Cape Town!!!

Hello Everyone! I would like to let you know that my enthusiasm has done a 360 degree turn from India to South Africa. Cape Town may quite possibly be the coolest city I have ever been to.

Day 1 Wednesday March 31st 2010

Today when we got let off the ship a bunch of us headed to Table Top Mountain. If you don’t know what that is then google it because it was sick. We ended up getting on a tourist bus tour around Cape Town because it was the cheapest way to get to and from Table Mountain. Greta and I were a little antsy to get off the bus and see the city so ended up hopping on and off a little bit between stops. The city had a lot of cool little shops and bistros. By the time we got to Table Mountain we realized it was later than we had originally planned. The line for the cable car up the mountain was really super long so we decided to hike.

I don’t know what kind of hike I was picturing but either way it was ten times harder than I imagined. I thought The Great Wall of China had a lot of steps - I was wrong. It took us about a hour and a half to get to the top. We stopped probably only 7 times for less than 2 minutes. We were hauling ass for sure. It was more like boulder climbing than hiking. Our legs were burning, we were sweating bullets, but we were so happy to see the top. The view was amazing and the climate difference from top to bottom was insane. We were freezing once we got up there because we were above the clouds. After hanging up there for a little while we took the cable car back down to save our knees from collapsing.

After the hike we hopped back onto the tour bus and headed to the beaches. They were beautiful. It looked almost identical to the California beaches (not that i’ve ever seen them but thats what I heard). There were shops and restaurants right across the street. It was really strange, specifically in this area, because you couldn’t tell the locals from the tourists.

After drooling over the beaches and wishing we lived there, we did a little bit of shopping around Cape Town but it was about 6 oclock and everything shuts down right around then. We then headed back to the ship to get ready for the night.

Long Street is the bar and club street where everyone and their mom goes out. Remind you, it was a Wednesday night and it was probably the wildest Wednesday night I have ever had. Sarah, Greta, Chloe, Kristen, Tolan, Sarah, Jeremy, John, a couple other people, and I headed to one restaurant/bar for dinner. Chloe and I got the worst nachos ever but the most dank pizza ever too so they evened themselves out. After dinner, our night began. We bar hopped a little bit but then ended up at The Dubliner. This was an Irish pub where a bunch of locals were hanging out watching the soccer game that was going on. It was really cool watching the game and just chilling with all these people. As the night went on more SASers came and it got packed and crazy. It was a lot of fun though. Around 2:30 a.m. we headed back to the ship.

Day 1 Thursday April 1st, 2010

Rise and Shine bright and early. This morning I got up around 7 because I signed up for a Habitat for Humanity service trip. I was very excited about this. There were about twenty SAS students signed up to do it. We headed to a township to finish up a house.

Here is some background information on the Townships. Cape Town is basically two different countries: The rich waterfront area where our ship was docked. And, the Townships where all the black people that got kicked out of their villages during apartheid got sent to live. Within these townships are very very small 2 room brick houses that the government has supplied ever since they guaranteed everyone housing around 1995. Unfortunately, not everyone has gotten their house yet so there are also a lot of shacks built from scrap metal and cloth. These shacks were built by the people that live in them because they had no other option. What was interesting was that the shacks looked very poor from the outside but the inside of some of them would have nice couches and a big screen T.V. This would be because the people living in them had jobs within Cape Town but since they were still waiting for the house the government guaranteed they have not moved yet.

The house we were finishing was a two room brick house. We had to finish the roof, some of the walls, and clean it up because the owner was going to be presented with it later today.

There were three of us working on top of the roof - Chris, Toby, and I. There were a few locals guys working up there with us also. We talked with them for a while because there was some down time here and there. We learned that most South Africans lose their virginity around 12 years old. We also learned that when a man and woman get married the man is to give the woman 20 cows.

Because there wasn’t a ton of work to be done but there were about 20 of us there to help, there was a lot of spare time. But, right where we were building the house there were about 25 little kids running around. Most of the day was spend playing with them. These kids were ages 5 - 11 and they were adorable. Some of them spoke english and others did not. They sang us songs, held our hands, jumped all over us, etc. It was a lot of fun to interact with them all day. At the end of the day when we were trying to take a picture of all of us and the house we built all the little kids jumped in the picture and it is the best picture I have ever seen.

After Habitat for Humanity I was running on empty but was determined to waste no time in Cape Town so I didn’t take a nap. Deirdra (my friend from Rhode Island) and I decided to go to a local pub with free wifi and use our laptops. We did that for a while, got some food, and then headed out. There was free jazz festival in the main area of Cape Town so we hopped in a taxi and headed there. A lot of SAS people, including most of our friends, were on safaris to Kruger Park and not around in Cape Town the next couple nights. Anyways, we got to the Jazz festival and it was really cool. Like sitting there and realizing that we are in South Africa, listening to live South African Jazz, surrounded by South Africans was awesome. We found two of our SAS friends Ryan (boulder) and Alex (Las Vegas) and just kind of walked around and got some food with them that night. It was kind of an early night because we were all exhausted and had to get up early the next morning.

Day Three April 2nd 2010

Today Sarah, Tolan, and I were determined to get to the Cape of Good Hope. We knew it could quite possible be difficult to do so but we knew we’d get there. We took a train from Cape Town to Simon’s Town which is about three quarters of the way to the Cape. That was a lot easier than we thought and definitely a lot easier and a whole lot better overall than our train experiences in India. Simon’s Town was just a cute little town that we walked in for a little while. While I was shopping, Tolan and Sarah went to the tourist place that set us up with a driver for the rest of the day so we could get to and from the cape in a solid amount of time.

On our way to the Cape, with this tour guide/driver that tried to sell us one of his tour offers every ten seconds, we stopped at a few pretty views and such. One time we had to stop because there were BABOONS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. Ok, this is what I learned about Baboons. They are mean, very mean. If you have food they will find it and get it any way possible. One of those ways, which I viewed WITH MY OWN TWO EYES was to approach a parked car (with stupid tourists in it), unlock the trunk somehow, open the trunk, unzip a backpack, steal bread out of the backpack, and walk away. It was sick.

Anyways, we eventually reached the Cape. it was very cool. The Cape of Good Hope, for those of you that was not familiar, is on the western tip of Africa where the Atlantic and India Oceans meet. It used to be called the Cape of Storms because it was nearly impossible for ships to survive while traveling around it. We climbed to the top of the cliff that overlooked the two oceans meeting. It was a pretty amazing view.

We had a three o’clock train to catch, it was about 2:35. We REALLY wanted to stop and looked at the penguins but we knew we had no time because we really needed to be on that train in order for our plans to work out the rest of the day. Needless to say, we didn’t see the penguins but we did make our train. We did see ostriches though.

After taking the train back to Cape Town and arriving at the ship we got changed and headed back out. Tonight we had plans to sleep at a Bed and Breakfast in one of the Townships. A bunch of our friends had told us about these B&B’s because they had done organized township tours the day before.

After figuring out the cheap minibus system to the Township we hopped in and luckily arrived at the right location to meet our B&B host. Mpho was her name and she was one of the nicest woman I have met. She walked us to her house and welcomed us. I don’t really know how to go about writing about this bed and breakfast so i’m just gonna explain our night. Basically we sat around her house and talked to her and her mom, Thope, and ate the most delicious homemade pastries I have ever had. I got the recipe for them, thank goodness! Their house originated as a two room house given to them by the government but since then they have added a ton of additions including three bathrooms, a family room, a kitchen, a dining room, three bedrooms, and a garage. It was a really nice house.

We talked for about 3 hours and it was the most interesting talk I have had with anyone. Mpho and Thope were such bright and inspiring women. Thope does a lot of talks around the world of entrepreneur business opportunities and women empowerment. After listening to her talk for so long Sarah and I felt like we needed to go and make a difference in the world Asap. We were exhausted so we hit the sack for a well deserved full nights rest. Sarah and I snuggled.

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Day Four April 3rd 2010

Well I can say that this morning I had the most delicious breakfast ever. (other than cinnamon buns on Christmas morning). Mpho made us a semi-traditional African breakfast of meat, eggs, tomatoes, onions. Then, we had yogurt and granola on the side. Now that I think about it it wasn’t really anything too special but it for sure hit the spot compared to the same breakfast I have on the ship everyday - bad oatmeal with unevenly toasted bread, unripe fruit, and overcooked bacon. Thats just me being a brat and super ready for food from home. The food on the ship is actually pretty good its just getting old.

That early afternoon we took a tour of the township. Mpho showed us a shoe maker’s shack, her friend’s house, and introduced us to some kids who we could give pencils, balloons, and stickers to. It was really nice feel safe as white people walking through the same all black community that Amy Beihl was in killed in for being white just fifteen years ago. If you do not know who Amy Beihl is you should look up her story, it is really inspiring. Anyways, we talked to a bunch of the locals and got a sense of their lives. Everyone loved waving and talking to us also.

After the township tour it was time to head back to Cape Town. I was determined to get my whole head braided. For some reason I pictured it looking really cool and stylish. Well, needless to say, I got it done when we got back in town and it looked nothing but cool and stylish. It was actually kind of wild but I grew to like it. (I already took them out because I was unable to shampoo or condition them so my head got really itchy. I really enjoyed them and kind of miss them already. 4/9)

We got some yummy food for a late lunch. It was Shormas. I got a grilled veggie shorma that came in pita bread. Afterwards, Tolan and Sarah headed back to the ship to get ready for the jazz festival, and I did a little shopping at the market. I had a bunch of money left over that I felt like I had to spend because the next day was Easter and I had heard absolutely nothing was going to be open. Also, exchange rates are super shitty so it usually makes more sense to just spend the money in the country it belongs to.

After about two hours of frustrating shopping I gave up. I feel like anytime I had money to spend or like my mom offers to buy me an outfit I never can find anything I like. Thats how it was. I headed back to the ship and found Chloe and Kristin. They were getting ready to get some dinner and go out so I decided to just join them.

Kristin’s boyfriend’s friend’s brother lives in Cape Town so we met up with him and his girlfriend. Connections like that have been happening a lot on this trip. People find any connection they can in the countries we go to because it is just so nice to know a local. In Ghana I am meeting up with My dad’s coworker’s cousin. Better than nothing!

That night we went to this German Pub on the waterfront and had some yummy beer and food. We then headed to Long Street. I feel like I can leave a lot of the details of this night out but I will say it was wild. We bar and club hopped with Kristin’s friend. It was really fun to be at spots where there were no other semester at sea kids but sometimes I like seeing them. Eventually we ran into a big group of our friends and ended up hanging out at the same club as them called Stones. It’s so weird to be able to go out and order drinks seeing as I am only 20. But, it was nice for sure. I really liked the hard ciders, I didn’t know such a thing existed.

We headed back to the ship kind of early because Greta is a baby and needed sleep. Oh, and Sarah was really drunk and needed to go to bed (she is 21 so it’s okay mom).

That night when I got back to the room I for whatever reason had a productive night haha. I apparently ate some chocolate, talked to my roommate, sent some emails, and used my internet time to post a picture on my mom’s facebook wall of my braids.

Day Five April 4th 2010

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, everything was not closed - contrary to what I had heard. But, for some reason I woke up with a little less money than I had gone out with so I can’t say I was in desperate need to go shopping anymore.

That morning a pretty big group of us went to church. It was a nice experience for sure. I am glad we went. The church we went to was a mix of different divisions of Christianity. There was some great music and a mix of different languages. One thing I found funny was that when there was a long reading the Pastor would read/sing it rather than do one or the other. It was kind of like he decided to sing it last minute but just made up the notes as he went along. I really liked that he did this haha. Mallory - remind me to sing to you the way this pastor sang the readings.

After church we all went and got some lunch. I had the best sandwich I have had on my entire trip. It was like tomato, mozzarella, salami, pickles, etc! Lunch took longer than we expected so we only had a few hours left until we had to get back on the ship. Chloe and I decided to find some internet so we could skype our parents on Easter and then she had some extra money she wanted to spend at the grocery store.

We were on the internet for longer than we thought so we had to rush to get to the grocery store. Which was fine because I loved talking to friends and family from home!

Okay, so the other day I was pretty sure I had put money aside to use for the last day but I couldn’t find it so I assumed I spent it while I was out. But, when I went back to my room to get my laptop I found some money and assumed it was the money I had put aside. So, while at the grocery store I was running around frantically trying to find stuff to spend my money on without getting a ton of chocolate and candy. After about twenty-five minutes I went to check out. I was pretty excited about some of the stuff I got. When I went to pay for it the cashier told me the money I handed her is not accepted there. I didn’t understand why until I looked at it and realized that I had handed her Mauritian ruppies rather than South African Raan. I felt like kind of an idiot but I was in such a rush that I couldn’t do anything other than say “Sorry!” and then get out of there and get back to the ship. Bummer

I really enjoyed South Africa and felt like it is the one port I learned the most about and will always remember. Before arriving there we had a pre port lecturer who was very interesting and enjoyable to listen to. Between and him and Thope from the Township bed and breakfast I think I gained a lot of knew knowledge from two separate prospectives (Michael being a white South African and Thope being a black South African). Although Africa and India have some of the same economic and environmental problems I just see them completely differently. I really feel like South Africa is making the best of what it has and although the government has not yet given them all the houses they promised they still are living their lives the best way they can. After learning all about the Apartheid it was hard to imagine two communities merging together with open arms but that is exactly what it was. I was nervous that just by the color of my skin I would be looked at differently, and I think I was, but not in the negative way I had thought.

The other thing about South Africa is that it is getting ready for the World Cup. Many of us thought that that would do great things for the economy there but we learned otherwise by talking to the people. Cab drivers will not be benefiting as much as one would think because the government is bringing in many other cab drivers from other countries that will be stealing business from the locals. The government is also scared that the appearance of the townships along the main roadways are going to scare all the tourists, make them feel in danger, and change their opinion of Cape Town and South Africa. Because of this, they are putting up huge walls so along the highways to block the townships. They are telling the people it is to prevent people from the Townships from committing suicide by jumping in the roadways but everyone knows that is just a cover. Personally, I think the townships need to be seen because without them tourists are going to get almost a fake image of South Africa.

I am excited to go to Ghana because I definitely feel like South Africa (Cape Town specifically), like all the other countries that hold large national events, is being beautified for tourists and is not the greatest representation of Africa itself.

Lastly, one thing that is so striking to me is that in a lot of the countries I am going to, specifically India and parts of Africa, there are tons and tons of people dying everyday from hunger while in the United States some of the leading causes of death are diseases linked directly to obesity. Isn’t it strange that we are essentially dying from eating too much food while other countries are dying from not getting enough food?


Ship life has been very uneventful, in a good way. I have just been catching up on some work, laying out, eating, sleeping, etc. :)

Anyways, I will be home in like 27 days or so and I CANNOT WAIT.

Ghana tomorrow - should be really sweet.

Love and miss all of you!!!!