Gap Year Experiences

Election Time

Wednesday 29 April 2009

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Election Time

Wednesday 29 April 2009

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Goodbye to Pepper Jan '09

Tuesday 14 April 2009

I can’t believe that Pepper Jan 09 is actually over. I have contemplated not actually getting on my flight but I guess all good things must come to an end. I can honestly say that I have had the best 3 months of my life and I have loved everything about it. I've met some awesome people and am so glad that I got to share this experience with you all. Each place we went to had its own special little "vibe" which made leaving one place easier because of the excitement about the next. I am definately going to miss the travelling lifestyle of having nothing to worry about. All that’s left to say is “SHAME eh” we’re leaving.

Love Lucy xxx


As the Pepper trip draws to a close there are so many things I could say about the time I’ve had over these three months, but essentially all you need to know is that we’ve all had some of the most incredible experiences of our lives, made some amazing new friends, and generally had a completely mind-blowing time. I’ve loved every place we’ve been to, each so different, with new people, new experiences and new activities along the way, which I think is one of the most amazing aspects of Pepper, the never ending variety ensures that there is never a dull day. I have completely fallen in love with this amazing country and I can’t wait to come back, but until then, roll on the reunion!

Love Jules xxxx


“Hows it, bru!” I’m so sad to be leaving South Africa, and ending this amazing trip. I have honestly had an incredible time and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Mule, Vince and Dougie have been so cool, and there is really no apparent divide between the leaders and the group. Carrie, Luce and Jules have been wicked to spend 3 months with, and even though we’ve had to live in such confined spaces with each other, we never bickered once, and have got on amazingly well. I’m going to miss them, the Pepper boys and everyone else we’ve met along the way, including Ricky, Ramsay, Snake, Dylan, Tammy and Stacey...just to name a few. I will definitely recommend the Pepper Experience to friends and family. Again many thanks to Pepper,

Love Eloise xxx



Well, what can I say? I'm sitting here typing this with less than an hour before we head off to the dreaded airport. I can't actually believe the 3 months is up and the Pepper Experience is over. This has been one of the best experiences in my life and I just can't put into words how amazing the trip has been. From the white water rafting, to firing a rifle, to our close elephant encounters, to surfing, scuba diving, jumping out of planes and of course lots and lots of partying - I can genuinely say I wouldn't change a thing. I have met some of the most incredible and coolest people along the way that I won't forget. But, I can say without a doubt that the most incredible people I have met have been the entire Pepper Group. My three girlies, El, Jules and Luce, I would have been lost without you girls, and of course the Pepper Boys, Doug, Vince and The Mule - I can't express how grateful we all are of your hard work, high spirits and your love of travelling. The only way I can describe the whole Pepper Trip from start to finish is absolutely perfect.

Lots of Love Carrie xxxx


Ricky has been an incredible addition to the Jan 09 Pepper Experience and will be sorely missed by all. His appetite for life, crazy backflips, juggling and endless guitar melodies have been a crucial part of the trip and it was awesome to get to know him. We wish him all the best with your RYA yachting course here in Cape Town and I hope you get your dream job on board a super yacht in Greece this summer! Keep in touch with us at Pepper.


Button joined us for the game reserves programme. Being a keen and well-informed birder he got fully involved with the programme! His renditions of a Pepper favourite, "day and night" around the camp fire will also be remembered for a long while to come. We wish him all the best back in London where we hear he is now working hard as an accountant!


"The Snake" was a very well loved member of the Pepper road trip from Durban to Hogs Back. Never short of a sarcastic chirp, he provided a great deal of amusement for all. He sends his love to all of you on the trip and requests that you all come back to South Africa soon and visit him in Joburg!

Francesca, who joined the Pepper team a while ago, made it out to South Africa for the first few weeks of the Jan 09 Pepper Experience experiencing the white water rafting orientation week and the game reserves. We are seriously glad she finally got to come out and see how incredible this country really is!

The last 90 days have honestly been everything I thought they might be and more. Covering 10,000 kilometres of this amazing country in the legendary Pepper Bus with an awesome group of guys has been an absolute pleasure. From stunning mountain hikes to walking with rhino and spending time with impoverished orphaned kids, Pepper really does give you a unique access to some of South Africa’s hidden gems. The group atmosphere was dominated by an endless thirst for adventure and I can’t believe its given us the chance to scuba dive with tiger sharks, jump out of planes and off a very very high bridge. I will never forget these 3 months and the experiences shared with Lucy, Carrie, Jules and El and everyone else along the way. Thanks go to Vince and Johnny for creating such an incredible trip and here’s to doing it again and again and again!

cheers Doug

After my 6 weeks with all of you, sitting back in the UK office and reading the constant updates about the trip has been awesome. From all the reports flowing back into the office it definitely sounds like an amazing end to the trip and that you loved Cape Town as much as I hoped!
I’ll be catching up on the gossip with everyone who is now back home over the next few weeks, but for the moment I just wanted to say I can’t believe that its over already! Being charged by rhinos, swimming with sharks and travelling with all you guys was incredible and as Jules says, roll on the reunion!

cheers Vince

I flew in to South Africa half way through the trip, taking over the reigns from Vince, in Durban for the start of the 2 week Road Trip down to Cape Town. Driving through the remote Transkeei villages with mountains on one side and the crystal clear ocean on the other side, with tunes playing and a look of excitement and anticipation on the faces of all in the Pepper bus quickly reminded me of how lucky we are to be involved with Pepper.

Sitting here in our Cape Town office and reflecting on the last few months I wanted to take this opportunity to touch on a few of the more special moments and achievements of the Jan 09 Pepper Experience. First of all Ricky's gymnastics which he performed on the beach at Plett, midway through the road trip. He was apparently going for a move he had never quite mastered. We watched as a combination of various cart-wheels and back flips were strung together across the sand and into the shallow water. We look forward to this being added to the Pepper DVD!

Lucy's decision to take the plunge into the Durban ocean armed with simply an oxygen tank, mask and fins whilst tiger sharks swam around her is another unbelievable achievement. This is one of the more rare and high adrenaline activities on offer on the Pepper Experience and it takes a hell of a lot of courage.

I remember talking to Carrie on the phone in the UK before she came out to South Africa and she had seemed very hesitant about scuba diving, having only experienced the bottom of Maidstone's chalk pit which doesn't leave much to the imagination. She quickly overcame her fear of the sport and went on to complete her PADI Open Water Diving certificate at one of the world's top spots enabling her to dive anywhere in the world.

Surfing is a sport which requires a great deal of determination in the early stages as it is technically challenging and can be very frustrating. Eloise however never failed to give up and was found enthusiastically joining us on a number of dawny surfs at some intimidating breaks throughout the trip. It was awesome to see how quickly she progressed out here in SA.

The thought of the world's highest bungee jump never fails to lurk in the back of the minds of Pepper travellers. Some join the trip with an arrogant attitude but I can assure you these opinions transform quite swiftly as we approach the bridge and look down the gauge at the Bloukrans River 116 metres below. This year everyone in the Pepper group conquered their fears which I found remarkable. Jules, having just been winched up by her ankles and being unstrapped on the platform, looked at me saying "I need to do it again backwards"! Without any delay she was being strapped up and supported by the staff as she hopped back towards the edge once more except this time facing backwards and looking at the crowds - "3,2,1, Bungee" and she was airborne again.....absolutely ridiculous!

To all of you on this trip, it has been incredible to get to know you all and make sure you keep in close contact with us at Pepper - we look forward to watching the DVD and reminiscing at the reunion. Thanks to all of you that have been closely following the trip and reading this diary.

cheers for now,

Johnny

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Pepper's Final Week in Cape Town

Wednesday 8 April 2009

I am writing to you from Pepper’s Cape Town office a little over 36 hours since we bid our farewells to the group at the airport. Jules is still out here in SA, reclining with family friends before flying to Thailand for 3 more months’ adventure in South East Asia and we wish her safe onward travels. Ricky is also still in SA, embarking on his RYA Dayskippers and Competent Crew courses before finding a job on a super yacht in Greece. It honestly feels very strange not spending every day together and I can’t believe you guys are back in spring-time south-east England. It was an emotional last week and we managed to pack in crazy amounts of adventure, both during the days and at night.

Our last night was a relatively relaxed affair which took place at the Banana Jam Cafe, a Carribean-styled restaurant which we had almost to ourselves but that fitted the mood perfectly. Despite our excesses the night before at Vince's sister Pippa's welcome home house party, we still managed a last few daiquiri's and two rounds of shots as prizes for best efforts and most amusing moments from the course of the trip. Reminiscing as we did, it's quite unbelievable to think just how much we've crammed into the last 90 days and a little slideshow of some of the best photos of the trip prompted some good memories and funny stories.

The last week started with a day of indulgence. We headed to Canal Walk, Century City, for some big spending in the shops and then to the luxurious 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa. Nestled into the mountain side with great views out over the ocean, the girls all treated themselves to a deep tissue head, neck and shoulder massage to relieve all that built up stress and tension from their 3 months on the road! Crazy good value for money and dips in the jacuzzi and plunge pool only just scored more highly than the sight of Johnny prancing around in a pristine white robe and slippers sipping on a strawberry juice.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw us pick up the pace once more with outings to a nearby lake for some extreme wake-boarding and a 2nd sky dive for adrenaline junkies Carrie, Lucy and the first for JB. If we hadn't had to contend with fierce winds and resulting choppy water I'm sure we would have seen some “rad” tricks on the board from El and Carrie but as it was the way they took to it like naturals I'm sure it won't be their last time on a wakeboard. We also had time to watch how it’s really done with our pro wakeboarder, Andrew Bourne, pulling off some ridiculous stunts including back flips and landing facing backwards with the rope between his legs. All this despite holding back before he takes part in the South African Championships this weekend. As for the skydivers, the fact that Lucy and Carrie were talking about starting up their own jump school in Clapham for some urban skydiving I think says it all about just how much they love hurtling through the air at 120mph and yes, we could again hear Carrie's screams from 2 miles below on the ground!

After a final tan top up day on the picture perfect Llandudno beach we headed out for our fourth and final Tiger Tiger night out and despite the longest queue ever to get in, we kept our spirits up and lasted until the place shut and we reluctantly made our ways home. This place has inked itself into my memory for nights out with this party mad group of adventure travellers and I know I speak for both myself and Johnny when I say that we have been carried along on the never-ending wave of energy and determination of these guys to party as hard as this town allows, and it allows a lot. There will definitely be an extended recovery session for the trip leaders starting right about now.

In keeping with the drinking theme, we filled Saturday with a day tour of the stunning wine lands region. As one of the best known wine growing regions in the world, this place has literally hundreds of individual wine farms. We managed to fit in some tasting at four different spots, all with spectacular views of the vineyards and surrounding mountains. From Cabernet Sauvignons to Viognier, we tried the lot. We listened intently to the enthusiastic explanations of the hostesses and tried to keep our concentration as the afternoon went on but we definitely all learned something and I for one can't wait to go back.

Reflecting on the trip as a whole and as clichéd as it might sound, I can't believe it's over, it has been an unforgettable 3 months and that is all down to these Pepper travellers having been so much fun, a pleasure to share the amazing places we've seen and awesome times we've had together. It only remains for me to thank all involved in making this trip what it was. I wish everyone all the best for more travelling, uni, jobs and more. As Carrie said, bring on the reunion!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the photos to come.

Byeeee, Doug

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Summer in Cape Town!

Sunday 5 April 2009

After a sun packed weekend at the beach and the cricket the girls woke up to another cloudless sky and decided there was only one thing for it – the beach! Armed with a picnic lunch and plenty sun-cream I thought I’d never seen them so happy, and then they spotted the sun-loungers. This was tanning at its most dedicated and I think the photos show that it’s paying off.

On Tuesday we ventured down the peninsula to Cape Point. The Table Mountain National Park stretches right down to the most south-westerly point in Africa and is home to surely the world’s most fearless and cheeky baboons. I think the sight of a big daddy baboon jumping through an open car window and popping out seconds later with lunch under one arm and a bottle of juice in its mouth will stay with us for a while. Hilarious to us, not so funny for the young couple and baby who would be going hungry.

Despite the group’s not so muffled groans when told of the twenty minute walk to the lighthouse the view was most definitely worth it. Small sail boats cruising around the Cape of Good Hope provided pleasing photo opportunities and everyone had worked up an appetite for a big lunch at the Cape to Cuba restaurant overlooking the picturesque Kalk Bay. This place definitely gets a strong recommendation for anyone with some time to spare in Cape Town; great food and cocktails, wacky waitresses and some pretty unique décor, which is also for sale for anyone with an afro-cuba taste.

Wednesday and Thursday was a mixture of shopping malls and beaches before a second Thursday night out at Tiger Tiger. A venue with all the requirements for a night out; big dance floor, cheap drinks and lots of party people, this was just as big as the previous week’s if not bigger and I’ve got a safe bet that says we’ll be there again this Thursday, especially if Carrie has anything to do with it! As a result, Friday was a total change of pace and we all relaxed (or snored in some cases – no names Lucy!) through an afternoon dvd session.

On Saturday we diluted the beach time with a visit to the Old Biscuit Mill Market in Woodstock. Set in a slightly more run-down part of town than the backpackers and nightspots we’d been to, this bustling mass of people were as happy sniffing out bargain clothes items as reclining to watch a public wine and mushroom tasting session – a very different morning indeed. The evening’s entertainment came courtesy of Stacey, our very own pro-surfer friend and co-instructor from our time at the Secret Spot way back in Durban. Live bands in the form of some pretty heavy rock and a mixture of more jaegerbombs and B52s made for another crazy night out on the madness that is Long Street on a weekend night.

The week’s activities clearly took their toll by Sunday as we opted for the cable car route up Table Mountain as supposed to any number of different hiking trails. A stunning view of the city was followed by yet another picture perfect sunset but even better than this, in hindsight, was the experience of eating at the Bayside Café in Camps Bay. Some of the best steaks and ribs you’re ever likely to see, especially this close to the sea. An emotional drive back to the lodge followed as the realisation that there was only one week of the trip to go dawned on the group. However this was immediately offset by the unanimous decision to make these last seven days as incredible as possible. Evidence of this to come in the next blog…

Doug