Southampton Sessions

Been kiting my brains out the past two days. So tired i cant even move. Its time to train Fuerte is not so far away now and i got a few minor events before. Its still hectic. Dropped Aaron, Lewis and Company off at the Airoport on thursday, they were off to egypt for 10days. Neal and i went to the Thorpe Cable park straight after. I still have whiplash.Neal then gave me a lift to Southampton and i'm now with local west coast raised Wesley Fourie ( Allan Fourie, Langebaan Legends Brother) Got some cool Pix, Currently sitting in the Solent Sailboards Shop. The Wind is blowing its *** off and im kited out. Will update some shots. Its been sunny and warm the past few days and enough wind to make me the happiest chappie out here.Im Broken. Check out the pix later to see how sick this place can get. The locals scheme it hasnt been this good for ages and that maybe, just maybe, i brought the Sa weather with me( I doubt that because i've had heartbreaking conditions evrywhere else.Aaah such is life....) 

BKSA Hunstanton

Taro & I have both been competing in the 3rd round of the BKSA Tour this weekend in Hunstanton, Norfolk! 

We are proud to say we showed them what Saffers are all about! Taro got a Smashing 3rd Place in the mens pro's coming in straight after Lewis Crawthern! I got a second place in the Ladies Pro's! Beaten by Johara Sykes Davies... Tough comp in borderline conditions! All good! Will update some photo's of the action as soon as i get hold of some! 

One thing though these Poms know how to party and its been a warzone both on and off the water! Crazy stuff! 

BKSA HUNSTANTON official Results: 

Mens Pro's 

1st Denzil Williams 

2nd Lewis Crathern 

3rd Taro Niehaus 

4th Robin Snuggs 

Womens Pro's 

1st Joharra Sykes-Davies 

2nd Sjoukje Brendaenkamp 

3rd Annalisa Dovey 

4th Helen Thompson

Facebook

Talk about a mellow time. After an amazingly active day yesterday, today has been completly dead. Its been pissing with rain. Many parts of France are flooding. I slept late, spent most of the day chilling, watching Prison Break and planning the rest of my up & coming adventure…. Sorry no englightening realisations or freaking parties. I did get introduced to facebook though… Rob you will pay for it ! Facebook is supposedly more addictive than myspace. Oh *** ! I caught up with old school friend from Jozi now all over the world. Its super strange. Technology is a blessing but also a curse. Check it out anda dd me as a friend… http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=576932096 haha ! 

Im off to London tomo... so things will probably become interesting again... 

Oh and two more things.Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
 Why are the adjectives 'fast as' and 'slow as' often used in conjunction with hell, is hell slow or fast?


Kite- 300

The Aftermath of the Poker night
Its unreal. You wouldnt believe it. Its still raining as I am writing this, its cold , grey and miserable, but today was one of the best days of my trip yet. 
The day started with organic cereal and coffee as usual, andwas shortly followed by a surf session. 
We sat at the back, just floating about, i did not really having the power to paddle into a wave, my arms were still buggered from yesterdays surf. 
The water was warm and glassy. Dark Blue clouds on the horizon gave a hint of the weather to come. It was strangely surreal, this massive atlantic beach was so dead quiet and the waters so smooth only the sets that came through reminded us that we were still dealing with the ocean. 
Just me and Edith, chilling and trying to get some waves. 


The water had a dark oil like look and the air was electric. The swell started picking up and after a whle the silence was slowly broken by the little drops of rain falling into the endless ocean. I was really such a cool moment in my life, thinking about that second when the rain started to fall gives me goosebumps, a few minutes after it started raining the wind came. There was no gradual increase, it was like ‘BAM, wind ON, 25 knots of wind hit us in the face, the sky turning almost black. 

Edith shouted at me, to get a wave back to shore.It was time to go kiting. I suddenly had the motivation of the world and paddled like crazy, i got fair sized wave and rode it all the way to shore…. We ran to the car and the rain stopped, looking back at the beach , the sky had now turned grey and the water was full of whitecaps. Yee hah. Showtime. 

We rushed home, i got my kiting gear. Had a cup of coffee and something to eat then Manu and i rushed to the beach, i took my new 10m Naish Raven on 20m lines….. it was perfect. The wind was sadly onshore so the beauticul waves we surfed earlier turned into rolling monsters of destruction. I was so uncomfortable in the begginning, kiting so little tthe last while i twas like relearning how to kite completely, i got demolished in the shorebreak, the tide was getting really high and the swell still picking up.But very soon i was back into and having the time of my life, for the first time in ages i got thta feeling you get when you just get into the sport where you feel like you could just keep on going forever, every second of it is bliss, its peace, its amazing. I was smiling and whooping and going insane. I tried a couple of kiteloops , but was copletely anihalated by my dear raven. I got some massive air and went nuts. Eventually my final kiteloop ended up in the shorebreak, the wind was starting to die and the rain was starting again. We packed up , went home, had a hot shower and some ginger tea. By then i was so dead, i couldnt move i just wanted to sleep. Whats worse is that once we wanted to download the photos, we kindof realised that there was no memory card in the camera an dit was tsill in manu’s computer, its reallyu sad and ironic that the one day i get to kite i cant show you the pictures. In this feezing weather my mind dwelled to the poor people in the naturist camp around the corner… di d they finally give in and wear some clothes or are they freezing ? 

Watched 300. Had some organic dinner cooked by Manu ( Fish, Sticky chinese rice & brocoli with some organic sweet soy sauce) Im not an organic freak just yet but there is something to eating healty, i could feel it in my body, i was dead after the kiting and surfing. I couldnt move anymore, i was dehydrated and after dinner we had some soy caramel dessert, haha. We all went into histerical fits of laughter, for no reason. It was ridiculous. We just sat there around the table all giggling like kids while its was pissing with rain outside. Had a cup of Ginger tea , booked my flight ticket to london and went to sleep i was K.O’d 

Texas Holdem'

Edith woke me up with a cup of coffee and a surf report. The plan was to get to the water asap. I once again had some organic cereal for breakfast and then we headed straight for the water. I twas nice and sunny and the water warm. Manu stayed behind to watch some football. Us chicks got straight out to the back, and waited. It was great weather and the water was ful of surfers. Messanges is a beach break with 3 peaks. Left and rights were perfect, smaller and cleaner than the day before i was feeling excited. Got my first wave , wasnt spectacular or anything, got taken out, and struggled to get to the back again,but it didnt take me that long. The next 2hours were amazing, i had so much fun, ended up mainly taking some small ones on the inside, since the back was closing out too much. It was groovy. Just us girls out for a surf, the guys were pretty gentlemanly letting us have a few good ones. Thanks…. 

We got out of the water with massive smiles on our faces but they were soon replaced with grim expressions as we trekked our way up the big dune back to the car park. We went home, had some famous Manu Taub organic lunch and chilled for the rest of the afternoon.Tonight was going to be a good one, Bertand Fleury and Tuva Jansen are going to join us for dinner and some Texas Holdem> Only problem i have hardly ever played and Manu had told them i could play well. When i heard this i stressed. USually i was the one filling up the drinks and watching….note * Watching not playing……. 

My dad once told me before an exam at school, ‘If you cant dazzle them with your brilliance, Baffle them with your bullshit….’ 

In this case i had given the impression that i was capable ,and i really wasnt….. I tried to skype my dad for some advice but he wasnt answering so next best option…Google. Google : Texas holdem Game rules and tips…. 

It was pretty darn useless.. it just gave names for that i already understood, i read and read and i was sure nothing could save my soul… If you cant walk with the big dogs dont piss on the tall trees… im not sure what the outcome wil be…. I’’ll let you know when its over…. 

( Continued)

Time 00 :30. Just finished a 3.5 hour poker game. The Holdem field consited out of Bertand (The Pimp of Poker) ,Tuva ( Lady Luck) , Manu ( The Guru) and myself ( The Fish). What were we playing for ?? 20Euros…I know Its not much but the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Organic tea with Organic honey was the drink of choice. Manu & Bertand were old poker rivals, they had played many times before on various trips around the globe, the latest one being a mysterious journey deep into Peru… I didnt ask about that.It sounded top secret. 

We were four people, bleary-eyed and set with grim expressions. This was the real deal. My first proper poker game. It was on. 

Bertand shuffled the card and was the first dealer. He slammed the pack of cards onto the table and asked me to cut. … I looked at him funny, kinda guessed the middle of the pack, picked it up and put it down next to the other half, i looked at him questioningly and asked :’Like that ?’ …. He didnt answer and just nodded his head , shuffled again and started dealing….. I didnt know what the hell was going on and i felt like a right idiot. Manu looked like he was accessing some sort of psychic powerhouse inside of him, he had this half spaced out half focused look on his face. Tuva and Edith were just chatting away. There was french flying all around me, and i felt lost like i have never felt lost before. I shall walk through the valley of the shadow of death and i shall fear no evil… 

The game began. I was Big blind, Manu was Petit Blind, we made our Preflop bets and they laid out the flop. Nothing. I panicked. I folded Immediately. 

Manu was dominating the first few hands and then Bertand took over, Tuva got a few lucky ones, and i was just about to die, but somehow managed to stay alive with a few lucky cards arriving everytime i was all in. By some stroke of luck i survived right till the end. Maybe i was just too careful, maybe its just my stubborn Afrikaans nature that kept me hanging on by my fingernails. At some stage i was actually doing well, but once again, just like catching my wave the other day, my good fortune was short lived. 3 chips left, manu the same. We were both all in, and i could feel the end was near…. We were all dominated by Tuva and we were both out. It came too suddenly, I felt empty, depleted, drained. I sat there staring at the blank space on the wall……. The very next hand Bertand beat Tuva and dit was all really over…… We said our goodbyes , Manu and i cleaned the kitchen and everyone went to bed. 

As i said in my previous update i dont have much experience. Though i could not get hold of my dad earlier, some support was given to me on skype by Gareth in Wales and Bastiaan in Holland. My main Texas Holdem eductaion came from http://school.pacificpoker.com/default.aspx. Thanks guys…. 

What i learned about Poker and Life today : 

Always try and make the best decision possible with the information you have attained.It may not necessarily mean you will win the hand, or lose the least amount of money.
 

Life is an ongoing poker game, filled with many easy and tough decisions every day. Life is also predicated by luck in many instances, in many cases no matter how good of a decision you make you feel like life just crapped on you. In life we often go on "tilt" where we let our emotions take control of our actions, and it often leads to the making of bad decisions.
 

Live life to the fullest? With poker, you could find yourself with more profit if you play more and more poker, as long as you make good decisions…. Maybe we could apply This same concept to life, you must go out and live life, take risks, make decisions. If life craps on you some of the times, then so be it, but we must move forward because if we stop making decisions and stop living we will never be able to to make the most of our lives and we will never overcome the mysterious "luck factor".

 

I really am not at all into poker philosophy or anything.. .... just learnt something new today….and its all just spewing out of my brain. 

Life’s a bluff, deal with it. 

'And there's one more thing...............it's been emotional' ( Quote: Lock Stock and two smoking barrels, the debt collector, Big Chris/Vinnie Jones)

Biarritz

Woke up from our nap, and got ready to go to Biarritz. 
Manu & Edith were going to see their Accupuncturist. On the way there it started raining. Like in a cloud break. 

It was hypnotic, i was paralyzed, my muscles having no more motivation to do as i bid them. The winding road, the trees , the sound of the rain on the windows all helped me slip into a state of ‘Chill’ that can only be obtained after a excess usage of the drug we call the ocean. 

We arrived late, as usual with Manu. We dropped off Edith and then explore a bit. 
First Stop is the main beach, which is packed with surfers in the rain, its like a seal colony just chilling in the water. It Looked quite bizarre. I Have been to many popular breaks but the amount of wetsuited men in this small space was incredible. 

Biarritz is quite a larney place, reminds me a bit of Camps bay, alot of fashion victims and speciality shops with all the latest greatest in Fashion trend , clothes, hats, shoes, decor , food etc…. but Manu was on a mission to find a poker set. We found a nice expensive toy store and purchased a Really heavy poker set, (the chips must weigh like 5kgs together). 

Manu rushed us out of there, he was late for his appointment, again…. So we parked and Manu ran off to his Accupuncture session. It was still raining. I fell asleep again. I 
woke up with a seriously paining neck when Manu & Edith returned. We then made a turn at the Hotel du Palais , this is what the brochure says : 

‘The Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, is a joyous palace with a memory, a style, and a rich history. Its style is that of an era, the Second Empire, during which the reputation of Biarritz as « Queen of Beaches and the Beach of Kings » was established. Today, more than ever, it is this distinct charm, neither antiquated nor pompous, but eternally elegant, that gives this unique hotel its role as jewel of a seaside village made famous by chance and the caprices of time.’ 

Haha. It pretty pretty but i much prefer the beach right next to it. 

From here we proceed to a resturaunt called ‘Bar Jean’ , a popular tredy place with a bull decor theme. We sip on some San Gria while watching the hordes of overdressed Fashion victims parade around the lounge/bar area. We have some delcious food, that really restored some power to my body. Manu then got into telling me about Bullfighting or toreo. 

I wish i knew more about it but i honestly didnt know much. So i listened with interest. Sumarry : Toreros or Matadores, execute various formal moves with the goal of appearing graceful and confident, while masterful over the bull itself. Its all close range, and conclude (in Spanish-style bullfighting) with the death of the bull by a well-placed sword thrust as the finale. Supporters of bullfighting regard it as a deeply integral part of their national cultures. The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull. The bullfight is more of a ritual which is judged based on artistic impression and command. Ernest Hemingway said: "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour." 


Ok this is one thing i have to check out, i feel there is a major gap in my cultural eductation. I’ll make a point to check it out ASAP ! The way in which Manu was telling me this actually gave me goosebumps, i know many people think its cruel etc but i think it sounds amazing… i love the drama and tradition of it.. but i guess ill have to wait and see. 


We finished off with some really good creme brulee and hit the road home. It had stopped raining. Manu took a detour through Hossegor. It is well known as a seaside resort and surfing center, considered as one of the best surfing locales in the world. The city's economy is centered around surfing, with a series of world class beach breaks such as Gravière, La Nord, Capbreton, La Piste and Seignosse. It supports a thriving nightlife through the summer. We checked it out, but i twas just not quite summer, the vibe was electric. But stil we pushed on and went home, It was already late, and i had downloaded the latest episode of Heroes, and couldnt wait to watch it. We arrived home, and all watched Heroes like little kids, we sat glued to the TV, it was so frustrating, there are only 3 episodes left before the grand 2hour finale and whats worse is that this episode has only confused me and i dont know whats going on and i have to wait til every Monday for the next episode to come out. Its going to be painful torture. 

I went to bed and rolled around a while, thinking of Heroes and what might happen next … eventually sleep came and stole me. 

Surfs Up in Messanges

I slept late, again, this place is so quiet nothing stirs... 
We once again we started our day with some organic Cereal, and then proceeded to the beach to check out the surf. There were some nice steady 1.5m waves. We sat there just looking at it for a while, i met alot of the local surfers, it seems that there are a lot of people living in the forrest,….. i just still cant figure out where ? 
Edith and i decided to have a coffee, while Manu went to fetch his Stand up Padlling Surfboard, to my surprise i received a Lavazza Cuppucino .. the best i ever tasted, right here in the middle of nowhere… Wow. Respect. 



I have honestly not ever surfed properly……. Yes i have spent hours in the water and can manage to paddle in , get up and maybe carve it a bit if im lucky. 
This was all achieved mainly around the age of 12-13 when i spent my summer holidayswith my family in Cape St Francis… 

These were the good old days , i got my surf lifestyle education….. and attempted to learn to match my knowledge on the water. 

No i did not completely succeed, and at least i admit i am lousy.But behold, i do not lack in enthusiasm, ever, if there are waves ,big or small, messy or clean i will attempt it ,even if im scared to death i will take my mini mal or any available board and head on to be possibly drowned or possibly succeed in getting a wave. 

No i am not paddle fit, Last time i touched a surfboard was sometime in January, we got some 6m swells coming into the lagoon at Langebaan, trust me this hardly happens, but the Cape was lucky to get some monsters, if it was that big in the lagoon, imagine what dungeons would look like ??? Well lets just say the ocean was mean, it was hungry and i in my ignorance jumped in at the end of the sandbags… i didnt come close to riding a wave, i just got swallowed up and spewed out on the sandbags infront of Cape Sport center , my board was severely dented and all three fins broken off completely. It was a disaster. I just found a safe spot on the sand bags and sat there gasping for breath like an idiot. My poor board. I felt so bad. Immediately my mind wandered to all my actions, what had i done now that deserved a nice warning from Karma ?? Disaster. Nothing new in my life. Im kind of a walking talking , blonde form of disaster. Choas and panic are sometimes my best friends…… 

The next time i braved the waves was sometime in February. I went on for a early morning ride with Brad & Dom ( The Mauritians) & Alan Fourie ( Langebaan Legend). We went to Yzerfontein, a spot halfway between Capetown and Langebaan. It was big, a beach break of epic proportions, messy and mean. It was spring high tide and i was scared shitless. I shamed myself, swallowed my pride and took a bodyboard. Haha. I went in. Got one wave. Nearly drowned , took a foamy back to shore and sat watching the Mauritian boys ripping it up for the rest of the time. Since then i had not gone surfing….. 

Today was going to be it. Manu returned, we go tour boards and eneterd the water. What a feeling. I twas pretty neat and i was sticking to Edith( Manu’s girlfriend who rips it up on a surfboard). Manu was on his own mission, standing out above the water on his massive Stand up Paddle board. So at first it was easy, we got straight out to the back line , i was on a 9ft beauty. It was all mellow. I twas cloudy and the water was suprisingly warm, a light offshore wind completed the picture. I missed the first couple of sets, being in the wrong position, but finally… the next set came, i was lined up perfectly and hardly had to paddle, I droped in , got up and was riding. I was so shocked by my performance i nearly fell off,…. i couldnt belive it. I was screaming and shouting. Nobody was listening but i was over the moon. My joy was shortlived within a few second ( even though it felt like an eternity) the wave closed out on me. I started to paddle back , but before i even got there a small little demon of a wave appeared it looked perfect … i caught it and rode it to shore.. but this was the biggest mistake of all…. 
In surfing you have to earn it, i did not earn that little one, and thus i started my terrible campaign to get to the back line again…. Karma would not let me have it, i tried left , i tried right, i tried so many times and i just got eaten by the sets, in a while, i was huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. I just couldnt get it, With the sweetness of my first success still fresh in my mind i started going crazy. All my effort was useless. I couldnt move my arms anymore, i couldnt breathe anymore. I took a break on the beach every 15min, and then tried again. In the end i gave up , caught a few half ass waves close to the shore . Walking back to the car I was dizzy, and just kind of collapsed into the back . We got home, all of us K.O’d ….. It was decided that after a shower a les petit dodo( A little nap) was the next plan of action…..

Moliets-et-Maa

I sleep late, and wake up in a state of mild panic.. Where am i ?? It passes and i venture into the light , to have some organic cereals with Manu and Edith.I turns out we are in Moliets-et-Maa a small village and commune of the Aquitaine région of France. The French word commune ,means a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common. Its a bit strange. 

I stay at home, Manu goes to Biarittz for some business, and Edith is in and out the whole day, i spend most of the day catching up with the world. Manu comes backl around 17 :00 , we take a drive to the beach, not the moliets beach … Moisons or Messanges i think. There were some nice small swells rolling in , but the light wind was onshore and we were not very dedicated to go out for a surf. Manu was telling me a bit about the area, its pretty cool, very quiet. He mentioned an old little church. I twas a Templar church built ages ago, a secret meeting place of the Knights of the Templar… Thinking along the lines of Da Vinci Code and secret societies, mixed with our in the middle of nowhere location, i begged to check it out. Driving there scenes of M Night Shaymalans ‘The Village, flashed through my mind…. It was pretty cool, but a uneasy feeling of foreboding kinda made us leave pretty soon, theer was some type of youth camp r rehab just around the corner an dit was all too quiet for my likeing… i know i have an overactive imagination….please forgive me. 

On the way back Manu also told me about a Nudist/ Naturist camp in the Area, almost a complete little villiage, where there is no clothes allowed. Run, swim, shop etc all hapilly without ur clothes….At first i found this highly amuzing but Manu xplained a bit more about the philosophy behind it and if you consider it breaking your connections with Materialism and Societies Judgemental views, be my guest. I researched it when i got home, and i take back all the stuff i said about people on the beach in barcelona, there may be something to it to feel completely comfortable with your own and other natural states. Birthdays suits are the way forward. 


Here is a caption from Wikipedia on Naturism : 
‘Some people believe that the naked human body is to be accepted, respected, cherished, and enjoyed. They believe it is not inherently shameful, corrupting, degrading, or dangerous. Many of them enjoy clothes free activities. They reject views that being naked with other people is morally wrong (indecent), sexual per se (erotic or pornographic). They argue that nakedness is a healthy, natural state, that being nude is to be in the purest form, since everyone was born nude. They generally find that they quickly become so accustomed to being nude among nudes that it no longer seems very remarkable. It is, rather, simply one part of their lifestyle.’ 

Ok to each their own. 

I learnt something new today ……

On the Road to Somewhere...

Woke up at 07 :00. Had some breakfast , said our goodbyes and hit the road, by 08 :00 we were out of Barcelona. Just Anna ,me and some groovy Spanish Music. I twas a grey day but this did not damage the sense of exploration that was kind of bubbling in my blood. I still had no idea where i was going, i either had to find accomodation in Marseille, Stay with Kellog’s( Cyril Pimont ) in Leucate, or go to Manu Taub’s Place.. somewhere close to Biarittz. 
I loaded some SFR Airtime onto my phone and sent out some sms’s hoping that someone would respons in time. Anna was off to Toulon to meet up with her boyfriend Leo, They hadn’t seen eachother in a couple of days and i didn’t want to get in the way.Just before we reached Narbonne, Manu called me and gave me ***, because he had clearly stated on a previous occasion that i was welocme ANYTIMe, problem was i dont like to intrude and i still had no idea exactly where he stayed. I twas just in time, because i could catch a train to Toulouse at 12 :30 and i twas now 12 :00. 
Perfect, Anna and i split, saying goodbye was not hard, we have only known each other a couple of weeks but im sure we wil see eachother again soon, if not many more times. There was already talk of meeting up in Fuerteventura..haha ! 
I stuffed all my odds and ends into my bag, and boarded the train. Here i was on my own again, a solitary explorer.One person is so inferior. The earth consists of a total of 510.072 million sq km , 148.94 million sq km of this is land and 361.132 million sq km of it is water. The total world poulation is estimated to be 6,602,224,175 by July 2007. Who am i ? One speck on the earth. Invisible on the scale of the universe. The Only reason i exist is because other people are aware of my existence. Not even a lot. If i had to cease contact with those who know me right now, i technically dont exist…. So every person is like almost nothing in the universe, yet every single person has a story and a purpose and a destiny, and every one of us is unique… but stil the same. I dont understand this its too much, just when u think you are starting to understand something about the world it completely throws you off course and you are back to knowing absolutely less than nothing. 

Age, Rank, Class, Style, Education, Body Sahpe, Skin colour… Does it all doesnt matter ? Nope, dont think so…. Judgement is impossible. And stupid. Everything that is important is only important because of how you interpret it through your eyes. We could all actually be dreaming all of this…... Relationships, responsibilities, Materialistic obsessions……Does it matter ? Once again.. i call bullshit on that. I think the only thing that really matters is …… Actually im not gonna say, …….. who am i to state my opinion on what really matters ?…… Let every man and woman find the answer for themselves. Ok enough brain boggling stuff…. 

I arrived in Toulouse with a 1 hour wait ahead of me, i picked a spot and sat on my kitebag reading the latest in my literature collection, William Goldings Lord of the flies. It took me a while to get into it but it gets pretty captivating. 

The time came for the train to arrive, but no train…. Turns out there was a 40min delay. Right ! Once finally in the train and moving i enjoy watching the landscape changing… its really a hypnotic blur of green, blue and brown…. I’m pretty comfy with a 6 seater area all to myself and my kitebag. Was really enjoying it until we suddenly stopped. Like in really suddenly…. We were close to a place called Agen, and a long way of from our destination, Bordeaux… so what was the problem ? After a while one of the train guys informed everyone in French that someone had committed suicide on the railway and there was going to be a 2hour delay. Obviously i couldnt understand, he asked me where i was going by pointing at me and saying ‘ destinacion ?’ i showed him my ticket and he paired me up with a Young dude also going to Dax, he could speak english and translated everything for me pronto. It was decided that i would stick with him. 

I spent the next few hours getting my first proper french lessons from the Dax guy. Turned out his name is Romain, he is 18 and wants to be a pilot ! I cant share most of what i learnt, because A : I cant remeber how to spell it and B : Its not proper to share online since it mainly consists out of curses and toilet humour. Haha. 

Hours dragged by and before i knew it i twas 22 :00 and we arrived in Dax. Manu was already ther waiting for me. I said goodbye to Romain and jumped in the car, we then proceeded on a 30min drive into the dead of the night, on the most confusing curvy road ever, surrounded by tall pinetrees etc…. if i didnt know Manu very well i would have gotten worried. There is just something spooky about the area, imaybe its the lack of seeing anything for miles. Well i arrived safe and sound, met Manu’s very beautiful French speaking Ducth girlfriend Edith. We had some yummy dinner and i slept like the dead,this time not from partying.I was stoked but i still had no idea where we were, somewhere between Bordeaux and Biarittz….. but that could wait til morning….. 

From Noise to Nothingness , The Cathedral

After Les Rambles we moved into the smaller streets, getting lost in a maze of all sorts. After many more weird and wonderful, shops , buildings and people we arrived at the entrance of the Cathedral. At the time i was still completely ignorant to the world of Cathedrals… you know i come from Africa and all… 


Well i was blown away. Its super noisy outside and everything is colourful and moving, i was actually just diizzy. Once we stepped inside i twas like stepping into space. Its a black hole into another universe. The energy inside this Place nearly nocked my breath away, being into energy work and chakra’s and all that type of stuff i appreciated this in a way that is hard to explain. I dont know much about Cathedrals, all i know is that it doesnt matter what you believe in, its impossible not to feel cleansed and protected inside the belly of this Mother. 


We left there… and i felt completely spaced out, and refreshed. Went home and had a last dinner with Anna’s Parents and brother. We packed and got everything ready for an early departure the next morning. I did all my business online, discussing with my Parents what my next move was going to be….At that stage i had no idea what i was going to do until my departure to england… 

I als o researched the cathedral… I think it was The Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia (also called La Seu), it is dedicated to Saint Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of the city , a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in Barcelona for her religeon. 


Barcelona is a magnet for singers and lovers, dancers and dreamers , the religeous , the poets and the human sculptures. I don't know why ... or rather I do know why: You can feel why, you can wander through its streets and feel it in the air and then it's obvious, but what I can't do is explain it ... so I'll just stop trying. And Thus i bid my farewell to Barcelona…

The Rambles and Rumbles off La Ramblas

After the market we strolled down La Rambla or Les Rambles (Catalan) it is an iconic and busy street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike. The name La Rambla means, in Spanish and Catalan, an intermittent ( Sporadic or irregular) water flow, and is derived from the Arabic 'Ramla' which means 'sandy riverbed'. Barcelona moves, it lives, it throbs, and in no place does it throb harder and faster than along Las Ramblas. For sure it serves as the flowing emotional hub of Barcelona.... 

It is a 1.2 km long road, running from the Plaça Catalunya to the harbor. It's really more of a promenade than a road, the cars being restricted to two narrow strips of tar on either side of a wide pedestrian walkway. 

It's this central spot that provides the entertainment, as it is perpetually filled with strolling people and a collection of street entertainers. most of whom, in fact, don't actually do anything. Las Ramblas, you see, is particularly well known for its human statues. You can find human statues in most major cities—in many cases, being a human statue is the last refuge of the talentless street performer: "I can't sing or dance, but I can paint myself green and pretend to be a tree." There are certainly plenty of this type of human statue along Las Ramblas (including one who pretends to be a tree), but you can also find those who take human-statuing to unexpected heights. 

For example, there is the guy who is painted all in black with specks of gold and is wearing wings. I assume he's some kind of ambiguous angel, but whatever he is, it's just beautiful. Really. And then there's the guy who has built an ornate structure out of rubbish, all painted a kind of copper color, and who paints himself the same kind of copper color, then melts into his own sculpture. 

The best sculpture’s dont move, whereas the less artistic human statues tend to ham it up for picture-snapping tourists. 

Besides those already noted, I google reasearched a brief list of Las Ramblas's human statues on a weekend in August (admittedly the height of human-statue season) includes: Julius Caesar
The devil ; 
A very white guy ; 
Mickey Mouse ; 
Che Guevara ; 
2 Korean soldiers ; 
A cowboy ; 
A cowgirl; 
Several Indians ; 
A guy in an electric chair ; 
A guy manning the wheel on a ship... and, of course, lots of Egyptian statues and the like. 


If you're looking for performing artists who actually perform, then you're better off checking the streets of the Bari Gotica, the section of the old town just to the east of Las Ramblas. This is a fantastic maze of tiny, winding streets that contains the nicest square in Barcelona, the Plaça Real. This is actually not as old as it looks (nor as old as the surrounding streets), but it fits right in. It consists of a large open space bordered by arcaded sidewalks. It also has palm trees planted in it. That's nice. 

Around the edges are a number of trendy cafés and restaurants, all of which have seating that extends out into the central plaza. On a summer's evening, all manner of performing artists come to dance and prance and sing and play. Most of them, it must be said, are pretty bad. ..We walked and explored for what i seeme like an eternity but in fact it was just a short few hours… All of this enevetably lead us to the Quiet Beast lurking around the corner : The Cathedral

Life is Interesting in Barcelona

We sleep for a few glorious hours , wake up… and in our smelly sleepy states we return to the land of the living. We grab a cup of coffee and a Bocadillo on our way to the beach at the little shop downstairs of Anna’s place. 
After another adrenaline pumped Moto ride to the club we retire to the beach to once more bake in the sun and check out the scenery… and i dont mean that in a good way.. coming from good old South Africa im not so used to the European beach manners. Tall, thin, Fat , Flobbery, White, Black, Inbetween, Green … Short … whatever u can think of will be exhibited somewhere nearby…. 
I’ve had an overdose of other women’s boobies, im sure many men will easily trade places with me but trust me not all of it is pretty. I personally have never had the guts to whip out my boobs as some spontaneous act of public display. But maybe one day when im old and wrinkly and saggy and dont give a *** anymore ill love to grace the public with an appearance….. 

Just to mention what i have seen … here is my Top 3 Ranking for serious guts> 

1st Place goes to the gothic couple,fully naked in their all pale vampire white glory, skin and bones, black hair, hideous tattoos on all the wrong spots and some spikey jewellry running around connecting all the bits that tend to be sensitive as in Nipples to down there somewhere. What a couple… hopping along… holding hands… 

2nd Place goes to the Crazy naked mountainbiker… at first look, i thought maybe he had just cycled through through the entire africa to get here , he was ripped, like in really ripped not an inch of fat on this dude, he is tanned almost black, all over …. Haha. He must be one opf those dudes that travel the world on their bikes, he has al his possesions in a little backpack .. he arrives cyclling through some of softest thickest sand on the beach like its a hard tar road, the then parks on the beach, Whips off his clothes and keels over in the sand and assumes one of the gayest little girl poses i have ever seen…. What the ???? 

3rd Place goes to the Lady in red. The biggest whitest nakedest lady i have ever seen in my life. She wore a one piece red baywatch bathing suit and struggled in and out of it right in front of me. With Mammory glands of ‘that’ size i think this was quite and achievement. So FULL ON Respect ,Tannie.

Later in the afternoon, Anna and I bid our farewells to Xavi , Santi and the rets of the people at the club. On our way we stoped for a chicken pita, because we were really hungry,and had not eatien anything the whole day whilst lying in the sun. Afterwards we took a walk around the Harbour suburbs… What a vibe, average people, average lives, extroadinary colours mixing in the afternoon light….Clothes, Cloths, Flowers and all sorts displayed on the balconies.. Soft music and murmurs of conversation floating out of the windows to reach us down in the street…..Mellows…

We sadled up Anna’s moto and ventured forth…next stop was The St Josephs Market / Mercat St. Josep/ Mercat de la Boqueria) 
It's the most popular market in town. Its a world into itself. It's very interesting for both its architecture and its atmosphere where you can find a great variety of products. It's in a 19th century structure of glass and iron. Its ideal to discover why Mediterranean cuisine is internationally known for its ingredients. It is all the best products from Catalonia in one place. Perfect.a

Shooter Night

Time 00 :05. We just get out of the cinema ( We being : Anna , Carol , Xavi and Myself) . We watched ‘Shooter’ the main actor being the dude from planet of the apes. Its really shitty. Its a bunch of people killing each other about some american government scheme to assasinate the president. It has way to many slow motions of the guy running, all sweaty and dirty.. its not really my thing…. Its almost as bad as the guy with the american flag speedo at the BArcelona NAutiqueClub… he tends to pop up whenever you really are not in the mood to look at nut huggers…… i wish i had a photo to show you how bad it looks but i didnt have the guts to face it for more than a few seconds… so thus no photo … sorry !!! 
We left the empty mall before any of us could have thoughts of lurking thieves or monsters … and hit the streets. It was a warm night, for a change we could walk around after dark without all the thick layers of clothing. Our first stop was Borne , some Fancy Bohemian located in the old parts of the city… it looked pretty ordinary from the outside but once inside we were welcomed by various samba grooves and the whole cast and crew of the Cirque de Soleil. We hit a couple of drinks and Carol and i hit the dancefloor, not really for dancing, more for observing the weird, wonderful and eccentric people that surrounded us, ive seen some pretty ‘special’ people in my life, but evrything i though i knew about any steroetypical person ws just instantly erased out of my mind.. here was a mixed hybrid species … and a dramatically beautiful one at that… Most look they were taken straight out of Prison or psych ward ad now were reformed and loved to dress up in colour and blow your mind with some amazing show…. All is good… afros,tattoos,beads, piercings, dreadlocks, puffy pants, funky shoes, al things shiny and shimmering from all over the world. Overall a realy uplifting bunch…. We stayed a while, danced some more… im not realy sure what we were waiting for.. . Maybe for something to fall out of the sky… with these kinda people in the mix you never knew whats going to happen. So when the crowds split, we made a move to ‘Otto’, the same 3floor club that i visited the previous Friday night, but when we arrived we were just about the only people there. We were driving with Xavi , and i suppose he had to do our biidding, it was after all 3 girls to one guy, he was out numbered in the head count and dealing with us girls and our opinions was a tough feat. He was begging to go home and we were begging to push on to the next location. In the en dit was agreed that he would drop us off, ok fine….. we jumped out , where ? i honestly cant tell you where it was … no idea… we checked i tour ,found only soem remaining scraps of the circus act and anna and i decided to duck, tail in legs…. After much persuasion Carol came with us.. . we called Xavi to come back to pick us up, it was really not a good idea to hang around this time of the morning. He came back, sporting a super calm exterior that showed nothing of the possible irritation i assumed he must be feeling… we hopped in , drove a grand total of 20m further and got pulled off by the cops…. Oh ***, Breathalizer…… I was sitting there not understanding a word of what was being said, feeling like a total idiot … well the cop let us go , it turned out Xavi passed with flying colours and i was suddenly proud of myself for drinking his shooters for him… (the few times Carol got us a drink he politely declined because of his driving duties and passed it my way ) so the night continues….and we got home Safe and sound. I’m pretty stoked about that one, its still pretty early, only around 04 :30. ( Note the Sacrcasm) I was dead !

Brain Boggled in Barcelona

What a day. Just when you think tou’ve seen just about everything siomething massive pops out infront of you in the cityscape. This place is insane. It just doesnt stop being beautiful and amazing. I think i could get lost here for a year and still not have see and appreciated it all....... ahhh Man. No wind. Again…. So today consited largely of philisophical , questioning and positive thinking…. Here is a rough scetch of my brain storm… 

Why do people get bored ? 
Because they are stuck in comfort zones. Stuck in the familiar, routine, ….stagnant. They are stuck. Boredom is a sign of insecurity. 
When will people learn to fly ? 

What's the difference between a novel and a book? 
How old are you before it can be said you died of old age? 
If nobody buys a ticket to a movie do they still show it? 
In What way do people look at the world differently when they have seen other places ? 
Why do people kiteboard ? 
Why is travelling so cool ? 
If humans evolved from monkey's/apes, why are they still here? 
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? 
Why is the show called unsolved mysteries? if they were solved they wouldn't be mysteries. 
Do penguins have knees? 
Why is it said that an alarm clock is going off when really its coming on? 
Why did Sally sell seashells on the seashore when you can just pick them up anyway?
 
In libraries, do they put the bible in the fiction or non-fiction section?
 
Why are both of Spongebob's parents round like sea sponges while he is square like a kitchen sponge? 

Does a two-humped camel store more water than a one-humped camel? 

If you pamper a cow, do you get spoiled milk?
 
Why is it that if someone yells "duck" they are helping you, but if they yell "chicken" they are insulting you? 

If the FBI breaks your door down do they have to pay for it ? 

If you fart and burp at the same time, would it make a vacuum in your tummy? 
Can you cry underwater? 

Why do sleeping pills have warning labels that state :'Caution: May Cause Drowsiness? 

Do nudists have pin-ups of people with clothes on? 

How can Darth Vader breathe and talk at the same time? 
 
My mind is a mess from a thousand thoughts. The only thing that keeps poping up is that kiteboarding is about getting out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. Or maybe thats just my inrepretation. I have so much to say but its too busy being processed to come out through a keyboard.

Checked out the The Arc de Triomf today. It is an archway structure in Barcelona, Spain. It was built for the 1888 Universal exhibition, as its main access gate by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas. All i can say its pretty sick…. Just some crazies hanging around it though ! 
The arch is built in reddish brickwork in the Moorish Revival style. The front contains the stone sculpture "Barcelona rep les nacions" (Catalan for "Barcelona welcomes the nations") by Josep Reynés. 
The top of the arch is decorated with the Barcelona coat of arms as well as a representation of all 49 other Spanish provinces. 
the end of a wide promenade connecting with the Park of the Ciutadella.

I also checked the Statue of Columbus ( Colon)…….. Ok we have driven around this Statue 100 times when stuck in traffic , No i have not been up in the elevator to check out the views because we were seriously dodging traffic at rush hour. It was fun. At least when i. see this statue i camn orientate myself as to where i am. Especially with yesterday being saint george’s day and all…………. We were on the edge once more… doging busses and cars and all sorts of things found on the streets of Catalonia…..haha....

Time 20:03....We spent most of the day, tanning on the beach and watching the local artworks of nature exhibit themselves on the sand… what a show…. …. We then grabbed a cup of coffe returned home for food and we are about to go out for a movie around 22 :00 and who know where the night may take us…….. this is Spain after all.......

St George's Day, Barcelona

We wake up nice and late in proper Spanish tradition, our collection of 5 Alarm clock could not rise us from our slumber. It was another beautiful day but it was back to business. We cleaned up, Packed up and hit the road back to Barcelona, we were grooving to the 100% Black Album compilation , but that didn’t seem to cut it, we tried every single radio station and had to settle with a bout of Jeniffer Lopez drama and some uber sad Natasha Bedingfield, not really our style but it got us home. We arrive in Barcelona, droped of the car and changed to Moto. ( Vespa, Scooter whatever you wana call it) and missioned through the city. Its St Georges Day …. The rest of the day was spent sitting on the beach and cruising through town on anna’s moto. Its realy amazing , its like getting swallowed by the city, Into its huge belly, its so chaotic and blissfull at the same time…A concoction of contrasts. Antique meets modern, All is old and new and crazy ….. there are so many things that just blow you away, you see it an then you look again to double check if its really there…. I was just looking around and the whole time my jaw was dragging on the ground in paralysed amazement…. Us South Africans have a lot to learn… it might not all be practical but it sure is Aesthetically beautiful…. Went to bed early planning many things for the next day.. 

A bit about St Goerges Day (La Diada de Sant Jordi) 

St. George's Day is celebrated by several nations of whom Saint George is the patron saint, including Georgia, Bulgaria, Portugal, England, Catalonia and the Gora. Most countries who observe St. George's Day celebrate it on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in 303. His feast date remains the second most important National Feast in Catalonia. There, it is known in Catalan as Diada de Sant Jordi and it is traditional to give a rose and a book to a loved one. This tradition, which combines a rose as a symbol of love and a book as a symbol of culture, has turned into a festive celebration which fills the streets and squares with book and flower stalls. It is a day for walking around and enjoying the spectacle of streets turning into open-air book shops. On Barcelona's principal street, La Rambla, and all over the city, hundreds of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls are hastily set up for the occasion. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 400,000 books will have been purchased in the name of love. You will be hard-pressed to find a woman without a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion. 
And while La Diada de Sant Jordi is not an "official" holiday, most romantics ditch the office to stroll the beautiful streets of Barcelona and to take in the sultry springtime weather. Love is definitely in the air, but even if you don't have a novio to smooch on a park bench there are still plenty of things to see and do. 
For example, the sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, will be performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume. And many book stores and cafes host readings by noted authors (look out for 24-hour marathon readings of Cervantes' "Don Quixote"). And there will be a variety of street performers and musicians on hand to add a romantic ambience to nearly every public square and plaza. 
Additionally, April 23rd is the only day of the year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona's principal government building, is open to the public. Inside this Gothic architectural masterpiece you'll see huge displays of roses created to honour Saint George. 
Catalonia has exported this tradition of the book and the rose to the rest of the world. This tradition inspired UNESCO to declare this the International Day of the Book, since 23 April 1616 was also the date of both the birth and death of the English playwright William Shakespeare (according to the Julian calendar) and the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.

Callella

Wake up in one of the most beautiful little towns on the planet. Location… Calella ( Pronounced : Cal- ley- ya) It’s a beautiful sunny day and we are two girls on a mission. We start off with some tea and cookies… and then follow it up with a long walk to a really hidden beach. The little road to there consists of mainly steps. Steps up , and steps down. All along the windy little road through tunnels and past steep drops. All good. We arrive at the beach, there’s a couple of people there, we park in the sun till we are cooked and jump in the freezing water. We talk shite about life and dream about the future. All in all a good girls day out. We go home find internet at the hotel, have a glass of wine.. chillout …. Drop our stuff off at home … find some food…. Go to sleep…. Very relaxing and very uneventful which is exactly what I needed after a long busy period of no sleep & no wind,. 

Check out the pictures, I don’t need to say anything more, infact it’s a disrespect for me to even write about this day… was the best….

Welcome to Barcelona

Time 00:23. We just got al dressed up or rather tidied up. Anna hand me a helmet and saiz.. welcome to barcelona… we take the lift down and jump onto the back of her vespa. This does not happen to me very often. It was for sure the best way to get around. We were off to A club called Sylk to meet up with her friend Paula. After an adrenaline pumping scooter dice through town we arrive. Sylk is a super futuristic space ages style club that’s very narrow and kinda squashes everyone up against the cool décor. Paula is a charismatic and positive chick, with many blessings in the *** department. We have a red bull vodka to start the night off. Around one we go to Another club right next to Sylk called Bubblic.. it turns out to be boring but we hang around and we wait for some time to pass, its still too early to go to the proper place…. We wait its getting around 02:00 and im starting to feel tired. Anna notices and says that we push on to ‘Otto’ the place to be .. a three level club with some of the fanciest décor and best music in town. Anna is just about VIP , she gets us in free with a free drink, anna’s friend Carol joins us. 4 Girls in the top VIP floor of ‘Otto’ ….. whoopee… only problem was that I couldn’t keep my eyes open, I stood there yawning like a freak, I couldn’t keep my mouth closed. S***. Time passes slowly and im just not getting into the vibe, anna claims its because her windsurfing friends arnet there cioz they went out the previous night… ok I push on. Its hard. And then…anna decide to drag me to the bottom floor.. where they play Hip hop/R&B…. the people on each floor are very different just like the music. Ilike that. Somehow I seem to fit in better with the more average casuals at the bottom. Anna shoves a tequila down my throat and tell me to wake up or im gona have stayed for nothing, the best part of the night was just starting,…. Ok cool. I shake my head and drag paula and carol onto the dancefloor and start dancing again. And suddenly im awake. We push back to the top floor, and my return is noticed. Here we all jump on the dancefloor, the people have doubled and the music had been turned up, we dance wildly and funnily for the next three hours. Now I am sweaty and thirsty But it seems we have provided a good show since everyone we met has joined us ,shaking, laughing and complementing us on our different approach. All good. An old Cattelan word was brought to surface: Arrabivat. The Awakeningi(I think)…. this dedicated to my transformation form sleepy to hyperactive. Eventually there is no more space to move its so full , the party is far from over, but we decide to go home its 06:00. We cruise back jump in bed and fall asleep 06:30. Man o man. What a welcome to spain…

Time 11:00 wake up a little check the time and go back to sleep. Time 13:00 Wake up, eat some breakfast jump in the car with anna, we check out the club natació barcelona in la Barceloneta. Its huge. Meet a couple of Anna’s friends and contacts and have a coupla café con Leche’s ……… I feel better. We then starp her two new naish windsurfing boards to the roof and drive to Calella, a small town 90min north of Barcelona. Its close to Girona. Its beautiful. It’s a place anna has been coming to for years while growing up. It’s the perfect holiday town. We cruise around and I get introduced to almost everyone. It gets cold and we make some veggie soup… for sure a good idea. Afterwards we watch The Departed( Rating: Excellent,) and go to sleep as early as possible.

Off to Spain on a Train

I'm of to Barcelona today .. going to visit Anna ( The cool Naish Windsurfing chick i met in Leucate). Alex , Lighty and i are leaving Port Saint Louis at 13:00. They are dropping me off at the train station in Arles and are then shooting through to MArseille to drop lighty off at the Airport. Alex has to be back by 14:30 for some meeting! 

Anyway just been researching a bit bout barcelona, and for thos who dont know im gona add a bit! its realy a cool place... 
Barcelona, is the capital of Catalonia and is the second largest city in Spain. It is located on the Mediterranean coast.
It is a major economic centre, with one of Spain's principal Mediterranean ports and its second largest airport. Barcelona is a destination with a rich cultural heritage. The architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner are particularly renowned, and are World Heritage Sites. 
The Barri Gòtic ("Gothic Quarter" in Catalan) is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from Medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. 
Catalan modernisme architecture (often known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe), developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. A great number of these builidings are World Heritage Sites. 
The famous works of Antoni Gaudí, can be seen throughout the city. His best known work is the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by private donations: as of 2007, completion is planned for 2026. and blah blah blah....

Back to the point....When i started, I mentioned that i was on my way to Barcelona. To be honest, when i made that statement i wasnt yet sure , how, when or why .. i twas a strange feeling to be so determined that its going to work but not have it all organised. I twas weird because i tend to really make sure its all laid out before me before i take a step in that direction. I packed the last of my stuff and Taro, Alex and i hit the car to Arles. The waited for me to buy my ticket, which took a suprisingly short time considering that i couldnt speak french.. .without further ado we said our goodbyes and i was on my own to spend the next 3 hours waiting for my train. I was pretty excited by this fact since it meant that could now read my dear ‘Kitchen Confidential’ in peace. Or so i thought. About an hour into my wait an old man came to sit on the bench next to me. I couldnt speak french, he couldnt speak english, but somehow we had a deep and meaningful conversation, he showed me pictures of his holiday in Paros, Greece and photos of his deceased wife. Eventually another guy came into the picture, he was a school teacher in Arles on his way to Montpellier, and he realised taht we were stuggling to communicate. He offered to help because he could speak both languages. So i found out that the Guy’s name is Bertand , he is 80 years old , used to be one of the head french railway inspectors and his wife passed away 2 years ago, and since then he has been travelling around europe by himself colecting stamps for one of his grandchldren. I had collected stamps for a bit in my younger days in Johannesburg( Please dont laugh) so i had a bit to say. We exchanged postal adresses and he promised to send me some postcards and stamps form around the world and i offered to return some south african ones when i get home from my travels. 

Bit of a strange thing. He got up and walked away, vanishing around the corner to never be seen again. It felt like a dream. Was this real ? i sat pondering about it for a while and then continued to real my juicy book. My train came… i jumped on, kit bag and all and that was my first step of a new adventure. It was a freeing feeling. New places, new people. This wandering thing is starting to grow on me….. 

The first train trip was only an hour long to Montpellier, there i jumped out of the high tech new train into an old rickety one that was going to barcelona. Everything was creaky and old and brown, but it had massive windows so that you could see evrything. I was in Carriage 12, one infront of the cafeteria carriage. At first i was so blown away by what i was seeing flashing by the windows, vineyards, farmlands, etc etc that i didnt notice the weird and wonderfuls in my carriage. I Myself was one of them, i must have looked pretty funny, my hair in a bushy state with baggy jeans and massive kitebag under my pimp D’Artagnan boots and all my beads and jewllry acting like wind chimes….. (paints quite a picture doesnt it) in front was a hippy dude with dreads, he musta gotten high just before he took the train coz he was sleeping from when it started till when it stopped, next to him was some super athlete or something, fully kitted out in Puma gear and funky cyber yellow sunglasses with chrome frames and silver 50cent chain to match. Next was 8 French mIlatary boys, Brush cuts, army boots and and dog tags to complete the look, and last but not least a really crazy shifty eyed morrocan dude in a business suit who had about 30 coffees during the trip of 6 hours. At first i was just staring at them and trying to make out what these different people were talking about. I was staring blatantly with no shame. This is what got me into the most interesting conversation of my life. I was itting there probably drooling as i was starting at the morroccan dude who was fidegting with anything he could find, scenes of 24 flashed through my mind….. suddenly i looked into a green shirt. I looked up to see who was blocking m y view of an just about to happen nervous breakdown, i twas one of the militarty dudes. It seems he could speak 4 more words of english and was voted to fetch me to join the guys. He gave me an ice cold beer, i got up and stared coldly at the braidy bunch and decided to screw it. I would joint hem. I took with me a pencil and a notepad, because i knew there was going to be some communication difficulties. After ages of playing pictionary to communicate i gathered that they were all between the ages of 20 and 25 and serving the french military, they were boys on a weekend break to BArcelona. And mighty fit i might add. Haha. Eventually i most started doing their own thing, i suppose we were all lost in translation, but 3 guys kept at it.. Eric, Sylvain & Herve. 

They could speak some english, which putt hem in a league of their own,Eric was short, dark tanned and looked like smeagol, Sylvain had pitch black hair and blue eyes that just kinda…… umm i dont know…. , he didnt say much, Herve was white or rather pink and had this punch me expression, everytime he said something everyone looked like they were gona punch him on the nose, so it wasnt just me who felt this way. They were funny and nice. No hassles there. Just before we reached barcelona i went to get a coffee and met this other guy in the cafeteria, he had a massive asian tatto on his neck. For interest sake i asked him what it meant…. ‘The only constant in life is change’…’Appreciate what you have no matter how little it is, take value in your journey and never take things for granted because it can always get worse than its ever been before’ was the sentense that followed in perfect englishe.. he paid fro my coffee and disapeared…… once again Weird… am i dreaming ?? no i have coffee and i dint pay for it and took a photo to prove it…… Mr No NAme philosopher……….

We arrived at 22 :00 at Estancio de Franca in the middle o fthe city. I said my goodbyes to my milatary buddies and we all agreed that if by chance we bumped into eachotehr again we go for a drink. I walked out. I twas differnet here. Somthing about it felt familiar, but what i loved instantly is that everyone here was smiling, genuinely , not uptight or fake…..also Catalan, is different to spanish and its much more sing song, roll off your tongue … plus everyone is lauging so much while the talk it ends up being a very funny affair. I love it. 
Taxi’s were everywhere but we had to stand in line for one. I was on my way to anna’s place. I was pretty much at the end of the line. Then a really short taxi driver tapped on my shoulder and said :’Taxi ?’ i was stoked, it was getting late and i wanted to get rid of the kitebag that was breaking my arm off. Yes indeed ! We loaded me stuff and set off to find anna’s house. The taxi drive turned out to be a bilingual genius. Spoke english probably better than i can and knows everything about kiteboarding and windsurfing, he even had a car rental company in Tenerife for 10 years. We found anna’s place no problem. I said my thanks and finally breathed and looked around. BArcelona was beautiful. A thousand lights surrounded me, some good music was coming from somewhere and i had navigated myself safely from Port Saint Louis to the middle of BArcelona. Damn right i was impressed with my progress. Anna dragegd me to the fourth floor. Her family live in a a massive fourth level flat. The style is full on modern Spanish. Wow. Is the best i can say. Im speechless. The views are amazing. Time now 23 :00. Time for dinner. We have mediteranean Crayfish and various shelfish with a glass of red wine folowed by cookies and dipped in hot hot bitter dark chocolate. I was counting my blessing that night. What did i do to deserve this ? I couldnt think of anything, so i made it my mission to pay back my credit to karma in the next while. I droped my stuff and washed my face. It was almost midnight.....

Horse Riding in the Camargue

Woke up. Coffee. Ian, Joanne and Sam came to say goodbye. They were off to Perpignan to watch their eldest son play rugby. I had some toast and jam and then alex dropped me off at the most beautiful farm i’d ever been to. I was going horseriding in the camargue. Ok i know most kiteboarders will shake their heads at me for being into horses but i suppose you dont know me that well. I grew up on a farm just outside johannesburg, My grandfather was breeding with thouroughbreds, i’ve been riding for longer thn i can remeber. Ive fllen off so many times i ‘ve lost track, i’ve done some pretty high jumping but i suppose my favorite has always been to turn open the speed in the flats. Well today was my chance , i twas three of us. The owners daughter and some other slick looking italian bloke.i was riding a horse called Marengo, named after one of Napoleon’s horses, a gray Arab captured after Waterloo. We tacked up and hit the fields. It was green everywhere, we were riding along the banks of the Rhone river. La provance, Camargue, this is the stuff that French cultural history is built on and here i was in the middle of it. The girl told me to go and stop once i reach the road, I went, let loose completely. Havent felt that thrilled for a while, especially since France seemed to have a drought in wind and i couldnt get on the water. Aiii ! Was good. Alex’s mom picked me up two hours later. Went home and had some Couscous with lamb and veggies this time. Spent the afternoon reading and writing. We are off to have dinner in Arles tonight, in one of those ancient roman arenas i told you about in an earlier post . It should be good ! Im off to Barcelona tomorrow… a hole new adventure and hopefully some wind 

Sorry for my spelling everyone, dont have much time to type these upddates, i get all taken away with it and end up writing more than i should an dits all very chaotic. I’t will take hours to perfect this. … so ill do that one day when i have time or when im old ….. hope you still enjoy it though ! 

An Evening in Arles

Well, i just got back from dinner in Arles. What i expected to quite normal turned out to be exceptional. What a night ! Arles is amazingly beautiful. Its drenched in history and culture. I dont need to say much excpet for check out the pictures in the next couple of posts. But then theres the case of the food i had for dinner tonight ! Oh my ! Oh my ! Its by far some of the best food i’ve ever eaten. 

This was my menu for the night : 

Apetiser or Mini starter : Caviar, Asparagus Surprise. I dont know what its called. Its cold, its green an dit tastes like heaven. I’m not a caviar or asparagus fan but whatever they did to this… it was breathtaking ! Lighty didnt quite enjoy his , so i finished it for him. 

Starter : Mousse Cremee de Morwe, Vinaigrette de Betteraive au Paprika. 
Creamy Cod Mousse, served with beet and Paprika. A bit on the salty side, but the amazing bottle of red wine helped it along fine. 

Main : (Some word starting with A) , de Carnard Rotie Au Miel de Provence, Petit Gateau de Malt. Provencal Honey Roasted Duck fillet served with corn bread.Yummy. I did keep having flashes of the little ducks we used to have on our farm, but it tasted so good i got over it pretty quickly. 

Dessert : Larme Aux Trois Chocolats, Creme Anglaise a la Vanille. THnk it translates to the best chocolate and vanilla mouse in the world.

Ok foods good, scenery is good. But to top it off on teh way home they play two english songs on the radio. Its a miracle. And these two songs were just so good. Right time, right place , right vibe. It went down so well, i thought my heart was going to burst with happiness, on the otherside it might have been my stomach sending those signals. Haha. ANyway. The First event was behind me, and the whole world infront of me. I am happy. I am free. And im going to spain tomorrow. He guys i put the lyrics to the songs on here coz i cant upload the actual songs, but do yourself a favour and go listen to these tunes. 


Midnight Oill : Beds are burning 
Out where the river broke 
The bloodwood and the desert oak 
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels 
Steam in forty five degrees 
The time has come 
To say fairs fair 
To pay the rent 
To pay our share 
The time has come 
A facts a fact 
It belongs to them 
Lets give it back ...................