GARDEN ROUTE

Yesterday we started travelling from Cape Town to Mossel Bay where we stayed. Can you believe they had a "BUFFALO RALLY" on..and there are literally thousands of 'bikers' in town! So funny...when we arrived in Johannesburg we could get accomodation because over 39,000 (yep, thousand) cyclists had desecended on the town..

We're being run out by two wheelers! HAHA

We ended up getting accomodation at Marguettes Place which was so expensive. It was late when we arrived and we really had no choice. It was nice..and said 3 star..but the price was way beyond that! We paid $R300 each!

We had dinner on the sea front which was beautiful. I had Spring Bok.

We're in Plettsenburg now! Get out the map guys....hehe

Today i munched on lollies to settle my stomach and ended up havng pizza for dinner tonight. I've eaten too much game food to last me i think!

Oh yeah, you're all 7 hours behind us here. We'll be able to fit more in the rate we're going. Every country we go to we lose time!

We're at the Backpackers tonight! Much more reasonable - $R200! And the guy there is really nice. Africaans.

I must say, although i think Apartheid is dead in that there is no slavery, i've noticed a lot of the service type menial jobs, shop assistants, service assistants, waitresses, etcetc are all black. 'African' the tour guides say. Honestly, i'm wondering where all the white people are really. They don't seem to be around..in banks, in shops, anywhere. I know they are a minority but why do they have so much power? Just a comment.

One of the tour guides told us some of the Africans are paid $R100 a day to work and they wait in groups to be picked up for work. Slave labour really, i think. Anyway, people have said it's dangerous here but we feel really safe and people here are so friendly. I really love the people.

There was a comment about the blacks working the farms etc and pushing out the whites and then they didn't know how to run the farms so they starved. True? I don't know. Sounds a bit like what happened in Zimbabwe.

So weird the other day. I bought a paper as i'm dying to know the news. You know, like how the Dockers and going etc (thanks Y for letting me know the recent news in your email by the way!) and i started reading it, and found it was all in Afrikaans. Duh. Silly me. I took it back and the black girls laughed their heads off. They're so gorgeous. Big wide smiles, happy personalities and helpful.

But here we are..in a shopping centre, listening to groovy african music, me supposed to be paying telstra bills (i'm getting on to it Mum!) and instead uploading our photos while Greg is emailing his kids on the puter next door. (hi Alena and Aiden!) :-)

I'd love to upload the hilarious pic Elise sent yesterday, of Millie and Tizzie! OH DEAR! Millie has taken over their house. Naughty cat! I meant to say, "Don't let Millie in Tizze's bowl!" .... hmm..! Hopefully Scup will work it all out! And Elise, fancy someone stealing the jet dinghy! I can't believe it!

I'll email again later. I've sent you some texts today.

Hey...SOOZIEWOOZIEDOOZIE!!! Happy Birthday! :-) And was great to hear from you! I hope you ate some cake for me..i know what those morning teas at work are like! :-)

Gee..all the pisces around! I am surrounded by them hey....

Hey Thanks Andy for your 'comment' so good to hear from you! Give Jo and the boys a BIG KISS from me! The boys would love the game park, and all the animals....there were a few kids at at the place where we were staying, and they were amazed by it all. I'd recommend Kruger to anyone. It's amazing. The pics really don't do it justice.

We're not sure if we'll end up in Port Elizabeth yet. We're thinking we might just head back to Stollenbusch. The wine town!!! (Yep, South African wines are great!)

But who knows what we'll do. We're taking it all day by day. Apart from stressing about a few minor thing at home which hopefully will be solved very soon by one lady called Rose..we're having a ball! And we've only been on the road for 2 weeks. Seems like ages to tell you the truth. I thought we'd be worn out, but it's only just begun.

Exciting hey.

We're already talking about getting a 4WD and travelling around Australia. Depending on finances! Don't think the car and the boat we sold will be replaced in a hurry, put it that way!

Okies..i'm off..

Will 'blog' again soon.

Hope you're all great. And Sam and David, and Troy, hope the season is a 'burster' for you!