Tripping the Life Fantastic

Final Baz Bus Stop#11 Johannesburg, South Africa (May 15-19) I was definitely somewhat dreading and yet perversely looking forward to seeing Johannesburg with my own two eyes. Would it be a vast, (yet) congested cesspool where danger lurks around each and every corner and people are frantically moving forwards with nary a glance at the poverty surrounding them?? I'd been told such things by both foreign visitors as well as South African locals; in fact, not a single soul I had met during my trip had had anything good to say about the place. So....I was naturally curious to see if these conceptions would be smashed or validated. We arrived in the city at near dusk and drove through one of its worst neighborhoods, Hillbrow, just as the sunlight slipped away and the darkness crept in. And I apologize for this, but I just couldn't help but feel some anxiety. It irrationally felt as if the color of my white skin was actually glowing like a neon sign and all too apparent to th...

Baz Bus Stop #10 The Northern Drakenburgs, KwazZulu-Natal (May 9-15) Initially I had only planned to stay 4 days in the Drakenburgs, but when my safari to Kruger National Park fell through (Damn you, Baz Bus, and your limited tour space availability!), I found myself with a few extra days to fill. And what better way to twiddle your thumbs than in an area of great natural beauty with hiking opportunities galore?! None, I do declare! Thus, my stay at the 5-star Amphitheater Backpackers Lodge near Bergville in the Northern Drakenburgs ended up lasting one glorious week! The Amphitheater Backpacker Lodge 's grounds are extensive, to say the least. It covers 300 hectares with the Mpande River running through it, and one is free to take a safe, leisurely stroll in any given direction. The facilities at this place are pretty rocking (as they would have to be in order to garner that 5-star rating, eh?) and include a fair-to-midland restaurant, psychedelically-decorated bar with larg...

Baz Bus Stops 8 & 9 Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape(May 2-6) The long and winding road of the Wild Coast which leads to the door of the Sugarloaf Backpackers Hostel in Coffee Bay is fraught with danger. At any given moment, one's vehicle could smash into an idle cow (or chicken, goat, dog, HUMAN, etc...) standing in the middle of the road. What is worse is the fact that the road is also chock full of pot holes which drivers are constantly swerving to avoid, tossing and turning the passengers in the back seats about like boneless bodies. My hands relentlessly gripped the seat in front of me for the entirety of the two-hour roller coaster journey. Once in Coffee Bay though, it is impossible to remain unaffected by its tranquility and peaceful isolation from the rest of the gosh darn world. Yes, I must admit that I was somewhat dismayed initially to learn that the nearest ATM was 18km away and that access to WiFi was frankly laughable, but after a few hours left to my own devices ...

Baz Bussing Stops 6 & 7 Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape (April 26-29) I first visited Port Elizabeth (PE for short) back in November 2009 while on a driving tour of South Africa with an old friend of mine from graduate school. At that time, I hadn't been particularly impressed with much, other than the lovely beaches which lie along the Corniche in the neighborhood of Summerstrand and the fact that it possesses the world's weirdest museum (Imagine a museum which has on display a fetal puppy in a jar as well as the skeleton of a colossal gorilla) as well as a snake farm. Upon my 2-day triumphant return, I decided to spend the first day taking care of somewhat mundane but oh-so-necessary matters that only a big city can (can), such as getting a decent hair cut, picking up paracetamol pills at the pharmacy, buying a couple of 16gb memory cards for my digital camera and...drum roll please...going to the CINEMA!! A double feature no less! PE has a relatively decent shopping/e...

Baz Bussing in South Africa (Stops 4 & 5): The Craggs (April 21-23) I came to the Craggs (accommodated at the awesome ice creamery hostel Rocky Road Backpackers ) for one reason and one reason only - to see some puddycats at the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. This centre is the home of a significant number of wildcats including cheetahs, caracals, servals and a lone leopard. Visitors have the opportunity to merely tour the facilities, take the cheetahs out along the grounds for a walk (on leashes!) or enter various enclosures in order to have a one-to-one personal photo shoot with the pussycat dolls. Guess which option I chose! Going for the opportunity to shoot, without bullets, these magnificent animals up close and paying 450 rand for the privilege was a no-brainer! Unfortunately, on the morning in which my photographic session was scheduled, the weather was not being cooperative AT ALL. It was practically pouring down with rain as we pulled into the parking lot ...

Baz Bussing (Stops #2-3) (The) Wilderness , April 16-19 I am tempted to make all sorts of lame jokes about being "lost" in the wilderness and describing imaginary up-close encounters with wild wooly beasts in the dark, impenetrable forest but, truthfully, Wilderness is, in fact, a "tame" little coastal village that can best be summarized with the word C.H.I.L.L. I arrived via Baz Bus at my accommodation, the Fairy Knowe Backpackers (review to follow), in the late afternoon, and was immediately made welcome by one of its managers, Benjamin, a decidedly gregarious and witty chap with whom I grew quite fond in the days to follow. Probably because he was such an absolute joy to rib/tease! There are a couple of nice hikes one can do around Wilderness; the first is a relatively short but extremely scenic one along an abandoned railway line which used to link Wilderness to the popular surfing hamlet, Victoria Bay. I had some company during this walk - an Indian f...