T A L E N T : A true illustration of Africa's beauty

Keeping with the travelling theme, I had to interrupt my story telling to tell you all of a beautiful friend ( a new friend ) and she also happens to be a super talented photographer. Not only does her work inspire me greatly, she is also one of the active people in the world ... doing those things that really matter in my opinion!

Check her out here :http://www.alicemartins.com

Let me explain, Alice recently put together a photo exhibition in her hometown Floripa in Brazil, in efforts to help raise funds for Explore Corps and Surfing For Peace, two wonderful organisations that she is involved in ( which I will provide links for ). However, realizing that most of her friends are spread all over the world, she has decided to create an online store to make it possible for everyone who wants to buy her photos and help contribute to these organisations. Alice said to me 'the Gaza Surf Club is an awesome project which is definitely making the lives of many kids in Gaza much better', and thus she wants to help the project grow even more, reaching out and in turn positively affecting one more person everyday.

As the official staff photographer for the organization, Alice sadly still hasn't had the opportunity to visit the project, due to lack of funds. So this too is another reason why she has decided to try and raise funds through the sale of her photograph. Alice also plans to create a photo essay about the project which she is sure 'will help raise awareness (and more funds) for the project to continue growing'. Her aim is to spend a month or two at Gaza in the beginning of 2010, and after gathering enough material, put together a photographic exhibition that will then be shown in other countries.

Please visit these sites for more information on these amazing oraganisations:
http://www.explorecorps.org
http://www.surfing4peace.org

To watch the trailer of God went surfing with the Devil, A documentary about the organisation directed by professional skateboarder Alex Klein please visit:

http://godwentsurfing.com

To support Alice on her mission to make a difference... visit her online store and contribute : http://alicemartins.yokaboo.com

Love and light XX

One night in a hammock and Others : Buenos Aires, Argentina

(some of robs's sneaky film snaps )

Them hamMOCKS : )

Where am I ? Argentina you say !!

After a pretty epic flight from South Africa to Argentina, with myself and Robyn being split up, and then reunited to the complete stranger welcoming us to his country with a kiss on each cheek and a box of chocolates, we were convinced that our luck was running high! Once we had landed in Buenos Aires, tired but excited and still pretty useless in the Spanish department we headed for a pay phone to try and find accommodation for our first night. Note to self and others : Learn Spanish or at least don't giggle so much when trying to make sense of what the poor dude at the backpackers is saying on the other side of the phone! Anyway to cut a long story short we eventually, after several phone calls connected with a backpackers that happened to have a British guy running the place. This is the part where I tell you that we weren't promised beds, but we were promised one and were told to 'just arrive and we'll make a plan'.

Not too phased and excited for the start of any kind of adventure myself and Robs and the dutch fella who we had met on the plane made our way to the bus station. This was most likely the more challenging part of our trip to the backpackers, I didn't realise that coins (change) was so valuable in Argentina...and this is because they SERIOUSLY lack it. Scrambling for coins or the lack of and trying to make sense of the bus lines we eventually found our seats and began to take in the reality that we were in another country, another continent ! I however, only really registered when someone spoke to me in Spanish and all that came out of my mouth was ....... aaaaaaah 'no entiendo' ( i don't understand). My terrible Spanish was received with a smile and a 'where are you from' in better English than my Spanish would ever be! I can say that right from my initial experiences in Argentina, that I was happy, people were friendly and I never once wished that my flight had instead landed in Russia (that was a joke, I made a joke yes) : ) !

We eventually found our way to the mysterious black door belonging to our backpackers, we knocked, we entered... it was happy! We walked in only to see a long quart yard with a whole lot of people sitting around drinking beers and listening to reggae ton ... a genre of music that I cant really describe but it encapsulates alot of what South America was for me,and it was cool atmosphere to walk into. It was at this stage that we were told that we would be sleeping in hammocks in the quart yard, our reaction... we laughed and said 'OK'. If you are wondering what happened to the one bed that we were promised, we were real ladies and gave it to malik ( the Dutch boy ).

It soon became 'that time', where we felt the NEED to head to the corner store and do a little exploring, so after setting up our very colourful hammocks and sourcing very rough directions from the two Australian girls who seemed to have been living in the backpackers for about a year already?? we went in search of some beer. Yes BEER !That being said, it is however our sleeping situation that made this memory particularly special for me. After returning from our beer mission we decided that hanging out in our hammocks talking to the already 'locals' of the place wasn't a bad idea. The night however was short lived due to a long flight and aided by a Lil jig, soon we were happily hanging out in our hammocks under a full sky of stars ( oh I forgot to mention the quart yard was open air baby !! ) utterly stoked at our situation and excited about the day ahead we decided to call it a night. It just so happens that on this very night, not only did I experience my first hammock in South America but was also woken at five in the morning to be greeted by my first rain in South America as well ... myself and robs seeking shelter found ourselves making friends with the crusty common room pillows and the backpackers old wooden floor, but still a memory that I will forever smile back on! I thought 'what a welcome' and somehow I was sure a rainy night in a hammock wouldn't have been half as appreciated in my own country. Travel ROCKS !

The Adventure of Two Girls in South America: Introduction

This is looooooong over due, this time last year I left on a two and a half month whirlwind adventure to South America. While I was there I recorded alot of my experiences and some have been lingering in my mind since the day I returned to our mother land, providing me with a smile or a giggle every now and again, they also make for great stories on long road trips ;). Some of you have asked me how it was, some of you are considering heading that way and then there are just those who are scattered across the globe, who I cannot tell in person, therefore I felt it necessary to write them all down before they escape with the fairies and then I wont be able to share any of them with you my friends :). So on that note, welcome to the tales of two girls backpacking around South America! I have decided to post some of the more memorable times ... after all I wouldn't want to bore you. So come and follow me as I tell you our tales of Argentina,Chile,Peru and Bolivia ;) xxx

Friendship is a beautiful thing ~

When I left school ... the meer fact that I was leaving was enough excitement to make me want to self-combust, and then I met four of the most amazing individuals who I am destined to know forever. Yes, this is in a little way a tribute to a friendship that I am so fortunate to share with them. It is however more than that, what strikes me about the time that we spend with certain people is the type of experiences we are most likely to have when with them and one thing about when I am adventuring with these girls is... not only do we have a crazy time but I also find myself in some of the most inspiring places, which leads to me wanting to photograph until im dizzy : ) ... So thank you Meg, Solveig, Cle and Dayle. . .







Photo by James of us in the Transkei.

Happy Travels

'Travel is brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of the familiar comfort of home and friends. you are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things- Air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky- all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine it of it' - Cesare Pavese

M A L A W I : The Warmest heart of Africa *

A photographic story : four of the closest friends travelled to Malawi and found more than they had dreamt of ( photies are low quality as I had not yet purchased my wonderful camera ) but it still tells a special story !


The four happy backpackers

Meg getting read rastafari beliefs: he really was reading to her, it was a special moment.

We were walking to try and catch a lift, and this woman walked past me and took my bag from me ... she insisted that she helped me! I hung back and captured a beautiful gesture !

A moment between strangers

On a Taxi home one afternoon

The Town of Blantyre

On our way to a Hippie Fest ( GRIN )

Malawian woman still dress so tradtionally, it's beautiful
Malawi " The warm Heart of Africa " :