Beginnings and endings...

Alrighty! So, I've managed to get to a computer to upload some pictures, and inspired by Nick's recent addition of a rather funny and stupid video on his blog I have some videos for you as well!
These are just some pics from earlier in Durban and East London.
Durban Beach

The Hostel in durban

Which, although was under construction, had a pretty cool pool

Then onto east London where I stayed at the sugar shack on the beach which was really nice


we went sand boarding which was pretty cool, but since you have to walk back up the dune each time you ride down gets pretty old after a few goes.

Now, 2 days ago we hiked up Table Mountain. The Mountain overlooks Capetown from the south and the cape of good hope and false bay from the north and the view from the top is incredible. The hike up was a lot harder than I thought it would be, there's not really a trail as much as 1000 meters of carved out stone steps. It sucked, but like I said worth the view. This is from about halfway up.

Looking out over the Cape of Good Hope and False Bay

Yeah it was hot and we were tired, other people had their shirts off too



Just some more views of the city, bellow though is Robben Island. Its where the prison that housed Madella is.

the clouds come over the flat topped mountain and water fall over the edge

we didn't stay up for the sunset (it was too far away still) but the sky was still awesome looking west across the Atlantic.

Yesterday we woke up at 5:30 and went shark diving about 2 hours east of Capetown, fittingly enough off Danger Point. We did a little research and I figure that yes the diving has an effect on the sharks but after talking to a lot of locals here (even surfers) they don't think that it increases attacks or conditions them in any way. In fact once we were out on the boat it wasn't at all like the anti-dive people describe the shark activity. Where you have to practically beat the sharks away from the boat before you even chum because they live there and are used to the feeding. In fact they don't feed them at all and do as much as possible to keep the sharks from getting the bait. Legally they are only allowed to go through 10 fishheads in a day anyway so I think that it was ok. They said that the White Sharks are nomadic and very rarely would they get the same shark twice in a given period (they track em and stuff). Anyway we had to wait about 2 hours for any to come but when they did, oh man. We saw about 6 sharks the whole day. The first ones were pretty small, about 2-3 meters, but the last one that came and stayed with the boat for a while was at least 4.5 meters I thought. Really really really big fish, pretty scary really.

just before the first shark came, thinking how boring shark diving was and what a waste of money it is... wrong!
The first little baby one (yeah the others were way bigger)

once we got down into the cage i found that pictures weren't working that good so i started videoing and man are they cool

here's just a quick look at the cage (and the thinck wet suit, it was really cold)

the big momma checking out the food, pretty scary. How it works is there's a guy holding the rope to the bait and he keeps trying to get the shark as close to the boat and the cage as possible which is good. Every now and then the shark really goes hard at the bait and when its coming right at the cage (like this time) it can ram the cage pretty hard. Also after the shark get the bait in its mouth (if it can) it shakes its head all around and slashes in the water (I assume to kill it or something, maybe just to look scary and mean) anyway. This time it got a bit close to the cage and managed to get the bait which meant a wild ride for the people in it, which I happened to be one of.

Anyway, we're leaving for Namibia in a couple of days but I'll try to post again before that. Hope everything is great at home, miss ya.

Ya so it was cool and then I messed it all up, I'll have to redo the map later, sorry

Well I lied to you again, the cape of good hope is not the southern most tip of Africa which anyone who can look at a map would now right away (again call me dumb). It is on the other hand an increadably beautiful spot especially from the top of table mountain which nests nicly between the cape and cape town itself. The hike up was way harder than I thought it'd be, its not actually a trail but carved out steps that goes on for about 2 hours (kinda like the sentence). Once your at the top you can take a cable car down in about 30 seconds (a lot of people cheat and take it up too, buggers). I've planned out the rest of my time here in Cape Town. Tomorrow I'm going shark cage diving, its about 2 hours from here. They take you a mile or so offshore in a tiny little boat and drop you down 2 meters in a cage and then proceed to dump blood and guts into the water to attract as many Great White sharks as they can, most of which get over 5 meters long. Apparently they bait the cage as well so the sharks hit the cage while your in it. Tom has a water proof camera so I should have some awesome pictures for you after that. The day after that we're booked for a wine tour of the cape area. There's some really good wineries around here and apparently its a bit of a boozefest. And lastly on our last day before we leave for the Safari, we're going to Robben Island which is the prison island that Nelson Mendela and his collegues were kept for all those years of the Aparthied Regime. Its supposed to be pretty awesome you get to see his cell and stuff and the tours are given by ex-inmates so that should be good. Anyway, still no pictures but I'll get em too you before I leave for Namibia I promise. Miss everyone and I'll see you in May.

Well we've made it to Africa, crazy I know. In Cape Town right now after flying into Johanasburg and then to Durbin. Stopped at East London for a couple of days before heading on down to the East Cape. We've got some time to kill here but lots of things to do so its good. Sorry no pictures yet, I can't do them on this computer and honestly there hasn't been a whole lot to take pictures of so far except cities that are pretty much exactly like any other big city you could go to. Its kinda wierd really, not exactly what I was expecting, call me an uneducated American but when I think Africa I think deserts and animals and that sort of thing you see on postcards and travel books and national geographics and skyscrapers and subways don't really make the list, but thats what we've been seeing. Its not to bad really though, the cities are really cool. Durban was really nice and East London relaxed and Cape Town is supposed to be amazing but I've only arrived this morning so we'll just have to see about that won't we.
Kranston, I never ended up hearing about your guy, but We weren't around the boxing scene all that much. We tried to go to the main stadium for a fight one night in Bangkok but it was 2000 baht to sit ringside and the other seats were standing in these cage type things up over the ring where the Thais go to gamble.
The flight from Bangkok was awesome, we flew over Sri Lanka and then the south bit of the persian gulf. It was a clear night so th stars were amazing and the moon a little sliver reflected in the black ocean. Every now and then a city of lights would become visable through the window and I'd look at the little map to see what we were flying over, and with the exception of the seachelle Islands I'd realize that it was these massive groups of Oil rigs all lit up. There would be a cluster of about 30 of em together and at first they serisouly looked like cities on there own. It took a bit to figure out what there were the first time.
There are lots of stuff I want to do in Cape Town. Its prime South African wine country and they offer lots of tours and tastings. I'm gonna climb Table Mountain which is the dominate feature of the cape of good hope, a giant flat topped mountain that overlooks the city and marks the southern most tip of Africa. I still want to do a Sharkdive but I'm learning more about it and there is an ethicl issue. Not all the companies are being irrisponsible but some aren't really going out far enough and instead are drawing the sharks close to the shore with chum. As a result sharks are starting to associate divers and boats with food and shark attack rates are climbing as shark diving is expanding. They've already outlawed it in Australia and its looking like its going that way here too so I'm not sure if I want to do it or not. I'll try to get the pictures I've got so far up onto the web in the next couple of days cause I'm not sure how much internet access I'll be having once we get up out of SA. Heading to Namibia first for a week and a half or so. Namibia has got the largest percentage of nature reserves of anu country in the world and is the least populated per area of any country in Africa. Hopefully that means we'll be seeing very few people and lots and lots of Lions and tigers and bears. Well maybe not bears, switch that with giraffes or hippos or something. After Namibia its on to Botswana and then Zambia and down through to SA through Krugar and back to Jo-burg. It should be really great, you'll have to bear with me for updates, I'll do as much as I can but I think part of the deal is there's not a lot of internet and things like that.
The food here is amazing, lots of curries and things like that. My favorite thing so far is Bunny chow or bunnies. Witty chefs invented it during the Aparthied government at white only gold clubs where black caddies were not allowed to use the cuttlery in the kitchens. So what they did is hollow out a half loaf of bread and fill it with curry and then you scoop it out with the hollowed out bit, sorta like our bread bowls. Ok so I'm off to explore Cape Town, I hope everything is great at home.

By the way, check this out, I'm figureing it out bit by bit

oh and it seems like I just got here. The travelling has really picked up since we left Australia and I'm sure the rest is going to go just as fast. I lied to you in my last blog, I'm coming home May 1st not April 1st so yah...
OK so before I post any pictures I have to own up to some stuff, I may have shaven my eyebrows off, or rather had them shaved off. This sort of thing happens over here I'll have you know although just not to anyone else it seems. The Thais all think I look like a monk (who, unbeknowst to me, shave there eyebrows off) who woulda thunk it? I also may or may not have had my eyebrow pierced in Australia, although I think that some of you know that already (Katy) . And lastly I may or may not have gotten another tattoo by a Thai guy whos not named Haun in a city not called Bangkok. ha ha, yah just kidding about that last one... but not really. No serisouly I'm just kidding. um... yah ok so.
Whence we last spoke I was just getting to a lovely little Island called Koh Pah-Ngan with a lovely little drug and drinking problem. Fortunatly for us we stayed literally as far away from the giant party beach as possible which was great for relaxing and not so great for our night out at the fool moon party with a 40 minute taxi ride. we'll get to that. The resort we stayed at was called Haad Gruad, run by this cool ex dutchman named Jaco.

that's the main bit of it, the bungalos are all over the place, the coolest ones over the water.

we didnt get these ones but they were all really nice and the beach was beautiful. I could never figure it out exactly but somewhere on this island and Koh Samui and a couple other really small Islands is where the movie the beach was filmed to thats pretty cool.





these last ones are some of the poeple at our resort. The top one is El (who was one of the girls from Perth that we flew over with from Perth) and Liz whose from gurnsey, a tiny little island thats part of the UK but is basically in France. (you all probably knew this, I didn't ... stupid forieng servicers and their map of the modern world class. Anyway, we stayed here for 8 nights at just relaxed really. Met some Australian guys that were pretty cool and some Americans that were here doing 4 months trainging for Muih Thai kickboxing and an english couple (chris and Wendy) who we ened up travelling with to Koh Toa and now here in Bangkok. I'd love to tell you all about the full moon party but unfortunatly I remember very little of it. I think that that perhaps is a reather common condition on the partying on Ko Pah-ngan.
ON to ko toa a much quieter smaller island devoted (tourism wise) almost entirely to diving. It was really cool the diving as well, its got really deep but really clear massive rock formations with caves and swim throughs and whale sharks. (didnt see any of those though, bummer huh?)

this is chris and wendy and alex, a swiss girl we hung out with there for a bit who was pretty cool.




here's some of the dive trip, laugh it up about the eyebrows, I know it looks ridiculous. We went to 115 feet on the first dive. It really was amazing, it was my favorite dive so far. We'll see if it stays that way after the great white shark cage diving in South Africa.



the sunsets speak for themselves but the twirly business is a fire dancer who amazingly manage not to burn the hell out of themselves while they spin sticks and chains covered in flaming oil about their heads.
After Koh Toa it was back to bangkok to do some touring around here and handle some logistical stuff for the next bit of travelling. Today we went to the floating markets, a cobra show and the tiger temple which were all increadble.

the markets were really cool and pretty but I think they are just a tourist thing, the Thais come really early in the morning to do their trading.

at the cobra show some crazy Thai dude are mean to Cobras and then let them out of thier cages and sacs. Seriously after shaking it around and hitting it as stuff they just dump it out and play with it really, one guy got bit today, he didnt seem all that worried. Either they have the anti-venom on site or else the snake "charmers" are pretty expendable. That one up there though is a python that they did similar nasty things to to make it try to eat them. They were pretty nuts.

hmm holding a cobra, what fun
the best bit was easily the tiger temple where you get to go sit with and touch and walk with the massive massive cats.




crazy cool huh?
then we came back here and since I'm hanging out with brittsh people were going to the pub to watch some football (that would be soccer
miss everyone and I'll see you all soon. Hope everything is great back home.