Cape Town, Western Cape

I can't remember the dates anymore, and this is what happens when your telephone lines decide to break, and it takes the telephone company weeks to come and repair it. I had no Internet for a while, my apologies.

The main thing to do when traveling is going on a tour buss. You listen to the audio, it drives you around so you won't get lost, saves gas, and its not expensive. All the most important travel locations are discussed, the history is told, and you can find out where the hot spots are.

Nicole and I saw everything on the tour bus, but only visited a few places.

The District Six Museum is extremely interesting, mainly because I saw District 9, the movie. History is much more interesting to me than fiction, but both intrigue me. The most exciting part about going to the District Six Museum is the little details placed everywhere in the museum. All along the walls pieces of everyday items are plastered into the walls, there are also little stories about people who lived in District Six written on papers on the walls. Beautiful. When entering the museum, there is a large map of District Six on the floor. Photos of what circumstances the people had to live in is actually quite devastating, but also very interesting. Its like watching a documentary on the Holocaust. Best thing that happened there was that we got in for free because we got there 30 minutes before the museum closed, and I bought a book (that I still haven't read) that was written by the man that opened the museum, Ismail Noordien, or so "he said".



The Castle of Good Hope is my dream house, a bit big, but I'll adopt hundreds of children and inhabit all of it. Smiley face. Its an extraordinary building named a castle, but is in fact a fort. They have a few museums in there, the one is about Cape Town culture and features the "Kaapse Klopse", the other is preserved as the lord of the house furnished it, and the last one, my favorite, is all about military. They have loads of old naval/army uniforms, weapons, etc. After walking through one of the museums, I told a lady that works there "Its a bit big, but I'll take it". Stunned. Oh, and of my favorite spots, if you walk through the castle, there's a pond with a fountain. I want to live there. Sad face.



Table Mountain Cableway, its expensive. To me it was a waste of time and money, although the view is great, the view at God's Window was better. I'm just not a beach person. Food and drink is expensive, so stop somewhere before you go. Another crappy thing is that students only get discount on Fridays, so, I know we weren't there on a Friday. There is a memorial thing at the top which I thought was very neat. Oh, and the cable-car rotates, scary as hell.



We had lunch in some garden thing, right next to the Aquarium... There's a big, fat, very slow squirrel there. He wants food. Oh, and the post cards aren't protected or well looked after. Grin. Food was good, way too much, made me sleepy. But the garden was beautiful. And there's a monument of some important guy that I took a photo with. Wish I could remember who.



The other amazing thing, we drove around for 30 minutes trying to find these houses, and now for the love of me I can't remember what they're called, and that's perhaps why the locals gave us evil eyes.



Keep coming back, I should be uploading a lot more soon.

Oops, almost forgot:



:P

Pretoria, Gauteng

I just realized that I haven't put the blogs in order... Ok, so the day after Nicole landed (Tuesday), we went to see Pretoria, Church Square, Paul Kruger Museum, and the day after that (Wednesday) the Voortrekker Monument.

Church Square's architecture is amazing. I love the feeling of being surrounded by old buildings. The only downside of going there is the fact that its over crowded, surrounded by homeless people, its dirty, and the doves, like in Central Park, have become pests. A nice place to visit is Cafe Riche, the oldest cafe in Pretoria. They have imported beers from all over the world, traditional South African food, and Oom Paul coffee. Oom Paul coffee is served in what looks like a soup bowl. Its brilliant!



The Paul Kruger Museum is all about our first president. The museum was his house, and as far as I know, all of the objects are original. I love the old things, as I've said before, and it was a must see. Nicole wasn't that impressed, probably because she's not into museums. But as always, I do what I want to do.



The Voortrekker Monument is HUGE! Its has a lot of information about the pioneers that migrated throughout South Africa. Be prepared to walk a lot, climb stairs, see amazing views, and be blown away when you look down from the very top onto the "empty grave" that reads "ONS VIR JOU SUID-AFRIKA".



I LOVE MY HERITAGE!

Pure Venom Reptile Park, KwaZulu Natal

We went on Tuesday, it was raining, but absolutely worth it. The advertisements say that its the biggest reptile park in Africa... Its not! It still has a lot of amazing snakes, crocodiles, alligators, and a few other reptiles. Nicole and I also got to take photos with an Burmese Python. Awesome!



Touted as the biggest reptile farm in Africa, Pure Venom Reptile Park lies just inland from Shelly Beach on a beautiful, old estate in Izotsha, surrounded by huge wild olive trees that date back to the 1800s. The reptile park, as its name suggests, has an incredible collection of indigenous and exotic reptiles and it’s an ideal way to get up close and personal with a series of snakes, iguanas and crocodiles on the Hibiscus Coast.



At the Pure Venom Reptile Park one comes face to face with a whole range of interesting snake facts about which one knew little before, including the fact that egg-eating snakes have teeth in their necks and mole snakes have up to ninety five babies! You can have a photo taken holding a python, mamba, cobra or a viper (if you’re brave enough) and the park includes nine species of rattlesnake, the largest variation of this species outside of America, as well as five species of crocodile.



Pure Venom Reptile Park just happens to be set on the part of the country’s coast that supports the most unique live reptile collection in South Africa. At the park you’re also able to get a bird’s eye view of the mating and courtship rituals of gaboon vipers, boomslang and mambas, and, despite their reputation for not breeding easily in captivity, the park has bred the highly threatened giant sungazer lizard. There are guided tours, daily snake demonstrations and on Sundays the highly fascinating crocodile and alligator feeding, should you enjoy such enormous displays of appetite.

Kruger National Park

Well, Saturday became pantsless Saturday in the Kruger National Park, it was about 42 degrees Celcius. HOT!

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers 18,989 square kilometres (7,332 sq mi) and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west.



To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique. It is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Kruger National Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.



The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere, an area designated by the United Nations Education and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere").



The park has 9 main gates that allow entrance to the different camps. The names of these gates are Paul Kruger Gate, Numbi Gate, Malelane Gate, Crocodile Bridge Gate, Punda Maria Gate, Orpen Gate, Phalaborwa Gate, Phabeni Gate and Pafuri Gate.



We went in by Malelane Gate, came out at Crocodile Bridge Gate. We had to speed to get out, it was raining heavily, and there is a certain time you need to be out... If I remember correctly it was 19:00.

Traveller's note: just say you're South African, they only check the driver's ID, otherwise you're going to pay R180 per day instead of local rates of R45.

Mpumalanga

Ok, so the road trip started on Monday, we went to Mpumalanga on Thursday, and left on Saturday. Nicole and I went to:

Pinnacle Rock is a tall column of weathered quartzite littered with bright aloes. It rises 30m above the indigenous forest in the surrounding Driekop gorge. A source of the Ngwaritsana river cascades through the dark depths of the narrow cleft on the right at the head of the gorge.



God's Window at an altitude of 1730 m, offers magnificent views across the Lowveld, Kruger National Park and the Lebombo mountain range in the distance. The nature reserve at God’s Window includes a rain forest and beautiful Aloe gardens scattered with large outcrops of sandstone, weathered into haunting prehistoric shapes. A trail leads through the rain forest along the escarpment edge towards Wonder View affording panoramic views over a vast expanse of the Lowveld.



Bourke's Luck Potholes at the confluence of the Treur and Blyde rivers is one of the most remarkable geological phenomena in the country .Through millions of years, the swirling whirlpools which occur at the confluence, have caused water born sand and rocks to grind deep cylindrical potholes into the bedrock of the rivers.The potholes are named after Tom Burke who recognised the gold potential of the area. He became involved with the mining enterprise which owned the properly. However, there is an element of irony in the name, as the main find of gold was not on their ground but on the opposite side of the river.




Lisbon Falls are a spectacular 95m treble cascade that tumbles into the dark green pools far below. Lisbon creek is typical of the area where early diggers panned for gold.



Three Rondavels View Site affords magnificent views of the famous peaks of quartzite and shale, known as the three rondavels while the Blydepoort dam lies calm arid serene far below. The poort or mouth of the canyon lies between Swadini and Mariepskop, which was once the scene of a great battle between Swazi raiders from the south and local Bapedi and Mapulana tribesman, who used the flat crest of the mountain as a place of refuge and a fortress whenever they were attacked. The Bapedi and Mapulana tribes became tired of the continual Swazi raids and under the leadership of Chief Maripi Mashile, they climbed to the top of the mountain peak opposite Swadini and bombarded the Swazis with large boulders in what became known as the battle of Moholoholo, 'the great, great battle '. The Swazis were heavily defeated and thereafter the mountain was named Maripi in honour of the Mapulana chief.



The Echo Caves are some of the oldest caves in the world and were declared a Historical Monument. The caves are so called because the local people used one of the stalactites as a drum to warn of any approaching Swazi. As these caves extend for some 40 km, the sound travelled for surprisingly long distances and the people could take refuge in the caves. From an archaeological point of view, the caves are truly fascinating as finds here confirm the legend that strangers may years ago in long white robes came to look for gold and to barter with the inhabitants. Some of the finds are exhibited at the Museum of Man. One of the rooms of the cave has a height of 60m! There are guided tours through 2km of tunnels viewing impressive stalagmites and stalactites. New discoveries include the Madonna and the Crystal Palace. The Echo Caves are the least well known of the limestone caves. Therefore, the advantage is that fewer people visit them and you may be lucky enough to enjoy this amazing underworld with just your guide.



Blyde River Canyon. A scenic spectacle, the Blyde River Canyon lies within the 27,000 hectares of the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, a 57 km belt which runs north from Graskop along the escarpment. Owing to variations in altitude, temperature and-rainfall, a great diversity of vegetation occurs. On the high-lying southern section which has a high rainfall, extensive grassy slopes and dense areas of rain forest with yellow wood, boekenhout, forest silver trees, etc. and ferns are to be found. The central area has mixed Sour Bush veld and thorn trees, while the northern area and foothills are known as the Lowveld Sour Bush veld.



Ok, so I got the info off a website, but the pictures were taken by us. So when traveling through Mpumalanga, just remember, you have to pay to see everything, which is quite irritating, and its only cash accepted. Keep cash with you. Then also, there are little markets everywhere, and they are the cheapest places to buy souvenirs (if you bargain). And if you buy souvenirs, ask them if they make the items themselves or if they buy to sell. The people who make it themselves deserve the money, and the people who buy and sell won't bargain with you.

IT'S A MUST SEE!

Long time no blog

It's been a while since I wrote on here, and its about time that I start again. So many things have happened, so many things haven't happened yet.

Well, I went to the bush for 3 weeks to "study", then I wrote my tests, and then I worked for a little bit, and then my German friend visited me for our road trip for 21 days, and now I started working again, and my dad gave me a speech about how I need to look for a job, and I need to go to church or find myself a new place to live.

Here's what I think about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rwioe1SGkQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

The pig and I

I went to the bushveld for three weeks, and in my amazing fruitless travels a warthog came to visit me daily.

She was cute, alone, and extremely intimidating. I sat with her one day, talking about a certain obsessive someone that isn't me and found that we were very alike. She would come to me, expecting something (usually food) similarly to me. I always go somewhere expecting something... Why else would I go somewhere? And after she got what she came for she would either hang around waiting for more or leave when she is satisfied. In her greediness, she also tried to eat the chair, a leaf, and my car keyes. Trying to ex ploit me and get all that she could out of me. Bloodsucker. She storms and snorts at a victim to protect herself or scare her apponents off, even if it is the hand that feeds her.

Solitude isn't something that I envy, but I do adore it sometimes, all I need to work on is controlling my emotions that so many times have burnt bridges. I also need to start saying what I think.

Crisis strikes again.

There's a guy that wants to marry me, after only starting to know me for about a month now. After a week of meeting him, I got an "I love you", a week after that "I miss you" (I was in the bush for three weeks), the third week "you would fit in perfectly with my family" and then last week "I printed a photo of you and hung it in my room".

What's wrong with that you might ask?

You're shitting me right?

So, after warning him when we met that I was going to break his heart and hurt him, he fell into this obsessed, non-existant, love pond head over heels followed by the rest of his body (which makes me hurl in my mouth a bit everytime I see, hear or think of him) followed by his whole family and all the vacations and dates we're going on... Apparently.

True love? Not a chance!

How do I tell him he's only going backwards in this "relationship"? Mmmmmmm, make him ROAR daddy!

Just need a time and place, I hate to do it, but I warned him.

And then we'll be "friends".

He'll give me gifts and when intoxicated ask why I don't like him and why it won't work. I'll laugh it off and leave the scene pretending that something interesting is going on, and to make a valid point, get a boyfriend who I don't care about, and kiss the living bleeps out of him infront of the obsessed rejected lover.

It's happened before and history is repeating itself. Same mash, different gravy.

Fun times lie ahead in these dark ages, wait and see, wait and see.

Strom and snort, with a big, bright smile on my face, works like magic.

Now, down to bussiness, I have four tests this week, finals...

Woopi!

That's what the three weeks were for, unfortunately I didn't study that much, not even half way.

Fingers crossed!

Zodiac - Aries

Aries is a Cardinal Fire sign, ruled by Mars. As the first sign in the zodiac, and corresponding with the first day of spring, the Aries individual is a mover and shaker, fearlessly forging ahead or "springing forth" into new territory. Indeed, some very influential historical characters are found under this sign including Thomas Jefferson (April 13) and Leonardo Da Vinci (April 15). The raw power of the Aries/Taurus cusp personality gone bad is epitomized by none other than Adolph Hitler (April 20).

The Aries personality is always a force to be reckoned with. These are curious and energetic individuals, always delving into new areas, but often quickly becoming bored and moving on, leaving unfinished projects in their wake. Arians are forthcoming and direct. They don't generally have hidden agendas or ulterior motives. If they find an area in which they are interested for a long period, they can become quite accomplished, well-known, and wealthy.


For those with an Aries child, you have a child with confidence and the innate resources to deal with new ideas and situations. This child is likely quite opinionated and is often territorial about possessions. This kid will tell you like it is according to their own inner truths, and will not feel bad about it later. These are the free birds of childhood, and they feel that they have the right to explore new territories unhindered, both physical and mental. Getting a child like this to follow the rules may be a challenge, but if they understand that the rule is for safety or other logical reasons, they are likely to agree and comply. Even when young, all Arians are very competitive and cannot stand it if they do not come out on top. This "me first" attitude will be evident throughout life, and they often get what they want simply because of this unshakable attitude. The Arian child is very active, jumping into action whenever something interests him, but when asked to do uninteresting mundane tasks like cleaning their room they will resort to procrastination and even lies to get out of doing this unappealing job. The Aries child will have problems in school occasionally, but their competitive nature will usually pull them through. They want more than anything to be Number One!

Adult Arians in the workplace do well if they find jobs in which they can work on their own terms. Many Arians are self-employed for this reason, and many others are managers and foremen. An Arian can function well under other people, however, as long as he has some authority over someone else too. The Army structure with its many levels seems well-suited to Arians, and politics are a natural for this sign. Occupations that involve driving and the open road are appealing to Aries, as are outside sales type occupations. Arians are intellectual more than spiritual, so you won't find too many in prominent religious or holistic capacities. Arians will not be happy at the bottom of the heap unless they feel that they are in charge of something or someone. An Arian will do well in a job situation with a big picture, with supporting cast to do the finishing work.

If you have found a romantic partner in an Aries, be prepared to take second seat. Although you will not lead the parade, your partner will go to any length to make sure your needs and desires are well taken care of. This is a double-edged sword that anyone contemplating a relationship with Aries should be aware of. If you are one that is content to be taken care of, this is your perfect match. Your partner will make it his or her mission to keep you happy. However, if you are not content to follow, explosive arguments will erupt and an unwinnable power struggle will ensue, leaving you both drained and unhappy.

The best matches for Aries for sure are Leo and Sagittarius, but Taurus, Gemini, Aquarius, and Pisces may work for some too, depending on the individuals. Aries may find themselves drawn to their polar opposite, Libra, but this is probably not the best match for them.

Aries in any relationship is magnetic and intense, and others are drawn to these qualities. The Aries individual prefers a strong partner and strong friends, but only those who are capable of giving the impression that Aries is in the lead. Aries will be a loyal friend as long as the relationship keeps evolving and they feel that it is of benefit, but if they become bored or the relationship becomes stale, they will assuredly get out. One who is in any relationship with an Aries should know when to push and when to back off and give the Aries some space. Aries likes a challenge but pushing too hard will drive him off. A sure-fire strategy with an Aries in any relationship capacity is to verbalize often that you find them smart and worthwhile, and that they are number one with you! Remember, with Aries, the by-words are "me first!"


Interesting fact: Adolf Hitler had the same Zodiac sign as me.

My Personality

The Yellow Personality - The “Let’s Do It Differently” People Yellows are self-confident personalities.

The words that apply to Yellows are self-reliant, self-respected, self made, self-motivated, self-esteem, self-starters, and self-fulfilled. They believe in themselves and their capabilities, and they rely heavily on their intellectual abilities. Yellows know that if they put their mind to something, they can accomplish it. Their philosophy is that if they believe it, they can achieve it. When you combine these strong Yellow characteristics with their ambition, they are truly capable of transforming their dreams into accomplishments.

Yellows are true visionaries and conceptual thinkers. They find great pleasure in thinking about the future and just letting their minds wander, exploring the world of endless possibilities. Yellows are challengers, and their primary purpose in life is to make a difference. They are not shy when it comes to challenging authority or the establishment’s way of thinking. The drive behind the Yellow’s need to challenge is they want to know why and how things work so they can make them better. The motto of the Yellow is to think-out-of-the box. Their need to challenge is not only directed at others, it is also selfdirected. They are always escalating their standards and personal expectations. They are the personalities who dare to do things differently just to see if they can do it better, or to see if there is a more effective way. They are compulsive about improving things. Yellows are often described as nonconformists and mavericks. And, even though they may learn to look as if they are conforming to the conventional way of doing things, they are truly square pegs trying to fit into a round world.


Yellows need autonomy and independence. They live by their own internal rules and code of conduct. They have very high principles and values, and will challenge anyone or anything that questions either. They are not compliant personalities and are not easily influenced by others or by traditional limitations. Yellows march to their own drummers. Yellows need the freedom to utilize their intelligence, to pursue their quest for knowledge and wisdom, and to continue to develop their competency by acquiring new skills and expanding their capabilities. They are deep and innovative thinkers. For Yellows, being an expert is not the only thing, it is everything. They are very demanding on themselves and will not settle for anything less than perfection.

They view life as something to master.

They are the perfect scientists because of their need to comprehend, predict, and explain both concepts and realities. Research is their forte. They are driven by the need to understand. Yellows live to solve problems in order to create better systems and procedures. In fact, the more complicated the challenge, the better. For a Yellow, problems offer the opportunity to exercise their minds and expand their intellect. Yellows pride themselves on their problem-solving skills and realize that identifying the problem is only half of the equation—finding the best solution is the other half.

Fun Times

Its been a great weekend, although I didn't do all I wanted to do. Same for last weekend.

My sister turned 21, and we had a family get together for her. I bought her the prettiest champagne glass ever! After her party, me and a few friends went out.

I wanted to get drunk, I don't get that drunk very often anymore, but I have to say, I got completely wasted, absolutely useless, and extremely lovable as always. Too lovable... And I forgot my phone at a stranger's house.

This weekend, it was my best friend's 24th birthday. Not very special, but he means a lot to me, so, I could not resist going. Funny thing is, last weekend I got a bit lovable with one of my friends, and this weekend got a bit lovable with another friend, infron't of last week's smooch. Oops...

Anywhoo, I still don't know if I like either of them, but at least one of them is making an effort to get to know me. And I have nothing to lose.

Dilemma of the week: I'm bored with my job, started a second one, hated it after 1 shift, and I can't quit, because daddy said so. Now what?!?!

Get a hobby. Lose weight. I set my goals a long time ago. I never follow through. At least I'm prepared for 3 weeks of intensive studying, relaxing, dieting, and exercise. Plus swimming. I really can't wait to get in a pool, and its almost hot enough. And hopefully by then my sinuses clear up. I need to go donate blood again too.

Sad part of my week: It's our 5 year anniversary at my Primary School, and I won't be able to go... Road trip!


Can't wait for that either. Getting on a long road again. Its going to be awesome.


And I found a new idea for a tattoo, I decided that I really don't want a tramp-stamp, so my previous design won't work. Pretty, isn't it?

Oh, and a new discovery this week, a song:

Jack Parow - I miss

I miss two tone clothes from Andre Carl
I miss fokken early Monday morning skoolsaal
I miss the parties when my parents where gone
I miss the days when the booze was still strong

I miss those hip high full suite bikinis
I miss Mickey Mouse shirts and polka dot minis
I miss the original Indiana Jones merch
I miss the duck from fokken telefun quiz
I miss early morning kaalvoet rugby
I miss KFC when it was still called Kentucky
I miss days when I thought movies were real
I miss my ouma sitting reading Danielle Steel
I miss the first child's play and Jurassic Park
I miss Jake the snake, Gold Dust and Owen Heart
I miss it and Freddy and Jason volies
I miss sneaking down the to TV and watching late night movies

bad old pussycat
whole day long
teenage mutant ninja turtles
by the power of grey skull
ghost busters

I miss the students seats at Newlands rugby park
I miss sleeping with the lights on because I'm scared at the dark
I miss Leon Schuster when he was still taking the piss
I miss screaming Province with my hand in a fist
I miss doing cut and paste projects for school
I miss pollyotters and having braais by the pool
I miss Dinoryders, Bravestar and Bionic Six
I miss Cheers, Arende, Who’s the Boss and Wings
I miss puzzles with mom and playing with play dough
tell me “where in the world is Carmen Sandiego”
I miss giving girls lifts home on my poegie
I miss the days in Marc’s car of just smoking and cruising
I miss the A Team and Murder She Wrote
I miss the days when I was still kak scared to smoke
I miss the days when special effects were hand made
when Francios Pienaar still played rugby and didn’t eat Lays

There’s so much I miss from the old days
There’s so much that I learnt from the old ways
Another kid fokken raised by the 80′s
Kytie Kytie, jy was nie net 'n mytie
I was raise by girls in outfits and kop doeke
kaal bolyf, kla oortyd en kaal fokken voete
Dallas, Dynasty en Agter elke man
Kringe innie bos en Ballade vir n enkeling
Voortrekker camps and CSV kampe
Mufasa, Aladin, Bambi and Thumper
Klei lat, Swart Kat and self-built tree houses
no shoes, no worries, play holes in my trousers
there’s a lot of good things that happened back then
but I cant keep going on about way back when
so that’s enough of that, no way no how..
Cause I’ll miss all the shit that I'm doing right now

That's it for now.