Gap Year Experiences

the AMAZING pepper group says goodbye to the Secret Spot

Saturday 29 March 2008

I apologise most profusely for the huge gap between this and my last post but its so easy to lose track of time around here. When I asked George yesterday what day it was, he answered with all seriousness that it was the 20th of March. So somewhere along the line he has managed to lose a week. This week has been full of activity.

Easter was good and was kicked off with an early morning surf and a easter egg hunt in the huge garden at the Secret Spot. We have got into a routine of a 6 AM wakeup and a dawn patrol surf and the waves have been delivering with some really good mornings, There's nothing quite like coming out of a great surf and its 8 AM with the whole day in front of you.

After breakfast we have been heading out to a nearby childrens shelter where everyone has spent the day helping out. Enzo and George have been very busy putting their DIY skills to the test, fixing everything frojnt broken windows and doors to replacing leaky plumbing. The girls have spent their days helping out with the 150 kids that are at the shelter each day. The did an amazing job of reorganising the shelters library (a hugely appreciated job!) and of entertaining the kids with everything from dancing competitions to art projects to merely running around playing tag. It has been a great week at the shelter and from the goodbye that everyone got (including a song from the staff) our time there was really appreciated. It was really good for everyone in the group to see a different side of South Africa and to learn a bit of Zulu along the way. It was a great experience and I think that everyone gained a lot from it.

In between all the surfing and time at the shelter, we have been into Durban quite a lot with visits to the huge UShaka Aquaruim and water park and the group has also managed to fit in a few nights out at the local club. We also squeezed in a last dive in perfect conditions (25 meter visibility) and a final meal at the empire! On staurday we went to a concert just down the road, in an indigenous tree nursery by 2 acoustic guitarists. Very chilled but awesome! Last night we had an amazing farewell dinner with our hosts at the Secret Spot, Mike and Rozz. It has been an incredible 2 weeks here and I can't believe that its gone so fast but we have to move on. There is a Super14 rugby match on at Kings Park stadium in Durban tonight so we will be spending 1 more night in the city so we can go to the match and then heading inland into the Drakensberg mountains tomorrow. Should be a good night as rugby in Durban is serious business and the atmosphere at Kings Park is unbeliveable.

Vince

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The secret spot surf camp

Thursday 20 March 2008

Monday morning we arrived at our surf camp, 30 min north of Durban and its been a busy week so far! We are staying in the most beautiful lodge hidden among indigenous trees with the beach below us and the sound of waves sending you to sleep at night. We will be here for just under 2 weeks and we have a busy programme while we're here. The week so far has consisted of lots of surfing and time on the beach. we have also manged to squeeze in a few trips to Durban and yesterday we visited the flowrider, which is an amazing man made wave situated just outside Durban. It's incredibly fun but my body is feeling the effects of a few wipe outs today. Today we are on our way out to spend our first day at a local childrens shelter with the whole group looking forward to helping out and meeting all the kids, it should be a great afternoon. At the same time as all of the above, we are completing some diving and will be heading off to Aliwal Shoal, just down the coast for a 7 AM start tommorrow. All in all, life is pretty good!

Cheers

Vince

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Lightning and some SCUBA

Monday 17 March 2008

Hello from a cloudy Durban! The last week has been all about diving and some surfing and a few nights out with a little bit of rain thrown in. The beginning of the week was spent by a few of the group doing their PADI Open Water diving qualification while the rest of us enjoyed the sunshine and a few waves. On Tuesday we joined the group on the PADI course for a dive on Aliwal Shoal. Thursday was a day off from diving as the conditions weren't great so we spent it at a big shopping mall taking in a few movies while the girls looked around for new bikinis. Hattie who'd had a few issues overcoming her fear of breathing underwater completed her first ocean dive in what one of the instructors described as the the worst conditions he's ever had on the reef. An incredibly impressive feat for someone who two days earlier was nervous about getting in the pool. It was an awesome effort from Hattie! Thursday night there was a massive thunderstorm and it rained all night. There was huge amounts of lightning with some coming down right next our lodge. Check out the video below.

On Friday we had a really good night out at Joe Cools in Durban. An amazing South African group called Goldfish were playing and fun was had by all! On Saturday we moved into Durban and have spent the last 2 days visiting the beach and getting some good surfing done. There has been a bit of rain around but the cold front that came through is meant to be clearing today so fingers crossed for some good sunshine!

Vince

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Farewell to Marisa

Wednesday 12 March 2008

I thought I would mention a few of my highlights of her time with us:

Her decision to see what soap tastes like in Cape Town
Her constant salsa dancing, anywhere and everywhere (I swore that she would never rope me into it, until I suddenly realised that I was being whisked around the Caprice dance floor one Sunday night)
Her phone being lost, all the time...including a memorable quote: "damn! I think I've just flushed my phone down the toilet" Marisa, how you still have that phone, I will never know!
The look on her face just before she bungy jumped :)
Her mischevious side that first came out at a sushi restuarant in Cape Town and just got worse from there.
Her sneezing and hiccupping...endless hours of humour!
Her laughing fits...particularly at Johnnys fear of bugs.

Marisa, it was amazing travelling with you for the last 6 weeks. We have already had a number of phone calls and texts from you, so hopefully you're missing everyone here as well. Apparently she's spending her days (and nights) drinking free cocktails at Caprice so Cape Town is obviously treating her well!

Oh yeah, and I still owe you one for my chocolate!
Vince

Have a look at Marisa's farewell post on the groups blog at www.experiencejan08.blogspot.com

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A visual feast!

Tuesday 11 March 2008

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