Travel Diary

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Battle at the Kruger

Friday 30 November 2007

Hey....
short post today.....check out this amazing youtube video from the Kruger National Park game reserve in SA. Must be one of the most insane videos I've seen in a while. Its 8 min long..but trust me, its worth watching until the end!

Johnnys b-day and a heart shaped forest

Wednesday 28 November 2007

Today is Johnnys birthday, so for all of you who speak to him today, wish him a great one. At the moment he is travelling the length of the UK visiting unis and letting everyone know about our one month trips in July next year. He was in Edinburgh last night and and from what I've heard a pretty good time was had by everyone who popped in at Brass monkeys to say hi.
If you're keen to have a few drinks and chat to us about our uni trips check out the facebook group for Pepper Adventure-Travel to see when we're gonna be in your area.

Back in SA we've had some horrific weather over the last 2 weeks but it looks like it might be clearing up with today being an absolute stunner. Bright sunshine, no wind..a perfect beach day and thats where I'm heading the minute I get through this post!


I stumbled across an interesting project on facebook the other day and I really liked it, so I thought I would share it with you: Its called tree nation. Their goal is to plant 8 million trees in the Niger desert in the shape of a heart. Apparently this heart-shaped indigenous forest will be big enough to be seen from space! Now, you often hear of publicity stunts and a large number of facebook groups are complete bull but this one got my interest cos it seems like a bunch of people that are genuinely trying to make a bit of a difference. They have planted over 5000 trees already and their goal is not only to make a statement about how our earth is slowly going down the toilet but at the same time to help out some of the local people in Niger. It sounds like a really awesome thing to be doing so anyone whos interested, join up with them on facebook on:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6626647710
or check out their website at:
www.tree-nation.com

Thats me done and off to the beach!
Vince

La Med and the Sunday night crowd

Wednesday 21 November 2007

It’s raining in Cape Town again! After an amazing weekend we have now been hit by a cold front that feels like the middle of winter. I'm sitting here looking out at waves of rain..in the process of getting to grips with the new IT system that’s been set up for Pepper. I cannot get my mind round how these guys design this stuff. Its like they see the matrix or something. There are fields in the accounting module that I'm not even sure what language they're in. If anyone could tell me what an ANA code is, I would really appreciate it! And a "discount matrix"? Anyway, Pepper is slowly moving forward into the scary world of servers and realtime user interfaces! The amount of time I've been spending in front of the computer lately is starting to get a bit depressing...the highlight of my week so far has been the purchase of a new Skype headset....let the good times roll!


Occasionally however I get the chance to leave the computer for 10 minutes and Sunday night was one of these occasions. I ended up joining a few friends at a Cape Town summer hotspot..La Med. Now I haven't been there in years but I was really impressed on Sunday. They've revamped the place and done a really impressive job at it. The setting is unbeatable and the pizzas are some of the best around. A few sundowners and a bit of dinner at La Med followed by a night out on the Camps Bay strip provides some fun times that will take a lot to beat! Anyway..so Sunday we are standing around having a few pre-drinks on the outside deck at La Med when this deranged cackle starts up behind me. That was the first thing I noticed. A very close second was some of the worst breath I have ever smelt on a human being. In fact before I turned around (and judging from the cackle and the stench) I was almost positive that it wasn't a human being. I was almost correct. I'm not sure if you will ever be able to imagine this properly but I'm going to try describing it to you anyway: He looked about 40 (was probably 25). Long, dark, greasy hair...way too much sun on his face (the special leather look that you generally only see on the beach in the south of France). A flannel collared shirt with the sleeves cut off, unbuttoned to reveal an interesting pattern of chest hair and a special physique (inverted pectorals and a beer belly). Very short denim shorts and to finish off this amazing look, a bright orange pair of crocs. What really got our attention however was how he had stuck his head out like some sort of crow and was leaning over my mate Mikes shoulder attempting to get involved in our conversation. We had just been talking about the beach and this had obviously got his attention because he was just standing there with his head stuck out repeating the word beach over and over and cackling madly at the same time. He looked like the sort of guy that wanders around late night bars looking to spike young girls drinks. I think maybe he may have spiked his own drink on Sunday because he was in a very special place. Between the cackling, mumbling and general all round smell that surrounded him, someone managed to ask his name.

"um..Andrew..no no....ah Colin...f*&^ I'm not sure bru!..hahahahahahah!!!!!"

He had actually managed to forget his name..very very special...its an interesting crowd at La Med on Sunday night. Who needs tv..you couldn't dream up entertainment like this!!

Sipping Jetstreams

Sunday 18 November 2007

Travel keeps you young. It does this by putting you is situations that make you feel like a child again. Magically lost in a moment of discovery. Beautifully confused. It could be the first time you awaken to the 5 AM call to prayer from the local Mosque on Moroccos far Atlantic shore, the first time you feel the weight of the Egyptian sun on your shoulders, the first time you paddle out over the shallow reefs of the Caribbean or the first time you realise that people living in squalor can achieve happiness just as easily as those living in mansions. These are lifes opportunities to shed the hustle of modernity, to join the moment and stop sprinting towards some prefabricated goal. Your heart races. Your metabolism shifts into a lower gear. Everything is new again.

I love this little quote. I wish I could say I wrote it but it is actually from a travel/surf film called "sipping jetstreams". It really makes you feel like getting up and just going. Hope it inspires you to take some time out and hit the world. For me, that time is going to be the 3 months starting on January 29 when our 3 Month Experience kicks off...to say I'm excitited is a huge understatement!

Vince

Surfing in the rain

Friday 9 November 2007

I've just come back from a surf in the rain. I love surfing in the rain..it's the most amazing feeling sitting out in the ocean with rain coming down and bouncing off the water all around you. Was a very chilled surf..nice and relaxing. That was until we got back to the car and somehow managed to lock our keys in it. In case you have any doubts about it, its not that fun being wet and standing in freezing wind trying to devise some way of getting into your car! Eventually, with the help of a broomstick and some old wire (don't ask) we managed to unlock one the doors. The simple joy of being in a warm car cannot be overstated! Cape Town has been hit by a pretty big cold front and the weather is more like the middle of winter at the moment. I shouldn't be wearing so much clothing in the middle of November! Global warming is seriously messing things up!

Johnny has just spent the last few days in Cardiff at the GOWales expo. Was a really productive few days...Thanks to all of you that stopped in to say hi to him! He is definitely looking forward to getting over here in January for the start of our 3 Month Experience. I think that the start of winter is starting to take its toll on him.

Thats all from me today...
Vince