Sorry about the delay with the blogging, not that it's been that long actually! just feels like I've been here months already!! That sort of gives you a hint at my thoughts on this place.. But more of that in a bit.

So, at my meeting on monday at the hostel I found out I was he only person out of the group of 10 that was going to my project... I didn't really mind but it was quite revealing when the woman went round the group saying about the facilities at each project.. mine was the only one without a pool, one even had a sauna.. I only had electricity in one place meaning I went to the toilet and my accomodation was in the dark... Not a good start!

Next morning I was taken to the bus station in Pretoria.. the usual begging and dodgy looking characters but the people working for the bus company were really nice! Luckily as I had about an hours wait for my bus. In true South African style it turned up quarter of an hour late this is something that I suppose I'll just get used to.. they're worse than me!!

The bus was completely rammed!! I seen a couple of Ostrich and springboks and hundreds of cows en route. This was before I fell asleep. Was woken up by the man next to me poking me because we were at the services.. I think he'd been trying a while! Oops!! After we started back again I was too scared to sleep again, even though the bloke next to me was out cold again almost immediately! The views along the way were amazing.. South Africa is a lot greener than I expected! I found it quite strange though that you have really nice houses next to shack houses.. I expected it to be separated into poorer and richer areas.

The bus took us up through a mountain range which was absolutely gorgeous (will have to take some pics on my return journey!) However, there were roadworks at some point... you think our roadworks are bad?! This is about a 20-30 minute stretch which is only one-way so they have a man either side with a radio or something and a flag!!! CRAZY! So we were sat there for over an hour!! I was so worried about missing my lift to the sanctuary.. then the crazy on the bus took a liking to me and I had his whole life story, pictures of his daughter and all-sorts!! But turns out he was quite nice because when we got to Tzaneen he told me this is where I needed to get off just in case I didn't know.

So, got off the bus and paranoid as always grabbed my bags with lightening speed... as if someone was going to make off with my giant 20kg pink rucksack without drawing attention.... Then I looked around, there were several people I thought could have been from a monkey sanctuary! However, there was another boy about my age and very white (obviously British) looking a bit bewildered like me and I'd kind of pegged him to be doing the same project before we got on the bus so I sidled towards him and asked.. he was, thank god! Then a surfer-type walked up to us from the sanctuary, in South Africa they're used to things being late.. everything is! It's called TIA (Time in Africa)

We went over to a white pick-up truck "who wants to ride up front?" of course I chose to sit in the passanger seat as opposed to the trailer... Believe it or not it's illegal not to wear a seatbelt if you're sat in the front seats but people ar piled into the trailers of these pick-up trucks everywhere and that's somehow ok... That's South Africa all over though, totally crazy! They make up they're own driving rules by the look of it!

We had a couple of stops en route to the sanctuary. One being to the hospital where I had to have an xray to prove I didn't have TB.. 330ZAR which equates to about £30, they are so efficient, completely different to Prince Charles!! But obviously this is the "white" hospital... yes, there's still a lot of segregation.. Anyway, I don't have TB, which I obviously know but they're paranoid about the monkeys getting sick! You're literally in quarantine for the first 3 days just in case you've picked up any bugs whilst travelling so you're given the jobs where you don't go near the monkeys.

There was a moment of hope when we pulled in to this country lodge en route.. for a split second I thought it might be the accomodation!! Nope! Ours was the next time we pulled off the road, onto a dirt track... This seemed to go on for miles and eventually we stopped by a big electric fence with wooden huts just beyond. This is "tent village" where we sleep.. thank god its no longer tents! The cabins are ok.. very hot due to the metal roof, which is also very loud (good thing I packed earplugs), however, the floor was already caked in dirt and very messy as the girl had already been staying in there for a month or so. My cabin mate is a French girl called Gabi, she's messier than me!! (Yes, really mam!!) She's doing a masters in animal linguistics and has been to the sanctuary several times and is now doing her dissitation based on the monkeys... she's a bit odd!!!! She also snores really loudly!! (Thankyou earplugs!!)

Next, the toilets... these are the worst thing for me by far! Basically, its a compost heap with a toilet bowl (full of flies) on top.. it stinks! Its sort of outdoors but does have wooden walls and a metal roof, that don't join! It's awful!!! The shower is in this bit as well.. a shower head over dirt.. you have to wear flip flops and because water is scarce you are supposed to switch the shower on to wet you, turn it off and do your shampoo and washing and then rinse. I do this (as hard as it is) just as a respect to the place I'm in.. South Africa has so many droughts! However, there's definitely people who don't which is really annoying!! I also hate that the tap is a 5 minute walk away from the toilet which means most people probably don't bother washing their hands!! Eurgh!!!

We have a communal area where we eat and have electricity and wifi, this is called the cottage. It has a sofa area and TV, a kitchen and a kitchen table, all a bit scruffy... but everyone tends to congregate on the wooden table and benches outside under a corregated iron shelter. This is a bit of a risk though because this iss where the bees bore holes in the wooden beams holding up the roof so you get covered in sawdust, bee poo and bee larvae... I've worked out the best place to sit now though!

I was thoroughly miserable for the first few days! Everyone seemed foreign, the work is mostly really hard manual labour and the temperature never drops below 30 degrees... On top of this the food isn't just vegetarian its vegan unless you get your own vegetarian, not vegan stuff! So, all of this joined with the living conditions is not easy! You feel like you've paid to be a slave!

My third day was the first I felt a bit more comfortable.. a load of Brits had been on a trip and came back! This meant there were people to moan with! Believe me, it's a lot easier when you can vent with someone and know they're in the same position! Plus, I was getting better jobs.

My first time off was Saturday, I had the afternoon off and went to the lodge down the road that we're allowed to use, I think it's sort of on the conditions that we buy stuff which is easy to be honest, meat and milkshakes!! YES PLEASE!!! Was really nice to relax and have a swim. They also have a spa so that is my plan for my next day off! I had all day Monday off as well but I spent this doing my washing, cleaned my cabin, repaired the hole in my mosquito net (that's why I was getting bites on one foot!) Even just doing these simple things was made me a bit happier because it was a lot more relaxing than the work!

The work... there are several different shifts you could have. You prepare the food (includes washing all the bowls, bleaching and washing the food and cutting it all up and putting on plates), sitting watching one of the enclosures ensuring the monkeys don't fight, collecting leaves and grass to give to the monkeys in cages and filling water bowls. However, there are the shifts that make it all worth it like when you have to look after the orphan baby Kexie! So fun, this is one of the only monkeys you can touch and play with now they've changed the way do things. The shifts start at 7 and finish at 4.30 usually but this can change and you can start from 5.30 and finish at 7.. Plus, someone has to stay with Kexie all night so there are overnight shifts as well where you do sleep but in the cabin with the baby and wake when she wakes.. like a human baby! Thankfully, I haven't had to do this yet!

Ok, so just before our meeting I'll finish (at last). There was a time when I thought I'd leave here early but now I'm into my second week, I suppose I can stick it out... just have to put up "the African way" I suppose!