Israel, and beyond

Its 3.40 am on the 7th september 2011... I am now able to write that I am going home tomorrow.

I have not written anything while in Israel, which is where I have been for the last four months give or take a few days here or there, because I havent been doing anything that I felt I needed or wanted to write about.

But now on this, my last day here, for the time being, I wanted to write something.

As a child I was taught a midrash, a story, about why the Torah was started with the second letter of the hebrew alphabet, a bet.  It looks a bit like a square, with the left hand horizontal side taken away...

The story says that all the letters of the alaphabet came to Gd and asked Gd to start the Torah with it, but Gd choose the bet because when looking at the letter, it is only possible to move in the one direction, forward, through the opening in the square, (hebrew being written from right to left, unlike english).  Up, down, and behind are all blocked by the lines that form the letter.

This has proven itself to be a metaphor for my life... I have never, I don't think, gone backwards... not consciously anyway, nor have I ever had the desire to.  I look only to the future and what lies ahead. 

Going back home, therefore, has proven a tricky concept for me, and one that has made me extend my time in Israel by a month. 

I was asked tonight if I am looking forward to going home... I dont think I can answer that question without first acknowledging that for the five years prior to this one, I spent my time building other people... this year has been about building myself, and in order to do that, I have almost run away from any contact with underprivileged people, whom I may have been expected to build what we, in the mental health field, call a therapeutic relationship, or something of that nature.

The question I find myself asking is, how do I move forward while physically going back?  The answer to the question, 'am I looking forward to going home,' I think can only be answered by time... If I am able to find the balance between going back while still moving forwards, and building both others and myself, then I feel I will have achieved something wonderful. 

My mother has spoken of two times in my life when she saw me grow.. the first was when I was 9 months old and my parents took me on holiday for the first time, and the second was when I was 11 and I went to school by myself for the first time.  I believe that this whole year has been an eye opening experience, and a time of further growth..

To all those I met throughout my journeys, thank you all for helping me see myself in new and wonderful ways.  I will honour you all by holding onto those new images, and living my life accordingly. 

I want to finish now with a word from a friend... he taught me that the numerical value of the word elul, the name of the current hebrew month, is the same as the numerical value for the hebrew word, bina, which means understanding, and the same as the word boneh, to build.   it is in this month, when the King, Gd, is in the fields, among His people, that we build the foundations of the coming year, that is celebrated in the next hebrew month...

it is therefore fitting that I should be returning home in this month, with greater understanding and a desire to build a more whole, meaningful and enjoyable future.

Shanah Tova... happy new year.   
   

The journey home

After much discussion, I decided that a 26 hour journey home from Christchurch to London was not appealing, and as I had made friends in south africa, I would take the unusual route home from christchurch, through sydney, where i had my 75ml toothpaste confiscated because it weighed 110g, (ggrrrrr) to Joburg, where I am now. 

I have left the 5 degrees of the south of new zealand, and come to the 24 degree autumn of this fabulour country...

I have been and continue to be surprised by the the greenery in the city, and the open sapces, and many side walk restaurants.. it is not the way i imagined this city to be...

Only 45 minutes outside the city, I am back in the africa that I know... the bushveld... coarse, tough, dry, and still with a majestic beauty so different from the rolling green hills and snow covered mountains of new zealand...

tomorrow i fly to port elizabeth, to see my second family, where if im lucky, the weather will permit a couple of last dips in the indian ocean, before flying home on thursday see my first family...

People keep telling me that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity... my question is, why must that be the case?  I watched a film this morning about the pilot amelia eckhart, the last line of which was "we all have oceans to fly, if we have the heart to do it. Is it wreckless? Maybe, but what do dreams know of boundaries?"

At almost the end of my maiden voyage, I wonder where my dreams will take me next... 

The South Island

I flew to Queenstown, world renound for its beauty... The lake, the mountains, the trees, with red, yellow, green, orange leaves... yes it was stunning... almost too picturesque to be real... perfect, and so, somehow I found it imperfect... perhaps it was the 5 degree weather i found myself in!

I spent the afternoon at a farm, where i watched a sheep shearing, and sheep dog work, and saw deers.  While everyone was oohing and ahhing at the male deer, i was taken back to my student days, and remembered a friend of mine who spent her third year exploring the roaring of red deer... isnt it amazing how that is considered part of psychology!??

The next day, I travelled to Milford Sound, fyords.  The predicted snow had fallen, so the mountain tops were white, while the remainder glistened silver in the sunshine.  The fyords, the rainforest, the mirror lakes... all were stunning, breath taking.. to the point that I find myself speechless.

We took a boat out on the fyords, and at everyaterfall, we saw a rainbow... just like in the tv programme, the care bears that I used to watch when I was supposed to be sleeping of an afternoon so I could stay up late for dinner...

I never knew such beauty existed... I was filled with an awe that, as I said, goes beyond words...

Wednesday, I took a coach up through the southen alps north, through mount cook, up to christchurch.  .  I have never  been on a tour before when I did not know which side of the coach to look out of...

Christchurch, a city devasted by the earthquake that struck a few weeks ago... 20 or so blocks of the CBD are still closed, with no running water or functioning sewers... no,... i did not visit those areas.  Although on my road, there were a couple of damaged buildings, and not all shops were open for business...

Not wanting to spend the day in the city, I did a tour out to Akaroa, a small village where I hoped to swim in the pacific ocean, (east coast of nz) with hectare dolphins, the smallest dolphins in the world...

when we got to the docks, all tours were cancelled, due to the 40 knot winds, and the 6m swells.... even I did nit mind missing out on that boat trip!! Plus the town was beautiful... picturesque, without the perfect quality of Queenstown, which made it even more appealing to me...

Someone said to me, accurately, that while in Austraia, you have to go looking for beauty, in new zealand, you turn round the corner, and you find something even more beautiful than where you have just been.

So what did i learn in new zealand?
1) two weeks there is not enough
2) the capital is wellington, not auckland
3) it has 24 recordable earthquakes a day, and yes, in christchurch, i did feel one
4) the moreton bay fig tree is the most beautiful tree i have ever seen
and 5) i want to go back there! 

Horse Riding

Monday morning, and Im feeling quite sick with nerves at the thought of spending a week on the back of a horse, when as  child, I couldnt spend 5 minutes on a donkey walking round whitestone pond. 

I am met at the bus stop an hour later by a woman who is to become my teacher... her warm easiness, the cup of tea and biscuits help me relax. 

I learn to groom a horse and pick out its hooves.. not the most pleasant of tasks.. but necessary nonetheless!

After doing some rope exercises which enable me to make the hose move where I want her to go, I am shown how to saddle her up, and then actually get on her!! The day is spent in the paddocks, where I learn to walk, trott, and accidentally canter and  jump.  A natural, I was told... i obviously have the Lunzer genes.. the lunzers having been broguht up on horses!

The next day, after what became the daily grooming and cleaning of the horses, we went to the beach for a beach ride... The west coast of new zealand is called the wild coast, where the sand is black, (i may have already mentioned that, apologies if so),  from the iron..unusual and stunning.

we then rode through the forest, the floor of which is still sandy, showing how high the sand dunes rose as we were, by that point, quite a way baove sea level. 

The next day I learnt some clicker training, which is positive reinforcement for desired behaviour in horses.. i enjoyed this, although found it quite hard to negotiate a clicker, two ropes, a target, food and about three horses all at once!

I then had a pretty gruelling lesson, in which i was encourgaed to ride without holding on, and without stirrups and with my eyes closed.  I was able to manage that, but when the horse then decided to trott towards a barrel, clever selina thought the horse would jump, and therefore sensibly decided to throw herself off the horse to prevent the believed apparant fall off the horse... yes.... well.... that was fun!  Although I didnt look at the horse, apparantly, she looked at me for quite a while before bucking and trottering off to play with her friends!

Thursday and friday were spent doing gentle walks along the beach and throuhg the forest again... the horse, whose name was Toad, and I both seeming to prefer the gentle pace of her walk to the trot, which required much to much concentration and definitiely too the cantor, which made me yank on her reigns to the point that I must have hurt her.  A forgiving horse, I was told, but one with plenty of attitude!!

The week ended and I returned to auckland with sore shoulders, back and legs... but I could still move so I thoight that was an achievemnt! 

I went back to the synagogue next door to where I wa staying, that despite being the furthest i ever was from home, reminded me so much of my own synagogue that I felt quite comfortable... and I had the added bonus of being invited out to lunch which was lovely.  The poeple i went to had a labradooddle, much like our own at home, so again, i felt very much at home! 

Auckland, the City of Sails

New Zealand, described as the youngest country on earth...

its a strange phenomena, and Im not sure how it happens, but some places in the world have a quality....

Much as I did in Ayers Rock, I got off the airoplane in auckland, so called the city of sails because more people here than anywhere in the world have boats, with a smile on my face...

It was dark, and I could see nothing of the city, and still, I smiled...

The home of my childhood heroine, I feel like everywhere I go, I am walking in her footsteps, and so I feel safe.

I am staying in a place next door to what I believed was the only orthodox synagogue in the city, so I went in on friday, the day after I arrived, to make sure I would be able to attend the services. A south african, who now lives here, told me that people come to new zealand when they want to get away from the hectic life of the rest of the world... people are pretty easy going, crime is low, and the city is a pretty safe one...

While the Brits sent the convivts to Australia, they sent the middle class to new zealand.  And when faced with rain forest, they had to work together to make the land habitable... men and women were treated as equals, which has made new zealnad a leader in womens rights, and equality... even the whites and the local mauris agreed to live here as equals...

I spent friday afternoon looking out at the city from the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, so high that it would take 24 minutes to climb the over a thousand stairs... luckily there was a lift!!!

 I had a wuick whisk round the Auckland museum before heading back to prepare for what was a very quiet and peaceful sabbath...

On sunday, today, I did a tour to Piha beach, which, because of the iron, from the volcano there, has black sand.

we then walked through the rainforest, full of silver ferns, and kauru trees, the oldest of which (which I did not see, as it further north), is 2000 yrs old, 50 metres tall and 18 metres in diameter... I saw trees half this tall, and they were impressive to look at, so that one must be beyond words...

We climbed the rain forest path to the top of the waterfall, where I was encouraged to go swimming... because I am that crazy, I did... in the freezing water, on a cool day...It was actually quite invigorating.. although I was pleased to get dressed again afterwards!!

and so ended my few days in auckland, before I head north to do this horse riding course for the next few days... now we'll see how crazy I really am, and how well my legs can survive this of all experiences....

more from the other side of what may be agony!     

Melbourne, my last Ozzie stop

On monday I took yet another plane to Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. 

I was met almost instantly I landed by a friend's grandmother, who took me around town.  We went to Melbourne Port, and had a coffee looking out at the harbour, on what Im pretty sure is the Tasman Sea cost, as the boat that goes to Tasmania leaves from there.

It was a lovely and relaxed introduction to life in Melbourne, which is known as the cultural centre of Australia.  Melbourne was described to me as being quite European, and it is true that I did not have much time in the city, but it did not feel too European to me.

After that first day, I left the city, and headed out on a tour of the Great Ocean Rd.

Our first stop was at the Rockery, where we told we were going for a walk.  Now, given the previous walks I had been on, I decided it would be sensible to swap my flip flops for my trainers.  After doing this, and beginning the walk down the many steps to the beach, to look at these rock formations in the middle of the Southern Ocean, I realised that perhaps me flip flops would have been sufficient foot wear.  Nonetheless, I carried on my journey.

Now, those who know me will know that I cannot resist the feel of sand between my toes, and so, of course, I took off my shoes and socks and felt the sand in between my toes.  Now the Southern Ocean is a powerful ocean, and the tide seemed to be coming in.  A few times, we had to run up from the waters edge, but I generally managed to stay dry.  Until....

I put my shoes, with my socks, down on the sand to take a picture, when a big wave came up, and not only soaked me to my knees, but also almost washed my shoes out to sea.  I had a heart sinking moment when the water subsided and I could only see one shoe, but luckily, a moment on my hands and knees meant that I was able to see and grab the other shoe!  Need less to say, I didnt put my shoes down again!!!

We saw the 12 Apostles, more rock formations, that were once called the Sow and Piglets, London Bridge, another rock formation, although the bridge has now fallen down, went to the sight of many a ship wreck, and walked, in my sodden trainers through a rain forest...

We spent the night in a small town, the name of which I have forgotten, and started the following day feeding wild King parrots in a national park.  they are surpisingly gentle as they kling to your hands, hair, or head and eat the seeds we held.. we saw wild koala, which is much more satisfying than seeing them in a zoo. 

We drove the Great ocean rd, which was beautiful, with its green rolling hills that meet the blue ocean.. we spent the afternoon in a wildlife park, and then went to penguin island, which is the home of the smallest penguin in the world, known as the little penguin, which is only 17 cm tall.

On the way there, we saw wild wallabies, again, much nicer than seeing them in a zoo...  As night fell, we filled the stalls on the beach to watch the penguins come in from their 3/4 day journey to find food at sea... on some nights, over a thousand penguins come in, on this night, however, only about 50 came in, but nonetheless, it was a pretty remarkable sight.

we returned to melbourne at about 11.30pm, and after a quick drink at the casino, where i betted away someone else's money, (at his insistence), I called it a night, and went back to my room, to pack my bag yet again, for yet another airoplane!

As I leave australia, I contemplate what I learnt:
1) Perth is to Western Australia, what Sydney is to New South wales, and Melbourne is to Victoria, (capital cities)
2) Perth is by far the prettiest of those cities
3) I had to contend with more bugs in australia than I did in the african bush
4) australian vegetation seems to survive any disaster, including bush fires...  

Sydney, On the Pacific Ocean or the Tasman Sea? The map says Tasman, the locals say Pacific...mmmm

Three hours on an airoplane and I was in a different world...

The east coast of Australia.  I should comment, that leaving the Red Centre took at least an hour and a half of the flight...

So, after nearly four months of being in isolation with nature, or in smaller cities, I found arriving in Sydney quite a shock... the landscape was green, the city was big, the sky was grey... it could have been London....only its about 23 hours flight away from London...

Arriving in Sydney brought the joy of seeing a most beloved friend.  I dont think I have appreciated this joy before...and it only took four months of being away from all, and everyone I know!

The first evening was spent in the Harbour, enjoyng the sights of the Opera House and the bridge, which i sadly did not endeavour to climb, although I heard that harnesses were involved!

The second day, I raced off to see the Blue Mountains. On a sunny day, the mountains appear blue because of the way the light refracts off the oils the eucalyptus trees give off... on this thursday however, the sky was grey, again, and so there was no blue in sight.  For most of the morning, the mist covered most of the view, but wiht some positive thinking, by the afternoon, the mist began to lift, and we were able to see some of the mountains magnificance!

We took a cable car down the mountain, and as we went below the mist, we were able to see the apparently famous three sisters formation, the orphan, and some others whose names I've forgotten.  Like Ayers rock, these formations all have aboriginal stories connected to them.  We then took the steepest train in the world I think back up the mountain, and that is an experience not to be missed.. though I have to say, with no side and no seat belt, I did think i would fall out of the carriage! 

We also went to an animal sanctuary, where I got to touch a koala, and see a wombat which was very exciting because I dont think I've ever even seen a picture of one!

The day finished with a ferry ride back into the harbour, so i got to see sydney harbour from the sea.

Friday was spent at the zoo, which prides itself of being the zoo with the best view in the world... and it is a fab view over sydney harbour. 

Saturday, the sabbath, was spent with a family in Bondi.. where we all got wet by the rain which pelted down from friday afternoon til I left today... people think that coming from England I should be used to it, but Im not!!! That was some rain!  At least I didnt feel too bad about having a shower!

Sunday was the jewish festival of purim, and amidst the festivities of the day, I was able to while away a few hours on the famous Bondi Beach with my friend... and the sun even came out to play with us for a bit!!

So, did I escape the bugs?? Predominantly yes, although I did have to share my room with a cockroach last night... but thank Gd not my bed... and I didn't squeal! 

And today, monday, I am here, in melbourne... so more from me top side of this tour that Im doing tomorrow along the Great Ocean Rd,... Im off to pack.....again       

The Red Centre

The red centre, so aptly named, as the rock and the sand and almost everything the eye can see is a fabulous red colour.  It is caused by iron that is brought in by the bad weather systems from the west of the country. 

I got off the airoplane, after a two hour flight, and a one and half hour time change, with a smile on my face.  I am so used to seeing the blue/green contrast of the sea/vegetation, that there feels like there is something special about the red/green contrast of the red centre. 

I got off the plane, and I was reminded of the line in the film Lord of the Rings, were  Frodo says to Sam, "I'm glad you with me Sam wyse gamgy, here at the end of all things."  Only, no-one was with me, and I wasn't at the end of all things... It felt like i was in the middle of all things.. it felt like I was in the middle of the world, although i know that geographically, i was far from it...

Psychologically, this was a very pleasant feeling... a feeling Im not sure I could describe with words.

The thing to do here is to watch the sun rise and set over the Olgas, and Ayers Rock, so thats what I did, on my first night in town.  Despite the gathering cloud, I marched up a red sand dune, noted the red sand in my shoes, and waited with camera and fly net in hand for the sun to set.  I was not to be disappointed on this night, the clouds cleared enough for the sky to go an intense array of pinks, oranges, purples and golds.  These, for me, are the colours of life itself, and somehow have a power to feed my soul...again a smile on my face...

The next day I started a two day tour of the area... we went first to the Olgas, aka, Kata Tjuta, translated from the aboriginee, as 'many heads.'  here there are 36 rock formations, and we, in the rain, walked some of them.  The desert rain has pros and cons:  Pros: it isnt as hot, so the risk of dehydration is reduced, (did you know more people die from dehydration in australia than from dangerous animals... about 1person a week have to go to hospital in this part of australia), the plants are greener, the flowers open, and the smells are more intense... Cons: the rocks are slippery and wet, which means that it is easier to lose your footing, and it means that after climbing an almost sheer rock face, with hands and feet, the safest way back down is on ones bottom, which means that I got very wet!

Sunset that night was a wash out... the grey rain clouds obscured any other colour. 

The rain, a camp ground, and no noise after 10pm meant an early night as we were all rising at 4.30 am to make sure we were ready to watch the sun rise at 6.45 am, ( we had to get to the sunrise watch spot).

The clouds parted just enough to see some pale yellows and pinks in the sky... I do have to say that the best sunrise I have ever seen, by a long shot, was over the old city of Jerusalem, when the whole sky became an orangey gold... every other sunrise I  have seen has paled in comparison...

we then walked around the base of Uluru, (the largest single rock structure in the world), the aboriginal for ayers rock, which like Kata Tjuta is aborignal sacred land and should be treated with respect. the aboriginals believe that their ancestors carved the mountains into the way we see them today, and each rock pattern or formation has a story.  the aboriginals guard their stories well, only imparting some knowledge to other aboriginals, andthen only when they have proven themselves worthy of that knowledge...     

I spent the rest of the day fighting insectsand bugs that have found themselves into my shoes, my ears, (thank Gd only temporarily) my computer, and I pray not my bed!!

As I come to the end of this part of my journey, I have to reflect on what further I have learnt:
1) Desert scenary gets tiring after a while!
2) The terms, 'easy' and 'difficult' are linked only to experience and their use changes very quickly as experience changes.
3) I dont like bugs!
4) I dont like bugs!
5) I dont like bugs!
6) I never knew I could squeal in such a high pitched manner in response to a bug..

Even as I sit here writing this, I have had at least two bugs jump on my head causing me to jump up and teach the others around me the bug dance that we choreographed on the tour up to exmouth, which consists of flapping ones arms around ones face and then using all of ones fingers possible to block nose, eyes, ears and mouth to prevent some form of bug inhalation...

As beautiful as I have found this part of the world, I am looking forward to reaching sydney, where I am headed tomorrow, where i think the bug situation will be significantly more manageable, and where, perhaps I will be able to choreograph a new dance.

And so I head to bed to fight the bugs in my dreams!  And not in my bed... i hope... i really hope... i really really hope.....   
  

  

Australia so far...

Perth: the most isolated capital city in the world

It has been over three weeks now since I left my homeland in south africa, and headed for the land down under! If you think the african sun is strong, you have not been to australia!  the sun here has an intensity here like no where else i have been!

I began my australian odyssey on the west coast, in the district known as known as western australia.  This continent is so big that Perth is closer to Singapore than to australia's own capital of canberra... hence the need for its government system!

Western australia is the largest state in the continent, in which live only 2 million people, 1.5 of which live in perth.

Perth itself is situated on the banks of the Swan river, and is a very clean, well kept city.  The thing that struck me is that the lawns are all immaculately kept, much as one would see in Oxford or Cambridge, england.  The difference being that the australians are allowed to walk on their grass!! Gd help you if you do so in England... that certainly is frowned upon!

So, what did I do in this most isolated city?  I went to Kings Park, where you have fabulous views of the city and the river, I went to the Bell tower, Perth's answer to the millenium, I took the ferry along the river to Fremantle and Rottnest, and went to Cottelsloe and Trigg beaches, where the wind and sun cream meant I was left looking like a sand monster, much like Harry, the dog from that children's book I suddenly seem to remember...At trigg beach, I was given my first lesson is boogy boarding... its fun when it works...not such fun when you try to go over a wave you should go under and get dragged under anyway... i definitely drank more of the Indian Ocean than I was supposed to that day!  But it certainly cleared my sinuses!!

The 35 plus degree heat day and night, and the lack of air conditioning in my room meant that I was very lethargic and by no means as energetic as I was in cape town...  This lethargy was encouraged by there being a limited amount to do.

As such, I was happy to begin the tour up the west coast to a place called Exmouth. 

On this tour, we visited the Pinnacles desert, where limestone formations protrude from the desert sand, which unlike the beach sand which is white, is bright yellow.  The contrast made for a nice picture!  We then drove to a sand dune, where, if the fancy took you, you could sit on a sled and and slide down a dune, known as sand boarding, much like to taboggoning to those of us from cooler climates!  I decided against the idea of covering myself with sand, and so became one of the designated photographers of the group!

The next day, we arrived at Kalbarri national park, where in this delightful 40 degree heat, we went for a walk.  All these walks begin like a shabbos (saturday) afternoon stroll, but then suddenly, you find yourself scrambling up and down bolders in a most un shabbosdick (sabbath like) manner!  Because of all the floods, river were flowing that have been dry for many a year!

We then had the option to abseil down a 25 metre wall, and much to my surprise, I found myself handing over the money, and strapping myself into a harnass.  After a minor freak out, and almost backing out of the whole affair, I actually walked abseiled down the wall!  Once you get passed the ledge, it actually becomes quite fun, despite the jelly like legs at the end of the experience!  Clambering up was another ordeal, and I rather wished I could be hosited back up.. sadly that wasnt to be possible, so clambering it was!  From tbere, we went to a beach covered entirely by shells.  I must the colour of the water was an unreal turquoise...

We then went to Nature's window, which is a window shaped rock formation caused by wind erosion...a great photo opportunity!   We ended the day in a resort called Monkey Mia, which is quite an exciting tourist trap for us animal lovers!

In the 2960s, the fishermen started to feed the wild dolphins, and this continues today, although in a manner that does not mean they have to stop hunting, so they remain wild.  The tourists, myself included, line the sea shore, knee deep in water, while 5 dolphins are fed 1 fish each.  It is there choice to come, and there choice to take the fish.  On that day, these particular Indo-pacific dolphins were feeling quite emotional, as noted by the pink colour one of the calf's turned, and he came along and brushed past some people's legs.  I was lucky enough to have the very tip of his tale brush past my leg, and as explained, it does feel like a hard boiled egg minus its shell! 

From there, we went to see the stramadolites... now my knowledge of these is not very great, but my understanding is that they are very old, living, breathing rocks.. you can even see the oxygen bubbles they produce! 

Now this day was made slightly uncomfortable, to put it mildly, by the umber of flies that were around.  they are attracted to the salt on skin, and come and pester you in a way previously unthought of!  I understand why fly nets are a neccessity in western australia, and, as I was to find out, in the centre as well!

We crossed the tropic of capricorn to get to the Ningaloo reef.  This was the highlight of the trip for me, for more reasons than it was where I had my first ever night time swim.  Both in Coral bay and in Exmouth, you can swim on the reef.  It is the largest reef in the world that you can swim to from the shore, and although I have heard it is not as colourful as the great barrier reef, it does contain more wildlife.  I spent the day snorkelling on the outer reef, where I was able to marvel at nature's beauty... the fish are an array of colours that one would think could only come from the imagination!  We then had the privilege to snorkel with mantar rays, giant and harmless rays, and to snorkel on the cleanign station of the reef, where reef sharks come to be cleaned by the cleaning fish.   There I was, in the sea, with five sharks swimming below me... unreal and amazing!!!!

In exmouth we snorkled the inner reef, (coral bay was the outer reef), and saw more beautiful fish and coral.  I then spent the next two days working hard on my sun tan, (dont worry factor 30+ was worn at all times), and then we headed back to Perth.

On the way back, we stopped off at the Hutt River Province.  This is a seperate country, run by Prince lesley and princess shirley.  he is a man who declared war on australia in the 1970s as the australian government tried to tell him how much wheat he could grow on his own land, and legitimately he declared his own country, and no longer pays tax in australia.  We all had our passports stamped and everything!  Our final stop before returning to the civilisation of perth was an animal rehab sanctuary, where i got to hold a baby kangaroo, and feed a whole group of kangaroos... it amazed me how soft they were!

After having seen mainly desert for a week, the city lights of perth were a welcome sight!  So, back in perth I whiled away a few more days before heading to the red centre of australia, which to my surprise is in the northern territory of the country...          

Plettenberg Bay

There is a common misconception that the Garden Route goes from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.  it doesn't.  It goes from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay.  So being 'stationed' in Plett for a month was no bad thing!

I was volunteering at an organisation called the ORCA foundation, which has three principles, that of conservation, research, and education.  The length of time you are involved in the programme will determine which of these three things will dominate your time.  A month menat that conservation was the are that I engaged with most.

Given that a lot of the activities depended on sea and wind conditions, the week did not have the same structure as a week at the game reserve.  Although, as long as weather conditions permitted, monday mornings were usually spent at sea, looking for and photographing the dolphins in the area, of which there were three sorts, if my memoey serves me correctly, the common nose dolphins, the bottlenose dolphins and the humpback dolphins, and the whales, of which we were lucky enough to see the shy Bryde's whale.  The photographs we took were then passed on to the reserach faction of the porganisation who used the photos to identify the animals we had seen.

We had the privilage of going out on the boat once with one of the researchers who wanted to get dna samples of these whales, by shooting them with a harpoon, and so taking a skin sample.  Despite finding a whale, it was too illusive for us, and there was no good opportunity for the researcher to harpoon him/her.  But nonetheless, it was an exciting day at sea!!!

Thursday mornings were spent at the township, giving over 130 children a lesson on the marine life in the sea, playing games, and singing songs.  I wont complain about making a meal for even 20 people again!  Feeding 130+ kids wevery day as the teachers do at that school is quite some feat,as we realsied when we had to dish out the food and wash up the plates afterwards!!

Much of the rest of the time was spent tending to the 150 seahorses that the foundation nurture into adulthood for various sea horse aquariums in the area.   This is a big job, as the tanke require cleaning, water changing, and they require feeding, and each size sea horse requires a different type of food, so lots of time was spent wading around in rivers in Plett and Kynsna looking for the right kind and size of shrimp!

Another activity was to do a SASS evaluation, whereby the animal contents of rivers is marked against a scoring scheme, the higher the mark, the healthier the river.  In addition to this, we planted over 200 trees at a farm to try and increase the number of indigenous plants in the area.

In addtion to all this 'work,' there was plenty of time for some fun too!  We went to the elephant sanctuary, where we got the touch and ride the elephants bear back... I think the highlight for me was not so much the ride as being able to touch the trunk, which you may know is pure muscle, and therefore gives it a very interesting texture, particularly when it moves!

We went to Tenikwa, which is a rehab and education centre for african big cats and sea life such as seals, and we had a tour of the facility.  The highlight, however, was to be able to take the cheetahs for a walk.  We walked them for about two hours, during which time, these apparently lazy cats spent most of the time lying down, and admiring the view!  it was here that I had my famous lick, by a large fully grown male!  it happened too quickly to have been afraid, but afterwards, I realised that he could have bitten my arm off! Oh well, all in a day's work in Africa!!

We also went to do a n=walking tour of the Featherbed nature reserve in Knysna, so called, because after the rough seas, the sailors who arrived in Knysna said that sleeping in port  there was like sleeping on a feather bed... FYI, there are no featherbeds at the reserve... only fabulous views overlooking the indian ocean!


One weekend, we went to Oudtshoorn, which is inland from the coast, and therefore about ten degrees hotter!  there we went to the Cango Caves, Quad biking, the museum, the wildlife park, where, if you were so inclined you could cage dive with crocodiles... (i didnt), and admired the fabulous scenic drive throuhg various difrerent mountain passes.  On the way to and from, we went to Wilderness, Mossel Bay, and George, and so, I thinkwe  can honestly, we did the Garden Route!! 

In addtion, of course, there was the famous bunjy junp!  I went to that Bunjy jump in Tsitsikamma 4 times.. way too many times for someone who  had no intention of jumping!!  I did however, do a tree top canopy tour in the forest, and even managed to get to Storms River mouth, which I believe was a great achievement!

The month passed quickly, and all too soon, it was time to say good bye to the country i have been in longer than any other country outside the UK.  Following an all too quick 'squiz' of Joburg, I flew to perth, Australia.

Leaving south africa, and the friends I made there, was like leaving home all over again.  I have heard it said that Africa gets into your blood, and it is certainly true for me... I am not finished with that country, or that Continent!  I will be back!!!

So, in three months in Africa, what did I learn?

Probably more than I realise at this stage of my travels.. but there are some things I'd like to mention here:
1)  Lions do eat waterbuck... I have seen the remnants of their kill
2) Dolphins are toothed whales, and are Apex predators and will not necessarily be as helpful as Flipper in a crisis!
3) Contrary to the portrayal of Orcas in the film Free Willy, you will be better off being in the sea with a great white shark than a group of Orca Killer whales, who are lethal and unpicky hunters!
4) Seeing a leopard is a rare and amazing sight, let alone seeing one make a kill
5) Cheetahs are the most timid of the big cats.
6) Lions and elephants can mock charge and through careful handling of the situation be encourgaed to back off, whereas Buffalo are unpredicatable and give no signs of their changing mood.  This makes them the most dangerous animal in the reserve.
7) Eucalyptus trees, although desert pklants in Australia, changed their behaviour in SA and suck up too much water, and are an alien species that needs to be controlled, and elliminated.             
8) Now, Just Now and Now now are all various forms of later, ranging from 10 minutes later to never!  The start if many an intersting conversation!
9) the 25th word of the book of genesis is Or, light, corresponding to the 25th of the hebrew month of Kislev, the start of the jewish festival of lights, chanukah
10) the hebrew word for 'to give' is natan, and in hebrew reads the same when read backwards and forwards, meaning that you receive even when you give, and give when you receive.  For a living example of this, I have to thank the Port Elizabeth Hebrew Congreagation, who not only fed and sheltered me for the better part of three months, but also became my friends and my family.  Those special people gave me a home, and they alone are reason enough for me to be planning my next African adventure... they as well as the fact that whale season is fast approaching!!! lol  

Shamwari, take 2

Back in the game reserve... it was nice to go back to a place where I knew the lay of the land, metaphorically speaking... the reserve is way too big for a girl with no sense of direction to find her way arounf after only 3 weeks there... however, I will say that I was able to direct my friends correctly when they dropped me off there!

Follow the N2 to Grahamstown, but turn off the nice smooth, impressive motorway, to the dirt track following signs to Patterson, and then to Shamwari, and then to Potes... and then through the gate, that the lock for which was initially described to me as a jigsaw puzzle, and then down the road, and then you will see the various houses that became my world for 6 weeks.

The game ranger, Konrad, loved wathcing the elephants, and after two weeks away, he was having withdrawal symptoms, so my first day back on the reserve was spent looking for as many elephants as we could find, and actually, we found something like 50 of the 60 elephants on the reserve, which was pretty good for day one!

We then went looking for the northern pride of lions, as one had ben looking a bit too skinny... and we found them.. all, of course, except the one we were looking for... oh well..still very exciting!

Around this time, a rhino had been poached on another reserve, and she had a calf, so the calf was taken to the rehab hospital at Shamwari, and we got to see his arrival. 

Rhinos are social animals, and so cant be alone, particularly after the traumatic experience of watching his mother be hacked to pieces just for her horn.  The vets at the hospital needed to find a surrogate family for the rhino, and who did they find?  A jersey cow, an orphaned buffalo, who was being motheres by the buffallo, and an orphaned zebra.  The three animals were intorduced to the rhino, who did not take kindly to this, and charged the poor animals relentlessly, to the point that the poor cow got a nasty gash on her head... after a while, they were separated, and a day or so later, a lone donkey took their place, which the rhino seemed to take more kindly to.  It was quite a sight!

Fridays, as per usual, are spent in the orphanage, playing with the children in the mornings, a shopping trip in paterson, which usually consisted of bottled water and the essential chocolate bar, and then my afternoons were spent heading to PE, where I spent my weekends with my surrogate famiily!

My second week at the game reserve consisted of a lot of alien vegetation control.  This included chopping acacia trees, which are harder to cut than beefwoods, and prickly pears.  We also planted tick offs, to help the animals manage the ticks that are around in the summer, and made a watering whole ostrick frienddly, by creating a sloped entrance to help the young ostrich get out!

We also found the female leopard, and even watched her make a kill... the poor kudu didnt know what hit it! We also found a half eaten waterbuck, which the lions had killed earlier... this was not a good week for dead animals, as I witnessed nature take its course out in the bush!

Over the weekend, I had another tour of the local area, and went to Port Alfred, a quaint village on the banks of a river, Bathurst, where I saw pineapples growing for the first time, which, no sarcvasm, did rreally excite me, and Grahamstown, a student town, which is known to have a very good festival in june, i think... yet another reason to come back to this beautiful country!

My final week at Shamwari was another exciting one.  We went looking for the cheetah, and found them, and 'walked them.'  In the wild, this means, getting out of the protection of the vehicle, and walking in the bush. Standing face to face with these big, powerful cats is certainly an experience not to be missed, although I certainly felt very vulnerable, particularly, as Im sure one was staring straight at me for what felt like a significant period of time!

The next day, we went to the animal hospital where I and another girl babysat the orphaned warthog, wilbur, and the meerkat, stinky, aka, of course, timon and pumba for the morning.  That afternoon, we looked for and found the lions, and tarted one of the females, to give her a slow release contraception.  Lucky me, in my 6 weeks st the reserve, I got to touch two wile lions!

The next day, we watched the vet examine a limping caracal, and then got to help feed the baby white lion cubs, rhino and warthog.  Feeding the lion cubs was probably a highlight for me.  There are two of them, and for those of you who dont know, white lions are extremely rare.  These cubs' mother rejected them at birth, which is why they are at the rehab centre.  They are in an enclosure that is surrrounded by black and green netting, so that their exposure to humans is minimised as they are going to be released back into the wild when they are weaned.  Feeding them was therefore a privilege for us lion lovers! 

The next day, was my penultimate day, and we got up early, to be out on the reserve for 5.30am.  We looked for all the predators, and saw the cheetahs, moving around in an attempt to find something to hunt, the female leopard also patrolling, on the prowl for food, and the male leopard, who we could tell was very close to us but we couldnt see him... leopards being the most illusive cats around!             

My last day was spent in paterson, at the orphanage, followed by a more emotional farewell than I was expecting!  Sunday I headed to Plettenberg Bay, or Plett to us locals, which is where I now am, missing dinner, so Im off to eat... more soon!

xxxx
  

The Garden Route, aka, my drive 'home'

So, its been quite a while since I last wrote anything about my adventures, and there have been quite a few since I last wrote!

I decided that, rather than fly back to PE, from cape town, I would drive, what is called the garden route, one of the best drives in the world.  I had mixed advice as to whether I should do the drive on my own, or not, but as I met someone who was heading that way anyway, I tagged along, and got away with doing none of the driving, and all the looking!

We did the drive in 2 days, which was way too brief, as most tours do it in 8-10 days.  However, I think it worked well for us.  The bays leaving cape town are beautiful.  I particularly remember Gordon's Bay, which I rather stupidly declined stopping to take a picture of, but it was beautiful! 

On the drive, I saw pink water... Im not sure if thats possible, but it certainly looked like pink water, which definitely excited me!  We went to Hermanus, which is one of the main whale watching spots on the garden route.  Unfortunately, there were no whales, as I just missed the whale season, which is from june to september, but I like how there is an outdoor arena overlooking the ocean, which allows prime whale watching views! 

We then detoured a bit to the most southern point of the African continent, called Cape Agullus, and it is here, not cape point, where the two oceans actually meet... although I have now heard a third opnion, that the point where the oceans meet changes depending on the winds, which in the summer blow from the south east, and in the winter, blow from the south west.

Whether the oceqns meet there or not, I still stood at the southern most tip of the continent, and can therefore say that I have also been to the Southern Cape!

We returned to the N2, the garden route road, through, what I was told looks like the Karoo... vast fields of yellow brown grass where the multitude of farmers graze their cattle and sheep.. This stretches out for miles, and in this vaste open space, I was pleased I was not travelling alone!

We stopped briefly for a coffee in Swellendam, juicy information I know, and then continued on our way to Knysna.  On the way, we stopped at an old toy factory, and a memorial to the buffalo and cart transport system used by the Dutch a few hundred years ago. 

On entering the area around Knysna, you leave the brown, beige grassland and enter into a foresty area.  Suddenly you are surrounded by hundreds of tall, green trees, and rivers, and sheer mountain drops into the ocean... now this is the beautiful part of the drive!!

We spent the night in Knysna, overlooking the lagoon, and before heading off the next day, we went to the Knysna heads, to admire the stunning view!

Off we continued, to Tsitsikamma, (no idea if I spelt that right), and Storms River, which is an area of adventure sports, of which includes the worlds highest bungy jump, of 216metres... i went to have a look, and felt sick looking down!  Just getting to the jum looks terrifying, as you have to walk on the underside of the bridge before you jump off... If I had any doubts before, I am now certain, that I will not be throwing myself off that bridge!!!

We popped in to Plettenberg Bay, to see where I would be coming after Shamwari, and then continued all the way back to the game reserve, where I got a warm welcome from the game rangers who I had met on my stint there before Xmas. 

The drive between PE and CT is about 8 hours if dowwn without stopping... we did it in 2 days, being on the go for about 12 hours each day!  An exhausting two days, and I didnt even do the driving!    

Cape Town and Western Cape

As I come to the end of my time in the western cape, to head back east into the bush, I thoight I'd better update you all as to my adventures. 

Life here in the west is very different from life in the east.  For one, I am on the caist, and both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are fairly easily accessible!  Although are absolutely freezing, so the sunbathing does not include swimming... at least not in the oceans!

For those of you who dont know, cape town sits in the bowl of table mountain, which provides a very dramatic backdrop to a beautiful city.

For those who know my holiday habits, which usually consist of finding a sun lounger, sitting in it, and moving only to ensure that I am getting maximum tan, you will be very surprised by my behaviour over the last two weeks...I certainly have been!

I think I have been quite a good tourist!  I have done both city bus tours, which include table mountain, a castle in the centre of the city, The World of Birds, (the largest aviary in Africa), and Kirstenbosch, (the botanical gardens).  Kirstenbosch is set in table mountain, with fabulous flora, and even some fauna as well!  The views are stunning, and seem to be a great place for the concerts that they hold there... shame I didnt make it to one... but next time!!

I have also done a tour of Cape Point and the cape of good hope, which is the most south western point of the continent, and despite popular belief, is not the point where the two oceans meet...Stunning nonetheless!

I went to Stellenbosch, the wine region, and partook in a wine tasting!  That was fun, and I even impressed myself by actually being able to taste the green pepper in the white wine we drank, and the chocolate in the red wine!  My palate is now significantly more honed!  lol...

I then went with some friends round the other side of my mountain, to Muizenberg, Fishhoek, and Simon's Town.  The plan was to brace the south easterly wind, and have a swim, but as we were about to don swimming costumes, a horn was blown to signal the presence of a shark!  We rushed to the shore to try and spot it, but my eyesight was shifted when the blue bottles, a very nice name for the lethal jellyfish, portugese men of war, were pointed out to me.  I decided to focus on where I put my feet, rather than look for the shark, which evaded us!

I have also been to a large number of museums, which is very unlike me!  The slave lodge, District Six museum, South Africa Museum, the Jewish Museum, and the Holocaust museum, and Bertrand House.  And Robben Island.

I have watched the sunset over the atlantic, and seen clouds that lie so low that before you get to sea level, you can see above them anbd below them... I've never seen anything like it..but what is even more amazing is table mountain's table cloth.  The clouds hang off the moutain like a table cloth would.         

They say that you have to go up table mountain as soon as you get a chance, when the wind is light.  The south easterly wind... called the cape doctor because it blows the soot away can be so strong that it also blows rooves off the houses, and causes bush fires, (of which there was one a few days ago, and we watched the helicopters dropping water over it).. whenever it blows, table mountain is closed because it is too dangerous for the cable car to work..

Of course, I decided to wait to go up in the cable car for a friend to arrive, so I wouldnt go up alone..but unfortunately, I missed my chance.  the wind came, and the cable car has been closed for about a week now... However, I did hike up the mountain... I thought the guide would cancel the hike, because of the wind, and the heave cloud hanging over the mountain..but no, she said we could hike the back of the mountain.  So we climbed 750 metres above sea level, scaling one of the twelve apostles, castilles peak.  As my facebook status implies, we literally walked in the clouds... we lost the view... and got very wet from the mositure in the clouds...

The mountain top is like a garden... there are more plants growing there naturally than in the whole of the British Isles...

It amazes me what nature can do without the help of man!

So tomorrow morning, Im heading East along the garden route, doing a whistle stop tour of what is said to be the most beautiful drive in the world..heading back towards Port Elizabeth and Shamwarik where I hope I'll get to see the cheetah cubs that were born before I left the last time!

Wishing you all the best for 2011! Lots of love xxxx