Garden Route Itinerary

This weekend I'm driving part of the infamous Garden Route with four friends. We’ve just worked out the details, and it’s looking like it will be an amazing time. We’re leaving Thursday evening and driving to Stellendam, a little town along the N2 about two or three hours from Cape Town. The hostel, or ‘backpackers’ as hostels are called in South Africa, in Stellendam looks really cute. They have a braai every evening, which will be a welcome treat. Friday morning we will take off for Plettenberg Bay where we will stay Friday and Saturday nights. The drive shouldn’t be more than five hours and it’s supposed to be beautiful. We don’t have anything planned for Friday so we can take our time on the drive and really take in the scenery. The backpackers in Plettenberg Bay is right in town, so we’ll be able to go exploring if we have time to spare in the evening. Saturday morning we’re all doing the Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump. It’s the tallest commercial bungee jump in operation in the world (216 meters!). I’m nervous to do it, but I know that if I don’t I will regret it. So I’m trying not to think about it too much. We’re leaving Saturday afternoon open to do any number of fun things like horseback ride through Tsikamma National Park, visit a cheetah sanctuary, go to a monkey park, etc. Sunday morning we’ve scheduled a canopy tour in Tsikamma National Park. I’m really looking forward to it. For three hours we zip line between trees in the park and learn about the forest. I’ve never zip lined and I’ve always wanted to, so I’m psyched. We head back Sunday afternoon, so it’s kind of a short trip but I think we’ll be able to pack if full of fun things. I’ll be sure to give a full account of my adventures once I’m back.

The Mullet Issue

Cape Town is full of beautiful people. I think there is something about the South African sun or something in the water, because people are just bred differently here. UCT students definitely dress nicer for class than UW students. No basketball shorts or sweatpants here. UCT students must view walking on campus as a modeling competition, because they really put thought into what they wear to class. It makes for some delicious eye candy and people watching. But for all the great style of South Africans, there is one glaring, major problem. Mullets. They’re everywhere. Whereas in the US, the mullet died with the 1900’s, it’s still very much a part modern style here in Cape Town. I’m not talking a bad haircut-induced mullet that you get fixed asap, but full blown, business in the front, party in the back, mullets. I don’t know what causes these otherwise good-looking guys to get a mullet, but it’s an epidemic. A touch of insanity? Belated American fashion finally making its way to South Africa? I wouldn’t know, because I never get close enough to one of these mulletted boys to ask. I’m too afraid that whatever illness that caused them to get a mullet is contagious. Other than the mullet issue, South Africans are truly beautiful people who in general have a great sense of fashion.

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

I had my first volunteer day for SHAWCO today. It was the first day so everything was somewhat unorganized. We left late and the bus didn’t have enough space for everyone, so we had to squish. I volunteer at a girls’ home, St. George’s, about fifteen minutes from campus. The girls are all ages and they have all been removed from their homes by child protective services. When we got there most of the girls weren’t around for various reasons, so we spent most of the time hearing about the history of St. George’s and all that they do there. The St. George’s staff works very hard at reuniting the girls with their families, and last year reunited seven families. Girls started coming in a little while before we had to leave, and it was nice to meet them. Most of them are really friendly and have a lot of energy. They are really excited for us to come every week and you can definitely feed off of that energy. I’m really looking forward to going to St. George’s every week. The ratio works out that it’s about one girl to one student, so we have the opportunity to form a real bond. That they’re excited to get to know us makes me much more excited to start volunteering.

I’m currently totally obsessed with learning the South African national anthem. It’s in five different languages: Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English. The national anthem has an interesting history, since it combines the anthem from the Apartheid era and a hymn called ‘Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika’ (‘Lord Bless Africa’), which is the actual title of the anthem. It’s a pretty song, and I really like that it’s in five languages. I tried to include a link to where you can listen to it, but my internet is running wild so I can’t. If you get the chance, search for it on YouTube and listen. Another South African song that I’ve been listening to nonstop is the ‘Shosholoza’ as performed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It’s so beautiful, and South Africans play it at all of their sporting events. Shosholoza is the name of a long distance train in South Africa, and the sound of the song is supposed to sound like the sound of a train. The song is also significant because it’s come to represent unity, strength, and pride of South Africans for their country and people. Try to check out ‘Shosholoza’ by Ladysmith Black Mambazo if you get the chance. My friends can attest to my obsession with these two songs, as I am constantly singing them.

Next weekend I’m driving the Garden Route with four friends. The Garden Route is a beautiful stretch of coastal highway along the southern coast. We’re renting a car and taking off Thursday evening. The drive to Knysna, where we’ll be staying, is about six hours from Cape Town. Between Cape Town and Knysna (pronounced nys-na) is nothing but beautiful scenery and small coastal towns. I’m sure the drive will be reminiscent of the wonderful road trip I took with my mom this summer down Highway 101. Hopefully there won’t be as many drop-offs or hairpin turns as there were on Highway 101. The road we take is the N2. You can take it for a really long time, maybe farther than Port Elizabeth, but we’re not making it that far since we have to get back for school. There are a ton of cool things to do around Knysna, like bungee jumping (highest bungee jump in the world!), canopy tours, elephant parks, cheetah reserves, ostrich farms, just to name a few. I’m really looking forward to doing a trip without a tour group. Everything up until now has been organized by travel organizations. It will surly be an adventure!

I added more pictures to my Picasa page. I’ve also added captions and reorganized the album. Be sure to check it out! http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahcaldwell9/CapeTown#.

A Concert in Kirstenbosch

As I mentioned in my Sunday post, last night I went to the Kirstenbosch Gardens for an outdoor concert. I had such an amazing time. Not only are the gardens breathtakingly beautiful, but my friends and I packed a picnic for the gods. I’ll start with the gardens. It was hot hot hot all day Sunday in Obs. I could barely think it was so hot. But Kirstenbosch, being on the other side of Table Mountain, was blessed with a pleasantly cool evening. It was the perfect escape from a sweltering day. The concert grounds are in the gardens on a sloping field bordered with a variety of plants and trees and with Table Mountain as a background. The music was good, with lots of slow jams since it was Valentine’s Day. My group sat right in front of this one woman who was really digging the music. She danced and sang along to every song. It got kind of weird when she tried to get the guys to dance with her. It was so relaxing to sit in such a beautiful place and listen to groovy music. The atmosphere was perfect for a Sunday night. We brought such an amazing picnic of freshly baked bread, various veggie and dips, cheese (of course, since we’re all from Wisconsin), nutella, and other goodies. We pigged out like the royalty we are, or at least like we felt we were. I cannot describe the awesomeness of Table Mountain as seen from Kirstenbosch. My camera died right when we got there, so I don’t have any pictures. As soon as I get some from my friends I will post them. I definitely will go to another concert at Kirstenbosch. The experience was pure bliss. 

From Cape Town, with Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! Right now, I’m celebrating by eating a very yummy heart-shaped cookie at Cocoa Cha Chi with two of my favorite ladies. Later today, I’m going to an outdoor concert at the Kirstenbosch Gardens. We’re bringing a picnic complete with wine and cheese. The concerts there sound a lot like the Ravinia Festival, and I’m really excited to go. My main squeeze is in the Argentinean wilderness, so I’m sending him extra love given the holiday. 

I had a very full day yesterday. In the morning I had a SHAWCO meeting. SHAWCO is a UCT student organization that places students as mentors in various townships. The program I’m doing is called Masizame. Every week I will go to an all girls orphanage to teach what is called life orientation. Basically, we try to empower the girls and teach them about various life skills. I’m really looking forward to starting the program.

In the afternoon I went to yet another delicious braai. This time the host was Andrew, the guy who took us to Mzoli’s last week. Andrew lives in a township not far from Cape Town. We had to drive past very poor areas to get to his house. If you’ve seen District 9, then you know the kinds of places we were driving through. Andrew lives in a nicer area, and it was interesting to see what life is like in the townships. I don’t know if it’s the same every Saturday afternoon or if this was a special occasion, but there was such a relaxed party atmosphere. There were people from the neighborhood hanging out in the street, where music was blaring and drinks flowing. The neighborhood men organized a soccer tournament, and a few of the people from my group got to play. There were children galore in this neighborhood and they all loved to play with us. We served as their jungle gyms for the day. At one point, I think every one of us had a child on our shoulders. It was really fun to play with the kids. They especially loved wearing our sunglasses and getting us to take pictures of them. Andrew’s sister Ivy cooked for us. Ivy made salads for us to eat at Mzoli’s last week, and it was such a treat to get a second round of her delicious cooking. I really enjoyed yesterday afternoon with its wonderful food, happy children, and block party atmosphere. 

Ok now, everybody grab a child!

Pigging out

The one and only Ivy

Last night I got to see my longtime friend Eric, who is studying in Stellenbosch for the semester. I’ve known Eric since middle school, and it was so much fun to party with him in the Mother City. Etown blood runs deep, and it’s nice to get a taste of home when you’re so far away. I plan on going to Stellenbosch soon so I can see what his South African experience is like. Apparently, the Stellenbosch University kids party harder that the UCT kids, so I think I’ll be in for a good time when I do end up going.

I finished Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom today. It was amazing. He included everything from his early childhood to his presidency. The book provided a glimpse of the personal side of such a great and significant man. It is amazing to learn about the struggles he faced and all that he had to overcome in order to liberate South Africa. I’m glad to be here at a time when I can see the manifestations of his accomplishments. I can’t believe that in my lifetime, South Africa went through such a transformation. I look forward to learning more about South Africa’s history and the experience of other freedom fighters. Everyone should read Long Walk to Freedom. It might be 625 pages, but it’s worth the weeks (or in my case, months) you spend getting to know one of the most important men of our lifetime.

-Sarah

Surf's up, bru!

It’s been a day over three weeks since I landed in Cape Town. Every day of these three weeks has been amazing, and I absolutely love it here. The reality of being here is starting to set in, and even though I feel a little homesick sometimes, I know I made the right decision in coming here. The people I’ve met are amazing, and they make for a good time no matter what. And in a place as beautiful and welcoming as Cape Town, it’s hard to feel homesick for long.

This afternoon I went to Muizenberg and tried surfing for the first time. Luckily, I went with all girls and most of them had never gone before either. At Muizenberg there is a local surf shop that rents out boards for fifty rand an hour. The boards were huge! I couldn’t even get my arms around mine to carry it to where we were sitting. I was so nervous about surfing! I’m not that good of a swimmer and the waves were quite large. But in we went, and it was quite hilarious. We couldn’t really get that far out because the waves kept crashing on us. I was definitely struggling. There is a lifeguard who I’ve met a few times at the beach, and earlier we had been talking about how it was my first time surfing. He must have noticed that we were all struggling because he came out on his board and helped us out. It was so nice to have him in the water with us, basically giving us a free lesson. He taught us how to get through the waves without getting tossed around and some of the other basics. He was really helpful. I never really got the hang of it, but it was really nice just chilling out on the boards past the point where the waves were breaking. We went out so far! At one point our group was the farthest group of surfers from the shore. I really enjoyed floating around on my board in the ocean. It was really peaceful. Getting back into shore was all but impossible. I didn’t really know how to ‘catch a wave’ so I ended up getting tossed around and falling off my board. Luckily, the lifeguard was there to get me out of what could have been a panicky situation. In all, I rode two waves. I never actually stood up, but just laid on my board as it coasted to shore. It’s surprising how fast you go. I will definitely try surfing again, especially because the lifeguard told us to go get him whenever we went surfing so he could go in with us. The shop that rents surfboards also rents out boogie boards, so I think I will spend a day getting my boogie board on. 

At Muizenberg there is this amazing ice cream/frozen yogurt place called Sinful that has the best ice cream. I rewarded myself for all my hard work and bruises with a scoop. There’s also this amazing bakery that has chocolate croissants that are to die for. They bake them throughout the day so they’re always fresh. I’m all about the food here, if you can’t tell. 

Today also wrapped up my first week of classes. I won’t dwell on this idea of school, because it doesn’t do much to brighten my day, but I think I will like this semester. Today in my social work class, we had a guest speaker who played a huge role in organizing the social welfare policy when Apartheid ended. It was amazing to hear all of the planning and coordination that went into the making of new social service system. She spoke a lot about the climate at the end of Apartheid and about Nelson Mandela’s release, since the twenty-year anniversary of his release was yesterday. It turns out my social work professor had a large role in coordinating the development of new social policy, and it really makes me excited to learn from her. 

OK, here’s the Kit Kat update: according to Wikipedia (yes, I wikied Kit Kats), Kit Kats are made differently in the US than everywhere else in the world. Here in South Africa, they are made with more milk and less artificial sugar than in the US. How about that? I wasn’t going crazy, there really is a difference! I plan on buying a ton (yes, a TON) of Kit Kats to bring back with me. They are that good. I’m getting my friends to try them, and they all agree that the difference is there. If anyone wants a delicious South African Kit Kat Chunky bar, let me know and I will work on getting one to you. 

Well, I’m off. I only have about 25 pages of Long Walk to Freedom left and it’s about time I finish it.  

-Sarah

And so it begins...class.

Sadly, the day finally came when classes started. Today, Monday, the honeymoon ended and I started what I came to Cape Town to do (well, at least officially), which is study. I'm taking three classes: sacred image, which looks at Christian iconography in film, Italian Renaissance art, West African art, and South African art; a social work class which I have yet to attend, since it meets Tuesday through Friday, but according to the course manual looks at South African social work structures both before and after the Apartheid as well as international social work institutions; and a history class about African genocide. Even though I'm not really looking forward to adjusting to a set schedule (especially one that impedes on my beachgoing), I think these classes will be very interesting. My art history class, sacred image, is starting with film which is exciting because I've never taken a class about film before. The class about genocide will be extremely interesting, and the teacher seems great.

But to be honest, I can't really be too sad about starting class since this is where my classes are:

Complain all I might, I know how beautiful this place is and how lucky I am to be studying here. I'm looking forward to learning things I would never learn back home while in a new and exciting environment. I think it will be rejuvenating for my academic life. 

Something fun that comes along with starting school is the sports. I went to my first rugby game this afternoon. I got to watch the Ikey Tigers, UCT's teams' mascot (I prefer saying 'icky' to how it's really pronounced, like 'eye-key') fight it out against a rival university. I look forward to seeing more games to come. I'm also excited to start up with the clubs I joined. UCT has some really amazing clubs, and international students get to join three for free. One club I joined is Mountain and Ski, which involves a lot of hiking and climbing. I also joined the underwater club, where I can get certified to scuba dive and go on lots of fun diving trips throughout the semester. 

I signed up for a spring break trip today. I'm spending ten days in March camping in Botswana and Zimbabwe. In Botswana I'll go on safari in this one park that has a huge elephant population. In Zimbabwe I'll go to Victoria Falls and go rafting down the Zambezi River. Fun, eh? I can't wait. What makes the trip really special is that we camp for the whole time. It's a relief to have all the planning taken care of, since a travel agency sets everything up. It gives me more time to plan other trips and adventures that are less daunting than the all-important spring break. 

In food news, I finally went grocery shopping for substantial foods. Tonight I successfully made my first dinner here in Cape Town that consisted of something besides Cheerios or yogurt. I also have taken to eating Kit Kat's fairly often. There is something different about the Kit Kat's here. Maybe it's that they're called Kit Kat Chunky or that they're cheap, or maybe they have some extra additives not legal in the US, but I'm totally hooked. So that's what I've been up to lately: class, planning adventures, and eating Kit Kat's. Peace out, peeps. 

-Sarah

Braais, Beaches, and Wine

I’ve done a good job of crossing goals off of my list.  Here’s the rundown so far:

• CAGE DIVING. Cage diving was amazing.  We drove to the coast at eight in the morning, which took about two hours.  When we got there, there was a delicious breakfast set up for us and we got going right after eating.  On the way out our guides explained everything we would be doing and how trip would work.  We rode out to where the cage was anchored and reeled it toward the boat, which wasn’t parked too far offshore.  Then the guides threw a fish mixture into the water to attract the sharks.  The guides explained that sometimes the sharks could take minutes to come or they could take hours.  Luckily, two sharks come up the boat almost immediately.  It was so cool to see the sharks!  They were huge.  The first five divers, me and four friends, got into our wet suits right away and hopped into the tank, which was secured to the side of the boat.  Whenever a shark came close enough to the cage, the guides would yell ‘Down!!’ and we would have to push down to the bottom of the tank and push our faces up to the very front of the cage.  I think I had the best spot to watch because the sharks kept coming right up to me.  The first time one came close was freaky, but it was more exciting than scary.  After a while, I started to get really seasick.  The boat was so small and the waves were fairly big, so we were constantly rocking.  After spending about thirty minutes in the cage, we got out to watch the sharks from the boat.  I was incredibly seasick for the rest of the trip, but I still got to see all the sharks.  Even though I was sick, the trip was amazing, and I would do it again in a second.  Eight different sharks came to the boat, all between 2.5 and 3 meters.  There was one really enormous one that kept swimming right next to the boat under where I was standing.  Cage diving totally changed my opinion of sharks.  Instead of being terrified of them and thinking of them as monsters, now I kind of like them.  They are really beautiful and seeing them in the wild is very powerful. 
• STELLENBOSCH.  I went on a cycling tour of four vineyards in Stellenbosch, the wine country just outside of Cape Town.  A group of about twenty of us took the train to Stellenbosch and got fitted with bikes through the tour group Bikes and Wine.  We then proceeded on our trek through the wine country.  Stellenbosch is really beautiful, with rolling hills and a background of crazy beautiful mountains.  It was hot out, and the biking was not easy.  There were lots of areas of sand on the trail, which made it hard to pick up any momentum because we were constantly stopping.  The scenery and delicious wine made up for the difficult biking.  The second vineyard we went to made brandy, and we tried ten and twelve year brandy as well as a peach/apricot/brandy mixture.  I struggled with the brandy, which was really strong but delicious.  We also had this drink called Angle Share, a creamy milky delicious brandy.  We all drank a lot at the second vineyard, which made getting to the third vineyard all but impossible.  Almost all of us walked our bikes for at least part of the ride.  The views on this leg of the trip were especially amazing. 

One of the many amazing views from the wine tour.

• ROBBEN ISLAND.  I went on a tour of Robben Island the other day.  I wish I could say how amazing and powerful it was, but honestly, the tour fell short.  Not to say I didn’t enjoy it and wouldn’t recommend going, but the tour was nothing like I thought it would be.  We drove around the island in a bus for the first half of the tour.  It was cool to see the quarry where the prisoners worked during the days and the wildlife and scenery was great.  The prison itself was interesting.  An ex-political prisoner led our tour, and we got a firsthand account of what life was like on Robben Island. 

A pic from Robben Island, where one of the ex-political prisoners was kept for years after he was supposed to be released.

• V&A WATERFRONT.  The ferry from Robben Island leaves from the V&A waterfront, so going there was inevitable.  It is such a nice area, with upscale shopping and delicious food.  I had such an amazing fish dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants. 

In other news, I went to an amazing braai (BBQ) yesterday called Mzoli's.  Mzoli's is the absolutely amazing restaurant that is known for having some of the best meat in the world.  The food was amazing! We drove out to the township where the restaurant is in the early afternoon and immediately went to the bottle shop (liquor store) to get our booze for the day.  Then the party started.  We had lamb, chicken, sausage, squash, and pasta salad.  It was such a delicious meal.  Then we danced off all we ate for the rest of the day.

My plate at Mzoli's.  Yum. 

Classes started on Friday, and since it was a syllabus day and none of the professors were showing up, I decided to skip out early and hit the beach instead.  What a great decision!  I went to Muizenberg with some friends.  A few rented surfboards but I just wanted to be a beach bum for the day.  The weather was great, the water was clear and warm, and the waves were fun.  That night a friend had a braai at his house-yet another night of great food and friends. 

Beautiful Muizenberg.  I love the colorful bathhouses.

Right now I'm sitting at Cocoa Cha Chi, a local internet cafe.  They have these amazing chocolate cakes which, when warmed up, have oozing gooey chocolate in the middle.  It's not really a cake, but a bun-looking thing with a somewhat crunchy exterior, soft cake inside, and then the molten chocolate middle.  Basically, they're the best things I've ever eaten, and going to Cocoa Cha Chi to use the internet is an amazing excuse to buy a cake.  Speaking of cake, I'm going to go buy one and eat it!  Bye for now.

-Sarah