A Sustainable Sea

A little bit of background before we begin:

I came to South Africa to work for Sustainable Seas Trust (SST), a non-profit organization based out of Grahamstown which focuses on issues such as poverty alleviation, food security and marine conservation and rehabilitation to name just a few. It was under SST that the SEA Pledge project came to life, and with it this coastal tour that we are on to promote what SST stands for. With the help of two donated Honda hybrid vehicles, we are roaming across the coast from Sodwana Bay to Saldanha Bay, which if you look on a map basically translates into a sweep of South Africa's extensive coastline. 

SEA Pledge was started with four goals in mind: 

- To raise awareness of the role of oceans and coasts in supporting all life on the planet

- To create a petition encouraging the United Nations to make 2012 the International Year of Coasts and Oceans

- To commit to improving the manner in which individuals treat the coasts and oceans

- To contribute to impoverished coastal communities through Sustainable Education and Skills (SEAS) Centres for employment 

We are also launching around COP 17, which is a United Nations Climate Change Conference happening in Durban this year. Although it was hoped to be as important to the country as the FIFA World Cup, very few people actually know about it, and even less now that it is happening in their own country at the end of November - start of December. Because SEA Pledge is starting around this time we've also decided to make December 3rd a day to be focused on the sea - we are encouraging divers to exchange pledges under water, sailors to exchange them in the wind, surfers to pledge in the waves and everyone else to just enjoy the beach or sun or snow, depending on where in the world they are. 

The link for SST is sst.org.za and you can join our Facebook and Twitter pages if the mood strikes you. You can also find more information about SEA Pledge that I've missed in this post, as it has been a long day of collecting pledges here in Richard's Bay.

The road trip began in Port Elizabeth which is about two hours from Grahamstown. Because it was our first stop we stumbled around a little trying to get ourselves organized, but managed to have a pretty successful day. Along with a video pledge from Simon Gear (South Africa's Jay Ingram) and the official handing over of the hybrids, we received nothing but optimism and best wishes from all of the attendees. 

From Port Elizabeth we then collected pledges in Grahamstown, East London, Port St Johns (in the previous picture), Hibiscus coast and now Richard's Bay. The first four towns were in the Eastern Cape province, with the Hibiscus coast being our first stop in KwaZulu-Natal, a beautiful province abundant in passionate and welcoming residents. 

Our next two stops will be in Sodwana Bay and Durban. After that we'll spend a few days of recovery (aka laundry days) in Grahamstown before heading west into the Garden Route and the Western Cape. We started on October 12th and have basically been non-stop since then, but it's been an exhilarating ride and very much worth the sleep deprivation. 

A few highlights of the trip so far have been learning how to drive on the wrong side of a winding road in the Transkai, the beautiful cliffs at the entrance to Port St Johns, and the masked weaver nests we saw today that made me think of Christmas again. They were outside the Zululand Yacht Club in Richard's Bay and although they made such a racket people just walked underneath them without paying them any attention at all. They're amazing to watch if you can handle the neck strain, and I still can't believe they put in so much detailed work. As one member of our team said this afternoon; "That's a lot of work for a little bit of sex". 

A few older nests had fallen to the ground, giving us a different perspective on the whole operation. So much energy and time goes into weaving these little nests that you have to wonder what goes on in there. I imagine kids not eating their worms and lady birds complaining about the muddy beak marks on the walls. 

It would take forever for me to give you a play-by-play of every stop so far, but I've added a few pictures and explanations in an attempt to summarize what I've seen so far. 

The first is of a sleepy dog in Port St Johns who burrowed in the dirt outside our hotel. This picture was taken outside the main entrance to the breakfast hall, but the morning after this event I found him right outside the door to my room, keeping the boogeyman away.

I also think it's worth noting that as we speak, in this very room, there is a shower like no other. This is probably notoriously boring to anyone else, but I thought it was important to document the hurdle I had to face this morning. 

Yes folks, those are actual stones. You probably have something very similar in your driveway. They come complete with insects and can be moved around and rearranged at any time. It's also quite good for  the core muscles to have to balance on a single ceramic tile while shampooing. I don't think I need to tell you why my legs will go unshaven until we reach the next town.

I'll leave the next couple of snaps without explanation. I don't think they really need it and it's getting late. If you've stayed with me this long then I hope it wasn't too boring, and if you stopped halfway through to make a sandwich then I hope you enjoyed it.

Lastly, I want to send internet birthday wishes to Aunt Connie. I'm wearing my Robbie Alomar shirt and thinking of you and all the reasons why I admire and love you. I'm trying to conquer my fear of heights thanks to you and all your crazy adventures. And that will hopefully last longer than a 4-5 year period.

xoxo

Jill