Day 37 (10-02-10)

I brought my Lucky Charms to breakfast today… what an underutilized resource. Global Studies class was a lecture from Desmond Tutu. He basically just told stories the whole time, and then people from the crowd asked him questions. Sooooo it was the best Global class we’ve had thus far. Also, I realize that some people might not know much about Desmond Tutu and his history, but that can easily be gleaned from Wikipedia or some other internet search. But just to give a hint about the Desmond Tutu that we’ve come to know on the voyage… well Giggles and I have come up with one comparison that we think works best. If you want to know what it’s like to be in the Archbishop’s presence… watch the Lion King. Desmond Tutu is Rafiki. They have the same laugh and they both impart wisdom upon their followers. Seriously…. Rafiki.

Taco Day number 3! It’s always the best surprise when we get to lunch and it’s Taco Day. I almost skipped my 12:15 class so I could fully indulge in the epic immensity of the day. But I finished early enough that it wasn’t a problem.

Also, I was in the dining hall for 2 hours eating dinner tonight. We got there right at 17:30 when dinner opened, and stayed for the entirety of mealtime. It probably doesn’t seem that weird, but I can’t remember the last time I just sat in the dining hall while they set up/served/tore down dinner. Time flies. Logistical Pre-port for South Africa tonight… Cape Town isn’t the safest city in the world. Not by a long shot. Don’t get mugged. Don’t be stupid tourists or you WILL get mugged. Travel in groups. The usual. Sounds lekker. Goodnight!

Day 38 (10-03-10)

I’m back in Cape Town! Wow, I love this city. We woke up early to watch the ship come into the harbor, but still missed it. I guess 5am wasn’t early enough. Oh well. It’s a clear day and Table Mountain looks even more incredible than I remember. And I’m climbing it again this morning. But more on that later.

I don’t know if it’s because we’re coming from Ghana or because we’re here for 6 days (instead of the 5 that we spent last year), but our passports were stamped with South African visas when we got here this morning, so I have another sticker in the book! It’s only half a page and rather plain, but it’s always exciting to have more visas in the passport.

American foreign service officers came onboard this morning to give us our briefing for Cape Town, and I think they went a bit overboard this time around. A security officer from the American Consulate was there and he decided to give everyone a worst-case scenario of things that could and probably will happen during our stay in Cape Town. How many of you are going to Long Street? Ha, good luck. Several of you will be mugged. If you aren’t “situationally aware,” you might even be sexually assaulted. Going to a township? Ha, have fun. I hope you don’t mind being attacked and robbed. Using a credit card anywhere? That should be fun for you, as long as you don’t mind funding a shopping spree for a random South African. They will steal your information. You basically can’t avoid it. Oh and by the way, enjoy Cape Town!

Seriously? I understand that these things happen, and we have a large group of students flooding into the city at one time, but there’s no reason to present the information in this way. Emphasize caution and tell us about the risks, but don’t guarantee that someone in this room will be violently attacked and robbed. People left that room afraid to venture off the ship. I reassured them as well as I could, and gave them my own personal assessment of the city, but his words really stuck with some people. It was rather unfortunate.

Anyway, we debarked with a group of 9 (way too many, I know) and headed across the V&A Waterfront for an ATM and some taxis. 15 minutes through the city and up the mountainside, and we arrived at the lower cable car station of Table Mountain National Park. We walked another mile up the road to the starting point of the main hiking trail up Table Mountain: Platteklip Gorge. Here, our big group split into several smaller ones, as we had varying amounts of climbing experience between us and it was necessary to travel at different speeds. But I’d just like to mention that I must be in worse shape than last year, because this hike was much more difficult than I remember it. Oh man. Nothing reminds you that you’re out of shape like struggling to climb up a 3,500-foot-tall mountain. It was pretty sad. But my friend Michaella and I (the two CU-Boulder-ites) were the first of our group to make it to the top, with 6 others following about 30-45 minutes later. The 9th person quit early and took the cable car up to the top instead. So I guess comparatively I did pretty well, it just hurt more than I would care to admit. Luckily, this morning was perfectly clear, so the hike up to the top offered some great views. As soon as we got to the top, though: cloud cover. The tablecloth came and covered up the mountain, hindering the view of the city and the beaches below. But we really didn’t mind; the clouds offered us some cold air and relief from the heat of the day. Michaella and I met back up with the cable car straggler and grabbed some lunch at the Table Mountain café. A delicious burger with barbeque and mushroom cream sauces. And water. Lots of water. After some rest and a lap around the gift shop, we met up with the rest of the group. They sat down to eat and tour the top of the mountain for a bit, but Michaella and I were ready to go. We caught the cable car back down the mountain (such a great ride with beautiful, 360-degree views of Cape Town and the surrounding area) and grabbed a taxi back to the waterfront area.

Shower. Change clothes. Grab computer.

We went to Quay Four (a restaurant on the waterfront) for WiFi and Fish n Chips. Didn’t we just eat food on top of Table Mountain? Yes. Yes we did. You’ll probably notice pretty soon that I spent a large portion of my time in Cape Town eating. When everything you eat is delicious, it’s hard to stop. After lunch #2, we walked over to the mall on the waterfront and rejoined Krystal, who had just come back from the hike up the mountain. We did some minor grocery shopping and used Skype to call friends and family back home. What? I know, I know. I’m in South Africa and I’m spending my time in an upscale shopping mall for free internet. It was necessary. And we were waiting for other friends to get back from their respective trips so that we could dine together for the evening. Speaking of which…

We ate at the Green Dolphin tonight! Anyone who read my blog last year might remember the Green Dolphin as the jazz bar that I went to every single night. But I never actually ate any food there. Since I was still a bit full from my double lunches, I managed only to indulge in a crème bruleé (unbelievable) and a couple drinks. The PanGalactic Gargle Blaster. Yeah. Apparently it’s a reference to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but I never read that book. It was delicious and blue. Some blend of vodka, peach schnapps, blue curacao and lemonade (I think). Tasty. Oh and we had a round of Springbok shots. Because they’re my favorite. Crème de menthe and Amarula. Like drinking a thin mint. And after we finished there it was on to Mitchell’s, another pub on the waterfront. A nacho plate and several drinks later, it was time to stagger back to the ship. I’m not entirely sure what’s in a fish bowl, but it’s always delicious. I also had some girly drink that was basically an alcoholic vanilla milkshake with raspberry crème. It’s nice to be able to go out for a few drinks with friends and relax. We’re within walking distance of the ship, and the port waterfront area is a bustling, upscale place, so safety isn’t a concern. Oh, and I realize it might seem as though I was being a bit of a stereotypical alcoholic college student, but that’s not the case. We aren’t the rowdy type, and it was a very low-key evening. I just enjoy the pub atmosphere when I’m able to indulge with a few good friends. Another day in Cape Town awaits tomorrow… goodnight!

Day 39 (10-04-10)

Breakfast was rather empty this morning. AKA- my friends slept in, so I had to search for them and wake them up. Four of us (Jacob from UCSD, Nick from Hood College, Michaella from Boulder and me) walked into the city to check out the downtown area. It was a solid 45-minute walk and it was cool to see the city center. I never made it into the heart of the city last year (aside from one night on Long Street at Mama Africa), so it was nice to get in and see what was there. We made it to Green Market Square, the craft market area and breezed by it pretty quickly. At this point we were basically starving, so we walked up Long Street looking for some food. Luckily, our indecision paid off because we didn’t stop until about the 16th restaurant: The Royale Eatery. It was delicious. We all got burgers and shakes. Unfortunately, a large party before us bought the last of the ostrich meat, but the beef burger was fantastic, so it’s okay. And the milkshake was chocolate and Smartie flavored. Apparently Smarties in South Africa are a brand of chocolate chip-type thing. I was a bit worried that I might get a milkshake with the American Smarties on it, but I’m sure that would’ve been doable as well.

After lunch, we walked back through the city to the waterfront. We stopped in a craft market and the people sitting next to us happened to read the back of my yellow Colorado t-shirt. Lo and behold, they recognized the fight song. The woman was a CU alumnus from 1965 and her husband was a UCLA grad. We told them all about Semester At Sea and I think I successfully recruited two more future lifelong learners. It was just funny that, halfway around the world, I can still bump into random Coloradans.

After shopping, you guessed it: More food. Back to Mitchell’s! Spaghetti Bolognaise. Not necessarily a native dish, but delicious nonetheless. And since we’re creatures of habit, guess where we went afterward? Yes. The Green Dolphin. We ordered several drinks (seriously, the cocktails at this place are awesome) including the best one yet: Warm Apple Pie. It was warm apple cider with vodka and a layer of cream/cinnamon on top. The Springbok shot is still my favorite, but this was the best cocktail I had tasted so far. After a couple hours of jokes, conversation, drinking and jazz, we headed back to the ship. Michaella and Jacob leave for safari early tomorrow morning so we wanted to be back at a somewhat decent hour. As for me… I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do tomorrow. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.

Day 40 (10-05-10)

Wake up. Walk out on deck. View Table Mountain. Realize that this is real life. Smile.

I’m really enjoying the laid-back, people-watching aspect of this voyage so far. I know Asia is going to be a whirlwind with the ridiculous trips I have planned, so it’s nice to relax here for a few days without being rushed and trying to do 18 things at once. As such, I didn’t plan very much of anything for today. Like, at all. I went out onto the waterfront alone for the morning and tried to plan out some things for Mauritius and India while I had access to free internet. Unfortunately, I was not very successful in those endeavors. Goal for Mauritius: find/book a Villa/Hotel room for a group of friends to split for the one evening we’re there. This was destined to be futile on such short notice (since other SAS kids have booked half the villas on the island already), but I thought I might be able to find a beachfront hotel room for a somewhat decent price. But it wasn’t meant to be. Most places required a minimum of 2 nights stay, or were exorbitantly expensive. Or both. So I bailed on that idea. Goal for India: Book my flights from Chennai to Mumbai, Mumbai to Kashmir, and back again. Fail. The two websites I was looking into for Indian air travel were either glitchy or just wouldn’t except my credit card. Figures. Looks like I’ll be going to the airport in Chennai and walking onto the first plane with an empty seat. Which is actually pretty awesome, so I’m not disappointed.

Went to Quay Four for lunch again and got a great chicken sandwich with peri peri sauce. I have no idea what’s in it, but it’s delicious (Update: Peri peri is sometimes called African Red Devil. It’s made from an African chili pepper. Interesting).

After lunch, I walked back to the ship to put my computer back onboard just in time to see that Giggles is back! Her safari had just ended, so we walked back to the mall and went to Melissa’s, the amazing coffee shop with Nutella Hot Chocolate. And it was still as delicious as I remember. We did some minor grocery shopping and then headed back into downtown Cape Town/Greenmarket Square. Didn’t I just do that yesterday? Yep! But this place is so great, I’m just happy to be here. Doing whatever. We took a different route, saw a different part of the city, and had a great time walking around.

We walked back and met up with our buddy Nimish (also UCSD) for dinner at a Thai restaurant called Wang Thai. Thai food and sushi in South Africa? I like it. Chicken Pad Thai, Philadelphia Roll, Spring rolls = happy taste buds. And my cocktail for the evening: Sex On Phuket Beach. Don’t remember what was in it… but it was basically a Sex On the Beach with something else added to make it special. But it was tasty.

And back to the Green Dolphin! It sounds lame, I know. But we love it. More cocktails and shots. Aaaand afterward, I wasn’t tired and didn’t have anything going on the next day. So I ventured over into the shopping mall around 2am (they leave the doors unlocked, so I was just hanging out with the janitors and security guards) and I got on Skype. 2am was about 7pm EST and 5pm MST, so I was able to make a phone call or two and video chat with my long lost love, Mandy Osetek! Oh, Spring ’09. It was great to be able to talk with some people… no one was awake last time I had internet. But yeah… late night in the shopping mall: a bit creepy. Oh well. Time for bed! Three days down, three days to go!

Day 41 (10-06-10)

Sleep in, lunch on the ship. What sounds good today? Just about everyone I know is on safari or shark diving today, so it’s another free day of personal wandering and exploration. How about Green Point Stadium? Perfect. It’s Cape Town’s venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was massively under construction last year when we were here, and it has since hosted several World Cup matches including the semi-final match between Uruguay and the Netherlands. They offer public tours of the stadium on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and today is Wednesday. Hmm. Wednesdays are supposed to be days when local school groups book the venue for private tours, but I guess they just want the extra revenue because I was able to book a tour anyway. It was about a 30-minute walk from the waterfront and the ship, just around the corner. Once there, I met up with two other random SASers who happened to be on the same tour. The guide took us into the ”visitor’s center,” which was a 20x20 room with a few TVs and a model of the stadium. From there, we walked around the main concourse and through to some of the special event areas. Certain rooms are set aside for conferences and gatherings, so we watched one of them transform into a convention hall. We kept climbing stairs up into the VIP area with private restaurants and club level seating. But then we got to experience the best parts of the tour: the ground level. The guide swiped her ID card and ushered us into the stadium’s police headquarters and jail. Around the corner, we went into the home team’s locker room and training/health facility. But the best was saved for last. A short walk around the corner was the tunnel to the pitch. We went out onto the field and saw the stadium from ground level. The grass was being tended to by a grounds keeping crew and it was off-limits for running and such, but we could touch it and feel what it was like to be there. It’s kind of eerie being on the field of such a large stadium (60,000+) when it’s completely empty. I can only imagine what it was like to be there when it was full. Insane.

Afterward, I was in all hyped up for the World Cup again, so I found an awesome store that sold official merchandise. I grabbed a couple t-shirts and a vuvuzela. Of course. At this point I bumped into some friends who had been shark diving, so I walked over to Melissa’s and found Giggles and our buddy Shao-Bo. A mug of nutella hot chocolate later and it was time to head back to the ship for showers and dinner planning.

Giggles, Krystal and I decided to have a fancy-ish dinner at Camp’s Bay this evening. We hailed a cab and ended up at a restaurant on the beach called The Pepper Club. Random side note: Last year, I ate at a restaurant on the beach very nearby that was called The Bungalow, and it was incredible. I looked for it when we were down there just for nostalgia’s sake, but apparently it closed and is under a new name now. Sad day. Our dinner was amazing though. Between the three of us, we had: Fried tempura prawn and other assorted sushi, a lamb burger, and spaghetti bolognaise with a lamb-infused tomato sauce. Add to that some strawberry mojitos and a Singapore Sling, and we had ourselves a delightful evening as the sunset over the Atlantic. A cab ride and a broken shoe later (sorry Krystal), we somehow ended up at… Mitchell’s. It wasn’t even planned. We just told the cab driver to take us to the waterfront and he dropped us off right at the front door. It’s like he knew. A round of drinks with friends, and back to the ship for some Jurassic Park? Sounds good to me. I have a SAS trip tomorrow morning, so a fairly early evening is probably the right thing to do. Bikes and wine tomorrow!