Friday 2/11

The day started pretty early. I usually can’t sleep past seven here so I was up and ready to go. We had planned on leaving at nine but I think it was a little later by the time we got everyone around, the cars picked up (we had parked them at Kristen’s), and actually on the road. Shawn, Scott, Chelsea, Bridget, and Becca rode in the “old” car and Patrick, Kristen, Sara, and I rode in the “new” car. It was a perfect day out so the drive was pretty fun. We were headed to Jeffery’s Bay for the day and stay in a hostel that night.  The drive took about an hour but it was beautiful. We drove through mountains and the African landscape was breathtaking. We also saw many “typical” things like cattle on the side of the road, hitchhikers, people walking on the side of a busy highway, shacks, and just many things that people envision when they think of Africa. We had to stop once in the middle of the highway (N2) because the police were doing random car checks. Luckily we weren’t stopped and got to slide on by. Once we got into Jeffery’s Bay we stopped at this little parking lot area. Okay, it wasn’t really a parking lot. It was more like four random parking spots in an area near the beach. After some people changed in the nearby bushes we decided it probably wasn’t the best idea to park there! We ended up driving to our hostel called Island Vibe. It was recommended to Shawn by some guys at the hardware store when he went to purchase some earplugs!  The hostel was really nice and very hippy-esque.  I am not exaggerating when I say there were people who surf, indulge in various “substances”, and hang out all day, every day. We only had to pay R124 ($18) per person for the night. We had a six person room and a four person room. It worked out well and we were able to have all the girls in one room and the guys in the other.  After we parked at the hostel we were all starving so we ventured into town to try and find something to eat. We ate at Real Food. I don’t know about you but I hope that most restaurants serve real food!?!? It was pretty good though and not super expensive. Jeffery’s Bay is home to Billabong surf competition and they also have a Billabong outlet store. We walked in and looked around for a little bit but didn’t see anything we had to have. We also went into a few of the other little shops around the area. They were all really nice but relatively expensive. We ended up back at the hostel where we could officially check-in. After that, we went to the beach. It was really windy and sand blew everywhere but it was still gorgeous. The water was freezing and I only went in a little ways but Shawn took the plunge. Burrr, just thinking about it! We hung out at the beach most of the afternoon. I was a sunscreen Nazi so luckily I didn’t end up getting burnt! After our day at the beach we decided to go out to eat again and our two Irish friends accompanied us. They were also spending the weekend in Jeffery’s Bay because Patrick is an awesome surfer. We went to this really fun Greek restaurant. It was really nice inside and they had tons of wine. The food was good and it was fun to all sit and talk. We then went back to the hostel and sat outside of the bar. We played a few games but mostly just hung out. It wasn’t too late of a night and after that we just went to bed. I didn’t sleep very well because I was somewhat creeped out at the thought that my bedding didn’t get washed. I was itching all night…for no reason.