Morning all!!
So I hear the great news that Waterford won!!!Up the Deise!!So when are they playing Kilkenny??
So had a great weekend. Very little sleep since Thursday though so managed 8 hours last night without any interuptions.Was so so happy.I was on call too....and i didnt get called.
So either we all have Swine flu, TB or the common cold...but all of us trauma students are not well. Unfortunately there are some cases of TB here...and swine flu is pretty much everywhere here..so we are all hoping it is the later. One of the boys is going to get a chest x-ray...if he has TB I will then worry..until then I will continue with taking paracetemol.
Anyhow, the "flu" hasnt stopped any of us having a good weekend. Spent a lovely evening on Friday in Stellenbosch. Which then ended up in the same Irish bar...!We were all up very early on Saturday morning and we headed to hemanus for the day. We spotted two whales which was pretty cool and then went and watched the South African v New Zealand game as one of the guys is from NZ. It was a bit scary...they really really do love their rugby here.
So had a few drinks..( as in one) as the Dutch and German were suffering still from the night before...and like very civil sensible people..we headed to bed at 11.30pm as we had a very early start.
Sunday morning: 6.00am.....SHARK DIVING!!!!!!
Yes everyone..i went diving with some great white sharks!!!!We managed to get a special group deal so paid 85 euros each....which included breakfast and lunch. (Breakfast was a joke....as you pucked it all back up again.I mean egg on toast does not look good second time round)
Anyhow...we had some Texans in our group and some Americans..but it was mainly just us. We were given our instructions on dry land and how to get in and out of the cage etc...and off we went.
Well....what can i say.....a speed boat going over huge 2 metre waves.I actually thought we were going to tip over. SO five minutes into the trip my sea legs were gone...and i was clutching to the side of the boat.
We arrived out to our spot..the cage was lowered ....and the bait was thrown out.5 mins later...in he came..a 4metre great white shark. AMAZING!The weird thing was.He went for the bait..but as soon as the bait was pulled away..he didnt try go after it.He wasnt fierce or scary at all.
So in groups of 4 we lowered ourselves into the FREEZING ATLANTIC OCEAN.....and watched the sharks brush off the cage. At no point did i really feel scared. Only briefly...when he swam head first towards the cage..and then turned at the last minute, but other then that..i didnt feel one but scared. HOWEVER, I must admit...that at this point I did not care whether he ate me or not...as I was so ill. honest to god, i have never ever felt so sea sick. Even in the cage. i though I would be better in the water. One of the americans who was also dying got sick when he was in the cage!!!
All of us were sick; the whole boat was sick. So of course when it came to my turn to put on a WET wetsuit...I just could not do it.Each movement was making me sick. Two men tried desperately to pull it up..whilst i hung over the side of the boat...but it just was not happening.It was wet and i couldnt do it. So after some failed attempts....they gave me a bigger wet suit. Now..........if you know anything about wet suits at all..the idea is that they are kept tight for a reason. So as i put this massive wet suit on....and Yan the German was like...."you just hang over and be sick laura...i will help with the leg bit"..and some american tucked my hair in.....I just knew I was going to end up with hypothermia. 30 mins or more in a cage in a leaking wetsuit.....is not good at all. I think what also did help the whole thing was the fact that they throw in bloody bait and the smell was just cruel.
So anyhow,in we got and the guy tried to convience me that i would feel better in the water. He was like, "look at me..look at me...are you okay to get in??"...I was just like nodding my head for fear of opening my mouth.SO in I went.....followed by a few litres of water that went into the wetsuit.OH MY GOD!!!!!So here we were in this cage and I think Yan sumed it up. "R850 to be sick.....get hypothermia.....and now....potenially eaten"
However, I have painted this all in a very bad light.It makes it sound miserable, which it was at the time but the minute you were back on dry land...clothes on.....tea in your hand....you could appreciate that it was amazing!!!To see a great white shark within a few centimetres. But as I said, nobody felt one bit scared at all. I dont know if that was because being in the water helped with the sickness...or just that the shark did not come across as a man eating animal. Either way, we had a great day. We finished it off with some cocktails in the rich and famous camps bay..and watched the sun go down.
One cup of tea when we came back...and we were all in bed for 10.30pm.
Some are still in bed today; really not well at all.
The plan for the rest of us today is wine tasting again. (okay i need to clear this up. It is not that we all drink loads of wine.It is just the surroundings are amazing..and it is so beautiful in the vineyards that it is a nice thing to do.)It is suppose to be 26 degrees today..but I will make up my own mind if that is what it actually is as the wind chill factor is high!However, I have worn shorts the last few days!
SO that is all for now. Cannot believe this is my last week here. Kinda sad leaving.It has been good to have good company. The group of us is mainly dutch, one very funny german, and New Zealand. They are all lovely and the dutch really are great craic. They are heading to Mozambique next week....and i am off to Namibia. In one way it is a pity that i cannot go....but I suppose once I am on the bus to Namibia..that will be that. They keep winding me up telling me how cold i am going to be...and it is not even funny...cause it will be freezing and I am starting to feel cold just thinking about lying in the desert in the freezing cold..whilst they lie on abeach in mozambique!!(okay..i cant spell that one)
So jsut 5 days left here. Crazy!!Dont know where the time has gone!!!
Right well i shall love you and leave you there as I need to go sort myself out for the day.
Keep me posted
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Monday, July 27, 2009
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Ah Laura, have been up the west of Ireland with the kids on hols so just started reading last night, fab writing, love hearing about your trip. You know South Africa is special to me and the places you mention are all familiar to me so it makes it extra special! Dont know if you will get my comment cos am crap at knowing which profile to select here so this is just a test really, let me know!
ReplyDeleteVal
PS oran recognised you instantly in your orange helicopter attire!