Poison Dwarf to Topside

If you’re traveling in a recreational time machine and happen to see you’re self step out of a spaceship, its best not to shoot yourself, just run.

Did you know that whales do head spins? This blows me away.

The send tally after 24 days in South Africa:

2 7c+, 2 7cs, 3 7b+s, 4 7bs, 4 7a+s, and 7 7a's. Best problem I did was probably White Mazda Clan 7c+. Best problem I tired was 8a and called Gliding Through Waves Like Dolphins... amazing feature. Did all the moves on Black Shadow 8a+ my first day, and only day, on it but never returned to project. There was no project. All sends were done on the express, let's get this done now, wisdom. Training conclusion: I was strong but had no flow, shoulda spent more time at the Spot doing laps on 4+ and 5-. Next time.

Grades dont mean shit, no seriously, for the most part v7-v10 took abut the same amount of time to finish, I just tried way more 7 and 8’s and stuck to them until they were done. Poison Dwarf, the hardest problem of the trip, 7b, took more effort than any other problem. Poison Dwarf, according to urban dictionary = “A selfish, untrustworthy, deeply obnoxious or evil person of diminutive size, whose ostensibly unthreatening appearance allows them to fulfil their predisposition for causing unprovoked pain and suffering in an under-hand manner for anyone who has the misfortune to strike-up a friendship them.” Frumpy little poison dwarf, why'd you have to treat me so ill?

Rob Guin on the best line I tried in S. Africa. A nameless white roof blob of perfect stone nestled in the thicket peering out over False Bay. iphone-ed.

Cape Town has lots of quality boulders but also lots of bunder-bashing.

http://sites.google.com/site/cutloosebouldering/topos/cape-town-bouldering/topside

Topeside, Echo Valley, 30mins from Cape Town International Airport.

Ostrich burgers are the future and if we had springbock biltong, I’d eat it every day.

Turns out I don’t have faith in probability and I’m a fair weather surfer. The cold water and great whites makes me hesitant to surf. The second week we of the trip a surfer was killed by a great white. The last week I was there a local lady was going for a swim and was eaten. That was enough for me to stay ashore, I dont like wearing wet suits or anything tight for that matter, like I could never be a road biker, wouldnt make it out the front door. Great whites and thick head to toe spandex, count me out.

Atlantic cold, Indian Ocean warm. Must make a trip to Durban next time down.

Oodshorn has sick limestone and it’s close to Vic’s bay with Warm water surf, another destination for the next trip that will be based more out of Cape Town.

South African’s love the BBQ, called the Braii. Kudu steaks are tasty.

There aint shit to do in Clanwilliam, serously, there’s more to do in Orangeville, Utah.

Slopers are a rarity in Rocklands; all those aretes and so few slopers, dumbfounding. Not everywhere can be Font.

Giving chest compression and breaking ribs for 45 mins is a bitching workout. I was debilited for a day after this experience. I volunteered in the Clanwilliam ER for a couple rest days.

Doctors in S. Africa follow the euro model and skip doing an undergraduate degree. They community doc’s (i.e. the doc’s that dont work in the private clinics; all South African have access to free health care at the community clinics and hospitals, no bill.) they get burned out too.

South Africa has a serious problem with HIV and MDR TB. Patients from the Suti (a country within South Africa that speeks a completely different language but uses the free health care of South Africa) don’t speak english or africans and they have a high rate of TB.

I may be TB postive now.

Some white south africans now resent resent affirmative action

Go to Potterville, hike the waterfall trail and then drive over the pass and swim in the lake on the other side, and drink some wine.

Drinks lots of wine in South Africa and dont bother with the beer.

Renting a surf board in the small towns of SA aint happening.

Trust your gut, study people’s faces, make calculated simple decisions and less calculated complex choices

I suck at dyno’s and on-sighting, Rob Guin doesnt

In the 80’s-mid 90’s white men in S. Africa, 100% of them starting at age 18, were drafted for what they call the Boarder Wars. My understanding is that the wars were over other nations protesting against appartide. One guy I talked with remembers killing many Cubans on the Namibia - SA boarder. If the young men didnt report to raft they were arested and put in prision.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Border_War

Pinotage is a wine specific to SA

In the rural hospitals there are few beds abd resources for premature babies. They have a developed a program called Kangaroo Kids that involves teaching mothers to hold their children skin to skin with the mother’s breast throughout the day.

Most climber in Rocklands are from Europe. The euro’s and one canadian coulple say that cheep tickets can be bought in the early spring and that prices get higher through the summer. This was my experience, I saw tic’s for 14 hundred at the beginning of the summer and ended up paying 1,850 because I waited and bought late, thinking prices would come down.

There's a place at the end of a dirt road deep in the Cederburg where economic development, invested from the state, failed but people still live there, at the end of the dusty dirt road that must be impassible in the rain, raising their cows and daisies and roosters.

The sounds and site of Riverside, the most aesthetic crag in RL.