I am feeling very lucky to be in the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. This is because, when I arrived at the check in desk in Cape Town, I was told I was not in the system. A little sleuthing led to the discovery that, when Ihad changed my ticket to a day later, the idiot on the phone booked my new flight but failed to cancel my old one. So, when I didn't show up yesterday, they figured that I wouldn't be leaving Cape Town today, again, either. Well, I'm not proud of it (ok, I'm totally a liar, I am very proud of it), but I did a little flirting with the guy at the counter and found myself on the flight, in a lovely aisle seat, with no one beside me! He'd even written a note to the people in Amsterdam to encourage them to put me first on the waiting list here! The other gate people asked if he was trying to get my number...and I commented that it would be a very long distance number, so that was the end of my romance with the gate guy (at least, until he met me at the airplane steps to say goodbye, at which point, I think it became a good thing that I was flying far far away). So, here I sit, at the first functioning computer I have seen in almost a week, enjoying the lovely comments I have received from everyone and the emails I have missed.

I guess I am going to have to rely on my memory for a bit. I am not going to lie...my enjoyment of Africa was shaky for a bit. It was really cold, and the hostels are not prepared for heating that kind of cold, and I was not dressed for it. All the photos i have taken show a very puffed up Jenn, with about 4 shirts (including 2 sweatshirts) and a kway on every day. I was still cold. It made it tricky to enjoy the whale watching without the whales, and it made it necessary to enjoy lots of red wine at the hostels in the evening. I also stood close to many a fire, so I am pretty sure I am a bit stinky of wood smoke. In truth, it was hard to enjoy the evenings knowing that the best place to be would be in all my clothes tucked into my bed, wth an extra blanket on top and my hood around my ears. I was often in bed by 8 or 9. Luckily things started to warm up by the end of the week and everyone started peeling off layers of clothes throughout the day.

I learned an important thing on this trip...I am not really a "tour" girl. I liked the people and it made things easier to have everything organized for me and, in fairness, there was no way I could have done this much on my own. Really, I caouldn't do much of anything on my own...being white, being female...I was simultaneously ashamed and enraged. It added up to frustrated. But had I been on my own, I would have taken a far more leisurely route, stopping in smaller towns, lingering a night or two in each of the amazing hostels i stayed in, enjoying the sights, doing some long bike rides and hikes through the amazing scenery. I am definitely coming back to South Africa, and definitely seeing the rest of Africa. I guess it's just going to have to wait until I have a male (or very tough female) travel partner. Or I learn to fight. I'll need to see both Table mountain and Robben's island when I come back, both having been off-limits to me because of "inclement" weather. Seriously, don't come to South Africa in the middle of winter...it's still beautiful, but everyone keeps telling you how beautiful it will be in just a couple of months. Thanks.

Some highlights? Well, I went to the highest bungy jump in the world, but didn't go for it (are you kidding? how much fun is crying and wetting myself? fine if I am a baby, but just awkward for everyone since I am not). I skipped ziplining for the lure of the quad bike. Thought it would be, well, like riding a bike. Not so. Alexandra (a lovely school teacher from Germany) and I had to apologize profusely to our guide for boring him to death. Except for when I drove right into the trees. I think he found that pretty funny. Don't worry, mommy, I didn't even have a scratch. Just a little injured pride.

Addo was wonderful. Again, would have loved to have lingered. Would have totally done the two day guided park hike or the sunset horseback ride...but had to settle for two hours in the jeep and two hours in the van. But I really got to see elephants and zebras and kudu and warthogs up close. I even had the priviledge of getting to see some elephants "getting it on." I have pictures, too, for those of you who might enjoy some elephant porn. It was a good thing the lion we saw was very far away, because his belly looked very scratchable. As Alexandra asked "Do you have to pet every animal you see?" Umm. Yes, I think it is a compulsion.

We also went to the elephant sanctuary, where they rescue elephants that have been "interfered with" by humans. It was great to be so up close with them for the short time we were there. I even "held hands" with one as we walked to the forest. Well, i held his trunk. Elephants have very nice warm breath, but slightly snotty noses.

I wasn't allowed to pet the monkeys at Monkeyland (a monkey sanctuary). but one of them tried to climb up my leg, which was a bit freaky. I did manage to tame a stray cat at one of the hostels.

Oh! I even managed to get myself interviewed for South African news in Port Elizabeth!

My favourite parts of the trip were the evening spent at the hostels, chatting with the people from my tour and other travellers around a campfire with a glass of wine in hand, usually after a lovely family-style meal, and often with a dog or cat at my feet. It was great to get information from everyone about day trips they had done, places they had visited. I found the general age of the travellers i met to be a little older than the typical backpacker I met in Thailand or back in Europe. Lucinda, a woman from my group, was retired and often left her husband back in Chicago for a few months at a time to see the world. She told great stories about travelling in Nepal and Indonesia. Meaghan, a girl who looked like Lisa and sounded like Rachel (which made me occasionally call her Lisa or Rachel, depending on which sense was ruling) was a super cool 27-year old, just finishing some work in Stellenbosch, and totally open to whatever life was planning to throw at her next. Marie was the chain-smoking Italian woman who used a wide variety of sounds to communicate when she didn't have english for what she wanted to say....Marie's at a crossroads in her life, right now. I think things are going to open up for her as soon as she starts making decisions for herself instead of for everyone else. Jeff is a quiet guy from Switzerland who got progressively louder and braver and funnier as the trip went on (he was the only one to do the bungy jump). And the Scottish family, complete with mum, son, and daughter all travelling together (they all went ziplining!). I don't have much to say about the 2 whiny german girls, who complained all the time. I never bothered figuring out who was who, and never referred to either by name. Oh well!

Maudi, our guide, was pretty fantastic. He had an answer for everything and was always cheerful, which may not have been easy when we were all freezing and somewhat sullen at the beginning.

Anyway, time to sign off and go for a bit of a walk. I'll see if I remember more later...

See you back in Montreal soon!

Lions and tigers and horses,ohmy!

This is going tobe a bit tricky as the spacebar on thiscomputer isnot the most effective. I figured I'dgivemy three readers a bitof a challenge!

After yesterday's full day of bus riding and freezing, we spent the night in a very coolhostel that became quitelively afterour dinner of bobotie and rice. Just to prove the "it's a small world" theory, yet again, there was a guy staying at our hostel who was riding his motorcycle allaround africa and he's actually heard the story ofPeter's friend Sam hitting akid. It was quite funny to hear him telling a story I already knew,and wepieced it together by thematching sum of $1500 and the "one phonecall." He'd heard thestory through some other travellers...so,Peter, if you are reading this, you're a tish bit famous.

After sleeping with about 3layers ofclothing on, we wokeuptoquite a nice day andmade our way through someof themost beautiful scenery I have ever seen,ending upat a hot springs and horse ranch, where I wenton an hourlong horse ride. Sitting down is going to an interesting effort for the next few days! Then we moved on toasmallwildlife breeding and conservation park,where I got topet some young tiger cubs! They were cute,but don't worryMerlin, you aremy number one cat. Iam now at anotherlovely hostel, using their computer after a delish dinner of ostrich steak. Apparently I will have the chance to ride an ostrichtomorrow, which doesn'tsound likemy ideaof agood time. Tonight we alsogotsome salad, which is a nice change from the usual dinnerof tonsofmeat and some bread. I may avoid scurvy after all!

OK, this computer is driving me bananas.More tomorrow.