Best day so far

Rebecca to Me: The Germans have an extra seat for a Cape Town trip tomorrow; do you want it?

Me to Rebecca: yes.

And so it began.

The Germans (Ki?/Kye?/Kie? and Alex) had rented a car for three days and we had snagged the back seat. First we went to Cape Town, where they used a travel map and their German senses of efficiency to make sure we saw what was important. I don't have pictures of the town, though yes it was nice (and shady, which was a welcome change)- it was still just a city.

We were navigated effortlessly to the Castle, where we took a tour. The castle was built in blah blah and it was used for blah blah. If you're interested, Google it. There was a ceremonial cannon-fire which was interesting and we saw olddungeons and were lead down corridors that went deep into the damp buildings. I found some lichens sprawled out here and there, as well as two (2!) dead cockroaches in a dank hole. In the rooms in which soldiers were kept for going AWOL, one can read messages carved into the doors.

There were a few plants that managed to creep up, but it was mostly a crispier environment. Here are also two pictures from my previous trip to Cape Town. I had hoped for more animal contact, but cockroaches are better than nothing, I suppose. No, I didn't wash my hands after this- I licked all my fingers.

We had a mildly uncomfortable lunch right there, and Ki/Kye/Kie promptly found errors on the check, and informed us that at this time, we had seen everything there was to see in Cape Town. We were to move onto Table Mountain next, which had been towering over us all day.

I think the tallest point I've been, is Stone Mountain, in Georgia, so this cart ride to the top of Table Mountain was a big deal. You move fast, while you're spinning (so everyone gets a good view) on a rotating floor. It would be a nightmare for someone with vertigo. Once you're up top, you're free to wander/hike the mountain top. Without hesitation, these views, these mountains, are the most beautiful things I've seen.

When I first got off and looked around, my jaw literally dropped. I was starting to get overwhelmed at it all when some playful man grabbed me, saying, "BOO!" Since I startle ridiculously easily, of course I left my skin in that moment. His friend chastised him, but he said he "had to do it" because I looked so serious. This Australian man didn't realize though, how Sarah sometimes reacts to being startled. Those who have seen me taunted with a balloon know how I reacted.

I will limit the pictures I post here- as I have many more than I think most people are interested in. I'll start with the many lichens that were all over the rocks as well as other plants. I've never seen such a variety (let alone the vibrant colors). I guess all the textbooks were right, they ARE really adapted to living in harsh climates!

There were animals (hummingbird, a dassie [rodent-like], birds and a bearded lizard), though not too many were spotted. The dassie wanted food, but we resisted the temptation. I mean, look at that mug! As usual, I bonded with a local bird, who sat with me for a bit (I had no food).

And of course the plants. Flowers, veg, succulents- so many.

It feels like posting pictures of the mountains themselves is a bad idea, as they won't do them justice- but here are a few. I can't believe more people don't die here, even I backed out of a few pictures due to a healthy fear of bouncing down the mountainside.

Promptly at 6 we left, headed for the beach. Sadly, Germans drive too fast, so the few parking spots we saw were behind us before we could slow down. Heading down the coast, there was a parking area, overlooking a more rugged part of the water. We stopped to at least admire the view before leaving. "To hell with that, I'm not getting THIS close to the water and not putting my feet in there," I thought. I saw a sort of "path" that went down, so I followed it. Passing broken glass (and trash, as always) I skittled to the bottom and hollered up that they had better come down, as there was a small clearing. This is the view from above, followed by what I saw as I emerged from the woods. My lenses were stuck, it's not me trying to be artsy.

The water was full of life, like I've never seen in wading through water. Green/Brown algae, mullosks of all sorts (I examined, but put back), crustaceans....

My Crocs were essential on this outing- I'm thrilled I wear them so often. I could go through the water without worry about the glass, and they had great traction for climbing all over the rocks. Here I'm slipping with style, and being insensitive to the German's fear of being attacked by something....ankle deep. Alas, we had a schedule to adhere to, so I must return to this spot- this exact spot again (with a trashbag) at another time.

Ki/Kye/Kie Quotes:

Upon wandering through an open-air market:

"I hav to get out of ze sun foh a beet and I vait ovah der. Eef you not der in a beer, I vait longer."

At Table Mountain, a guy tried to act as if you had to pay for parking, but Ki/Kye/Kie was not having any of it. As he requested R20 for parking (and Rebecca and I reached for our wallets), he gave the guy a meal bar and said: "No. Pahrking eez free. You hav your bar. Vhen ve come back, maybe we geev you some Rand, but never twenty. {insert licking his hand-rolled cigarette for dramatic effect} Never twenty.

There ARE marshes here!

My feet look like Jesus's after walking the streets of Nazareth. Like a pupating insect, my body is undergoing a tissue reorganization. Toes are developing corners, edges and calluses like I've never had. The top of my nose can now be considered to be a hide rather than a skin covered surface. And I love it.



I was asked if I was Amish, or "that other conservative religion." This is how I was dressed, so I can hardly blame her.

The international student population (which includes Americans) is challenging (they are pretty much the worst people ever). They binge drink, walk while texting, put feet up on upholstered seats, talk during informational sessions, scream, cut in que and are just generally rude and stupid. I really thought American youth were rude, but it turns out it's all youth. Go America?

The last two mornings our building has been awoken to the neighboring (and much, much larger) Academia complex singing along to the Grease Soundtrack. This is not the cultural experience I was expecting. But, I'd rather be woken up by Belgium's singing that than my diamond studded humanitarian roommate from CT screaming about 50 cent shots.

Now, having said that, I have met a few great people. There are actual Norwegians and Germans here (one of which is really interesting, and I'll spend more time with her), as well as at least 3 American's I don't want to kick. Notably, Elizabeth (below pic- more on Rebecca and the other Sarah later) is here to study Political Science (hear me out). The way I'm here because SA is a unique place ecologically, she's here because of it's political/social uniqueness. She's here for the slums. This place is really crazy in that regard. You stand in front of a Mercedes dealership, then move your eyes to the left and see slums. I'll blog about the Slums later, once I have more information (via Elizabeth) and have actually been there.

On a lighter note, I am taking advantage of the social situations. We went to a screening of District 9 (with a wine tasting afterwards, Stellenbosch style). Earlier in the week I had found a bed in the physics building bathroom, and now had found another one in this particular building. The fact that there are beds (with full bedding) with free condom dispensers in bathrooms was really confusing me. After some painful peer chit-chat, I went to ask about the beds. Apparently, it's a remnant from apartheid. See, women are delicate and frail so we need a place to collapse when we feel faint.

We were taught a little about the isiXhosa language. This is the language with the clicking in varying parts of the mouth/tongue and suction. While it's very difficult to get your mouth to make the non-latin based sounds, it's even more complicated when you take into account the social rules of the language. In learning Afrikaans, I don't have to worry about my age/sex/social/clan or my relationship with whom I'm speaking. In Xhosa there's a huge amount of variance in these areas, so it's a whole other level to learn. Our speaker was probably the most dynamic I've ever encountered-- but I will not be learning Xhosa.

I found the closest nature reserve, which is really small, but has a small little marsh (which isn't common in this part of SA). I was tromping around, finding lots of snails and frustratingly fast insects when I stumbled upon some bones. Picking through it, I found a vertebra- a long one. Then, I found some sort of thick hide I first thought was crocodile skin. Wrong biome for crocodiles, I'm told likely tortoise, and the long vertebrae a bush buck- from local homeless (hunting). I'm standing on the edge of a marsh, holding a fresh hide with bones littering the ground. Earlier, I had been walking through really tall grass, for a photo opportunity, too. It was when I was in this little marsh that I realized I was being really (really) stupid. I am not in Minnesota; I can't do this so casually anymore- ticks are not the main threat. I'll get a pair of galoshes. The fungi is from another location on Lions Head Mountain, in Cape Town- as are the ants. Like a monster, I tore into a rotting log I found, while (again stupidly) climbing a rocky hill.

As I've said, internet is different here. We went to Cape Town yesterday, and there are lots of more pictures to share, but I've exceeded bandwith here and it's taken almost 2 hours to do this blog (yes, really), so I'll save that for later. Once school starts, I'll have a much more boring life, anyway.