Wow, what an amazing trip! We were not able to update the blog since Hermanus but I’ll try to give you a quick recap of what we did in the last few days!!
After Hermanus we travelled back down to Cape Town via the Cape of Good Hope national park. We passes a few baboons on the way. The views were breath taking! We also visited a penguin sanctuary and went on a little boat trip to ‘seal island’ (Duiker Island)! After staying the night in Cape Town, we travelled up to see Langa – a township on the outskirts of Cape Town. It was really interesting to see how they managed to live in these little ‘shacks’ and to learn about how they ended up there. We stayed here for lunch at ‘Sheila’s house’. The food was superb!
After lunch we travelled to the Aquila game reserve and went straight out to our first safari! This was very exciting; we saw rhinos, hippos, giraffes, buffalo, ostrich and springbok (and lions!!). Oh and a couple of elephants happily strolled by! The resort was luxurious and we all enjoyed the novelty of our outdoor showers!
Before we made our way to the airport, we stopped off at the V & A Waterfront for a couple of hours to do some shopping and have some lunch.
Thank you all for making this trip so amazing! x
Thursday 30 July 2009
Saturday 25 July 2009
Saturday in Hermanus
Hey everyone, so today is "chillax" day. After what seemed like a fabulous lie in till 9.30, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, then headed out to the centre of town to see the whales. Just 100m from the coast there was an enormous whale basking contendedly in the sunshine. Everyone sat around in the viewing point for a while, mesmerised by the whales, then slowly we all wondered off to browse the shops and enjoy Hermanus, which is a lovely city, as we were given the whole day practically to ourselves.
Almost everyone bought traditional wooden sculptures from the African market on the cliffs, and a few of us discovered hidden talents for bartering! Alexa in particular was good and managed to get a bongo drum for half the price asked! We met up at 1, then treated ourselves to fast food, where Soph H was caught out trying to barter for her meal in Wimpy, and then again trying to get a child's toy for Georgi.
After that we headed back to the hotel to warm up and get ready, and everyone (bar a few people including me who have the sniffles) went out once more to enjoy a meal in a local restaurant.
So all in all a quite relaxed day, much needed after the hectic life we lead in Goedgedacht.
Tomorrow we leave the hotel early then travel to Cape Town, to do a boat trip to an island to see seals and penguins.
By Beth Thomas
Almost everyone bought traditional wooden sculptures from the African market on the cliffs, and a few of us discovered hidden talents for bartering! Alexa in particular was good and managed to get a bongo drum for half the price asked! We met up at 1, then treated ourselves to fast food, where Soph H was caught out trying to barter for her meal in Wimpy, and then again trying to get a child's toy for Georgi.
After that we headed back to the hotel to warm up and get ready, and everyone (bar a few people including me who have the sniffles) went out once more to enjoy a meal in a local restaurant.
So all in all a quite relaxed day, much needed after the hectic life we lead in Goedgedacht.
Tomorrow we leave the hotel early then travel to Cape Town, to do a boat trip to an island to see seals and penguins.
By Beth Thomas
Friday 24 July 2009
Friday 24th July - Hermanus
Today we left the Goedgedacht trust. Everyone was very reluctant to leave because we had all bonded to the children and had began to familiarise ourselves with the routine there. When we had all said our goodbyes to the Youth in Construction and accepted that we were all leaving, we were sad when we passed the pre school and saw all the younger children and little stars waving. This caused the whole bus to really want to stay (with most of us crying) with all the children, to continue these friendships and work on and with the trust more. Our travels led us toward Stellenbosch where we all went to a restaurant with traditional African entertainment and food. They also came round and painted our faces with tribal patterns and washed our hands before we ate. Our surprise guest at Moyo was Ingrid who once again persuaded us to sing and dance.
Once we had all eaten we went to visit the cheetahs, Enigma and Joseph. While here we went in their pen and stroked them gently as it was time for them to sleep. Once we had done this we proceeded round the park and observed other animals including Anatolian sheep dogs. These were used to guard livestock without harming the predators on the farm.
We then jumped back on the bus, left Stellenbosch and made our way to Hermanus, the views were SPECTACULAR and stopped for a breezy photo at Sir Lowry's Pass. When we arrived at the Windsor Hotel we settled in our rooms and went out locally for dinner.
Tomorrow we will all "Chillax".
Joe Travers-Jones and Vikram Devalia (who had no input!!).
Once we had all eaten we went to visit the cheetahs, Enigma and Joseph. While here we went in their pen and stroked them gently as it was time for them to sleep. Once we had done this we proceeded round the park and observed other animals including Anatolian sheep dogs. These were used to guard livestock without harming the predators on the farm.
We then jumped back on the bus, left Stellenbosch and made our way to Hermanus, the views were SPECTACULAR and stopped for a breezy photo at Sir Lowry's Pass. When we arrived at the Windsor Hotel we settled in our rooms and went out locally for dinner.
Tomorrow we will all "Chillax".
Joe Travers-Jones and Vikram Devalia (who had no input!!).
Thursday 23 July 2009
We are leaving the farm this morning!
We didn't manage to update the blog yesterday because we were so busy all day! We carried on working in our groups in the pre-school, in the olive grove and the path out of poverty. Later in the day Ingrid took us to visit the new centre which is being built across the mountain. It is very exciting and you can tell that the local community can't wait until it is up and running!
In the evening we were treated to a South African BBQ followed by singing and dancing until late at night! It was such a great night and very sad to leave our new friends. Donna and I (Miss Roberts) travelled with Yako to take some of the children home so we could see where they live. Some of them live so far away from the trust!
At the moment everyone is bringing their bags down to be put on the bus. We are leaving here at 10am and travelling to Stellenbosch via the Spier Winery! Later we are heading to Hermanus and hopefully we will spot some wales!
We will keep you posted
Miss R
In the evening we were treated to a South African BBQ followed by singing and dancing until late at night! It was such a great night and very sad to leave our new friends. Donna and I (Miss Roberts) travelled with Yako to take some of the children home so we could see where they live. Some of them live so far away from the trust!
At the moment everyone is bringing their bags down to be put on the bus. We are leaving here at 10am and travelling to Stellenbosch via the Spier Winery! Later we are heading to Hermanus and hopefully we will spot some wales!
We will keep you posted
Miss R
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Wednesdays events
This was our earliest morning so far (6am!) and our first day of rain and the cold :( After breakfast we took a bus to see the san people at !kw-atuu who communicate by using a clicking sound. The day turned into a lovely hike up and down the mountain as the tractor broke down half way up! Thank goodness for the blankets provided to protect us from the cold winds! We spotted a herd of springbok, zebra, ostrich and a porcupine. Our guide tought us all the different types of clicking sounds they used - one sounds like you're blowing a kiss ;) Some of us braved the BUSH TOILET with the open view of the hills and Mr. Griffs fiance refused to hold hands with him until he had sanitised his hands with her antibacterial gel!
We then sat around a fire while Donika (from the san community) told us how to make jewellery and it was really funny watching Bethan attempt the bow and arrow :) Along the way we also learnt different footprints so we could track different animals. After we got back we watched a video about the san community and their struggle to survive and had a quick browse in the gallery. When we got back we met up with the little stars (aged 5-10 year olds) who played traditonal african games with us such as throwing a baton at a target and dunking our faces in water then flour (we were not sure whether these were traditional or to make us look stupid!) Mr. Hops looked whiter than normal even though he spends most of his time in shorts. The final game was a race to the showers before a lovely tea of lasagne!
We are now in the youth centre watching the girls play netball against the boys (Im sure you can guess whos winning!) We will keep you updated.
Aimee Beer and Hannah Bird.
10-4 Rubber Duck -over and out!
We then sat around a fire while Donika (from the san community) told us how to make jewellery and it was really funny watching Bethan attempt the bow and arrow :) Along the way we also learnt different footprints so we could track different animals. After we got back we watched a video about the san community and their struggle to survive and had a quick browse in the gallery. When we got back we met up with the little stars (aged 5-10 year olds) who played traditonal african games with us such as throwing a baton at a target and dunking our faces in water then flour (we were not sure whether these were traditional or to make us look stupid!) Mr. Hops looked whiter than normal even though he spends most of his time in shorts. The final game was a race to the showers before a lovely tea of lasagne!
We are now in the youth centre watching the girls play netball against the boys (Im sure you can guess whos winning!) We will keep you updated.
Aimee Beer and Hannah Bird.
10-4 Rubber Duck -over and out!
Tuesday 21 July 2009
Tuesday's Events!!!
Another early rise, not wanting to release our hold on the bed or hot water bottles! The sun soon came out and warmed us up even though it was a little bit colder than yesterday. The groups switched around performing the different tasks. The pre-schoolers were spoiled with fancy dress costumes, bubbles and face paint and loved stealing cameras to remember the fun they were having. After a couple of hours of hard work the whole group visited the secondary school in Mamesbury the nearest large town. The school specialises in five art forms; dance, music, drama, visual arts and design. We were treated to a tour of the different classrooms [which were far far nicer than ours!!] and met some of the school children all smartly dressed in marroon uniforms, which took great pleasure in laughing at us as we disturbed their lessons. we then got to watch one of the dance students performances which was fantastic........too bad Soph G. couldn't see it as she was poorly. After visiting the South African supermarket and buying far too much chocolate and sweets , we all returned to the trust for a scrumptious meal of salad and quiche. then we were treated to cakes and scones in between all of our hard work!!! In our free time before dinner some were mad enough to go into the FREEZING cold lake (for the benefit of Mr. Fowles.....life guards!!) swimming...most relaxed! Dinner was shared once again with the Youth in Construction who lived up to their wild reputation. The barn was filled with raucous song, dance and a lot of clapping! Even Mr griff was boogeying on down! As we are writing this we're giving you live feed of the ball room dancing.....as you can probably guess the welsh have no rhythm and are needing a crash course in how to dance!!!! As the days go on we are increasingly tired but having the time of our lives and looking forward to the next days activities!! BRING IT ON!!!
We shall keep you posted
Elspeth and Kate :D
We shall keep you posted
Elspeth and Kate :D
Monday 20 July 2009
Monday's events!
We were so busy yesterday we didn't manage to update the blog, but here is what we did....
We were woken up bright and early at 7.30, 6.30 British time, ouch! Breakfast was at 8 with a spread of delicious fruit, cereal and scrambled eggs.
To start the day we had an overview from Ingrid about the 27 projects of which the trust is involved in, we were also told about the trusts history and future plans. After this we were split into 3 groups.
Mr Hopkins was fortunate enough to be sent back with his group to where he belongs, pre-school. It was an interesting journey as we were stood along the side of the road preparing to walk down when a tractor appeared at the top of the hill, towing a trailer on which we all hoped on. The road was bumpy to say the least. When we arrived we were shown into the school and introduced, lots of little eyes started to stare up at us with confused expressions. They soon relaxed especially after the appearance of a few bubbles.
Miss Roberts and her group were involved in the climate change path out of poverty. People worked very hard, and even have blisters as proof! Blood blisters, back breaking work and a lot of sweat means that they cut down all the trees that were assigned for the entire trip. Now the rest of us have a couple of relaxing days ahead :) The farmers were brave enough to arm everyone with maschetes, Chloe Wilson had obviously used one before! Scary!
Mr Griffiths group were sent to work on the olive grove and in the factory. Instead of the stench of sweat they were wreaking of olive juice. They picked some of the olives off the floor to make compost for the farm. In the factory they made slits in an endless pile of olives, this helps the brine become absorbed quicker to take out the bitterness, this means they can be packaged and put into shops as quickly as possible.
In the evening we were joined by the youth in construction (15+) and treated to a traditional African meal, this consisted of some interesting dishes but nevertheless was enjoyed by all. There was no time to relax as we became embroiled in a sing off between the boys and the girls, the girls won of course! We could have gone on for hours, but we had to start the nights events, which was a simulation of the apartheid.
Here we were greated (not so kindly) by the 'bureau of security' and 'the South African police' who split us up into either black, white or coloured. It was a really scary experience for all with a Miss Trunchable-esque character leading proceedings. The whites were given sweets and offered a drink in a comfortable chair, they were also given name tags. The coloured were given just the one sweet and sat on the floor. The blacks were labelled and given an identity card and peanuts, literally. If they were caught without their identity card they would be put in jail. Some cowered in the corner whilst others fought back a.k.a Chloe Wilson and Vikram. Hopkins on the other hand enjoyed a whipping. Games followed where your colour depended on how much advantage you had e.g pick up sticks, the whites were able to use their hands, the coloured had to where white gloves and the blacks wore thick gardening gloves, it was an impossible challenge! The next game was throwing balls at cans to knock them over, again the whites had an immediate advantage with a football, the coloured had a tennis ball and the blacks a ping-pong ball, which resulted in the guards being targeted. The final game was a race over chairs, the whites chairs were placed back to back, with the coloured having a little gap, the blacks then had a 2 yard gap which was impossible to jump. We ended the evening reflecting on the nights events and how we can learn from the past to ensure it doesn't happen again. We were also told about some harrowing experiences of some of the workers on the trust. Everyone slept soundly but we're sure some had nightmares about Miss Trunchable!
Roll on today...
Ffion, Elliot and Rachel
We were woken up bright and early at 7.30, 6.30 British time, ouch! Breakfast was at 8 with a spread of delicious fruit, cereal and scrambled eggs.
To start the day we had an overview from Ingrid about the 27 projects of which the trust is involved in, we were also told about the trusts history and future plans. After this we were split into 3 groups.
Mr Hopkins was fortunate enough to be sent back with his group to where he belongs, pre-school. It was an interesting journey as we were stood along the side of the road preparing to walk down when a tractor appeared at the top of the hill, towing a trailer on which we all hoped on. The road was bumpy to say the least. When we arrived we were shown into the school and introduced, lots of little eyes started to stare up at us with confused expressions. They soon relaxed especially after the appearance of a few bubbles.
Miss Roberts and her group were involved in the climate change path out of poverty. People worked very hard, and even have blisters as proof! Blood blisters, back breaking work and a lot of sweat means that they cut down all the trees that were assigned for the entire trip. Now the rest of us have a couple of relaxing days ahead :) The farmers were brave enough to arm everyone with maschetes, Chloe Wilson had obviously used one before! Scary!
Mr Griffiths group were sent to work on the olive grove and in the factory. Instead of the stench of sweat they were wreaking of olive juice. They picked some of the olives off the floor to make compost for the farm. In the factory they made slits in an endless pile of olives, this helps the brine become absorbed quicker to take out the bitterness, this means they can be packaged and put into shops as quickly as possible.
In the evening we were joined by the youth in construction (15+) and treated to a traditional African meal, this consisted of some interesting dishes but nevertheless was enjoyed by all. There was no time to relax as we became embroiled in a sing off between the boys and the girls, the girls won of course! We could have gone on for hours, but we had to start the nights events, which was a simulation of the apartheid.
Here we were greated (not so kindly) by the 'bureau of security' and 'the South African police' who split us up into either black, white or coloured. It was a really scary experience for all with a Miss Trunchable-esque character leading proceedings. The whites were given sweets and offered a drink in a comfortable chair, they were also given name tags. The coloured were given just the one sweet and sat on the floor. The blacks were labelled and given an identity card and peanuts, literally. If they were caught without their identity card they would be put in jail. Some cowered in the corner whilst others fought back a.k.a Chloe Wilson and Vikram. Hopkins on the other hand enjoyed a whipping. Games followed where your colour depended on how much advantage you had e.g pick up sticks, the whites were able to use their hands, the coloured had to where white gloves and the blacks wore thick gardening gloves, it was an impossible challenge! The next game was throwing balls at cans to knock them over, again the whites had an immediate advantage with a football, the coloured had a tennis ball and the blacks a ping-pong ball, which resulted in the guards being targeted. The final game was a race over chairs, the whites chairs were placed back to back, with the coloured having a little gap, the blacks then had a 2 yard gap which was impossible to jump. We ended the evening reflecting on the nights events and how we can learn from the past to ensure it doesn't happen again. We were also told about some harrowing experiences of some of the workers on the trust. Everyone slept soundly but we're sure some had nightmares about Miss Trunchable!
Roll on today...
Ffion, Elliot and Rachel
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