Reflections of Time and Space

Moose here, now that the African portion of the trip is over I can break my vow of silence on the blogspot.  This whole journey has been one incredible adventure, traveling thousands and thousands of miles through time and one incredible continent of endless peaks and valleys.  Pardon my lack of communication but I find it hard to reflect on something so great as it happens in real time.  Its like appreciating the earth as it spins, or looking back on the first half of a roller coaster ride before its through.  Now, as I lounge at my lovely aunt's apartment in Amsterdam it feels as though we have come a very long way.

From Big Leks picking us up at the airport in Ghana and promptly being pulled over within three blocks of the where we left, not for any particular offence, but so that we could give the cop a lift to the station; I knew this was not going to be an ordinary trip.  Regardless I could never have imagined the incredible range of cultures and physical geography, friends and characters, sunsets and sunrises, and slow times and adventures that we would come across. To begin in Ghana with the Psychas family and have the chance to experience not only Ghana from a local perspective, but also to see the way that one of my best friends came to be the great person that he is was a magical way to start.  Our adventures tripping through Ghana were culturally eye opening in a way that is just not possible in the Western World.  To see a man beaten mercilessly by a market full of complete strangers with no idea why he deserves the beating was scary.  Even stranger was that the man was saved (for all we know) by the same guy who originally identified him as the thief, the dude wrestled him from the crowd back onto the bus...where he continued to beat the hell out of the thief himself.

From the strangeness of our Ghanian adventures to the endless roadtrip that was South Africa I feel like Ive watched the entire world pass me by through the window.  South Africa is one of the most rich and beautiful places that you could ever imagine.  We drove so far and saw and did so much.  The adventures are just too many to go through and my bloggin skills too poor to do them justice.  The games, the nights, the laughs, the views, the climbs, the falls, the rides, the tastes, the feelings; they all blend together into this psychedelic sunset that you can appreciate but never fully understand.  While all these moments seem to be mysteries in my memory, the things that truly stand clearly in my mind are the people that I have traveled with and that we have come across.

Its hard to get any tighter than me and Leks already are, but it was truly a privilege to fully acquaint myself with  Kai, as well as to get to know Alex on another level.  Kai is just the man.  Period.  The captain of the ship, master jack baller, and all around boss (not to mention one of the most talented facial hair growers around).  Whenever we needed something, Kai´s already got it.  Whenever we got to do something, Kai´s already started.  Plus, there is absolutely no one I trust more behind the wheel of a car than this man.  Masterclass motorist.

Alex on his first real trip outside the country got one hell of an introduction to world travelin.  Even though his greenness showed from time to time the comedy that ensued was always well worth it.  Although Ive known the Mitch Master for a cool minute, the depth of our understanding has gone onto another level.  Ive always seen the wit and comedy, but I had no idea that he was one of the goofiest people alive.  His antics and dance moves provided invaluable comedic relief (as long as he was awake).

The journey that weve been through has turned us into brothers of the road.  Its a special bond, different from friendship, its more like an understanding.  That were in it together, for eachother, forever.  You cats are like my spirit brothers.  Everytime I see you folks I see myself reflected in all the things we went through and how it has influenced all of us together.

These are bonds that dont break, completely resistant to time.  Its the same bonds that we share with our other family of the road.  Nick, Zuflaa, Johnny Katmandu, Ardy, and Lindsay especially feel like family, and I cant wait until we come across each other again and pick up where we left off (drinking heavily and playing terrible pool).  The days we spent together were so fun and genuine that we might as well have known each other for years, rather than hours.  These are the things that stand out.  Sure bungee jumping, ostrich riding, and scoot scooting were dope, but nothing is more vivid in my memory than those hilarious evenings having dinner with Solvieg, Astri, Oliver, and Alan.  Their hospitality and warmth were absolutely incredible and I am forever grateful and looking forward to repaying their generosity.  Likewise for Astrid and Chris, they invited four strangers (strange strangers) into their home without any notice.  I can only hope the time comes where I can repay them by hosting some complete strangers in my own home.  I will cherish the memories of these people as long as I live and I feel like these will be the ones that last.

So thats whats good.  An epic 9 weeks of travel.  Thanks to all the folks out there who made it possible.  Moms and Pops, the Psychas Clan, the world cup (I severely understated how much I loved every second of every game that I watched and went to), the car rental dude we bribed, the Tidaa that car is the shit! (put 5,800 miles on it in 6 weeks, thats enough to drive from SD to NYC and back), and everyone else I forgot. Jam and a Half is making a comeback when I get home so check it out.  Jamandahalf.com

reflecting universal love

Moose

Big Leks Bungees!

If you know me, you know that I am terrified of heights. Although it's getting better with age, I still get wobbly every time I get above about 20 feet. Being so tall, I see the irony in this, but it’s something I've been working on, as you will read below...

Ever since we landed in South Africa, we have heard about the world's tallest bungee jump, on the Garden Route in Southern SA. Moo, Kai, and Mitch were all super hyped on it since day 1, but I had always hoped in the back of mind that something would happen and we'd have to miss it. Don't tell the guys I said that haha...

We left from Buffalo Bay to Jeffrey's Bay and the jump is literally right under the road, which is the highest bridge in Africa and is right over the Bloukrans river gorge. On the way to Jbay we stopped at the Bungee jump to book our jump (which had to be 2 days later than we had hoped) and to watch people jumping. This is where I started to get very nervous. The bridge is designed with an under hanging under the actual road, where they have built the jump area. For about 30 minutes, we watched people fling themselves off this landing and drop for what felt like an eternity. The cocoons hatched into butterflies at this point.

Two days later we drove back to the jump in the pouring cold rain. After paying, getting into our harness, and listening to the pre-jump briefing, we trekked along a mesh bridge which ran along the bridge towards the jump zone. Being made out of mesh, we saw the river flowing way, way, way, way below us. I stared at Kai's back ahead of me and made it to launch zone. After getting another briefing, the head guy called out the first four jumpers, with the first three being Amitch, Moose, and Kai. The jump zone itself had workers moving non-stop, with a DJ kicking house and techno jams to keep a party atmosphere. Amitch was first up. Once you sit on the chair to get the knot tied around your feet, everything moves so fast. BAM, knot tied, BAM, Amitch is standing up with two guys holding him up, BAM he's standing on the edge, BAM Amitch is gone. There's something very, very, unsettling about seeing one of your best friends throw himself off the highest bridge of this continent. There are video cameras along the bridge and on land, and there's a TV screen which shows the action. One second Amitch is on the bridge, the next I see him on the TV screen soaring through the air, doing his best flying Bat Boy impression. Moose and Kai go up next, and each comes back alive, with huge grins on their faces and bloodshot eyes from hanging upside-down so long.

Our group of 20 people throw themselves off of the bridge one by one, and the jump zone becomes a mini dance party, with those who have jumped dancing from adrenaline, and those who haven't, dancing to ease nerves. As dreaded, I was the last to jump, and by this point I'm just ready to go. I sat down; the guy wraps the knot around the ankles and massive calves, and tells me about the knot and the amount of tons that it can hold. The specifics are lost forever; the butterflies had gone to my head at this point. I stand up and am shuffled to the edge by two short South African men. With my boys cheering me on, I take once last look down, and with my brain telling me in every language it knows to STOP STOP STOP, I dive into the unknown. I had always imagined that bungee jumping would be a peaceful experience, but this was anything but. The wind whips you on the way down, and you drop, and drop, and drop. The seemingly peaceful river below grows faster than you could imagine, and threatens to become a raging river that swallows you. And right when I felt like I was on a one way trip to an icy dip, I reach the end of the bungee cord, bounce up, pause in the air for a half-second, then drop. Repeat. I felt like I was a physics experiment in Mr. Walker’s 11th grade physics class, except instead of rubber bands there was bungee cord; instead of a non descript weight, there was me, instead of a science classroom in Eastside High there was the Bloukrans River Valley.

I end up spinning at the bottom of the line, and the view from the bottom was actually really pretty. Mountains to one side, ocean to the other. A man zips down another line to save me, and I reach the jump zone to hugs and high fives. Would I do it again? ehh.. Glad I did it? Yea. I was suckered into buying the jump video, as we all were, and I can't wait to show yall that the Big Tree can fly, at least for a couple of seconds.