________
Saturday brought no wind, so I caught a ride with Phil into town to explore the 'Green Market.' Fairly touristy- lots of stalls with hundreds of wooden giraffes. I enjoyed a tea while watching some street performers belt out the South African rendition of some North American classics. The bongo man's shaker was a water bottle with rice, and he has mastered the kazoo. I paid $2 for their CD.
I spent the afternoon on the beach, watching kids run away from the waves. For those of you who had inquired about the sharks: I have some interesting statistics. Since I'm on the Atlantic side of South Africa, there are few, if any great whites. They tend to stay on the Indian side. There are about 4 attacks per year on the Indian side (where the gorgeous beaches and sunbathers are) , and there hasn't been a single attack in the past 10 years on the Atlantic side. In a little seaside town not far from Cape Town, a woman was swallowed whole by a great white shark.
Seriously.
She was in her 70's and swam across the bay every single day. Some onlookers, while enjoying a coffee on their patio, witness the shark come up behind her, and in and instant, she was no longer swimming. No blood, no splashing. All they found was her swimming cap.
I wandered back to the guest house and met the American couple who are in town for kite lessons as well. Not overly friendly people.
Saturday night I took the plunge, reveling in the essence of traveling by myself, and ordered a table for one. The restaurant was like a South American version of East Side Mario's. Tacky.... I know. But despite that, Primi had quite the atmosphere- tons of staff who must have been pounding redbulls behind the kitchen doors since they were running, literally RUNNING, around the restaurant all night long. When I asked about it, they said something about the "Primi Culture..." sounds like the crazy chain-restaurant tycoons of North America have landed in South Africa.
And so comes the story of my first ignorant remark... I'm sitting at the bar, which I guess means that what I said earlier wasn't entirely the truth. I'm not ready for a table by myself yet, I can only handle the bar, which I later learned is incredibly obscure in South Africa.
My server introduces himself to me as "Muhammed Ali," and I say, in one of my notoriously sarcastic tones, "Hahaha.... riggghhhhht. Nice to meet you, Ali." He just keeps smiling, but it was one of those blank smiles, where it's clear he's confused. I go on to ask for whichever local beer is his favourite. As I watch the bartender pour the beer and pass it to my server, who he calls "Ali," I then discover that my server's name is in fact, Muhammed Ali. Oops. But then again, it would be like meeting some Canadian bartender named Wayne Gretzky.
I tried a variety of drinks last night- left it up to Ali to surprise me with each one. And at $2 a beer.... why not? I had a delicious curry-salmon penne with a leafy balsamic salad. Mmmm.
The experience of eating by myself was a test, in a sense. There were TV screens overhead, and newspapers nearby. But I made a point of really, truly eating by myself. I did not pretend like I cared who was winning the rugby game I knew nothing about, or by how much the fuel prices would go up in the next week. I just sat, focusing only on my food and drink.
My solitude lasted for most of the meal, before a German pulls up a stool beside me. Tom had been living in Table View for a few years now, here for the surfing. Tom asks, "Do you like dancing?"
So off we went to the little bar next door where I met some more locals, and friends of Tom's, and we danced in a very cheezy disco-type joint. Imagine a big square dance floor, with railings lining the outside, neon disco lights flashing and Madonna playing. It took me a while, but I got over the fact that I was in khaki pants, a sweater, with hiking boots on, and spent the rest of the night dancing like I was the only one in the room.
I made it home safe and sound, had an early morning as I headed off to town for my Cape Point and Winelands tour.
The four of us in the tour group congregate and sign the waivers, introducing ourselves to one another. I was lucky enough to have another Canadian in the group- and not just any Canadian either:
Shannon is in Cape Town for the UN conference on World Economic Reform, and had swindled a day out of her schedule for the excursion. Originally from Vancouver, she began as an occupational therapist but now works for Accenture as a Health Care Consultant, and is currently on a project out of Ghana, Africa. She has a flat in Geneva, and spends about 30% of her time in Ghana. The project will last about 9 months before she moves back to Vancouver where she just bought a home with her boyfriend. Shannon has seen numerous countries in Africa and this was her second visit to Cape Town. She first began traveling when she graduated and has lived in and seen some extraordinary parts of the world.
I filled her in on my background and mentioned that I had looked into working for Accenture, but that I felt it would be more suited for me once I have some experience under my belt. Shannon jumped at the opportunity to pass on her contact info- if I ever find myself in Vancouver, or interested in working for Accenture. She's looking to travel to Morocco and I promised I would let her know how my experience goes later in the summer.
The other tour girls in the tour group were locals, actually. They lived about two blocks from our starting point and thought the tour would be a fun way to spend a sunny Sunday. I've learned that South Africans really love their wine tours. Both girls work in town as accountants, and had been to Cape Point before. You can imagine the wealth of info and tips they had on places to check out. I'm overwhelmed by the vast supply of things to do and places to see in the Cape region. I've got a route planned for Table Mountain, which I'll save for a wind-less day with a clear sky. They filled me in on a great wine festival happening next weekend in a little town about an hour away, some great caynoning/kloofing, hiking routes up in the Durban area, and a little kayak rental shop outside Camp's Bay. From what I've heard Durban doesn't have quite as much to offer, so I'm thinking of extending my stay in the area and spending a few extra days in town. The local girls passed on their contact info as well- I just might get them to show me a few good restaurants/bars when I'm staying in town.
The tour today was phenomenal. Cape Point is easily one of the most beautiful places on earth- absolutely breathtaking. We drive along the Indian Ocean shoreline, passing some of the popular surfing beaches. We're driving up high on the cliffs, and pass the shark lady in her booth. Since Cape Town opted to remove their shark nets, due to their adverse effect on other marine wildlife, the shark lady position opened up. She is responsible for watching the sea beyond the swimmers and surfers, looking for great whites. She has an alarm that is sounded if she spots anything. Here's the best part: As we drive by, the shark lady has her back to the water, watching cars pass by, soaking up some rays. Awesome.
We stop in Simon's Town, one of the original colonial towns of South Africa. Dave- they had a neat little Navy base. Only got one photo, where you can kind of see a ship. I suppose a photo of a ship isn't going to rock your world, per say. But hey, I thought of you!
The best part of Simon's Town- PENGUINS!!!!!!! Honestly, it was a childhood dream come true! Check out the pics and videos. They're called jackass penguins, and I desperately wanted to take one home.
We continued along the coast until we got to Table Mountain National Park, at Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. South Africa is described as the country where the two oceans meet- the Indian and the Atlantic. The most southerly tip of the continent is at Cape Agulhas National Park, east of Cape Point. While we weren't at the most southerly point, the experience was incredible. There was nothing but ocean between me and the south pole. The park offered my first glimpses of African wildlife- baboons, ostriches, and a variety of buck. We left the car at the park entrance and us four girls and our guide cycled through the part up to Cape Point- about 10km. I can't imagine I'll ever have another bike ride as beautiful as today's. Pedaling along the weaving roads through the most extraordinary landscape is when I think it really set in- I am in Africa.
We stopped for a boxed lunch by the sea and got some pics of a sunbathing seal nearby. After lunch we drove back along the Atlantic coastline into the Cape lowlands and wine region. We visited two wineries, one of which was the oldest in Africa.
The four of us had a blast sampling every type of wine possible, and nattering about all sorts of travel stories. One of the South African girls spent a few months living in Ann Arbour, Michigan as an Au Pair, so she had visited Vancouver and parts of Southern Ontario.
Small world.....
