Hello all, Well here we are in Plettenberg Bay (Plett), approximately 550 kms up the East Coast from Cape Town. The Ticket to Ride Trip 2 is now really getting into the swing of things, or rather the TTRide groove. Cape Town ended off really well with great waves again at Muizenberg for the group’s last lesson in the friendly waves there. In the afternoon on Thursday half the group ventured off to Robben Island whilst the others moved into Masi to help teach some of the children English, paint a rubbish bin and carry them on our shoulders (often two or more at a time)! All the while kicking a football around of course as it just seems to be the ‘done thing’ in the township. The crew who headed off to Robben Island had a good bit of South Africa’s history shown to them. From their reactions on return they couldn’t really define the experience but were rather just amazed in disbelief at the conditions in which political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela had lived in for so many years. The tour guide was a former prisoner, so there were no frills and it was the real deal, as South Africa largely is! The last evening in Cape Town was spent at Paul Botha’s amazing house overlooking the Kom. Paul, one of the pioneers of surfing in Cape Town, is also a master chef and cooked us an amazing braai with Ostrich sausage, Chicken and Ribs. From Cape Town we made the trek to Plett. Plett is a small holiday town and one of the most scenic towns along our East Coast. Albergo’s where we stay does a fire every night to braai on, and being in a backpackers means that everyone gets a good opportunity to start cooking their own meals and sorting out their own food. Some have taken to it more than others, and Freddie Webster’s first attempt at cooking, an instant rice mix, was close to a success. He decided that the instructions were just a guideline and not really essential, wise words from someone cooking their first meal! Haha. The girls cooked last night and Tom Allport is taking on a Thai Green Curry tonight. To the surfing, the first session at Plett was an eye-opener for everyone. Primarily because everyone got absolutely nailed by the waves, and a lot of water was swallowed as well as a lot of nosediving. In amongst this some of the group got into the swing of it and got some amazing rides in the 2-3 foot hollow waves. Luckily after the session those who had struggled were only more determined for success in the next session instead of giving up hope. This paid off, and with the safety-conscious coaching of John Henry and his crew the guys got really amazing waves today. The waves were slightly smaller but still challenging and today was probably the most overall improvement I have seen in any single day on this trip. They did themselves proud and we got some great footage that will be going up shortly. The day was topped off with a strenuous running/swimming session with some bodysurfing. As if in reward we had a large pod of dolphins swim by. There was equal interest from both the group and the dolphins and they met halfway where the dolphins were swimming in amongst and under the group. What an amazing experience! Tomorrow morning will be the day 35-second freefalls when those who choose to throw themselves out of a plane! The adrenalin begins… See you on the other side, Chris and Pete