Har De Daar

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

With less than eleven weeks to go, I can't help but wonder what I'll miss when I'm gone. There are so many details that I can't imagine my life without, even though they were once so foreign. Here's part one of my i'll miss you when i'm gone list. Reversed culture shock is headed my way and I'm terrified to face it. 

Biltong: My thoughts are drifting to beers and braii's. Biltong is raw, dried-out meat with nothing but a sprinkle of seasoning. It's delicious. Kudu, Beef, Springbok, Chili, Barbecue, Garlic...whatever, it's all incredible. I'll miss the Chili Beef Biltong from the local store. Biltong is a staple food of South Africa. You have to try it if ever you are blessed with the opportunity. It goes down nicely with a beer, more biltong and then some.

Chili Biltong, Chili Chili Biltong, Oh, Chili Biltong!

Trains: If you've seen a South African film, you're familiar with South African trains. They tend to play host to murders and muggings. I'm particularly fond of "Tsotsi". It's a brilliant film if never you've seen it. I happen to like the trains but don't get me wrong, I wouldn't dare use one after dark. They are safe to travel with during the day. They are also very cheap and efficient. If you look past the torn seats, "safe abortion" signs and vandalized walls, it's a nice ride. With the doors left open and the carriages over-flowing, South Africa's Metro-rail is much more thrilling than the likes of Scotrail. 

When there's no space on the INSIDE...Why Not...

Har-dee-Dars: Har-dee-Dar is what they scream every morning. It's an infuriating wake up call. I had a serious case of love at first sight with these birds. They are so cool and it's very fascinating that they are never not angry. They tend to attack the small ones at the Children's Home. That's not so great but it's just a display of Who's Boss and Who's NOT boss. They are strong birds. I like the way they waddle.

                              Hardedaardedarr! Bad - Ass Bird with an Attitude.                    
           

Blue Chickens: More commonly known as "The Guinea Fowl". The German's call them "Blue Chickens". That's so great to the extent that I can't call them by any other name. I don't know why they call them Blue Chickens. They are very shy, short and stumpy (the birds, not the Germans). But they are beautiful! The poor wee souls are always running around like it's life or death. I noticed these birds frequently on Robben Island. They must like the peace and quiet. Either that or they are sacrificial birds feeling guilty for their wrong-doings.

                               "Look at the blue chicken!" IT'S A BLUE CHICKEN.                
              

Mini Taxis: ARRIVE ALIVE! Cheap, efficient, terrifying, fun. Every country should have a line of mini taxis. When sitting in the front seat, one must play role of "conductor." That is NOT a cool job when people are screaming at you in several different languages. I love mini taxis, they're a cultural adventure. It CAN be very embarrassing when you're trying to holla one from the side of the road. A lot of the mini taxis have prayers written on the inside walls. I don't want to know why... not now, not ever!

Mini Taxi Rank. A bustling maze of joy and joy-ness..

Travelling: From the African Bush to the Extreme Sports of the Southern Coast, South Africa has so much to offer. The landscapes, cultures, politics and history are all so consuming. There's is so much to see and not enough time to see it. Travelling has been a huge part of my time here. I have so many incredible memories from my travelling antics. I'll miss the endless possibilities. 

The Worlds Highest Bungy - My Most Thrilling Memory

"This is not your bus sister, your bus is coming..."

24/09/2013

My little adventure was SO GOOD. I left early Friday morning for my lonely bus ride to Plettenburg Bay. The journey was actually incredible. For miles and miles a patchwork of fields lined the bus until they eventually dropped into the horizon. The landscape in South Africa is incredible. Within a few hours your entire surroundings can dramatically change. Ocean views, rocky mountains, flat plains and the smooth wave of hills and shacks were few of the sights. We drove through lot's of places that I would like to visit: Sedgefield, Knysna, Wilderness...

I arrived in Plettenburg Bay 6 hours later, about 4.30pm. I was very excited...until the bus drove off and left me clueless. With a mental map in my head, I headed in the wrong direction for an hour. Eventually I gave up being lost and asked for help. A man was kind enough to walk me to Albergo Backpackers, where I spent the weekend. I was given a little tour and shown to my room which I shared with Diarmid and Kieran, the Outward Bound boys also in South Africa with Project Trust.

We went out for pizza that night and then to a little bar called Manzini's. Regardless of the place being half empty, it was fun. WOW! THE VIEW! I THOUGHT IT WAS FAKE! The horizon was eye level and the moon had lit up a huge triangle of water. I don't even want to describe it because I can't do it any justice. Just, woow. Sorry, i'm leaving that one hanging.

Saturday was spent walking all over the place. The beaches are amazing. Plettenburg Bay is just such a beautiful place. We got far too excited over a "KFC THIS WAY" sign and ended up on a half an hour trek to get there. It's truly awful that we are eating KFC in South Africa but Diarmid had never had one (what) and it was very different from  in the UK. On the way back Kieran was in and out shops without warning. At least he bought something decent...

We went to an Italian place for dinner on Saturday and then went back to Manzini's.

Bottom bunk is mine

My bracelets for Soweto, Hermanus, Hout Bay and Plettenburg

A good purchase

Me and Diarmid

Diarmid, me, Kieran

SUNDAY! Thee most exciting day of the weekend. Maybe even of my life. We woke up early and headed straight to reception to book...THE HIGHEST BUNGY JUMP IN THE WORLD! Within an hour we were in a car, nervous, excited and on our way to Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape. As soon as we got there we were signed in and strapped in. I was freaking out about my harness because it was easily slipping off my shoulders but they assured me it was normal. 

The bridge walk to the platform where you jump was so incredible, I definitely have no fear of heights, I loved it. There was such a good atmosphere on the platform. Music was blasting out of huge speakers and everyone was so hyped on adrenalin. We were told what order we would be jumping in. I was 3rd out of the whole group...and 1st out of me Diarmid and Kieran. 

In no time It was my turn. I sat on a bench as pads were wrapped and tied around my ankles. I barely noticed what the man was doing. My head was fuzzy and my heart was pounding. I only snapped out of my haze to smile for a "I'm going to die" photo. A few seconds later, my arms were heaved over the shoulders of two men and I was hopping the the edge of the bridge. My toes were over the edge and I was BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT. Never in my life have I felt so good. I was mentally preparing myself to jump when suddenly 5,4,3,2,1 BUNGY!! is screamed and I hear the faint "woo, go Jasmine" before I'm free falling through 216 metres of AIR. OH WOW! it was BEYOND AMAZING! I won't lie, I screamed the whole way down but it was definitely a woo-hoo scream. Just when I started realising how far I had fell through the air without feeling the rope...PING! I brutally flew back towards the bridge. For what felt like a good few minutes I was bouncing all over the place and the cord was spinning me at the same time. I kept my eyes open for the whole time, surprisingly I did manage to collect my thoughts and think "wow, that's pretty".

It's definitely the coolest thing I've ever done. Eventually, the bouncing stopped and I was left hanging...for a long, long time. Just when I was about to start screaming that my feet were slipping and I was going to die, I looked up to see a man winding his way down to me. With a "don't grab my equipment" and a few clicks later, I was in a sitting position and we were pulled back up to the bridge, making awkward small talk. Yes, yes, South Africa is beautiful.

Once on the platform, I was unclicked and untied. The first unclick had me fall backwards and suddenly I was laughing because the bungee didn't kill me but I was going to backflip off the bridge and die by accident. No worries, I didn't fall. My legs felt like jelly but I stood up in time to see Kieran and Diarmid jump. Kierans was very smooth. He had a go-pro camera strapped to his chest. I have seen the video and it's incredible. Diarmids jump is another story. OH DEAR! As well as screaming like a ten year old girl the whole way, he flapped his arms about like he had the power to stop gravity. It was the funniest thing. His video is hilarious, If I had the money I would have bought his just for the giggles.

We were all definitely high on adrenalin after our jumps.