Rastas, Monkeys and Crocodile Salad

I am now in Knysna, about 40 minutes from Wilderness, my last stop. I'm staying at this backpackers that my not be the cleanest but they offer lots to do and it's not very crowded so I actually have a room to myself which is really nice. Yesterday I took a tour of the townships here and we visited a traditional healer and a Rastafarian community. The healer was interesting because she doesn't just focus on spells and chants and herbs, but if you come to her sick, she'll take a look at the conditions you live in and if you are living in a pit, she'll tell you that the reason you are sick is because of the conditions you live in and you'll get better when you stop living like a pig. That was really encouraging for me to see. The most interesting thing of the day though, was the Rastafarians. Wow. It really was like in the movies. Ire this, rasta that. Green red and gold everywhere, and the weed. Yes, the weed was abundant. There was a celebration going on so everyone was all geared up for that. For those of you wondering, no, I did not partake in smoking weed. It is still illegal here. They really are a great group though. Oh, and the dread locks were like none I have seen before. Everyone has them. "Let your locks flow free" is what they would say.
Today I went kayaking down a river here in Knysna. Such a relaxing morning! There was one area that had a bunch of monkeys playing on the shore and in the trees. Tons of birds and fish. I was hoping to see a baboon but no such luck. We could hear them but never saw them. So much of the river reminded me of the river up to Shoshone. Really beautiful! I was the only one on the tour so it was even more relaxing. Yesterday with the township tour there was a large group of students from New York who are also staying at the same backpackers who went on the tour. They are a nice bunch, but young. I had lunch today with one of their leaders. I went to a South African restaurant and she walked in. So nice to eat with someone else! I had a crocodile sald. Tough meat, but it was good. Tomorrow I'll head a little further up the coast. You should hear from me again there!