First day back home

I’m writing this, sitting outside in (surprisingly!) sunny Hastings, listening to Goldfish; one of the Pepper bands who we got to see play at Joe Cools (a pretty cool beachside bar in Durban). It was weird waking up this morning for the first time in 3 months without the Pepper group discussing what to have for breakfast/complaining of hangovers/ trying to wake up the boys etc!
Thinking back to our first week getting to know each other feels like such a long time ago but it has gone so quickly. Cape Town was an INCREDIBLE place to begin the trip! It’s definitely not a place that can only be visited once. I can’t wait for another chance to go back and visit our old hang outs; drinking ‘Mules with extra cherries’ in Caprice, chilling on Clifton Beach and trying out surfing and kite-surfing in water that is claimed to be colder than in England (it’s not, Vince). Learning to surf in Cape Town was pretty schweet (ay?). One of the most memorable sessions was on the evening of George’s birthday. It was raining, the beach was completely empty and I couldn’t feel my feet but it was awesome to just sit out back with everyone and the instructors, paddling for the odd cheeky wave and just generally chilling. When we left Cape Town for wakeboarding, we all agreed that it felt like we were leaving our home, but, wakeboarding was QUALITY! I started off the week as a beginner and by the end of the week I was seriously hooked. I'd like to carry on with the sport but I’m certain that no other wakeboard session will ever live up to those experienced at Misverstand!
One of the many highlights of the 1st road trip was the night we slept outside in Vic Bay. Apart from the constantly deflating mattress, it was PERFECT. We then woke up to watch the sun rise and then headed down to the beach for a surf with our new boards which was probably one of my bests. I seem to remember catching a few ‘James’s’ (a giant peach (a big, nice wave (well, big for me anyway which actually is pretty small))) as Enzo would say! Getting into warm water was AMAZING after 3weeks in a wetsuit.
So then, on to Durban! What I miss about Durban most is the Secret Spot. It’s a beautiful place and is run by the friendliest people and had some friendly other guests too (hahahahaha!………what?)
Diving in Durban was very cool, we saw sharks! On the last day the visibility was OBSCENELY good! I remember swimming along being able to see the ocean floor clearly 20m down, very, very cool.
The best moments of the trip have definitely been when the whole group has been together. Whether we were hiking through RIDICULOUSLY beautiful scenery in Hogsback or the Drakensberg, tracking rhino in the game reserves or just chilling telling horrific jokes. I think we were all quite surprised at how well everyone got on with each other. It was fun watching everyone come out of their shells and pick up each others phrases and quirks. Mainly Johnny’s to be honest. i.e. talking in that strange high pitched voice, saying what you see in the tone of offering it to someone (ostrich?) and fitting in 2 or 3 ‘amazing’s’ into each sentence! Oh Johnny, you’re a freak. And Vince is a child. In a good way. You have done extremely well though! It really was a truly incredible experience and I’m very jealous of the next Pepper group! Although they won’t be as good as us originals, right?
If you’re reading this considering whether or not to sign up to a Pepper trip then DO IT! It is probably the best decision you will make! I’ve met some AMAZING people, made some AMAZING friends and have developed a huge passion for South Africa. It’s a pretty chilled little country!
Gen Xx xxxxx AMAZING

Miss Annie heads for Australia!

So what to tell you about the last three months...the pepper trip's been incredible! There are so many good bits to talk about, I could litterally write an essay, as Vince and Jonson (aka Johnny..he gave me a nickname so I had to give him one) well know, but for you guys ill just mention a few of my favourites! Going right back to the beginning the first night was amazing! After a long flight nervously waiting to meet everyone Jonson and Vince took us to Camps bay to see our first African sunset thoughtfully accompanied with champagne and nibbles (Good work Jonson!)...it was beautiful and such a nice welcome to pepper and South Africa! From there the good times continued, Breede river was a ball, rafting, or rather relaxing whilst Enzo built up his muscles! In Cape town we took in all the sights (even if it meant walking up a massive mountian...which by the way Vince is most definitely NOT flat at the top!) and had surf lessons with the lovely Liam (Hattie's husband to be!), kite surfing...or rather body dragging (which is THE MOST FUN) and some memorable or perhaps not so memorable nights in Caprice seeing a few more of cape towns best sights! The wakeboarding beats anywhere I've done it before..riding behind a boat at sunset on mirror like water with the spekaers pumping out the tunes..it doesn't get much better! Up the coast we slept under the stars at Vic Bay, played ring of fire at Plett, did an awesome ski dive, and laughed fear in the face doing the bungee jump...(my advice drink wine before hand..even if it is nine in the morning!) Hogsbac or lord of the rings land only sought to show us more beautiful parts of one astounding country!
Up in Durban we discovered The Secret Spot; you won't find a more homely backpackers! I also won't forget the look of pure joy and satisfaction on jonsons face as we reclined in the lovely armchairs at our new found empire (a colonial style hotel just outside the city with earl grey tea (twinnings of course) and great G & T's! After all of that the two safaris were brilliant, coming face to face with 10 elephants is an unforgetable experience as were the antics of the mule! The hot choccclut and jokes were excellent (Chinny you can't deny my joke telling did make you laugh even if it was for the wrong reasons) and my birthday in the bush was the best I couldve had...thanks to the whole group for making it such a great day! Now were back in jo'burg looking at old piccies and hoping somehow theres another week of the trip that jonson and vince have kept secret so that we don't have to leave tomorrow! I think ive written too much already so ill jut finish by saying that I couldn't have pictured a better trip to do on my gap year, and thank you soo much Jonson and Vince...you guys have been awesome! Bye for now, I'm looking forward to our pepper meet up in August!
Much love
Annie
XXX

Harriet goes home!

The end has come around way too quickly and I can't believe I actually have to leave this incredible country. But I've got some memories from the last three months that will literally stay with me forever. Last night the boys took us all out for a goodbye dinner which involved a lot of laughs and tears (not just on the girls part) and Vince and johnny gave us each framed photos of our amazing time here. Looking at them I really can't believe all the things we've done. Table montain, wakeboarding camp, surfing, sky diving, bungee, kitesurfing and so much that I really don't have room to mention. We've done more in the last three months than most people will ever do in their lifetime. But probably the best thing about this trip is the friends I've made. We've literally become like a family abd had some fantastic times together. I honestly have never laughed as much as I have with this lot. So basically I really have had some nights i'll never remember with the friends i'll never forget. Thanks vince and johnny for an unforgetful three months!
Hattie x

Jo'burg and Goodbyes

I'm sitting in the backpackers in Jo'burg, all alone, it's a bit surreal that everyone else has left, I keep expecting George to walk in with some very useful advice or a "hello, miss madeleine" from Johnny. There were some very tearful goodbyes at the airport yesterday, and believe everyone, at some point in the last couple of days, has shed a tear? The last few days in Jo'burg have been awesome, although there has constantly been a little black cloud hanging over us all when we realised it was nearly over. Annie's birthday celebration was a very good night, with an amazing meal and some very amusing memories... Sunday was our last full day in South Africa and included a picnic for Vince and Johnny, where we presented them with the Pepper survival kit, including a mouse trap for Johnny, to keep the rodents away, and a whistle for Vince, which he said he wished he had been given 3 months ago. In the evening we all walked to Spur for an evening of prize-giving, speaches and tears, we were each given photo frames with some of the highlights of the trip, which will definitely be kept forever, thank you so much Johnny and Vince. It must have been hard selecting the photos out of the 8000+ photos of the trip!

I arrived in Cape Town 3 months ago, thinking I was just going to stay for a month. Little did I know I would still be here now after the most incredible 12 weeks ever! I have so many amazing memories of the trip, and to list even the best bits would basically be writting out everything we've done in the last 3 months, but I have to mention the game reserves, which was so unlike anything any of us have ever done before, with, of course, the elephants being the highlight, but I know both George and Enzo have written about them in their posts. The other highlight of the trip I'm going to mention is the surfing, because although I wouldn't exactly call myself a natural, I can't even stand up after 2 months(!) and I usually came out of the water saying: "I actually nearly died" (possibly a tiny bit meodramatic?), I really enjoyed either practicing my 'pop' on the beach, i.e sunbathing, attempting to stand up in the white-water with Hattie i.e. swimming, or paddling out behind the break, if I could, and just chilling (unfortunately this usually ended with me being attacked by a massive wave and "I nearly died"!). I have to thank Johnny and Vince for their patience when trying to teach me to surf! Maybe I'll get the hang of it one day...
Anyway I have to go now as I have 3 planes to catch to get home, somehow I managed to arrange the most round-about route possible, but this truely has been the most AMAZING experience of my life and I'm going to miss everyone sooooooo much! (I already miss you all and it's only been a day!) Thanks everyone for putting up with me and see you soon.
Lots of Love
Maddy
xxxxx

Week 10 & 11 - Game Reserves

Hi Everyone,
Im sitting in Johannesburg writing this on our last full day in South Africa. I've had some of the best times of my life, and the last two weeks have been a fantastic end to the best holiday ever!
Our first stay was in a nature reserve called Loskop. Its very deserted so there are almost no cars driving the trails, this means seeing game is rare. But we still managed to see hippo, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, lots of antelope, and a black mamba! The days were dedecated to various tasks including a photography course, and learning how to track animals. We stayed in permanent tents, and the place had electricity a couple of hours a day and a bar! So it was luxury compared to our second stop!
After a week there, we moved to Mabula. This reserve is a lot more touristy so more cars and more game sightings! I say its more touristy...but we saw none of that. We stayed in the heart of the bush in tents with broken zips! No electricity...NO BAR...and a spider in your tent each night! There we saw lion, croc, rhino, and loads of zebra and giraffe.
But the best moment of the trip had to be seeing elephants! The guy who looked after them took us with him on a feed, which they do about every 2 weeks just to keep them used to humans. When you lay the food, they run straight past it and surround the car to check you out. These actual orphan elephants have killed 19 rhino and 3 humans, so when the trunks of a 4 ton monster is an inch away from your face, its one of the most scary things i have ever experienced!!
During the week we also did: A course in dangerous animals where we approached rhino on foot.
A survival course, run by an ex-paratrooper. The final exam was to build a shelter with just a survival backpack in 3 hours.
And rifle handling, which was just 2 days of shooting!
Back in jo'burg, its nice to have a proper shower and electricity, but i think everyone actually misses the peace of being in the middle of nowhere!
Flying at 8pm, and dreading the 12 hour flight once again,
Enzo.xxx

Pics are up from the reserves, but jo'burg will be a few days.

Goodbye South Africa!

Its been about 3 months since we we arrived in cape town, and about 3 months since I last wrote anything. Sitting in what can only be descibed as a garden shed in jo-burg after a fairly die hard night of tennis, braai and John Deare (which is not to be trusted) in the Colony Arms probably isn't the right place to do the last few months justice, but anyway.
Everything that has happened throughout the duration of the trip has been phenominal, wether it be relaxing watching one of the countless sunsets (with beer in hand), cruzing across Loorskop dam wake surfing at night with Andy, having an evening surf with PERFECT waves at Warner Beach while lightning is striking everywhere and Sammy the shark decides to join the party, or being completely isolated at Coffee Bay with yet more perfect waves followed by being mugged by a one legged 60 year old cruch bound cripple, or partaking in another "debate" with Maddy, I mean we really have not had one bad moment, except perhaps for accidentally driving into the most dangerous suburb in Jo-Burg in a bus that screams mug me I'm an English tourist.
Recently, however, was of the highlights, where we were taken out with an elephant keeper called Jock to check on the elephants on the Mabula game reserve. We had been driving across the reserve looking for them for hours, then out of nowhere a herd of elephants came running out of the bush, we sped away with the elephants following and put down some food. We then sat in the back of the bukkie while the elephants herded around us. It was amazing but also scarier than the bungy jump as there was absolutely nothing in between us and a herd of elephants from a group of orphans notorious for having killed 19 Rhino and 3 people.
Anyway, as I have spent the last 2 hours trying to write this on Johnnys pda, I'm going to have to give up and go back to the tough life that involves reclining by the pool. And just to sum up, South Africa is in all honesty the best place in the world, most of the best experiences of my life have been had here in the last few months. Even Jo-Burg, where you hear a pretty unfair selction of dodgy stories, is without doubt the coolest, most happening and pretty citys I've ever seen, it actually puts London to shame. For anyone thinking of going anywhere else in the world, put yourselves out of your misery and don't, come to South Africa and I promise you'll love every second.
Anyway the pool is calling.
cheers
George