Travel Diary
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Wednesday 29 July 2009
After a truly amazing two weeks in Cape Town we had learnt to surf, spent time with the cutest kids you could ever meet, seen beautiful beaches, sunsets, climbed to the top of two mountains and it seemed as though we had reached the top of the world. That was until the start of our road trip and the thrill-seeking section of our trip, in Plett...
We arrived on Saturday and were all pretty nervous about what we had in store after spending the first two weeks trying (and failing) to avoid the topic of conversation... it was the bungy! The world's biggest bungy to be precise!
It was honestly the scariest thing I have ever done in my life and probably the scariest thing I will ever do, but once you do it, it's the biggest adrenalin rush and I survived, unscathed apart from a few burst blood vessels in my eye! Small price to pay! So, we had jumped off a bridge on the Sunday and plunged a huge 216 metres!
The only thing that could top that on the following day was a skydive! It was a beautiful day, perfect for our first jump. Me and Vicki were the first to go up, the plane takes you to a staggering 10,000 ft and I am told when the door opened my face dropped suddenly as it hit me that I was about to throw myself out of this plane! But as soon as you do it you get the most incredible feeling of exhilaration. They call it an air-gasm! And you just want to do it again and again!
I'm not quite sure how Pepper can top that in the remaining two and a half weeks but somehow I think they will!
Love Fiona
Tuesday 28 July 2009
So we are now on our road trip in the Pepper Bus, the fun-bus that we have all got to know well. Whether we are riding in the front singing and dancing or riding in the back, we have had some awesome times in the bus.
Our first stop was Plett where we stayed in a n awesome apartment where me and Vicki got the coolest room by far. The view was incredible and I always got woken by the sunrise, but who even cares, it was so beautiful and very pink, my favourite colour! We’ve just been there for three days, the apartment was insane, I loved it. We watched rugby on the first day (Pippa and Doug are huge fans, it was hilarious, they kept talking to the TV at regular occasions) and I loved it because rugby guys are hot! We then went out for an awesome seafood dinner which was delicious.
The next day I spent the whole morning crying, because we were about to do the world’s highest bungy jump. I didn’t think I was going to do it, I was freaking out sooooo bad! It took me forever to get across the walkway as you could see where you were going to jump. But Pippa stayed with me the whole way and then like a hundred hours later I finally got there and I watched everyone jump, oh my GOD! Before I knew it I was on the edge and after a lot of persuasion, tears and reassurance they had to pick me up and drop me over the edge. I can’t even describe it, I screamed the whole way, you literally fall head first, oh my GOD! When the guy finally came to get me I drowned him out all the way with my screams until I was back on safe ground. One of the guys told me the oldest guy to jump was ninety five so I promised him I’d be back to see him when I’m ninety five! We celebrated everyone in the group doing the bungy by having an awesome braai and some amusing drinking games and then spent the rest of the night singing and dancing away. Doug’s dance moves were very individual and special.
The next morning we woke early to go whale-watching in kayaks and thanks to beginners’ luck, we spotted a couple of whales straight away. I did almost have a total heart attack when I saw the reflection of my paddle and thought it was a whale fin right underneath me. After more of my favourite (and now Danielle’s too) sushi and a couple of cocktails we headed to the next thing... sky diving!!! Oh my GOD!!!! That’s all I can say. We went up ten thousand feet and then jumped out of the plane and free-falled for 35 seconds before we put the parachute out but it felt like forever. I was so scared, oh my GOD!!! It was the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had, I still don’t really understand what was happening. We then went for a sunset picnic where we danced, took pictures, played Frisbee and saw two more whales and an incredible sunset.
Today we packed up and we’re now in the legendary bus heading to our next destination – so exciting! And we’ve even seen monkeys on the way! In a few hours we will be in Hogsback, ready for our very own Lord of the Rings experience.Till next time
Love Victoria
Saturday 25 July 2009
Our time in SA so far has been amazing and there has been barely a moment to spare. We have packed in so much in just two weeks including walking up Table Mountain, watching the sunset on pristine beaches, wine tasting, visiting penguins, making it to the most South Westerly point of Africa and enjoying local food in a township.
The nights have been just as good as the days, even getting some beach time in(!) We have learnt alot, especially VictoriaThe nights have been just as good as the days, even getting some beach time in(!) We have learnt alot, especially Victoria who recently made the discovery that Africa was not actually a country but an entire continent as well as the fact that you can’t contract AIDS from kissing people.
We are seriously looking forward seeing what the rest of the country has to offer once we embark on our road-trip and we are looking forward to spending some more time on the Pepper bus (which has already seen its fair share of action....)
We have now just arrived in Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route, bungy jump in the morning...highest in the world (are we crazy?!?)
Will write again soon,
Vicki, Victoria, Fiona and Danielle
Friday 24 July 2009
So our time in Cape Town is coming to a sad end but fortunately there is much to look forward to as we start our adventure up the coast tomorrow morning. This week has seen Vicki really out do herself with her talent in filmmaking as she has had the opportunity to put together all her footage (including a live performance) into an incredible behind the scenes clip of her new favourite band - the Cape Town based group, Ashtray Electric.
Victoria, Danielle and Fiona have spent the week at a local school in the valley of Hout Bay helping kids improve their English skills as well as having an opportunity to play some netball. The kids have been able to teach them a few things too - such as some traditional African dance moves.
Luckily the weather gods have given us a perfectly clear, sunny day to end off our time in Cape Town and we will be making the most out of it by doing a hike up Lion's Head followed by some cocktails while watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean.
The girls themselves have all put together a couple of stories to tell and hopefully these will be up on the blog by tomorrow morning. (Along with plenty photo's!) So keep checking to be up to date with the latest Pepper adventure.
Wild Coast and Indian Ocean here we come!
Pip and Doug.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
After three chilly days in the waves at Muizenberg, Danielle and Fiona were ready to make the step up to the beach break at Big Bay. With Table Mountain providing a perfect backdrop and the sun shining hot, the girls ventured out to the backline to mix it with the pros. A full day in the water paid dividends as we saw both Danielle and Fiona make awesome progress and by the end of the week's course they were both catching waves seemingly with ease. These guys put so much effort in and their results are testament to their perseverance and enthusiasm with a physically demanding and at times intensely frustrating sport. Good work girls!
In our other first week program, Victoria and Vicki have been busying themselves with their camera equipment and shooting local bands in some great locations around Cape Town. The guys have worked tirelessly to capture the perfect angles and film some great stuff on set and we look forward to seeing the finished articles in due course.
Despite such a busy first week, there was great determination to explore the city's pumping nightlife on the weekend. A seemingly never-ending thirst for dancing till you drop was quenched at a couple of top bars in Cape Town's most popular nightspot and I can sense that we'll have more of the same shortly. The nights out did not stop us packing in a huge amount during the days as we conquered Table Mountain on foot, toured a wine farm (+ tasting!) , visited a penguin colony and made it to the most south-westerly point of Africa.
We'll be updating this page again with more details shortly and will be posting a selection of photos from the first week in SA!
Cheers for now,
Pip and Doug
