5cense 566> deriving d'ark side of South Afrikaaan landxcape to breach each itch


21 Dec | De Jager's Pass, South Africa> 6-7 hrs of driving on dirt/gravel roads thru remote areas, no utter cars, a few desolate shanty towns, grids of tin shacks w/ #s on them + then the nice ranch houses where whites live. Mostly fenced ranchland now, so not mucho in the way of «wildlife» b-sides goats, sheep, ostriches, cows + roadkill. Got to De Jager's Pass + was slowing to cross a bridge when noticed the tire almost flat, fortunately caught it before she blew out or shredded. Dark storm cloud approaching, changed the tire in the nick of time just as she started to pour. Drove on the spare thru driving rain, thru a treacherous mountain pass, to Beaufort West where got the puncture fixed. Then to our lodge, Lemoenfontein, at the base of a mountain which we proceeded to hike/run up, in the rain.

 

brown hyena

 

repurcussions of driving (steinbok)

 

gas station

 

 

termite moiund w/ bones sticking out

 

telephone pole abandoned for nesting

22 Dec | Hermanus> Long drive from Beaufort West, endless stretches on dirt roads. Always the same pattern, nice ranch houses + «cute» towns + then on the outskirts shanty townships of tin shacks, blacks on the street milling about, hitchiking, but then if u stop for coffee all white in these quaint cutesy places. Stopped for gas + this dilapidated truck w/ disheveled black dudes pulls up blaring loud music (cool beats whatever hit was), fat white fuck w/ buzzcut + Harley Davison shirt marches up to them + hits 'em on the shoulder + barks sumping in Afrikaaans, presumably «shut off dat jungle music» + dare was a short xchange + truck speeds off peeling rubber, redneck glaring at 'em. Everywhere we go all white clientele served on by blacks. Lots of breeding age white cupples, portly dudes w/ buzzcuts + girls w/ strait blonde hair, clutching iphones. At least if your gunna be a redneck dont bicker w/ yo girlfriend sipping shiraz in manicured gardens of a b'n'b. They aint so friendly to us + after what dat redneck a few nights said about Amerikins being the primary cause for all thats wrong w/ South Afrikaaa, we suspeck dats got sumping to do w/ hit. Racism lives on here very much entrenched + all these whites are breeding the next generation. The pattern the same ova + ova: blacks doing all the work while whites live the life. Makes it hard to njoy yoself.

Dry desert gives way to shrubbery, ranch land, still desolate, then to mountains, quite scenic, red rocks, reminiscent of ∀merika southwest... until u see a troup of baboons on the side of the road. Twards the coast really reminded us of California, marine layer over the sea, rugged, big waves, ice plants. 1st hit the coast @ Pearly Beach, walked down to the shore for a few minutes when we saw sumping in the corner of our eye... get our our bedder-½'s attn + then about 200 meters off shore a whale fully breaches! Massive body rises out of water + splashis back down. Then again. S/he breached about 5 times then we ran to fetch the camraw + binoculars + running back saw her breach a few mo times but when we raised the camraw, nada... waited + watched, but no mo. When we got to our hotel we aksed the guy wether dat was commun to see a whale breach like dat + he was souprised, said hit was 1 in a million this late in the season to see 1, let alone breaching. Wint for a run/walk along the shorror, very scenic + then again, saw 2 whales breaching @ once, albeit way off shorror. Had a camraw w/ us but dint git much of a foto. Almost as if hits a sine, to give up trying to capture, to prove. Being greeted by such a display at pearly beach was an honored augury of sorts, supernatural.

what the 1st rain brings

 

land s-cape

 

Pearly beach

 

Hermanus

 

1 second too late

23 Dec> Woke up + walked east to Grotto beach + the Klein river lagoon... jumped in the ocean a few times but dint swim much cuz hits freezing cold, not to menshin we's in the land of Great Whites. Again, weird tho, all well-to-do white folk in sporty clothes, relaxing on the beach + the onely black ppl u see workin. Chilled watchin' for whales but dint see no more, tho did see a pod of dolphins far off feasting on a bait ball. In the afternoon walked into Hermanus for see food. Saw distint whales a few mo times, breathing, but not breaching. Dat early display when we 1st arrived just for us.

x-hale

 

massive (~1 meter in diameter) jellyfish w/ snails eating it

 

 565 <( )> 567 > molting our skin to the quarry, in sum

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