I haven’t been able to access the internet for 48 hours. It’s such a strange feeling. Pete responded to my e-mails and said to come back w/ stories, but I don’t think I know how to do that. I know Linn hiked up Table Mountain and when she used the bathroom at the top there was a baboon in it that started screaming at her. They also have door handles 30m off the ground that are especially for the baboons in some places.
Sunday I woke up at like 4 AM b/c I couldn’t sleep much longer. I took care of business and prepared for the trip. I also locked myself out of my suitcase so I had to leave my laptop w/ Nyasha. Hoping it’s OK when I get back. We set out on the BazBus. Our driver was incredibly friendly. We had multiple stops and it was a good drive to George where we transferred to a shuttle to Oudtshoorn (sp?). He tried playing a couple of bootlegs that both froze - Valentine’s Day (=\) and Dusk Till Dawn (=]). Once we got to Ooudts we went horseback riding. This was my first experience riding a horse. It was pleasant save for the fact that my bladder was fairly engorged. We came back down just as the sun was finished setting. I got a spraldebass (sp?) photo before the ride. I rode Katjia (of course they gave me a Russinan, lol), who was the slowest horse so we were trailing behind. Vidar rode Tarzan (all brown) and had to smack him on the ass to get a kick out of him. Ingrid rode an all-white horse and kept joking about getting to Mordor on time. And, Kristine, who was the only one of us with experience rode up front with our guide. We ate at a fancy restaurant and the bill was about R250 ea. Vidar and I had the “Trilogy” which was ostrich, venison and beef steaks w/ rice. The cranberry and monkey gland sauces tasted amazing. I still prefer beef to ostrich b/c it has a richer flavor. Perhaps b/c it’s bloodier? The venison tasted a bit like liver. We had a chocholate salami and apple tart for dessert. I also got them to make me a white Russian. The hostel we stayed at, Paradise was gorgeous. I got back and watched the US lose to Japan in the World Cup Final. The US missed 3 penalty kicks in a row. It was hard to watch. Vidar and I also played pool on Paradise’s gorgeous pool table. I don’t remember much about the BazBus ride exept that I was sitting next to Vidar and I heard from one guy that there’s a place in Sea View where he held lion cubs. Here’s hoping he wasn’t lying.
Monday we had to wake up for the 8:15 shuttle. I forgot my toothbrush and toothpaste so tried to buy one at the store down the road but it was a bulk items store so I didn’t bother. We went to the Ostrich Farm and had a blast. I got another spraldebass picture and rode an ostrich albeit for only 2 seconds. I bought some souvenirs including a genuine ostrich egg (they sell unfertilized egg shells),a stuffed ostrich for Angel and some jewelry for Iemi and my gardener back home (Sisi, lol). I went with a necklace that everyone agreed was the most beautiful. It was earth tones so I’m happy with it. We hung around and waiting for the girls who went horseback riding again before thay came to the farm. Ingrind bought a ton of souvenirs as gifts. Vidar had also bought a duster made out of ostrich feathers b/c he was hoping to get his gf to dress up as a french maid. The ostrich feather were extemely soft. Some fun facts about ostriches: an ostrich egg can withstand from 150-200kg of weight; ostriches have 3 eyelids including a nictitating membrane; the joing that we see in an ostrich’s leg is actually its ankle (the knee is closer to its body); ostriches are thought to be evolved from reptiles; the reason they can’t fly is primarily that there isn’t enough muscle in the chest and it would require a wingspan of 12m; they have two toes and the big toe is used for balance and as a weapon (an ostrich will kick you in the head and pull down, splitting you in half); their eyes are bigger than their brain (60 vs 30 g); they lay 40-50 eggs, but the farmers will remove all but one to increase the amount to 80 to 100; the eggs take 45 days to hatch, but they aren’t all fertilized; the farmers protect themselves by using barbed tree branches (the ostriches don’t hear or think very well, but they want to protect their eyes); an ostrich can see clearly 300m away; they have 17 (or was it 19 as Vidar said) vertebra in their necks so they are extremly flexible; they can run up to 70 km/h (hence the ostrich racing, once famous, now outlawed). There were more fun facts, but I can’t remember them all. There was a cheetah petting ranch and a chance for spelunking/croc cage diving. We weren’t interested. We hopped on the shuttle back to George and then the BazBus. I thought about my bucket list. I used to dream of travel, but now I’ve been most of the places I used to dream about. If I can hold a lion cub Wednesday, I won’t really have anything I really want to do left undone. I used to want a family, but the older I get the more I realize how naive that sounds. Our world doesn’t foster that kind of motivation. We’re oriented to sex, money and thrill. If I can’t have a family, I’m fine with simply living on my own working in wilderness medicine somewhere. I wanted to make a film and win an Oscar, but that’s silly and doesn’t seem to be my path in life. I also wanted to be a contestant on Ninja Narrior/Sasuke (maybe even win it). Again, just plain silly. I thought long and hard on that shuttle and I realize the only thing that means much to me anymore is the acquisition of knowledge. I’d like to learn Spanish, study Law and master an instrument (just to start). That’s what will keep me going. Back to my day: Our third BazBus driver this time wasn’t as friendly. We switched in the middle. Spoke to Ingrid a bit. She’s the sweetest little Norwegian girl. Clearly the youngest (of 3) and destined to be a pediatrician. TBC…………
Random: there was an American who went shark diving (sans cage) and got bitten by a shark. Our guide for ADDO tells me that sharks aren’t naturally aggressive, but w/ cage diving they’re becoming more so b/c the cage divers bait them w/ fish blood and churned water. The only way a shark can tell if something is food is by biting it. They only have senses on the tip of their nose and in their gums.
Random: there was a cat on the BazBus to PE and another when we got to the Orange Elephant.
