South Africa: Mountains and beach and mountains and beach
So to start South Africa I have to say that on this trip we
have repeatedly experienced a travel phenomenon where we have some preconceived
notion of what we should fear from country X that is ultimately shattered by
our experience on the ground. In India it was how they lust for the ladies, in
the Philippines it was all the gun crime, in Indonesia it was the local moonshine
that was gonna make us blind and on and on and on. That’s not to say that these
fears were frivolous, or not based in some way on real dangers (maybe overblown,
but real none the less) but for us Deiters every place we’ve gone has pleasantly
morphed in a consistent pattern from being scary, to weird, to novel, to normal, to
something you miss with those initial fears being a distant memory by the time
we leave. In South Africa this first stage struck as we were driving on a
beautiful country road back to Johannesburg in our safari truck when we passed
a sign that said “hijacking hotspot next 6K – do not stop.” So then my brain
goes…………Is hijacking the same thing as carjacking? Should I be watching for planes? How many cars
have to be hijacked for them to put up a sign? Should I put on my hazards? Why
not have a cop here instead of a sign?....... This sign had us so thoroughly
shook that I would have driven over my grandma if she appeared in the road, like
it was 4th and goal in the Superbowl. Johannesburg (Jo-berg to the
locals) wasn’t much more reassuring because the security was so over the top with
lots of spiky barbed wire-ish fences and “armed response” security signs. Don’t
get me wrong, the place we were staying looked like a moderately wealthy suburb
of New Jersey, it’s just here you will definitely get shot for hopping your
neighbors fence where in Jersey its only probably. After grabbing our super
tiny Suzuki Alto (google it, if it’s bigger than the shoe you’re wearing right
now we’ll buy you a beer) we hit the Apartheid museum where we learned that:
The first free vote in the new South Africa happened in 1994 (thought it was way
older than that), most of the thousands of people who were killed fighting
against apartheid died between 90’ and 94’ (various estimates have the number
around 7-10K) and that “mankind began in Africa, so ultimately we are all
Africans.” Then we skedaddled. To be fair we probably didn’t see the best that
Joberg has to offer, but there is a reason that all those security companies
offer “armed response.” Thankfully for us Deiters this tension would ease like
we were getting into a hot bath the further we got from Jo-berg, and our biggest
fears went from hijacking and crime to worrying about whether it was better to
take the scenic ocean or scenic mountain route or choosing between two impossibly
delicious and cheap dinner options. Our first stop was Sabie which is a sleepy
mountain area east of Jo-berg. On the drive there you might think you were in
Maine or Northern California based on the beautiful green forests that absolutely
cover the hillsides, but anytime you stopped the super cheap prices would
confirm that you weren’t in Kansas anymore. Upon arrival we experienced our
first “backpackers” which is slang for a fantastic network of hostels that
cover South Africa and allow you to see this great country in a unique and
inexpensive way. A “backpacker” is a magical place where you can stay in accommodation
ranging from a tent to a 10 bed dorm to a private room. Meals can be cheaply
and deliciously prepared for you communal style by simply signing your name on
a list or you can cook for yourself (they call it self-catering) if you are in
the mood. They can book any activity from bungee to backgammon to a flight back
home and often do so at a discount. They foster friendships with daily
activities like hikes or horseback riding or free “wine volleyball” which is absolutely
as fun as it sounds and they have fire pits where you can stare at the stars
and repeatedly mispronounce your new Dutch best friends’ name. Mostly they are
run by eccentric souls (we call em wierdo’s back home) who would not survive
one single second outside of this environment and yet somehow manage to thrive here
in the center of this multinational storm. Also they are super cheap, ranging
from $25 to $40 for our own room per night. If there is one single thing we could
bring home from this trip it would be the backpackers. I would love to be able
to experience my county in the way that I did South Africa, but unfortunately if
you have a $25 hotel room in the US it’s gonna be full of prostitutes cooking meth. Our
first backpackers was called “Billy Bongo Backpackers” and was run by a
beautiful unicorn of a man ironically named Garth. Billy….er I mean Garth was
eager to please and set us up with an itinerary that included touring the
amazing rock formations that are scattered around the area and munching at a restaurant
that featured lots of South African Game meat. At one point we had Crocodile,
Springbok, Ostrich, Kudu and warthog all on one plate. (mostly yum, but some
were kind of game-y). Another plus about Sabie was meeting our first backpacker
best friends, a lovely German couple named Marcus and Michaela (Meech-Ha-A-La).
We knew we were going to hit it off when Michaela was gracious enough to answer
to Michele for a while cause that was the best our American tongues could do.
They were great fun and we enjoyed palling around with them for a few days,
checking out the sights and watching Aladdin at our very own German-American
movie night. After a few days we put the first backpacker in the books and
headed down south around Swaziland to a spot on the eastern coast called St.
Lucia. It’s a funky little town with signs that advise you to “watch for hippos
at night” because its located right next to a national park that’s home to Africa’s
largest estuary. We never ran into any hippos on the main drag but we did encounter
a very rare “white hippo” at a fish and chips place one night. Actually it was
just a super drunk 50ish British dude who weighed in at least 300lbs and
somehow managed to lose his shirt during a day of drinking with his pals. We’re
not in the place two minutes and the guy has me up on a table awkwardly dancing
with him. Now normally I got the moves like Jagger but I was thrown off by the
three inch long wound this dude had on his forehead (it was like a day or two
old judging by my man nurse skills and it ended up oozing on my shirt when we
were half hugging/ half holding him up). I also had concerns for the structural
integrity of the table (check out the video). At the end of the day they bought
us some shots so they weren’t the worst thing in the world. What was the worst
thing in the world was our room at the backpackers. The place was relatively expensive
and featured stark white insane asylum walls that were completely blank and bright
enough to light the room at night (would it kill you to throw up a Pink Floyd
poster or something?). We resented this place more and more as we stayed at
increasingly awesome backpackers throughout our South African Adventure. Still
St. Lucia was cool and provided a unique flavor scenery wise that ultimately added
to the diversity and overall awesomeness of South Africa. From there it was off
to Durban to stay at a “party hostel” to see if we can still hang with the
young bucks (spoiler alert: we can) and have what Billy Bongo told us was “proper Indian food mate” known as “bunny
chow.” Now maybe we didn’t go to the right part of India, but no where in our
travels did we encounter a half loaf of white bread hollowed out, stood on its
side and filled with curry. It was weird but tasty and might reappear back home
filled with say beef stew instead of curry. Then it was a right turn north into
the Drakensberg (dragon mountain in Afrikaans) for some fantastic hikes
through stunning scenery. The first spot we hit was called “the amphitheater”
and is a UNESCO world heritage site based on its natural beauty. It’s just
jagged peaks, and waterfalls, and rolling green hills dotted with little bursts
of flowers that look like someone went crazy with a 64 count Crayola Crayon
box. We hit two spots over 5 days working our way back down south to the coast and
as an added bonus we bumped back into our German friends for a final night of
hanging out before they headed back home. From there it was back to the beach completing
the mountains to beach to mountains to beach quartet to a backpackers situated
in a little patch of jungle just above a stunning “blue flag beach” which means
it has shark nets and lifeguard’s so you probably (but not definitely) won’t
get eaten. We had one day long knife fight trying to do our taxes over a sloppy internet connection. It literally took us 11 hours and believe me nothing makes you look cooler than sitting in the corner of the backpackers doing your taxes while people party. Tax non-sense included we had a blast and 2 out of three nights we indulged in the all-time Deiter family favorite activity of
hanging out on a beach with a bottle of wine around sunset. Sitting there with a glass of wine and someone
you love in the space between day and night, cool ocean breeze, colorful
sky, waves crashing and sand on your toes…it’s just a little slice of heaven. Thank
you South Africa.
Me dancing on a table
Me in another waterfall, without my iphone this time
Boers Luck potholes park
The mountains in Sabe
To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains but to live in a way that enhances the freedom of others- Nelson Mandela
Interesting huh?
That's croc, kudu, warthog and springbok
Tashy Likey MMMMMMM
This is a "savory pancake" they make em both sweet (like with syrup and stuff) and savory where there packed with ham and cheese and stuff. Once you get over the confusion its delicious.
A waterfall in Sabe
Our tiny car for Easy-E
A hug for my gentle giant
That's when you know the potholes are big
Tash and I at the "bores luck potholes" national park
A panorama from Sabe
My beautiful baby with some beautiful mountains
Those three round rock formations are called the "three rondovals" after the circular houses that the Dutch settlers would live in
More Rondoval action
Tish with our German friends
Two cat best friends
A baby lizzard
We love our lizzard
so watch our for crocks, leopards, hippos, rhinos and elephants
buffalo in the park at St Lucia
Another empty beach with just our footprints in the sand
now with me and tish
Me and the "white Hippo"
This is an ad from a South African magazine. This is what the world thinks Americans look like
Will do
Seems fair
What a steak. Sooooo good
This is the "bunny chow" just like they made in New Delhi
From the top
The rolling foothills of the Drakens Berg
Our room in the Drakens Berg
Our German Friends
Tish and Michaela
Me and Marcus
Now all four
Me and Tish in the Amphitheater park
More beautiful scenery
Another panorama
A "small" plough mans lunch platter
Check out the reflection of the clouds in the pool at our hostel
Same. This was a "natural pool" with algae and fish in it
A domino stack at dinner
A vicious game of Jenga
Just considering my options
wrong move tishy
It was girls vs guys, here's me enjoying the sweet taste of victory with a Dutch friend
Loving those panoramas
Color lock is sweet as well
Me and tish in the Mountains
Tish heading down the waterslide at the backpackers
The beach in Umzumbi- no sharks here
Dogs on blogs
Wow a great day for our friends in the Brown family
Oh wait, never mind
Another waterfall in Sabe
Same
Now with me
Then tish
This is for are friend Gary
Me feeding the birds at Billy Bongo's
This one is called the pinnacle
more from Boers Luck potholes park
Now with our friend Marcus
Those things down there are the actual "pot holes"
Look at these Germans breaking the rules
More beauty from sabe
Same
Purple mountains magesty
Eating a PB&J with Tishy on a hike
It was beautiful as the clouds rolled in
Love the clouds here
Same
This is the path we hiked on
Go Pro Raindrops in the pool
Same
And again
Tish at the apartheid Museum. They randomly assign you a race and you enter through different doors.
I loved your eulogy to Smarty Jones. The tribute was beautiful , it took me several minutes to read it between the tear drops. Your Mom, Kate and Nick did a wonderful job in your place. Having done it twice you have our empathy .
Your stories of South Africa were wonderful,.as were the spectacular photos. I know your Mom loved it there.
Spring and summer have finally arrived in the NE, it was one tough winter. Nice to se the green again. All Barkers and Donis' are busy, the girls finishing school, and John and I doing our "retired" thing.
Enjoy the rest of your time in South America, I know how much you are looking forward to Ireland and a reunion with the NC clan. Stay safe, Love, Tete
And Lizzard loves her Deiters!
ReplyDeleteI also loved that fat Americans ad. Fanny packs, American flag bandanas and protruding bellies? Accurate.
Miss you turds xoxoxoxoxo
are hippos more friendly during the day time? . . . TJ
ReplyDeleteno, just meaner at night. Miss u brother. See you back in Yardley real soon.
ReplyDeleteDear Sean:
ReplyDeleteI loved your eulogy to Smarty Jones. The tribute was beautiful , it took me several minutes to read it between the tear drops. Your Mom, Kate and Nick did a wonderful job in your place. Having done it twice you have our empathy .
Your stories of South Africa were wonderful,.as were the spectacular photos. I know your Mom loved it there.
Spring and summer have finally arrived in the NE, it was one tough winter. Nice to se the green again. All Barkers and Donis' are busy, the girls finishing school, and John and I doing our "retired" thing.
Enjoy the rest of your time in South America, I know how much you are looking forward to Ireland and a reunion with the NC clan. Stay safe, Love, Tete
Here you can sell and buy both new and used products.
ReplyDeleteThis website is perfect for selling just about anything at all.
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