We are proud to present to you some of the things that the amazing people who have travelled with us have to say about their experiences with Pepper. Have a look at the video clip or if you’re more of a reader, there’s loads to keep you entertained below. If you still have any questions about how amazing we are please contact us at info@experiencepepper.co.uk
Annie Smith
So what to tell you about the last three months...the pepper trip's been incredible! There are so many good bits to talk about, I could litterally write an essay, as Vince and Jonson (aka Johnny..he gave me a nickname so I had to give him one) well know, but for you guys ill just mention a few of my favourites! Going right back to the beginning the first night was amazing! After a long flight nervously waiting to meet everyone Jonson and Vince took us to Camps bay to see our first African sunset thoughtfully accompanied with champagne and nibbles (Good work Jonson!)...it was beautiful and such a nice welcome to pepper and South Africa! From there the good times continued, Breede river was a ball, rafting, or rather relaxing whilst Enzo built up his muscles! In Cape town we took in all the sights (even if it meant walking up a massive mountian...which by the way Vince is most definitely NOT flat at the top!) and had surf lessons with the lovely Liam (Hattie's husband to be!), kite surfing...or rather body dragging (which is THE MOST FUN) and some memorable or perhaps not so memorable nights in Caprice seeing a few more of cape towns best sights! The wakeboarding beats anywhere I've done it before..riding behind a boat at sunset on mirror like water with the spekaers pumping out the tunes..it doesn't get much better! Up the coast we slept under the stars at Vic Bay, played ring of fire at Plett, did an awesome ski dive, and laughed fear in the face doing the bungee jump...(my advice drink wine before hand..even if it is nine in the morning!) Hogsbac or lord of the rings land only sought to show us more beautiful parts of one astounding country!
Up in Durban we discovered The Secret Spot; you won't find a more homely backpackers! I also won't forget the look of pure joy and satisfaction on jonsons face as we reclined in the lovely armchairs at our new found empire (a colonial style hotel just outside the city with earl grey tea (twinnings of course) and great G & T's! After all of that the two safaris were brilliant, coming face to face with 10 elephants is an unforgetable experience as were the antics of the mule! The hot choccclut and jokes were excellent (Chinny you can't deny my joke telling did make you laugh even if it was for the wrong reasons) and my birthday in the bush was the best I couldve had...thanks to the whole group for making it such a great day! Now were back in jo'burg looking at old piccies and hoping somehow theres another week of the trip that jonson and vince have kept secret so that we don't have to leave tomorrow! I think ive written too much already so ill jut finish by saying that I couldn't have pictured a better trip to do on my gap year, and thank you soo much Jonson and Vince...you guys have been awesome! Bye for now, I'm looking forward to our pepper meet up in August!
Much love
Annie
XXX
George Lamb
It’s been about 3 months since we arrived in Cape Town, and about 3 months since I last wrote anything. Everything that has happened throughout the duration of the trip has been phenomenal, whether it be relaxing watching one of the countless sunsets, cruising across Loorskop dam in the game reserve, wake surfing at night with Andy, having an evening surf with PERFECT waves at Warner Beach while lightning is striking everywhere or being completely isolated at Coffee Bay with yet more perfect waves. Recently, however, was one of the highlights, where we were taken out with an elephant keeper called Jock to check on the elephants on the Mabula game reserve. We had been driving across the reserve looking for them for hours, then out of nowhere a herd of elephants came running out of the bush, we sped away with the elephants following and put down some food. We then sat in the back of the bukkie while the elephants herded around us. It was amazing but also scarier than the bungee jump as there was absolutely nothing in between us and a herd of elephants.
Anyway, as I have spent the last 2 hours trying to write this on Johnny’s pda, I'm going to have to give up and go back to the tough life that involves reclining by the pool. And just to sum up, South Africa is in all honesty the best place in the world, most of the best experiences of my life have been had here in the last few months. Even Jo-Burg, where you hear a pretty unfair selection of dodgy stories, is without doubt the coolest, most happening and pretty cities I've ever seen, it actually puts London to shame. For anyone thinking of going anywhere else in the world, put yourselves out of your misery, come to South Africa and I promise you'll love every second. Anyway the pool is calling.
Cheers George
Genna Whitehead
I’m writing this, sitting outside in (surprisingly!) sunny Hastings, listening to Goldfish; one of the Pepper bands who we got to see play at Joe Cools (a pretty cool beachside bar in Durban). It was weird waking up this morning for the first time in 3 months without the Pepper group discussing what to have for breakfast/complaining of hangovers/ trying to wake up the boys etc!
Thinking back to our first week getting to know each other feels like such a long time ago but it has gone so quickly. Cape Town was an INCREDIBLE place to begin the trip! It’s definitely not a place that can only be visited once. I can’t wait for another chance to go back and visit our old hang outs; drinking ‘Mules with extra cherries’ in Caprice, chilling on Clifton Beach and trying out surfing and kite-surfing in water that is claimed to be colder than in England (it’s not, Vince). Learning to surf in Cape Town was pretty schweet (ay?). One of the most memorable sessions was on the evening of George’s birthday. It was raining, the beach was completely empty and I couldn’t feel my feet but it was awesome to just sit out back with everyone and the instructors, paddling for the odd cheeky wave and just generally chilling.
When we left Cape Town for wakeboarding, we all agreed that it felt like we were leaving our home, but, wakeboarding was QUALITY! I started off the week as a beginner and by the end of the week I was seriously hooked. I'd like to carry on with the sport but I’m certain that no other wakeboard session will ever live up to those experienced at Misverstand! One of the many highlights of the 1st road trip was the night we slept outside in Vic Bay. Apart from the constantly deflating mattress, it was PERFECT. We then woke up to watch the sun rise and then headed down to the beach for a surf with our new boards which was probably one of my bests. I seem to remember catching a few ‘James’s’ (a giant peach (a big, nice wave (well, big for me anyway which actually is pretty small))) as Enzo would say! Getting into warm water was AMAZING after 3weeks in a wetsuit.
So then, on to Durban! What I miss about Durban most is the Secret Spot. It’s a beautiful place and is run by the friendliest people and had some friendly other guests too (hahahahaha!………what?) Diving in Durban was very cool, we saw sharks! On the last day the visibility was OBSCENELY good! I remember swimming along being able to see the ocean floor clearly 20m down, very, very cool.
The best moments of the trip have definitely been when the whole group has been together. Whether we were hiking through RIDICULOUSLY beautiful scenery in Hogsback or the Drakensberg, tracking rhino in the game reserves or just chilling telling horrific jokes. I think we were all quite surprised at how well everyone got on with each other. It was fun watching everyone come out of their shells and pick up each others phrases and quirks. Mainly Johnny’s to be honest. i.e. talking in that strange high pitched voice, saying what you see in the tone of offering it to someone (ostrich?) and fitting in 2 or 3 ‘amazing’s’ into each sentence! You have done extremely well though! It really was a truly incredible experience and I’m very jealous of the next Pepper group! If you’re reading this considering whether or not to sign up to a Pepper trip then DO IT! It is probably the best decision you will make! I’ve met some AMAZING people, made some AMAZING friends and have developed a huge passion for South Africa. It’s a pretty chilled little country!
Gen Xx xxxxx AMAZING
Marisa Martin
Well here I am, back at base camp in Cape Town where the fun began.........."The Pepper Experience"…..I couldn't think of anything better then ending my Pepper experience on the Road trip, the past two weeks have been as Johnny would say "insane and incredible". This is all down to Johnny and Vince's organization of ensuring we got to see all the best spots in South Africa, I could really tell they had laboured long and hard over making sure we didn't miss out on a thing, which for sure we didn't as every lodge had something extremely beautiful and individual about it. I think Hogsback breaks the record.....the unforgettable scenery that Away with the fairies was surrounded by! It was like Lord of the rings all over, waking up to a view of lapping green mountains and the sounds of waterfalls below the forest was definitely a nice wake up call.
Whenever we packed up the van and moved onto the next spot I always felt intrigued and excited to know where Vince and Johnny were next taking us. I felt in safe hands and had every bit of faith in them that it was going to be another spectacular location!
Johnny and Vince have definitely tailored this trip to perfection, what I have done and seen in 7 weeks, I didn't think was possible to do in a year! What I also thought was impossible was to form such a special relationship and bond with the fellow Pepper travellers, I don't even have that kind of relationship with my friends who I have known all my life as I said to Maddy on my last night we have definitely made friends for life! Johnny and Vince are very lucky to share their next month and a half travelling with these amazing people. Thanks guys for all making me extremely happy over this past month and a half, miss you all!
Love Marisa
Hattie King
"The end has come around way too quickly and I can't believe I actually have to leave this incredible country. But I've got some memories from the last three months that will literally stay with me forever. Last night the boys took us all out for a goodbye dinner which involved a lot of laughs and tears (not just on the girls' part) and Vince and Johnny gave us each framed photos of our amazing time here. Looking at them I really can't believe all the things we've done. Table Mountain, wakeboarding camp, surfing, sky diving, bungee jumping, kite-surfing and so much that I really don't have room to mention. We've done more in the last three months than most people will ever do in their lifetime. But probably the best thing about this trip is the friends that I've made. We've literally become like a family and had some fantastic times together. I honestly have never laughed as much as I have with this lot. Thanks Vince and Johnny for an unforgettable three months!
Hattie x"
Enzo Cavaliero
"I'm sitting in Johannesburg writing this on our last full day in South Africa. I've had some of the best times of my life, and the last two weeks have been a fantastic end to the best holiday ever!
We started in Cape Town and everyone was so sad to leave - It's definitely one of the nicest places I've been, and it would be an amazing place to live. Climbing table mountain with incredible conditions - it took 4 hours and near the top there are reservoirs that we swam in to cool down. From the top I saw some of the most amazing views I've ever seen!
We then headed east on the start of the road trip. Our first stop was Vic Bay - we were camping right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the bay, and surfed and BBQ'd all day and night. The second stop was Plettenberg bay, and this time we had a house!! Everything seemed like a huge luxury after a month, like a washing machine and a proper bed! Two days here. On the first we went for a 32 degree mountain bike ride and the second we went skydiving! As it was my second one we did a few acrobatics and he let me fly us down...only one more needed before a solo one!! We were on the road again and had a 7 hour drive that was interrupted by the worlds biggest bungee jump...the most amazing feelings ever! Kind of feels like falling to your death, like in one of those falling dreams!
The next place was a couple of hours away, at a place called Chinsa. The backpackers was like a tropical paradise. This is one of the old homelands of SA, and during the apartheid, black people weren't allowed to leave the area without a special passport. The hills are covered in coloured shacks that are about 3m by 3m and home to lots of families. This was the first time we have experienced '3rd world' Africa. We took a trip to a local school to give the kids a football and cricket set which was an amazing experience! Most of them were about 8 or 9 and the kids would chase us around and line up to be lifted up and swung around! Other that that we surfed a lot and everyone improved rapidly! This place had the best surf that I had experienced so far. We're now in a place called Port Shepston, about two hours from Durban just for a night to break up the drive.
We started out by staying just outside Durban for a week and starting our open water diving course. A couple of pool dives, 5 ocean dives and an exam later and we all are able to dive around the world. The place is called the Aliwal shoal and it's in the top 10 places to dive in the world, and you can tell; On our dives we saw loads of underwater life, including eels, rays, and huge (3m) sharks circling in front of us! Our next spot was the 'secret spot' surf camp in a place called Ballito just north of Durban. We woke up for lots of dawnys which were painful and pretty much surfed twice a day if conditions let us. By the last day we were all paddling out to the backline on monster days and catching some peaches!
The second week we were there we surfed in the morning, and visited Gozololo for the rest of the day. This is a shelter for 2-14 year olds that have either lost their parents or have a bad time at home. They have about 150 kids that go there everyday and have limited staff, so have no time to fix anything. In 4 days we managed to clear up the library (which took 2 days on its own!), buy and replace/fix: 3 windows, 7 doors, garage door, urinal, a tap and coat hooks. We also donated lots of art materials and the girls taught the kids how to get messy with paint!
We then drove into the Drakensberg mountains on our way towards Jo'burg. We went horse riding up the mountains and a sunny fishing/swimming trip...I caught a metre long Bass, but obviously there's no pictures as we thought it would be cruel to keep it out the water for too long!
Our first stay in the game reserves was in a nature reserve called Loskop. It's very deserted so there are almost no cars driving the trails, this means seeing game is rare. But we still managed to see hippo, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, lots of antelope, and a black mamba! The days were dedicated to various courses including a photography course, and learning how to track animals. We stayed in permanent tents, and the place had electricity and a bar! After a week there, we moved to Mabula where we stayed in the heart of the bush in tents. There we saw lion, croc, rhino, and loads of zebra and giraffe. But the best moment of the trip had to be seeing elephants! The guy who looked after them took us with him on a feed, which they do about every 2 weeks just to keep them used to humans. When you lay the food, they run straight past it and surround the car to check you out. When the trunks of a 4 ton monster is an inch away from your face, it's one of the most scary things I have ever experienced!! During the week we also did: A course in dangerous animals where we approached rhino on foot.
Back in Jo'burg, its nice to have a proper shower and electricity, but i think everyone actually misses the peace of being in the middle of nowhere!
Flying at 8pm, and dreading the 12 hour flight once again,
Enzo.xxx
Maddy Neville-Jones
"I'm sitting in the backpackers in Jo'burg...There were some very tearful goodbyes at the airport yesterday, and I believe everyone, at some point in the last couple of days, has shed a tear? The last few days in Jo'burg have been awesome, although there has constantly been a little black cloud hanging over us all when we realised it was nearly over. Annie's birthday celebration was a very good night, with an amazing meal and some very amusing memories... Sunday was our last full day in South Africa and included a picnic for Vince and Johnny. In the evening we all walked to Spur for an evening of prize-giving, speeches and tears, we were each given photo frames with some of the highlights of the trip, which will definitely be kept forever, thank you so much Johnny and Vince. It must have been hard selecting the photos out of the 8000+ photos of the trip!
I arrived in Cape Town 3 months ago, thinking I was just going to stay for a month. Little did I know I would still be here now after the most incredible 12 weeks ever! I have so many amazing memories of the trip, and to list even the best bits would basically be writing out everything we've done in the last 3 months, but I have to mention the game reserves, which was so unlike anything any of us have ever done before, with, of course, the elephants being the highlight. The other highlight of the trip I'm going to mention is the surfing, because although I wouldn't exactly call myself a natural, I can't even stand up after 2 months(!) and I usually came out of the water saying: "I actually nearly died" (possibly a tiny bit melodramatic?), I really enjoyed either practicing my 'pop' on the beach, i.e. sunbathing, attempting to stand up in the white-water with Hattie i.e. swimming, or paddling out behind the break, if I could, and just chilling. I have to thank Johnny and Vince for their patience when trying to teach me to surf! Maybe I'll get the hang of it one day...
Anyway I have to go now as I have 3 planes to catch to get home, somehow I managed to arrange the most round-about route possible, but this truly has been the most AMAZING experience of my life and I'm going to miss everyone sooooooo much! (I already miss you all and it's only been a day!) Thanks everyone for putting up with me and see you soon.
Lots of Love Maddy
xxxxx"
Lucy Thorne
I can’t believe that Pepper Jan 09 is actually over. I have contemplated not actually getting on my flight but I guess all good things must come to an end. I can honestly say that I have had the best 3 months of my life and I have loved everything about it. I've met some awesome people and am so glad that I got to share this experience with you all. Each place we went to had its own special little "vibe" which made leaving one place easier because of the excitement about the next. I am definately going to miss the travelling lifestyle of having nothing to worry about. All that’s left to say is “SHAME eh” we’re leaving.
Love Lucy xxx
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