BY BEN

Rule #23- Do not let a dog shaped bookmark decide where you will stay next. It will end in tears, hostels in the middle of nowhere, incessant rain, paraplegic hippies who talk nonsense, meditating hostel owners and three stitches in the forehead.

Perhaps the best place to start would be the beginning. We were in the mug and bean in PE and left it up to fate and the flip of the aforementioned bookmark to decide between Amampondo B'packers and Jungle monkey in Port St Johns. The bookmark had his say and Amampondo it was.

We arrived there and Sarah was not impressed. It was in the middle of nowhere, we had a barn door to seperate us from the elements (it was pissing it down) and the toilets and showers were A- a walk away and B- very much outside. I was full of hope and positivity- but even I would of run a mile if I knew what was to happen that fateful night.

I hadnt eaten for the entire day due a to a mix of a terrible TERRIBLE bout of Manflu and copious amounts of cold medication. But I was thirsty so had a couple of beers in the evening. As Sarah and I sat with the one armed, one legged man called Alan (although it should have been Al Green for those of you in the know) and discussed his theories on buddhism and EVRYTHING Sarah went and left me alone with him. Awful. I chased after her and she was nowhere to be seen, I asked some nice Americans if they had seen her, no sign though. She had in fact gone to the toilet.

What happened next I will blame on the poor lighting. I span round, walked straight into a concrete pillar and the rest has been pieced together from eye witnesses as I have no recollection. I knocked myself out on the pillar, collapsed and then smacked the other side of my forehead on a ring of concrete around a drain. The next thing I know I am waking up to see two americans trying to put me in the recovery position. I was having none of it and just kept telling them to not make a big deal of it and not tell sarah- I didnt want to make a big deal and dissapoint sarah fruther.....I had done enough in the frist two weeks of our six months together. They carried me to my room and at that point Sarah was alerted that something was very very wrong. She tells me that I was sitting there- green as a pea and with blood pouring down my face from a nice gash in my head. The three of them went to work and bandaged me up, though Sarah did take some time out to nearly faint...she then a had a lie down while the two reamining american medics used their entire first aid kit on me. I slept well that night, though Sarah maintained an hourly vigil to make sure I survived the night. We got up at Six and went to the Doctor's who shaved one side of my hair off and gave me some lovely stitches----look out for the pic!

I am fine now- healing nicely and sporting an excellent scar. Hopefully the next few weeks will be low key.

We are now in Durban and it is raining. Tomorrow we head for Swaziland and our very own Rondavel (google it). Then Jo burg then off to Thailand on Monday.

LOTS OF LOVE

BneJmain STokie