female president in SA an unthinkable scenario, but don’t mind the fact that we have a female prime minister in Denmark… He is very African and very modern at the same time, and a truly funny guy, who likes to party and have a good time. So I hope we are going to have many more good experiences with him.
The Sunday train ride
A wish of mine is to see the penguins and to swim with them on Boulders Beach, South from Cape Town. One very Hangover-Sunday, the 4 of us, decided to go there. The plan was to take a train to Simons Town, and then walk for about 20 minutes to Boulders Beach.
We went to the train station and bought 1st class ticket after a longer discussion, with our coordinator Tony, concerning whether we could buy the cheap tickets for R5 per way. Anyway, we took his advice and bought the “expensive” ones: R20 for both ways!
It wasn’t a snobbish upper class train waiting for us. No it was a very normal older train, a bit like a metro train in Europe actually. What I really love about trains in general is that you meet so many different people all heading somewhere. This train was no exception. Mainly families, single women and tourists were travelling 1st class. As time passed by the train got more and more packed. I felt so in love with the view on our way. (The second part of the tour at least, as the first couple of stops were poor areas with houses only a little bit better than some of the Town ship areas). Anyway what I discovered was how beautiful the nature is south from Cape Town! The beaches were white sand and totally blue ocean with very soft waves, which made it perfect for swimming. In the background I could see mountains where ever I looked. So many times I felt like just getting off the train and go to the beach. On the other hand I really wanted to see the penguins!
Suddenly at a train stop a lot of young people wearing green shirts appeared everywhere in the train. They started to clap and sing: “We-love-you!” As they were pointing on all of us. At that moment I loved them too, for spending their Sunday like that. Later on, I figured that they believed to have found the new Messiah in the 90’s and that they felt like spreading the word!
To make a very long story about our Sunday train a bit shorter, we never got to Boulders Beach.
When we almost were in Simons Town, we were suddenly informed that the train didn’t go any further, so we had to go by bus the last two stops. When we finally got there, we were told that if we wanted to go back to Cape Town same day, the last train would leave at 4 o’clock. At that time we had less than an hour left, so we decided to see the penguins another time. Instead we went to the beach in Simons Town where we had our first real swim. As on Camps bay, where we normally go to the beach, the waves are way too high.
Learn to live
“Learn to live” is a non formal educational school program for street kids. It’s part of the Salesians Institute, which is a Catholic organisation. “Learn to live” is what I came here for. This is the school where I’m a volunteer 5 days a week. It’s a very good project in order to give the children a fresh start, as many of them haven’t attended school for years. Beside the normal school there is provided a workshop program for those who succeed “learn to live” or in other ways get accepted. In the school the children learn very basic stuff as calculating, reading and writing in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. In the workshops the students choose between leather-, metal- and woodwork. The school also provides drug counselling, life skills and computer skills. The staffs are a mix between Afrikaans speaking teachers and Xhosa teachers. I’m in one of the Afrikaans speaking classes. Which means that the students are divided according to mother language, and school level and not according to their age. In general you soon come to learn that this is not a normal school. The school is nothing like a school back home, nor a normal school down here. And as we are told a lot: “These are not normal kids!”
One day a child can be open and friendly to you, the next day the same child couldn’t care less if you are there or not. One day he will be tiered and sleepy the next day he will be aggressive and provocative towards the other students, the volunteers and even the teachers. “They have no respect”, I sometimes hear the teachers say to each other, as shaking their heads in frustration. “They don’t even have respect for themselves!” is claimed as one of the biggest problems for these students. As you get to know the students better, you slowly learn to separate their good and bad days in order to stay positive and optimistic on their behalves. On the other hand is it important never to forget that they can get aggressive and violent out of the blue. To make any sense out of their behaviour, you need to know what these kids come from. Sadly enough, are these children a product of Apartheid. A system that was meant to keep black and coloured down and still is keeping some of them down today!
During Apartheid many blacks and coloured was forested to move to the townships. Imagine losing your rights to live, as you want to: By force you lose your network, your safe environment, your friends and neighbours. And in order to survive, both parents suddenly had to work full time inside the city, while leaving their children behind in the Township all day. Then the parents came home from work frustrated and tiered and had to do all the practical stuff at home as well. For some, alcohol became an essay way to escape from their life situation. The addiction of alcohol leads to violence, abuses and care failure in some of the families. And soon enough the children figure that a life on the street is better for them. Now they can be in charge of their own life! It doesn’t last too long before they become part of a gang in order to survive on the street. And one thing is for sure, it’s a million times easier to become a member, than to leave a gang again! It doesn’t take too long before all the bad childhood memories appears, and at that point drugs is the easiest way to forget. But drugs are not for free, even though they are easy enough to get! Before they know of it they are addicted. Their addiction often leads to crime and sexual abuse. This is about the point, where a social worker may be lucky enough to find them on the street and convince them to move in on a shelter. At a shelter like “Homestead”, where many of our boys live, there are suddenly certain obligations and rules, such as starting on a school project like “Learn to live” and to accept certain house rules. So the learners, I know from the project, are youngsters, who really struggle with themselves in one way or another. For some learners it’s a struggle just to show up every day and being clean. This is of cause not the story of all the children we work with in “Learn to live”, but many of them has been trough something similar before they came to the school. This is the reason why these kids NOT are normal kids, and why this is not a normal school.
Sea Point
The area we live in is called Sea Point – very creative name as it is next to the sea!
We live in a four roomed apartment (3 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and 2 bathrooms.) We have the view to the ocean from all 3 of our balconies and a shared swimming pool in the building. Let’s just conclude that this is not some cheap apartment in a dangerous area of the town, though it is still cheap compared to prises back home. Even though it’s rather safe to walk out during the evenings and that the houses in general are expensive in this area, I still get the feeling that this area used to be a lot more high society than what it is today. When I walk down the main road in Sea Point, I have come to notice shops that on the outside looks very expensive, but today sell cheap clothes from Thailand and what once used to be a big mall today only remains as a supermarket. In general it is still a very nice area to live in. I love that we have all kind of shops and supermarket next to the apartment and most of all I love living next to the ocean. It’s great to run there in the late afternoons or just before sunset. The sunsets are told to be the most beautiful this time a year and it truly is beautiful. I had a hard time with my conscious in the beginning as I really enjoy living here, but I feel bad for those begging on the street and I didn’t really feel like I fit in to the environment. Anyway, I decide to enjoy myself and the fact that I for a few months am able to live this great!
Café Sofia
The day before we moved to Sea Point we went to see the area. And we came across this very nice café, called Sofia. Apparently there are more than one of them in Town, but the one in Sea Point very soon became our favourite café. It’s a cosy place. The waiters there are always happy and energetic; they joke a lot with the customers and dance around when they don’t have anything else to do. They have happy-hour every day and very good drinks! (Not that we go there every day at all!) But it’s nice to get a drink or two there before we are going out. They make great coffee and it’s one of those places where it’s actually nice to chill out. And then of cause the food is great too. They make all kind of Spanish tapas and it’s not very expensive. In fact I wish I had an occasion to go there now!
Our driver Lesly
In Cape Town you do not only have to be a good driver, to drive a Taxi, no, you need to work in 24 hour shifts in order to keep your job. Therefore it is only more amazing to meet a kind soul, who likes his job as a driver. We met such a driver – Lesly, when we went to Table Mountain. We asked him for his number, so that we could call him when we wanted to go home again. Ever since, we have been calling him, when we are going somewhere. Sometimes he is available other times he is picking other people up far from the city centre. But he is always nice to talk to. He knows us as the Danish girls. And he always asks about how our projects are going and how we like it in Cape Town.
Parade in the African gay capital
Last weekend there was a big gay festival with a parade in the streets. Cape Town is told to be the African Capital for gays. Unfortunately we weren’t in town during the day so we missed out. But as we went out to party in the evening, we ended up at the parade after party. It was a bit disappointing, as I think we missed out of the best part of the party. Beside I didn’t really felt the after party was representative of the African Gay Capital, as only white gay men were represented that evening. So it must be left open if they were the only kind of gays who are out and about in Africa, or if they were just the only one who was able to party all night long.
Township Tour
The reason why we missed out on the gay parade was because we spend the whole day on a Township tour with Tony. The first thing we did was to visit “District 6 museum”, where a very inspiring man named John told us about the history of District 6. A multicultural area that during Apartheid was decided to raze to the ground and move all of the neighbourhoods people to the Township area that they had started to form outside town. The museum has later on been made from the memories that remain from the time they used to live there, such as old pictures, poems, music etc. It was emotional for me to hear how cruel the regime treated some of its people back then and to read and see how many people, who lost their roots and identity.
Next stop was to see the actual area of District 6/or its remains. The only thing left today is different kind of religious buildings (a church, mosque etc) and the “Tree of Hope”, which the Muslims planted before leaving the area and now it’s the only remaining of life in that area. During our tour we debated big issues such as: The white man contra black man’s influence on this continent. Religion. Hate and fear towards the different and unknown. It was a rather interesting debate in the light of what we explored that day. The next step was to put all this in to a perspective of today, as we now went to visit a Township called Langa.
Sweet as Shuga!
On our township tour we had a local guide in Langa. Her name was Shuga and she showed us around by taking us on a walk in all the different areas. Langa was the only of the Townships we visited that day, where we actually took a walk and meet the people. It is also one of the better places to live in compare to some of the other Townships. We got a chance to see the local shop, the market where they sold all kind of souvenirs. It was a Saturday so we also saw the people gathering for brie (BBQ), the children playing in the streets, the youngsters who listened to music, danced or earned a little of money by washing cars. We saw how some of them have to share water and have these washing rooms – showers as well as laundry room. While others live in the so called “Beverly Hills” area, where as the name replies people live in rather fair houses and can afford a car as well. Shuga was a really nice guide, as she just showed things the way they are. She was also surprisingly open about her own life in a very humoristic kind of way. She suggested that we got together for beers at some point, which I really hope she is still up to.
Samantha
Sometimes the world is just really small and felt with strange coincidences. As we walked around in Langa, a young woman suddenly approach us. She wasn’t the first to do that, as we looked remarkably different, besides everyone knows everyone in Langa. This woman noticed the fact that we looked very Danish, and she was thrilled to realise that actually was Danish. The reason for her excitement was that she in 2008 was a student at “Løgumkloster Højskole”. The fact that the 4 of us was from Løgumkloster as well, lead her to impulsively starting to hug us and send all of her love back to the school. Her name is Samantha and she was gone as fast as she had appeared. I was later told from someone who used to know her, that she felt pregnant a couple of years ago and that she still lives in Langa.
The new roommates
Our apartment is big enough for six, and since we are only four girls living here and the rent isn’t that cheap, it made sense to find some flatmates. We asked Tony, if he knew someone who might be interested. He did. So we now have two boys staying with us. Simon and René, both pedagogical students from Aalborg. Together with Tony, they came and saw the apartment and afterwards we went out to meet them in Long Street, just to get to know them a little before we agreed on anything. Next evening we went to a bar called “Marvel” together with the boys and the morning after they moved in. Something none of us have regretted since. It only took a couple of days before everything felt normal and relaxed between us as a group.
In fact we have a completely new dynamic and energy in the house. We all spend time together as a group, but also in different constellations of pairs. And we all take part in the cooking and cleaning etc.
Milkshake mood
The sun is shining, weather is good yeah.. It makes me… DRINK A HELL LOT OF MILKSHAKES! What can I say; it’s tasty, cheap and very good in the heat. Yummy. Tony has warren us, as he says we all are going to get a mamas ass while we are here. Just glad I joined Simons “sit-up club” – working out every evening, and that Olivia and I continue to walk 50 minutes back and forth from work. I guess that allow me to continue my addiction for a little longer?
Danes in Cape Town
The following weekend we were introduced to a lot more Danes. It’s easy to get the feeling that you are completely alone down here, but in fact there are a lot of other Europeans in Cape Town, mainly students. Sine and Kirstine met a few other Danes as they went Shark Diving. It’s strange how much greater it is to meet a Dane, when you are far from home!
Anyway, we all got invited to a birthday party here in Sea Point. So we went. Suddenly we were in an apartment filled with Danes. All from different parts of Denmark. Some were studying to become Pedagogy, others Social Work and others Teacher. It was a nice evening. It was great to get tips, hints and new ideas about how to spend your time in Cape Town. Later same night, we went to a club, all 16 Danes together. The place we went to is called the “Shacks”. And it was a cosy place made from constructed shacks put together as one big bar. Suddenly it just felt like one big Danish group tour and only tourists were at this club. It was really nice to meet some new people and to see a new place, but I still prefer to go out places like “Marvel”, “Cubana” and “Joburg”, were you can dance and meet local people.
Life Church
One day when Olivia and I went for a run in the beach area of Sea point, Olivia met a girl in the outdoor fitness area. She is a Danish Social Worker, named Lene, who apparently works at “Homestead”, which is the place where many of our students live. And because of one of the students in Olivias class, she had been at the school earlier same day. So it was a totally coincidence that Olivia even recognized her. And first when she dared to talk to her, she realized that Lene was Danish too. She told us, how she was here completely on her own, and how terrible it had been, before she met a Danish guy, who used to work at “Learn to live”. He introduced her to a Church in Sea Point called “Life Church”. And know Lene actually live with the Australian youth priest of the Church. Who by the way also was present at the work out place, together with her two cute little twin girls. In fact we soon realized that a number of the people working out, were actually people from “Life Church”. So before we knew it, we were invited to join the service next Sunday. Why not we thought, as it sounded like a cool place and church is an important community in this country. So we went the following Sunday together with Sine and Kirstine. The Church is nothing like a church in Denmark. In fact the building is an old cinema. So while the service was going on, there was all kind of pictures and texts on the big screen. And half of the time there was a gospel choir singing. Lene is part of the choir, and I actually consider joining it as well. And I want to go to the church another time, probably after our trip.
The great tour around South African
17 days. Our guide Tony and 13 young Danes, in a Minibus, ready to explore South Africa.
We all met in Cape Town Airport very early in the morning: I went with all five of my roommates, Sine, Rene, Simon, Olivia and Kirstine. Along was also Tarek, a Social Worker whom I work with. Amalie and Jonas/Jones, who both are pedagogical students from Aarhus also working here in CT. Frederikke and Sofie, who are here as volunteers as well, working on SaraFox. And last but not least two guys, Magnus and Sebastian, who only went to South Africa to join the tour. We flew to Johannesburg, where we met Tony and headed further east in the minibus, as we were going to a Lodge just outside Kruger National Park.
Kruger National Park & Matumi Lodge
It was a long ride in the minibus, as there wasn’t a lot of extra space and I wasn’t really used to drive for so long. But the roads were beautifully surrounded of real African nature. A kind of nature I have only seen on National Geographic. We also passed through some real African village, which was a nice change from seeing the Townships. We went on well as a group from the very beginning and enjoyed each other’s company.
We arrived at a beautiful Lodge called Matumi. Sine and I shared a lodge house, as we were staying two and two. We were served a very nice buffet twice a day, which was always outdoor brie in the evening, next to the fireside. There were wild boars/ Pumba running around the lodge. It took me some time to get adapted to all the wildness there. To be honest, I screamed and panicked the first evening, as some big insect was blocking the door and something else was moving in the bushes behind us. Otherwise I really enjoyed the wild. We went on a 10 hours safari inside Kruger National Park. We saw so many animals: Elephants, giraffes, a rhino, buffalos, zebras, hippos, wild dogs, hyenas, a snake and we were lucky enough to see the lions. We saw eagles, vultures and zazu-birds in the sky. It was a wonderful experience to see all the wild animals very close up and out in nature.
Another day we went to a nearby village and met the locals and all their lovely children. In the village they are able to live a rather good life, as they are more or less self-sufficient. We were invited there by John who is an employed at Matumi Lodge. We got to meet his wife and children and he showed us his house and his garden. He was growing sugar, avocado and corn. We played games with the children and spend a great afternoon in the village.
Another day we went to see Blyde River Cannon both from the mountain side and sailing on the river. It was and extraordinary nature. Though, I actually enjoyed more, when we totally spontaneous went to a waterfall in the forest. We were occupied looking at the baboons, which played nearby the street. When we came across this sign, saying; Waterfall. Since we had some time on our hand we went. We followed this small path in the forest and could hear the water babble and the birds singing. After about 20 minutes walk, we came to this little opening in the forest and saw this very beautiful waterfall. The water fell down lightly through this small opening in the cliff. The water was clear enough to drink. Butterflies were flying around in the sun reflecting in this kind of smoke from the water and bowing trees and big rocks was surrounding the lake.
Joburg & Pretoria/Twanee
Joburg was real backpacker style for us, as we all stayed in one dormitory. It reminded me of a room in an orphanage place as the room was round with bunk beds. We bought food and cocked for lunch and dinner. – A reminder of how luxurious the lodge had been. Now, the breakfast on the other hand was very nice, as we went out to this bakery every morning, which cocked all kind of breakfast, smoothes, coffees etc. In Joburg I felt, I started to know the other guys better. Beside that I didn’t really enjoyed Joburg. Compared to Cape Town, Joburg seems very hectic and busy. Most of all I just very much missed the smiles on people’s faces. We were briefly in Pretoria/Twanee, which is the legislate capital of South Africa. Here ANC rules and all white power are long gone. Unfortunately we only got to see the government buildings from the outside. In general we didn’t spend much time in the present Joburg. Instead we got deeply into the history of Apartheid. Actually we started way before at the Vortreeker museum, which is a big monument build in order to celebrate the white man/boors victory over the native population. Today the place explains the white man’s story in South Africa. It is a 300 year journey from the beginning to where they are today. Back then the Dutch came to Cape Town in order to trade with other travelling nations (Europeans), who were passing trough on their way between India and Europe. The trade was a very good business, but at some point in the 19. Century the British people wanted a piece of the cake, and since the Dutch didn’t want to share, things start to get really ugly. A group of Dutch called the Vortreeker decided to search for new land where they could be left alone. As the British started to send the Dutch peoples wives and children into concentration camps, justified by the fact that the Dutch brought slaves. Things only get worse as no matter where the Dutch people go, they get into new wars with the locals who don’t want to let go of their land. At one point they promise God that if he helps them to win the struggle once and for all, they will always be thankful on that very day. In fact I learned that ever since that time the Dutch Reformed Church added to the Bible that the White man is superior the Black. A day that for some Withes still is holy and important today. Even though the name of the day has been changed to Reconciliation Day. And it got more and more clear to me, how big the need of reconciliation still is today, but of course it takes more than 16 years of democracy and reconciliation to break down 300 years of racial hate. Besides I haven’t been aware of the hate between Dutch and British citizens of South Africa. And even though Apartheid seemed like a sick project just after the Nazis fall, I actually came to an understanding of how it was possible to make people believe in it. On the Apartheid museum the day after, it only got more clear to me how easy it was to establish the system. As people already got the mental segregation the physical separation wasn’t too hard to make people believe in. I also started to realize just, how ugly things could have got after Apartheid if it wasn’t because of Mandela and Desmond Tutus effort of reconciliation. If the Zulu’s had had their way, there would probably not be any white people living here today. Or everything could have turned out like they did in Rwanda, were everyone started to slaughter each other. There is no perfect way through such a terrible period of history, and even though there still are clashes between people, most people have somehow been capable of moving on with their lives. Which is a good thing, but I was as sad, as I have never expected to be on a museum, when we went to “Hector Peiterson Museum” in SOWETO. This is the history of young black people in the Townships fighting for their rights of getting a fair education. As they demonstrated against the education system, they were answered with violence and many of them got wounded or killed, others were tortured in prisons. I am in the moment reading André Brink’s “Dry white season”, about the same historical matter. It was therefore a mix of emotions to walk around in SOWETO, which also is the place where all big ANC members lived, before they were brought to “Robben Island”. Desmond Tutu, used to live there as well. So of cause we also went to see the “Mandela family house”, where Nelson used to live, before he went to prison and where Winnie and their children stayed. After their divorce Winnie Mandela bought herself a much bigger house not too far from there, which we also went to see, unfortunately we only saw her gardeners. We came across the hill top where the ANC members used to have their secret meeting and we saw the high school, a little up the road, from where Hector and the other youngsters fought for their rights. The reason why Hector Peitorson is remembered is because he was the youngest, only 13, who died, during the demonstrations. Today there is a monument outside the school to honour him. SOWETO was up until recently still the largest Township in South Africa and it has become a tourist attraction as it is today, yet it is still a huge Township with about 3 million people still living there today. Some still live under bad conditions and things haven’t changed much, but others life is very good in fact there are millionaires among SOWETO inhabitants. But it was really an interesting experience for me to be in SOWETO.
Horse riding in Lesotho
Next part of the journey was to visit the little Kingdom within SA – The kingdom of Lesotho. The most beautiful country I have ever visited (sorry SA). The nature there is just indescribable, but I’m going to give it a try any way. Imagine Mountains no matter where you look. Imagine an uncountable numbers of stars during night. Imagine rivers and waterfalls. Imagine villages that if they do have electricity it is only between 18h00 to 22h00 every day. Imagine a country where your cell phones don’t work and where clothes are hand washed. Where people still uses an ox to plough the fields, and where most people transport themselves on a horse or a donkey. We lived at a lodge called Malealea Lodge, next to a village. And just accepted that we had to slow down, as life is simple in Lesotho. We only relaxed one evening though, before we went on a horse riding in the mountains. It was Simons biggest fear being around horses, I at least knew how to ride, though it very fast became clear to me that this wasn’t the kind of horse ride I was used to. These horses are specialist in climbing up and down the mountainsides and the only thing you could do, was to hold on tide and trust your horse. After climbing down the first mountainside, crossing a rather big river and climbing up against the next mountainside, I let go of my control and my fear and just went along with it. I felt like a cowboy in an old western movie, and started to enjoy the incredible view. Whenever we went through a village, children appeared and yelled: “Bye, bye”. After six hours we finally arrived in a small village high upon a mountain, this was where we were to spend the night. We sat the horses free, put our things into two cottages and then we were off to another trip. This time by walking. We walked for almost an hour in order to go to a waterfall. Some of us, including me, decided to take a swim in the waterfall. It was so cold that I couldn’t breathe, and I was all shaky as I tried to get my clothes on again. Then we headed back to the camp. When we were nearly home the sun set and it was so beautiful. We put on some dry clothes, and cooked before it got completely dark. Then a man offered to make a bonfire for us for R30 and that we agreed to. A while later, an older woman came and delivered a big bunch of wood and wanted her money. Only problem was we already gave the money to another man. Suddenly we were in the middle of nowhere and we didn’t speak the same language. All the women of the village was soon there yelling at us, complaining and supporting this poor old woman. By coincidence one of them got the word: Guide. And we become friends again. Our guides weren’t the most reliable men, as they smoked a lot of weed, but they truly knew their way around in the mountains and how to cope with horses.
We got our bonfire and enjoyed sitting around it, drying our shoes and trying to get warm. I was freezing cold all night, but I tried my best to enjoy the sounds of all the animals, and my first sleep ever in a cottage made of clay. I didn’t succeed very well, but I wouldn’t have been without the experience. Next morning we got up at six, and headed the six hours back. We had to chance some of our route, as it was raining and it would be too dangerous for us to continue as original planed. It took us longer, but we got home safe.
Next day we went to another waterfall by walking, which meant we had to cross through many rivers on our way. I ended up feeling so renewed and energetic from this walk. I don’t really know why. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I realised how small I am compared to Mother Nature. Maybe it was also cost to the fact that it was kind of a hopeless walk, as it was raining a lot and I felt in to a river three times and got so extremely wheat that walking became a hard thing to do. But I got this feeling about everything being possible. Which was a great way of ending our adventures in Lesotho. If only it was the end. As we come back to the lodge in completely wheat clothes, we are about to realise that all of our clothes have been hand washed, and cannot dry because of the rain. So here we are, in a climate that reminds me about a rainy summer climate in Sweden, only white a pair of shorts, a top and not even dry shoes. Man, I was so cold. First we tried to dry our clothes in a tumble dryer, which resulted in all electric power in the village disappeared. Amalie, Tarek and I, therefore starts to dry our clothes next to a fireside, but neither the less our clothes is still soaking wheat next morning, as we are moving on to Port Elizabeth.
The haircut
We only spend a night and the following noon in P.E. Neither the less it became a place where I changed my style radically. I wanted to get a fresh start. I was about to make a certain big jump, and somehow I just felt, it was the right time to try to cut off all my hair!
So I went with Tarek to a local barbershop in P.E. Tarek of cause said; “ladies first.” So I did it. I was surprised how much service you get for your 30 box. And how many different razor blades he used in order to get it right. I felt fresh and new, but I couldn’t recognise myself in the mirrors for days. I love it by now and I actually get compliments every day, because it is so different.
The World’s Highest Bungee Jump
216 m, 7 seconds of free fall, flying out from a bridge, in what is known as the world’s highest bungee jump. That was one pure adrenalin kick. Already in the bus on our way there, I started to feel nervous. We listened to Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Dinner” in a techno version, so we all ended up clapping and singing: “dadadada-dadadada-dadadadadada. “ And we continued the song as we made our way out to the platform under the bridge, from where we had to jump one by one. Just the way out there was terrifying to me. You walk underneath the bridge and you are able to see the river below you. “Shit, I am gonna fall down!” I thought to myself as I walked out there, then I realised, it was exactly what I had agreed to do. We were about 15 up there at the same time. The music was loud, and we soon started to dance around supporting each other, it also helped in order to keep my own nerves under control. When it finally was my turn, I freaked. Everything in me said: this is crazy! When I got things around my legs and just had to sit and wait, while someone else jumped, I started to cry. Fredrik, the man in charge, gave me a big hug and told me everything would be alright. So I wiped my tears away as I made a bawl. Then I was ready. Fredrik and another guy carried me out to the edge. “Whatever you do – don’t look down”, I was told. Stupid as I am, I looked down. I have always feared to fall down, when I am somewhere up high, but in that moment I felt realised. Now, I actually had the chance to fall and hopefully be caught safely by the bungee. I took a deep breath and let go of all thoughts. Then I jumped. It was amazing. So silence, peaceful and beautiful. I only heard a wind blow. I felt free. Then I got the first pull from the bungee. I went up and down 4 times. Afterwards I turned around as I hang with my head down. I felt so relived, but I was even more thrilled when a man came down to pull me up. It is by far the craziest experience I have ever had, but I’m so glad I did it.
Wonderful Wilderness
Our last stop on the tour was Wilderness. A gorgeous beach house was awaiting us down to the Indian Ocean. This place is called every backpackers dream and for a fair reason. It was still backpacker style as people were backpackers and slept in bunk beds, but beside that it was pretty luxurious. From the balconies in our room we were able to see the ocean with its big waves and even dolphins some times. In the morning there was a lovely buffet and in the evening you could buy homemade pizza. They had a bonfire every night and a bar with a pool table. We liked it so much that we decided to stay an extra night before we went home. In fact I decided to just relax, by spending my time on the beach, swimming and reading in the sun. I also enjoyed running and walking on the beach, reflecting about our trip as well as just enjoying having a little more personal space after spending so many days close to other people inside a bus. I truly had a great time on our journey. I really had an awesome time with the other guys and I experienced so much on our way.
RAABY´s SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE 