Tortoises and Snakes

Good evening from South Africa! Here's a wee blog about last week (number 47!)...

On Monday Scott got back to base after travelling with his family for a while so it was nice to catch up with him and hear all about his time away. After all the rain it was finally clear enough for me to do some washing and I was joined by a tortoise! Haven't seen one of them in months (way back when it was hot and sunny here) but this one has been around nearly every day this week.

We didn't do much Tuesday morning but after lunch Scott thought it would be a good idea to go for a swim... there was only really one way to get in the water and that was climbing onto the whaler - which has been moved into the shallows - and jumping off the end of it where the water is deep enough. Fair to say the water was EXTREMELY cold and we were out as soon as we got in! During my shower afterwards I noticed something green sitting up in the corner under the roof... a boomslang. Definitely the quickest I've gotten out the shower and hopefully the first and last time I have a snake in there with me!

The rest of the week hasn't been that busy. On Wednesday we took a walk to Wimpy for some food and WiFi, we took another jump into the water on Thursday, and on Friday I chilled and done a lot of reading.

On Saturday we took a walk to the market which was really nice as usual. We bought some fresh veg and meat from the farmers market to cook with and also took a look around the crafts side of the market. We ended up in Wimpy again for lunch and the rugby was on the TV there so we got to watch that too! Sunday was very chilled again. We cooked up a stirfry with the veg and beef we bought at the market for dinner which was amazing. Our cooking skills have definitely improved the past year!

We also got our flight details for our flight from George to Johannesburg. It's scary to think how little time I have left here in this incredible country. And although I cannot wait to see all my family and friends again I'm really really going to miss this place!

Enjoy the photos,

Rachel :)

 The view from my doorstep while it rained

And then when it turned to a blue sky moments later...

 Spotted this little bird one morning and I loved his bright blue feathers

The tortoise - he's quite friendly! (This photo makes him look much smaller than he actually is)

This guy eats a lot!

The water front and whaler we have been jumping off from

Not something you want to see in the shower

Don't worry I used the zoom on the camera to get this photo - definitely wasn't going to get close!!

The start of our fantastic stirfry 

 And another picture

And the finished product 

The First Farewells and Travelling

Good afternoon from South Africa! Here's my latest blog about the past three weeks...

Week 43 (Monday 1st July - Sunday 7th July) - First Farewells

So way back on Monday 1st, it was the day after we arrived back at base after driving back down from Potchefstroom. We spent the morning finishing unpacking all the gear we had brought back down with us. Me and Talitha also helped with prep for the DSD course starting that day so we cleaned and mopped the dining room and then safety checked the abseil gear that was going to be used for the course. We ended up getting the afternoon off since there wasn't really anything else to do (and we weren't on the DSD course). I also helped some instructors write/check over individuals (reports on the participants) from the course up in Potch.

Me and Talitha (if you're wondering where Scott is at this point in time, he's on leave as his family came over to visit him) had Tuesday off. We spent most of the morning in Sedgefield and had lunch there before walking back to base and chilling here - we actually ended up painting 'goodbye cards' for everyone. 

It was back to safety checks on Wednesday, so Talitha and I were once again in the rox store for the day. After trying to detangle and then coil the MASSIVE (and I cannot stress enough how long this rope is!!!) Robertson abseil line and failing tremendously, we decided to relax it - spreading it out to loosen up all the twists and stiffness of the rope. I wish I had a photo of the size of the rope once it's coiled, maybe I'll take one for the next blog. 

Thursday morning Talitha, Joe and me did the high ropes safety checks. I went up jacobs ladder while Talitha belayed me and then we swapped around for the trapeze. Also helped with the vehicle safety checks that day. A few staff members were also leaving to go back home for leave these days.

Looking back at my diary, we were quite busy on Friday! We started with some maintenance around base - fixing the fiberglass on the canoes with some good old sandpaper, fixing some signs, a geyser cover and the light for the toilets. I also helped some people from the local church move mattresses (if you ever need a mattress, the OBSA Pod Store is the place to go) into the back of their bakkie. Scott came to base before lunch and we had a closing circle for Talitha before trying to get her into the water (an OB tradition). The rest of the day we spent trying to work out where the air is escaping in one of the rafts, writing certificates for the course and then we also went to town where I bought some strawberries.

On Saturday morning we got a lift with Shirley to the market where we met up with Scott and his family. It was really nice to chat with them all and they even brought tea cakes!! Before lunch, Shirley took Talitha to the airport as she was leaving SA a bit earlier than me and Scott. I was definitely going to miss her crazy personality around base! On Sunday Scott and his family came to base so I spent some time with them out on the kayaks - both his brothers managed to get a kayak roll! The DSD course also ended on Sunday morning, I think the instructors were very glad to see the end of it.

Week 44 (Monday 8th July - Sunday 14th July) - Cape Town!

So on Monday morning I said my first proper goodbyes (sorry Talitha you don't count, I'll see you in August). Anyways, I said goodbye to both Emily and Zanza who I've loved working with these past 11 months. Bryce then dropped me off in Sedgefield where I got on a bus (only half an hour late - a miracle here in SA!!) and headed to Cape Town.

I spent a week in Cape Town visiting museums, the water front, Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, some city gardens, a tour of the city and also a very cool coffee shop. I also met up with some of the OB instructors who live in Cape Town which was good. The weather was also amazing which is always an added bonus!

Week 45 (Monday 15th July - Sunday 21st July) - Durban and back to base

So on Monday I traveled to Durban which is in the Kala-Zulu Natal province. Travelling took the whole day so I didn't really do anything once I got to the backpackers I was staying at. The next day I went on one the inner city tours the backpackers run. It was very interesting to learn about the history of Durban and about certain buildings and areas. Our guide (who was fantastic) also took us to a street market where they make traditional medicine. And of course for lunch we all got a bunny chow - a famous classic meal here in Durban. Wednesday I spent at the beach which is another thing Durban is famous for. The water was definitely warmer than back in Sedgefield!

It was an early morning on Thursday as I was flying back to George. Bryce kindly picked me up at the airport and brought me back to base. There was meant to be a course happening on Friday but it got cancelled and although I was really looking forward to doing one more course I think it was for the best that it didn't happen - it was heavy rain all day.

The rain never stopped and lasted all of Saturday too. Thankfully there was patches of drizzle while I walked to the market. That didn't last long though and the heavy rain came back so I took shelter in wimpy and sat with a coffee waiting to see if it cleared up. The sun made an appearance on Sunday which I was super happy about as I could do my washing and let it dry.

Sunday also marked the three weeks left point. It's super scary to think that I have less than a month left here!

Enjoy the photos,

Rachel :)

The goodbye cards we made :)

 The view from my room in Cape Town... table mountain during the sunrise 

 Kirstenbosch 

 A waterfall somewhere in Kirstenbosch 

The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town

Couldn't resist getting a photo here!

 Durban's south Beach

 A rooftop of the city center 

A rooftop garden project we visited

Sharks, Maintenance and My Last Course.

Good evening from a windy winters evening in South Africa! This blog will finally, finally bring you all up to date with what I've been doing here. I fear this may turn into a whole book with the amount of things I need to cover....

Week 40 (Monday 10th June - Sunday 16th June) - Sharks!!

So on Monday we all started with the monthly safety checks. We manged to get a good amount done so we were able to finish it all off on Tuesday. On Wednesday our main job was rechecking some ropes that are dated July 2019 to see if we could extend their lives a bit longer. That night Scott, Talitha and I hosted a ceilidh!! It was great fun and everyone absolutely loved it.

Thursday was the start of our few days leave so we hired a car and went to the beach and spent some time there. Friday we headed along to Mossel Bay where we went shark cage diving!!!! This was insanely incredible! Mossel Bay has the highest concentration of great white sharks anywhere in the world and it was so cool to see so many of them in one place. I think there was definitely more than six different sharks spotted and we got VERY close to a few of them! On our drive back we stopped off at Dolphins Point (a very nice look out point between Wilderness and George) and amazingly we saw two pods of dolphins! Very lucky!!

After the market on Saturday we headed to another beach and spent the whole afternoon there. Finally on Sunday we braved the cold water temperature and went for a VERY quick swim down in the veil.

Week 41 (Monday 17th June - Sunday 23rd June) - Maintenance and Potchefstroom

So on Monday we were tidying up around base which led to Scott, Talitha and I taking a canoe out and paddling along to 'shack' - a wooded area that OB uses for overnight solo. Our task that day was to clear back vegetation and put numbers up at good solo spots so participants can easily find areas to build their shelter. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent doing small odd jobs around base such as cleaning windows, creating a car parking area and moving bark chips. In between all that we were regularly playing some football or volleyball. A DSD course also started on Tuesday that Scott was going to be supporting.

After cleaning the gutters on Thursday morning, we packed a bakkie and the gear trailer with everything we would need for the course that would be happening up in Potchefstroom. Early on Friday, the six of us who were travelling to Potch tumbled out our beds and straight into a bakkie for the 13+ hour trip.

We split into groups on Saturday - Talitha and the three instructors heading to the abseil to create path opening (so many people got lost last time trying to find the way in) while me and Nthabi went into town to buy all the food we'd need for the next week. Once we were all back at the base and the food unpacked, we all sat down for the course brief.

Sunday was the start of the course.  However the group didn't arrive till after lunch so we spent the morning putting up a spiders web and patching the raft. The group was a primary school from Malawi and the kids were between the ages of 10 - 12. After the opening circle it was very chaotic with everyone running around trying to get the very excitable kids sorted. I did the float test with Joes group in the pool which was definitely freezing!! While we chatted to the teachers we found out that one of them was a volunteer with Project Trust in 2004/5! She had volunteered in Malawi, worked for Project Trust and has since moved back out to Malawi to teach. 

Week 42 (Monday 24th June - Sunday 30th June) - The Last Course

I spent Monday morning taking pictures of all the activities the groups were doing. After lunch I headed out with Sicelo's group on the raft which was nice. Tuesday morning was VERY cold. All the outdoor water pipes were frozen so we had to go round with hot water from the kitchen to unfreeze them. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the abseil and rock climbing site helping all the groups. Thursday was a clean up and solo day for the groups before I hosted a concert in the evening. Even us instructors performed!

Friday I was up and in the kitchen by 3am helping make the packed breakfast for the group as they left just after 4am. We all headed back to bed for an extra few hours of well needed sleep! The rest of Friday we spent packing up everything, debriefing, did a last minute campsite rubbish check before all heading into town to buy stuff for our braai that night.

Saturday and Sunday we drove back down to Sedgefield but we stayed over on Saturday night, breaking up the long drive back.

This was the last course I'd be working on in my year away. I've absolutely fallen in love with this job and couldn't have imagined a better year away. Now it's time to see a bit more of South Africa and enjoy the remaining days I have here at OBSA. 

Enjoy the pictures,

Rachel :)

 A very cold day at the beach.

 Testing the ropes in a z-drag formation.

 Getting very close with this great white!

A view from the boat before we got in the cage.

 Our fantastic bark chip laying skills.  

Our lovely car park sign we made.

Doing the rock climb set up for the last time.

 Talitha doing the abseil set up.

My clothes were frozen solid after putting them out to hang for only 30 minutes!

Co-Instructing and Bark Chips

Good morning from South Africa! I'm trying to catch up on my blogs that I've been putting off on writing. It's another two week blog update this time and there is lots and lots to cover so sit back and get comfy! 

Week 39 (Monday 27th May - Sunday 1st June) - Co-instructing and Father A Nation.

So back on Monday 27th I was still up in our base near Potchefstroom. We started the day by quickly putting up a spiders web between two trees before preparing for our course. I was SUPER excited for this course as me and Talitha were being given a chance to co-instruct! Not all the volunteers at OB have been given the opportunity to instruct a group so it was really fantastic to be trusted enough by the staff to be let loose with a group in the mountains of Venterskroon. 

The group itself was eight (meant to be fifteen) fourteen year olds from a private school in Nigeria. They arrived in the morning and after the opening circle we started with some ice breakers, paperwork, course conditions and tone setting. After lunch we did gear sort which is giving each participant all the equipment they'll need for the course and also all the group food that they would be cooking out in the field. Since it was quite sunny we quickly did the float test in the pool. Everyone who does a water activity at OB needs to do this before hand and it's basically just lying on your front and back with a life jacket on to ensure you can float and remain calm in water. Before it started getting dark (around 5.30pm now) I showed them how to pitch the tents correctly and once they had all theirs up with everything inside we did the spiders web before having dinner, debriefing for the day and then heading to bed.

The following day I was running PT at 6am which I think everyone was secretly thankful for since it was absolutely freezing outside the warmth of our sleeping bags. After a slow start to the day the group finally got round to making breakfast (oats) and de-pitching their tents. Our first activity was rafting and after quickly jumping back into the pool (which could of been so much colder but thankfully it wasn't) to do the float test with two girls that didn't do it the previous day, we all headed down to the river. Getting the raft into the river was an activity in itself but once on the water we soon started to head quickly upstream. The group seemed to enjoy doing it, especially when me and Talitha set them the challenge of how many times they could spin the raft a full 360° in sixty seconds. They managed five full turns! Once everyone was back on dry land, we gathered all our stuff up and set out on our hike to our campsite for that night. After hiking for just over two hours and after a lunch stop, we finally made it to 'field' where we'd be camping for the night. I think some of the group were genuinely surprised that we would be camping here that night - "Your unpacking your tent? We're actually staying here?!". After doing some group initiatives with them we started camp craft and first on the agenda was digging our toilet for the night. After collecting water, pitching tents and setting up the kitchen, the group started cooking (in front of some very curious free roaming cows) for the night. Me and Talitha's dinner that night was a classic camping meal - pasta.

Wednesday was another early morning and after PT and breakfast (more oats for me), me and Talitha collected the abseil and rock climbing set up bags and headed off up to the abs site. After doing the set ups we didn't have to wait long till the group arrived with Aphiwe (the instructor helping us out). We started with abseiling so we went through all the important safety information and sorted everyone out with harnesses and helmets. I got the chance to abseil half the group down (Talitha doing the other half) which was fantastic! After lunch at the bottom of the abseil we moved onto rock climbing which everyone in the group attempted. We were both really proud that everyone had a go at this, especially the few that struggled with the abseil. After walking back down the mountain we headed to our new campsite for the night - 'gorge'. It seemed to get dark so fast that night and cold too.

Thursday was definitely the most challenging day for everyone. Waking up in gorge and discovering our tents FROZEN solid was definitely a surprise. With the amount of ice on me and Talitha's tent you would think that we were camping in the Cairngorms in February. The cold was slowing everyone down and even some hot oats (love having oats for breakfast now) couldn't lift the cold mood over the camp. Time seemed to be moving incredibly fast and the group was definitely not going to be leaving on time to start the long hike up round the mountain back to base. Once they finally got moving everyone was a lot happier, especially since the sun had finally decided to show itself. However, the time had other plans and it was soon clear that the group were going to end up walking in the dark due to the speed they were going at. This was something that we could not let happen, especially due to the terrain and steepness of the trails. Us three instructors discussed this issue and we ended up making the call that turning back would be in the best interest of everyone. The group had mixed responses to this but after talking to them I think they understood. Safety always comes first. On the way back to base one of the participants became unwell and we had to get her evacuated back to base. I'm just glad that we were easily accessible to the bakkie and not at the top of a mountain like we should have been. I stayed with her while the others continued with the hike back. Once everyone was back we started with the clean up - washing sleeping bag liners, rucksacks, emptying the bins and cleaning the stoves. Before we knew it it was soon going to be dinner time but before we ate I got them all up and moving about with some games in an attempt to keep them warm. The group was definitely happy to not have to cook on the stoves that night and they even got to sleep in the dorm rooms that night!

After breakfast on Friday we continued with our clean up of the gear and once everything was sorted the group had the chance to shower. Something they'd been looking forward to all week. Afterwards we had our final debrief with them and finished up with some paperwork about the course. We got them to each fill out a experience letter and one of my favourite responses was definitely "Thank you to Talitha who is like a cute six year old and Rachel and her strength to tolerate our nonsense". Lunch and a closing circle later, the group was soon piling onto a bus and leaving. Instructing a course was definitely an experience and something I'll never forget! After debriefing with Nthabi  (who was CC for the course) I headed off for a shower before me and Talitha sat down with an orange and a bar one (basically a mars bar which I'd been saving all week), to complete our paperwork for the course. We also properly said hello to all the other instructors (and Scott!), who had joined us up in Potch for the next course...

Friday was far from done. At 5.30pm we were expecting the next course to start but the buses were running late. This course was another 'Father a Nation' group (just like the one we had in Hopetown). I think the total was 96 men all from Alexandra - one of the "roughest areas of Joburg". One of the busses finally turned up sometime after six o'clock and those on board were soon sorted into groups. While we waited on the other bus (which had broken down during the drive) I found myself in the kitchen peeling a LOT OF potatoes and cutting them into chips with the other instructors who were still waiting for their groups. Once the other bus had finally arrived (some point after 9pm maybe?) things were very hectic around base. All the staff ended up having a meeting at 11.30pm to discuss all the issues that were being thrown up that night. It was very late when we all headed to bed with the prospect of what tomorrow was going to bring.

Saturday morning saw an early start for me and Talitha. By 7am we were being driven out to the abseil/rock climbing site and after our walk up to the top we were unpacking and setting both activities up. I did the rock climbing set up - my favourite one to do since you get to abseil yourself down to the bottom! The first two groups arrived and the morning was soon going fast. It was really interesting to chat to the guys as they waited for rest of their group at the bottom of the abseil. One of them even managed to spot some Springbok which I quickly snapped some photos of. All seven groups had a go at either rock climbing or abseiling that day. It was really nice to support those activities and each group definitely seemed to have a good time! Scott was instructing one of the groups and when he came up to the abs site with his group he brought a box of chips for me and Talitha which definitely made our quick lunch break 100× better. That night a concert was held in the hall at base and I was so surprised at the effort and enthusiasm all the groups had for it! Since this was a Father a Nation course each group themed their performance around gender based violence. There was songs and there was drama performances, each one amazing!

PT was at 6.30am on Sunday followed by breakfast and then the groups had solo time before sharing stories with each other. A really nice ending to the weekend. Thankfully the buses were on time and after lunch all the participants headed back home. The rest of the day was spent packing and cleaning up before we had a small braai for dinner. I've definitely loved my weeks here!

Week 40 (Monday 2nd June - Sunday 8th June) - Bark chips!

At 4am we left base up in Potch to make the 13 hour drive back down to home in Sedgefield. Seeing my bed again was a very welcomed sight and so was the weather! Much warmer down here than up north. Tuesday was mainly spent unpacking everything and tidying up base as on Wednesday someone from Outward Bound International was going to be coming for OBSA'S two year review.

Wednesday was bark chip day! Like marmite you either love it or hate it. At 8.30 we headed out to fill the gear trailer and both bakkies full with bark chips. It was hard work but enjoyable due to everyone having a good laugh. Many people did decide to move at the wrong time and ended up with faces full of incoming bark chips! The whole day was filled up with this as we went for two rounds so when we arrived back at base after going for the second load, the guy from OBI was here. After some very brief introductions (he was from Scotland!), we ran up to shower and make ourselves a bit more presentable for the braai that night.

Thursday was spent doing general maintenence around base - mainly finding places for all the bark chips we brought back. Friday we did some community service near our abseil site here, pulling invasive plants out.  Over the weekend we hired a car with some of the other staff and went out and about.

Another two busy weeks here at OBSA.

Enjoy the photos below from week 40 and hopefully I'll get this weeks blog up tomorrow...

Rachel :)

 Our group with their certificates after the closing circle.

 It was VERY cold Thursday morning.  

 Hiking up the mountain. 

Never go anywhere without your crocs.

 Being abseiled down by Aphiwe as the example for his Father A Nation group.

 Some springbok in the distance.

The top of the abseil.

 The view from the abs site.

 All the Father A Nation groups at the end.

The bottom of the abseil.

My new trousers I bought from the market. 

Hopetown to Potchefstrom

Good evening from a chilly (like 6°C at night chilly) South Africa! Once again it's been a hectic two weeks here so this is what's been happening...

Week 37 (Monday 13th - Sunday 19th) - Sedgefield to Hopetown

So on Monday we spent most of the day packing the trailers and bakkies with everything we would need for the next couple of weeks (also said bye to Scott since he's heading to Cape Town to see his friends for a while). Why were we packing? Because we were hitting the road! We left at 6am on Tuesday morning to reach Hopetown - a small town situated on the edge of the Great Karoo in the Northern Cape. It took us over 11 hours to get there driving up through the Western Cape and through a large part of the Karoo (a semi-desert region) where I spotted a lot of cacti and caught a glimpse of some springbok (national animal of SA).

We weren't actually staying in Hopetown but rather ~20km away on private land. So on Wednesday we started exploring this new area (OB hasn't ran any courses here before), starting with a small walk up a hill in search of some bushmen paintings. The views were spectacular and I absolutely fell in love with the place. After unsuccessfully locating the paintings we headed back down and to the river in search of a launching site for the raft. We also pitched a watch tent, cleaned the bakkie and created a spiders web for the upcoming course. Later that afternoon a few others went up the hill again and found the paintings, so the rest of us rushed up to see them. They were completely different to the ones we saw in Citrusdal - these ones were carved into rocks on the ground - but were absolutely amazing to see. Once you knew where to look more kept popping up and it was so cool to think that these people saw the animals they drew here where we were staying for the week.

Thursday was another day exploring. We took another walk to and along the river, even spotting some water monitor and snake tracks in the sand. We split up into two groups for the rest of the morning, some people going across the river in the raft in search of a good abseiling site, while the rest of us took a hike up to the main road - where the participants would be dropped off. We also created a limpopo swing, set up the other small activities for the course and filled out RAMs and LOPs (basically health and safety paperwork) for some of the activities we were going to be doing.

Friday morning we all (minus Talitha who was really ill) headed down to the river to raft across. The river we were paddling across was the Orange River - the longest river in South Africa. The paddle was really easy but then further downstream was some rapids so we just had to do a spot of white water rafting! Rhere were definitely some screams as our raft got turned around by the rapids. On the other side we all headed to check out the abseil site that the others had found the previous day. It's quite a small abseil maybe 7 or 8 meters high but the view of the river and land from it is amazing! Once we had crossed back over we started pitching the rest of the big watch tents. After a quick lunch Deon, Sanri and I drove out to the land owners house to pick up all the food for the groups. And also bottled water for us instructors to drink as the water from the taps (river water) seemed to be the cause of why so many people were not feeling 100%. Just before the sun set us three headed back out to the main road where we would meet the participants. This course was for the 'Father a Nation' programme which aims at tackling gender based violence here in SA. So all 85 participants were men who also only mainly spoke Afrikaans. Since it was dark by the time they had all walked down to base nothing else really happened that night.

The first full day of course was Saturday and I headed out early after breakfast with Emily to cross the river and set up the abseil. I love being abseil support and two groups did it that morning. However, when we went back over the river for lunch I was not feeling good at all. It seemed that I couldn't evade whatever the water had given most other people. So Talitha swapped in for me at the abs site while I mainly slept. I did help with water support on the raft though later that afternoon for a while.

Thankfully I was feeling much better on Sunday (though other instructors were not) so headed back across the river to set up the abseil again for the last two groups. The last group helped me carry all the bags down and by the time we re crossed the river it was time for lunch. Afterwards it was time for the closing circle before they all made the walk back up to the main road. Support stayed behind and we started clearing up - sorting through the abs gear, cleaning the water equipment and then taking down all the small activities. The groups had taken down the tents that morning so there was a lot less work for us to do. Once everything was packed back into the correct trailers and bakkies we all headed off in search of a shower (which were the coolest outdoor showers I've ever seen!). That night we debriefed around the fire pit before having a braai.

Us stopping to admire the views across the river.

Me, Talitha and Aphiwe in Hopetown.

Testing our new limpopo swing.

Collecting drinking water before we all became ill.

The view from the top of the abseil ft. The rapids we rafted down.

A participant from Shirley's group abseiling.

The view from the bushmen paintings hill.

Top of the hill.

Bushmen carving's.

Our fire the first night (they increased in size each night).

An elephant carving.

Me and Talitha's room for the week.

Our room from the outside.

Fire pit and monkey viewing spot.

Another view of the base.

Road trip in the bakkie!

The 'why do we need to drive all the way back' pose.

Week 38 (Monday 20th - Sunday 26th) - Hopetown to Potchefstroom

So on Monday most of the staff left at 5am to drive back down to Sedgefield. Me, Talitha, Joe, Aphiwe and Nthabiseng however left just after 8am as we were going to be driving further north to another OB base near Potchefstroom. We stopped off at the popcorn factory (the land around Hopetown is all corn) and bought some popcorn before beginning our drive. We drove across the Northern Cape and into the Freestate then started driving up. The journey took ~8 hours and we were all very glad to get to our base in Venterskroon - which is actually in the North West province (we did three provinces in a day!).

Tuesday we spent the day unpacking and I got to see the base properly in day light for the first time and it's great! I really love being up north. That afternoon we headed into Potchefstroom to go shopping for the course and on the drive back we saw two giraffes!! It was INCREDIBLE to see them and I'm still not over it. Thursday we took a walk up to the campsites away from base and also up the trail we'd be walking with our group. We put in an approach line at the top of a dried up waterfall for the groups safety. Saturday was prep for the course. Me and Talitha are getting to co-instruct (under the supervision of an actual instructor) which is super exciting so we threw ourselves into planning out our course. We also went back to Potchefstroom to buy some more food and other stuff we'd need for the next week. Today (Sunday) the group was meant to arrive but now they're not coming till tomorrow (hopefully!!) so it's not been a very busy day.

 The pool is so much colder than it looks.

 More of the base here.

 The river for rafting (our side is the North West province, the other side is the Freestate).

 Modelling the father a nation the shirt.

 We love new tshirts!

 Our room before we get into our tent.

 One of the giraffes!!!!!

 Top of the waterfall.

And another at the top.

I'm really looking forward to instructing this course and once it's finished we're straight onto supporting another 'Father a Nation' course here. It's going to be a busy week!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Rachel :)