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