Everyone loves a road trip!

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Lucy Coles

Our last two weeks have passed by so quickly as we've kept ourselves busy on an incredible ten-day road trip from Swaziland to Cape Town. Despite the many, many hours of driving, we've had an incredible journey and managed to fit in a lot of exciting activities.

Last Tuesday, we left Swaziland for good. It was sad to leave behind all we had grown used to - Lidwala Lodge and its wonderful staff who were so kind to us, Ezulwini Valley and its many charms and particularly, the All Out Africa staff who have made Africa feel like home. We arrived in rainy St Lucia, a large wetland system in the north-east of South Africa, where we had our first taste of sushi since the start of the placement! On our second day there, we were taken on a boat trip down the river and saw lots of hippos, bird life and crocodiles. Our next stop was Durban, where we spent our time at uShaka Marine World (a combination of an aquarium and a water park). The group had a great day on the water slides and tube rides before watching the dolphin show. We also went on quite a long walk to find the famous Vans shop!

After a full day of driving, we were taken to Cinsta on the Wild Coast. It was a really beautiful spot by an isolated beach and the hostel there had a great Xhosa dinner. A private game reserve was close by and we were lucky enough to experience a cheetah interaction, which allowed us to walk into the cheetah enclosure and pat these beautiful animals. Unfortunately one of them took quite a liking to Taylah's pants, which are now missing a big chunk. We had such a great time there that we decided to head back the next morning for a similar activity involving elephants. We all had a chance to feed and touch them and a few lucky people got a kiss on the face!

A couple of days later we reached the famous Garden Route, a picturesque area of the South African coastline which has lots of great things to do. On our first day, we all bravely went to Bloukrans bridge, the site of the WORLD'S HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP! Almost all of us decided to take the plunge (with Taylah plucking up the courage to return the next day and give it a go) and I speak for everyone when I say that it was an indescribable feeling and an unforgettable experience; something we're unlikely to repeat but which left us on a huge adrenaline high.

We all have photos and videos of our jumps which we'll proudly be sharing with everyone at home soon. After another relaxing day in Tsitsikamma, our final day of the trip was spent driving into Cape Town. The majority of the group opted to go via an ostrich farm, where they had the chance to ride an ostrich, which I'm told was absolutely petrifying! Eventually though, we all made it to Hout Bay, a beautiful fishing suburb a short drive from the centre of Cape Town, which will be home for the next three weeks.

Our first day here was spent learning to catch 'cockroaches', the local form of public transport. We all visited Original Tea Bag designs, a small business which provides employment to local women by producing and selling artistic wares, all of which are painted on used tea bags! This is the project that Alex, Sarah and I will be working on. Following this, we all hopped on the City Sightseeing bus and travelled into Cape Town, exploring the waterfront and city centre.

Taylah and Georgie even found time to take the cable car up Table Mountain! Our second day of orientation was held yesterday - we were taken on a walking tour of Imizamo Yethu, one of the townships in which some of us will be working. The poverty here has shocked us all. The township, built in 1991 to house 2,500 people, is home to over 40,000 and sanitation and other infrastructure are very poor. It is astonishing to stand in a township packed with small tin sheds which are home to whole families, and look across the bay to the homes of the wealthier residents of Hout Bay.

As you can see, the Antips crew has had a great time over the last couple of weeks and, as always, we've had some amazing experiences. We are already loving life in Hout Bay and are looking forward to settling into our new projects tomorrow. Stay posted!