Cederburg

After seven weeks of exchange, the exchange group and the post matrics headed for the Cederburg. It was the last outing of the exchange program, therefore everybody did their best to make the most of it. This trip was meant for the post matrics but we were lucky enough to join. In grade ten the bishops boys go out to the Cederbirg for sixteen days doing many activities. They call the trip Epic and our trip was a mini version of it.

The first day we drove for a couple of hours until we got near to our camping spot. We had another 25 kilometers to go but instead of taking the car we took the mountain bike. It was a beautiful area to cycle around but the road and the heat made it quite tough. After a two hour trip we arrived at our accommodation for the week. It was a peaceful camping spot with a river next to it. After setting up camp we played a game of football and then headed for Mallgat. Mallgat was a section of the river with large rocks and cliffs around it. We all jumped from the rocks and relaxed in the pool after a warm day. That evening we cooked by ourselves and went stargazing which was amazing since there was no light pollution. 

On Tuesday the group was split into two. I enjoyed this because it gave you the opportunity to get to know people that you usually didn’t talk to. In the morning we went to a farm school with kids ranging between six and twelve years old. We played games with them, football, rugby and we sang. It was a good experience and I think the kids enjoyed spending their time with us. After returning to the camp we had the majority of the afternoon to ourselves. We all relaxed and talked about the school. At four o’clock we were picked up by The Cape Leopard Trust. It is an organization, founded nine years ago, that studies the animals and tries to keep them safe. The man who started the project took us for a walk and told us about his work. One of us asked how many he had seen since he had started. He had only seen seven in the wild in nine years excluding the collared leopards. He took us to an activated trap and showed us how it worked and he told us about the life of the animal. After three hours we returned to camp where dinner was waiting for us.

Wednesday the groups swapped and group A did what group B did and the other way around. After an early morning and a small hike up a rock formation we went abseiling. One by one we all descended the fifty meter rock face. It was a great experience and the view only made it better. After that we headed straight for the cave paintings once painted by bushmen. We were informed that they were very old but the exact date was hard to predict. It was impressive to see how detailed and realistic they could paint when they only had the very basics. We walked to several paintings, all very impressive. We finished early so we had the rest of the afternoon to prepare for our “solo”. The solo is an opportunity to sleep out in the wild by yourself and “survive”. We all got dropped of in small groups. Each group was split up and spread out, usually one hundred meters apart. I was placed next to the river with an amazing view of the Cederburg. I started my cooking immediately only to discover that my gas-cooker didn’t work. I went to my “neighbor” and we cooked together. We got quite a shock when we threw the gas cooker over and put the bush on fire. Something you shouldn’t do in a dry area like the Cederburg. We knew we had a big day ahead of us so we tried to get some rest.

After a terrible night rest we were picked up and brought back to camp where we prepared for the day hike ahead of us. We left at 8:30 and headed for the mountain. We walked up to the vertical face at the top where we waited for the rest of the group and topped our water. To get to the absolute top we had to crawl through tunnels, squeeze through slits in the rocks and walk through the gorges. When the entire group made it up we headed for the arch. It took us about ninety minutes to get there. We climbed the arch and rested there. After that climb we did another one before we headed back. The way back was a lot quicker and when I returned to camp I just collapsed to the floor and rested. When the rest had arrived we went to Mallgat again to refresh. When we came back diner was almost ready. That evening we all sat at the campfire and reflected back on the week.

Friday we went back to Cape Town and we were all happy to return to our soft beds and warm showers. The trip took us back to “basics” and really made us appreciate mother nature.

Langa

During our stay here in South Africa we have been seeing this country from a one point perspective. We have been seeing South Africa from its pretty side: Gardenroute, Elandspad, Bishops, Table Mountain and so on. However, South Africa is a developing country which struggles to take care of all the people. On February the 21st and 22nd, 2012, the four exchange boys experienced the other life that many people in South Africa live everyday.

During small break I was brought to LEAP. LEAP is a school that runs on donations and scholars children from the townships. The school building is separated into LEAP 1 and LEAP 2. LEAP 1 are children from the township Langa and LEAP 2 are children from Khayelitsha and a couple of others. The school is actually quite a good school and all the people who go there are eager to learn and happy they get the opportunity to do so. I followed a couple of classes and went swimming with grade eleven. School will always be school but it was a good experience to go to LEAP.

When school finishes buses take everybody back home. The four of us all stayed in Langa. When we stepped out of the bus we all were shocked to see the conditions these people live in, and yet still manage to live a happy life. I’m not saying that these people wouldn’t want better but they are happy with what they have. After dropping our bags off, my host girl took me around. She told me Langa is relatively small, but I got the impression it was immense. The conditions are very bad. The streets are the sewer system and on every conner a huge amount of rubbish is dumped. Rats are everywhere and a lot of neglected dogs just walk around. Most people live in shacks or a small brick house. There are a couple of old flats where people live but you can’t imagine the condition they are in. After walking around I went back to the shack I was going to sleep in for the night. It was not more than four meter by four meter and two people lived in it. When I was walking around that afternoon I saw sheep brain, cow’s head and intestine so I was curious about what I was going to eat that evening. In the end we had pork with rice and vegetables, so nothing out of the ordinary. That evening we talked and watched television. We talked about the future and ambitions. My host girl wanted to do something in the medical world but she wasn’t sure yet. We went for another walk that evening and all the people said hello and wanted to shake our hand. Langa is a dangerous place so I was happy that my host girl knew the way because at night I felt that all the eyes were settled on me. We went to sleep early because the days are long. Wake up is at six o’clock, school starts at 8:15 and ends at 17:15 and when they are home they have homework and chores to do. 

The next day we took had to rush to make the bus, which took us to school. We were picked up at ten and taken back to Bishops.

The experience was eyeopening and makes you realize how much you should appreciate the life you have. To see how these people live makes me respect these people a lot. They struggle with everyday life but still appreciate it. They are happy with what they have and fight for a better life everyday. I think LEAP is doing a great job in giving these people bigger opportunities and I really wish these people all the best and hope that one day things will change.

I didn't take any pictures because I thought it would be disrespectful.  

Bloukrans Bridge 

Bloukrans Bungee 

False Bay

African Penguin

Read the Sign

Rhino Family

Elephant at the Game Lodge

Ostridge

Cango Caves

Me at the Beach/Ocean

Beach

Garden Route

The fifth week of exchange was the moment many of us have had in the back of our minds since coming to South Africa. The Garden Route was at the doorstep. I was talking to an ex-exchange student the weekend before and he said he enjoyed this trip the most, so expectations were high. On the Monday morning, February the 13th, 2012, our bus arrived and we were on our way!

The first day we did quite some driving, because the Garden Route is Western Cape going into Eastern Cape and Cape Town is deep inside the Western Cape. A guide from the Bokbus company had picked us up that morning and he briefly informed us about the day plan. Our first stop of the day was False Bay. It gets its name from long ago, when the Portuguese used Cape Town as the last stop and then sailed straight to Indonesia in search for spices. When the Portuguese and others would come back they would see a very similar bay to Cape Town and think they had arrived only to discover it was False Bay.  After more driving we stopped at a penguin beach where we saw many African Penguins. After relaxing there a bit we headed to our accommodation for the evening. We were told that it would be our most luxurious hotel but I hadn’t expected a safari lodge. It was amazing! Loic and I stayed in a luxurious hut, and in the evening we relaxed at the pool, after having a very tasty dinner. However, I didn’t care about any of this, the best, by far, was that we actually went on safari and saw lions, elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and many more animals. My first day of the Garden Route was a great success. 

After a great night sleep, we went on safari again, but this time early in the morning.  We also went to the reptile center where we were allowed to hold snakes, and visited a couple of cheetahs. After breakfast and a load of happy valentines, we left my favorite hotel of the week. We headed for an ostrich farm where we got to feed, ride and pet the animals. It’s probably the most awkward animal to ride, but I felt sorry for the animals because they were extremely stressed out. The last stop of the day was the Cango Caves. These caves were discovered a long time ago by a local farmer, who was brave enough to let himself in and explore. The cave is covered with stalactites and stalagmites and huge formations of them. After seeing the main cave we went on an “adventure”. A guide took us through narrow tunnels, up(down) to 30 cm wide and 40cm in height, through the caves and eventually back out. We al enjoyed it, and that evening we stayed at the Backpackers Paradise where we played some football and had ostridge kebab. That evening we all went to bed with one thing on our mind: Bloukrans Bungee.

Wednesday was the big day that everybody had been talking about. We were going to bungee the highest bridge bungee in the world(216m). This was however later on in the day. We first went canoeing and after that we had pizza. The big moment had arrived and there we were, staring at the Bloukrans Bridge not able to believe we were about to jump off that massive structure. After being strapped into a harness and been given some simple instructions, we walked to the center to the bridge which seemed to take ages. Once we were on the bridge the music was pumping and everybody was in the zone. One by one we jumped and all came back up with a huge smile on their face. It was definitely one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Next stop: skydiving! After the bungee we went off to the beach to relax and let the adrenalin flow out of us. That evening we stayed in another youth hostel where we met the same guys who jumped of the bridge with us. We watched the videos of us jumping and we all had a good laugh.

Thursday was our last proper day of the Garden Route. In the morning we did a zipline through the tree canopy. The money we paid for it went to charity. It helped poor people getting educated and improving their facilities. After having done the bungee this wasn’t very adrenalin pumping but I still enjoyed hanging out with the group and viewing nature at its finest. After doing ten ziplines we had lunch and went off the beach where we could swim and have something to eat. We were already on the way back and after the beach we made progress heading towards Cape Town. After a long drive we arrived at a farm in the middle of nowhere. It was a very calming place and we all sat down and enjoyed the sunset and talked about the trip.

Friday we drove back to Cape Town. We made a stop in Hermanus where we had lunch and sat on the cliffs enjoying the view. We arrived at Bishops around five and all of us said goodbye to the girls from Hong Kong because they were leaving the next day. I had a great trip with moments I will never forget and I hope to go back to that part of the world one day!

 Robben Island

Robben Island Entrance

Leper Graveyard

Robben Island Penguin

View of Table Mountain from Robben Island

Lime Quarry

Mandela's Prison Cell

Mandela's Garden

Cable Car Station

Just Another Picture of Table Mountain

Cape Town

Green Point Stadium

Cape Town

Our Route

Robben Island

Robben Island and Table Mountain Hike

On Thursday the 9th of February the exchange coordinator had arranged a trip to Robben Island. After gathering early in the morning, we were taken to the Waterfront where the ferry would take us to Robben Island. The ferry departed from the Nelson Mandela Gateway, and after thirty minutes we arrived at the island.

Robben Island is a World Heritage site. Therefore we were't allowed to walk around the island alone. A bus took us around,and a guide informed us about the history of the islands and what countries influenced it. After a while the Dutch were mentioned, and as our guide had been to the Netherlands before, he started to talk about how terrible the cheese was (I agree) and that when the Dutch came to Robben Island they started eating the penguin population with cheese. After the bus had taken us past the major sites: Leper Graveyard, Lime Quarry, prisons of important people and a couple more, we were dropped off at the section where once Nelson Mandela had been kept prisoner. It was here that an ex-inmate joined us and told us his shocking experiences he had on the island. He took us past 46664's prison cell (Nelson Mandela was given a number) and showed us the garden that Nelson Mandela used to maintain. He told us about how he had been beaten by the guards, and that today he sits next to these men in parliament. After the ex-inmate had shown us around it was time to go back to mainland where we had lunch with the exchange group.

The next day, it was time to climb up Table Mountain. After gathering extremely early, to avoid traffic, a small bus took us to our starting point. The climb started off with rock stairs which continued for a while. After everybody had completed that, we climbed a bit and followed a path. The next stop provided us with some spectacular views of Cape Town. The path eventually took us to a part that we had to scramble up, using chains and metal bars sticking out of the rocks. After completing this it was then that Mr. Court (Bishops coordinator) told us this was the most dangerous hike in South Africa (5-6 people dying annually), which obviously gave us a lot of confidence. From now on it was pretty straight forward, a path took us around the mountain from where we could easily level ourselves with the top of Table Mountain. It was an amazing experience which we all enjoyed. It was quite chilly at the top, but the view was great and all of us sat down and relaxed. It took us around three hours to get up, and five minutes to get down. The new cable cars which spin around took us down in no time. It was cool because you could see the exact route which we had just climbed. After dropping the girls off at Herschels we went back to Bishops, and finished our memorable day off with a bit of pool.

Bus Tour

Creativity at the Market

Painting at the Market

Company's Garden

Dutch Flag with Table Mountain

Camps Bay

Week Number Three

Time is flying here in South Africa! I just completed my third week, in which I did two major activities. On Wednesday the 1st of February the entire exchange group went sightseeing and today, Sunday the 5th of February, the Dutch exchange students went to Cape Point.

Wednesday morning we gathered outside of the chapel at eight o'clock to go sightseeing. The tour started at the Waterfront and after a few stops we got of to walk through a small market. The market was interesting to see, all the people were kind and the objects they sold were very creative. After the market we went to St. George's Cathedral and had a quick look before going of to the Company's Garden. Before jumping back onto the bus we popped into the South African Museum. The bus ride was very nice because it was a very hot day and it was nice to have a breeze in your face. Our next stop was the District Six Museum. It told the story of the 60000+ people who were forced to leave their houses in the sixties. There were many more stops but the best of the day was the view that we had half way up Table Mountain and Camps Bay. In Camps Bay we were allowed to hop off the bus and have lunch. Lotte and I ran into the Pick'n Pay (local supermarket) grabbed a baguette and salami and had lunch on the beach. After Camps Bay we went back to Bishops, where everybody was picked up!

Today the Dutch exchange students and their partners went to Cape Point which is supposably the point where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet. We walked up to a peak which had an amazing view over the ocean. Too bad that my camera battery ran out! After having seen Cape Point we went to have a picnic on the beach. All of us had a good time. To end the day we went on the Chapman's Peak Drive, which gave us some spectacular views. I really enjoyed the day, even though it was terribly hot. 

Table Mountain

My House

Fresh Fruit 

Sunset

Waterfall Elandspad

Elandspad Hike

Uniform

Table Mountain

Waterfall Elandspad

Elandspad

Elandspad

Just Another Week in South Africa

First of all I would like to apologize for not posting in a while. I had a busy week, including being ill for two days. Therefore this post will cover my entire AMAZING second week in South Africa.

To start off with I'll go back to last week Saturday. The exchange gang and I went to Ratanga Junction which is one of the main fun parks here in South Africa. We had a great day in the sun enjoying the rides. The best ride was the human slingshot which cranks you up 30m in the air and then drops you. It is basically a giant swing reaching speeds up to 90 km/h. After completing all the rides we went to one of the biggest malls in the Southern hemisphere, called Canal Walk, to have lunch.

The next day my host family took me to Hout Bay. Hout Bay is one of Cape Town's suburbs which lies along the ocean. It is known for the amazing views and the Chapman's Peak Drive, which is one of the world's most scenic drives. As I told you in my introduction I had been in South Africa several times when I was young. We stayed in Camps Bay during our favorite family holiday. To get to Hout Bay you drive past Camps Bay, so a lot of old memories came back to my mind. After Hout Bay I met Seumus' grandparents. Their house is built at the foot of Table Mountain and has an extraordinary view of the harbor and Lion's Head. Both the grandmother and father are great individuals. 

After a great weekend I went back to school. The school days are very long. I wake up at six and come back home around four to five. It is quite an experience to go to Bishops when you are used to RLW. I enjoy the school days, especially hot lunch and meeting new people. Unfortunately I was ill for two days. Apparently a stomach bug has been going around the country. Staying at home gave me a chance to follow the Africa Cup of Nations which started last Saturday. It is a real pleasure to watch African football. Watch for yourself and you will understand why.

Friday was the big day. It was the first day that the whole exchange group came together on a trip. Friday it was time to go on the Elandspad hike. It was absolutely astonishing. We went up into the mountains north of Cape Town. To start of we hiked for about an hour to get to the river. From there on we stuck to the river, jumping from rock to rock, swimming and jumping off the rocks into the pools. It was nature at its finest. The best part was when we went up to the origin of the river, which was a waterfall. We swam in the water, the freshest I have ever tasted, and swam through the waterfall into a small cave behind it. It was there that Lotte, Loic and I looked at each other and said:"This makes school worth it." 

To finish off my week I wanted to go on a speedboat ride along the Cape. I picked up Loic and headed for the Waterfront. When we arrived we went to an atm machine but both of us failed to get any money. Loic's card simply didn't work and I forgot my pin. Not the most intelligent thing my dad told me when I was talking to him later that day. Luck wasn't on our side that day because the speedboat was broken so we had to leave early. However Loic and I finished of our day sitting on a bench on the balcony of Seumus' grandparents in the sun with a coke and chips watching a massive container ship leaving the Cape Town harbor. Can it get any better than that?