How To Live Like a Rockstar When You are Not One...
April 28 It took me forever to get my things together this morning. But, that was sort of a convenience as I was waiting on wet clothes to continue drying. The idea of arriving in London two days later and unzipping my backpack to pull out soggy clothes seems pretty unpleasant. Dani and I hung out for the day and went to a shopping mall in search of a haircut for me. I am very specific on this… I want...
April 27 Dani was moving at 08:00 so I pulled myself totally out of a slumber as well to get ready for the day. Big idea – Hiking up Table Mountain – the geological and spiritual heart of Capetown. We had plans to meet Dani’s friends at 10:00 to conquer the mountain on foot, but it started raining which put out everyone’s fires. However, I needed to see it so I just took the cable car up the mountain for...
April 25 I feel like I am turning into a jerk. I do not mean to be, but my honesty is for sure more than most people are used to. Maybe it is more than most people can handle. I often feel guilty after I have said something so profoundly honest, and I wish I would not because it is just honesty, but people usually mean well. But, any tolerance I have for small errors in being a reasonable person...
April 24 Dani and I went out for breakfast and I indulged in a chocolate fudge cheesecake milkshake to start the day. It is not exactly the cornerstone of nutrition, but it was damn good! I do not regret it. Because I barely interacted with white people for the past six months, I forget about things we do, like growing really stupid mustaches that twirl and curl at the ends. I saw a man with such a stache at the breakfast...
April 23 I slept really well in my reclining bus seat and did not even wake up until 08:30. Sweet! A good night of rest… Those are rarities right now. Around 14:30, the bus pulled into Capetown, approximately 0:45h ahead of schedule. Weird. Not African style at all! I sent a message to my friend Dani B who I spent two years working with in London to tell her that I was an early arrival. She sent me a message...
Botswana 2016 / Lesotho 2016 / South Africa
by The Beave · Published March 29, 2016 · Last modified April 4, 2016
March 29 Another three country day. Those are pretty big days… And rare days, though I have had two of them in about a week… I was up early at the New Oxbow Lodge and out on the road by 08:00 to try to hitchhike my way out of Lesotho. I do not want to leave this country at all. Lesotho is this perfect little sweetheart that does nothing wrong and only makes you happy. The people are wonderful. People...
March 27 Usually, I think I am pretty sharp and a victor (or at least an equal against the competitors in the game of life)…but I was incapable of counting money about three minutes ago. The bartender was laughing at me. Math is one of my strong suits. I could not make my bills add to 30, and then when I tried to overcompensate that, I made them add to 70. The bartender wanted to help me. I told him,...
Lesotho 2016 / South Africa / Swaziland 2016
by The Beave · Published March 24, 2016 · Last modified June 17, 2016
March 24 Swaziland, a country where your mini-bus driving 80 km/h uses no signals to pass a police car in a 40 km/h zone. Actually, we nearly rear-ended the police car because we were driving so fast… No issues. No second guessing… I have met a guy here who has never ever heard of McDonald’s. That is amazing. That is beautiful! Swaziland is a safe country. They still have the death penalty here, but hearsay is that no one has...
by The Beave · Published March 21, 2016 · Last modified April 15, 2016
March 21 I said goodbye to Maritza in the morning and then Toby drove me into the center of Johannesburg. The city is a massive, sprawling, urban area built of clusters of suburbs. There are huge areas of population and then there are green areas with a forest. Then, another patch of city. The, more forest as you blast through it all on a freeway at 120 km/h. Johannesburg is a very pretty. .Toby and I went to “The Museum...
March 20 Johannesburg: Hanging out in Maboneng. In 1886, there was a gold rush in this area that lead to the establishment of Johannesburg. In fact, Johannesburg was referred to as “Egoli” or “The City of Gold”. A mineral revolution was taking place at the time, and as a result, today there are many bleached-white and yellow-tailing mine-dumps standing high around the city. It gives the city a very distinct, unique look with the unnatural man made piles of sifted-through...
March 19 South Africa had quite a history, some of it very dark. On February 1st 1991, a signing of a national peace accord took place where former president F. W. de Klerk promised to end an apartheid legislation and end the segregation of whites and blacks. Up until 1991, covering a time frame of about 20 years, South Africa had a dark mark on their name because of the partisan. This proud sports nation involved in cricket, rugby, football, where...
March 18 Johannesburg: Like Nothing I was Expecting. The bus arrived in Johannesburg at 06:00. I was listening to the band Seether as we drove because they are the only band from South Africa that I really know anything about. Coming into Johannesburg was very interesting. I have only heard terrible things about Johannesburg. Car jacking. Murder. Theft. Crime. Gated communities. I did not even really want to visit, but I had a friend here so I decided to come...
by The Beave · Published March 17, 2016 · Last modified November 21, 2016
March 17 Bulawayo to Johannesburg: Back to the Future. Happy “I hope you drink Guinness all day” day! It seems weird to not be drinking a lot of the black liquid gold today… I ran around Bulawayo, trying to find a place to print some photos to mail to friends. I met a beautiful woman named Kimberly in a photo shop, but I am terrified of the 25% HIV population here in Zimbabwe. I have decided to turn my crotch off...
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