South Africa Road Trip: It was Lekker Man!

As you travel around you are often asked, “Where are the best places you have ever been to?” It is a hard question to answer and I have always been surprised when South Africa (especially Cape Town) appears at the top of the list for lots of our friends. I now know why! 

Kristal and I just got back from a 9 day road trip from Cape Town out to Port Elizabeth and back. We covered over 2,200 km (1400 miles) over that span and took in tons of sights and experiences along the way. Here is a little brief itinerary of what we did and where we stayed. It was an adventurous trip to say the least and photos just don’t do justice to trail runs, canopy tours, cage diving, etc. So check out the video we put together when you have a spare couple of minutes!

We arrived in Cape Town on a Friday morning directly from Doha. It was a 10 hour flight although the time difference was only one hour. Once we landed, our first order of business was to register for the 22km trail run we would be running on Saturday morning. We spent most of that day and night preparing (a.k.a. carbo loading and yes, beer has carbs) for the race which had a 7:00am start time. It was my first big run and I was quite nervous. The run was absolutely stunning with steep hills, great views, and a great crowd to run with. Although it was tough, Kristal and I made it through and were proud to complete it!

After the run we spent some time in and around Cape Town. We had lunch at the Hout Bay Market, swam with Penguins at Boulders Beach, and watched the Springboks take on Japan in the Rugby World Cup (we won’t talk about the result!). There is an endless amount to see and do in the Cape Town area but we were headed for Stellenbosch and wine country!

While in Stellenbosch we stayed at an Air Bnb called Casa Morri Vineyard. It was a Tuscan style winery overlooking a vineyard and olive farm. The views were stunning and we spent two nights there while we explored the areas. From there we took R62 (similar to Route 66 in the US) out towards Calitzdorp. It was a classic road trip with winding (gravel) roads, random pit stops, and great tunes along the way. After our stay over in Calitzdorp we went to the Cango Caves where we crawled through spaces we thought we might never get out of! 

Later that night our friend Sheila arrived in Port Elizabeth and we headed towards Addo Elephant Park. We spent a night just outside the park in a massive outdoor tent and went in for a game drive the next morning. In the park you could drive your own vehicle, so we cruised around with elephants, zebras, warthogs, and all the other animals in our hatchback VW! From Addo we went along the southern Garden Route on R2 back towards Cape Town.

On the route we did a zip line canopy tour in Tsitsikamma National Forest, saw the world’s highest bungee jump (although we didn’t have time to do it ourselves), took a nature walk through Monkeyland with over 600 rescued monkeys, took in the scenic views in Knysna, and made our way to Gansbaai to go cage diving with Great White Sharks. All of that was over the course of just two or three days, so needless to say, we were on the move! Along the route there was so much more we would have loved to do and just didn’t have time. We hope to be able to go back and work on our “next time” list we came up with.

Our whirlwind tour ended back in Cape Town for one last night before Kristal and I went back to Doha and Sheila over to Mauritius for a dive trip. Although our time in South Africa was short, it was full of adventure and an amazing change of scenery. Tourism in South Africa is incredibly well done and the hospitality was amazing. I can surely say it is one of the best places I have visited and can’t wait to get back there again someday in the future!

My First Experience Cleansing

My First Experience Cleansing

Between December 2014 and August 2015 there was hardly a month that I did not travel in. Needless to say I was on the move a lot, not exercising much, and not watching what I was eating. When I arrived back in Doha after a summer holiday I was feeling pretty rough. I knew I had about 4-6 weeks in Doha before my next trip so I decided I would attempt a one month cleanse to shed some pounds and get back on track.

My brother Brandon is actually the one who connected me with the program and I brought supplies back to Doha from my trip in the states. It was a 30 day program which basically has you drink two meal replacement shakes a day, cut out a lot of the bad stuff, and has you complete a set of two 2-Day detoxifying cleanses. On the whole the program gave me some great results and I lost about 20 pounds over the 30 days. While there were definitely aspects of the program I am skeptical of and things that I think could be improved, I can’t argue with the results. So if you are looking to get into a little health kick feel free to contact my brother or to get some advice from me on some potential products to support it. 

Doha-Versaries!

“Dear Mr. Evan Donald Witt, On behalf of Qatar Foundation, the HR Directorate congratulates you for completing 3 years of service. We thank you for your contribution to the success of the Foundation. Best wishes, HR Directorate.”

This is the message I woke up to in my inbox this week. 3 years. It is incredible to think that I have been calling Doha home for three years now. It is even more incredible to think about how much I have changed and learned during this time. To celebrate my three year Doha-versary I want to share a few lessons that I have learned. In no particular order, with many other lessons left out…

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know. From the moment I moved to Doha my learning curve has been steep. It is amazing looking back on the day arrived thinking I had some idea of what was going on. I quickly learned that I knew nothing (had a lot in common with Jon Snow) and have spent the last three years continuing to learn more things I did not know. The irony in all of this is we consistently think that we know it all or that our opinions are quite well informed. The world is an endlessly complex place, with more information to take in than humanly possible. Be humble, ask questions, be willing to learn.

Don’t Judge. This is the most oversimplified statement in this post, but I think the most important one. It is important to know that your way is not “right” it is simply your way. Working in such a diverse place has shown me there are no “right” or “wrong” ways to get things done, just preferences. Too often people are quick to pass judgment and ask “How can they think that?!” In reality, the person you are asking about is thinking the same way. There are times when this is infuriating; there are times when you genuinely cannot understand the other’s person’s perspective. In these times, be humble, ask questions, be willing to learn.

Humans are Fascinating. I see Doha as one big social experiment or a really warped reality television show. Let’s take people from all over the world, move them to the desert, and completely change their life circumstances to see how they react. When I look around at many of the western expats that live here it is like they have won the lottery. Before coming to Doha they may have lived a modest life and now they take business class flights, drive fancy cars, and dine at the finest restaurants. I have been so intrigued to see how this new “normal” takes over people as they develop a sense of entitlement. Qatar is a country that offers incredible opportunities for many people (not all, but I won’t get into our migrant worker record here) but this should not be taken for granted. When you look around at what you have it is important to appreciate it and be thankful as opposed to critical and bitter. Never forget where you came from and be humble, ask questions, and be willing to learn.

I could continue on here for quite some time but I think you get the idea. I have learned quite a bit, 

grown as a person, and like to think I am all the better for it. I love Qatar as a country more than most people I have met here. That being said I believe it is a difficult place to live full of ups and downs. As I look to my fourth year I am eager for what lies ahead, thankful for what is behind me, and will continue to remind myself of the simple statements. Be humble. Ask questions. Be willing to learn. Cheers to year four!