Thursday, 03 January 2008
CAR RENTALS, BACKPACKS AND HIKING
We woke up, but was slow to get moving. There was still so much to do, and we tried desperately to fit everything into our backpacks, which turned out to be a bit on the heavy side. We ended up leaving a lot behind. Tersia made us a lovely breakfast, and we had to return the car to Avis at Margate Airport before 9am. We had a coffee, then Ters collected us and stopped by Paddy's place so that we could say good-bye to our dear old friend and his wife Gracy.
It wasn't until 12am that we were dropped off at the Wild Coast Sun where we would start our hike.
It was overcast, and we were hoping the weather would let up, but I didn't suspect it would. Wow, it was good to be back! We hiked towards the Petrified Forrest, passing a couple of people on our way. The first river we had to cross was the Mzamba, but the tide was coming in, which would make it difficult to cross if it's too deep, because our packs are heavy and we risk loosing a lot if our gear got wet.
We hiked faster, but it was as we feared, too deep to cross, and there was no ferry in sight, so we set up camp, just in the nick of time, because it started raining. We have these amazing tents from Topeak, called bikecampers, which you are meant to set up by using your bicycle as the structure, but since we have no bicycles this time, we made a structure using conduit piping, which is light to carry and reasonably flexible. In theory it's a great design, provided there's no wind and no rain. It was a tight squeeze, but we remained dry.
There was still enough daylight in which to play out in the rain, and adjust to our surroundings. What a priviledge it is to be able to experience this once again. There is a certain magic about the Wild Coast, which is inexplicable at best. I had memories of a previous time that we were here at this very spot, and we met a man named Andre, who lived on a property just a little bit into the forrest, and so I made my way in the general direction, to see if there was any traces left of him. Dante and Katryn came with me, but they were very alert. I walked quite deep into the forrest, and still couldn't find this place. There was a network of foot paths, all leading in different directions. There were the strangest sounds coming from deep within the forrest which not only had the dogs spooked, but me also, especially since the sound were around us now. The next moment Katryn jumped, and before I knew it, they bolted in the direction we came from. I didn't wait around to see what got them so spooked, as I was right behind them.
I eventually found the path which leads to this property, but this time I got Maria to come with me. The place was run down and deserted, not that it was in top shape the last time we saw it, only no sign of Andre. We walked around a bit, saw a snake, and that was the sign I needed, to get out, because the place gives me the creeps.
Maria says that the main building looks like it burnt down, but I didn't even see that as I was getting out of there!
We quickly washed and ate before it got too dark, then we crawled into our tents, and lay listening to the sound of the waves before drifting off to sleep...
It wasn't until 12am that we were dropped off at the Wild Coast Sun where we would start our hike.
It was overcast, and we were hoping the weather would let up, but I didn't suspect it would. Wow, it was good to be back! We hiked towards the Petrified Forrest, passing a couple of people on our way. The first river we had to cross was the Mzamba, but the tide was coming in, which would make it difficult to cross if it's too deep, because our packs are heavy and we risk loosing a lot if our gear got wet.
We hiked faster, but it was as we feared, too deep to cross, and there was no ferry in sight, so we set up camp, just in the nick of time, because it started raining. We have these amazing tents from Topeak, called bikecampers, which you are meant to set up by using your bicycle as the structure, but since we have no bicycles this time, we made a structure using conduit piping, which is light to carry and reasonably flexible. In theory it's a great design, provided there's no wind and no rain. It was a tight squeeze, but we remained dry.
There was still enough daylight in which to play out in the rain, and adjust to our surroundings. What a priviledge it is to be able to experience this once again. There is a certain magic about the Wild Coast, which is inexplicable at best. I had memories of a previous time that we were here at this very spot, and we met a man named Andre, who lived on a property just a little bit into the forrest, and so I made my way in the general direction, to see if there was any traces left of him. Dante and Katryn came with me, but they were very alert. I walked quite deep into the forrest, and still couldn't find this place. There was a network of foot paths, all leading in different directions. There were the strangest sounds coming from deep within the forrest which not only had the dogs spooked, but me also, especially since the sound were around us now. The next moment Katryn jumped, and before I knew it, they bolted in the direction we came from. I didn't wait around to see what got them so spooked, as I was right behind them.
I eventually found the path which leads to this property, but this time I got Maria to come with me. The place was run down and deserted, not that it was in top shape the last time we saw it, only no sign of Andre. We walked around a bit, saw a snake, and that was the sign I needed, to get out, because the place gives me the creeps.
Maria says that the main building looks like it burnt down, but I didn't even see that as I was getting out of there!
We quickly washed and ate before it got too dark, then we crawled into our tents, and lay listening to the sound of the waves before drifting off to sleep...
COMPUTERS, POWERMONKEYS AND DEALING WITH IT
It was around 4am when Maria woke me up with a coffee, but I couldn't snap out of it. I was knackered! I moved over and Maria drove the rest of the way. I tried desperately to open up my eyes, but failed miserably. The breaking day was beautiful, but I couldn't open my eyes long enough to appreciate it completely, as I faught for conciousness for what seemed an eternity.
I only snapped out of it once we hit the Port Shepstone turn off. It was another couple of hours before we turned into Ramsgate and headed straight for the beach. It was the best thing ever to see the excitement in Dante and Kaytryn's eyes. We all got lost in the moment, and just stayed there for a long while before we got our shit together, and headed to the Waffle House for the most superb waffles you will ever have. They serve both sweet and savoury waffles, but we had the mushroom and cheese waffles - to die for!!!
This is where our search for laptop and powermonkey adaptors started. Nowhere on the entire Southcoast does anybody know what a powermonkey is, or do they have a Flybook adaptor. This was a real shame, and we spent hours in search of this tool, because once we leave the Wild Coast, electricity is a novelty, and very few people have alternate energy, so it would've come in handy to have a few more hrs of battery power. We resolved ourselves to the fact that we'll have what we need when we need it. Nothing much else to do, as we're hiking tomorrow.
It was late afternoon when we finally gave up our search, and headed towards Port Edward, and had a quick bite at the Web down at the beach. Afterwards we made our way to Tersia Killian's place where we were gonna spend the night. We met Tersia through Uys, her husband who stays at the Waterglen regularly. They are both magic people, and it was great to see her again. Tersia is a teacher, and seeing as it's school holidays, she came down to their beach house with her friend Fatima, who is quite the entertainer, and her son, Miguel.
Tersia has a Jack Russel called Scooby, who didn't like the intruders, so Dante and Katryn were off to a bad start, when he attacked them on arrival. I think they were shell shocked, because this was the first time that they had ever been in a full blown fight, and Dante was the only one that seemed hurt, but not too bad though. For the remainder of the evening, we kept them all seperate, but Scooby came to the door a bit later to make peace.
They made us a stunning dinner, and we sat round talking for hours before we headed off to bed. We had some stuff to do still, but the last two days has taken it's toll, so I drifted off into a deep sleep...
I only snapped out of it once we hit the Port Shepstone turn off. It was another couple of hours before we turned into Ramsgate and headed straight for the beach. It was the best thing ever to see the excitement in Dante and Kaytryn's eyes. We all got lost in the moment, and just stayed there for a long while before we got our shit together, and headed to the Waffle House for the most superb waffles you will ever have. They serve both sweet and savoury waffles, but we had the mushroom and cheese waffles - to die for!!!
This is where our search for laptop and powermonkey adaptors started. Nowhere on the entire Southcoast does anybody know what a powermonkey is, or do they have a Flybook adaptor. This was a real shame, and we spent hours in search of this tool, because once we leave the Wild Coast, electricity is a novelty, and very few people have alternate energy, so it would've come in handy to have a few more hrs of battery power. We resolved ourselves to the fact that we'll have what we need when we need it. Nothing much else to do, as we're hiking tomorrow.
It was late afternoon when we finally gave up our search, and headed towards Port Edward, and had a quick bite at the Web down at the beach. Afterwards we made our way to Tersia Killian's place where we were gonna spend the night. We met Tersia through Uys, her husband who stays at the Waterglen regularly. They are both magic people, and it was great to see her again. Tersia is a teacher, and seeing as it's school holidays, she came down to their beach house with her friend Fatima, who is quite the entertainer, and her son, Miguel.
Tersia has a Jack Russel called Scooby, who didn't like the intruders, so Dante and Katryn were off to a bad start, when he attacked them on arrival. I think they were shell shocked, because this was the first time that they had ever been in a full blown fight, and Dante was the only one that seemed hurt, but not too bad though. For the remainder of the evening, we kept them all seperate, but Scooby came to the door a bit later to make peace.
They made us a stunning dinner, and we sat round talking for hours before we headed off to bed. We had some stuff to do still, but the last two days has taken it's toll, so I drifted off into a deep sleep...
THE BIG TREK
It seems that some things will never change, because it's hours before we leave and we haven't completely packed and still need to pick up the last package in Johannesburg before we leave for Port Edward. We scattered around in pure desperation, but by 12:30pm, we had to leave, we were running late. We said our good-bye's, and made our way to GARMIN's offices in Northriding Jhb.
Traffic was insane, but we soon realized that we weren't in any real hurry anymore, our holiday has officially started! We picked up our GPS's from Fraser and chatted for a while - super guy! By 3:30pm we had done all we had to do, so we went to the nearest restaurant to grab a bite.
Neha gave me a Powermonkey, which is a travel size battery pack of sorts, that plugs into almost anything, from your phone to your laptop, and gives you many extra hrs on your laptop, but only problem is, it doesn't have an adaptor for my specific laptop, so we went looking for someone that stocks that specific plug, with no luck whatsoever.
It was about 6pm when we finally made our way through hectic traffic, and took the N3 to Durban. We couldn't believe that we were finally on our way. I was driving, and it was amazing how all sorts of calm decended upon me the closer we came to the coastline. I absolutely adore the ocean, and don't much care for being away from it for too long. There's just something about all that water, the sandy beaches and the fresh air, that gets me going.
We stopped many times, to give the dogs a chance to stretch their legs, to get coffee and something to eat. Besides all the big trucks, the road was fairly quiet, the night pitch black around me. Perfect! When we got to Mooi River, the rain was coming down hard, and I could barely keep my eyes open, it has been an exceptionally long day. Maria had the same problem, as she kept me company all the way, so we pulled of at an Ultra City, and slept for a couple of hrs.
Traffic was insane, but we soon realized that we weren't in any real hurry anymore, our holiday has officially started! We picked up our GPS's from Fraser and chatted for a while - super guy! By 3:30pm we had done all we had to do, so we went to the nearest restaurant to grab a bite.
Neha gave me a Powermonkey, which is a travel size battery pack of sorts, that plugs into almost anything, from your phone to your laptop, and gives you many extra hrs on your laptop, but only problem is, it doesn't have an adaptor for my specific laptop, so we went looking for someone that stocks that specific plug, with no luck whatsoever.
It was about 6pm when we finally made our way through hectic traffic, and took the N3 to Durban. We couldn't believe that we were finally on our way. I was driving, and it was amazing how all sorts of calm decended upon me the closer we came to the coastline. I absolutely adore the ocean, and don't much care for being away from it for too long. There's just something about all that water, the sandy beaches and the fresh air, that gets me going.
We stopped many times, to give the dogs a chance to stretch their legs, to get coffee and something to eat. Besides all the big trucks, the road was fairly quiet, the night pitch black around me. Perfect! When we got to Mooi River, the rain was coming down hard, and I could barely keep my eyes open, it has been an exceptionally long day. Maria had the same problem, as she kept me company all the way, so we pulled of at an Ultra City, and slept for a couple of hrs.
CHAOS BEFORE LEAVING
Between collecting tents, laptops, GPS's, packing up everything we own to fit into a store room, and making sure that there are no loose ends, there is hardly any time to mentally prepare myself for our journey. It has been a long time since we've been on the road and I haven't done much to stay in shape, so I'm a bit worried, but I know it doesn't take too long to get back into that rhythm.
There's only a couple of things which we haven't sorted out, but we still have 2 more days in which to make it happen. I'm feeling frantic, as if I've forgotten something, but I guess now is not the time to worry about it. I have to thank my dear friend Neha, for finding ways to get us to Port Edward. This is not the first time you have come through for us and there are not enough ways in which to thank you girl! Welcome back to South Africa and I hope it will be an exhilirating 2 years for you.
It is always sad to leave behind family and friends when we go, and knowing that this is the beginning of another long trek around Africa, makes me a bit sad, because I got used to being home again.
Well, thank God for technology right, because everyone is always just a phone call or an e-mail away. Dante and Katryn seem to know something is up with all the packing that's going on. Their friends and family will miss them too, and I think Katryn, who has been glued to the desk in reception will find it equally difficult to get back in shape.
There's only a couple of things which we haven't sorted out, but we still have 2 more days in which to make it happen. I'm feeling frantic, as if I've forgotten something, but I guess now is not the time to worry about it. I have to thank my dear friend Neha, for finding ways to get us to Port Edward. This is not the first time you have come through for us and there are not enough ways in which to thank you girl! Welcome back to South Africa and I hope it will be an exhilirating 2 years for you.
It is always sad to leave behind family and friends when we go, and knowing that this is the beginning of another long trek around Africa, makes me a bit sad, because I got used to being home again.
Well, thank God for technology right, because everyone is always just a phone call or an e-mail away. Dante and Katryn seem to know something is up with all the packing that's going on. Their friends and family will miss them too, and I think Katryn, who has been glued to the desk in reception will find it equally difficult to get back in shape.
TIME FOR OUR NEXT ADVENTURE
This have been a tremendous year for us, in terms of Big Dreams which are slowly but surely coming to fruition. As you all well know, we set out to bring about an interactive network which might very well assist in bringing us one step closer to finding solutions for some serious problems .
We've had to learn the hard way what it takes to make something of this magnitude happen. It's amazing how, when you are in pursuit of your dreams, and you believe in them strongly, the whole universe conspires to make it happen. We have met so many wonderful people, some of whom were meant to teach a lesson, and some who have brought us closer to our goals, and especially those who have climbed aboard and are now part of this amazing adventure...
Next up, is us hiking around the Transkei - again. Thing is, some of our friends living along this coastline, have urged us to go for a visit, as there is apparantly some unrest concerning the grant to start mining for titanium. Well, we could just imagine that something like this would have an immense impact on this peace of land and it's unique inhabitants. So without further ado, we started putting together what we needed for our little adventure.
We had less than a week to put together something to go hiking along the Transkei coastline. This particular stretch of coastline, had once been our biggest challenge, and it's now a place we go to, to connect with your inner selves. A shocking discovery for me, was that MRC have been given permission to mine along the best parts of this untouched natural marvel. This might be the last time we get to experience this wild coastline, it's challenges, it's blessings, and the memories...
Many special thanks to companies like FLYBOOKS, for supplying us with your super small, travel size laptops, to help us update our blogs, and to GARMIN, for supplying us with a GPS system to plot our routes and stay found, to KARRIMOR, for our durable backpacks and rain gear, to HI-TEC, for all our foot gear, CAMPINGAZ for our amazing cooking gear, TOPEAK, for our bikamper tents, ROYAL CANIN, for keeping our dogs in top condition, and WATERGLEN GUEST LODGE, for always believing in us.
We've had to learn the hard way what it takes to make something of this magnitude happen. It's amazing how, when you are in pursuit of your dreams, and you believe in them strongly, the whole universe conspires to make it happen. We have met so many wonderful people, some of whom were meant to teach a lesson, and some who have brought us closer to our goals, and especially those who have climbed aboard and are now part of this amazing adventure...
Next up, is us hiking around the Transkei - again. Thing is, some of our friends living along this coastline, have urged us to go for a visit, as there is apparantly some unrest concerning the grant to start mining for titanium. Well, we could just imagine that something like this would have an immense impact on this peace of land and it's unique inhabitants. So without further ado, we started putting together what we needed for our little adventure.
We had less than a week to put together something to go hiking along the Transkei coastline. This particular stretch of coastline, had once been our biggest challenge, and it's now a place we go to, to connect with your inner selves. A shocking discovery for me, was that MRC have been given permission to mine along the best parts of this untouched natural marvel. This might be the last time we get to experience this wild coastline, it's challenges, it's blessings, and the memories...
Many special thanks to companies like FLYBOOKS, for supplying us with your super small, travel size laptops, to help us update our blogs, and to GARMIN, for supplying us with a GPS system to plot our routes and stay found, to KARRIMOR, for our durable backpacks and rain gear, to HI-TEC, for all our foot gear, CAMPINGAZ for our amazing cooking gear, TOPEAK, for our bikamper tents, ROYAL CANIN, for keeping our dogs in top condition, and WATERGLEN GUEST LODGE, for always believing in us.
Wednesday, 02 January 2008
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
FOR A MORE DETAILED VERSION OF OUR JOURNEY, PLEASE VISIT http://www.mariag4g.blogspot.com
Maria certainly has a more informative and factual take on our journey, so please visit her blog for the full story, passion and heroics that we've come face to face with along the way.
CADAC
Thank you to Justine and the team at Cadac for their ongoing support and sponsorship of our sleeping bags and other camping equipment
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUED
HIBISCUS COAST LINE
Going from the north coast to the east coast was heavy going, but mainly because we were getting used to our environment, and of course our gear. The scenery was something out of this world and the beaches great. The towns were so much closer to each other, in fact, virtually on top of each other, the further east we progressed. Very cute little holiday towns where nothing much happened out of season. It was excruciatingly hot and humid, but it made me feel alive and energized.
The people were amazing, but virtually everyone we met, thought that we were mad. There were even those who were becoming cross with us for not heeding to the dangers. The closer we got to the Transkei coastline, or otherwise known as the Wild Coast, more and more people were telling us about how rough and dangerous that was, and we especially met those who have hiked it before, who didn’t think we’d make it past Mzamba. What everyone failed to mention, was that there were no roads, whatsoever, or atm, or anything that someone who travels light, might be into. Anyway, scared out of our wits, we embarked on this piece of untouched heaven like aliens, popping up like mushrooms, wherever we went, which left locals mesmerized.
Going from the north coast to the east coast was heavy going, but mainly because we were getting used to our environment, and of course our gear. The scenery was something out of this world and the beaches great. The towns were so much closer to each other, in fact, virtually on top of each other, the further east we progressed. Very cute little holiday towns where nothing much happened out of season. It was excruciatingly hot and humid, but it made me feel alive and energized.
The people were amazing, but virtually everyone we met, thought that we were mad. There were even those who were becoming cross with us for not heeding to the dangers. The closer we got to the Transkei coastline, or otherwise known as the Wild Coast, more and more people were telling us about how rough and dangerous that was, and we especially met those who have hiked it before, who didn’t think we’d make it past Mzamba. What everyone failed to mention, was that there were no roads, whatsoever, or atm, or anything that someone who travels light, might be into. Anyway, scared out of our wits, we embarked on this piece of untouched heaven like aliens, popping up like mushrooms, wherever we went, which left locals mesmerized.
DECEMBER 2004
THE WILD COAST
Craziest thing was the fact that we had to literally drag our bicycles through sandy beaches, carry them over mountains, and swim with them through river mouths. Keep in mind that our bikes weighed anything between 70 & 80kgs, depending on the amount of water we carried at any given time. Dante and Katryn were still puppies, so they couldn’t always keep up, and wanted to remain in their baskets, which made things a little more difficult. Every day here, was a challenge, both mentally and physically. We would wake up with the breaking of a new day, push forward, and it would be dark before we stopped. The most debilitating thing to do, was check the distance traveled on the meter at the end of the day, because it was rarely anything more than 7kms. There was no cell phone signal. We ran out of cash, and had to trade cell phones, or anything worth something, in order to eat, and we ran out of water once, for 2 days. It wasn’t so much that there wasn’t any water around, but we just didn’t know where to find it, plus we were so intend on moving forward, that we forgot the basic rules of survival, and catching up dew with the tent. What was brilliant about this stretch of coastline was that after each grueling day, we could look around, and still be thankful for being where we were.
One of the reasons I love the Transkei so much, is because this was one of the truly mystical places along our way. We got stuck in the most hectic of places, and were destitute many times, but every time, out of nowhere, someone would appear, usually with a biblical name of sorts, to help us out of our predicament, only to disappear in the same mysterious way. The stretch between Mzamba and Port St Johns, is spectacular, untouched, and has an unbelievable energy. Most of our challenges were met here, especially those I set for myself. It was here that I realized that nothing is impossible. The transition in coming back to civilization was something we hadn’t anticipated. The simplicity, and ruggedness of the Transkei, weighed up against a busy East London, where electricity was something that happened with the flick of a switch, and water was available on tap. It took us a whole week to adjust to this change, and I would say this was because, once you go without something, you learn to appreciate the things you take for granted, and very few people understood this.
Craziest thing was the fact that we had to literally drag our bicycles through sandy beaches, carry them over mountains, and swim with them through river mouths. Keep in mind that our bikes weighed anything between 70 & 80kgs, depending on the amount of water we carried at any given time. Dante and Katryn were still puppies, so they couldn’t always keep up, and wanted to remain in their baskets, which made things a little more difficult. Every day here, was a challenge, both mentally and physically. We would wake up with the breaking of a new day, push forward, and it would be dark before we stopped. The most debilitating thing to do, was check the distance traveled on the meter at the end of the day, because it was rarely anything more than 7kms. There was no cell phone signal. We ran out of cash, and had to trade cell phones, or anything worth something, in order to eat, and we ran out of water once, for 2 days. It wasn’t so much that there wasn’t any water around, but we just didn’t know where to find it, plus we were so intend on moving forward, that we forgot the basic rules of survival, and catching up dew with the tent. What was brilliant about this stretch of coastline was that after each grueling day, we could look around, and still be thankful for being where we were.
One of the reasons I love the Transkei so much, is because this was one of the truly mystical places along our way. We got stuck in the most hectic of places, and were destitute many times, but every time, out of nowhere, someone would appear, usually with a biblical name of sorts, to help us out of our predicament, only to disappear in the same mysterious way. The stretch between Mzamba and Port St Johns, is spectacular, untouched, and has an unbelievable energy. Most of our challenges were met here, especially those I set for myself. It was here that I realized that nothing is impossible. The transition in coming back to civilization was something we hadn’t anticipated. The simplicity, and ruggedness of the Transkei, weighed up against a busy East London, where electricity was something that happened with the flick of a switch, and water was available on tap. It took us a whole week to adjust to this change, and I would say this was because, once you go without something, you learn to appreciate the things you take for granted, and very few people understood this.
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