I know, I know... It's been over a month since my last post!

Last Tuesday I got back from March Holiday in which I spent eleven days traveling up the east coast of South Africa. I took the BazBus (a hop-on, hop-off bus geared towards backpackers) and stayed in hostels. I spent the first two days (Friday and Saturday) in Knysna, a cute little yacht club town in what is known as the Garden Route of the Western Cape. I spent these two days relaxing by myself. I watched TV for the first time since arriving here in January, read, journaled, and caught up on my sleep. It was nice to spend a bit of time alone but I grew restless by the end of the day one.

On day three (Sunday) I was happy to finally meet up with my friend Alexis and officially start my trip. We took the Baz to Jeffrey's Bay which is also part of the Garden Route and is known as a surfer's paradise due to it's beaches and surf gear outlet stores. Many professional surf competitions are held here. In JBay we rode horses on the most untouched strip of beach I have ever seen. Having only ridden a horse once or twice in my life, I am proud to say I got up to a cantor and was told that I 'caught on quickly for a beginner'! Late Monday we took the Baz to Port Elizabeth where we spent the night and then had to get up really early the next morning to make our way to Coffee Bay.

The bus ride to Coffee Bay was incredibly beautiful. We made our way from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, traveling through what is known as the Transkei. The Transkai is home of the Xhosa people and was separate from the rest of South Africa during the Apartheid. It is now reintegrated into South Africa but remains one of the poorest regions of the country. It is rural Africa, huts and all. We spent five days here at one of the best hostels in the country, the Coffee Shack. The Coffee Shack is situated right on the Indian Ocean and kind of has a camp-like atmosphere set up. They plan excursions daily and make all your meals. There is even a bar there. Alexis and I took advantage of all the excursions and got to hike to Hole in the Wall and the Mapuzi caves as well as learn how to surf. Yes, I surfed! I think I actually made it up on my board all of two times but it was still so much fun. The two hikes were intense; at points we were literally scaling rock walls and climbing along cliff edges. There were many times that we had to stop and freak out a bit before continuing on. Also while in Coffee Bay we got to eat dinner in a local village. The women made us a traditional meal, danced, and we all sat and ate in the hut. At the end we (the tourists) all went around and introduced ourselves and said where we were from and they got to ask us questions through an interpreter. It was probably the most 'African' experience I will ever have. Besides the activities, another great part about the Coffee Shack was that we got to meet so many people. There were backpackers from all over the world there and it was interesting to hear all of there stories. Coffee Bay was by far our favorite part of the trip...

After Coffee Bay, we made our way to Durban for a day. Here we ate Indian food (Durban has the second highest Indian population after India), laid on the beach, and did a small bungee jump from the new Moses Mabhida World Cup Stadium. Alexis and I still can't believe we did this. We had to climb all the way up to the top of the stadium and then just jump. We have a video to prove we actually did it! Then Tuesday morning we had to get up super early for our 6am flight back to Cape Town. Clearly this is too early to function and I ended up leaving my camera on the plane. I didn't actually realize it until the next day but luckily I did get it back. I am probably the only person to ever lose something in South Africa and get it back.

Other events from the past month...

We have had three sets of parents come visit in the last month or some. Brian, Rachel V., and Nichole's parents have all come to Stellenbosch, It has been so fun to meet them and have dinner, etc. I feel like you find out so much more about a person when you meet their family!

Last Wednesday I attended the Elton John concert in Kirstenbosch Gardens with Alexis and a South African friend, Kerry. We were probably the youngest ones there by 30 years but we still had such a good time.

Saturday a group of us took the train into Cape Town. I went with Alexis to meet up with a friend from home, Derek, who is also studying in South Africa and happened to be in CT for the weekend. We just sat and talked for hours. It was so good to finally meet a friend from home since we always talk about our friends from home.

Monday night was the Rugby Varsity Cup (South African university rugby championship). The game was huge for us because not only were the Maties in it, but we were playing our arch rivals the Ikeys (University of Cape Town) and the game was at home! Classes get out early here for this sort of thing. So of course I attended the game and had a blast. I did come out of the game with a black eye though... Long story short was in line for the bathroom and somehow ended up in the way of a fight. Wrong place, wrong time. I got hit. I survived and the Maties won the game so it's all okay.