The Garden Route

         For those of you who don't know, the Garden Route is a popular stretch of the South-Eastern coast of South Africa. It runs along the coast from just East of Cape Town, along the Atlantic Ocean to Port Elizabeth of the Eastern Cape on the Indian Ocean. The area is the second mildest climate in the world, behind Hawaii, and is home to incredible ecological diversity and the most green leaves you will find anywhere in South Africa. So, Monday morning, along with 12 other international UCT students, I took off for the Garden Route to explore South Africa beyond Cape Town and enjoy the final days I had before classes start at UCT.

The Garden Route

Day One

           Our journey began just 2 hours after I had returned home from watching Super Bowl XLVI at the bar. Needless to say, I was in short supply of sleep, enthusiasm and positive energy. The Patriots were in control and it was their game to lose, and they did. Eli Manning looked as badly as an NFL quarterback can look during the third quarter (yet by default was awarded MVP despite throws that could have been considered intentional grounding they were so inaccurate). But, that was all in the past. So, we trudged up Upper Liesbeek Road to the spot where we would meet to depart around 7:00. Our first day would include a lot of driving, which was actually favorable for me, because it meant my extreme fatigue would be an asset, as it would help me fall asleep in an uncomfortable position. So, while the journey began at 7:00, it was not until about 14:00 we actually arrived at our destination, and by then I had a full nights rest. We arrived at the Cango Caves, near Outdshoorn, South Africa (represented by the 1 on the Garden Route map above). We got a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant and then had our first experience of these humongous caves. We were told of the history of the caves, the discovery and so on, and then were able to climb through some narrow cracks and climb over some huge formations throughout our exploration of the caves. By the time the tour had ended, everyone was exhausted from a day of travel and we headed to our accommodations for the night.

A Chamber within the Cango Caves

          The first night was spent at a very nice bed and breakfast in Oudtshoorn, called De Oude Meul (Afrikaans/ Dutch for "The Old Mill"). This B&B had a beautiful lawn in our backyard, mountains all around and a farm, which raised many of the animals that were available on the Dinner menu. Everyone took time to nap or sit by the pool from about 16:00 to 19:00 at which time we were to report to the restaurant to enjoy a South African supper. I prefer to be adventurous in my food choices here in South Africa, so much so that I decided to stop my vegetarian diet, which I had been following for 2 and a half years, before I came to South Africa. I ordered the Springbok Pancake and Kudu Kabob, two local meats that I had never had before. Most of the time the boys tend to be more adventurous with local foods while the girls prefer more familiar cuisine. A springbok is a type of Gazelle native only to Southern Africa. It is very popular in South Africa, not only as a meat, but also as the mascot of the Nation's beloved National Rugby team. 

 

The Springbok is the South African Rubgy Team's Mascot

         Kudu is a type of Antelope, not dissimilar from the taste of venison but a little bit more gamey. Both of the meats were delicious, and I was happy to have the opportunity to continue trying more local foods. All of the unfamiliar meats I have tried so far have been wonderful, most surprisingly the Bull Tongue and Ostrich. By the time dinner was over, many were ready for bed, knowing that the next few days would be filled with activity and require a great deal of energy. A few of us stayed outside by the pool admiring the gorgeous african sky at night. It was a moment where you appreciate that many sights can not be captured by a camera, there is no internet or cell phone that can even give you a sense of the experience of being in that very place to witness the sights provided by the natural landscape. With that though in our heads we slowly made it back to our rooms and were off to bed.

Day Two

         An early rise proved hard to cope with for the 4 boys on the trip. We were awoken to a kick on our door, with the news that all the girls were up, had already eaten breakfast and were loading the truck for the day's adventures. We quickly scrambled to prepare ourselves and were all last to load our gear and board the bus. 
        Our first stop of the day, was a nearby Ostrich Farm in Oudtshoorn. We have already seen Ostriches in the wild many times down here, but Oudtshoorn is actually known as the Ostrich Capital of the World. Here, we would have the opportunity to get up close with the Ostriches and learn more about them. Ostriches, as we learned, are incredibly dumb creatures. They have no teeth, but rather use their large sharp toe as a weapon and can run at speeds up to 70 km/h. The closer you get to them the more you see how ugly and stupid these creatures truly are. That being said, they are delicious and entertaining animals to interact with. All males in our group were brought to the front of the group and given a pellet of Ostrich food to put in their mouth. Our tour guide told us that, Ostriches are surprisingly good kissers, due to their lack of teeth, and we experienced this first hand as an especially friendly Ostrich by the name of Betsy went down the line and gave each one of us a kiss in exchange for the pellet of food we had. 

           After feeding the Ostriches, we arrived at the main attraction (according to the boys in our group, anyway), riding an Ostrich. These bizarre looking creatures are rode by holding onto the wings on either side and locking your legs around the front chest of the Ostrich. It is best to lean back while riding to keep from toppling over the Ostrich. If you topple over the front of the Ostrich, it will use its large toe to kick you, the large toe is long, hard and sharp. So, we all took that into account and were able to have a blast riding Ostriches. They get going incredibly fast, and the tour guide allowed all of the males to ride Ostriches without the jockeys staying nearby. As you can see in the video below, the Ostrich gets going fast in very little time.

My Ostrich ride ended by being thrown clear

          The final interesting part of the Ostrich we learned about on the tour, is the Ostrich Egg. Ostrich eggs are commonly used for both food and art. Ostrich eggs are incredibly strong and can support the body weight of full grown males standing onto of them. They are hollowed out and painted as interesting art for homes, and Ostrich eggs are used for food, the same way chicken eggs are. The only difference is that one Ostrich egg has roughly the same amount of egg as 24 chicken eggs. 

Ostrich vs. Chicken

         Our day continued from Oudtshoorn to some scenic views of the Indian Ocean as we drove about an hour and a half to the Bloukrans River. We stopped for lunch on the way, took pictures of the beautiful cliffs and horizon line we could see from the stops and all felt nervous energy among the group. The nervous energy was because we were only a few hours away from Bungee Jumping at the highest Bungee Jump bridge in the world. 216 meters, or 719 feet, equivalent to well over the length of two football fields, or a seventy-two story building. That is no small fall, and quite a place to have your first bungee jump. I have skydived before, but being up in a plane where the ground is nothing more than a dot is beyond comprehension. 216 meters is close enough that you can feel the wind, see the bottom and comprehend what the fall might sound like at the end. The hours before 15:00 were filled with people proclaiming they were ready, and others proclaiming they weren't going to do it. Soon enough, the time was here, and we arrived at Bloukrans Bridge and witnessed first hand how far the fall really was. 

To give a frame of reference, the amount of space between the arch and the bridge above it is about 25 feet in the middle.

         The scariest part for me wasn't the actual jump In order to get out to the top and middle of the arch underneath the bridge we had to walk out on a bridge that was net on all 4 sides. It was not firm, it gave when you stepped on it and you could see directly through it. There was about a quarter of n inch of material between you and a drop of 72 stories. This was terrifying and it took me a while to cross the bridge going both ways. The jump itself was a walk in the park next to that. I have a slight fear of heights, but the liberating feeling of overcoming that fear to leap out into the air with nothing but a rope holding you up was a feeling I won't soon forget. Loud thumping music was blaring the whole time, keeping the atmosphere loose and fun. 

Still waiting to be caught by the rope

         The staff were all dancing and filing, putting customers at ease and making customers wonder how focused they were on their job at the same time. One by one we jumped off the bridge like ants or lemmings marching one after another. Letting out cries or screams as we took the plunge. It was an incredible experience, and your body feels the energy and excitement for days. The adrenaline overwhelms you as you feel the wind in your face and see an incredible horizon line and pristine nature all around. It trull is an experience you cannot describe, you simply must do it yourself. 

the video does not do the experience justice, but its a start

           By the time we had all jumped and survived the fall, we had spent several hours at the Bloukrans Bridge. We had originally been scheduled to go to Tsitsikamma National Park to do a short hike through some forests, but it had been such a draining day and the hour had already grown late, so we decided we would call it a day and head to our accommodations and enjoy the rest of the night. While the night before had offered us a surprisingly nice place to stay, we were strictly backpackers on the second night. Tripp, Jarrett, Bryson, Laura, Morgan, Olivia and I all crammed into one dorm room for the evening. Men and women at my age were not built to live in the same space. Someway, somehow we all managed to get some sleep though, we had another full day ahead.

Day Three

         Our last full day on the Garden Route began early once again to make up for lost time from the day before. We headed to Tsitsikamma National Park to do a short hike and enjoy the beautiful natural ecosystems and views. The hike was easy and the views were spectacular. Long suspension bridges offered some of the coolest views of the mountains, forests, ocean and river.

Tsitsikamma National Park

        It was a nice relaxing way to begin the day, seeing some sights, moving around and getting ready for the last hurrah on our brief tour of the Garden Route. We enjoyed a quick breakfast in the park before heading to Knysna to interact with some more animals many of us had been eager to encounter. We were given the option between going to an Elephant or Monkey reserve. A few chose to go see the Monkeys, but most of us went to see and ride Elephants. Despite having seen many pictures of Elephants before, you can never really appreciate how massive these creatures are until you stand next to one. The sheer size of them is staggering, but mixed with their soft emotion and the gentleness they exude they are truly remarkable creatures. 

The 19 year-old Elephant I had the pleasure of hanging out with and riding

       The skin of elephants is as rough and hard as any animal I've ever felt. If you were blindfolded, you would think you were touching a rock. The elephants were surprisingly fast when they really got going. My friend Tripp and I also had the pleasure of an extended ride due to the fact that the elephants decided they needed to relieve themselves whilst we rode them. It sounded like a fire hose was being sprayed at the ground. They are remarkable creatures, and learning about how smart elephants are, especially in contrast to the ostrich, was very interesting. It is very sad that there is such an issue with poachers and elephants, and the history of ivory tusks being such a highly marketable item. I have become a much larger elephant fan since interacting with them and learning more about them, and hope that their population will continue to grow.

            After riding elephants and bungee jumping for previous activities on the trip, it would be difficult for any remaining opportunities to top the majestic feelings or adrenaline already experienced. But, we would make the most of the opportunities remaining in our final hours before heading back to Cape Town. Our last activity of the day gave us a chance to kayak on the Indian Ocean. Many were not too excited for this opportunity, but the 4 boys on the trip made the most of it. We made our way out to where the waves were the largest and the roughest and essentially surfed on them with our kayaks. It ended up being a lot more fun than we initially thought it would be, and before long we were to report back and get prepared for our last night on the Garden Route.

      We spent our last night at a surfer/backpacker hotel/hostel right on the beach with incredible views and a very young crowd. It was a pretty cool place for a group of college kids to stay and enjoy the company of each other as well as a few peers with a beautiful sunset and delicious food. We engaged in what is known as a "Braai" in South Africa. A Braai is really just a Barbecue, but with its own South African intricacies. There are certain types of meats prepared and sides made for a Braai, and we enjoyed our food outside on the beach as the Sun went down and the fire got going.

A Braai Pit

          It was a great way to spend the last night, enjoying local food, cold drinks and a beautiful night sky and climate with plenty of fellow study abroad students and locals our age. It had been quite an experience for the past few days, and now we had a brief morning activity ahead of us before heading back to Cape Town. While we enjoyed our last night, we were exhausted from the week's activities and schedule and before it was too late retired to our quarters, satiated and content.

Day Four

         We got to sleep in until 9 on the final morning of our trip, a luxury enjoyed by all. Some of us were going to a beach on the Indian Ocean for our final activity, while others were going on a brief safari through a game reserve. We had been instructed by friends who had gone on this particular safari not to go, because it was not a very good safari and we would be going on other better safaris. So seven of us decided to save our money and enjoy a morning on the beach and enjoy the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean. The beach was very nice, and we enjoyed some nice local food for lunch. Seafood here was fresh and delicious and the Sun was fickle but towards midday had presented itself for the end of our time at the beach. 

      It was quite a trip and quite an experience to kick start the semester in South Africa. Class starts Monday, and with it will come more of a routine and less time to spend traveling outside of Cape Town. But aI am very glass I got the opportunity to see so many sights outside of the city before school begins, it opens the door for weekend adventures now that options have been seen. This trip really helped us all feel settled in South Africa, now that we've seen other parts of the country, met knew people and have come to understand more what South African culture is all about. So here's to a good start to the semester.