8/10/2002

Well, I'm in Jeffery's Bay, South Africa. Surf town. Surf movies filmed here. Surf shops. Surfers. Hippies. Its a bit of Deja Vu. Am I in South Africa or Santa Cruz California? Weather is about the same, water is warmer, and prices are cheaper here. But its weird.

So I'm trying to get out. I didn't come here to be in California. :) But first, an afternoon attempting to Surf. BBQ chicken on the Braai tonight (their work for the grill) and then tomorrow off to the hills for hiking in my sandals. Apparently, I left them at my sisters. How I could back my bag hundreds of times in the last year and not forget my boots, and to do it at my sisters. Wow. "I hope you didn't mean to leave them?" she asked me. Ha! :)

I went back to the place I spent 2 weeks in South Africa. East London. The same guy was working there and we had fun catching up. I even got my guitar back, and I'm trying to decide if its worth the trouble to travel with. East London hasn't changed. We went to Oktoberfest and there were tables and big beers just like in Munich but the band was called the Blarney Band, and played tunes mroe along an irish vein than a bavarian. Which just made it more helarious.

After being in Egypt for a month, its strange here. People are much more laid back and prices are written down. No haggling. Its a nice relaxing change. Had some pork ribs right away, mmmm, as they don't eat pork in Egypt. Its been a nice escape from Politics too, as no one bugs me about being a citizen of King Bush Country.

So I'm working down to Cape Town. Another few days on the coast here. Its spring, and the weather is not that warm, just like California in Spring. Warm when its sunny, cool when its not. Let me tell ya, it feels GREAT to put on a sweatshirt after being in Egypt where it felt like whatever shirt you wore was literally a sweatshirt. Hothothot. I can't even imagine going there in summer.

Back in Egypt to wrap up, me and a few friends went to the desert Oasis. It was amazing. Sand everywhere and then out of nowhere you see palm trees. Tons and tons of them. And water everywhere. So we did a few desert safari's, checking out old egyptian sites, ruins along the old 40 Days Trade Road, and burial tombs where we saw real mummies, tens of them, all shriveled up, and piles of human bones all crushed up. I don't know if I've ever really seen human bones. Certainly not this many. It was pretty cool. Then we hit Hot Springs and Cool Springs, some of them very nice during the day (cool) and some at night (hot) and even a Magic Spring that spit sand around and had swirling sand and bubbling gases that lifted you up out of the water and was great for floating around it, with little bubbles keeping you afloat and tickling your back. The last night we spent in the desert overlooking two mountains which looked like Pyramids, right next to a hot and cool springs and had amazing stars. I tried sleeping outside, but we were out in the desert really, and the wind whipped sand around and around and it was too much sand for me.

Then it was back to Cairo for McDonalds and general reattachment to civilization. But a wonderful and weird excursion pout in the desert.

Ryan