Kloofing...

As usual nobody could really tell and know what was about to happen. Luiza and I were waiting at the abseiling office at 7am for everybody to appear.

Our uber macho guide, a red bearded kind of bushman, greeted us warmly, but with doubts if two nice ladies could handle the whole day trek. When the rest of the team appeared (3 Irish people, 1 American) we jumped into an old VW van and drove for a good while. After breakfast and a very short training session we set off. Our destination was called 'Kamikaze Canyon'. After a while of walking along the road we crossed a bridge over a tiny shallow river flowing gently into the ocean. Yes it was the beginning and the end of our canyon, so we entered the national park.

The route was not easy to find without a guide. Walking through bushes, between rocks, crossing the river many times, which got deeper and unregulated, so we had to jump from stone to stone, holding grasses or sometimes just get wet. The altitude was growing so the canyon was more and more rocky. It would be dangerous to meet the perpetually bad tempered baboons or touch some poisonous plants – but we knew which ones, or just falling down the rocks.

After an hour of sweaty, fast, but careful trekking we came to the first pools. There was a cute waterfall and a rock just next to it... our first challenge was to jump 10m from the top or from a ledge which was 7m. Nobody was obliged to jump, but that was why we were there. We all started with 10m. Getting the last instructions on technique, and trying to overcome fear, we jumped one by one.

You can jump well only when you don't fear and when you really want it. You must find somewhere in your mind the feeling of trust in the space and to yourself to jump, because as you stand up there it always looks impossibly high. It doesn't matter if the jump is 3 or 83 meters.

It's important to consider jumping before you begin, not when you are standing on the edge, because it makes it even more difficult. When you are on the edge you just jump without thinking. So did I with one exception only... the first time, I stood there a little bit too long, concentrating on technical issues, my mind didn't have fear, but my body got soft and shaky, so my mind started to consider...this was a mistake! To rescue the situation I decided not to think at all and just to jump. I jumped, but being used to bungee jumping and diving, I went with my head down and wide-open arms. The rest of the group hid their mute screaming mouths with both hands and eyes wide open as I entered the water with the best style straight body dive (after I realized my mistake in milliseconds of being airborne I thought I have no choice, but to make the best out of it ;-))

It was a good dive into red, mineral rich, cool mountain pool, with no pain, no hurt...just joy – I was the first person in the history of this place to do it and I got respect of our guides. What I did just after were three 7-meter jumps in the correct way, but every time making others' hearts beating faster. Everything afterwards became more relaxed. We went higher up the canyon and were delighted by more scenic views. There were a few more waterfalls, pools and pleasant strong sun. The guys continued jumping from 14 – 24 meters but Luiza and I were satisfied with our 10m. It was a perfect day, we felt it was so natural to be there, so close to nature...just walking, climbing rocks, jumping into water, swimming, getting massaged by waterfalls chilling out on the rocks between sun, waterfall and rainbows. We felt so free getting burned by sun, then deciding which rock to jump down, swimming there, free climbing, jumping...Then we abseiled down one wall with a beautiful water cave finish, but it was a piece of cake after Table Mountain experience....

Sorry for no pics, but we might get them one day from our companions...

Extreme Day

Beautiful Cape Town has a huge range of outdoor activities, from shark cage diving, sky-diving, beach horse-riding, surfing, sandsurfing and many others. We decided within the group to have an 'extreme day'. For some of us it was an extreme scripting or editing day or an extreme shopping day. After doing research everybody had made their choice for the day.

I decided to try, for the first time in my life, a kind of canyoning locally called 'Kloofing’. Before Kloofing I thought a small dose of adrenaline would be a good warm-up. Driven by this idea, together with Luiza who’s always ready for adventure, we found ourselves on the top of Table Mountain. Stunning view! On top its flat and kilometers long. Like a wild fairytale land, but the edge ends up with 1000m high drop. So, of course, my strongest desire was to abseil down! I have never really done it before, but I knew I wanted to do it. Even though there were a few unsure, soft legged, adrenaline charged moments, when you are not able to imagine what would happen! I was the last client on that day and because of that I had to go down alone. There would be somebody waiting for me at the bottom I was told. The guys were tired after hanging out the whole day in the sun, bored and keeping themselves busy by telling jokes. Not the most ideal feeling of security! After a short know-how intro, people were just disappearing mysteriously behind the edge of the rock 1000m over sea level... one last wave to your friends and off you go!
So did I. Still unsure of the technique it took me the first, 10 breathless meters to understand either I do it right and enjoy or I have no other choice :-)

Take a deep breath or two, stop, enjoy the views... and then just the half of my brain, in permanent adrenaline shock was controlling the hand steering the rope and my legs walking down the mountain, while the other half was howling for the beauty of the world and could just not believe what my eyes saw. I was just hanging alone, too small to be seen on the huge mountain canvas, forgotten by the world, together with the sun, sky, ocean, never-ending space, mind play, on a 112 meter long walk...

Then, the rock finished. They call it 'a little surprise' – the ground disappears and you swing on the rope in space...it's the best and you never want it to finish....

Next was an intense wild hike up the mountain, and it took a good 20 minutes and a lot of sweat.

The instructions were easy; on the right is death, on the left – life... We saw an incredible huge eagle patrolling the landscape from the neighbouring edge of the mountain... Getting the taste of the mountains I was even more excited for the next day... the even more challenging Kloofing experience...

South Africa

We had been invited by a good friend of our guide Zeke to an unusual house party. The good friend was Kahn, someone who had joined us as we partied at the Goldfish party, and he happened to be the lead vocalist of 'The Parlotones'.

The Parlatones are a popular indie band strongly connected with Johannesburg and London.

The party took place in a huge house hidden behind Table Mountain, in a highly protected suburb. The house had such a big garden, that it felt unnatural to walk from the main gate to the house entrance –it really had the Beverly Hills touch. This cute blond woman dressed as a punk greeted us warmly at the entrance and told us her story...she had won a radio contest and the prize was The Parlotones to play in her house for 30 friends with a fully sponsored party –drinks and pizza. We had enough time to meet her guests and to interview her with her natural charm in front of camera, with a nice turquoise pool in the background. The guests were a nice mix of local young people, a lot of them engaged in the production of Cape Town's nightlife...

******

The show began...everybody was ready and excited...band were ready, we were ready to film...on the small steps in front of the stage were excited girlfriends of the host (Cali) who wanted to say few words into the microphone...She thanked everybody and then revealed not only that it's her Parlotones party, but engagement day as well. We were shocked and moved as she told us her love story and how great her fiancée was. All the women had tears in their eyes searching in thoughts, dreams and memories for this legendary true love....

Yeah let's rock!!! Band starts to play. The space vibrates with love, passion and energy. Everything feels perfect, in its right place, but somehow like in a different land...abstract dreamland? Everybody trusts and believes the lyrics and Kahn. His sweat makes his make up even more bizarre, flowing down his cheeks. His big eyes and his programmed rhythms and musical hands explain stories in the songs. Great performance. Very authentic and emotional.