Back in Coffee Bay after a fantastic rest in Kei Mouth! Foot is doing well, as is my headspace!
Same story with internet problems so a long update to follow soon(ish)...
South I go today!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Holiday!
Well, my foot is no good for hard walking after the cut. So tomorrow I catch a taxi to Kei Mouth for a holiday with friends! After some rest and recouperation I'll catch a taxi back here to Coffee Bay and carry on South...
Holiday!!!
Holiday!!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Coffee Bay: a Sunny Disposition to go with Sunny Weather!
There is alot of blue stuff and this bright thing in the sky... At first I was quite freaked out but then I remembered something about it being described as "good weather" in the days before the rain (It's been very wet lately!). It even had me waking up with a smile this morning!
I worked through what I think I need to work through in my head and have been feeling alot better lately! The Transkei really is a beautiful place! Also, since Piet Retief, I have met some fantastic people! I am now in a much better frame of mind to write about them now after my previous rant, and I look forward to writing a proper update. Unfortunately, I lost my phone capable of accessing the Internet to water damage so I am on a rented line at a backpackers now just to say that I am in good spirits! I am staying with my great great aunt's (my grandmother's aunt) friend here. I might have to stay here a bit longer as I cut my foot quite badly on a river crossing while doing some shopping this morning, I think it should heal pretty quickly though.
My next major stop will be Kei Mouth, where I am going to take a break till the new year to let my feet recover and just relax and let this new, more positive headspace kick in. A long-time good friend of mine, Tyron, is heading down there with his girlfriend, step-mom and his dad , Roger (Roger drew me up a fantastic map of the Trankskei which I would have been totally lost without! I really underestimated the terrain!), and I'll be staying with them for a while which I'm really looking forward to! I always tell people it's just walking when they tell me what I'm doing is impressive, but I think it's a little harder than I let myself think it is. Realising that I am now able to deal a bit better with obstacles. It's quite tough to gauge one's performance when alone, I think if someone else was having a bad day with me it would be alot easier to deal with, but it is perhaps a good thing as I am learning alot about myself, the human body, mind, and population in general. I enjoy the physicallity of this trip but lately the experience has taken priority so I am slowing down a bit and enjoying speaking with locals and enjoying the scenery. The only thing I was worried about with taking my time was getting back in time to train properly for the Rhodes Trail Run, but I spoke to Darrel, one of the organisers (and whose son, Andrew, is a good friend of mine and lent me his permanent number to run next year) the other day and he put my worries at ease. Both Darrel and Andrew are very talented athletes and I respect their opinion alot.
So, I hope to update properly soon but if I don't, know that I am in good spirits, in good company and hopefully under good weather!
I worked through what I think I need to work through in my head and have been feeling alot better lately! The Transkei really is a beautiful place! Also, since Piet Retief, I have met some fantastic people! I am now in a much better frame of mind to write about them now after my previous rant, and I look forward to writing a proper update. Unfortunately, I lost my phone capable of accessing the Internet to water damage so I am on a rented line at a backpackers now just to say that I am in good spirits! I am staying with my great great aunt's (my grandmother's aunt) friend here. I might have to stay here a bit longer as I cut my foot quite badly on a river crossing while doing some shopping this morning, I think it should heal pretty quickly though.
My next major stop will be Kei Mouth, where I am going to take a break till the new year to let my feet recover and just relax and let this new, more positive headspace kick in. A long-time good friend of mine, Tyron, is heading down there with his girlfriend, step-mom and his dad , Roger (Roger drew me up a fantastic map of the Trankskei which I would have been totally lost without! I really underestimated the terrain!), and I'll be staying with them for a while which I'm really looking forward to! I always tell people it's just walking when they tell me what I'm doing is impressive, but I think it's a little harder than I let myself think it is. Realising that I am now able to deal a bit better with obstacles. It's quite tough to gauge one's performance when alone, I think if someone else was having a bad day with me it would be alot easier to deal with, but it is perhaps a good thing as I am learning alot about myself, the human body, mind, and population in general. I enjoy the physicallity of this trip but lately the experience has taken priority so I am slowing down a bit and enjoying speaking with locals and enjoying the scenery. The only thing I was worried about with taking my time was getting back in time to train properly for the Rhodes Trail Run, but I spoke to Darrel, one of the organisers (and whose son, Andrew, is a good friend of mine and lent me his permanent number to run next year) the other day and he put my worries at ease. Both Darrel and Andrew are very talented athletes and I respect their opinion alot.
So, I hope to update properly soon but if I don't, know that I am in good spirits, in good company and hopefully under good weather!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Port st. Johns
Right now I am escaping bad weather in a backpackers' lodge in Port st. Johns, I have covered about 4200km at this point.
This is just a quick entry, I am on the Internet line at the lodge which is very reasonably priced, but I'm trying to keep spending down.
Just south of St. Lucia, two guys came at me with a knife and a machete. There is little doubt in my mind that if I didn't have my pepper spray with me... Well. In the end they made off with my money, phone, iPod, and headlamp. Naturally I lost all my numbers, so please forgive my lack of phone contact.
The incident didn't trouble me at first but slowly I began to see the same attitude that led those two towards their incompassionate actions in most people that I meet. I have trouble discerning between people to try to kill or harm with machetes and people who try to kill or harm in courtrooms in suits and university degrees. People who cause unspeakable cruelty to animals through their purchases of certain products. I find it very hard to feel compassion for many people nowadays because their are very, very few compassionate people on this planet. At least, one might say as a climber, we have the hills to retreat to, but I just read about a terrible incident on Wellington's Dome (a spectacular and popular climbing area in Limpopo Province) that has, along with accounts of incidences in the Magaliesberg, the Drakensberg, and my incident in the St. Lucia Wetlands, all but destroyed the comfort I find in the South African wilderness. I find it intolerable that people complain about corruption after fueling it by bribing cops. I find it intolerable when people complain about animal cruelty while eating a KFC chicken burger. In truth, I find most people intolerable at the moment, yet when there are no people around, I cannot help but feel as vulnerable as I was in the St. Lucia Wetlands where I had to walk about 25 km before I found someone who could help me.
I used to get very bad eczema on my fingers and feet that prohibited me from climbing, playing guitar, walking barefoot, and when it got really bad even walking with shoes was painful. It was narrowed down to a wheat allergy and as soon as I stopped eating wheat I was able to climb properly! Lately though, without any consumption of wheat, the eczema on my feet has flared up to a degree that any worse will seriously hinder my walking. Though I was reluctant to make the conclusion, I think it has been brought on by stress. People tell me that I should stop judging my actions and the actions of others so harshly, but is precisely that attitude of, "just take it easy man!" that has led society to many of its shortcomings. And so, I lose health in concern.
That being said, I am still enjoying the walk. I will right a proper update sometime soon but right now I think I'm too angry to right properly and find it very hard to express myself, particularly hard to not offend people close to me as they are often guilty of the detached incompassion I find so unacceptable lately. I smile when I talk to people but I find myself annoyed at myself afterwards for not screaming at them that their bourgeois reactionary lifestyles are the root of many of the world's solvable problems. Mostly, though, I am having a good time, it the bad that plagues my mind though. I find myself tossing and turning trying to figure out how to instigate some sort of change.
But, setting that aside for now...
There is less than a month to go for the Supertramp Application deadline this year, and their are no applicants!!! If you are an MCSA Member and between the ages of 18 and 25, check out the MCSA sight for details.
This is just a quick entry, I am on the Internet line at the lodge which is very reasonably priced, but I'm trying to keep spending down.
Just south of St. Lucia, two guys came at me with a knife and a machete. There is little doubt in my mind that if I didn't have my pepper spray with me... Well. In the end they made off with my money, phone, iPod, and headlamp. Naturally I lost all my numbers, so please forgive my lack of phone contact.
The incident didn't trouble me at first but slowly I began to see the same attitude that led those two towards their incompassionate actions in most people that I meet. I have trouble discerning between people to try to kill or harm with machetes and people who try to kill or harm in courtrooms in suits and university degrees. People who cause unspeakable cruelty to animals through their purchases of certain products. I find it very hard to feel compassion for many people nowadays because their are very, very few compassionate people on this planet. At least, one might say as a climber, we have the hills to retreat to, but I just read about a terrible incident on Wellington's Dome (a spectacular and popular climbing area in Limpopo Province) that has, along with accounts of incidences in the Magaliesberg, the Drakensberg, and my incident in the St. Lucia Wetlands, all but destroyed the comfort I find in the South African wilderness. I find it intolerable that people complain about corruption after fueling it by bribing cops. I find it intolerable when people complain about animal cruelty while eating a KFC chicken burger. In truth, I find most people intolerable at the moment, yet when there are no people around, I cannot help but feel as vulnerable as I was in the St. Lucia Wetlands where I had to walk about 25 km before I found someone who could help me.
I used to get very bad eczema on my fingers and feet that prohibited me from climbing, playing guitar, walking barefoot, and when it got really bad even walking with shoes was painful. It was narrowed down to a wheat allergy and as soon as I stopped eating wheat I was able to climb properly! Lately though, without any consumption of wheat, the eczema on my feet has flared up to a degree that any worse will seriously hinder my walking. Though I was reluctant to make the conclusion, I think it has been brought on by stress. People tell me that I should stop judging my actions and the actions of others so harshly, but is precisely that attitude of, "just take it easy man!" that has led society to many of its shortcomings. And so, I lose health in concern.
That being said, I am still enjoying the walk. I will right a proper update sometime soon but right now I think I'm too angry to right properly and find it very hard to express myself, particularly hard to not offend people close to me as they are often guilty of the detached incompassion I find so unacceptable lately. I smile when I talk to people but I find myself annoyed at myself afterwards for not screaming at them that their bourgeois reactionary lifestyles are the root of many of the world's solvable problems. Mostly, though, I am having a good time, it the bad that plagues my mind though. I find myself tossing and turning trying to figure out how to instigate some sort of change.
But, setting that aside for now...
There is less than a month to go for the Supertramp Application deadline this year, and their are no applicants!!! If you are an MCSA Member and between the ages of 18 and 25, check out the MCSA sight for details.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
... A further continuation...
And so, with a renewed tenacity and a better plan for erecting my poncho tent, I continue towards the Indian Ocean! In about a week and a half I will greet the surf and, though I won't be able to load a photo (4 months, 28 days and 3250 km in a backpack as left my phone quite disagreeable), rest assured that it will be in good style... Naturally.
Thanks again to the Mountain Club of South Africa for this life-changing experience!
Thanks again to the Mountain Club of South Africa for this life-changing experience!
Continued...
Staying in the police station that I previously blogged about, quite an eye-opener.
Phalaborwa: A great town, very clean, friendly people, and met a wonderful Dutch couple in the backpackers who were very interesting to chat to! I love talking about our country with foreigners and learning about their countries. One of my few memories of Amsterdam is walking into a shop when we were exploring on a stop over day on our way to England when I was about 7 years old. As we walked in my brother and I were quickly yanked out my my mom who realised the walls of the shops were lined with photos of genital piercings! Don't go to Amsterdam if you're reserved... And if you're 7 years old, avoid shopping...
Matumi Game Lodge: Very cool! Especially with the resident warthog, squirrel and nyala!
Bushbuckridge: Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of people... It has a Spar which I thought was quite impressive for a giant informal settlement. Spar usually stock vegetarian burgers and sausages which I quite enjoy as a treat every now and then, but in the place where I would usually find them, there were whole ox heads on sale instead... Clearly not a large vegetarian population in Bushbuckridge!
Elephant Whispers in Hazyview: Wow!!!! Such an amazing experience! Got to ride the biggest bull there! Such a wonderful approach to conservation and education! Really worth a visit, they also run a volunteer program. They are already doing so much for elephants and the environment in general, but I learned that they could be doing so much more were it not for the lack of political support, not a very good state of affairs at all. To compound the situation, international pressure is often misguided and does up doing more harm than good. Hopefully they'll listen to what the guys at Elephant Whispers have to say!
Nelspruit: Movies!!!!!!!!!!!! I watched District 9 and Up. Was more impressed by the original short film that inspired D9, Alive in Joburg. You'll probably find it on Youtube, it's worth a look! That being said I still thought is was very good! Up was great! Met lots of fun people in the backpackers, every night is a party there with people from all around the world!
Waterval Boven!: A big thanks to Gustav and Alex for putting me up at the Roc and Rope while I climbed, chilled with friends and partied at the Rock Rally!! Boven has got some world class climbing so if you haven't been there yet, I highly recommend it! If you want to be shown around, Jan is a great guy and a very knowledgable guide!
It was really good to be around friends, which made the next week particularly tough. This was compounded by icy-cold mist reducing the the visibility to around 15m for the first day and a half out of boven, and getting caught in a serious thunderstorm which left me drenched under my hastily erected poncho-shelter. But I tried my best to keep on smiling and I think I did a pretty good job considering.
My tenacity paid off and I met some really friendly people in Amsterdam (no genital piercing photographs in this Amsterdam) and Piet Retief, which is where I stayed last night.
Up to date!
Phalaborwa: A great town, very clean, friendly people, and met a wonderful Dutch couple in the backpackers who were very interesting to chat to! I love talking about our country with foreigners and learning about their countries. One of my few memories of Amsterdam is walking into a shop when we were exploring on a stop over day on our way to England when I was about 7 years old. As we walked in my brother and I were quickly yanked out my my mom who realised the walls of the shops were lined with photos of genital piercings! Don't go to Amsterdam if you're reserved... And if you're 7 years old, avoid shopping...
Matumi Game Lodge: Very cool! Especially with the resident warthog, squirrel and nyala!
Bushbuckridge: Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of people... It has a Spar which I thought was quite impressive for a giant informal settlement. Spar usually stock vegetarian burgers and sausages which I quite enjoy as a treat every now and then, but in the place where I would usually find them, there were whole ox heads on sale instead... Clearly not a large vegetarian population in Bushbuckridge!
Elephant Whispers in Hazyview: Wow!!!! Such an amazing experience! Got to ride the biggest bull there! Such a wonderful approach to conservation and education! Really worth a visit, they also run a volunteer program. They are already doing so much for elephants and the environment in general, but I learned that they could be doing so much more were it not for the lack of political support, not a very good state of affairs at all. To compound the situation, international pressure is often misguided and does up doing more harm than good. Hopefully they'll listen to what the guys at Elephant Whispers have to say!
Nelspruit: Movies!!!!!!!!!!!! I watched District 9 and Up. Was more impressed by the original short film that inspired D9, Alive in Joburg. You'll probably find it on Youtube, it's worth a look! That being said I still thought is was very good! Up was great! Met lots of fun people in the backpackers, every night is a party there with people from all around the world!
Waterval Boven!: A big thanks to Gustav and Alex for putting me up at the Roc and Rope while I climbed, chilled with friends and partied at the Rock Rally!! Boven has got some world class climbing so if you haven't been there yet, I highly recommend it! If you want to be shown around, Jan is a great guy and a very knowledgable guide!
It was really good to be around friends, which made the next week particularly tough. This was compounded by icy-cold mist reducing the the visibility to around 15m for the first day and a half out of boven, and getting caught in a serious thunderstorm which left me drenched under my hastily erected poncho-shelter. But I tried my best to keep on smiling and I think I did a pretty good job considering.
My tenacity paid off and I met some really friendly people in Amsterdam (no genital piercing photographs in this Amsterdam) and Piet Retief, which is where I stayed last night.
Up to date!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Updates!!!!
Ok...
I think I've narrowed it down: The reason I haven't been blogging is because I let myself get so far behind that I'm dreading having to type everything that's happened over the past few months (and my up, down, and select buttons have stopped working so I have to crab and rotate my way around my phone!). So I've decided to get up to date in a highlights package fashion. There won't be as much detail but I think it needs to be done to avoid any detriment to my future accounts. I imagine the following being read in a deep American voice with lots of explosions in the background, much like a trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster:
Lots of small villages where everyone still gets around with donkey carts and people on the horizon wave back!
Reginald and Amandus: Two really cool missionaries from Tanzania who were very entertaining, very friendly, and going beyond their duties as missionaries to improve the community.
The Carroll family: 3 of them quit their jobs for a family reunion!
Willie Bloem: Flew out from his farm and landed his plane next to the road just to bring me some fresh fruit!
Lorenzo the crazy florist: One day in Mafikeng I get this very hippie sms about the universe, turns out it was just Lourens' way of seeing if I was a tolerable sort of guy. My reply past the test and he joined me for 2 days. Wish I could load the photo of his bling hat he bought in Zeerust, the locals were quite amused to see this white-boy walking around in a kwaito hat, as was I! Good company!
More confused locals when my friends, the Rinsmas and Simpsons, found me on a dirt road west of Thabazimbi. And exploded out of three cars with sparking wigs and hats that they got at a show the night before. The party got us some strange looks, one guy even stopped his bicycle and stared at us for a good hour or so! After a roadside picnic and a walk we headed to a farm on the border that belongs to the extended Simpson family. Such a beautiful place! Right on the crocodile river, so lots of paddling and general relaxing with friends (basically extended family). Also got some awesome letters from some kids at Woodland Preparatory, run by the Rinsmas. The letters were great to read, especially since I went to Woodland and it shaped alot of my character and my outlook on life.
Jan from Ellisras: An engineer who gave me a fantastic tour of the powerstation!
A realisation that where there are good schools, everyone is happy: I must say that I was very impressed with the North-West province, their government really looks after the rural villages and their are really good schools. Unfortunately this was not the case when I entered the Limpopo province. I had a very interesting chat with a school teacher and he was less than impressed with the government. It was interesting because he was very politically aware compared to most rural villagers that I have met. I'm sure his English and History students will be an asset to the next generation!
Mafala: I met him in the sister reserve of Blotberg, he was one of the key figures in a conservation effort that worked with local schools educating communities about the local vulture colonies which were dwindling due to the young birds being sold to Sangomas for "medicinal" use. The program was incredibly successful and was on the verge of huge international funding, but the Limpopo government basically decided that conservation wasn't important and due to various local actions, international funding was lost. The program still continues thanks to some private funding, but not nearly to the same efficacy as it used to. I am astounded by the number of people that I have met along the way who are trying, and have the capacity, to do so much good for this country, but can't because of our politicians' inability to think about anyone but themselves. We need people like Mafala and the history teacher in politics.
Getting lost: my map tends to be quite vague on secondary roads, especially with new roads being tarred (on that point, I think road building has to be one of the best forms of job creation around; all the road works that I have passed have required at least 3 people supervising one person working!) and all the signs pointing to small villages with African names when my map has the old surveyor's names. So I got the feeling that my map was about to lead me in the wrong direction and asked a passing taxi driver where to go. After greetings the conversation went as follows:
Me: Sorry, do you know where Blouberg nature reserve is?
Driver: Hmmm... Blouberg... Oh yes... Yes... Yes... If you take this dirt road... And... You follow it... And... You will get to a village...
Me: [mentally preparing myself to remember detailed directions accumulated over a lifetime of driving and local living]
Driver: Then you will ask them how to get to Blouberg... Yes...
I ended up walking from village to village getting directions in broken Tswana and Afrikaans!
Blouberg: If you're a climber, you know why I'm speechless. Would've killed for a climbing partner and a trad rack! Must head back there!
Carel, Ad, Jaco and Boerie: Awesome people (and dog) in Louis Trichardt! Carel organised and participated in a charity cycle from Beitbridge to Cape Town, so he is also something of a long distance adventurer. Jaco walked with me for the first day out of Louis Trichardt then cycled back. They live and work in Schoemansdal, an environmental education centre at the base of the beautiful Soutpansberg.
I think I've narrowed it down: The reason I haven't been blogging is because I let myself get so far behind that I'm dreading having to type everything that's happened over the past few months (and my up, down, and select buttons have stopped working so I have to crab and rotate my way around my phone!). So I've decided to get up to date in a highlights package fashion. There won't be as much detail but I think it needs to be done to avoid any detriment to my future accounts. I imagine the following being read in a deep American voice with lots of explosions in the background, much like a trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster:
Lots of small villages where everyone still gets around with donkey carts and people on the horizon wave back!
Reginald and Amandus: Two really cool missionaries from Tanzania who were very entertaining, very friendly, and going beyond their duties as missionaries to improve the community.
The Carroll family: 3 of them quit their jobs for a family reunion!
Willie Bloem: Flew out from his farm and landed his plane next to the road just to bring me some fresh fruit!
Lorenzo the crazy florist: One day in Mafikeng I get this very hippie sms about the universe, turns out it was just Lourens' way of seeing if I was a tolerable sort of guy. My reply past the test and he joined me for 2 days. Wish I could load the photo of his bling hat he bought in Zeerust, the locals were quite amused to see this white-boy walking around in a kwaito hat, as was I! Good company!
More confused locals when my friends, the Rinsmas and Simpsons, found me on a dirt road west of Thabazimbi. And exploded out of three cars with sparking wigs and hats that they got at a show the night before. The party got us some strange looks, one guy even stopped his bicycle and stared at us for a good hour or so! After a roadside picnic and a walk we headed to a farm on the border that belongs to the extended Simpson family. Such a beautiful place! Right on the crocodile river, so lots of paddling and general relaxing with friends (basically extended family). Also got some awesome letters from some kids at Woodland Preparatory, run by the Rinsmas. The letters were great to read, especially since I went to Woodland and it shaped alot of my character and my outlook on life.
Jan from Ellisras: An engineer who gave me a fantastic tour of the powerstation!
A realisation that where there are good schools, everyone is happy: I must say that I was very impressed with the North-West province, their government really looks after the rural villages and their are really good schools. Unfortunately this was not the case when I entered the Limpopo province. I had a very interesting chat with a school teacher and he was less than impressed with the government. It was interesting because he was very politically aware compared to most rural villagers that I have met. I'm sure his English and History students will be an asset to the next generation!
Mafala: I met him in the sister reserve of Blotberg, he was one of the key figures in a conservation effort that worked with local schools educating communities about the local vulture colonies which were dwindling due to the young birds being sold to Sangomas for "medicinal" use. The program was incredibly successful and was on the verge of huge international funding, but the Limpopo government basically decided that conservation wasn't important and due to various local actions, international funding was lost. The program still continues thanks to some private funding, but not nearly to the same efficacy as it used to. I am astounded by the number of people that I have met along the way who are trying, and have the capacity, to do so much good for this country, but can't because of our politicians' inability to think about anyone but themselves. We need people like Mafala and the history teacher in politics.
Getting lost: my map tends to be quite vague on secondary roads, especially with new roads being tarred (on that point, I think road building has to be one of the best forms of job creation around; all the road works that I have passed have required at least 3 people supervising one person working!) and all the signs pointing to small villages with African names when my map has the old surveyor's names. So I got the feeling that my map was about to lead me in the wrong direction and asked a passing taxi driver where to go. After greetings the conversation went as follows:
Me: Sorry, do you know where Blouberg nature reserve is?
Driver: Hmmm... Blouberg... Oh yes... Yes... Yes... If you take this dirt road... And... You follow it... And... You will get to a village...
Me: [mentally preparing myself to remember detailed directions accumulated over a lifetime of driving and local living]
Driver: Then you will ask them how to get to Blouberg... Yes...
I ended up walking from village to village getting directions in broken Tswana and Afrikaans!
Blouberg: If you're a climber, you know why I'm speechless. Would've killed for a climbing partner and a trad rack! Must head back there!
Carel, Ad, Jaco and Boerie: Awesome people (and dog) in Louis Trichardt! Carel organised and participated in a charity cycle from Beitbridge to Cape Town, so he is also something of a long distance adventurer. Jaco walked with me for the first day out of Louis Trichardt then cycled back. They live and work in Schoemansdal, an environmental education centre at the base of the beautiful Soutpansberg.
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