Hey all,
Sorry for the lack of updates. It's been a really trying week here, with just enough energy to read the chapters for the next day's class before passing out at the end of the day.
We had a great day last Sunday. It was a free day so we went wine and chocolate tasting I the Constantia wine lands around the back of table mountains. I'm not a wine person but it was pretty fun to hang out under the mountains with sweeping views of the vineyards and the bay with good company and good wine.
The travel Gods apparently stopped shining on us on Monday when someone found out the Megan's were in their own room. Long and unfortunate story short, they moved two girls into our room who made sure we knew that they were not only unhappy with being moved and now being on the top bunk, but that they perceived us as the reason. Not to have our trip ruined, and after many discussions with the director and her boss Megan and I were given a different room, with the thought that the class would be given the option to move into the now four empty beds if they wanted to spread out. So far no one has taken up the offer and we are back to a semi-peaceful and less threatening room.
This week was also exam week. Let's just say taking an exam in the TV room in a hostel as popular as ours after 5 pm is not an environment conducive to... well... thought in general. But fortunately it wasn't too hard of a test and we have one down and one to go.
Part of the exhaustion, actually probably most of it, was because we spent this week at an after school program for kids in the township area of Philipi this week. The kids were great and the program leader was amazing. I wow'd them all with my siSwati, which is essentially Zulu which is essentially Xosa which is what they spoke. Somethings were vastly different "Molo vs Sawubona" for hello but many were the same "unjani?" for how are you? They put on a wonderful little program for us at the end of the week and we brought them pizza (and then had to teach them how to eat it).
We spent Monday morning at the Heart of Cape Town Museum. Cape Town is where the first heart transplant was successfully done. Our tour guide was amazing, very charismatic and knowledgeable, and she lead us through the hospital into the old operating rooms that they have preserved and staged with wax figurines to replicate the procedure. It was a fascinating museum. It's so fun to come here for the fourth time and still do new things.
Wednesday we toured and spoke with a doctor of the Emavundleni HIV Research Center. It's a part of the Desmond Tutu HIV Research Foundation. This particular center focused on HIV vaccine research. They're currently studying the form of contraception that most women prefer, and which is the most effective against HIV. The idea is that they will combine your HIV vaccine and your birth control, to reduce stigma and to make it more manageable. It was a wonderful place with many people doing amazing things. It really was one of the highlights of the trip.
Unfortunately, with only three weeks and lots to do and see, the body wears down and it seems most of the group has been hit with a nasty cold - myself included. So today is catch up day: on the blog, on homework, and on sleep. Our last week in Cape Town begins tomorrow. We will spend most of tomorrow on a Professor P surprise exclusion. Let's hope this surprise is better than her last one. Then lots of class to catch up on before our final exam on Wednesday. Then, it'll be off to Swaziland! 🇸🇿
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Unfortunate Decisions Made Better by Beer, and Other Adventures.
When I opened up blogger to write another post, I realized the first few sentences were rife with spelling mistakes. Apologies, and I'll try better, but blogger isn't very mobile friendly and going back to change things after they've been typed isn't easy for some reason. Many things have changed and been upgraded since my last trip to Africa; Blogger isn't one of them. Maybe that's telling of something, the fact that people don't just blog anymore. Or Google has other priorities like driverless cars as opposed to a better user interface for their blogging platform. Who knows. Moving on.
Day 4: A Series of Unfortunate Decisions
As my last post suggested in the sign off, it's been a cold and foggy week here in Cape Town. Winter is coming, as they say. Our trip to the top of Table Mountain was Scheduled for Thursday, but the director of our program made it clear that she was willing to rearrange excursions so we could have a good day to ascend the cable car up the mountain. Even thoough this would be my fourth time up the mountain, it is always exciting to me, and I hoped everyone else would get a good day too. But it was not shaping up to be that kind of day. So we hopped on the bus for what we've affectionately labeled a Professor P Surprise. Announcing we wouldnt be ascending Table Mountain that morning, we would be going to Plan B and seeing which way the wind and clouds shifted in the afternoon for a possible trip up the mountain later in the day. In the mean time, she announced excitedly, we would be taking a trip to World of Birds in Hout Bay! The reactions were varied and hilarious as the 18-19 year olds shrieked with excitement at the prospect of seeing animals and monkeys, the other Meaghans face fell ghastly white. Having announced already her fear of flying things and citing a bad experience in Costa Rica, we were literally about to live her worst nightmare. I or course, thought I could think of a million things I'd rather do than go to what I was sure would be a glorified petting zoo of birds and monkeys, but I was along for the ride.
The scenery around the back side of Table Mountain was amazing. The foothills of the mountain fell straight into the ocean, providing a place for the waves to crash spectacularly below the winding road. Up and through a valley in the mountains, we descended into Hout Bay. The bus fell eerly silent as we drove past the first township of the trip, reminding us (and showing most for the first time) of the vast differences in lifestyle and culture in South Africa. We pulled up to the World of Birds and were immediately greeted by a wall of squawking as we got off the bus. Walking in, they ran out of maps and so started our African version of the movie The Birds. The park was a circle with circular paths that jutted off the main path. To follow these paths you would pass through a wire doorway with a rudimentary pulley system to fully shut the door behind you as you entered into a caged pathway. The first few feet lead Meaghan to false hope as the parrots were behind cages, and we were soon greeted by screaming cockatoos that were clearly upset we were there. Still, at least they were behind a cage, unlike the flock of doves that flew next to our distracted heads and caused everyone to whip their heads and kink their necks, causing the first of many "bird injuries" we all joked about the rest of the trip as we tripped over the path and kinked our necks trying to watch our step and duck from flying birds while dodging their poop on the path. Needless to say I don't need to describe them next 150 pathways this place had, all equally as terrifying as the next. But not only was there countless pathways of birds, including a giant hissing owl, you could walk among the turtles (who also hiss, who knew), the Penguins (careful they bite!) and the monkeys, who will pick your pockets and jump on your head. In case you were afraid we didn't have enough time to enjoy all that the World of Birds had to offer, they extended our time to stay there so we could have enough time to play with the monkeys and see the Penguins being fed. You know how there are some things that are cool when you're a kid, and then as you get older you realize it's kinda freaky? That was this place.
We were finally back on the bus when we looked to the skies to see the sun peaking through. Still not a perfect day for Table Mountain but maybe after lunch and the trek back to Cape Town. We stopped at a place with a bunch of restaurants and Meaghan and I skipped to the Thai place for some noodles (obviously not as good as Uncle Manops cooking) and found some chocolate bars at the local shop while we waited for everyone else to buy all the beaded elephants their little hearts desired. Back on the bus the sweeping ocean views were even better as the fog had cleared, and Professor P joyfully announced we would be going to Table Mountain that day. There was nervous anticipation as everyone looked to the top to see whisps of clouds, but they must have known something we didn't about the weather. They didn't. I wouldn't even say by the time we got to the top, because even as we stood at the bottom, the top of the Mountain was covered in clouds. When we got to the top, you could barely see Cape Town stadium right along the shoreline, just before the clouds engulfed the top and it was a wall of clouds. We stood there in awe of what had just happened, laughing at what a terrible decision it was to go today, when the day before had been crystal clear, hoping the wind would shift and the clouds would give way. They didn't. We resigned to the cafe at the top for a latte and watched out the window in disbelief. A half hour later we decided to swing through the gift shop before heading down. As we entered the cable station, the clouds broke for a moment, allowing a grey, hazy view of the city. We snapped a few dreary pictures before we headed down below the mist.
A series of unfortunate decisions that day, Made me happy that this isn't my first or only time in Cape Town. My many other pictures of Cape Town from Table Mountain made me just laugh the whole time we were up there. Too bad for the others though, but I guess that's why we have so many days here. We finished out the day with class in the evening, before headed to a delicious restaurant called Knead across the street. It reminded me of a Panera but I was pleasantly surprised to find and try my first craft beer in Cape Town. The one thing Africa was missing (and I do generally mean the continent as we traveled most of it) was decent beer. SAB Miller is the producer of most South African beer, Castle and its derivatives, making all beer essentially Miller Light. AMG and I were fortunate enough to find Camelthron Berwery at the Old Busicut Mill our last trip to Cape Town and toured their facility in Windhoek, Namibia four years ago. But this trip as shown me the promise of a budding craft beer scene that has made its way from America and Europe. Devils Peak Brewery's IPA did not disappoint and redeemed a less than stellar day. But not a bad day, because I am, after all, in Cape Town.
Day 5: Another Cold Day
To no ones surprise, the wind was howling the next morning as it blew the rain clouds back out to sea. We started the day with class bright and early because, unlike most other classes, the majority of our class was near or over 30 and was too tired from the days excursions to do evening classes. Then, it was back on the bus and off to a place I had surprisingly never been in my three previous trips to Cape Town.. Robben Island. Robbed Island, like Alcatraz, is a former prison turned historical site, boasting a famous prisoner -- Nelson Mandela. Unlike Alcatraz, Robben Island is much further out, and a decent sized island. The boat ride from the waterfront took about an hour when all was said and done, and good thing I have never really had a problem with sea sickness, as that was a rocky ride. It did however, lull me into a drowsy state as we watched the Dolphins and seals play in the water. Eventually the island appeared in our view and we saw houses and buses on the island. As we pulled up, I wondered how on earth they got those buses over here as this was not a car ferry boat. I'm sure there was one somewhere though. We hopped on the bus for a bus tour of the island with our tour guide Kent and his driver Mike. They took us through the history of the island, from a Dutch India Trading Company refreshment outpost, to an island of exile for tribal chiefs who opposed colonialism, to a leper colony, to a military station, and eventually a prison. We saw the leper clinic, the town and old school house (three years ago they closed the school due to budget constraints and the children now take the hour long ferry to and from school every day) and the WWII guns that were never fired because they were completed two years after the war (Africa time, eh? our tour guide joked). Finally we got off the bus and were taken on a tour of the prison itself. One of the amazing things about Robben Island now is that the political prisoners are the ones who give the tours of the prison itself. They take you on a tour of their section, telling you their story, and what it was like in the prison at that time. Our guide served in the 1980s, originally a six month sentence that was extended for 14 years. He only served 4 though as all political prisoners were released in 1990. Each tour ends with a tour of section A and Nelson Mandelas cell. Mandela like many other leaders, were secluded to single cells, while others like our tour guide were placed in cells that held up to 60 people. His cell was small, with a mat on the floor and a bucket for a toilet, it was amazing to think of the men and the ideas that were silenced by these walls, but the isolation of the island. Or attempted silence anyway, as the apartheid government eventually fell and the ideas of a new and equal country that were formulated on the island helped shape a new South Africa.
After an equally choppy boat ride back, we landed back on the waterfront with enough time for a quick bite to eat at a new food market (new to me anyway) with some gourmet samosas before heading back to the hostel. Having semi-neglected my studies for comps, I convinced Meaghan to go to a local tapas bar with me to study. Having finished her extended presentation as a required part of our graduate curriculum, she had nothing to study but was eager to get out of our room. Our room shares a wall with a rooftop bar in the hostel. Cool idea, but for old students like us, it makes studying impossible. Fortunately it closes at 9, leaving just the downstairs bar music to float up. Thank goodness for ear plugs. We spent the evening at Chalk&Cork tasting some South African wine and studying under the full moon light. Unfortunately, it was freezing even with the wine, so the minute the clock struck 9 we headed back to the warmth of our beds.
Day 6: A Good Break
Unlike the biology class here, who has quizzes on Saturdays, we have stuck to a semi-regular class schedule and have the weekends free of class. So the group headed off (after the bio quiz of course) for a safari today. Having had my fair share of lions and impalas, I took a hard pass on the $100 trip and spent the day in local coffee shops studying for comps. The Flat White has become my cure for the jet lag I have yet to fully shake, and after three (some with double shots) this morning I felt enough energy for a run. Its a beautiful day in Cape Town today. This chill is still in the air (were anticipating a return to the 70s next week) and the clouds are hanging around the mountain, but the sun shines on the city, making it a beautiful fall day.
Well, this has been a good break from studying. Back to Biostatistics it is.
Cheers, Meg
Day 4: A Series of Unfortunate Decisions
As my last post suggested in the sign off, it's been a cold and foggy week here in Cape Town. Winter is coming, as they say. Our trip to the top of Table Mountain was Scheduled for Thursday, but the director of our program made it clear that she was willing to rearrange excursions so we could have a good day to ascend the cable car up the mountain. Even thoough this would be my fourth time up the mountain, it is always exciting to me, and I hoped everyone else would get a good day too. But it was not shaping up to be that kind of day. So we hopped on the bus for what we've affectionately labeled a Professor P Surprise. Announcing we wouldnt be ascending Table Mountain that morning, we would be going to Plan B and seeing which way the wind and clouds shifted in the afternoon for a possible trip up the mountain later in the day. In the mean time, she announced excitedly, we would be taking a trip to World of Birds in Hout Bay! The reactions were varied and hilarious as the 18-19 year olds shrieked with excitement at the prospect of seeing animals and monkeys, the other Meaghans face fell ghastly white. Having announced already her fear of flying things and citing a bad experience in Costa Rica, we were literally about to live her worst nightmare. I or course, thought I could think of a million things I'd rather do than go to what I was sure would be a glorified petting zoo of birds and monkeys, but I was along for the ride.
The scenery around the back side of Table Mountain was amazing. The foothills of the mountain fell straight into the ocean, providing a place for the waves to crash spectacularly below the winding road. Up and through a valley in the mountains, we descended into Hout Bay. The bus fell eerly silent as we drove past the first township of the trip, reminding us (and showing most for the first time) of the vast differences in lifestyle and culture in South Africa. We pulled up to the World of Birds and were immediately greeted by a wall of squawking as we got off the bus. Walking in, they ran out of maps and so started our African version of the movie The Birds. The park was a circle with circular paths that jutted off the main path. To follow these paths you would pass through a wire doorway with a rudimentary pulley system to fully shut the door behind you as you entered into a caged pathway. The first few feet lead Meaghan to false hope as the parrots were behind cages, and we were soon greeted by screaming cockatoos that were clearly upset we were there. Still, at least they were behind a cage, unlike the flock of doves that flew next to our distracted heads and caused everyone to whip their heads and kink their necks, causing the first of many "bird injuries" we all joked about the rest of the trip as we tripped over the path and kinked our necks trying to watch our step and duck from flying birds while dodging their poop on the path. Needless to say I don't need to describe them next 150 pathways this place had, all equally as terrifying as the next. But not only was there countless pathways of birds, including a giant hissing owl, you could walk among the turtles (who also hiss, who knew), the Penguins (careful they bite!) and the monkeys, who will pick your pockets and jump on your head. In case you were afraid we didn't have enough time to enjoy all that the World of Birds had to offer, they extended our time to stay there so we could have enough time to play with the monkeys and see the Penguins being fed. You know how there are some things that are cool when you're a kid, and then as you get older you realize it's kinda freaky? That was this place.
We were finally back on the bus when we looked to the skies to see the sun peaking through. Still not a perfect day for Table Mountain but maybe after lunch and the trek back to Cape Town. We stopped at a place with a bunch of restaurants and Meaghan and I skipped to the Thai place for some noodles (obviously not as good as Uncle Manops cooking) and found some chocolate bars at the local shop while we waited for everyone else to buy all the beaded elephants their little hearts desired. Back on the bus the sweeping ocean views were even better as the fog had cleared, and Professor P joyfully announced we would be going to Table Mountain that day. There was nervous anticipation as everyone looked to the top to see whisps of clouds, but they must have known something we didn't about the weather. They didn't. I wouldn't even say by the time we got to the top, because even as we stood at the bottom, the top of the Mountain was covered in clouds. When we got to the top, you could barely see Cape Town stadium right along the shoreline, just before the clouds engulfed the top and it was a wall of clouds. We stood there in awe of what had just happened, laughing at what a terrible decision it was to go today, when the day before had been crystal clear, hoping the wind would shift and the clouds would give way. They didn't. We resigned to the cafe at the top for a latte and watched out the window in disbelief. A half hour later we decided to swing through the gift shop before heading down. As we entered the cable station, the clouds broke for a moment, allowing a grey, hazy view of the city. We snapped a few dreary pictures before we headed down below the mist.
A series of unfortunate decisions that day, Made me happy that this isn't my first or only time in Cape Town. My many other pictures of Cape Town from Table Mountain made me just laugh the whole time we were up there. Too bad for the others though, but I guess that's why we have so many days here. We finished out the day with class in the evening, before headed to a delicious restaurant called Knead across the street. It reminded me of a Panera but I was pleasantly surprised to find and try my first craft beer in Cape Town. The one thing Africa was missing (and I do generally mean the continent as we traveled most of it) was decent beer. SAB Miller is the producer of most South African beer, Castle and its derivatives, making all beer essentially Miller Light. AMG and I were fortunate enough to find Camelthron Berwery at the Old Busicut Mill our last trip to Cape Town and toured their facility in Windhoek, Namibia four years ago. But this trip as shown me the promise of a budding craft beer scene that has made its way from America and Europe. Devils Peak Brewery's IPA did not disappoint and redeemed a less than stellar day. But not a bad day, because I am, after all, in Cape Town.
Day 5: Another Cold Day
To no ones surprise, the wind was howling the next morning as it blew the rain clouds back out to sea. We started the day with class bright and early because, unlike most other classes, the majority of our class was near or over 30 and was too tired from the days excursions to do evening classes. Then, it was back on the bus and off to a place I had surprisingly never been in my three previous trips to Cape Town.. Robben Island. Robbed Island, like Alcatraz, is a former prison turned historical site, boasting a famous prisoner -- Nelson Mandela. Unlike Alcatraz, Robben Island is much further out, and a decent sized island. The boat ride from the waterfront took about an hour when all was said and done, and good thing I have never really had a problem with sea sickness, as that was a rocky ride. It did however, lull me into a drowsy state as we watched the Dolphins and seals play in the water. Eventually the island appeared in our view and we saw houses and buses on the island. As we pulled up, I wondered how on earth they got those buses over here as this was not a car ferry boat. I'm sure there was one somewhere though. We hopped on the bus for a bus tour of the island with our tour guide Kent and his driver Mike. They took us through the history of the island, from a Dutch India Trading Company refreshment outpost, to an island of exile for tribal chiefs who opposed colonialism, to a leper colony, to a military station, and eventually a prison. We saw the leper clinic, the town and old school house (three years ago they closed the school due to budget constraints and the children now take the hour long ferry to and from school every day) and the WWII guns that were never fired because they were completed two years after the war (Africa time, eh? our tour guide joked). Finally we got off the bus and were taken on a tour of the prison itself. One of the amazing things about Robben Island now is that the political prisoners are the ones who give the tours of the prison itself. They take you on a tour of their section, telling you their story, and what it was like in the prison at that time. Our guide served in the 1980s, originally a six month sentence that was extended for 14 years. He only served 4 though as all political prisoners were released in 1990. Each tour ends with a tour of section A and Nelson Mandelas cell. Mandela like many other leaders, were secluded to single cells, while others like our tour guide were placed in cells that held up to 60 people. His cell was small, with a mat on the floor and a bucket for a toilet, it was amazing to think of the men and the ideas that were silenced by these walls, but the isolation of the island. Or attempted silence anyway, as the apartheid government eventually fell and the ideas of a new and equal country that were formulated on the island helped shape a new South Africa.
After an equally choppy boat ride back, we landed back on the waterfront with enough time for a quick bite to eat at a new food market (new to me anyway) with some gourmet samosas before heading back to the hostel. Having semi-neglected my studies for comps, I convinced Meaghan to go to a local tapas bar with me to study. Having finished her extended presentation as a required part of our graduate curriculum, she had nothing to study but was eager to get out of our room. Our room shares a wall with a rooftop bar in the hostel. Cool idea, but for old students like us, it makes studying impossible. Fortunately it closes at 9, leaving just the downstairs bar music to float up. Thank goodness for ear plugs. We spent the evening at Chalk&Cork tasting some South African wine and studying under the full moon light. Unfortunately, it was freezing even with the wine, so the minute the clock struck 9 we headed back to the warmth of our beds.
Day 6: A Good Break
Unlike the biology class here, who has quizzes on Saturdays, we have stuck to a semi-regular class schedule and have the weekends free of class. So the group headed off (after the bio quiz of course) for a safari today. Having had my fair share of lions and impalas, I took a hard pass on the $100 trip and spent the day in local coffee shops studying for comps. The Flat White has become my cure for the jet lag I have yet to fully shake, and after three (some with double shots) this morning I felt enough energy for a run. Its a beautiful day in Cape Town today. This chill is still in the air (were anticipating a return to the 70s next week) and the clouds are hanging around the mountain, but the sun shines on the city, making it a beautiful fall day.
Well, this has been a good break from studying. Back to Biostatistics it is.
Cheers, Meg
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Wait you have to a STUDY in Study Abroad?
Day 2:
The jet lag hasn't entirely subsided, but a good nights sleep is definitely easier to have the second night. But up before the sun, we made our way down to breakfast bright as early. I'll refer to "we" a lot because as we learned at our 9am group meeting, Meaghan and I were lucky to have each other. As the only two grade students on the trip, and 10 years older than the rest of the students, most just finishing their freshman year, we were stuck between the class and the professors. So essentially, the Megans, who are older and didn't travel to Cape Town with the group, we're definitely the outsiders of the group. Again, good thing we have each other, because what 18 year olds want to do on a study abroad trip is vastly different then 28 year olds. Generally. I have a better understanding of the large gap in the Peace Corps volunteers now.
Anyway, Day 2 began with our first day of class. There are 5 students in our class: 3 undergrad and 2 graduate students. With 2 presentations and 2 exams, the class is manageable, until you realize as a grad student you add a paper and lead another class and do it all in 16 days. Manageable, but not a cake walk study abroad class. Like actual class. I am also studying for my MPH comprehensive exam while I'm here. This is a cumulative exam over 5 core courses in Public Health that I've taken over the past year. Not an easy exam. Especially when you're frolicking around Southern Africa for the month prior. Oh well. Therefore, our nights are filled with lots of studying and reading and decent bed times to fight the jet lag. Party animals. Quite a change from my last trips to Cape Town. We all grow up sometime. Part of the reason I wanted to come back to Cape Town was to have an entirely different trip than I had on most of my other trips here. Most were characterized by filling the void that rural African life leaves in your American life: McDonalds and beer, with a sightseeing as a second priority, and only the free or cheap sights as we were paid $300 a month as PCVs. This trip I knew would hit many more museums, sights, and cultural experiences that I wasn't able to five years ago.
As excited as I was to have more tourist experiences, I was not excited to "be a tourist" something I seriously avoided as a PCV, taking public transport, avoiding the gaudy tourist buses and overland trips. But when you go with a group of 33 young Americans, most who have never been out of the country before, that feeling is inevitable. After class on the first day we were sent off to partake in the ultimate tourist experience, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. Mercifully, they let us go off in separate groups, and not as a whole group. Meaghan and I quickly took off while everyone else was getting their group together. For all its gaudiness(apparently that's not a word but I'm rolling with it) the bus does offer a nice overview of the city and its history. We rolled through the colorful houses of Bo Kapp and up Table Mountain (we didn't get off because we'll take a group excursion there soon), and around the backside of the mountain to Camps Bay. Car-less as a Peace Corps volunteer, I never made it to Camps Bay. Settled between the backside of the mountain and the ocean, Camps Bay is the beach town of Cape Town and therefore home to lavish beach houses and delicious beach side restaurants. We "hopped off" the bus in Camps Bay, stuck our toes in the water, and meandered up and down the street and found a good looking Greek restaurant. Meaghan got her oysters (6 for $8, apparently that's a steal) and I found some good looking, fish free food and we enjoyed the beach side location, wrapped in blankets - it is winter here after all. We hopped on the next bus (after a discussion with our waiter about how sad he is that Obama is leaving office) and headed up the coast and the backside of signal hill. It was amazing to see the houses built into the cliff side rocks, squeezed together to make use of every ocean front property. 100 years ago, it was all just farmland. The familiar view of Cape Town stadium remind me of the World Cup atmosphere we were lucky to be apart of all those years ago. The bus talked of the vuvuzelas that filled the stadiums. I remember the vuvuzelas filling the airport and our homesteads as we watched Spain win the cup. We hopped off at my favorite spot in Cape Town, the water front, and moseyed through the mall. We finally stopped at the local brewery where the waiter came too quickly and I couldn't finish my warning to Meaghan that essentially every South African beer was the same, watered down type. She ordered a Hansa and said, I feel like I just ordered a Bud Light. I nodded but told her she had to try it while she was here. I ordered the brewery's pale ale and enjoyed the beginnings of the budding craft beer culture Cape Town was sorely lacking 5 years ago. We headed back to the bus to catch the last one back up to Long Street, only to find the place closed up. Somewhere between military time and winter hours, we missed the last bus. Fortunately, the cabs were near and he whisked us back to our hostel with no one the wiser. Settling in for some pizza and studying, we called it a night.
Day 3: The Tourism Continues
Our orientation to the city continued after breakfast as the group trekked down Kloof Street causing craning necks along the way, as giant groups of Americans do everywhere. The professors probably should have looked at a map before heading off as we stopped and turned around a few times, causing Meaghan and I to hang our heads low and pretend we weren't a part of the typical American tourist experience. We finally arrived at the Slave Lodge Museum at the end of the Company's Gardens. The Slave Lodge was where the Eaat India Trading Company brought the slaves they picked up in India, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Cape Town in that time was just a fueling stop for them, but soon grew with the bustling slave trade. The museum also served, as many do, as an Apartheid Museum. This one paid tribute to the newspaper The Guardian and the journalists that worked as activists first, journalists second. From the 1940s and 50s they fought against in NP, and in the 1960s and 70s when things turned violent towards the peaceful protestors, many of them were banned. It was interesting to see stories of people other than Nelson Mandela who took on the Apartheid in those times.
Next we wandered through the Company's Gardens, a small version of a Central Park, with fish ponds, vegetable gardens, sweeping views of Table Mountain, and a giant statue of Cecil Rhodes. It'll be interesting to see how much longer that statue stays, as protests at the University of Cape Town last year cause his statue to be removed from campus. We headed towards the Iziko Museum, essentially the Smithsonian of South Africa. This one was the South African history museum, with stuffed animals that roam the African continent and swim near its shores (safe to say there was a large shark area and plenty of talk of shark cage diving. Of which I will do a hard pass once again). We wandered through the ancient cave drawings and through a history of the continent itself. There were displays of the many tribes of South Africa, and I was pleased to read about the Swazis there as well. There was even a display on the Great Zimbabwe as well (see my picture around September 2012 in this blog).
We broke for lunch and headed to a burger place next to our hostel that served South Afican style burgers. Lots of blitong (their type of jerky) shavings, peri-peri sauce and other interesting combos. It was very delicious. We spent the afternoon in class and a group meeting before settling down with a cappuccino and some biostatistics in the cafe below the hostel. If that is the theme of the next few weeks, it would be a nice routine to settle into. Sight seeing in the morning, class in the afternoon with coffee and studying in the evening. There are many coffee shops around, that might be a nice niche to explore.
Ta-fa for now. It's a foggy Day 4 in Cape Town. Looks like a trip up Table Mountain will be postponed. I wonder what Plan B will be...
The jet lag hasn't entirely subsided, but a good nights sleep is definitely easier to have the second night. But up before the sun, we made our way down to breakfast bright as early. I'll refer to "we" a lot because as we learned at our 9am group meeting, Meaghan and I were lucky to have each other. As the only two grade students on the trip, and 10 years older than the rest of the students, most just finishing their freshman year, we were stuck between the class and the professors. So essentially, the Megans, who are older and didn't travel to Cape Town with the group, we're definitely the outsiders of the group. Again, good thing we have each other, because what 18 year olds want to do on a study abroad trip is vastly different then 28 year olds. Generally. I have a better understanding of the large gap in the Peace Corps volunteers now.
Anyway, Day 2 began with our first day of class. There are 5 students in our class: 3 undergrad and 2 graduate students. With 2 presentations and 2 exams, the class is manageable, until you realize as a grad student you add a paper and lead another class and do it all in 16 days. Manageable, but not a cake walk study abroad class. Like actual class. I am also studying for my MPH comprehensive exam while I'm here. This is a cumulative exam over 5 core courses in Public Health that I've taken over the past year. Not an easy exam. Especially when you're frolicking around Southern Africa for the month prior. Oh well. Therefore, our nights are filled with lots of studying and reading and decent bed times to fight the jet lag. Party animals. Quite a change from my last trips to Cape Town. We all grow up sometime. Part of the reason I wanted to come back to Cape Town was to have an entirely different trip than I had on most of my other trips here. Most were characterized by filling the void that rural African life leaves in your American life: McDonalds and beer, with a sightseeing as a second priority, and only the free or cheap sights as we were paid $300 a month as PCVs. This trip I knew would hit many more museums, sights, and cultural experiences that I wasn't able to five years ago.
As excited as I was to have more tourist experiences, I was not excited to "be a tourist" something I seriously avoided as a PCV, taking public transport, avoiding the gaudy tourist buses and overland trips. But when you go with a group of 33 young Americans, most who have never been out of the country before, that feeling is inevitable. After class on the first day we were sent off to partake in the ultimate tourist experience, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. Mercifully, they let us go off in separate groups, and not as a whole group. Meaghan and I quickly took off while everyone else was getting their group together. For all its gaudiness(apparently that's not a word but I'm rolling with it) the bus does offer a nice overview of the city and its history. We rolled through the colorful houses of Bo Kapp and up Table Mountain (we didn't get off because we'll take a group excursion there soon), and around the backside of the mountain to Camps Bay. Car-less as a Peace Corps volunteer, I never made it to Camps Bay. Settled between the backside of the mountain and the ocean, Camps Bay is the beach town of Cape Town and therefore home to lavish beach houses and delicious beach side restaurants. We "hopped off" the bus in Camps Bay, stuck our toes in the water, and meandered up and down the street and found a good looking Greek restaurant. Meaghan got her oysters (6 for $8, apparently that's a steal) and I found some good looking, fish free food and we enjoyed the beach side location, wrapped in blankets - it is winter here after all. We hopped on the next bus (after a discussion with our waiter about how sad he is that Obama is leaving office) and headed up the coast and the backside of signal hill. It was amazing to see the houses built into the cliff side rocks, squeezed together to make use of every ocean front property. 100 years ago, it was all just farmland. The familiar view of Cape Town stadium remind me of the World Cup atmosphere we were lucky to be apart of all those years ago. The bus talked of the vuvuzelas that filled the stadiums. I remember the vuvuzelas filling the airport and our homesteads as we watched Spain win the cup. We hopped off at my favorite spot in Cape Town, the water front, and moseyed through the mall. We finally stopped at the local brewery where the waiter came too quickly and I couldn't finish my warning to Meaghan that essentially every South African beer was the same, watered down type. She ordered a Hansa and said, I feel like I just ordered a Bud Light. I nodded but told her she had to try it while she was here. I ordered the brewery's pale ale and enjoyed the beginnings of the budding craft beer culture Cape Town was sorely lacking 5 years ago. We headed back to the bus to catch the last one back up to Long Street, only to find the place closed up. Somewhere between military time and winter hours, we missed the last bus. Fortunately, the cabs were near and he whisked us back to our hostel with no one the wiser. Settling in for some pizza and studying, we called it a night.
Day 3: The Tourism Continues
Our orientation to the city continued after breakfast as the group trekked down Kloof Street causing craning necks along the way, as giant groups of Americans do everywhere. The professors probably should have looked at a map before heading off as we stopped and turned around a few times, causing Meaghan and I to hang our heads low and pretend we weren't a part of the typical American tourist experience. We finally arrived at the Slave Lodge Museum at the end of the Company's Gardens. The Slave Lodge was where the Eaat India Trading Company brought the slaves they picked up in India, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Cape Town in that time was just a fueling stop for them, but soon grew with the bustling slave trade. The museum also served, as many do, as an Apartheid Museum. This one paid tribute to the newspaper The Guardian and the journalists that worked as activists first, journalists second. From the 1940s and 50s they fought against in NP, and in the 1960s and 70s when things turned violent towards the peaceful protestors, many of them were banned. It was interesting to see stories of people other than Nelson Mandela who took on the Apartheid in those times.
Next we wandered through the Company's Gardens, a small version of a Central Park, with fish ponds, vegetable gardens, sweeping views of Table Mountain, and a giant statue of Cecil Rhodes. It'll be interesting to see how much longer that statue stays, as protests at the University of Cape Town last year cause his statue to be removed from campus. We headed towards the Iziko Museum, essentially the Smithsonian of South Africa. This one was the South African history museum, with stuffed animals that roam the African continent and swim near its shores (safe to say there was a large shark area and plenty of talk of shark cage diving. Of which I will do a hard pass once again). We wandered through the ancient cave drawings and through a history of the continent itself. There were displays of the many tribes of South Africa, and I was pleased to read about the Swazis there as well. There was even a display on the Great Zimbabwe as well (see my picture around September 2012 in this blog).
We broke for lunch and headed to a burger place next to our hostel that served South Afican style burgers. Lots of blitong (their type of jerky) shavings, peri-peri sauce and other interesting combos. It was very delicious. We spent the afternoon in class and a group meeting before settling down with a cappuccino and some biostatistics in the cafe below the hostel. If that is the theme of the next few weeks, it would be a nice routine to settle into. Sight seeing in the morning, class in the afternoon with coffee and studying in the evening. There are many coffee shops around, that might be a nice niche to explore.
Ta-fa for now. It's a foggy Day 4 in Cape Town. Looks like a trip up Table Mountain will be postponed. I wonder what Plan B will be...
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Here I Go Again...
Here we are again friends.
It's been nearly 4 years since I left Africa and since my last blog post. I've had many American adventures since: moving to California, leaving and moving back to California, a few cross country vacations and a few mountains climbed. But the travel bug is real, the wanderlust is real, and it was calling me back to a crazy venture to be had.
So when I found out my school was offering a class in Cape Town, I jumped on it and knew I'd do whatever it took to get there. It was only a bonus the class offered was an International Health class. I probably would have gone regardless of the class. ;)
I've met a lot of people in the last four years, new people I've described my African adventures to, who joined my friends and family who took the first journey to Africa with me in showing exactly zero shock in learning I was going back. Zero shock, but all excitement. So I thought I would restart the old blog, especially for those who aren't on Facebook (MOM) and show everyone the Africa I'm so in love with, and my second "crazy venture beneath African skies."
I'll be here in Cape Town for 3 weeks, then mosey back over to Swaziland for a few more weeks to meet up with an old PC friend for Bushfire and some Swazi adventures before heading down to Magubheleni to kaShabalala to see my family that I stayed with for 2 years there. It'll be a great time and I'm so stoked to be back. Here's how the trip has gone so far.
The Flight(s)
The journey started early on Saturday morning from San Francisco. (Huge thanks to B for making the late night / early morning trip with me and for his bro for putting us up for the night.) The last time I went to Southern Africa, we spent the night in Atlanta, then took the 17 hour flight to Joburg, where we spent the night again before hoping on the plane to the Swaz. Needless to say the breaking up of the trip was important - and was lacking in this current trip. I flew direct from SF to NY and for those who have done that trip, you know how long that is. With the early start, I slept for a bit, chatted with the guy next to me who was headed to Milan, read the chapter for the first day of class on Tuesday, put some flash cards together for my comprehensive exam in June, and by that time we were maybe over Denver. *ugh* Fortunately those long flights have personal TVs and I was able to catch up on a few episodes of Downton Abbey before I landed in NY. I hoofed it across JFK with enough time to snarf a pizza and send some final love from America before I was on the next plane within an hour. No bueno for the legs, but I just wanted to get there. For as long as O thought the NY leg was, the Paris leg was much longer - again, zero recollection from the last trip across the pond. Maybe it was the time difference that made it drag on. This "overnight flight" that left NY at 5pm and landed in Paris at 6 am, was really a late afternoon, evening flight Pacific time. We landed in Paris at 11pm Pacific and I had now slept a total of 2 hours tops when it was technically the next day? Who really knew where I was and what time it was, but there was no time to wonder and I hustled through security and back onto the Air France flight to Cape Town. Fortunately this one was delayed a bit, so I could pace by the gate trying to do the math on what time it actually was and how long this flight would be. Surely it wasn't really 12 hours, was it? There had to be a time change in there... No? No. No there wasn't. There was, however, no one on the plane. And no one in the entire row with me. The travel Gods were definitely looking out for my jet lagged self. I struggled to stay awake long enough to be served lunch (no I don't want more aperitifs French man, just give me the damn food so I can go to sleep!!) Mercifully, it came and on went the eyeshades and earplugs and out went Megan. A four hour, glorious nap later and we were still in Northern Africa. Fine. With slightly less enticing movies as Delta, I spent the rest of the trip (another 6+ hours) alternating between studying and sleeping and pacing the plane to circulate the blood in my legs that were tired of sitting for the 30th hour. But soon the lights appeared below: first, the familiar glow of fires that burn the grass in the villages (what do you do when you don't have a lawn mower?), then the larger, grid like lights of the townships, each light barely enough to cover 10 houses, and finally the lights of the city, the freeway and the airport. It was pitch dark when we flew in, but the lack of lights in the middle of the city told us the unmistakeable mountain was there. As Ali said, they didn't move it while I was gone. ;)
Day 1:
The travel Gods were with me again as I was put in a dorm room of the hostel with no one else. Perfect to quickly shower from 40 hours in the same clothes and pass out. For a few hours anyway. It was just beginning to be morning in California as my head hit the pillow in Cape Town. So my eyes thanked me for the nap and at 330am I was wide awake. After tossing and turning and trying to sleep, I got up and was down for breakfast at 7am when they opened. The hostel provides breakfast (score!) Greek yogurt and muesli (granola) or a croissant and a coffee of your choice. Flat white for me please (Starbucks pretended they invented a new drink that's been in every other country forever. And better) The class wasn't coming until late that night, so I ventured off into Cape Town with my list: Rand, adapter, towel. Kloof street turned into Long street snd I saw the familiar sights of my trips here in the Peace Corps. McDonalds, obviously, turned into the familiar cafes and bars next to various hostels that brought back many memories. I walked to down town and was reminded that thought this is Cape Town, it's still Africa and nothing goes quite how it should here. I walked into the first Bureau de Change to find out they were out of Rand. I was reminded of the restaurant AMG and I went to in who knows what town in what country of Africa and the restaurant we went to for lunch was "closed for lunch." "But you're a restaurant!" She said, "I thought I'd seen it all..." An exchange place out of cash, I thought I'd seen it all. She helpfully pointed me to an American Express exchange place. I walked to the counter to a nice lady who smiled and said, "we are offline, sorry angel." No idea what that meant, but I took her compliment, looked to the sky, found the tallest bank building and walked towards that. Good old Standard Bank, I knew they wouldn't fail me. Rand in hand I wandered around to where I thought the PEP store was in the map in my mind. You can tell how this story is going: they must have moved the streets. But I wandered into a Clicks Drug Store for towels and, I couldn't believe I had forgotten about them, a Top Deck chocolate bar. White and milk chocolate Cadbury in a delicious bar. Mmmmmm. I was back in my happy place for sure. I wandered back up the streets of Cape Town (and past the PEP store in its obviously new location, lol) and back to the hostel. Tired from jet lag but determined to push through, I grabbed some food at the restaurant below the hostel and enjoyed the sounds of Cape Town while I waited for the group: the South African accents, the kids screaming in the school across the way, the sounds of horns "tooting," and the khumbi conductors driving by searching for passengers...
The rest of my school group arrived that night, frazzled and jet lagged. The travel Gods smiled again as the other grad student, also named Meaghan (we'll forgive her the spelling) also from California, and I were given (accidentally I'm sure) a dorm room to ourselves. Our mouths have stayed shut since as we've enjoyed our extra space.
I'll update on yesterday's events and today's later. But now it's breakfast time for Day 3 in Cape Town.
Lots of love from the Mother City!
It's been nearly 4 years since I left Africa and since my last blog post. I've had many American adventures since: moving to California, leaving and moving back to California, a few cross country vacations and a few mountains climbed. But the travel bug is real, the wanderlust is real, and it was calling me back to a crazy venture to be had.
So when I found out my school was offering a class in Cape Town, I jumped on it and knew I'd do whatever it took to get there. It was only a bonus the class offered was an International Health class. I probably would have gone regardless of the class. ;)
I've met a lot of people in the last four years, new people I've described my African adventures to, who joined my friends and family who took the first journey to Africa with me in showing exactly zero shock in learning I was going back. Zero shock, but all excitement. So I thought I would restart the old blog, especially for those who aren't on Facebook (MOM) and show everyone the Africa I'm so in love with, and my second "crazy venture beneath African skies."
I'll be here in Cape Town for 3 weeks, then mosey back over to Swaziland for a few more weeks to meet up with an old PC friend for Bushfire and some Swazi adventures before heading down to Magubheleni to kaShabalala to see my family that I stayed with for 2 years there. It'll be a great time and I'm so stoked to be back. Here's how the trip has gone so far.
The Flight(s)
The journey started early on Saturday morning from San Francisco. (Huge thanks to B for making the late night / early morning trip with me and for his bro for putting us up for the night.) The last time I went to Southern Africa, we spent the night in Atlanta, then took the 17 hour flight to Joburg, where we spent the night again before hoping on the plane to the Swaz. Needless to say the breaking up of the trip was important - and was lacking in this current trip. I flew direct from SF to NY and for those who have done that trip, you know how long that is. With the early start, I slept for a bit, chatted with the guy next to me who was headed to Milan, read the chapter for the first day of class on Tuesday, put some flash cards together for my comprehensive exam in June, and by that time we were maybe over Denver. *ugh* Fortunately those long flights have personal TVs and I was able to catch up on a few episodes of Downton Abbey before I landed in NY. I hoofed it across JFK with enough time to snarf a pizza and send some final love from America before I was on the next plane within an hour. No bueno for the legs, but I just wanted to get there. For as long as O thought the NY leg was, the Paris leg was much longer - again, zero recollection from the last trip across the pond. Maybe it was the time difference that made it drag on. This "overnight flight" that left NY at 5pm and landed in Paris at 6 am, was really a late afternoon, evening flight Pacific time. We landed in Paris at 11pm Pacific and I had now slept a total of 2 hours tops when it was technically the next day? Who really knew where I was and what time it was, but there was no time to wonder and I hustled through security and back onto the Air France flight to Cape Town. Fortunately this one was delayed a bit, so I could pace by the gate trying to do the math on what time it actually was and how long this flight would be. Surely it wasn't really 12 hours, was it? There had to be a time change in there... No? No. No there wasn't. There was, however, no one on the plane. And no one in the entire row with me. The travel Gods were definitely looking out for my jet lagged self. I struggled to stay awake long enough to be served lunch (no I don't want more aperitifs French man, just give me the damn food so I can go to sleep!!) Mercifully, it came and on went the eyeshades and earplugs and out went Megan. A four hour, glorious nap later and we were still in Northern Africa. Fine. With slightly less enticing movies as Delta, I spent the rest of the trip (another 6+ hours) alternating between studying and sleeping and pacing the plane to circulate the blood in my legs that were tired of sitting for the 30th hour. But soon the lights appeared below: first, the familiar glow of fires that burn the grass in the villages (what do you do when you don't have a lawn mower?), then the larger, grid like lights of the townships, each light barely enough to cover 10 houses, and finally the lights of the city, the freeway and the airport. It was pitch dark when we flew in, but the lack of lights in the middle of the city told us the unmistakeable mountain was there. As Ali said, they didn't move it while I was gone. ;)
Day 1:
The travel Gods were with me again as I was put in a dorm room of the hostel with no one else. Perfect to quickly shower from 40 hours in the same clothes and pass out. For a few hours anyway. It was just beginning to be morning in California as my head hit the pillow in Cape Town. So my eyes thanked me for the nap and at 330am I was wide awake. After tossing and turning and trying to sleep, I got up and was down for breakfast at 7am when they opened. The hostel provides breakfast (score!) Greek yogurt and muesli (granola) or a croissant and a coffee of your choice. Flat white for me please (Starbucks pretended they invented a new drink that's been in every other country forever. And better) The class wasn't coming until late that night, so I ventured off into Cape Town with my list: Rand, adapter, towel. Kloof street turned into Long street snd I saw the familiar sights of my trips here in the Peace Corps. McDonalds, obviously, turned into the familiar cafes and bars next to various hostels that brought back many memories. I walked to down town and was reminded that thought this is Cape Town, it's still Africa and nothing goes quite how it should here. I walked into the first Bureau de Change to find out they were out of Rand. I was reminded of the restaurant AMG and I went to in who knows what town in what country of Africa and the restaurant we went to for lunch was "closed for lunch." "But you're a restaurant!" She said, "I thought I'd seen it all..." An exchange place out of cash, I thought I'd seen it all. She helpfully pointed me to an American Express exchange place. I walked to the counter to a nice lady who smiled and said, "we are offline, sorry angel." No idea what that meant, but I took her compliment, looked to the sky, found the tallest bank building and walked towards that. Good old Standard Bank, I knew they wouldn't fail me. Rand in hand I wandered around to where I thought the PEP store was in the map in my mind. You can tell how this story is going: they must have moved the streets. But I wandered into a Clicks Drug Store for towels and, I couldn't believe I had forgotten about them, a Top Deck chocolate bar. White and milk chocolate Cadbury in a delicious bar. Mmmmmm. I was back in my happy place for sure. I wandered back up the streets of Cape Town (and past the PEP store in its obviously new location, lol) and back to the hostel. Tired from jet lag but determined to push through, I grabbed some food at the restaurant below the hostel and enjoyed the sounds of Cape Town while I waited for the group: the South African accents, the kids screaming in the school across the way, the sounds of horns "tooting," and the khumbi conductors driving by searching for passengers...
The rest of my school group arrived that night, frazzled and jet lagged. The travel Gods smiled again as the other grad student, also named Meaghan (we'll forgive her the spelling) also from California, and I were given (accidentally I'm sure) a dorm room to ourselves. Our mouths have stayed shut since as we've enjoyed our extra space.
I'll update on yesterday's events and today's later. But now it's breakfast time for Day 3 in Cape Town.
Lots of love from the Mother City!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Equator Time.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Lake Malawi
This is now the third time I've written this blog update, so hopefully this actually gets uploaded this time. Silly African Internet...
We had a great two weeks in Malawi - week and a half on the Lake. We spent time in Cape Maclear on the south side of the lake, and Nkhata Bay on the north. We kayaked, snorkeled, scuba'd, and obviously swam. A lot. It reminded me a lot of a tropical Lake Superior, and coincidentally, both lakes are in the top 10 biggest lakes in the world!
I love Malawi. It's cheap, delicious food - lots of beans for those of us who don't eat fish. The camping was cheap, the beer was cheap, everything was cheap. It was a nice break from the touristy spots of South Africa and Victoria Falls and where we're off to next... Zanzibar. We have been moving around with the same group of people lately. Meeting people in Blantyre and seeing them off and on again along the lake, we're currently traveling with some new British friends to Zanzibar. We ran into someone we met in Victoria Falls, and will see some more in Zanzibar. Africa is a HUGE continent, I don't fully understand how it can be so small, but it's nice to meet new people and hang out with them for a while.
Like I said, we're on our way to Zanzibar now. After a crazy day of boarder crossing to get into Tanzania (full of broken down buses and bus ranks at midnight) we finally got to, and then out of, Mbeya and are currently in Dar Es Salaam. It's a crazy African city. It reminds me a lot of Maputo, just bigger. Crazy drivers, kind of dirty, people of all ethnicities. I love it so far.
Tomorrow we're headed to Zanzibar, another one of the milestones of this trip. One month left in Africa! Crazy to think my time here is ending. It's been so great to see so many different parts of this continent that most people don't get to see. But I am excited to be getting on to Europe, to get home. We've been sleeping in beds for the past three nights. It's amazing. I can't wait until I can do it every night. That's all for now, time to explore Dar!
Lots of Love!
We had a great two weeks in Malawi - week and a half on the Lake. We spent time in Cape Maclear on the south side of the lake, and Nkhata Bay on the north. We kayaked, snorkeled, scuba'd, and obviously swam. A lot. It reminded me a lot of a tropical Lake Superior, and coincidentally, both lakes are in the top 10 biggest lakes in the world!
I love Malawi. It's cheap, delicious food - lots of beans for those of us who don't eat fish. The camping was cheap, the beer was cheap, everything was cheap. It was a nice break from the touristy spots of South Africa and Victoria Falls and where we're off to next... Zanzibar. We have been moving around with the same group of people lately. Meeting people in Blantyre and seeing them off and on again along the lake, we're currently traveling with some new British friends to Zanzibar. We ran into someone we met in Victoria Falls, and will see some more in Zanzibar. Africa is a HUGE continent, I don't fully understand how it can be so small, but it's nice to meet new people and hang out with them for a while.
Like I said, we're on our way to Zanzibar now. After a crazy day of boarder crossing to get into Tanzania (full of broken down buses and bus ranks at midnight) we finally got to, and then out of, Mbeya and are currently in Dar Es Salaam. It's a crazy African city. It reminds me a lot of Maputo, just bigger. Crazy drivers, kind of dirty, people of all ethnicities. I love it so far.
Tomorrow we're headed to Zanzibar, another one of the milestones of this trip. One month left in Africa! Crazy to think my time here is ending. It's been so great to see so many different parts of this continent that most people don't get to see. But I am excited to be getting on to Europe, to get home. We've been sleeping in beds for the past three nights. It's amazing. I can't wait until I can do it every night. That's all for now, time to explore Dar!
Lots of Love!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Great Zimbabwe
I had no idea what to expect when we ventured into Zimbabwe. I'm not exactly well versed on my African politics from 1980 to present, meaning the end of colonialism and each country's own civil was and how it is currently. But I knew Zimbabwe had had it rough, like most countries I guess. I had just finished reading Paul Theroux's "Dark Star Safari" where he travels Cairo to Cape Town overland. He came through Zimbabwe in the early 2000s, in the height of the farm invasions and the economic crisis. (If you don't know the President basically told the war veterans that they should take the white farmers farms, and so they did, many times violently.) The currency was horribly inflated at the time and as we all know it eventually got much worse. But that was the time period everyone seemed to be referring to when they said to stay away from Zim. I was interested, and a little anxious to see what it was like now.
We went from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo on the night train, celebrating my "birthday" with some gin and tonics. (i'm the only one without a birthday on this trip, so we made one up) We got to Bulawayo in the morning and after some hassle finding an ATM that would take our foreign cards, we hopped on a khumbi to Masvingo, and arrived in the late afternoon before jumping into a shared taxi to the Great Zimbabwe National Monument 25K outside of town. The public transport system is interesting here. There are a few khumbis for longer distances, hours or so, and taxis for short distances, but for middle, and even short distances, there are shared taxis, which are just 8 passenger mini vans that they cram as many people into as possible. We had 16 people in ours on the way to our campsite. But we made it and walked the kilometer in as the sun was setting. The next morning we rose early, as usual, and set off to explore the Great Zimbabwe. It was an extremely interesting morning, wandering around the ancient ruins of an 11th century city. Archeologists spent 100 years trying to attribute this city to anyone and everyone except the african people, but in the end it has been proven that a great civilization lived in this area far before people had realized. The most awesome part was the city slash fort they built on top of a hill of rock. It was full of so many little passageways and nooks we couldn't help but think how fun it would be to play capture the flag or other random games in it.
We wandered around for a few hours before we hitched a ride back into town on a school bus full of the politest 6th graders in the world on a school trip. They had some sports tournaments in some random towns and were getting in some learning in between their games.
After a stop for some take away of chicken and sadza (lipalishi), we got into a khumbi to the capital, Harare.
We got in at night and have spent the last few days trying to figure out busses and visas to get to Malawi. We'll have to go through the Tete corridor of Mozambique to get to Malawi from here, a grand total of 6 hours maybe, that will cost us $85, four times as expensive as our Mozambican visas for our vacations in Swaziland... "it's called reciprocity" they said with a 'tude. But we were successful in our Tanzanian visas, but not without griping about the $110 it cost to get it.
But tomorrow morning we'll leave Zimbabwe for Malawi, so I guess the question is, how was Zimbabwe? It's hard to say after only a week. The people are the nicest I've met since Swaziland, so friendly and smiling. The only trouble we have encountered are police officers giving absurd tickets to khumbi drivers, to the point where they are losing money on trips with bribes and silly tickets. It's been weird being in an African country and using US dollars. In 2009, the Zimbabwaen dollar had inflated so much, it was practically worthless (i an currently in possession of a 25 billion Zim Dollar note) and so they switched to the dollar. It's weird being on a khumbi in the middle of nowhere and some random grandma from some random town pulls out USD to pay. They don't use American coins though. I had some random quarters I tried to pay with when my total came to $1.50, and the lady said "we don't take that, we only take Rand coins." What?! How can a country use one currency for bills and one for coins and neither are their own? And they usually don't even have coins. Today I got change for my $3.30 in 7 suckers.
But all in all, Zim has been good to us, I've enjoyed my time here. But it's time to move on... Lake Malawi is calling. ;)
We went from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo on the night train, celebrating my "birthday" with some gin and tonics. (i'm the only one without a birthday on this trip, so we made one up) We got to Bulawayo in the morning and after some hassle finding an ATM that would take our foreign cards, we hopped on a khumbi to Masvingo, and arrived in the late afternoon before jumping into a shared taxi to the Great Zimbabwe National Monument 25K outside of town. The public transport system is interesting here. There are a few khumbis for longer distances, hours or so, and taxis for short distances, but for middle, and even short distances, there are shared taxis, which are just 8 passenger mini vans that they cram as many people into as possible. We had 16 people in ours on the way to our campsite. But we made it and walked the kilometer in as the sun was setting. The next morning we rose early, as usual, and set off to explore the Great Zimbabwe. It was an extremely interesting morning, wandering around the ancient ruins of an 11th century city. Archeologists spent 100 years trying to attribute this city to anyone and everyone except the african people, but in the end it has been proven that a great civilization lived in this area far before people had realized. The most awesome part was the city slash fort they built on top of a hill of rock. It was full of so many little passageways and nooks we couldn't help but think how fun it would be to play capture the flag or other random games in it.
We wandered around for a few hours before we hitched a ride back into town on a school bus full of the politest 6th graders in the world on a school trip. They had some sports tournaments in some random towns and were getting in some learning in between their games.
After a stop for some take away of chicken and sadza (lipalishi), we got into a khumbi to the capital, Harare.
We got in at night and have spent the last few days trying to figure out busses and visas to get to Malawi. We'll have to go through the Tete corridor of Mozambique to get to Malawi from here, a grand total of 6 hours maybe, that will cost us $85, four times as expensive as our Mozambican visas for our vacations in Swaziland... "it's called reciprocity" they said with a 'tude. But we were successful in our Tanzanian visas, but not without griping about the $110 it cost to get it.
But tomorrow morning we'll leave Zimbabwe for Malawi, so I guess the question is, how was Zimbabwe? It's hard to say after only a week. The people are the nicest I've met since Swaziland, so friendly and smiling. The only trouble we have encountered are police officers giving absurd tickets to khumbi drivers, to the point where they are losing money on trips with bribes and silly tickets. It's been weird being in an African country and using US dollars. In 2009, the Zimbabwaen dollar had inflated so much, it was practically worthless (i an currently in possession of a 25 billion Zim Dollar note) and so they switched to the dollar. It's weird being on a khumbi in the middle of nowhere and some random grandma from some random town pulls out USD to pay. They don't use American coins though. I had some random quarters I tried to pay with when my total came to $1.50, and the lady said "we don't take that, we only take Rand coins." What?! How can a country use one currency for bills and one for coins and neither are their own? And they usually don't even have coins. Today I got change for my $3.30 in 7 suckers.
But all in all, Zim has been good to us, I've enjoyed my time here. But it's time to move on... Lake Malawi is calling. ;)
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Victoria Falls -- Zimbabwe
Yesterday, after dragging ourselves out of bed (some earlier than others) after a night of booze cruising on the Zambezi, we walked back over the bridge we jumped off of 2 days earlier and into Zimbabwe. But before we crossed, we made sure to watch Eric as he jumped. It was so funny to watch someone else do it, having done it yourself, knowing how FREAKED they are. And just laughing. Ha. But finally, we wandered over the rest of the bridge, and into the Zimbabwean side. This is the actual town of Victoria Falls, made for tourists. There's nice shops and a few restaurants. People make it out to seem like a real touristy place, but it still has that African town feel too.
Today we took in the Falls from this side. AMAZING! We were a little disappointed with the Zambian side. They haven't gotten a lot of rain this year and it is dry season anyway, so the falls were almost dry from that side.... Not so from this side! About 1/2 of the falls are in Zambia and 1/2 in Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean side is lower so the water there is generally at a constant level all year while the Zambian side dries up this time of year. So today we were treated with the full effects of the falls - meaning we got SOAKED! But it's so hot, you were dry in a few minutes once you got out from they spray of the Falls. We sat and watched as people went into "Devil's Pool" at the top of the Falls in Zambia and were SO THANKFUL that we didn't do it!! I would rather have bungee jumped again. Devil's Pool is RIGHT at the top of the falls and I almost peed my pants watching other people do it, I couldn't imagine swimming to the edge of the falls!! I'm a pretty clumsy person on dry land, I would definitely be one of the 5 people a year that falls off the Falls.
But anyway, it's been a good trip to Victoria Falls. It makes me really want to get over to Niagara Falls. I mean if I've been to this one, how have I not been to that one. I'm even itching to get to Angel Falls in South America now so I can hit the big three. It's interesting that in terms of height, these three waterfalls wouldn't even crack the top 800 waterfalls in the world. Niagara is actually not high at all - 51 meters if I'm not mistaken. But they are all SO wide and so full (especially Niagara with a huge volume of water going over it) that they're considered the biggest in the world.
We're headed to Bulawayo tomorrow night on an overnight train from like 1910. After bungee jumping off a bridge built in 1905, I'm not too worried. Ha. We're off to "The Great Zimbabwe National Monument." If you haven't heard of it, Google it. If you're too lazy to do that, I'll post some info on it in my next update.
Until then... Cheers!
Today we took in the Falls from this side. AMAZING! We were a little disappointed with the Zambian side. They haven't gotten a lot of rain this year and it is dry season anyway, so the falls were almost dry from that side.... Not so from this side! About 1/2 of the falls are in Zambia and 1/2 in Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean side is lower so the water there is generally at a constant level all year while the Zambian side dries up this time of year. So today we were treated with the full effects of the falls - meaning we got SOAKED! But it's so hot, you were dry in a few minutes once you got out from they spray of the Falls. We sat and watched as people went into "Devil's Pool" at the top of the Falls in Zambia and were SO THANKFUL that we didn't do it!! I would rather have bungee jumped again. Devil's Pool is RIGHT at the top of the falls and I almost peed my pants watching other people do it, I couldn't imagine swimming to the edge of the falls!! I'm a pretty clumsy person on dry land, I would definitely be one of the 5 people a year that falls off the Falls.
But anyway, it's been a good trip to Victoria Falls. It makes me really want to get over to Niagara Falls. I mean if I've been to this one, how have I not been to that one. I'm even itching to get to Angel Falls in South America now so I can hit the big three. It's interesting that in terms of height, these three waterfalls wouldn't even crack the top 800 waterfalls in the world. Niagara is actually not high at all - 51 meters if I'm not mistaken. But they are all SO wide and so full (especially Niagara with a huge volume of water going over it) that they're considered the biggest in the world.
We're headed to Bulawayo tomorrow night on an overnight train from like 1910. After bungee jumping off a bridge built in 1905, I'm not too worried. Ha. We're off to "The Great Zimbabwe National Monument." If you haven't heard of it, Google it. If you're too lazy to do that, I'll post some info on it in my next update.
Until then... Cheers!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Victoria Falls - - Zambia
Well I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. It's a sort of "I just cheated death" sort of feeling. This morning, Anna Mae and I successfully bungee jumped off the Victoria Falls bridge!! It was insane! So scary, so awesome!!
We've been talking about this jump for, well, years. Literally. But it's always been so far away. "yeah i'm gonna jump... whenever i get to zambia.." Well we're here, AND WE DID IT! Neither of us slept well last night, and one of us had to slug a few beers in order to get any sleep at all. This morning we boarded the shuttle around 10am and we both sat in silence the whole time, occasionally bursting into fits of hysterical laughter, because that was the only thing we could do. We got off the shuttle and walked along the road towards the Zambia/Zimbabwe boarder (the bridge is in between the two countries). We both remarked how this is what it must feel like to be walking towards your death: the heat, the empty road, the numbness and acceptance that there's nothing you can do about it anymore. It took about 5 minutes to walk to the boarder, and 5 minutes at reception before we walked out onto the bridge. As soon as we walked out there, the guy held out a harness for me and I stepped onto the platform. No time to think about it; just how I like it. Within a minute I was looking over edge and saying the typical American line of "HOLY SHIT!" No sooner had I said it that the man put out my arms and said "5..4..3..2..1..BUNGEE!!" I jumped. Not as far as I thought, but at least it wasn't like the girl after Anna Mae who had to be thrown off. It was a weird feeling. The first 3 seconds you get that stomach in your throat feeling. The next few seconds your like "shit, i'm STILL FALLING!!" then you twist around a bit as the bungee kicks in and all of a sudden you're coming back up. The WORST part of the whole thing was not the jumping, not the falling, but the bouncing. The weightless feeling you got at the top of your bungee, just before you fell again, with no control of it this time. It happened at least 6 times and my legs and arms visibly shook each time. Finally, I stopped bouncing and was reeled up to the bridge safely to watch Anna Mae repeat everything I had just done.
It was an awesome experience I will probably never do again. Ha.
We then wandered around the Falls for a while, trying not to be a little disappointed in the lack of water rushing down the Falls. Apparently there's been way less rain than usual (and it's technically the dry season anyway) so the Falls were still cool, but not as epic as they can be. Thank you Global Warming for that.
Tomorrow we're heading out for a sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi before we head out to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls on Tuesday. Should be awesome! : )
I'm trying to upload bungee pictures now, but hold tight for more, the Internet sucks...
We've been talking about this jump for, well, years. Literally. But it's always been so far away. "yeah i'm gonna jump... whenever i get to zambia.." Well we're here, AND WE DID IT! Neither of us slept well last night, and one of us had to slug a few beers in order to get any sleep at all. This morning we boarded the shuttle around 10am and we both sat in silence the whole time, occasionally bursting into fits of hysterical laughter, because that was the only thing we could do. We got off the shuttle and walked along the road towards the Zambia/Zimbabwe boarder (the bridge is in between the two countries). We both remarked how this is what it must feel like to be walking towards your death: the heat, the empty road, the numbness and acceptance that there's nothing you can do about it anymore. It took about 5 minutes to walk to the boarder, and 5 minutes at reception before we walked out onto the bridge. As soon as we walked out there, the guy held out a harness for me and I stepped onto the platform. No time to think about it; just how I like it. Within a minute I was looking over edge and saying the typical American line of "HOLY SHIT!" No sooner had I said it that the man put out my arms and said "5..4..3..2..1..BUNGEE!!" I jumped. Not as far as I thought, but at least it wasn't like the girl after Anna Mae who had to be thrown off. It was a weird feeling. The first 3 seconds you get that stomach in your throat feeling. The next few seconds your like "shit, i'm STILL FALLING!!" then you twist around a bit as the bungee kicks in and all of a sudden you're coming back up. The WORST part of the whole thing was not the jumping, not the falling, but the bouncing. The weightless feeling you got at the top of your bungee, just before you fell again, with no control of it this time. It happened at least 6 times and my legs and arms visibly shook each time. Finally, I stopped bouncing and was reeled up to the bridge safely to watch Anna Mae repeat everything I had just done.
It was an awesome experience I will probably never do again. Ha.
We then wandered around the Falls for a while, trying not to be a little disappointed in the lack of water rushing down the Falls. Apparently there's been way less rain than usual (and it's technically the dry season anyway) so the Falls were still cool, but not as epic as they can be. Thank you Global Warming for that.
Tomorrow we're heading out for a sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi before we head out to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls on Tuesday. Should be awesome! : )
I'm trying to upload bungee pictures now, but hold tight for more, the Internet sucks...
Friday, September 7, 2012
Swakopmund
With just a little battery power, a little airtime left, and a weekend ahead with no Internet, I just wanted to put up a quick update. Namibia was fabulous. We were shown around the townships of Windhoek by the owner of Camelthorn Brewery. It was a fun time, wandering into shebeens and chatting with random people. We spent the next four days on the coast in Swakopmund - a town known for being "more German than Germany." We had a fabulous time climbing up and sandboarding down various sand dunes. But we mostly enjoyed renting movies and catching up on sleep in the sleepy little town. We're on our way out of Namibia at the moment and on to Livingstone, Zambia... or as most people know it - Victoria Falls! We are very excited, and absolutely terrified as we'll be bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls bridge. Think of us on Sunday when we'll hopefully be jumping! :/ Victoria Falls is on the boarder of Zambia and Zimbabwe, so we'll spend a few days on the Zambian side (at the top) before heading over to the Zimbabwean side (the bottom) for a few days as well. Should be an awesome time! I've been posting pictures on Facebook as we get free Internet, so keep checking there for some sweet pics. ;)
Friday, August 31, 2012
Windhoek
After a 22 hour bus ride through God-only-knows-where-Africa, we made it to Windhoek, Namibia a few days ago. We didn't have a lot we wanted to accomplish here, but one thing rang true with all of us... beer.
Windhoek brews our favorite South African beer, originally named "Windhoek." We have probably been planning a brewery tour for 2 years. Unfortunately, it wasn't until we came that we learned they're under renovation and aren't giving tours at the moment. : ( Fortunately for us, we had been to the Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town and sampled a great craft beer called "Camelthorn." After chatting with the guy for a while, we learned it was a Namibian beer based in Windhoek! Score! So today, we're off to check out the Camelthorn brewery and taste some of their delicious beer. We've also learned that "Hansa" beer is brewed here too (though I'm still not convinced it's not South African) and we'll see how much there is to do in our next town and if some more free beer is in order...
We've spent the last few days wandering around the city of Windhoek, enjoying German Schnitzels and beers. In case you didn't know, Namibia was colonized by the Germans, however long ago. It's interesting because there are technically three colonial languages spoken here: Afrikaans, German, and English. Then there are at least 7 different tribes, each with their own language, or at least dialect.
Namibia is a fasinating country (what we've seen so far anyway). It is a huge country with only 2 million people, making it the least densely populated country in the world. When we drove in, I saw a sign saying we were 20 km from Windhoek. As the capital of Namibia, you would think there would be smaller towns, townships, something leading up to the biggest city in the country. Nope. It wasn't until we were 2-3km from city center that any sort of life appeared. Namibia is apparently just towns seperated by rolling desert hills. Beautiful, but weird.
We met a Peace Corps Namibia volunteer at the backpackers we're staying at, and he graciously invited us to come out with him and his fellow volunteers that night. We were quick to agree and we soon found ourselves in a big mall, eating pizza, drinking "Jam Jars" and surrounded by 10 volunteers familiarly all talking at once. We were in heaven. It's not like we haven't been with Peace Corps volunteers the whole way so far, but we're a small group traveling. There's something about a big group of American Volunteers getting together that makes me all warm inside... everyone talking over each other, complaining about life in their communities (though everyone actually loves it), dishing out the latest gossip in the PCV and expat community. We all agreed we'd missed it. Peace Corps Volunteers are in general, pretty awesome people, so we had a blast and made sure to hang out with them again last night, after a delicious dinner of springbok, kudu, ostrich, crocodile, and zebra. Mmmmm.
Tomorrow, we're headed to the coastal town of Swakopmund. Everyone we've talked to, every guidebook we've read, has said it's like Germany in Africa. Considering I've never been to Germany, I'll probably have to take their word for it, but it should be an interesting sight, a German town in the middle of the sand dunes of the Namibian desert. On the coast of Namibia are the infamous dunes that you see in the typical pictures of African desert, set up right against the ocean. Namibia was the first country in Africa that we saw as we flew to Johannesburg oh so many years ago... Our first glimpses of the continent were of this desert set up right next to the ocean. I'm very excited to see it from the ground. I'm also excited to hopefully do some sandboarding on the dunes. Should be fun!
We'll be in Namibia until Friday when we head north towards Angola and then east through the Caprivi strip and into Zambia to Victoria Falls. People keep talking about the bungee jump and I keep covering my ears. In my mind, it's still WEEKS away and I don't have to think about it, no one remind me it's only days away...
Windhoek brews our favorite South African beer, originally named "Windhoek." We have probably been planning a brewery tour for 2 years. Unfortunately, it wasn't until we came that we learned they're under renovation and aren't giving tours at the moment. : ( Fortunately for us, we had been to the Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town and sampled a great craft beer called "Camelthorn." After chatting with the guy for a while, we learned it was a Namibian beer based in Windhoek! Score! So today, we're off to check out the Camelthorn brewery and taste some of their delicious beer. We've also learned that "Hansa" beer is brewed here too (though I'm still not convinced it's not South African) and we'll see how much there is to do in our next town and if some more free beer is in order...
We've spent the last few days wandering around the city of Windhoek, enjoying German Schnitzels and beers. In case you didn't know, Namibia was colonized by the Germans, however long ago. It's interesting because there are technically three colonial languages spoken here: Afrikaans, German, and English. Then there are at least 7 different tribes, each with their own language, or at least dialect.
Namibia is a fasinating country (what we've seen so far anyway). It is a huge country with only 2 million people, making it the least densely populated country in the world. When we drove in, I saw a sign saying we were 20 km from Windhoek. As the capital of Namibia, you would think there would be smaller towns, townships, something leading up to the biggest city in the country. Nope. It wasn't until we were 2-3km from city center that any sort of life appeared. Namibia is apparently just towns seperated by rolling desert hills. Beautiful, but weird.
We met a Peace Corps Namibia volunteer at the backpackers we're staying at, and he graciously invited us to come out with him and his fellow volunteers that night. We were quick to agree and we soon found ourselves in a big mall, eating pizza, drinking "Jam Jars" and surrounded by 10 volunteers familiarly all talking at once. We were in heaven. It's not like we haven't been with Peace Corps volunteers the whole way so far, but we're a small group traveling. There's something about a big group of American Volunteers getting together that makes me all warm inside... everyone talking over each other, complaining about life in their communities (though everyone actually loves it), dishing out the latest gossip in the PCV and expat community. We all agreed we'd missed it. Peace Corps Volunteers are in general, pretty awesome people, so we had a blast and made sure to hang out with them again last night, after a delicious dinner of springbok, kudu, ostrich, crocodile, and zebra. Mmmmm.
Tomorrow, we're headed to the coastal town of Swakopmund. Everyone we've talked to, every guidebook we've read, has said it's like Germany in Africa. Considering I've never been to Germany, I'll probably have to take their word for it, but it should be an interesting sight, a German town in the middle of the sand dunes of the Namibian desert. On the coast of Namibia are the infamous dunes that you see in the typical pictures of African desert, set up right against the ocean. Namibia was the first country in Africa that we saw as we flew to Johannesburg oh so many years ago... Our first glimpses of the continent were of this desert set up right next to the ocean. I'm very excited to see it from the ground. I'm also excited to hopefully do some sandboarding on the dunes. Should be fun!
We'll be in Namibia until Friday when we head north towards Angola and then east through the Caprivi strip and into Zambia to Victoria Falls. People keep talking about the bungee jump and I keep covering my ears. In my mind, it's still WEEKS away and I don't have to think about it, no one remind me it's only days away...
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Goodbye SA
I'm having a hard time saying goodbye to this country, I've realized. South Africa has been a sort of "home" for us these past two years... An escape from the rural African life. Not to say parts of South Africa aren't exactly the same as Swaziland, but the feeling of crossing a boarder and going to a city with skyscrapers and malls and consistently hot showers was as close to going home as we could get. South Africa has always been our shining beacon of hope when life in Swaziland became too much. "If I can just make it one more month, I'll be in Joburg/Durban/Cape Town for two weeks." It's hard for me to imagine never coming back here. I hope that's not true. I hope I come back many many times. If this trip across the coast has taught me anything, it's that South Africa has so much to offer. We've seen cities and beach towns, townships and suburbs, McDonalds and Chicken Licken, black people and white people, and 11 different languages. It is so extremely diverse in everyway, and that is something I have come to appreciate, having lived in a place where 99% of the population is the same race and ethnicity. I love this country.
It's been such an interesting trip across the coast. It is such a great route to backpack, but not a well tapped one. Everyone goes to Europe. Not many people think of backpacking the coast of South Africa. Because of this, and because everyone does one of two routes (CT to Durban or Durban to CT), you run into the same people in each town. There's only about 50 people backpacking the whole thing, and 50% are going the same way you are, so you all get to know each other pretty well. By the time we reached Cape Town, we didn't go anywhere without running into people we knew... The Old Biscuit Mill Market in Woodstock, the reggae concert at the random backpackers, the bar down the street. It was fun. But now we're leaving our group of surf loving, coast travelers. Will it be the same going up? I've heard so, but I guess we'll see.
Anyway, this past weekend in Cape Town has been fun for sure. But we're ready to move on to places we haven't seen; uncharted territory... for us anyway.
It's been such an interesting trip across the coast. It is such a great route to backpack, but not a well tapped one. Everyone goes to Europe. Not many people think of backpacking the coast of South Africa. Because of this, and because everyone does one of two routes (CT to Durban or Durban to CT), you run into the same people in each town. There's only about 50 people backpacking the whole thing, and 50% are going the same way you are, so you all get to know each other pretty well. By the time we reached Cape Town, we didn't go anywhere without running into people we knew... The Old Biscuit Mill Market in Woodstock, the reggae concert at the random backpackers, the bar down the street. It was fun. But now we're leaving our group of surf loving, coast travelers. Will it be the same going up? I've heard so, but I guess we'll see.
Anyway, this past weekend in Cape Town has been fun for sure. But we're ready to move on to places we haven't seen; uncharted territory... for us anyway.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Knysna's Nice.
Well, we did eventually make it out of the Humansdorp Wimpy. We arrived in Knysna (pronounced Nice-na) 14 hours after we left Jeffrey's Bay. Even though it was 10:30pm we could already tell this was a great town.
Knysna is a town situated on a lagoon off the ocean, with two cliffs looming over the enterance to the lagoon, called "the heads." If we would have had more time, we would have hiked up to the top of the heads, but when you only have a day, it's impossible to do everything.
We spent yesterday walking around town, "just getting lost" as the hostel owner told us to do. We wandered in and out of outdoor shopping complexes, had coffee at Mugg & Bean, bought a new tent for Anna Mae as hers lost a battle with the coastal storm the other day. We made our way down to the waterfront area, and enjoyed the views of the oyster boats coming in over a cup of coffee.
It was a nice relaxing day, we felt was well deserved, though we're still not sure why considering we sat in Wimpy's the whole day before... not exactly strenuous. ; )
Today we're headed to Mossel Bay to meet up with a German friend we met while in Jeffreys Bay. Then, it's off to Cape Town for the weekend, meeting up with all kinds of friends, old and new.
Knysna is a town situated on a lagoon off the ocean, with two cliffs looming over the enterance to the lagoon, called "the heads." If we would have had more time, we would have hiked up to the top of the heads, but when you only have a day, it's impossible to do everything.
We spent yesterday walking around town, "just getting lost" as the hostel owner told us to do. We wandered in and out of outdoor shopping complexes, had coffee at Mugg & Bean, bought a new tent for Anna Mae as hers lost a battle with the coastal storm the other day. We made our way down to the waterfront area, and enjoyed the views of the oyster boats coming in over a cup of coffee.
It was a nice relaxing day, we felt was well deserved, though we're still not sure why considering we sat in Wimpy's the whole day before... not exactly strenuous. ; )
Today we're headed to Mossel Bay to meet up with a German friend we met while in Jeffreys Bay. Then, it's off to Cape Town for the weekend, meeting up with all kinds of friends, old and new.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Humansdorp
Well, we're currently sitting in Wimpy (a Burger King basically) in some town called Humansdorp, waiting for a bus to Knysna tonight. I thought this would be a good time to get in some updates.
We left Port St John's for Coffee Bay a week ago and spent two full days there. The first day, we hiked with a group 10K to a place called "Hole in the Wall." The waves of the ocean had created a hole straight through this cliff in the bay. Apparently, you can usually swim out to it, but the sea was so rough from the recent storm that I'm pretty sure you would die if you swam in it. So we swam in front of it and ate grilled cheese while watching the waves crash through the hole.
The next day we hiked the opposite way to some cliffs off the shore. We ventured through a cave that the locals used many many years ago to escape the rain. It was then used not so long ago to hold and hide guns for the ANC during the aparthide era. After the cave, we hiked along the ledge to a "natural jacuzzi." It turned out to be a small pool in a crack between the cliffs. Not warm at all. Not only was it not warm in general, it was even colder when the waves crashed in from the ocean, into the mini cave the pool was in. It was quite the experience. Finally, we ended our day jumping from a "small" cliff 7m above the river. "bungee practice" we called it. Freaky is what I called it. We'll see how bungee jumping will go in a few weeks...
From Coffee Bay, we hitched a ride to a place called Cintsa. Hitch hiking seems to be the most accepted form of transportation in this area... Great if you're traveling with two boys as I was then. It's cheaper, faster and easier. Not great if you're traveling as two girls as we found out today.
After a little bit of trouble getting into our hostel (it's hard to have them pick you up when you have no idea where you are), we finally got to the beach. We spent the rest of the day, and half of the next, just hanging out in the sun. The water has gotten pretty cold the farther we've gone so we normally just enjoy the look of the ocean more so than the feel of it.
We jumped on a night bus the next night and headed to Jeffreys Bay (aka surf mecca) to meet up with our surfer friends who had gone ahead, chasing the storm.
After an almost 3 hour delay in East London, we finally arrived in Jeffreys Bay after 2am and promptly flopped in a bed. We've spent the last few days enjoying the surf, sand and sun. I haven't jumped on a board myself, but I throughly enjoy watching everyone else. We headed down to Supertubes yesterday, where the Billabong Pro competition is held every July. We spent a few hours watching Shauna's friend Joey "surf the green" super tubes. (not a technical surf term at all, in fact, we made up a lot of surf terms).
But our time traveling as a group has come to an end. Anna Mae and I are making our way towards Cape Town now, hoping to get there by the weekend, while others are going elsewhere. I hope we will be able to all meet up again along the way, but it's a big continent so we'll see.
Like I mentioned, we're currently suck in a town with a silly afrikaans name. We jumped on public transport early this morning, hoping to get into knysna early this afternoon. Little did we know that we seen to have hit the end of the public transport line. With no khumbis going onward from here, we were forced to buy a ticket for a greyhound bus, leaving at 8pm. We're going on hour 5 of 11 here at the Wimpy, meal 2 of 3. We're holding strong for now, but I think we'll hit our limit soon... Like i've hit their limit on their "no-limit" cokes...
We left Port St John's for Coffee Bay a week ago and spent two full days there. The first day, we hiked with a group 10K to a place called "Hole in the Wall." The waves of the ocean had created a hole straight through this cliff in the bay. Apparently, you can usually swim out to it, but the sea was so rough from the recent storm that I'm pretty sure you would die if you swam in it. So we swam in front of it and ate grilled cheese while watching the waves crash through the hole.
The next day we hiked the opposite way to some cliffs off the shore. We ventured through a cave that the locals used many many years ago to escape the rain. It was then used not so long ago to hold and hide guns for the ANC during the aparthide era. After the cave, we hiked along the ledge to a "natural jacuzzi." It turned out to be a small pool in a crack between the cliffs. Not warm at all. Not only was it not warm in general, it was even colder when the waves crashed in from the ocean, into the mini cave the pool was in. It was quite the experience. Finally, we ended our day jumping from a "small" cliff 7m above the river. "bungee practice" we called it. Freaky is what I called it. We'll see how bungee jumping will go in a few weeks...
From Coffee Bay, we hitched a ride to a place called Cintsa. Hitch hiking seems to be the most accepted form of transportation in this area... Great if you're traveling with two boys as I was then. It's cheaper, faster and easier. Not great if you're traveling as two girls as we found out today.
After a little bit of trouble getting into our hostel (it's hard to have them pick you up when you have no idea where you are), we finally got to the beach. We spent the rest of the day, and half of the next, just hanging out in the sun. The water has gotten pretty cold the farther we've gone so we normally just enjoy the look of the ocean more so than the feel of it.
We jumped on a night bus the next night and headed to Jeffreys Bay (aka surf mecca) to meet up with our surfer friends who had gone ahead, chasing the storm.
After an almost 3 hour delay in East London, we finally arrived in Jeffreys Bay after 2am and promptly flopped in a bed. We've spent the last few days enjoying the surf, sand and sun. I haven't jumped on a board myself, but I throughly enjoy watching everyone else. We headed down to Supertubes yesterday, where the Billabong Pro competition is held every July. We spent a few hours watching Shauna's friend Joey "surf the green" super tubes. (not a technical surf term at all, in fact, we made up a lot of surf terms).
But our time traveling as a group has come to an end. Anna Mae and I are making our way towards Cape Town now, hoping to get there by the weekend, while others are going elsewhere. I hope we will be able to all meet up again along the way, but it's a big continent so we'll see.
Like I mentioned, we're currently suck in a town with a silly afrikaans name. We jumped on public transport early this morning, hoping to get into knysna early this afternoon. Little did we know that we seen to have hit the end of the public transport line. With no khumbis going onward from here, we were forced to buy a ticket for a greyhound bus, leaving at 8pm. We're going on hour 5 of 11 here at the Wimpy, meal 2 of 3. We're holding strong for now, but I think we'll hit our limit soon... Like i've hit their limit on their "no-limit" cokes...
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Port St John's
Hey hey!
Well today we traveled from Port St John's to Coffee Bay, yet another small picturesque coastal town.
We had a good time in PSJ, hiking to the beaches and waterfalls and watching sunset's from airstrips atop the cliffs. It is a beautiful town set where the river meets the ocean. They've had an unfortunate amount of shark attacks the past few years so we stayed out of the water, but had a nice few days anyway. The backpackers we stayed at, Jungle Monkey's, was an interesting place, full of older people who couldn't quite leave the 60's in the past. But they had some awesome live music including a former contestant on Idols SA.
But we're moving on, and today we hopped in our friend's car and drove the few hours to Coffee Bay. We'll be staying here for the next few days, hiking to a place called "Hole in the Wall" tomorrow after the boys have a surf lesson in the morning. Should be a good few days.
Well today we traveled from Port St John's to Coffee Bay, yet another small picturesque coastal town.
We had a good time in PSJ, hiking to the beaches and waterfalls and watching sunset's from airstrips atop the cliffs. It is a beautiful town set where the river meets the ocean. They've had an unfortunate amount of shark attacks the past few years so we stayed out of the water, but had a nice few days anyway. The backpackers we stayed at, Jungle Monkey's, was an interesting place, full of older people who couldn't quite leave the 60's in the past. But they had some awesome live music including a former contestant on Idols SA.
But we're moving on, and today we hopped in our friend's car and drove the few hours to Coffee Bay. We'll be staying here for the next few days, hiking to a place called "Hole in the Wall" tomorrow after the boys have a surf lesson in the morning. Should be a good few days.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Durbs
Hey Everyone!
Well we made it to Durban as PADI Certified Scuba Divers! We finished our scuba diving course on Monday after two sweet days in the ocean. We did 2 dives for two days and it was probably one of the coolest things I've done. We saw turtles and Manta Rays and all kinds of cool fish. After our course, we jumped on a khumbi in Mbazwana for the 4 hour ride to Durban. We finally left around 2pm so we rolled into the city well after dark. Having never been to the city, I was really happy I wasn't alone coming into the strange, huge city after dark, and our driver was very helpful and drove Anna Mae and I straight to the door of our hostel where, to our surprise, we found Eric and Mike Burke hanging out as well. We have been hanging in Durban for the past few days, cruising around town, drinking beer on the beach and (everyone else) eating sea food.
We're heading out tomorrow, after celebrating Women's Day today, and going to Port St John's where Anna Mae and I will continue chilling on the beach, planning our moves to the next beach, and the boys will head out for multiple day hikes, while Shauna continues to surf. It's quite the life I have to say. We get up whenever we wake up, walk around exploring a new town, spend the afternoon on the beach drinking beer, and then either hit the sack early or the town till late. Then, it's on to the next town. And this will be my life for the next three months. Living the dream, eh?
Well we made it to Durban as PADI Certified Scuba Divers! We finished our scuba diving course on Monday after two sweet days in the ocean. We did 2 dives for two days and it was probably one of the coolest things I've done. We saw turtles and Manta Rays and all kinds of cool fish. After our course, we jumped on a khumbi in Mbazwana for the 4 hour ride to Durban. We finally left around 2pm so we rolled into the city well after dark. Having never been to the city, I was really happy I wasn't alone coming into the strange, huge city after dark, and our driver was very helpful and drove Anna Mae and I straight to the door of our hostel where, to our surprise, we found Eric and Mike Burke hanging out as well. We have been hanging in Durban for the past few days, cruising around town, drinking beer on the beach and (everyone else) eating sea food.
We're heading out tomorrow, after celebrating Women's Day today, and going to Port St John's where Anna Mae and I will continue chilling on the beach, planning our moves to the next beach, and the boys will head out for multiple day hikes, while Shauna continues to surf. It's quite the life I have to say. We get up whenever we wake up, walk around exploring a new town, spend the afternoon on the beach drinking beer, and then either hit the sack early or the town till late. Then, it's on to the next town. And this will be my life for the next three months. Living the dream, eh?
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