Hangin' like a Jungle Monkey

My spring break - well, to be perfectly accurate in the southern hemisphere, my 'summer' break - has been incredible and I feel fully recharged for another leg of my travels. I can't believe I'll be starting anew in Vietnam in just a few days. My host family in Vietnam already emailed me, welcoming me to their country and their family. In Vietnam, I'll have a 16 year old host brother who likes to play sports and computer games (hmm, this is starting to sound familiar...Alec?). My host sister is already grown up and out of the house with her husband and 11 month old daughter. I can't wait to meet the family, though, I have been forewarned that they speak only a little bit of English. I get the feeling I'll be getting by with sign language for the next month!

My vacation began with an excruciating twenty-four hours of travel. At this point, I have tested every means of transportation in South Africa. We drove to Johannesburg in our IHP vans. Then, I took an overnight train to Durban. I expected this would be a great way to travel and I'd get a comfortable night's rest in order to dive into all the sights and sounds of a new city. I was wrong. I hardly closed my eyes on the train ride because of a handful of disruptive, drunk passengers. Because I was probably the least conspicuous traveler on the entire train, they were drawn to me and my friends. It was a learning experience in forcefully making my wishes known. But, in the end, it was worth the cheap travel costs - the train ride cost the equivalent of $10!

As soon as I arrived in Durban, I knew I loved it! The city extends to the beach, with palm trees everywhere. It definitely reminded me of San Diego! My friend Chibuzo has uncles who live there. They were extremely hospitable to us by driving us from the train station to our hostel and insisting on buying lunch for all twelve of us. Even though I only had two full days in Durban, I managed to see a lot of the city. I was at the beach every day, but I also saw the Indian market, the Botanical Gardens, the wharf, and so much more! Because there is such a large Indian population in Durban, the food was incredible! One night, I ate something called 'Bunny Chow.' Bunny chow is a famous dish in Durban that consists of a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry. It was originally used when, during Apartheid, blacks were not allowed to eat in certain restaurants. In order to get around this, the chef would hide a meal in a loaf of bread and offer it as a quick 'to go' option. And, it tastes great! We were all so full afterwards though!On Saturday morning, I hopped on a bus for a seven hour ride to Port St. Johns. I could hardly believe my eyes at how beautiful this place is! I am staying at the Jungle Monkey hostel (and there are literally monkeys everywhere!). Everyday I go hiking and spend time at the beach. One day, we hiked to a waterfall and swam there for a few hours. Another day, we hiked to a place called 'The Blowhole' where water from the ocean sprays up like a whale's blowhole. The coastline is stunning and it feels like such a secret paradise here. I would love to come back and I recommend it to everyone! I leave tomorrow morning back to Johannesburg, and from there, I'll be on my way to Vietnam.