Conquering the Highest Bungee Jump in the World! - Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa

Feeling nervous but determined now to just go and do it! Conqouer our fears and take control. So so nervous for bungee jumping Bloukrans bridge! We've talked about it for days, and spent the morning at Knysna waterfront avoiding the subject over a quiet lunch but secretly worrying about stepping off the edge and just how to even do it! I listened to very loud dance music to psyche myself up during the drive to Boulkrans bridge - the highest bungee bridge in the world! Danza Kuduro, Avicci, Wake Me up, Imagine Dragons On Top of the World and Florence and the Machine Spectrum going over and over in my head.

When we arrived we rushed over to pay and got harnessed up - i was panicking about the harness as it felt very lose, i could slip my shoulders out and the karabiner was unscrewed but i was reassured that this was just my back-up! We watched a couple of people jump whilst Tom and Sam slammed a couple of whisky shots  before walked over the wire mesh alongside the bridge. The views were incredible and i enjoyed the nervous walk over, Matt didn't dare look down, he walked confidently, but fast. The girl in front was crying on the walk over which didn't fill me with much hope! When we got there we were put in a random order, Matt first, me last - Sam and Tom in between whilst Martin, our tour guide watched with amusement! The music was pumping and the atmosphere was tense but electric! Matt was up. He hopped to the edge and jumped, so fast and so swiftly, he practically dived out elegantly! 

I was bouncing about getting nervous- didn't know what to expect. Terrified of backing out but also of standing on the edge. Once strapped in I was worried about slipping out! Nothing seemed to be tight enough! The ankle straps were merely velcroed! and i slipped my feet right out! I said no and nearly backed out but they promised it would tighten. I ran through in my head what would happen and figured that the ankle straps would go further up my leg rather than slip off. I clearly was not thinking straight! But the guy agreed with me and in one swift movement he picked me up and popped me on the edge. I looked at my feet on the edge. That was it! A gentle push and i was gone. I wasn't even able to inhale with shock! The speed and g-force of the free fall just doesn't allow! I looked at the scenery as I plummeted towards the river. It whipped me on the first bounce but then I hardly felt it. My head felt hot as the blood rushed to it and my eyes were blurry and I had a fuzzy head! I was spinning as I dangled upside down. It looked so surreal but amazing! 

It felt like a long time to dangle and i worried about slipping through! So i curled my toes and tried to stay still! I shouted and waved for help and asked myself what the hell I was doing!! The rescue man lowered himself and I grabbed his leg! He helped me upright again and I enjoyed the ride up! They got me to the top and started to unclip me,  but it was all a bit of a blur, although i was glad to be sat back on land! They asked me questions that I just couldn't quite find the words to answer. Quick photo and I was done. I heard Florence and the Machine, Spectrum, the song i had been listening to on the way over to psyche myself up, i couldn't believe it! It was unreal, I danced off the platform, hugged and hi-fived everyone too, Wow! Can't believe I did it! Awesome!

Only later when talking to Martin I realised that the guy had agreed with me about the straps going further up my leg instead of slipping off! I had believed him! Good job really, otherwise i never would have jumped! So proud! What was scary is that I just took a leap of faith. That I didn't even check that I was attached to the bungee chord. I didn't even see it or have time to even think to question it!

The drive back was good fun chatting and laughing about our experiences.We arrived at our lovely hostel 'Tube n Axe' at Storms river in Tsitsikamma National Park. Had a yummy Bobotie dinner and chilled out by the fire. We started drinking early with a bungee shot and a couple of springboks! Bungee was espresso, amarula and stroh rum, and as if that wasn't bad enough, they lit it and we sucked it through a straw! Crazy! Moses, the guy behind the bar was up for a good time, dancing behind the bar. A couple of pool games later and we were drinking and chatting and watching our bungee videos! Having a good laugh! What an incredible day, and one that we will never forget!
Check this out!....Sophie's bungee!
Take a look at this!....Matt's bungee!

Cape to Addo Safari, South Africa

Journey along South Africa’s Garden Route.

Wow, what an eclectic mix!! – After a quick goodbye to the volunteers at 52 Trill Road, we grabbed our backpacks (and the suitcase full of souveniers!...) and followed our guide Martin out to the bus. We hopped on excitedly and were surprised to find an American couple from Colorado who must have been in their late 60’s amongst us! After initial concern that we had booked onto the wrong tour we soon settled down and got chatting to Pat and Bill, a very sweet couple who entertained us along the trip and to a couple of down-to-earth, fun English guys, Sam & Tom who had also been volunteering in Cape Town and a girl from Brazil who was bravely travelling on her own around South Africa.

The drive was pretty spectacular, with baboons appearing at the roadside and fluorescent orange birds flitting through the bull rushes. Ostrich and Springbok roamed on free land and the mountains cast long shadows through Hermanus, the whale capital of SA.

We spotted whales from ‘Bientangs Cave’ which is a restaurant built into a sea cave. The sea was rough, and the weather was stormy but the food and the company was good.

We tasted beer at Birkenhead- Honey blonde and a chocolate & coffee stout were surprisingly amongst our favourites! We continued through Struisbaai to Cape Alughas - the southernmost point of Africa where the two oceans, Atlantic and Indian meet. The winds were strong as we strolled along the beach with Milo, the hostel-owners dog. We dipped our feet in the Indian Ocean before heading back to the hostel to warm-up in front of the fire and impatiently await our braai which was lovingly cooked by our fantastic tour guide Martin.

Up early for the hot water springs, we took to the road for a long drive through arid Karoo, taking the route 62 through Western Cape and on to Oudtshoorn for an adventure tour through the Cango caves.

After being stopped by police to check vehicle, Martin paid his fines and off we went along Route 62, the old trade route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. Through the desert of Little Karoo and past the mountains, the sun was finally shining! It was an fantastic feeling cruising through such incredibly large landscapes, the weather would change with spectacular scenes around every corner for miles with no sign of civilisation.

We took a pit stop at Ronnie's sex shop. Bill didn’t look too impressed! But we ventured inside the painted white concrete building in the middle of nowhere where cactus grew outside. An Aladdin’s cave the interior was decorated with hundreds of hung up underwear and an old man with a long beard propped himself up against the bar. Ronnie himself said that it was once just a humble little farm shop selling local produce, but one day when he went to the beach his mates painted ‘sex’ after his name and from then on it was named ‘Ronnie’s Sex Shop’ It attracted tourists by the bus load! So he turned it into a pub and decorated it with anything and everything that he could find, including customers underwear! I couldn’t resist donating a pair of my own which were graciously received and hung on the whisky pumps. It just goes to prove that sex really does sell!

After all that excitement we stopped for a relaxing afternoon at Warmwaterberg natural hot springs for a soak in 31◦C pools surrounded by the mountains of Route 62 and the semi-arid desert of Karoo. Beautiful. Now THIS is South Africa! It’s hot and humid inland today and it’s so good to relax after working hard on project.

After a gorgeous lunch, we drove through Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich capital of the world. Such a beautiful drive, however nervous thoughts about tomorrow’s bungee jump were somewhat taking over! Not much time to think as it was time to jump off the bus and squeeze our way through the Cango Caves on an adventure tour!

We pulled ourselves through tiny gaps and slid along the slippery rock clinging to the stalactites for support! The guide warned us about spiders and bats but thankfully we didn’t see any although he did have fun jumping out on us! Great adventure!

Back at our lovely hostel ‘backpacker’s paradise’, we played pool and ate Ostrich steak which was so tender and delicious, healthy too with very low cholesterol. Long day, can’t wait for tomorrow!

Another early wake up today for the Cango Ostrich farm and wildlife ranch in Oudtshoorn. We hugged and fed the Ostrich, I was a bit worried about it because they are just so tall and powerful! Matt sat on the ostrich but I decided to have a ride on it! It was SO fast, possibly the most terrifying thing I have ever done! I held onto its neck in a sheer panic and had to straddle its skinny body and cling to the back of its wings while it ran away with me on its back! So scary! But so much fun! Matt fed a few of the Ostriches, they were pecking at his neck! Bizarre!

We headed over to Cango wildlife ranch this afternoon, really cool to see such interesting animals from all over Africa. The ranch was open and very natural, with minimal fencing only where very necessary. A lot of the birds nest at the ranch but were able to fly around in open skies. The big cats were in open air enclosures which we walked above on a treetop trail. Amazing to see them without wire fences in the way, the lazy Lions slept whilst the Tigers played and splashed each other in their enclosure, the leopards hung out in the trees so close to our walkway!

We were so lucky to be able to enter the Cheetah enclosure and stroke them, such incredible animals, and friendly too as they had been hand-reared. The two female Cheetahs acted as ambassadors for their species, by allowing tourists to stroke them and hang out in their enclosure they were helping to spread the message that we need to protect their species from poaching. The money we paid went directly and entirely to the conservation of these animals in the wild. We felt nervous to stroke them, but after a few minutes they just felt like over-sized domestic cats except for the power in their paws and the speed of their reactions! Their markings were incredible too. 

Hanging out with the Lemurs was fun! They jumped all over us and sat on our heads and played with our hair! Very cool, soft little jumping monkeys and very curious too! Was great to see and feel these animals up so close and personal!  

Now its onward through the garden route to lunch before we bungee!!

                               ***

After an adventurous couple of days, bungee jumping at Bloukrans and black-water tubing along Storms river in Tsitsikamma National Park, we arrived for a relaxing evening at Sundays river valley, the largest citrus fruit area in Southern Africa and a gorgeous place to stay on our way to Addo National Park.

Along the drive we passed little monkeys, springbok, cactus and lemon and orange trees! We had to drive slow and carefully because the road dust is harmful to the citrus trees. Driving past the Unifruit packing place we saw many local people packing fruit into crates, class A fruit to be exported with class B class sent all over South Africa and class C to the juicing factories. The area was abundant with gorgeous flowers and big trees adorned in large orange flowers – paradise for Pat and Bill!

Arriving at Sundays River Avoca River Cabins was like driving into paradise, beautiful lodges with stable doors and verandas surrounded with citrus trees, luxurious mud huts overlooking the river and the citrus valleys. We sat on the decking over the river chatting and watching the weaver birds make build their nests in the reeds for hours whilst our guide Martin and his family prepared a delicious dinner. After sunset, we sat on the veranda and chatted, taking in the incredible views and enjoying a delicious chutney chicken casserole and feta salad cooked by Martina, Martin’s younger sister. 

After dinner we sat outside around a fire and chatted to Martin’s family. They talked about bearing the 48° heat in February, and about Xhosa people and their way of life and how they tend to wear lots of clothes even in the heat. It was interesting to hear about their experiences and opinions on life in South Africa from an Afrikaans perspective. They talked about how education is the key to empowering the next generation to bring change to the country as they will hopefully have a better understanding of the economy and politics.

We are feeling so incredibly privileged to be here, it’s like a dream. As we fell to sleep in our luxurious en-suite cabin, we listened to the sounds of insects and frogs. Beautiful. Now this is South Africa.

                                                                              ***

After an incredible Safari game drive through Addo National Park, we arrived at Jeffery's bay and checked in to our hostel, a beach hut right on J-bay beach. We watched the surfers, and took a long walk along the beach getting caught in the shallow waves and confusing currents. We ended up exploring the town and shopping at surf factory store outlets. We had a yummy curry dinner at the hostel and stayed up to play cards and drinking games with people we met there. Such good fun! 

Zip-lining through Tsitsikamma forest was brilliant! . With 8 Zip lines, increasing in speed and length, we

whizzed over waterfalls and flew past rocks and bushes. 

The Elephant sanctuary was so cool! We walked into the forest with the elephants as they held our hands with their trunks! My elephant Thanda which means love, sucked my fingers with her trunk in an attempt to hold my hand. Her trunk was warm and wet and rough and hairy on the outside and i could feel her breath on my hand! I lead her into the forest. There we stroked them and played with them until they bent down to let us on for a bare-back ride which was pretty incredible! We fed the elephants afterwards to show our appreciation for having a ride. Elephants are very clever, they are strong and powerful but seem so gentle and kind hearted too. 

The 3 elephants at the sanctuary were rescued from Kruger National park and Botswana as they had been injured or orphaned. Feeding them was fun, they took whole apples and butternuts with their trunks, popped it in their mouths and swallowed them hole! Amazing!

Tonight we stopped at Afrovibe hostel on Myoli beach. Gorgeous beach! We slid down the sand dunes, the wind was so strong, it whipped the sand up into our hair, our room overlooked the beach - how lucky are we to have such gorgeous views of the turquoise Indian ocean from our double en-suite at only £20 (equivalent) pp per night! The sunset was beautiful and dinner was great too. We added to the graffiti on the hostel walls and waited to play beer pong. All good fun! 

Matt and Sam were up first against Martin and another tour leader. They won because Martin had had far too many stroh rum! I was up to take on the winners, I played with Kieran, a hostel staff member and... we won!! He caught a lot but I sank 3 and the final one which was epic! Earned some serious respect from the spectators, but struggled to down my quarter pints!! Ahhh so much fun! Matt and the boys sank some Absinth shots and we stayed up chatting to fellow backpackers. Late night, but such good fun!

Up early today for a quick pit stop at a famous farmers market! Yum! German sausages, 10R pancakes, fresh squeezed orange juice and macaroons!! It's safe to say that we stuffed our faces and oh it was good!

We then hopped back on the bus and drove back towards Cape Town. 
We stopped along the way to go walking with Lions, an unexpected experience, but a truly incredible one that we will never forget!
We each had to take a long stick, as the Lions understood that the stick represented a boundary and meant we were safe. We walked through the national park with a couple of Lions, Mufasa and Layla who had been rescued and hand-reared as cubs. They are such majestic creatures and it was amazing to be so close to them, we stroked the female and walked alongside them both. Lions are very lazy, they sleep for over 20 hours a day, only getting up for food, drink and to stretch their legs! It was incredible to see Layla jumping up into the tree, they are so big, yet so agile, powerful and fast when they want to be.

What an incredible journey along South Africa's Garden Route, what a spectacular country!

Sports Development Project

Upon arrival at the volunteer house which was in a small town called Observatory on the outskirts of the city, i met with fellow Sports volunteers from Australia and Germany who were just as eager as i was to get stuck in.

Our induction was lead by our project manager, a friendly Canadian who was extremely passionate about the projects. Particular goals were outlined for each project and the goal for the Sports Development project was to introduce a good to high standard of Physical Education (PE) while supporting the local head coach from a company called “Sports Choice”. Their main concern was to offer physical activity, sport and health education as this area of the curriculum is considered to be a luxury for many children growing up in urban South Africa. 

The organisation works with local schools within the townships with support from charity to improve the quality of coaching provision and to increase the amount of time for children take part in organised PE sessions.

I was based in two schools in the township of Langa. Only two days a week allows a very limited time with each class, but the goal is to provide PE and demonstrate the importantance of PE  in children's physical and emotional development. 

Sustainability is extremely important to African Impact and it is clearly considered for each project, rather than allowing volunteers to take over and run their own sessions, we were encouraged to work alongside Sports Choice and their coaches in order to model good practice and to educate them as well as the children so that they can continue to run quality PE sessions long after volunteers have returned home.   

The schools i visited were surprisingly exactly how I had imaged a township school to be. They were not exactly the same as the photographs pictured on African Impact's website which featured astro-turf facilities, and a school that African Impact used to work but who no longer required volunteer support as they had progressed to a higher level of provision that they will hopefully be able to sustain for many years to come.

During my time in the townships the PE sessions were led on old netball courts, grass grew in patches on an distressed asphalt surface on which all the children had to take their shoes off and go bare feet. I was surprised at first but these children are used to it, they are hardy. It reminded me of when i was younger, the days I was at primary school in New Zealand and I would just to go bare footed for everything. I overheard the coach saying that the school don’t let the children wear shoes because it marks and wrecks the courts, it's a shame as the courts are in a poor state.

For the first couple of sessions the head coach was in charge and it felt more like pre-season training rather than a PE lesson as all we did for 45 minutes were shuttles with the class split in to four groups in which at least nine children were in a line. This frustrated me as I have learnt though practice and my studies that children should not be put in big group activities which involves queuing, children need to be physically active for as much of the session as possible.

This is perhaps why my job is so important - I'm wan't just here for the children, i was also here to model good practice and bring fresh ideas and implement new styles of coaching to develop the existing coaches repertoire. I hadn't expected this but i was grateful to be having an impact that could continue long after i leave.
The coaches weer always encouraging the children to chant and to sing. The atmosphere and enjoyment was was infectious! Each group of children had a name and gained points for supporting their pair or teammates.
After my first day I started to take more responsibility for the running of the sessions, going from just a warm up to taking the whole session in which the children were able to play more skills-based games that included all of the children most of the time, which I felt would be a huge benefit to them, they were having fun as well as learning important new skills.

Depending on the age of the children and the level of English would depend on the complexity of each game. I explained the rules and goals of the games to the children and to the coach so he knew not just what i was planning to do but also why i had selected the particular activity and the skills i would be looking for the children to demonstrate. By communicating this i believe that i was supporting the coaches professional development and coaching practice. My sessions were not always perfect, but by adapting the rules slightly the children were more responsive. I gave the head coach a list of session plans that have key objectives and a lot of different games aimed for different age groups instead of having just one set game for all children.

Every Friday we sat down as a team and planned sessions for the following week and brainstormed new games that we could try, adapting them to become age relevant. We set a different theme every two weeks as the head coach only coaches each class once a fortnight. It was great to put our heads together and bounce ideas off each other, a strong team of volunteers with very different perspectives, backgrounds and experience but all with one goal - to educate and to implement quality coaching practice.

My time with African Impact flew by, after just two short weeks I wanted to stay and continue on the project as I had really enjoyed it and was feeling like i was really starting to make an impact. I really enjoyed my time with the staff and the children as well and I feel that I have grown personally and professionally.
I felt confident and able to take a leading role on project without stepping on the head coaches toes. I put my ideas forward and had the confidence to explain justify and implement my ideas and the reasons behind them. When I was younger I would have taken a back seat and just let things play out as an observer, but i have changed.

This experience has shown me a different style and culture of coaching children and has broadened my horizons. Children have a massive respect for adults  and i was constantly addressed by a collective “yes coach!” If you give an instruction the children do it,  they want to be there, they want to learn and they enjoy. Children are tough and it took a lot for them to cry, a ball would hit a child’s head and they would barely even give it a second glance. Such a joy to coach! 

The more I put in to the project the more I got out of it, 
Volunteering with African Impact on the Sports development project has to be one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. 

South Africa - The Beginning.

I’m not really into clichés, but it’s true what they say; Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.

It provides a broader perspective on all aspects of life, it deepens understanding and ignites intrigue. To travel is to learn, to enjoy, to experience. To be excited, exhilarated and to explore a sense of awe and wonder. To test ourselves; our limits, emotions and strength.

                                                                             ***

So here we are, our last day of work at Camp Beaumont and just a week away from finally flying out to South Africa. 2 years of wishing, hoping and planning, scrimping and saving too, it’s finally becoming a reality.

We knew we wanted to volunteer abroad since it was described as a course highlight way back on our university open day in 2010. An opportunity for both that could not be missed.

Since then, the saving began. We put money away for a camera, spent our pay cheques on flights and in the mean-time along-side the studying, we worked for Camp Beaumont, scraping as many pennies together as we possibly could. Yeah we sacrificed (if you can call it that), we spent our summers drinking lime and soda instead of pints like our friends and stayed in to watch Corrie rather than heading out.

Upon first mention of our pipe dream to family and friends, we only really half believed in our own fantasy. That was, until we asked for advice from friends about vaccinations and insurance…then reality hit.  

Now it was time for the real research to begin – Hep A&B, Typhoid & Rabies – really?!

The ‘Telegraph Adventure Travel Show’ in London was however nothing short of inspirational; we collected heaps of magazines which we happily perused during the train ride home (yet, not without getting carried away!) Once we had checked and estimated our budgets we refined our searches down to Africa and once again to South Africa after realising the vastness of the African continent in relation to our limited student loans!

Our next step was to search for an affordable, legitimate and sustainable voluntary programme within South Africa. (This was no easy task). We were especially cautious after reading articles regarding concern for what has become a rather ‘commercial’ Voluntourism industry.

Originally inspired by a young girl on the ‘KAYA: Responsible Travel’ stall at the Adventure Travel Show who excitedly described her experiences of volunteering abroad, we were very taken in. Desperate to get the ball rolling we saved for the pricey project fees. However, after extensive research through local student travel agencies (STA) and the web, we luckily stumbled upon an African based facilitator with a registered charity number (African Impact: The Happy Africa Foundation) who offered the same volunteer projects for less.  

Flights – Booked.

Deposits – Paid.

Vaccinations – Ouch!

Now we are scraping the last few pennies together and converting as much of our earnings as possible into South African Rand, here’s hoping that our pay cheques arrive as promptly as we will in South Africa next Wednesday! Maybe this was always meant-to-be… 

South Africa 2013

The Big Day!

Natalia & Umberto's Spectacular Sicilian Wedding.

After a long breakfast, sitting chatting to everyone whilst my Dad plonked away on the piano, we chilled by the pool waiting for the big day to begin.
In between painting nails, swimming, reading magazines we chatted and devoured araccini (a typical Sicilian dish - deep fried meat ball with rice), bread and watermelon.

Meanwhile Naty was getting ready, waving to us from her balcony. Once ready, we piled into a minibus! (the funbus!) ready to take us to the wedding venue. The ceremony started at 5.30 - late by British terms - but perfect considering the late afternoon temperatures and the laid-back Sicilian life-style!

The sun was hot now and the threat of rain had completely vanished. The mountains provided a naturally stunning backdrop to the wedding. The sea, on the other side of the aisle.
The service was beautiful and entertaining too, with Dee as translator and the Catholic Priest drinking all the communion wine!
Songs were sung in Italian, and Matt & Pete played for them.

After the service we posed for photographs, before heading back on the funbus to the reception at Hotel Torres Splendid which overlooked the sea.
The reception was incredible! With 8 courses, one of which included
Octopus! Very sophisticated!....wine was flowing and we all danced till our feet ached! Mum was getting low! Whilst dad was shaking his arms about! Uncle Pee put his tie around his head and made tribal sounds as he swang multiple guests around the dance floor!

What a fantastic wedding!

Beach day & Rehearsal dinner

Looking forward to tonight, meeting all the guests from both sides at Bar Alba on the other side of Mondello Town. Should be good, but for now...a long day soaking up the sun on the beach.
We found a really cool fruit stand....i was in heaven! I wanted a watermelon, but mum got some cherries instead, to be enjoyed for lunch tomorrow by the pool.

Tonight was fun - 6euro for buffet & a cocktail, although i didn't eat much amongst all the chatting!
Lots more people to meet, with Umberto's family and more of his local Sicilian friends. We sat next to Rose & David, a writer and physicist from London, great people, lovely to chat to and hear about their life and adventures abroad.

We met some over-enthusiastic american's at the bar - they fell in love with Rick's accent and got talking about the places they had been too, we had to prize ourselves away from them!....The old folk walked home at midnight, and we, along with TJ stayed chatting and drinking till they chucked us out...hoping for a late night bar, we headed into town for some more drinks - not much luck! Best we could do was a late night Geletaria! - ice cream or beer? It was a tough decision, but we chose beer and shortly headed back to our hotel, excited for tomorrow's big day.

Da Giovanni's!

After catching up at the beach, we headed back to the hotel for a quick sleep before rushing out to meet Paulo & Christina (Pietro's sister & brother-in-law) for dinner at Da Giovanni's! We searched the restaurant for their table and stumbled upon a party!...everyone was singing and laughing and enjoying the wine, Naty's friends, Umberto and friends, Uncle John, Mary-Jane, Mum, Dad and Rick.... Great food, fab company, funny speeches and gelato on the way home for desert!! Good times! Tired, but excited for the wedding and the week ahead!

Mondello Beach

never have we ever seen waters so clear!! its like having a bath! and so shallow for so long its like walking on water! have i died and gone to heaven?!
Matt brought a yellow volley ball with him (can never go anywhere without a ball in his hand!) but he was a popular man! we had such fun playing ball in the sea with Rich and TJ, Danny and Leon, Umberto and sometimes even Dad!

This is more like it!

finally arrived! jumped on a bus from the airport through Palermo to the coastal town, Mondello. finally found hotel Conchiglia D'oro and spotted the family by the pool! was so great to see them- so excited and refreshed! checked in and headed straight for the beach!