Tick tick tick...

Time is ticking here in South Africa and im in serious need for some travelling. I emailed the owner of the vineyard to tell him I gotta go but will be back in August. I am going to this place called Hermanus next weekend with a group of 8 people... its on the south coast and its whale watching season! Lets see how these mamas compare to the ones in Patagonia! I am going to try to plan a week trip up the western coast and into Namibia and then August 5th I will be travelling around South Africa for 10 days. Nothing set in stone yet so all of this might change but this is the plan in my head right now. First I have to go to the US Embassy to get pages added in my passport... or else they wont let me back in the country!
I have some time to write now so I thought id give some thoughts and observations:
-Bugs! Little worms, big spiders, creepy crawly black bugs... all in my room! Im learning how not to freak out anymore and just kill kill kill but i want to cry and scream every second of the way.
-Its so scary to get on that horse everyday but I still do it and am so thankful when the ride is over and all my bones are still intact. We actually trot, cantor and gallop with them. And let me tell you, horseback riding HURTS. I am so sore everywhere... arms, legs, culo, back, even my hands are sore! I still cant believe im riding on horses and not subways!
-Baboons hang out on the roads! On our drives to different towns you can see like 50 baboons just wandering the streets looking for food that people throw out their car windows. I even saw 2 babies yesterday... so cute. Supposedly they are pretty dangerous and extremely strong animals... but i really just want to take one home!
-I get very sad to see the way the workers are treated. I dont think ill ever get used to the black/white separation. I was organizing all the workers pay this week and saw their miniscule salaries. No wonder they live in the conditions they do. (Pictures to come when I get home.) You really start realizing how much we take for granted and how relative happiness is. To have a smile on your face everyday yet not have elecricity or heat in your house.
-Im learning some Afrikaans but only words and phrases. When hanging around all Afrikaaners, they have to switch to English JUST for me. I feel so bad!
-Everyday I learn more and more shocking news about the history of South Africa. For example: the first concentration camps were actually used during the Anglo-Boer war (war btwn the British and the Afrikaaners). Scary.
-I found myself dancing to the tune of a bird chirp this morning... i really am a country girl these days.
-I eat and love dried sausage... enough said.
-Im hungry.
Two more months in S.Africa to go!