THE HUNTER HUNTED

On my most recent trip to my favourite village in South Africa- Natures Valley, we did the walk to Salt River and came across a Mussel Cracker that had seen better days. 'The hunter hunted' we called it. After examining the poor guy for quite a while, we were still unable to decipher exactly what had happened to it. It looked as if it may have died of natural causes and had just disintegrated- that was my forensic opinion anyway! I found the skeleton fascinating, especially because the head was still in rather good condition. I took many photos’ from various angles and below are three of the best.

 

JUICE IN THE ROUTE

The Garden Route has a lot more to offer than one may perceive. From the (semi) deserted beaches, to the hidden waterfalls. There will always be something that will satisfy the needs and tastes of all. Below are photos of MY time spent there recently. Although it was winter, that did not hold me back

A COUPLE QUICK ONES FROM ADDO

DURBAN WINTERS ARE HOTT

Depressing winter blues can be a bitch, but that persistent longing for the sun can be cured! Sun, sea and sand is what can be found in Durban all year round! A few tantalizing teasers follow...






Well, there's a little more than just the sun, sea and sand...

“To the ‘wise’ tree with no leaves- metaphorically speaking that is…” Said between friends

Listen…
You little ‘lost lamb of god’ how dare you tell me this after 6 or 7 months (I really don’t give a shit) just to get a good night’s sleep. You told me you cheated to feel better about yourself, not to do right by me.

That email with all that philosophical crap is really just lines strung together full of new age religion that’s been planted so far up your ass that you’ve started reciting it like you believe it. You have no one else so you turn to religion to make you feel better and in turn make everyone else feel worse.

I once heard that a strong man is one who is aware of his own spirituality before adopting common religion because then you will have the will power to deflect the gross exaggeration and philosophy that comes with it. You will then adopt what is right at the core: serve others with clear eyes, a full heart, and not yourself under the so-called direction of god.

You are a bastard and I don’t hate you because hate isn’t the opposite of love, its indifference. I felt indifferent when I read your email but maybe one day you’ll get a real job, a real life’s purpose and a real sense of what it means to be loved or to love. The human condition is to be lonely; you can’t stop being lonely or feeling bad. You have to really decide why you feel bad and accept it and not rehash old hurts with the people in your past.

I am intelligent and all of this is ‘real’ philosophy, my philosophy developed by a mind eager to learn and a heart eager to love.

Fuck off.

Regards

Someone with real ambition

A FEW RANDOM PHOTOS FROM HERE AND THERE

SEXUAL VIOLENCE = SILENCE

Today here at Rhodes University was the 'sexual violence = silence' protest where a whole bunch of people were 'silenced'. The photos here are of my neighbour Nun. The following are photos I took an a piece I wrote on her- her story.

MORE THAN YOU THINK

She’s bubbly, friendly and confident. She loves meeting new people and making friends. Who would have thought that she was raped a few years back? She wasn’t raped by a stranger though; it was by her own cousin. A cousin who had become rather close to her family as he came to live with them for two years while attending school in her home town. No one believed her. How could she even think of blaming her own cousin for raping her? Her father who was a pastor kicked her out of his own church.

People who meet her have no idea about her story and that is not the only story she has to tell. She fell pregnant after being raped. She fell pregnant with her cousins’ child. 16 is a very young age to have a baby, a baby she didn’t want. After having the abortion her mother called her a murderer. Only 16 when her father told her to get out of his house. Only 16 when she was packing her bags to leave home. Luckily, before she made it out of that front door, her Mom told her that she’s not going anywhere. Tears run down her face as she tells me that “for the first time in years my mom actually hugged me and she told me that she loves me. I had been longing for a moment like that, but when it finally happened, it felt rather awkward”.

Her father whom she was close to has now passed away- liver cancer. She and her mother are now on speaking terms but still do not have that close mother daughter relationship most take for granted. She resents going home. She is a totally different person when she does. She is not Nun, that lovely, bubbly, happy person many have come to care for and cherish. She becomes Nungo, the quiet lonely Venda girl from Louis Trichardt.

THALASSA AND OAKLEY PRO

Thalassa Backpackers, in Kasouga (between Port Alfred and Kenton-on-sea), had their grand opening on Friday 1 May. After the unexpected ‘scenic route’ that I took, I ended up in the picturesque setting, with milkwoods and monkeys; the beach was just the cherry on the top. Sand dunes and a long stretch of sand down to the sea is what unveiled itself to me after the fairytale walk through the bushes. Besides the area around the backpackers being mind-blowing, the backpackers itself is rather homely and enjoyable to.














There is a large round fireplace, which everyone sits around at night with a bevvie, chatting away and singing along (if you’re into that) to the guitar. Do not forget the two lovable resident cats!


Saturday morning we went off to Port Alfred for breakfast (pizza and a draft). To my surprise, the Oakley Pro Junior was on at East beach. So off I went. There were quite a few good dudes surfing (Shaun Joubert, Klee Strachan, Thomas Woods).
After sitting, watching and photographing for a couple of hours, I hit the road back with Lp Show and Cat Empire pumping.

RANDOM TRIP DOWN TO PORT ALFRED

We all woke up hung over on Saturday (25 April 09) morning, and after my crazy night I decided that I needed to get out of this town for the day. Called up a few friends and an hour later the 6 of us were on the road. Beach time lasted about an hour and after putting jerseys etc on, we decided that the cold was a bit much and opted for a cold beer. While having the beer, we checked out the pier!

Walking down towards the little waves we had seen in the distance,
they were actually a hell of a lot bigger than we had thought. Giant and powerful, and from being so close, I could really feel the sense of supremacy flowing out of the ocean.

On our way back to Grahamstown, we felt obliged to have a look at the famous Giant Pineapple. If only it were edible...