The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

I almost wasn't going to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque because I was feeling super comfortable in my hotel room, but after reading some reviews online, I knew I would kick myself for missing it. So I caught a cab to the mosque (taxis are metered in the UAE yessss) for about $7 and went in. It's the third largest mosque in the world, because being the UAE means you have to be the best, or nearly the best, at basically everything.

Two Days in Dubai

After two very busy and full on days in Dubai, I'm ready to retreat to the quiet life of being with my dogs all day. While I really don't think I have seen all that Dubai has had to offer, I'm pretty sure I'll be returning to this city at some point in the future, and when I do there will be a million new things to see and visit.

From Johannesburg to Dubai

After a long wait at the Johannesburg airport, I was finally able to board my flight to Abu Dhabi. I quickly realised once I got on the plane that I had the middle seat in my row which is definitely the worst seat  on a plane - you don't get the window view/head rest and you don't get the aisle to stretch your legs. Instead you're squished between two strangers. It wasn't the worst flight however, I was flying with Etihad and their seats are pretty comfortable and have this cool head rest thing so I was able to get a few hours of sleep. After watching Suicide Squad I dozed off for the next few hours until we finally landed at Abu Dhabi at around 5:30am local time, or 3:30am Johannesburg time. I was very, very tired. 

Home Bound (But Still Stuck at the Joburg Airport)

My last full day in South Africa for the year was spent in Port Elizabeth. (Although technically my last 10 hours will be spent at the O. R. Tambo Airport while I wait for my connecting flight), the "windy city", which is a very apt name. 

Cape to Addo 5 day Garden Route Tour: A Review of Sorts

While the Cape to Addo tour had its perks, it has made me more certain than ever that I really don’t like organised tours, particularly ones that go longer than two days. Although it is convenient and easy, I would much rather have done the Garden Route on my own, stopping where I wanted to stop and doing exactly what I want to do. However due to time constraints the tour seemed like the best option at the time. So, Saturday morning I was picked up by our guide, an Afrikaans Capetonian, and we headed off. We had a group of 7, three Australians, two Brazilians, one German and one Swiss, all of us under the age of 25 (which was a change from my Namibia tour group which had people well over the age of 50). This would be my 'family' for the next few days as we travel through the Eastern and Western Cape of South Africa. 

Taking A Boat Out To Robben Island

So as per usual, my plans have slightly altered. While I'm still doing what I've always been intending on doing - the Garden Route - I have decided to do it via an organised tour. Originally I was going to do the hop on hop off Baz Bus which takes you to all the stops and drops you off at your accomodation, but I was told it was overpriced and not worth it. I would also still need to find my way to all the points on the Garden Route that I would want to visit. The other option was to hire a car and do it, but being by myself I wasn't particularly keen as it would be a lot of driving on my own and probably more expensive.

A Trip on Cape Town's Metrorail to Kalk Bay

After a much needed good nights rest it was time to have a big day in Cape Town! First order of the day was of course breakfast at my favourite vegan restaurant in Cape Town - Plant. I had been dreaming of good food on the train the day before and was more than satisfied with this "eggs" benedict that I was served.

The Big Hole & The Shosholoza Meyl Train to Cape Town

After a very good night sleep at the guest house I had been staying at (and a free breakfast ... they did their best at making a vegan version!), I was provided with a free lift to The Big Hole. Considering it was 11am and already about 35 degrees Celcius I couldn't refuse. After staying on the coast, being this far inland is somewhat unbearable due to the heat at this time of year (or is it year round? I don't know.)

Anyways, The Big Hole is exactly as it sounds, its a big hole. However its significance is closely tied to the mining industry in South Africa, with Kimberley being one of the main sites in South Africa were diamonds were found. The hole is currently full of water, the water being green at the moment because of the salt content (or something like that). To see The Big Hole you have to pay 80 rand (student discount), which also provides you with a tour. Apparently a dog accidentally fell into the hole once and for 7 days was paddling around until he was finally rescued!! The man who rescued him named him Kimberley and kept him. Poor doggy. (That's the only thing I remember from the tour guide to be honest).

Namibia to South Africa on the Intercape Bus

Finally back in South Africa, after nearly two weeks away, it's nice to be back. After spending yesterday filling in time at Keetmanshoop (using up a cafes free wifi and then finishing off the book I'm reading), I managed to get a cab organised to take me out of town to the Intercape bus station. The people who worked at Rachel's Backpackers were finding it difficult to get me a cab however, it was after 9pm at night and most drivers had gone home. They somehow got me one, and for N$30 I was on my way. The bus wasn't set to depart until 11:05pm so I had time to fill at the service station until it came.

Luderitz to Keepmanshoop in the Back of a Bakkie

Originally I had planned on taking a minibus from Luderitz to Keepmanshoop for N$170 ($15aud), where I would stay the night and then the next day catch a bus over the border to South Africa. The owner of Luderitz Backpackers somehow organised me a ride with some other guests that were staying at the backpackers. They were engineers from Zimbabwe and had been working in Luderitz for the day and were headed back to Mariental that day, passing through Keepmanshoop. The owner was adamant that I would travel with them instead of take a minibus, as he knew them and believed I would have a much more enjoyable trip. So it was organised, I would go with them at 7am the next morning to Keepmanshoop.

The Bus Journey From Windheok to Luderitz & Finally to Kolmanskop

Tuesday morning my first point of action was to find a bus heading down south. The accommodation I had wanted to stay at was booked out for the night so I had to go to a different backpackers, which while a lot cheaper, wasn’t that nice so I decided to leave ASAP. I took a cab to ‘Rhino Park’ for N$10 (less than $1aud) where I was told I would be able to find a bus.

Swakopmund & Back To Windhoek ... Somehow En-Route to Keetmanshoop

So, as to be expected in Africa not everything has gone to plan, which is fine of course, because my plans are quite flexible - I just have to be in Kimberly (South Africa) by next Sunday to catch a train from Kimberly to Cape Town (these train tickets sell out fast so I bought one a week in advance). I was supposed to be on a train tonight towards Keetmanshoop, however when I reached the train station I was surprised and disappointed to find out that the workers are on strike so no trains are running at the moment!

3 Day Sesriem & Sossuslvei Tour: Namibia

I had decided several weeks ago that I was planning on going to Namibia as soon as I finished all my university work and had said goodbye to all my friends. It was only five days before I actually left that I finally decided to book a plane ticket to Windhoek, and 3 days before I left that I confirmed and booked a desert tour. After being in the city for the past 4 months, it felt like a good time to disconnect from it all and head into nature. I booked a three day, two night camping tour with Wild Dog Safari's, and arrived on a wet Monday afternoon in Windhoek (via plane ... I opted for a two hour flight over the 24 hour bus journey) to leave Windhoek early Tuesday morning on my tour. There was a group of 13 of us and we had a 300km+ drive to Sesriem ahead to where we would be camping the night.

Neighbourgoods Market & Vintage Shopping in Melville

The Neighbourgoods Market is held every Saturday in Braamfontein, a suburb in inner city Joburg, close to Witwatersrand University. Having been to Market on Main and the Rosebank rooftop market, it was time to finally go to the Neighbourgoods Market for food and drinks! While smaller than Market on Main, it is bustling with people and almost impossible to get seats to sit and eat. We had a nice afternoon at the market eating and enjoying the atmosphere, before heading out to Melville to check out some second-hand stores.

 

LIFE UPDATES POST EXAMS

As was to be expected with this blog, I've been a bit slack with keeping it updated. As soon as we got home from Cape Town uni work just started to pile up and before I knew it, exams were approaching. The past few weeks have been spent finishing off the last few assignments, studying for exams, finishing those exams and doing a bit more exploring around Johannesburg. The university year is officially over for me and I can now say I've completed my second year of university - only one more year to go! 

Everyone is leaving Johannesburg at the moment, which is quite sad. Most of my friends from the Malaysian campus will be returning home and several of my friends from South Africa will be heading off as well. There are few people on campus at the moment, and although I'm glad to have a break off of study, it is bittersweet as I've had a really great semester studying here and I'm going to miss some of my classes and teachers and the friends I've made. Nevertheless however, this is one of those moments where I'm glad I had to foresight to apply for a whole year abroad and I'll be looking forward to returning in February!

I'm planning on leaving Johannesburg in the next week or so and beginning my summer of travel. Over the rest of November, December, January and February I shall be exploring southern Africa (and returning home to Australia for Christmas of course). Anyways, here a quick look over what I've been doing for the past few weeks (that don't involve study ...)

CAPE TOWN

 Cape Town in 4 mins!

Welcome to Cape Town

Welcome to Cape Townnnnnnn!

Was 10 days in Cape Town enough? Probably not. Will I be going back? Definitely yes. After living in Johannesburg for the past few months, Cape Town is a whole new world. The atmosphere is different. Architecture wise, it's almost as if you're in Europe, but when you take in the stunning scenery surrounding the city (ie. Table Mountain) and the multiculturalism of the people and places, you know you are somewhere special.

I've been a bit slack in updating this blog with all the going ons in Cape Town (it was a seriously full on 10 days), as well as many assignments. I had two major essays and a presentation due the week I got back from Cape Town, so my last few days were spent studying and being stressed about work. However, that's all done now and all I have to worry about are exams!

We left Johannesburg on a 5:55am flight from Lanseria International Airport, arriving in Cape Town at around 8:30am. The sun was out, the day was young and we were ready to explore this city. The first stop was obviously breakfast. Having lived in Melbourne I've become accustomed to going out for brunch (smashed avo on toast with a soy chai?!?!), but that has sadly been lacking in my life since arriving in South Africa, there just isn't anywhere decent close by. There had a been a vegan restaurant I'd been eyeing off since I looked up vegan restaurants, and that was out first stop of the trip ...

PLANT CAFE

 Vegan omelette??  How??

 Tofu and couscous breakfast burrito ...

We went to plant a total of 5 times, twice for breakfast, once for lunch and twice for dinner. It helped that they had good quality wifi (of which our backpackers did not) and that there food was pretty tasty and quite cheap when compared to similar Australian meals. A favourite was the french toast, of which I've tried to vegan-ize several times but to no avail. The staff was friendly and the atmosphere was good and my non-vegan friends enjoyed the food so that was a massive plus. Was I actually in South Africa???

With a full belly the next part of our trip was to begin exploring. We were staying on Long Street, a busy street filled with restaurants, bars and shops. A little stroll through the streets of Cape Town found us at ...

V&A WATERFRONT

I don't really know who V or A is, or why the whole waterfront is named after them, but its basically a restaurant and shopping zone. Theres also a cute little food market and a craft market as well. It's very trendy and very touristic, but a nice place to spend a sunny afternoon.

Strolling around Cape Town the European influences can clearly be seen. At one point I decided it looked almost like Ballarat, a city in Victoria with similar architecture and few high rise buildings.  It also feels a lot safer than Johannesburg. Walking around Joburg in some parts (ie. the CBD, not that I've done it much), you begin to feel tense and concerned that anything could happen, but in Cape Town I felt just about as safe as I would in Melbourne. Granted, this was during the day. There are a lot of beggers in Cape Town however, people who will follow you on the street asking for money. The only way to lose their attention is to completely ignore them, even if you say 'no' they will continue to follow you.

V&A Waterfront was definitly not a swimming area, but there are some really nice views of the ocean and of Robben Island in the distance. We decided to watch the sunset here, which was a lovely pink, before we headed off for dinner that night. Having been awake since 3:30am in the morning, the first day in Cape Town (and the subsequent ones) was full on from start to finish.

Coming soon, Red Bus City Sightseeing Tour and Table Mountain??

Sandton & A Tanzanian Lunch

Height differences though ....

   Only two weeks of uni until mid-semester break! I'm so excited, particularly because I'm hoping that by the time we fly off I will have 3 out of 4 of my major essays submitted and I'll hopefully not have to stress about essays while we are away! (But knowing me I'll probably still be studying while on holiday ...)

   Life hasn't been too interesting as its that point in the semester and everyone is quite busy. In class last Monday we watched the movie Hotel Rwanda, which was about the Rwandan Genocide. It was a very emotional movie and I really recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Rwandan Genocide, or who hasn't even heard of it. It's a conflict that I didn't know of until last year at university, but that changed the lives of millions of people. On Tuesday we watched another movie (one of my lecturers was away that week), Invictus, which was a much more friendly movie about reconciliation between whites and blacks soon after Nelson Mandela became President, using rugby to bring South Africa together.
 
   On Wednesday a few of us went to Sandton for a shopping trip. Sandton is known as the richer downtown area, the buildings are nicer, the roads are good, and you can see the affluence. Upon entering the main shopping centre its easy to forget that you're in Africa and not back home. In the end it's basically just like any other shopping centre, lots of stores, bright lights and you end up getting lost and tired looking for what you want. (I ended up buying a new camera lens at Sandton, I'm super happy with it and very excited to start taking more snaps!)

Massive statue of Nelson Mandela at Sandton

    After Sandton we took an Uber to an area called Rivonia which has an Asian supermarket. I was with Vivian (Malaysia) and Rin (Japan) who have been missing Asian food since being here so it was quite exciting. They had really cheap tofu and they had heaps of products that I hadn't seen in South Africa before (unlike in Melbourne, there is a massive lack of Asian food here). We bought so many groceries that day it was ridiculous.

All this tofu for 18rand!

    On Friday, one of Vivian's friends invited us [the exchange students] over to have a Tanzanian lunch at her house. She lives about 1km from the uni and is from Dar es Salaam. She was incredibly sweet, making us a massive meal of coconut rice, a red cabbage veggie stew and chicken. I made some hummus to bring over (plain and beetroot flavour) and we had a lovely afternoon at her house.

Hummusssss

Coconut rice!!

Red cabbage veggie stew - can't remember what the name is in Swahili but it was delicious. 

Featuring the fried rice Justin brought.

    It was a really nice day eating some really good food, she used so many different spices and it's making me consider going back to Tanzania in January during the summer holidays ... She also gave us plenty of leftovers. By the time it got dark we were all tired and full. Good food and good company is good for the soul.

Life Updates: Hello Spring!

Hello spring! The weather is warming up and it is no longer the cold South Africa that I arrived in a few short months ago. Time is literally flying by and it's already passed the halfway mark of the semester. When I realise how fast time has gone by it makes me glad that I've decided to be here for  a whole year, one semester just doesn't seem enough! 

Anyways, here is what I've been up to for the past couple of weeks;

Vegan market (Vegan Hippy Connection Johannesburg): What is a vegan market you might ask? Basically a market where no animal products are sold, ie. my idea of heaven. Surprisingly, there is one held in Johannesburg once a month near Rosebank, and I went to this one on the last Sunday of August - there isn't even a monthly vegan market in Melbourne (that I know of) so I was excited! I proudly wore my vegan t-shirt to the market, however most of the patrons didn't appear to be vegan, it was just a weekly thing to come to this market and eat and shop.  Nonetheless, there were plenty of vegan vendors and food...

It wasn't a particularly big market so we quickly did a lap of the place, but it had some nice grass areas to sit in the sun. Plus people were free to bring their pets so there were dogs everywhere!! We enjoyed a beer-battered tofu taco and a vegan margherita pizza before going for a walk out of the market and finding a vegan restaurant. We were too full to eat, but there was a health food store attached that sold tofu!! I've been in Johannesburg for 2 months now and the only tofu I have found anywhere has been this expensive stuff that comes in a carton on a shelf (not even in the fridge section), and that I've been too scared/stingy to buy ... this however was heaven, and unfortunately I've already eaten all the tofu I bought. I hadn't realised until I got here how much of a staple tofu actually is in my diet ...  However with that being said, not having tofu is probably the hardest bit about vegan in Johannesburg so I can't really complain.

... so .. many ... varieties ... omg

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4 avos for $2.30AUD, you usually can't even buy one for that price in Australia!

Avocado enthusiasm: Avocado is by far my favourite fruit, and one of the things I have been enjoying the most is that they are pretty inexpensive here. I can afford to buy a heap at a time and not be depressed about how much they cost. 

I hit the jackpot the other day at the Food Lovers market at Hillfox where I found massive avocados for only 40rand ... if you have me on snapchat you probably already got to see these amazing beauties.  They were actually so big, I nearly screamed in the supermarket when I saw them I was so excited. I'm just sad I only bought one!

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Saturday school: Every Saturday kids from around Johannesburg hop on buses and come to Monash to be tutored in numeracy and literacy. It's a student run and part of the Community Engagement program that the university runs. I did the training session way back, but it's only been in the past couple of weeks that I've found the time to go in and help out. It was a bit daunting in the beginning, but all you do is go through a few worksheets with the kids. They are all primary school students and are all pretty sweet. There is a big focus on keeping track of the students and making sure they are improving. As well as that, all the kids are pretty good at English so communication isn't difficult. I've only volunteered for two Saturdays so far, but it's been a good way to be involved with the university, and do something productive on a Saturday morning instead of sleep in!

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Study: I'm taking four units this semester and for some reason all of these classes have essays due just before or just after the mid-semester break (which is at the end of semester), which is definitely not ideal because currently I have planned to spend all of the break in Cape Town - with minimal study! Mid-sem is just under three weeks away so I've made it my mission to get 3 out of 4 of these essays finished before I go away ... the thought of beaches and not having to worry about study is the only thing keeping me going! Since the weather has been so nice lately, studying outside in the courtyard just outside of the building I live in has been somewhat motivating ... until you get distracted by the birds flying around!

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If you don't hear from me in a while it's because I've been drowning in a hole of essays  ... Bring on Cape Town!