I'm not demanding I swear

I have nothing interesting to write about so I'll tell you the little story about my few days in Cinsta.

Cinsta was our last stop on the way down the wild coast, only got to spend two nights there and had to start our way back to Durban. We stay at Buccaneers Backpackers, anyone I've talked to says this is the best one in SA, and it was great! We had booked a dorm room before we got there, we had been so lucky and other than the first night we hadn't needed to share a room with anyone else, we kept getting upgraded or just had a whole dorm room to ourselves as it was off season. But unfortunately Buccaneers was a little fuller than the rest so we got to the dorm room released we'd be sharing with 2 other people so to get a twin room was like an extra 10R a night so we decided to treat ourselves. So I we went back and asked for a double room which was fine, she smiled and gave us the keys and sent us on our way. We go down to the cottage and into the room and there was 1 double bed - we had asked for a double and not a twin. So I was sent back up to see about a twin. Again the girl laughed at me, which I realize is par for the course and so we get a twin but they only have one available for that night, but we figured we could sweet talk our way out of that the next day.

So we again move (only next door) this time into our very own house! Very cool. The house was huge and had a balcony on the top floor looking out to the beach (pic 1). We get settled and go up to the bar for a drink and realize we have no coffee for the next morning so off we go to see the lady at the check in for the 4th time in an hour to get directions to a store if such a thing existed in these parts.

She gives us directions - go down to the beach, and walk along until we pass a lagoon and take the first right, and we'll run into it. Sounds simply right... so we get down to the beach no problem at all and walk pass the lagoon and stop realizing the directions weren't as simply as we thought (pic 2) - she must also work for Google map. So we’re standing just beside the lagoon thinking she just sent us to Columbia to get our coffee when we see this little path beside the lagoon in the trees that lead up to a neighbourhood so we figured we'd have better luck up there finding coffee than in the Indian Ocean. Up the path we go and we end up on a little street so we figure that maybe if we take the first right we may indeed find a store, and we did! It was small store but it had coffee and milk and cookies so we were happy. Had a great night just relaxing on the balcony. The next morning we go back up to the office to try and sweet talk our way into keeping the house and our twin room, no luck the house was closed so we got moved back to the double room which we had turned down the night before. We had to share the cottage with 2 NZ girls and realized that’s why the lady on the check in put us there, let’s just say the NZ girls fit a stereotypical look, which I is why when we asked for a double she had the smile. But it was still a great night we had our own room and still a beautiful view of the beach, couldn't complain. I definitely see myself taken a trip back to Buccaneers.

I Heart Obz

For those of you that don't know I live in Obz (Observatory) which is a suburb about 10 minutes from Cape Town City Centre, and I love Obz. It's a student mecca with a Bohemian type vibe (or so they say), I couldn't have found a better place to stay. But like anything Obz can get a little moody on occasion, most of the time it is in a happy go lucky place but it was in a mood last night when I was awoken on numerous occasions, Obz was in a crazy mood. Once Obz gets in a mood everyone whose around will pick up on it and exacerbate the mood, sometimes good sometimes not so good. The not so good is the crazy mood times because really the last thing you need is all of the people around to get a little bit crazier. Take Wednesday night, there was a few berkies who were a little drunk sitting across the road from my flat and they thought that a singing competition at 3am was a great idea. I've heard many of them break into song on occasion but an organised (4 drunks guys on a corner) idol competition was a new thing for me. Never did find out who won as they were deciding in Afrikaans but my vote was for the 2nd guy I don't think he even knew he could reach some of those notes.



A couple of weeks ago I went out at 8 in the evening to run to the grocery store and the moment I walked out the door I was surrounded by bad energy, Obz was in a creepy mood. The creepy mood doesn't happen very often I've only notice it 2 or 3 times in the last year and a half. Everything was quiet and you could just feel something wasn't right. So I walk to the store and watch behind me the entire time you could tell that everyone was on edge. I get home with no problems and a friend comes over a bit later and first thing I say is Obz is creepy tonight and she completely agrees. Later we go out and meet up with another friend who again agreed with us, he was coming in from the highway going to get cash and meet us at the bar, but as soon as he came off the highway decided to go to another banking machine because the bad energy was that intense. How weird is that, three people all feeling the same vibe and so much so that you change your plans? Nothing bad was reported happening that night but there was something around. I can walk home alone at 4am and not have a worry (still know whose around and watch behind me) but this was so strong I was edgy at 8pm.



When Obz is in a happy mood there's nothing stopping it. If you come home after a long day and I'm walking down the street and everyone is happy and joking around even the berkies are happy and will start walking with you just chatting (and not asking for money) it will automatically put you in a good mood. If if I don't talk to anyone on the way home its the energy in the air it just wakes you up and makes you happy.



I have never been in a place that has moods how does a suburb get moods, and how does it affect everyone else around? Just doesn't make sense. I've included a picture taken from my lounge window, so you can get a small taste of Obz....

When you just need a pitch fork

This cartoon that I just had to post... this is a excerpt from my old blog to understand why...

Got lock in my house last night, we have been having issues with our front gate for awhile and it has been fix for about week now but last night we got locked in, how weird is it that all this security is great but you can literally get locked in your house. Christine and I ended up taking a pitch fork to the thing and were able to open it wide enough for us to squeeze out. What a site we must have made 2 girls with a pitch fork and a torch pushing and pulling on this big old gate and laughing.

Sleep Deprived

Not a happy camper today, I was woken up 5 times last night over about a 5 hour period. There was the random guys in a car blowing on sports horn (SA must of won some game) they woke me up twice. Than I had the berkie idols which I would have enjoyed if not at 3am which was proceeded by a large fight accumulating in some guy pulling a 12 inch knife (no one hurt they all went home but still) and than the roommate. So here's a cartoon, today is a non thinking day...

Book Karma

Even in the short time living here I have been finding more and more american things coming to SA. Such as Fear factor SA and now there starting the biggest loser SA. I hate this! Globalization has its place but really the biggest loser, but I guess when a large population of people who are not obsessed about weight lost you have a huge potential market to push all of your weight loss crap on. People (referring mainly females) especially from what I've found black females are very comfortable with their weight and its not an issue. People on TV ie actors, presenters, news casters are not all the typical 'good looking' people they actually choose people for these parts for the quality of the work, its an intriguing concept. But there is nothing I can do about it but not watch it I guess since you know there already shot it and its premiering soon.

The last couple of weeks I've had bad book karma, I haven't found books that keep me interested and I keep settling on ones that are ok because I can't find anything I want to read. So this bad book karma has lead me to watching a lot more TV, you know like 4 or 5 shows a week. In the grand scheme of things this is not a lot of TV but it feels like it because I've watch so little in the past couple of years. But the increased TV watching also means increased commerical watching, commericals on SA TV are actually great.

The commerical themselves are not anything special but there simply and funny. Take one I saw last night its a commerical for cough syrup, there's a kid bouncing a ball in the house and coughing, mum yells from the other room stop bouncing the ball in the house. Than they say something about the #1 cough syrup or something and they go to the after... the kid is bouncing the ball in the house again and mum yells... but here's the thing the kids not coughing. That's where the commerical ends, nice and simple and thoughtful. So until the bad book karma works itself out at least I have my commericals.

Cows

As many of you may know in the past I've had a few cow issues, namely being scared shitless of them. I have to say my fear has subsided. I don't know if it is that I'm not afraid of African cows or that over the years of being forced to walk through a plethora of cow fields has finally de-sensitzed me.

For someone who is bascially a city girl I somehow manage to be surrounded by cows a whole lot, probably has a lot to do with my career choice. Surprized that geology would put you in the vacinity of cows, i've been in cow fields on three contients now due to geology, isn't that an accomplishment.

I always knew that I was not alone in my fear of cows, (its the tongues) but now I have documented proof I'm not the only one. I can feel justify in my feelings of superiority over these girls as I never called for help because of cows (I may in a few incidents hid behind people, thanks Jordanna) but I never ran away from cows (ok, once... but I was alone), but I can now stand near a cow and even want and are able to take a picture.

Science, orbs and skulls

I’m a scientist; it’s a simple as that. To make sense of the world around me I use science to figure things out, including my feelings on ghosts/sprits/ energies, the afterlife, if there is a soul and so on, you get the point. I would have to say that you would not have found a bigger cynic than me; well I’ve been made to reconsider this on several occasions over the past year. I have changed my views on few things, I never doubted that there is a lot we just can’t explain- not that we won’t be able to explain. There is so much we don’t know, but why is it that the general populous thinks that if we can not explain something by science at this point does mean that it won’t be able to, it’s not like we’ve hit the pinnacle of knowledge or anything.

When we were staying at the Hole in the Wall we went to the Hole in the Wall (pic 1) obviously. The day we got there we decided to go for a bit of a walk before it got too dark, we walked to the Hole in the Wall and started taking a few pictures but it started to get dark and we didn’t think most of pictures would turn out and we knew we were going back there the next day so we took off. The next day we go back take some pictures before we continue on our hike. We found a skull of what I believe to be goat beside a couple fire pits. We took a picture (not developed yet) just because it’s not often one finds skulls lying on the beach. So that all well and good we have a great hike and leave the Hole in the Wall. When I got my pictures developed the ones that we took the first day we got there were well look (pics 2, 3). Were on a rocky beach so there not sand particles reflecting, were far enough back that it wouldn’t be spray, and pictures taken seconds before and after these few photos which were pointed up and down the beach from this area don’t have the little circles, so it wouldn’t be something on the lens. Than I realized when trying to figure out what they were is that we would have been basically standing on top on the skull when these pictures were taken. Hmmm, I’m not saying there isn’t a perfectly logical explanation for these things but until recently I have to say I don’t think I would have even put together the fact the skull was right there and would have dismissed the orbs/circle as nothing but now I’m considering all the possibilities…. You decide yourself

But I wanted to see a tribal war

On a fourth day of our trip we left Port St. John's after travelling back roads (dirt) for about an hour to go up to an old airstrip with the most amazing views (pic 1). We were headed to Coffee Bay and the Hole in the Wall. We get to Coffee Bay around midday and realize that the only tar road in the area was the highway we had turned off of about 30 minutes back. We stop for a drink at the 1 hotel in the area because there weren't even any shops close by. We hung out for a while looked at the pretty views and took off for the Hole in the Wall where the hostel was. So it turns out that the little line on the map that connects Coffee Bay with the Hole in the Wall is not really a road at all but rather gravel and rocks that are about 1.5m wide for 30km or so, its not level there is areas where there is no gravel or rocks just patches of dirt and grass. We had found some bad roads but I think I can be assured that I will never come across a road like that one every again. So to travel approximately 30km it took us about 45 minutes. There were several locals walking the road so at least it wasn't completely deserted and they were walking just slight slower than we were driving.

After 30 minutes on a dirt road and 45 minutes on a so-called 'road' we reach the Hole in the Wall. And it really was worth it (pic 2), I love getting off the beaten track and finding these little areas. We get to the hostel and check in, the manager dude apologizes for not getting up to meet us but he has a spider bite on his foot and is having difficulty walking. Than he tells us we have our own dorm room because the only other guests around are cops from Mtata down to help out with the tribal war.... I kid you not. The two of us stop and look at the guy and 'your shitting us right' but nope. We were chatting (kind of of, their English was not very good and my Xhosa is even worse) with a couple of the cops later and we thought we'd check with them about this whole tribal war thing because it really kind of seemed that we should have heard about it some how if it was of any significance but there were about 20 cops around from Mtata so that's a lot of cops and they had been in the hostel for over a month already. The cops did call it a tribal war as well but I got the feeling it was more of a tribal dispute rather than a war but hey what do I know I'm a whitey.

We got so excited thinking we get to see a tribal war, with spears and shields and all painted up, but alas we didn't get to see any tribal war. When were driving back to Durban on our last day three boys did cross in front of us with spears, no tribal war just a couple kids going off to initiation school to get circumcised- not completely sure about this but it’s the right time of year, right area, and the boys were about the right age so through the process of elimination...

We did discover the spider bite the manager got had basically killed his foot. It was completely black and they were pretty sure they were going to have to amputate (got this from his wife, she was scared shitless obviously). The day we left they were going to the hospital to see if the medication was working or if his foot was coming off. I have to say we got a little bit paranoid of spiders for the rest of the trip but likely all of our limbs are still intact.

The pigs just wanted some bacon for their sandwiches

I keep meaning to write something but I have been writing up a few chapters of my thesis so the idea of doing un-productive writing is not compelling. But here I am. A few weeks ago went on holiday up the wild coast, one if not the best holiday I've been on. Everything went smoothly and I don't think you could find a more gorgeous area than the sunshine and wild coasts.


We flew into Durban hired a car and started driving. First day spent around Durban, than we proceeded to Warren's Beach, Port St. John's, Coffee Bay/ Hole in the Wall, Cinsta (about 20km from East London) and on the way back to Durban we stopped at Port Shepstone.

We were searched twice by police looking for pigs, seriously. Close to the border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal is where the road blocks were set up they are having issues with swine flu (never heard of it).

We pulled up to the road block a police women comes up to the car and we think she says she's looking for pot, she says this a few times because although this area is well known for it marijuana (when the government basically gave the all the wheat farm rights to the whites a lot of the black farmers switched to weed - good ol' apartheid) it still didn't seem right that she was using the term pot and they weren't looking for any other drugs. After repeating herself several times she says looking for pork, this is when it clicked and we realized that in fact they were not looking for drugs at all but actually pork. Of course we both break out laughing and she realized I think that two white girls in the middle of the transkei are not likely pig smugglers and starting laughing herself. Although she still looking in the backseat of the car.

We continued our trip for the rest of the week, and on the way back (close to the border) we were again stopped and searched for pigs. This time though they even searched the boot! He made us get out of car and watch him go through the bags (so that we can't accuse them of stealing, he actually told us that). We got back into the car and we on our way again. I understand they have to check everyone but the two of us are the last two people you will find smuggling pork. Neither of us eat it and to top it off one of us was Jewish!

These incidents cement one fact for me, I will never become an international food smuggler. When I was caught by the fruit and vegetable dog in the Halifax airport with my apples I had my suspicions that my life as an international food smuggler might not be right for me but now I realize I get searched for meat products too - guess I'm sticking to geology.