Jbay - Step 2.2: Addo Elephant National Park with Chico, slowing down and getting routines

The first two days of my time in Jeffreys Bay my friend was still visiting so we wanted to do something. Therefore, we used the last free day before my volunteering had started and made a trip to Addo Elephant Park

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There were the two of us and another german guy we met at the wild spirit lodge. You can either book guided safaris in the national park or drive in with your own car. Our german friend had an old VW Golf MK1, so we decided to do our own day trip. Already on the way from Jbay to the park we hoped that the poor old Golf would get us through the day in one piece. Google Maps led us over a >8km long dubious graveled road. While the 4x4 cars roared past us we had 2. thoughts about our decision. In the end we Still we arrived well at the park and were ready to meet some elephants.

The park is big and we saw many animals: Elephants, Zebras, Kudus, a Buffalo, Ostrichs and wild boars. In the course of this daytrip, a role distribution of our tour emerged. My friend was navigator, our new friend was driver and I was DJ and commentator. In the end I am glad that we drove with our own vehicle through the park, because we really had fun and could stay as long or short with the animals as we wanted.

The days in general in Jbay were quiet, relaxed and beautiful. I think if you want to travel for a long time, it is important to slow down in between. If you always stay only 2 nights in hostels and do sightseeing, hikes and excursions every day, it becomes energy draining over time. And then you need "breaks" every now and then in which you stay longer in one place and establish routines.

So I got a monthly pass for the gym and yoga classes in Jeffreys Bay. My days there were filled with gym, beach, yoga, shifts at the hostel, eating at ninas and meeting new people.

After my surf camp in muizenberg i also wanted to surf in Jbay. So when the opportunity arose to go surfing with 2 guests and a surf instructor, i took it. What can I say. 🥲 compared to the total-beginner-scenario in muizenberg this session was just intimidating (to say the least). The waves were much bigger, the power they had logically much more and two times I thought I will drown lol. The surf instructor also said that day it was more intermediate and not beginner and I thought great. Since then I was unfortunately no longer surfing, although I want to go to a beginner beach again and practice there.

Within my time in the hostel there was a change of volunteers so we were soon a whole new group, or "Ubuntu fam" which is addressed in the next chapter💕

PS: I am writing my blog in my notion and as it already know my style (I think) there is an AI that I could ask to write something. So before I actually wrote the article above I just asked it “Write an blog article about volunteering in a surf hostel in Jeffreys Bay with german girls that crochet.” And this is what AI wrote, which I find hilarious as it adapted my language just by my own articles and even caught up information by headlines etc. It is more or less true what it wrote (not so much the bondig by german culture I guess lol)

When I arrived as a volunteer at a surf hostel in Jeffreys Bay, I was delighted to find that I was not the only German in the group. In fact, all three of the other volunteers were also from Germany. We quickly bonded over our shared language and culture, and I was excited to see what the coming weeks would hold.

One of the first things I noticed about the hostel was the group of girls who spent their free time crocheting in the common area. They were always working on something new and beautiful, and I was fascinated by their skill and creativity.

As the days went by, I settled into a routine of helping out around the hostel, surfing, and exploring the town. But the highlight of my time in Jeffreys Bay was a trip to the Addo Elephant National Park with my new friend Chico. (chico was the name of our rental car but yes close enough)

We spent the day driving through the park, marveling at the majestic elephants and other wildlife we encountered. It was a slow and peaceful day, and it gave me a chance to really appreciate the beauty of the natural world around me.

Back at the hostel, I continued to bond with my fellow German volunteers and the crochet girls. We spent our evenings cooking together, sharing stories, and working on our various projects. It was a wonderful experience to be part of such a diverse and creative community.