South Africa - Cinsta/Chinsta ad Hogsback

One of Hogsback's many waterfalls

So my latest adventure has been another big surprise. I'm always dumbfounded by the welcoming nature of the South African people and the wide variety of beautiful landscapes to enjoy.

From the jagged multicolored rocks of the tranquil Transkei, I made my way to Cinsta (aka Chinsta) and the Buccaneers backpackers, which is peaceful in its own way and not as dramatic to look at. Cinsta feels a little more developed and is perfect for people who want to kick back, but don't want to forgo hot water and electricity. There I was met by Meg, who was brilliant, really welcoming and the source of all knowledge for my stay. I was only there a night before heading off to Hogsback where I looked forward to washing in a bathtub set on the top of a cliff and taking pictures of Cape Parrots...

Neither of those things happened because, as I soon found out, Hogsback is not so much a place as a community and what makes it truly special are the local people, who are hugely welcoming and a lot of fun. 

On my first night I was determined to make the most of the area and went on a short pre-dinner hike. The map they have and the signs in the forest leave a lot to be desired and I was truly lost gone sun down. Luckily after a few additional hours I found someone to direct me and managed to find my way... At least I got to know the area. Seething I got back, but before I could vent I started chatting to some of the guests and then the one girl party that is Jen came in with a friend and rounded up a group to play kings... If you don't know kings the game goes like this... 1) take a pack of cards 2) drink until you are wrecked. This then became a big night and we went to another bar, the Hogsback inn, where we met more of the local people, Licia, Morgs, Grant, Luca and the Germans (volunteers for a local youth project). A few hours later I found myself on the back of a pickup that had run out of diesel, minus my phone. Undeterred we found our way to a house and went skinny dipping because we were drunk. It was a fun time.

The next day was spent chatting and sitting by the fire.

The day after looked to be much the same, but as I didn't have my phone I had to go back to the Hogsback, where low and behold I was greeted by my new found friends who had all finished a big sporting event. We started drinking and before the night was out I was dancing on a bar and had checked out of my backpackers to go stay at Jen's place. This was not the best preparation for mountain biking and abseiling...

The next day I was at the mountain biking office at 9am - I was very proud of myself. Neels an Candy, the owners of Hogsback Adventures, the company that organizes the activities, then took us biking up to the areas most impressive waterfall Madonna and Child. This waterfall is impressive and fits into the scenery, which inspired J. R. R. Tolkien when writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  With all the recent rain it was touch and go as to whether we could abseil down, but thankfully we were on the right side of the cusp. The abseiling was great and Candy was really good at talking me over the edge. I went down well and the guys said I did it like a pro, which they didn't say to the other guy that was with me!

After that Jen, Grant and I had a movie night at Grant's MASSIVE place. The following morning was my time to go sadly, but I would love to have stayed.

Back in Cinsta I checked into the Buccaneers and within 10 minutes had made friends with a Dutch girl called Sue. We soon became fast friends and hung out the entire time. We went horseback riding along the beach - just like in the Old Spice advert. It was a really good experience as we didn't just do a little walk, but got to trot, canter and take on some more hilly terrain. We also did yoga and spent a day totally chilled. This visit was a bit different as Sue and I found the Crawfords, a fancy hotel, and sat by their pool a lot drinking G&Ts with cucumber and black pepper (something I picked up from Simon in Transkei).

Again I wish I could have stayed longer, but it was the right time to go as I would have just been lying around if I had stayed. The only regret is that I couldn't have stayed one more night as Jen was headed to Cinsta, but I had already ordered my Baz Bus and would have lost my ticket if I had not gotten on. I hope that one day I'll be able to come back and spend time with Jen and my new friends in Hogsback.

On a side note, my new music obsession is Birdie - Shelter (Photek remix)

Field of dandilions outside Hogsback forest

New friends at the Hogsback Inn

View looking out of the Hogsback forest

Ten tips to do my trip of Morocco and sand boarding

I would definitely suggest Erg Chicaga and Morocco to anyone who wants to do something active and a bit different, with the opportunity to see some amazing natural sites. Some of these tips are a bit different to those in the vid, which gives you an excuse to look at both (and isn't because I was woefully unco-ordinated making this blog and Vlog haha) - enjoy...

1) Know your exchange rate and haggle. This one is pretty obvious, but worth remembering, people will try and rip you off if they can. Not the guys from the camp though, they were amazing! However in the souks and roadside shops, always remember to haggle and don't be corralled into buying things you don't want.

2) If anyone offers to help you, let's say to find your hostel, or to give you directions, THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY! They will be really forceful about it too, so be warned. There have been a few exceptions, but in general they aren't helping out of the kindness of this hearts. If you genuinely so need help, then go ahead, but be prepared to haggle and be firm afterward or agree a price up front.

3) Pack carrier bags, they are really handy for splitting out sand covered clothes from clean ones in your luggage.

4) Bring plasters, the chances are that you will fall off your board and cut yourself. I busted my
shoulder a bit and you can see pics Of one of my cuts here. Don't worry you shouldn't need anything more than a normal plaster, just to keep the sand out of any small cuts and grazes.

5) Pack warm night wear and a jumper. It gets cold at night so you'll want to wrap up to see the stars, sit by the open fire, watch the sunrise, etc.

6) On the subject of sunrises, be aware that the tents block out a surprising amount of light. I almost missed the sunrise because I hadn't realised that it has started getting lighter.

7) Take an action camera. I used my GoPro Hero 3+ Silver edition and I feel it's a better way to remember the feeling of dune boarding, plus they take great photos. 

8) Watch the stars, after a long day, and a big, hearty dinner (with wine included), it can be quite easy to slope off to bed, but take the time to sit out and see the stars, they are phenomenal and the camp has a telescope, should you wish to see more.

9) The food is spiced, but not spicy, which means it's full of flavour. My favourite dish was beef and prune tagine with couscous, which was served at the camp with red wine. In a word, DELICIOUS!

10) Visit in November apparently. I had a great time and the place wasn't overrun with other visitors, while the cities were still very lively. The weather was also just right during the day.

Hope you enjoyed my tips and as always suggestions, shares and comments are always great fully received :) 

World travel days 3&4 - Erg Chicaga: sand boarding and the sun

 I wake up lazily on my first and only full day at the camp, fighting the urge to lie in further,  having I the night freezing. The camp attendants let me know that breakfast is ready whenever I want it, but I decide to wash first and a bucket of hot water is brought to me five minutes later. I then have breakfast and see the only other guests leave - I now have the camp to myself. I request to ride a camel and go sand boarding.

Riding a camel isn't as uncomfortable as I thought and provided a great vantage point to view the endless array of dunes. We soon arrive at the big dunes and I try my best to make it to the bottom, which I don't (see the video for a collection of wipe outs). I noticed that I got better as the morning went on, but soon it was time to call it a day (or rather morning) and head back.

We get back in time for lunch and I spend the hotter part of the afternoon on a hammock reading while two new guests arrive. I then grab a board and take my second shot at the dunes. 

This time I do a lot better, getting to the bottom of several dunes. The key I find is to concentrate on something in the distance and try not to worry about how fast you are going. That being said I did hit my shoulder pretty hard, an injury I instantly knew would be with me for a few days (it's all better now though). While dune boarding I watched the sun set, which was magical. I thought I had captured it and the evening's activities on my GoPro, only to realise that I had been out of sync. turning the camera off before going down the dunes and back on when I reached the bottom. I also hadn't realised that I had put it onto a setting that took photos every few second rather than filming. This however turned out to be a brilliant mistake as I have some amazing photos of the sunset, which you can see on the video.

I then have dinner with the new guests, Ollie and Ellie, a really nice couple from Wandsworth who are doing a tour of Morocco. We exchange travelling stories and I learn that Ollie has recently become an economist and that Ellie works in marketing. They tell me that I looked pretty proficient with a dune board, as they had seen me while watching the sun set themselves. I put this down to the fact that the lower half of my dune was obscured to them, so they couldn't see my many face plants!

Day 3: I wake up during the night with a very sore shoulder in the freezing cold, though I had prepared and was in a sleeping bag under the duvets. I struggle to ignore my shoulder but eventually get up and soak a hand towel in cold water to use as a compress, which helps and I soon manage to get to sleep, but not for long as my alarm sounds meaning it's time to get up and see the sunrise. It's tempting to stay in bed, but I forsake my napping and go out into the very fresh, very cool and very still morning  and boy was it worth it. Just as with the sunset, I'm totally blown away, this time with how the landscape goes from twilight to bright sunshine in a matter of minutes, the dunes casting dramatic, dancing shadows as the sun pierces the horizon. It's also hard to quite explain the stillness and quiet of the new day, which is totally silent with the exception of the occasional chatter of birds and camels, the latter making rather bizarre but conversational noises.

I then head back to my tent and wearily pack my bag and head to breakfast. I am joined by Ollie, with Ellie following soon after and we chat about the previous night and the couple's plans to sand board, go trekking, camel riding and quad biking, all of which I am sad to miss, but, with breakfast now over, it's time to go. Hitcham is by the entrance and we head off toward Marrakech.

The way back is much clearer and having taken a different route, we soon stop in a dried up sea bed where Hitcham points out fossils. It's bizarre to think that at any time this dry landscape could have been under water. We then jump

Back in the car to a rug making co-operative where I have tea with the owner and then onto an Argan oil co-operative where the owner explains how they get the oil and how the business, which employs local orphans, helps the local people. I also take a look at their products and after a demonstration come out with very moisturised hands smelling of various local plants.

Co-operatives seem to be the largest for of trade between local people and tourists, with many people contributing to each store.

We then stop off at a small roadside restaurant where I have a tagine of beef and prunes, along with bread and local Argan oil and nut butter with honey. 

We make quick time and I get to the hostel early with the help of a guide. I memorise the route for the morning after. 

The next morning we head to Casablanca for my flight which I can't find on the boards. I'm then told the flight is going the next day. Something that had escaped my notice when the travel agent changed the flight time. I kick myself for not checking the details more thoroughly and indulge in a little panic before making a plan of action. I get the train into town and find an Internet cafe and arrange accommodation across town. I have to admit I didn't think much of Casablanca and decided to stay close to the hotel where I had dinner before getting an early night. At least it would have been if I had not come down with an aggressive form of the flu, which almost stopped me getting the flight to Las Palmas. I do have to say though that the staff at the hotel were amazing, bringing me mint tea and yoghurt to help my stomach free of charge throughout the morning.  

Oh and a Moroccan man stopped me in the street to say I had a very Moroccan face, which was nice. 

And that's it, my Moroccan journey is complete.