All By Myself....

Sorry for the lack of updates this week, guys, but honestly, this week has been more like a week of unexciting events and lots of reflection. I have been in Cape Town since Monday, by myself, as Lauren went away for work. I was glad to be alone as it gave me the time to reflect and look for the perspective that I came in search of. I think I have found SOME of it, but I think most of it will become even more clear when I return to NYC (TWO DAYS!)
Cape Town is probably THE most beautiful city I've been too, however it is meant to be enjoyed and meant to be appreciated while hiking the surrounding mountains or doing some sort of water sport in the beaches. Unfortunately for me, the seasons are starting to change and winter decided to come a little bit early. Last week, almost every day I was here, the entire city was covered with a mist so dense I couldn't see the apartment building across the street or the ocean twenty feet away. I spent my days at some museums; the National History Museum (not bad,) the District Six Museum (little disappointing) got some work done at the spa for very cheap, and I went to a movie (Two Lovers.) I also rode that red sightseeing bus around a few times as it was the easiest and cheapest way to get around, and learn about the city.
I have tried REPEATEDLY to take the cable car up to the ominous Table Mountain but the one day it was finally clear enough to justify going up, the cable care wasn't running! It is on my agenda today, Monday, as it's my last day and the sun is shining!
Lauren came back Friday evening and brought the good weather with her-the weekend was perfect! Saturday we woke up early and went to the Saturday markets where we started the shopping day off with Bloody Mary's bought there! After that, I finally got to lay out at a Cape Town beach! Went to dinner later to celebrate a friend's birthday and was still unable to stay out for the late night fun.
We woke up Sunday and I went SURFING for the first time! Took a lesson and everything-I am hooked! It was a BLAST! I would be doing that again today if I could figure out a way to get to that beach again-There is NO public Transport in Africa!!!
We also drove to Cape Point yesterday, the End of the Western Cape and RIGHT at the edge of Africa. Again, it was an absolutely stunning drive, I really , really enjoyed this and was so happy to be out of the city. I like Cape Town, but I like being away from it more. Africa is too beautiful for me to be stuck in a city. Just driving twenty minutes away you are forced to reckon with the geology and landscape of this continent. It is literally breathtaking.
Today is my last full day in Africa. I have very mixed feelings about it, just writing that I got a little choked up. Being in Cape Town has definitely made me miss the true city, my city, NYC. I miss the energy, the independence I have there, the endless diversity, and of course, all of my wonderful friends. However, at the same time, I am anxious about returning to those same things and the daily grind of work and life. I could DEFINITELY spend more time exploring this grand continent-it just really has been so special and so beautiful.
This will probably be the last post in Africa. I get on a plane from Cape Town tomorrow afternoon and land in NYC (hopefully not too wrecked) Wednesday afternoon... I look forward to talking to and seeing you all!

The Return to Cape Town

Arrived in Cape Town late Sunday night, exhausted. Woke up Monday morning and was still exhausted! It was a beautiful day. Decided I needed a bit of the city life that I have been missing being away from NYC and in the bush and a little beach town. Got a taxi ( there is NO public transport in this city!) down to the waterfront V& A. A beautiful outdoor shopping area and harbor. There's an indoor mall, outdoor restaraunts, lots of street entertainers, etc. Got a very cheap falafel and sat outside in the sunshine and watched the tourists (and occassional seal) swim by. I was pretty happy. Walked around a bit more and decided to take the ferry to Robben Island, the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held captive during apartheid. This was probably the MOST BORING thing I have done on this entire trip! I was so pissed I waisted my day doing this. The ferry ride was the best part! After that, they took us on a bus around the island. Then, we had a short tour by one of the former prisoners. It was just weired. NO ONE in the group was paying attention, it was kind of sad, but it was SO BORING! I couldn't wait to get off that island! Then I went to the grocery store to buy some food to eat this week instead of eating out every meal. Had a casual night in at this luxurious duplex. Lauren is gone, after all.
Today, Tuesday, I took a sightseeing tour bus as I realized it was a better and cheaper way to get around the city. IT's one of those hop-on, hop-off red buses like in NYC. I first stopped off at the South African Mueseum, which is actually the National History Museum. It was pretty cool, saw some old African rock carvings and the giant hall of whales and dolphins. Had a picnic with myself and about one million children afterwards then got back on the bus. Was planning on taking it to Table Mountain to do the cable cars, but it wasn't a clear day, so there's no point. Ended up going to Greenmarket Square instead, bought some gifts and walked all around the city center for the next couple of hours. Now, I'm back at the duplex, folding laundry and waiting to go to dinner with some of Lauren's friends. Hard life, I know.
The countdown has now begun for my return back to NYC; I have mixed feelings, but doing things alone these past two days has defintely gotten me leaning more towards being ready to come back.. I'm missing people.

The End of Part Two...

The last time I wrote, I was preparing to go out in Plett Bay with some locals we met. It was Friday night and go out WE DID! The night started with a great dinner with Lauren and her friend Aaron who drove up from cape town. Somehow we became friends with the waiter at this restaurant too. Ended up staying after dinner and drinking more wine and some shots with him. Very interesting group of people he was with. Then, the other local we met the previous night came to meet us and take us out. He ended up taking us to, Spotlight, a disco inside the shanty town. We were the only three white people in the place! South Africa is NOT like home. Unfortunately, the white South Africans generally do not mix with the Blacks, and yes, they are called blacks here. The club was extremely fun! We all danced our butts off. No one bothered us or gave us any trouble, on the contrary, people were really friendly and curious. The club was really clean, the music great, and the drinks VERY cheap. The next day, we weren't doing so great, but it was very worth it. Lauren was telling me that there was no way any of her South African friends would EVER do anything like we did. I am so glad for that experience, it definitely opened up my eyes to the situation here and gave me the opportunity to form my own opinions.
We woke up Saturday and drove about an hour an a half back to George. I swear, just taking a little drive through South Africa you are surrounded by stunning scenery. THe colors are always changing and it's just magical. We walked around a PUblic Viewing Area for the World Cup that Aaron and Lauren are working on and watched some soccer. This was great too because it was just local people all around. After that, we had some dinner and went to bed.
Sunday, our last day in Plett, we woke up fresh and ready to do something again! Decided to take Aaron on the same hike we had done earlier in the week at Robberg Park. THis time it was actually sunny and hot and we started early enough to make it around the entire place. A four hour hike uphill, along cliffs and down to the ocean. I am sore!! It was a beautiful walk, definitely the highlight of my week, along with the dolphins. We saw tons of seals, some cool hawks and GIANT waves. Had lunch after and drove back to Cape Town, at night! That's how good the roads are here, that we are able to drive five hours through the night between cities.
So, here I am, on Part 3 of 3 of the trip. Lauren had to go out of town for work until Friday, so I am looking forward to a little exploring of the city by myself. It's actually sunny and warm today, so I think I will start my explorations at the beach for a tan! ; )
I love the comments, keep em coming please! xo

Thursday and Friday in Plett Bay

Woke up Thursday morning in Plett Bay, the sun was shining so we decided to head to the beach to catch more rays... I had a scuba refresher course at 11am, which I took and it was MUCH more in depth then the one I took in Malaysia three years ago.. Whew! passed the quiz and everything, though. Afterwards the plan was to go hiking bu it started to pour just as we had arrived at the park. We drove to Knysna instead,a small ish town about twently minutes away and saw The Curios Case of Benjamin Button to pass the time. Afterwards we walked around town for a bit and then had dinner at a sushi restaraunt. Ended up going out afterwards with our two waiters. They took us to a bar inside the shanty town (intersting) and then we went and sat on the beach for a little while. They wanted to take us clubbing, but my age wouldn't permit-damn!

Today is Friday and I woke up and completely chickened about of my scuba dive. Mom, if you're reading this, you should feel relieved! I just wasn't comfortable with the conditions and totally did not want to dive. So we decided get some things done since our time is now running out. We went canoeing for a couple of hours along the Koormes (?) River. There was no one around, it was peaceful and beautiful. I was told I'm not allowed to say "amazing" in this blog anymore, but it was. Afterwards we met up with one of the waiters we met last night who invited us to his home for tea and to meet his friends. This was MUCH better than paying too much money a shanty town tour; this was the real thing. IT was an intersting experience. I think his friends are as confused as we were about how to behave and what to talk about. They were all very nice and hopefully we will be seeing them out tonight. After that we went hiking in a national park nearby caled Roedburg. It was truly special. At times it felt like I was walking through a Star Wars set with all of the sand dunes. We walked up a mountain through rocks that were thousands of years old (achaelogy sites -check!) found caves and then literally walked along cliffs with the ocean MANY feet below. We were so high up that we could clearly see the seals, doplhins and great white sharks below. That's right! I saw A MASSIVE GREAT WHITE SHARK in the water. Those things are scary even from that far away. Now we are back at the B&B for a little R&R before giong out for fridya night on the town with our new friends!

The Garden Route begins

Left Cape Town late afternoon due to a slight hangover from the dinner party the night before. Drove to George, arrived at our Bed & Breakfast, walked to an itailian dinner for some dinner and passed out. The drive was, of course, stunning. Lots of vineyards, green hills, brown farms, I saw Ostriches! Again, photos have been taken, but I don't think they will do it justice. Drove as the sun was setting. African sunsets are just amazing!
Monday morning woke up, had a great breakfast included with the room, hence the name bed and breakfast. Lauren had arranged for a township tour ( where all of the poor, black people live, also known as shanty towns) with the owner of the B &B. Very weird morning. Bascially we paid a lot of money to be driven around parts of the city. This was by far the most disappointing experience of the trip so far. Not because of what we saw, but because of what we didn't see. However, we were taken to some schools which was really amazing. The children and teachers were all so beautiful and sohappy to meet us. I defintely teared up during this.
Afterwards, we continued driving along the coast to arrive at Plettenberg Bay, right on the beach! We are staying at a really great B&B hosted by some extremely nice people... Very romantic here, yeesh! Showered, drove to town and had some coctails while watching the sunset. Plett Bay is situated right on the Indian ocean, situated between mountains and it is just unbelievably beautiful... All of the restaraunts, bars, etc. overlook the bay and have open windows, etc.
Woke up this morning (Wednesday?) had breakfast. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky. We headed straight for the beach! Laid out until the kayak guy decided to show up , uh, around noon. Quickly signed up for sea kayaking and the three of us took off into the cold Indian Ocean. Within minutes we were surrounded by Bottlenose dolphin and seals!!!! I was nearly in tears the sight was just incredible. Every few minutes we would hear splashing, and heavy breathing from all around you, tons and tons of dolphins leaping in the air and swimming past. I was THRILLED!!! It was just amazing to be so close to those beautiful creatures. The animals that live on this continent are just amazing. In a month more or so, the killer, right and humpback whales would have been seen as well. Damn! Next time.
After two hours in the kayak, we needed a coctail! Laid out a bit more and then I went to sign up for scuba diving. Refresher coarse tomorrow, then boat dive, with ragged tooth sharks on Friday... Stay tuned!

Cape Town

Woke up Sunday morning to a very misty, humid Cape Town. Went to brunch with Lauren and then drove to some Africa markets, full of the same crafts at every stall. Drove over the mountains to Hout Bay on the other side where the mist had risen and the clouds had part to show me probably, literally THE most beautiful city I have ever seen. Lauren and I sat and laid at the beach for the afternoon. Beautiful blue water, surrounded by greenery and mountains. Similar to the coast of California, but seriously, MUCh prettier... After the beach we went to the grocery store to prepare for a Brie (SOuth African Bar B Q) that we were hosting that night so that I could meet her friends. We cooked tons and drank. And drank. It was really lovely. About to hit the road again to go to George, a town on the coast where tomorrow we will a tour of a township and then go caving in one of the oldest caves in the world. I am trying to upload images of the safari, but I am having a hard time... Stay tuned!

AFRICA-the beginning

Today is Saturday, it is 10:30 and I have arrived in Cape Town. I arrived in Johannesburg last Friday morning. Met my friend at the airport where we got our lovely "soccer mom" car and had breakfast with one of Lauren's friend. Drove to a town called Hazy View. Somehow managed to make a "wrong turn", which really turned out to be the amazing scenic route through who knows what village. Beautiful, lush. Children running around everywhere, some even without shoes but with ipods! Women selling fruit and avocadoes on the side of the road (delicious!) and carrying large packages on top of their heads. I had arrived in Africa! Made it to our hostel, the Gecko Lodge. Lauren brought a bottle of wine from a winery down south. Took that to our lovely and very cheap dinner before passing out to the sound of pouring rain on our tin roof.

Saturday we met our guide, HANZ who took over driving duties towards Kruger National Park, one of the largest parks in Africa. I can not even believe what I have seen over the next two days! The photos will not even do this place justice! I will make the long story short, but basically this guide knows EVERYTHING there is about the park, from the ants on the ground to the birds in the sky... He drives us through this stunning diverse vegetation that seems to change every few minutes and goes on forever... Your driving, you're driving and BAM! Giant elephant in the middle of the road! BAM! Giraffes and zebras camoflauged in the bush!!! SILENCE! There is no one else around, you roll down your windows and all you hear is these AMAZING animals chomping on the grass and the wind blowing. I literally teared up. Over the next two and half days this continued- I saw Lions (2 HUNTING!) Zebra, Giraffes, Elephants, etc, etc. Just amazing.

Thursday night we dropped Hanz off and headed to ThornyBush, a private, more luxurious reserve. Here we slepped under a mosquito netted bed, had a private back yard, etc. etc...These safaris were a bit different in that we drove around with 6 other people in open 4x4 vehicles... I saw some incredible sights on these game drives!! I was literally inches away from a lioness. I saw a male lion inches away sleeping next to the zebra carcass that he had just devoured. I saw three lionesses try to sneak up on a group of White Rhinos (so many of them!!)- the lions ran away! I saw a leopard, probably the most beautiful animal I saw the whole time. Today, before we left, we saw a female cheetah and her cubs. As I am writing this, I still can't believe the things I saw. I will hopefully upload some photos soon, although they will not do any justice to the beauty I have witnessed.

Around ten am today (saturday) we left the reserve and drove through some mountains and farmland to catch a plane in Johannesburg. This drive was stunning. Both Lauren and I turned to each other at the same time and said, "I feel lucky to be alive" It was that beautiful out there. I truly hope that everyone reading this is lucky enough to make it out here sometime...

So, now I am in Lauren's AMAZING duplex in Capetown. Apparently, there's a view of teh ocean off the balcony, but it was night when I arrived, so hopefully tomorrow I will see it-yay! Then, Monday we are on the road again, along the coast to do many things... Stay posted, I hope to upload pics before we're on the road again.
Miss you all! Keep in touch!