Kloofing Video

This is a video of the Kloofing I did on Dec 3, 2012

Posted in Adventure Activities, South Africa, Travel | Comments Off on Kloofing Video

Rock Climbing

On my last travel day, I’ve been invited by new South African friends, Carly & Garron, to go rock climbing. They are both experienced climbers and we set-out early for a climb they haven’t done. Garron picked this climb as the guide book says it’s supposed to be a fairly easy low grade climb, for a newbie like me.

It’s hot the sun burning down as we take a 40 minute heart pumping hike up the side of Table Mountain until we reach a vertical cliff wall, which to me appears impassable. Sweat drenching my shirt, we gear up in harnesses and helmets and Garron scampers up the wall like a spider fingers going into crevices and amazingly finds footholds out of the smallest bump. He’s placing anchors (not sure of correct technical term) between rocks and crevices along the way. To him this is a pretty easy climb, although he comments it is much more difficult than he had expected and definitely more advanced that what the guidebook had said. It’s not the ideal spot for a beginner to attempt. But hey, the adventure nut I am and not having done this before, let’s give it a go.

Garron has made it to a rock shelf above and acts as my safety belay, while Carly stays below and gives me advice and instruction on how to make it a go. I start my way up not sure exactly what to do other than I have to find places ever so small for a finger and foothold. As I make my way up Garron keeps my safety line tight. I make it several meters up and now I’m not sure how to pass. If only I were more flexible I might be able to stretch my legs more. After resting in my harness dangling against the sheer wall to give my arms a break I give it a go. I’m not quite sure how I got a finger hold or even where I placed my feet, but amazingly somehow I make it around and above an outcropping to find myself perched on a 3 inch wide ledge, just barely wide enough for my shoe to fit as I press my chest into the wall. The view is spectacular, my instinct is to try to jam my fingers in a crack and hold on, although to rest I merely need to sit in my harness and relax. Looking up all I can see is rock and my safety line disappear over another outcrop. Below more rock and I’m in awe I’ve made it this far. Looking out I can see Cape Town and a fog filled coast rolling into the edge of town. I rest here some more. My arms and legs are sore. I start up this section and am told if I can make it over this next section it gets much easier. I try several times and am exhausted, my forearms are burning and my hands and legs are starting to shake. I’m not used to this level of exercise. I give it another try and on this attempt my foot slips, as I loose my grip, bang my knee and road rash my thigh as I slip/fall a mere foot or less. The split second drop of inches sends an instant sense of peril running down my spine. Determined to not give up I rest and try several more times. After 30 minutes or so, I succumb to the reality I’m not making it on my own.

Swallowing my pride, the down ride was grand as Garron lowered me to our starting point. What a sport. I could see myself getting into this and building the knowledge and muscle tone to excel. I’m on solid ground and my hip is sore, not sure how I tweaked it in the process and realize I may never be able to do this again. I’m thoroughly exhausted happy and glad to experience this at least one time. It was the perfect way to spend my last day on this adventure trip. I got to complete the Africa section of my round the world trip and I’m already dreaming about finishing the other nine months I missed.

20121224-181218.jpg

20121224-181229.jpg

20121224-181249.jpg

20121224-181314.jpg

20121224-181323.jpg

Posted in Adventure Activities, South Africa, Travel | Tagged , | Comments Off on Rock Climbing

Robben Island

I had the great fortune of visiting Robben Island. The Island is a few miles off the coast of Cape Town and could be walked around in a few hours. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to it’s significance in South African history. At one time in history the island was used as a leper colony to quarantine the sick and there is a grave yard still here for those who died of it. In more recent history though, the Apartheid government build a prison and housed male black political prisoners who where responsible for peacefully organizing protest to segregation.

Nelson Mandela the most famous resident, spent 18 of his 27 prison years here. The tour while rushed due to the crowds was moving because former prisoners here are the guides. My guide walks us through cell blocks and shows us his small cell where he was incarcerated because he was black and had become part of the ANC (African National Congress), an outlawed political group because it was against segregation. His cell is roughly 6×10 feet with a matt on the floor, one small table, and a trash can as his toilet.

The living conditions were brutal and some the the guards were extraordinarily mean. Beatings, solitary confinement, and sodomising were not uncommon. It took years of underground organizing between the inmates but over the years their conditions where ever so minority improved. First they got blankets, then beds, better cloths, and better treatment from the guards.

For 45 minutes my guide/former inmate walks us around the prison explaining life here as an inmate. The prison is divided into cell blocks and prisoners from different blocks don’t get to interact. They are awaken early each morning served a watered down pourage breakfast and sent to a lime quarry where they spent the days in hard labor toiling with the most basic of tools. No lunch was served and after a long hard day of work would be taken back to the cells for another most basic of meals designed to just barley keep them alive. Interestingly, since these prisoners where not criminals in the traditional sense of the word but where political prisoners voicing their opposition, they are mostly educated and spent their evenings teaching each other by holding classes to further each others education.

The inmates were desperate for outside knowledge and they got their news through stealing newspapers from the guards. They would be secretly circulated between the different cell blocks by the few inmates which worked in the kitchen and were the only one’s that made it between the cell blocks. News, particularly political news was debated and disgust heavily among the inmates. Nelson Mandela and several others here started working on writing a constitution for a government which treated and respected everyone equally. They buried it in the garden to keep it hidden from site. Being caught with such information could lead to a long stay of weeks or even months in solitary confinement. It’s here where the beginning of a free democracy for South Africa began.

I find it amazing that several of those who severed here are now proud to show people like me around. The memories must be horrific yet they are proud. As my guide explains with the saying on the wall, ” We (the ex political prisoners) want Robben Island to reflect the triumph of freedom and human dignity over oppression and humiliation.” If only a site like this can inspire other leaders around the world to give freedom to their people as well. I’m blessed and fortunate to be from a time and land that these struggles are from a the past and are only in the history books for me.

While South Africa is now free, yet still has it’s problems, on a macro scale, I can’t help but think that within a few generations things are going to continue to improve and this wonderful land will continue to greatly improve and life will be better for it’s people.

20121223-194020.jpg

20121223-194047.jpg

Posted in South Africa, Travel | Tagged , | Comments Off on Robben Island

Huey Combat Flight

Where can you fly in a Vietnam Huey helicopter on a simulated mission other than by being in the military? Cape Town…..

I board a 1960’s Huey which had several tours in Vietnam and take a seat next to the open bay door. The pilot goes through his preflight-check, start, and, thumb, thumb, thump as the rotor begins to spin. There is a bouncy feeling under my seat with each thump like being in a 4D move as we sit on the tarmac. We slowly lift off, gradually climb over the Atlantic with pristine views of Cape Town and Table Mountain, and make our way up the coast.

This tour/flight is a simulated combat mission and we fly a typical scenic helicopter flight over the beach and up the coast until we get to where it’s uninhabited. There are no doors on the main hold where I’m seated. The cold air thunders in against my chest as we move along at a steady 100 knots. Then the pilot suddenly drops us, it’s the same feeling as stalling a small aircraft, as my stomach takes a bounce. The thumping turns to a loud cracking noise several times a second like someone is shooting a gun next to my ear as we make more extreme maneuvers. We dive to the deck only a few feet above the water and the rotor down thrust blows up salty spray into my face. We bank to the right and swoop nose slightly turned down and skim over the sandy beach. The pilot pulls up and we make a steep accent to miss the trees ahead.

For the next twenty minutes we go inland amongst tree’s and foothills. We come to a clearing and swoop a few feet above the ground, spin, and move sideways at the same time. My mind goes to a movie set scene, I’m looking eye level at trees. While hovering, the grassy clearing flails back and forth in our rotor wake. In action, where I’m siting I’m sure I’d be manning a gun scouting for the enemy or creating cover fire for whomever we’d be picking up. Suddenly we pull up, bank, fly straight and sideways at the same time as I’m holding onto the door frame. (I do have a mandatory seatbelt on) I guess we got our mock man aboard.

We skim the tree tops as I hang my leg out the door. It appears we’ll fly directly into the hill ahead, but just as we approach it the pilot pulls back on the yoke creating ever so slight G forces sucking me into my seat as we ascend for a wondrous scenic trip back to the tarmac.20121221-224758.jpg20121221-225009.jpg20121221-225210.jpg

20121221-230920.jpg

Posted in Adventure Activities, South Africa, Travel | Tagged , | Comments Off on Huey Combat Flight

Dreams

As everyone should already know, my dream is to visit every country in the world. What’s your dream? What do you want to do, see, go, or achieve?

Comment here or send me an email and I’ll create a page of dreams to post and share.

Here’s to dreaming and achieving one’s goals!

Posted in Travel | Tagged , | Comments Off on Dreams