Kathy’s Travels

January 9th

Me, Myself…Listening

Listen to the beat of the drums,
The roar of the crashing waves,
The call of the birds,
The laughter of the children.

Peaceful, energizing, earthly, cosmic.
A place of inspiration, self-discovery.

My self awareness grows,
The beat changes, stops
I stop, wait, listen…..

In the tent, safe, free, breathing, being.
I am ME, MYSELF.

The rain starts, a gentle beat
in harmony with the distant drums

I am here, in the now!
Listening…….

a poem inspired by Coffee Bay and my friends: Mark and Jade! Who taught me to be me…

January 2nd 2006

WOW!!!!! I can’t believe it is 2006……

New Years was fantastic!!!! The party at Bomvu was a hit. We must have had almost 200 people out on the festival grounds at one point.
Since I had been working in the office and the bar for a few days I had got to know a few of the guests and when they saw me selling the tickets for the party they were very amused. Some bought me drinks, others gave me sips of their drinks…. but the sentiment was the same “Do you do everything around here???” “Do you ever stop????”….. it was all very amusing.

I think the best part of the party was that I got to spend it with 2 of my best friends. We danced all night, stumbled onto the beach (it was very dark you see…..) and even went skinny dipping in the ocean…. my first time! We sat and looked at the stars…until it started raining beautiful warm rain…. and then we sat in the rain. Around 3am it was time to go back and dance till sunrise….and we did just that.

We all crashed in a big heap around 6am and slept the morning away…… until I had to work at 10am.

I loved every minute of it, I think this time holds my favorite memories….. 🙂

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! HAPPY HANUKAH!!!! SEASONS GREETINGS!!!

December 25th
Arrived yesterday at my uncle’s house in Durban to spend 5 relaxing days catching up with sleep, emails, friends and movies….
Well I am defiantely getting the sleep one down, after a slightly sore throat turned into a severe, but classic, case of tonsilitis. Sleep, antibiotics and pain killers for the next 5 days. When I walked into the pharmacy I was so swollen they thought I had mumps (something you have to wait out), thankfully there was a doctor who could give a correct diagnosis and drugs….
The question I have is this: My tonsils are so swollen I can barely swallow water and yet the antibiotics they give you are about 3 times the normal size of most pills……go figure……

December 29th
Hi Ho! Hi Ho! Its off to Bomvu I go…..
It always feels like I am heading home when I do this trip.
Am feeling much better and can at least swallow down the left side of my throat….. 🙂 Should be right as rain before New Years !!!
Wow 2006 is just around the corner!!!!!!!

December 23rd
I can’t believe the festival is over….. After a month of intense work for me and 3yrs of work for Mark, the first of 7 festivals is over.
On the whole it was a success. We had over 110people, everyone who came loved it and had a blast, no fights or serious security issues (except for staff tents being robbed – more on that later). But it wasn’t enough to make money for the non-profit organisation “Aids to Eden”. Perhaps in the years to come the festival will grow in name and size. By 2010 we should hopefully be able to challenge the world record for drumming circles.
I am glad I got to experience and help with it.

Now back tothe robbery. On the first night of the festival at about midnight I went back to my tent utterly exhausted. When I got there I noticed it was open, then I noticed everything was thrown around. I ran back to the festival grounds and the whole staff came to check their tents. Every tent had been hit in some way. Simone (Bomvu manager) had her camera stolen, Jenna (Bomvu chef) was lucky, Mark (Bomvu host and festival director) had a special necklace, shorts and t-shirts stolen – he didn’t have that many to begin with…, Boaz (Bomvu massage and yoga therapist) was hit the hardest, he had his camera, bag, wallet and CDs stolen. He is also a DJ so the CDs were probably the worst. I had everything in my tent pulled out, a bottle of whiskey stolen and my purse stabbed. The funny thing was that they stabbed my purse and went straight through 2 R10 notes, but never found them. On the whole kind of a hectic night.
Unfortunately when things like this happen there is not much the police can do. Everything just sort of evaporates into the hills. Thats when you smile and nod and say “well at least no one was hurt and I can replce everything that was stolen in some way or another….”

December 6th -19th
Arrived back “home” and found out a good friend, Mark, had a serious spider bite. Later we discovered he had actually been bitten on the foot by a nightadder (snake). Luckily it is only slightly venomous so he was just really sick for about 2 weeks and got to keep his foot. Symptons included fever, headaches, shakes, sweats and generally feeling downright crappy…. Oh yeah not to forget the 2 puncture wounds on the side of his foot. He is the main organizer of the festival and I have become his PA (personal assistant), especially while he is sick. A lot of work requiring many hours on the telephone. But as Mark put it “Kathy you are very tenacious” when I said no one had ever called me that, he replied with “it means you never shut-up”…. Yup quite a few people have told me that.

Working as a PA was fun but involved me being busy from 7am to often after 7pm, and running from the festival grounds to the office (since Mark had to prepare all the lights and sound etc and couldn’t leave). Eventually I took over his cell phone and had to field quite a few queries about if the festival was cancelled….. “A new beginning hotline, this is Kathy, how may I help you?”

The heat and humidity in Coffee Bay had been intense and I got a touch of heatstroke one day. Learnt very quickly to keep a bottle of water handy at all times.

The festival starts on the 19th and already (as of the 18th) we have about a hundred people. Lets hope they keep coming.

December 3rd (back in Durbs)
WOW!!! Today marks 2mths since my return to South Africa. Can’t believe I left 10yrs ago and am back now for 2mths already. Today is also the day I go to the airport to try extend my ticket.
That’s right I have decided I want to stay longer. If I can’t I will have to go back to the US on the 8th. Let’s hope I can.
It turns out all the internships and jobs I applied for fell through, so staying and helping with the festival seems like a good alternative.

December 4th
Almost back at Bomvu….. can’t wait, feel like I am going home.
Was able to extend my ticket and went so far as to extend for a further 3mths rather than the 2mths I planned. So I only leave here on the 27th of Feb rather than the 8th of Dec.

Cost me $175, more than I had hoped but I think it will be worth it. Am flying on South African air, had tried to go to the flight office in town, but because it was saturday the office was closed. So had to go all the way to the airport.

November 30th
Bazbus has certain stops that are required sleeps: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Jo’berg and Swaziland. So here is am at Kings Beach Backpackers for about 8hrs.

Kings Beach Backpackers: 4/10 the manager is grumpy, the house is not bad, but the main reason I came was for the “Free Breakfast”. This involved toast and coffee or tea. No cereal or yoghurt or anything like that. All in all very disappointing.

December 1st
Welcome to Cintsa and Buccaneers Backpackers, reported to be the best backpackers in South Africa. Set in an almost an idyllic location with a perfect view of the bay and beach.

Buccaneers Backpackers: 9/10 Perfect location (except for the rather steep hill), about 10min walk from shops, good food, free evening activities w/ free wine, and wonderful staff who make you feel part of the family.

Of course my free activity involved a few hours sleep. The kind of sleep where you are out cold and drool all over the pillow. Woke up just in time for dinner. Then went back to bed again. Oh how I love sleep!!!!
December 2nd
Today sat and made jewellery near the office. Sold quite a few items and had a few requests, such as chokers with matching bracelets. Was great fun, until, of course, the hand start cramping……

Tonight the free activity involved decorating the bar for a farewell. The wine made me very creative and I whipped out large zulu – style shields and masks (from cardboard) and when one of the guys asked me to paint him too, I happily obliged and painted flowers and flags all over his stomach chest and onto his back.

Since most of the staff were at the main house for the farewell dinner I helped sort out the guests. Looks like I become part of the furniture where-ever I go….

Highest Bungy Jump……
Oh yeah forgot to tell you… Before I went to J-Bay I stayed at Storms river and the Tube & Axe backpackers. In Storms river you can hike on part of the otter trail. To do the entire trail means you have to be placed on the waiting list that is almost 1year or longer. You go zipline through one of only 2 rainforests in South Africa and finally you can hurl yourself of a bridge and do the highest bungy jump in the world. Whatever tickles your fancy…..

Tube & Axe backpackers: 8/10 Good location, excellent set-up and 100s of activities available. When busy apparently has good party vibe, ( I was there on a slow night – but still very pleasant). However, the shuttle costs you everytime you want to go somewhere, even if there is a whole load of you and you just want to pop down to the store).

Four of my friends decided to throw themselves off the bridge and I agreed to be paparazzi for them. Looks like I have a new occupation….. Looking at the bridge made me queezy, let alone throwing myself, willingly, off it, a height of 216m….

November 29th

“Oh how I want to go home,
I’m tired and I want to go to bed.
Been on the road for many a day,
And its gone straight to my head.
No matter where I roam,
Over land, or sea, or air….
I will always keep on singing this song,
Oh how I want to go home!!!”

It’s official! I will never make a good travelling salesman. Been on the road for over a week and am tired of it. Just want to sleep. Can’t wait till I get to Cinsta (East London area) where I get to stop for 2 whole nights, sleep glorious sleep!!!

Yesterday I was in Jeffrey’s bay. The surfing capital of South Africa. So if you like surfing this is the place to be. Miles of yellow sand and blue ocean.

Island Vibe Backpackers: 8/10 Nice set up as far as dorms and such go. Beautiful view of the beach, amazing food (had a t-bone steak for R40 / $7) in general pretty darn nice. Also there are the Billabong, Roxy etc… factory shops just down the road. (however the sizes are a little on the small size!!!!)

Went to play paparazzi for some friends of mine as they learnt how to surf. Even got to try out the surfboard myself… great fun!!!!

Finally learnt a new drinking game that I shall pass onto all of you guys:
Place an empty glass in the middle of the table, surround glass with a pack of cards face down, be sure everyone has an alcoholic beverage.
Each person draws a card and then does what that card means (meanings to follow). The aim is to not pick up the last king – everytime a king is found the person must add some of his drink to the middle glass. If you pick up the last king you have to top up the glass and down the concoction.
A- make a rule
2- for you (make another person drink)
3- for me (you take a swig)
4- for whores (all girls drink)
5- raise right hand (last person to do this….drinks)
6- for dicks (guys drink)
7- to the left (person on your left drinks)
8- to the right (person on your right drinks)
9- rhyme (you start a rhyme and go round the table until the rhyme gets stuck – drink or it reaches you again – you drink)
10- category (everyone has to name something from the category eg. Scientific names of whales ~ please note “WILLY” does not count)
J- stick the card on your forehead, if it falls you drink, you can only remove it when someone else picks up a Jack.
Q- ask a question at any point of the game to anyone, BUT the person must reply in the form of a question or drink.
K- place some of your drink in the middle glass or if you have the last king, top up the glass and down it.

Great fun was had by all, and there was more than one hangover the next day.

November 26th
In Buffalo bay at a hostel where the beach literally comes into the common room.

My first stop was at a backpackers about 30min before this one in a small town by the name of Sedgefield.

Upendi Backpackers: 8.5/10 Here you can go paragliding along with a number of other things. The atmosphere is wonderfully relaxed and the owner, Sancho, is a beautiful person who makes you feel at home immediately.

Upendi is actually so close to Wildside (the hostel in Buffalo Bay) that the BazBus couldn’t figure out how to put me on the bus for such a short trip. Eventually Sancho just gave me a lift.

Wildside Backpackers: 9/10 Stunning beach, fantastic staff and good food. The parties go late into the night and if you are not careful you get caught buying doubles when “the singles run out”….. yup people fell for that line a few times.

While at Bomvu, made friends with a group of hippies, no other terms works better. Wonderful people who taught me how to make string jewellery. Now with my own strings firmly in my hand and beads galore from the bead shop conveniently located right next door to Long Street Backpackers, I began making, selling and even teaching. Its great to make something and have someone actually give you money for it. Certainly helps a little with the bar bill.