Kenya

Have arrived safely in Nairobi. Not impressed. I fear that I am subject to landing in the most miserable city, then am forced to escape to discover the jewels of each country. Get totally screwed for the first time so far. I never got ahold of a cheap hotel in SA, so I was forced to get a hotel room for around 80 USD a night. Screwed. At least it came with free breakfast, and I ate like a GD king. I met my tour, and am apparently rooming with an older Aussie woman named Mary. She has already warned me that she snores. Fabulous. THe group has already laughed at my expense since I dont have a sleeping bag, camping mat, or have been taking malaria pills. Am trying to fanagle one out of the tour guide Martin. I need to bounce, but Ill check back in, god knows when. There wont be any hot water where were going, and i doubt ill find some internet. Love you.

Leaving for Kenya/Tanzania tommorow

Well, I did it. All of you know me know that I love to drive. I was given permission to drive Justin's thrasher to Franschoek, which is a strange little Hugenot town outside of Paarl, while he was at work. Driving, on the left, mind you, was both insanely comfortable and insanely absurd. It was nice to be driving a stick shift, and I fouhnd myself getting rather cocky behind the wheel. When I needed to slow suddenly, my right hand shot down to downshift, and I got a knuckle full of metal. Turning is also quite interesting. I was alright with following the car in front like a sheep, but needing to turn, I often wanted to turn into the right hand lane from. Reversing, I looked over my right shoulder out of sheer habit, and thus received a face full of glass, which is equivalently painful to the knuckle full of metal. If not more. But being free to pull over at any given moment to take a photo (or a pee) was heavenly. I can now chalk up my driving experiences to terrifying Italy, supereasy France with their lovely roundabouts, to which I am addicted, and now, dare I say semi-backward South Africa ( being on the left and all). I am now back in Cape Town, and spent my last full day hiking Lions Head, which, connected by a hill of "spines" overlooks the rump towards Robben Island, where Mandela (who just recently celebrated his 50th) was kept all of those awful years. I did buy my first souvenir, that is to say, the first thing that wasn't completely necessary. I haggled my way like a proper Rexrode into a bag covered with guineafowl, which are probably my favorite animal so far. Justin calls them bowling balls with wings. Ill check in again when I arrive in Nairobi before my tour. On to game viewing!

Round with a proper South African

Went camping with Justin the South African. I finally escaped the Baz Bus' evil clutches, and managed to score a fascinating tour moving around the dirt side roads. Justin works on the side driving magazine stands around the whole south west coast, which is a very interesting way to explore. I am so accustomed to seeing the world through the eyes of a tourist, that camping and taking dodgy side roads was almost natural. I have the most amazing photos of a stop that we took investigating an ostrich farm. Again, almost more interested in us as we were in them. We camped in the misty cold in Witsand, and in the surfer friendly Vic(toria) Bay. The nice weather is of course following my ass around. We spend most of the conversation comparing life in the US to life in South Africa, which is quite a change from the Aussie and Americans that I meet along the road. Last night I watched him cook like a barbeque champ. I originally confused braai with barbeque, but to braai in South Africa is equivalent to barbequeing with the seriousness of the Fourth of July in the states. They take is all quite seriously. He cooked pork and baked onions and potatoes wrapped in foil. I have learned such key South African/Afrikaans words like bakkie (truck), hoot (horn), robot (traffic light), and about the etiquette of hitching a ride with a minibus, or a random traveller. Aparently, every region has its own hand signals. Justin slaps the top of a closed fist to hitchhikers to indicate he's not available. I am perfecting my knowledge of the infamous South Africans. To be continued....

Cape Town

Cape Town is sweet. I managed to dodge the flooding that happened all last week, and its been very nice. I met a group who had just finished a three month tour of Africa, and they invited to take me with them on a driving tour of Cape Town and the surroundings. Without them, I would not have been able to see Cape Point, which I was led to believe is the lowest point in Africa, but they lie. Close though. Beautiful national park, and I saw my first wild animal. I konw you were all waiting for animal stories from the girl in Africa. Baboons are nasty little shits. Don't have food on you. There was a man at the point whose sole occupation is to carry around a stick and hit them if they get aggressive towards tourists. Its because we feed them, and now they are dependent upon us for sustinance. I saw the penguins at the boulders, and they are just the cutest damned animals ever. Tim the Aussie, Debra the Kiwi, Lacey the Texan and I sat there for quite a while watching them walk about. I use the word walk loosely of course. Its tragic, because they can't fly, and they really were not intended to walk. It was my first tour, and it was dirt cheap. Then yesterday I hiked Table Mountain with Greg the Brit. Preparing myself for Kilimanjaro. Washed my clothes yesterday at a proper laundrymat for the first time since I have arrived. I figured once a month suffices, but Im not sure how potential travel partners will feel about this. Everyone smells. Everyone. Fact of life. Ok. Im off.

"What is Kullifourneeya?"

I met my first person who didnt know California. Insane. How is such a thing possible? He asked me where I was from, and when I told him California, he looked puzzled. I offered Los Angeles, LA, San Francisco, Hollywood, nothing. I have left Knysna, and almost missed having an oyster in the first place. Its a good thing I slipped on on down. I split a plate of 12 and a glass of champagne with Nate the Aussie. 65 rand, which is under ten dollars. Nice. Im in Wilderness now, and on my way to the famous Cape Town tommorow. It was raining buckets, and lots of parts were completely flooded, but someone I met who lives there says the sun is now shining. I went for a nice hike today, and since SA is so far from the Equator, the sun sets around six thirty or so, plus, of course, it is winter. In backpackers like Fairy Knowe, where I am now, there is not a lot of lighting, and people tend to pass out around eight. My kind of place. I purchased my ticket back to Jburg after Cape Town, since the drive back would be certain death. I mean hell, it took me long enough to get here, right?

Oyster festival in Knysna

Im currently in Knysna, which is a posh little beach town that is currently celebrating an oyter festival. Ive only had one oyster in my life, but am going to give it another shot. Slippery little critters. I wanted to give you a explanation of how to get a taxi ( and i use that term loosely) in South Africa. Only the blacks use them, and they vary from little pickups to momma soccer vans. They tend to be dilapidated, but have a nice sweet/smokey aroma inside, which is, strangely, what the people here smell like in the little villages. Ok, so say you want a taxi to the next big town. You hold your index finger up and in the direction you want to travel. To the next local village or in the near area, you say? Downward, and swirl it around like your mixing you coffee. To the next stop, which, again, is a loose term, since there are no stops, like a taxi, but you share the ride with others, like a bus, you stab your finger downward. Now, in the taxi the other day, my driver made a wavy hand motion like water, and I have not yet decided what this indicates. Be patient, I will prevail.
The people are very pleasant. I do not feel unsafe at all anywhere, save for Joburg, and although people look at me, they dont really stare, or worse, catcall like they do in Mexico or Italy or something. Im off to Wilderness next ( which I hear the name properly represents), then to Cape Town for nine days. Ill let you know how that oyster slides down.

Heading out to Port Elizabeth

So, Ive been without electricity for the past few days. Living it up at hippy havens Port St Johns and the Kraal. They are far off the tourist trail, and its low season anyways, so Im pretty much by myself. Travelled about with a Dutch girl for a night or two, but not too lonely. I had the most amazing experience on a mini bus from Pt St Johns to the Kraal. I was forced to take local transport since the pothead driver forgot to pick us up at Tombo, which is a local Xhosa village which lies between the two. It was my first time in a local taxi, which is pretty much a dirty pickup, and everyone sits under the camper shell like sardines. And I mean like sardines. Ive never seen so many people fit into ont area in my life. I crushed ALL of my crackers. Anyways. When the car was empty, a group of women came on to sit next to us in traditional garb. They carried drums and sticks wrapped in rope, and were painted head to toe in white. I suppose its a cosmetic thing, but I know it signifies the growth into adulthood. They wore white sheets, and had white feathers tied around their head. I think they stared at us as much as we stared at them. Me and Sandra stand out a bit in an all black Xhosa town. Later, at the Kraal, I was sitting on the beach all by myself, and a group of six boys in similar outfits walked by me over the rocks. My archealogy teacher always told me that when you observe another culture, try to limit the activity to observation, and avoid taking or leaving anything. I didnt feel comfortable taking their picture, and making the generally tourist free life that they lead into Disneyland. They gave me a thumbs up as they passed, and then I took a picture as they walked away. Hey, I'm only human.

Durbs

Got into Durban last night. I went to the beach and am happy to say that Durban is great. My feet actually touched the Indian ocean!!! I got a picture, don't worry. MUCH warmer than Joburg. Its a bit like San Diego, since, you know, its winter here and i was in a bathing suit. Im staying at Tekweli Backpackers, which is pretty close to everything. Its got a bar, and Wimbeldon is on, so I've been watching with the staff and with the other hostellers. Every meal I've had has been from a grocery store, which saves a lot of money, plus its nice to eat at the hostel with other people rather than by myself. Since its low season, there are not a whole lot of people, but I'm hanging out with staff, who are always my age and love travelling. There is a german girl in my room tonight who works and lives in Zimbabwe, and was kicked out of the country temporarily due to unrest. She has no idea when she can return. You'd never hear of that in the states. Welcome to Africa. Heading off to Pt St John on Saterday. I anticipate a pretty solitary july 4th, seeing as there are NO Americans that I have met thus far. We just seem to have a way to go in terms of proper travelling. And don't try to stick up for us since we are further away. I've met a few Asians. I'll check back in later. Everyone enjoy the 4th!

Paige and her pack at SFO

J'burg

Not too impressed with Johannesburg. I can't leave my hostel really, lack of public transportation. However, I did go to the Apartheid Museum yesterday. It brought me to tears more than once. Its amazing to think that something so atrocious took place a matter of years ago. Another thing that I am fascinated by is the languages. There are four, technically; English, Afrikaans, Zulu, and Xhosa, which is the click-tongue language that is so popular in movies about Africans. Its a subtle click, that is in the back of the throat and almost sounds as if it didn't actually come from the person speaking, but a metallic click from a machine. I can't do it, to say the least. Everyone here speaks at least English, thank goodness, but the hostel employees seem to bounce between that and Afrikaans as if it were one language. It just sounds like Dutch to me. I have learned sooo much about the South African history at the museum that I practically tripled my knowledge ( which doesn't say much at all). Leaving for Durban today.