Tuesday, 19/2/19

Today, I started at 7.30 am. We had to drive 2 hours to the horse stable in Jeffreys Bay. In Switzerland, this would be a day trip, but here it's just something you do for fun. Sarah has a lot of riding experience, I don't have any. So we were curious to see what the tour would be like. Once we arrived, we had to take a helmet and then we were already on the horse. I told the instructor that I'm a beginner and he handed me the reins and said, "Ah okay... this way right, this way left and go". That's how quickly you learn to ride in South Africa! The horse ride was beautiful! First, we went on rocky paths in a huge field, then it became sandier and we gradually approached the beach. To get to the beach, we had to ride up a very steep sand dune. Our guide didn't speak English very well and only said that we should hold on to the horse's mane, lean forward, and if it doesn't want to go any further, kick the horse's ribs a few times. I got an old, rather slow horse (for beginners) and was supposed to be the first to ride up the dune. Of course, it stopped in the middle of the dune and wanted to turn back because it didn't feel like going up this steep way. To prevent myself from falling down the dune with the horse, our guide tried to drive my horse from below, but it didn't work. That's when I realized that maybe it would have been better if I had some riding experience. After another try, we made it and the horse, by the way, named Ross, reached the top with a loud snort. Then we rode over white dunes and about 8 km along an empty beach. I definitely felt the 3 hours on the horse in the end... my ass has never hurt so much!!
After the 2-hour drive home, we went to the beach for a bit and then to Paul and Steph's new house for dinner. The new house is beautiful, but very small. Their furniture is all in a container because the apartment is already fully furnished. It is typical for Steph and Paul to eat in front of the TV. It is also typical for Steph to cook and Paul to chill in front of the TV. After dinner, we watched a movie together and talked a bit, so it was all very relaxed and familiar. My room is about 24m2 and has two beds in it. Maybe another volunteer will come to the second bed. Just as I was about to go to bed, Paul said that he has to regulate traffic because of a demonstration and that I should come along. So we went with flip flops and he had a small flashlight to a large intersection on the outskirts of the city. They guided huge trucks and buses that were rushing towards them at about 70 km/h, only with reflector vests and those small flashlights. No problem in South Africa ;)