got to sleep in a bit, which was nice considering we had such an early start yesterday. although, despite being in an entirely different time zone than i'm used to, i still managed to wake up about 6:30. lounged in bed til about 8, then decided to sit outside and read until it was breakfast time since it looked so nice out.
but no reading was to be had today. turns out deb couldn't find our room key. we literally took apart everything. dumped all our bags, coat pockets, you name it. just when we were about to crawl out of the window, deb happened to glance on the top of the bureau.. and alas - there was the key! thankfully she's tall b/c i never would have seen it. lesson learned: we're keeping the key inside the lock from now on.
grabbed some breakfast, which was again a yogurt & cereal combo, and made plans for the day. it was decided the group would generally head to "hole in the wall" and then disperse from there. most people just wanted to sunbathe, but, well. my skin is not a fan. so a few of us (me, deb, rob & fran) decided to hike around a bit. which suited me just fine. we followed the stream for a while and saw a bunch of wild roaming cattle. tried my best (and failed) at skipping stones, despite the other three's instructions. i've resigned myself to not being a runner, not being able to whistle, and not being able to skip stones. and i'm okay with that.
eventually the grasses got too high and we deemed it dangerous to go tramping around without good visuals. lots of creatures big and small could be lurking. so backtracked a bit and headed up a grassy hill. the scenery was just gorgeous. felt like i was in some exotic tropical place, which i guess technically we were. sat up at the top and soaked in the views and sunshine. finally made our way back down. we poked around some tide pools with teeny tiny starfish and snails. it was cool to see the tracks the snails had made through the sand. hung around there for a bit, then wandered back to the sunbathers.
again, pasty white skin doesn't appreciate static sitting. rob & i decided to keep hiking so off to the other cliffs we went. amy & jane also wanted to join, but they only had flip flops, so they went up the grassier hill while rob & i tackled the rockier one. probably not the wisest decision i've ever made. it was really steep, and there weren't many safe handholds. twice i almost turned around - i wasn't so worried about going up as getting down again. but the adrenaline and the views kept me going. and it was worth it. so so stunning. we made our way back down after some time. i let rob lead again. a few times i got a bit scared b/c would kick away some rocks and whatnot. but we made it, and man my legs were quivering! i think it was a combo of eccentric overuse, fear and hunger.
as we were coming down, deb, derek & theresa wanted to venture up - but they stuck to the grassy one. then deb & rob made a quick dash to swim thru the "hole in the wall". they didn't make it. by the time they reached the hole, the tide was coming in very quickly, and the waves were much stronger. they ended up getting bashed up on the rocks and when they finally emerged back onto the beach they were battered and bloodied. glad i didn't join! unfortunately by the time we made it back to camp, lunch was done. but annie & victoria pulled out some food and we made sandwiches, so at least we got something b/c i was starving.
after our meal, headed to the beach as there was a volleyball game going on. didn't feel like playing, so just kept my toes in the sand & soaked up the moment. it was so nice to be on a beach after the
cold of jo'burg. volleyball eventually turned into a soccer match, and a bunch of local little kids ended up joining. then out of nowhere 7 white south african guys showed up and started talking smack with some locals, and before we knew it, we were sitting right in the middle of their own match. thanks for asking us to move first! the white kids lost (ha) and then the locals continued playing on their own, although rob joined them. it was fun to watch.
the sun started setting, and it quickly got cold. so we headed back to our rooms to shower and clean up. deb tended to her cuts then headed back out. i stayed in for some alone time and journaling. eventually i emerged for dinner to find the white south africans had found their way to our camp, presumably to pick up some girls. they were all in their late teens/early 20s - babies! but friendly enough, though i felt so old haha. they left when we started eat.
annie had made a great stew. again, i could not do her job. deb & i opened the white wine, but it was super sweet, so i told her she could have the rest of it, and i'd take the red. which i promptly finished as we sat around chatting after cleaning up. two of the boys showed up again, and one was completely wasted. i could see where the evening was going, so while most headed off to the bar, i went to my room. early day tomorrow if we really get up to see the sunrise. i'll decide in the A.M.
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