well, things (redarding internet connectivity the next day) didn't go as planned. but really, what ever does right? I took a walk down the beach after my snorkeling adventure with whale sharks, manta rays and the coral reef to hit up the internet with a cold cerveza (beer...duh!) but apparently they didn't feel very internet-ey and decided not to open for the day. to bad things can't be like that in the US. "oh gosh, what a beautiful day. lets go outside instead!" hah. oh well.
so...yeah. my 'ocean safrai' wet swimmingly...we hopped in the speedboat, donned snorkeling gear and bumped our way through the ocean looking for sharks. as soon as we were over some we would plop back into the water and well...swim with them. the water wasn't very deep, maybe 10 meters, and the sharks were just as long. it was an incredible experience to be able to swim so close to a shark that I could potentially give a few good kicks with my fins and be able to touch it. the same goes with the rays and all the colorful fish in the reef. I had an incredible time and couldn't imagine a better way to spend my day. =D
that night, after dinner, we all headed down the beach and to Dino's (a local bar) for a group party. we drank a lot, danced a lot and had an incredible time. everyone called it a night except for Thomas and I (a really cool guy from the Netherlands)...we decided to take a late swim in the ocean. it was beautiful with the full moon, rolling waves, palm trees and grass huts in the distance. this place is the type of paradice that only exists in the early stages of tourism. no hotels, sand/dirt roads, no one speaks english (portugese is the national language. luckily it's close to spanish, right?), all the accomidations are open air and made of straw and thatched palm leaves, we sleep under mosquito nets and food is all local grown. this is the type of place that a resort could only dream to replicate and that 'classy travelers' wouldn't appreciate. this place is authemtic, this place is breathtaking, this place has my heart.
the next day was all about relaxing on the beach, swimming and having fun. for a while a few people from the group sat around under giant palm-leaf umbrellas with some young local boys who made us bracelets, anklets and necklaces (for 'best price, best brice. cheap. buy more.' haha. it was an amazing time and I'm now adorned with loads of hand made africal jewelry and quite a bit poorer. it was nice to be able to design all my own jewelry and watch them make it tough. the air had an amazing vibe and I smile every time i look at my wrists and ankles. =D I hope they don't all fall off!
I forgot to bring my journal to the internet spot (it' not really a cafe...just two computers in a hut hidden away down a dirt road in Swaziland) so I'll update my thoughts, reflections and diary stuff later on. it's also a bit spendy here so I'd love to save some moolah and go somewhere cheaper. it's like 45 emalangeni a half hour.
plus it's starting to get dark and it's a bit of a walk back down the dirt road to get back to my hut for the night. there's a LOT of animals out here...and it's not really safe to walk around at night.
so...I entered the Kingdon Of Swaziland today with the group. it's beautiful but it's also primitive and has the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the entire world. literally half the people here are infected with HIV and the average life span is 33 years. at the border crossing they practically beg you to take free condoms and there are anti aids posters everywhere. people still live in villages because about 2/3 of parents die while th children are still too young to take care of hemselves so the commuity raises them. the people here are said to still be very in touch with their heritage and customs, I'll find out more tomorrow on my Swazi Village Tour.
We're all currently staying in traditional beehive huts made of mud, straw and grasses. they're AMAZING! I've taken a ton of pictures but have no way of loading them online. my awesome Eagle Creek converter fried itself the first time I even plugged it in so I have no way of charging my poor dead laptop. I'll probably end up buying a new one so I can still write in countries where the keyboard won't be in english characters. anyways...yeah. beehive huts. check out the website of the national park where I'm staying www.biggameparks.org the park is called Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and there are animals EVERYWHERE. we had warthogs crawling under our chairs at lunch trying to get food, there are zebra walking around everywhere and we've seen some stray buffalo etc. maybe you can catch a picture of the huts on the website as well as some of these animals.
I feel like this entry was a bit piecy, and for that I apologize. my mind isn't really here on the computer...it's with the zebra out the window, the sunset that will soon fall on these hills and the idea of taking a cool shower after a hot 9 hour ride in the overland truck today. I'll put more effort into the next one. =D
thanks to everyone who sent me emails and love this past week. it totally made my day to read it all. I love you guys. <3
oh, and 'obrigado' is portugese for 'thank you'. it's the one word I've managed to master these last 5 days. luckily it's something nice. haha.
I'll try and get back on here asap!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I feel like walking the world, like walking the world
this will be quick, but I'll come back and finish it tomorrow.
I'm currently in Mozambique in a hut right on the Indian Ocean. It's breathtaking.
I'm sitting in a bar/internet cafe with my bathing suit on, sand in my toes and my hair dripping down my back. I was just catching some massave waves a few minutes ago.
the ocean is a beautiful 25-27 degrees celcius and I get to go swimming with whale sharks tomorrow. I'm passing on scuba diving so I don't hurt my ears again, but I really wish I could go. the reefs here are supposed to be some of the best in the world. maybe I'll get the surgery to fix my ears and come back. =D
so...I'm safe, I'm happy, I'm tired, I'm learning, I'm living and I'm having the time of my life.
I've been keeping a journal and I'll put some clips of entries online tomorrow so people can get a glimpse of my world lately.
I can't even begin to explain how much I feel like I've changed and how much I've grown as a person in this last week. maybe tomorrow I'll try and explain better.
my mind is swimming in lack of sleep. this whole going to bed at midnight or one and waking up at 4:30 thing is really killing me. we hit the road every day at like 6. we finally have a few days here to rest and I plan on taking advantage of it.
well...they're closing here and I think it's dinner time.
oh, and there don't seem to be outlets anywhere. everything i own is dead...cell phone, ipods, laptop. I need power!!!!
I'm in the middle of nowhere and it's amazing!!!!
=D
okay. getting kicked out. I have to pay my miticais and get out of here.
I'm currently in Mozambique in a hut right on the Indian Ocean. It's breathtaking.
I'm sitting in a bar/internet cafe with my bathing suit on, sand in my toes and my hair dripping down my back. I was just catching some massave waves a few minutes ago.
the ocean is a beautiful 25-27 degrees celcius and I get to go swimming with whale sharks tomorrow. I'm passing on scuba diving so I don't hurt my ears again, but I really wish I could go. the reefs here are supposed to be some of the best in the world. maybe I'll get the surgery to fix my ears and come back. =D
so...I'm safe, I'm happy, I'm tired, I'm learning, I'm living and I'm having the time of my life.
I've been keeping a journal and I'll put some clips of entries online tomorrow so people can get a glimpse of my world lately.
I can't even begin to explain how much I feel like I've changed and how much I've grown as a person in this last week. maybe tomorrow I'll try and explain better.
my mind is swimming in lack of sleep. this whole going to bed at midnight or one and waking up at 4:30 thing is really killing me. we hit the road every day at like 6. we finally have a few days here to rest and I plan on taking advantage of it.
well...they're closing here and I think it's dinner time.
oh, and there don't seem to be outlets anywhere. everything i own is dead...cell phone, ipods, laptop. I need power!!!!
I'm in the middle of nowhere and it's amazing!!!!
=D
okay. getting kicked out. I have to pay my miticais and get out of here.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
mid-safari update
okay, so this will be quick.
I'm literally on my safari lunch break and while walking to the cafeteria I saw an internet cafe.
I figured I'd update and say that I'm safe, happy, REALLY tired (I was up at 4:30 am for the safari) and I've seen a TON of animals in the last two days.
giraffes, warthogs, lions, zebras, white and black rhinos, elephants, and a ton more.
This computer is so slow that I can type a whole paragraph and watch it type each letter o-n-e- l-e-t-t-e-r- a-t- a- t-i-m-e.
Thanks to everyone who has kept in touch and sent me emails, texts and love.
***power shut off while I was writing, and I didn't get to post. figured I'd post it now since blogger saved it for me. I'll be happy to have reliable power/phone/bathroom services any day now***
I'm literally on my safari lunch break and while walking to the cafeteria I saw an internet cafe.
I figured I'd update and say that I'm safe, happy, REALLY tired (I was up at 4:30 am for the safari) and I've seen a TON of animals in the last two days.
giraffes, warthogs, lions, zebras, white and black rhinos, elephants, and a ton more.
This computer is so slow that I can type a whole paragraph and watch it type each letter o-n-e- l-e-t-t-e-r- a-t- a- t-i-m-e.
Thanks to everyone who has kept in touch and sent me emails, texts and love.
***power shut off while I was writing, and I didn't get to post. figured I'd post it now since blogger saved it for me. I'll be happy to have reliable power/phone/bathroom services any day now***
Friday, March 6, 2009
the city of diamonds isn't all rough
"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
-Nelson Mandella
I'm going to Quentin Tarantino this a little bit...my mind is going a million miles a minute.
The first this I noticed was the smell of grass. It was overpowering and amazingly refreshing. It's been months since I've smelled grass.
Getting a ride from the airport to our hostel was a quick glimpse into the lifestyle differences between SA and what I'm used to.
While the grass is green and the palm trees are beautiful it's very clear that Johannesburg has more underlying struggle than it would like to live with. Houses have barred windows, tall concrete/brick/spiked fence walls around them and barbed wire or electric fences on top of that. Broken glass is everywhere and it is all but forbidden for a single person to leave the hostel alone...day or night. We are offered free shuttles everywhere and are told to not walk anywhere...even in large groups. Many people have been mugged numerous times in just minutes, and you can't even see it coming. This is truly just another jungle in Africa, and unless you have a gun you are not on the top of the food chain.
We arrived at 8pm wednesday night. It was barely noon at home. What an odd feeling. The hostel offers free rides everywhere, so naturally we phoned them for a ride 'home'. We quickly hit the ATM and watched as it spit out 5,000.00 Rand for us to split. Thats a bit over $500.
The flights were tiresome and long, and although we craved some relaxation I wasn't ready for bed when we arrived. It was indeed a very long 28 hours of traveling, but our airline was more than amazing offering full on demand movies, music, tv and video games at every seat. Food was abundant and delicious, and every now and then we took a few laps of the plain to keep from cramping up.
So...back to JoBurg. We took our seemingly small fortune back to the hostel (on the wrong side of the road the entire way...) and introduced ourselves to some of the other travelers and staff. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and the hostel is amazing. Pool, hot tub, bar, food every now and then and quite a bit of grass to lay out on and read a book. We got a brief tour, claimed our bunks in an 18 bed mixed dorm room and just chatted for the rest of the night. There was a 10pm food run adventure (apparently everything closes at 10 except gas stations so we got the African version of beef patties and snacks to tide us over.) Eventually it was time for bed, and the bunk was welcoming compared to the pushed together metal seats at Abu Dhabi International airport while laying over.
We woke up ready for breakfast, paid the 20R for our 'continental' breakfast and discovered it was toast, butter, dry corn flakes and tea. Lesson learned...go to the supermarket!
An afternoon adventure sounded like a plan, so Marissa and I accompanied an all girl field trip to the Apartheid Museum downtown. It was life altering.
They displayed photos, live videos and moving articles of the much too recent struggle against racism and corruption. People were still fighting within my lifetime!!! I almost cried watching videos of policemen killing men, women and children because they were black and for no other reason. It's a powerful history that still bubbles under the surface of this current culture. As a white tourist I feel very unwelcome many times throughout my short travels so far, and I hope the mood changes a bit as I move out of one of the hottest spots for violence and hate in the world.
The evening brought me running to the mall with Ivana (a fellow hostel-stayer from Argentina). We chatted in Spanish as I helped her pick out a cool sleeping bag and she helped me pick out a pre-paid cell phone.
We got back just in time to catch everyone heading out for dinner at this amazing German Pub. The food was exceptional, the owner tipsy, the mood fun and the local South African beers intoxicating. We finished the night off at the hostel bar and chatting in the hot tub. A good day and night all around.
Oh, and zero jet-lag here. Marissa (I think) may have suffered a touch of it but is fairing so well I can't even tell. Speeking of Marissa she rocks and I'm incredibly happy she's here with me. It's a completely different feel traveling with a girl and I love it. ***sorry Kev!***
Today is a relaxing day...Marissa and I wandered down the street a bit (cautiously) and found a bar/restaurant and got some local food. We each got 1/4 chicken chips and a salad meal for exactly 23R. The soda was 12R and we left a HUGE 8R tip. Total? the meal was $6 for both of us including tip. yum.
I guess to put things in perspective of prices down here I'll give you some numbers.
delish (HUGE) german dinner (pork chops) and beer...55R = $5.50
300 international minutes for my cell phone? 200R = $20
primaloft one sleeping bag that weighs less than a pound? 650R = less than $65
our awesome hostel with free shuttles etc = 70R a night...you get it.
the conversion is close to $1> 12R, but I've been rounding up for convenience.
Now...we have met some amazing people down here. Natives and travelers alike. And, to be honest, I can't imagine a better feeling than talking to a hesitant native SA'r and in just a few minutes having them open up and welcome us into a real conversation. I hate the immediate look of distrust that we get in most places, but it's amazing to get a smile and a hug from people who thought we were bad news. I hope it makes their day as much as it makes mine.
The landscape? beautiful. blue blue skies, green grass and endless fields contrasted by dry desert and rolling hills. The view of the city from our hostel is mesmerizing...during the day and night alike. It's a glittering gem that I hope can be uncovered and polished up a bit. This city has a lot to offer...but it also has a lot to overcome. Mines and quarries surround the city and remind everyone that should the diamonds dry up the city will as well...hopefully the local government is getting ready for a change of pace as many local mines are closing and unemployment is almost at 50%.
oh crap...out of time!
I miss you all and stay in touch!
=D
my cell is 27 7639 831 79 if anyone desperately needs to contact me. (don't forget the + in front of the number if you're calling from a cell phone!)
-Nelson Mandella
I'm going to Quentin Tarantino this a little bit...my mind is going a million miles a minute.
The first this I noticed was the smell of grass. It was overpowering and amazingly refreshing. It's been months since I've smelled grass.
Getting a ride from the airport to our hostel was a quick glimpse into the lifestyle differences between SA and what I'm used to.
While the grass is green and the palm trees are beautiful it's very clear that Johannesburg has more underlying struggle than it would like to live with. Houses have barred windows, tall concrete/brick/spiked fence walls around them and barbed wire or electric fences on top of that. Broken glass is everywhere and it is all but forbidden for a single person to leave the hostel alone...day or night. We are offered free shuttles everywhere and are told to not walk anywhere...even in large groups. Many people have been mugged numerous times in just minutes, and you can't even see it coming. This is truly just another jungle in Africa, and unless you have a gun you are not on the top of the food chain.
We arrived at 8pm wednesday night. It was barely noon at home. What an odd feeling. The hostel offers free rides everywhere, so naturally we phoned them for a ride 'home'. We quickly hit the ATM and watched as it spit out 5,000.00 Rand for us to split. Thats a bit over $500.
The flights were tiresome and long, and although we craved some relaxation I wasn't ready for bed when we arrived. It was indeed a very long 28 hours of traveling, but our airline was more than amazing offering full on demand movies, music, tv and video games at every seat. Food was abundant and delicious, and every now and then we took a few laps of the plain to keep from cramping up.
So...back to JoBurg. We took our seemingly small fortune back to the hostel (on the wrong side of the road the entire way...) and introduced ourselves to some of the other travelers and staff. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and the hostel is amazing. Pool, hot tub, bar, food every now and then and quite a bit of grass to lay out on and read a book. We got a brief tour, claimed our bunks in an 18 bed mixed dorm room and just chatted for the rest of the night. There was a 10pm food run adventure (apparently everything closes at 10 except gas stations so we got the African version of beef patties and snacks to tide us over.) Eventually it was time for bed, and the bunk was welcoming compared to the pushed together metal seats at Abu Dhabi International airport while laying over.
We woke up ready for breakfast, paid the 20R for our 'continental' breakfast and discovered it was toast, butter, dry corn flakes and tea. Lesson learned...go to the supermarket!
An afternoon adventure sounded like a plan, so Marissa and I accompanied an all girl field trip to the Apartheid Museum downtown. It was life altering.
They displayed photos, live videos and moving articles of the much too recent struggle against racism and corruption. People were still fighting within my lifetime!!! I almost cried watching videos of policemen killing men, women and children because they were black and for no other reason. It's a powerful history that still bubbles under the surface of this current culture. As a white tourist I feel very unwelcome many times throughout my short travels so far, and I hope the mood changes a bit as I move out of one of the hottest spots for violence and hate in the world.
The evening brought me running to the mall with Ivana (a fellow hostel-stayer from Argentina). We chatted in Spanish as I helped her pick out a cool sleeping bag and she helped me pick out a pre-paid cell phone.
We got back just in time to catch everyone heading out for dinner at this amazing German Pub. The food was exceptional, the owner tipsy, the mood fun and the local South African beers intoxicating. We finished the night off at the hostel bar and chatting in the hot tub. A good day and night all around.
Oh, and zero jet-lag here. Marissa (I think) may have suffered a touch of it but is fairing so well I can't even tell. Speeking of Marissa she rocks and I'm incredibly happy she's here with me. It's a completely different feel traveling with a girl and I love it. ***sorry Kev!***
Today is a relaxing day...Marissa and I wandered down the street a bit (cautiously) and found a bar/restaurant and got some local food. We each got 1/4 chicken chips and a salad meal for exactly 23R. The soda was 12R and we left a HUGE 8R tip. Total? the meal was $6 for both of us including tip. yum.
I guess to put things in perspective of prices down here I'll give you some numbers.
delish (HUGE) german dinner (pork chops) and beer...55R = $5.50
300 international minutes for my cell phone? 200R = $20
primaloft one sleeping bag that weighs less than a pound? 650R = less than $65
our awesome hostel with free shuttles etc = 70R a night...you get it.
the conversion is close to $1> 12R, but I've been rounding up for convenience.
Now...we have met some amazing people down here. Natives and travelers alike. And, to be honest, I can't imagine a better feeling than talking to a hesitant native SA'r and in just a few minutes having them open up and welcome us into a real conversation. I hate the immediate look of distrust that we get in most places, but it's amazing to get a smile and a hug from people who thought we were bad news. I hope it makes their day as much as it makes mine.
The landscape? beautiful. blue blue skies, green grass and endless fields contrasted by dry desert and rolling hills. The view of the city from our hostel is mesmerizing...during the day and night alike. It's a glittering gem that I hope can be uncovered and polished up a bit. This city has a lot to offer...but it also has a lot to overcome. Mines and quarries surround the city and remind everyone that should the diamonds dry up the city will as well...hopefully the local government is getting ready for a change of pace as many local mines are closing and unemployment is almost at 50%.
oh crap...out of time!
I miss you all and stay in touch!
=D
my cell is 27 7639 831 79 if anyone desperately needs to contact me. (don't forget the + in front of the number if you're calling from a cell phone!)
Monday, March 2, 2009
and it begins...
so we made it to the city safely...Marissa hung out at Grand Central while I went to the Chinese Consulate to get my visa. everything went smoothly (yes!!!!) and now I'm all set up for the last leg of my trip through China. I even bought my flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong and then the return trip from Beijing to NYC. I'll be home on the 28th of May. =D
but...there's plenty of time between now and then.
our flight leaves at 10am tomorrow so I need to go to bed.
it's sad to see things change and come to a close in some areas of my life, and then again it's refreshing to know that I'm here and ready to go wherever the world takes me.
officially...I'm ready for this. I'm excited, I'm amped, I'm a bit nervous (but it leads to me being a bit more cautious that I normally would be I suppose) and I'm totally ready.
bring it world.
goodnight New York.
goodnight USA.
tomorrow I sleep in Africa.
=D
ps. I'll miss everyone and PLEASE stay in touch. it means the world to me.
AND I'm sorry to everyone who I didn't get to say a decent goodbye to. I still love you all. <3
Brian. thank you. no matter what...it's been great.
but...there's plenty of time between now and then.
our flight leaves at 10am tomorrow so I need to go to bed.
it's sad to see things change and come to a close in some areas of my life, and then again it's refreshing to know that I'm here and ready to go wherever the world takes me.
officially...I'm ready for this. I'm excited, I'm amped, I'm a bit nervous (but it leads to me being a bit more cautious that I normally would be I suppose) and I'm totally ready.
bring it world.
goodnight New York.
goodnight USA.
tomorrow I sleep in Africa.
=D
ps. I'll miss everyone and PLEASE stay in touch. it means the world to me.
AND I'm sorry to everyone who I didn't get to say a decent goodbye to. I still love you all. <3
Brian. thank you. no matter what...it's been great.
Friday, February 27, 2009
the beginning.
so, here is the beginning of an incredible journey and an extraordinary adventure.
and lucky me...I'm along for the ride.
=]
and lucky me...I'm along for the ride.
=]
a surreal sense of time.
I've been tick-tocking for months now. well, really just a month or so.
I've been watching the days quickly fall away and saying over and over "this is coming", and yet here I am...unable to pack a bag.
I can't really focus on it.
well...at least I made a blog. it's a good start for a procrastinator like myself.
so. I guess I should write about how I'm feeling. but...how am I feeling? this whole thing seems so completely surreal that I really can't even convince myself that it's about to happen. this is just some story that someone told me and I've been repeating over and over. I'm nervous for a million reasons, but mostly I'm excited and incredibly curious.
I think I'm starting to get a case of pre-departure jitters. I'm sure that once this entire plan is set into motion I'll be so swept up in it that I won't have another chance to be nervous. but for now...yep.
I've been watching the days quickly fall away and saying over and over "this is coming", and yet here I am...unable to pack a bag.
I can't really focus on it.
well...at least I made a blog. it's a good start for a procrastinator like myself.
so. I guess I should write about how I'm feeling. but...how am I feeling? this whole thing seems so completely surreal that I really can't even convince myself that it's about to happen. this is just some story that someone told me and I've been repeating over and over. I'm nervous for a million reasons, but mostly I'm excited and incredibly curious.
I think I'm starting to get a case of pre-departure jitters. I'm sure that once this entire plan is set into motion I'll be so swept up in it that I won't have another chance to be nervous. but for now...yep.
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