Spring Break and Cape Town Toursits: When the parents discover Africa’s amazingness

Where to begin, the only way I know how to start is to say that spring break was AMAZING, one of the best trips I have ever taken. My parents' 13 days visit was a complete whirlwind, with us exploring (and loving) Southern Africa. We did so much in such a short amount of time. I will attempt to recap the trip in its three parts, Victoria Falls, Safari, and back in Cape Town.

Victoria Falls:

I arrived in Livingstone, Zambia a few hours later than scheduled because of a plane maintenance issue, but that did not put any kind of damper on the day. We stayed at the Zambezi Sun Hotel, right next to the falls. Our hotel was gorgeous, accommodating, and was on the property of a national park, where zebras, impala, giraffes, monkeys, and other animal resided (all of which we saw!). We immediately headed over to the falls, and were just in awe of their beauty. It is so difficult to do the falls justice in words, but they were insanely powerful and iconic and unlike anything I had ever seen. We only saw the eastern cataract, because if you went any further the mist drenched you. So we decided to do a hike down to the Boiling Pot, the bottom of the falls, again so beautiful. The hotel property also housed another beautiful hotel that has a deck that juts out into the Zambezi River, very close to the top of the falls. We had some drinks there and watched a beautiful sunset.

Day 2 was even better. We woke up to a delicious breakfast and decided to head out into the mist of the falls. We left all valuables at home and donned long yellow raincoats. The mist was so strong that it felt like it was constantly pouring, and we were getting so soaked that I gave up on the raincoat and just let myself feel the power of falls. It was difficult to even see the falls through all the water, but when there was a break in the mist, they were even better than from the dry viewing spot.

Wet but enthralled, we returned from the falls, changed and headed out to Zimbabwe. We walked from our hotel on the Zambia side of the falls, across the border and into an entirely different country. It was very exciting to cross the border on foot, as I don’t think I had ever done that before. We headed to the Victoria Falls Hotel, one of the oldest, most famous hotels in all of Africa. It was beautiful, and had views of the gorges of the Zambezi and the bridge between the two countries. We had lunch there, and headed to Victoria Falls town and did some shopping and bartering at stores and markets.

We rushed back across the border just in time for our MIROLIGHT flight. We boarded the microlights, which are kind of like hang-gliders with propellers, for our 15-minute ride over the falls. If we thought the falls were gorgeous from across, we were wrong because they were even more breathtaking from above. I even saw elephants, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles in the Zambezi from above. Again, words can’t do it justice.

Our last morning was spent looking at the falls one last time and doing a little more shopping before heading to the airport. We connected through Johannesburg to Nelspruit, South Africa, three hours from Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, where we would be doing our safari. We spent the night close to the airport before heading out for Elephant Plains, our game lodge.

Safari:

We spent 3 wonderful nights at the Elephant Plains game lodge in Sabi Sands park, adjacent to Kruger national park. We went on a total of 6 game drives, from 5:30 am to 8:30 am and 4:00pm to 7:00pm each day. We saw all of the big 5 (lion, elephant, cape buffalo, leopard, and rhino) as well as many giraffes, zebra, baboons, various kinds of deer, warthog, wildebeest, and even hippos! Since Sabi Sands is a private reserve, we were able to drive off-road and get really close to the animals, who have grown accustomed to the sight of the land rovers.

Highlights include seeing two leopards mating (which is apparently very rare),

seeing a leopard with a deer it had killed in a tree and watching the leopard rip out the deer’s stomach and 3 hyenas rushing over to scavenge it,

watching families of giraffes,

and even seeing an entire pride of lions.

The game lodge was beautiful, and overlooked an old watering hole where there were often elephants and other animals hanging out. We were very sad to leave Elephant Plains, but were happy with everything we saw.

Cape Town Tourist:

Showing my parents Cape Town might have been my favorite part of the trip. I was so excited to share my new favorite city with my parents, who had never even though about coming to Africa before I did. I really enjoyed being a tourist and staying at their amazing hotel wasn’t too shabby either. I met my parents Monday afternoon, after having to finish a paper for Tuesday. Their morning consisted of doing the museum circuit: District 6 Museum, Holocaust Museum, and the Jewish Museum. We went to a great lunch at Birds Café, walked around Long Street, went shopping at the market in Green Market square, went to the Waterfront, and had African food at the Africa Café, a very successful and fun day.

Day 2 was insanely busy and productive. We hired a guide, Janice, to take us on the Peninsula Tour. We stopped at the Camps Bay overlook, Hout Bay harbor,

did Chapman’s Peak Drive,

stopped by an Ostrich farm, did the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, the Penguins at Boulder’s Beach in Simon’s Town,

wine tasting in Constantia,

and explored Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. WHOA I’m tired just thinking about it.

Day 3 we walked around town in the morning, followed by a township tour of Langa, the oldest township in Cape Town. I thought it was very important that my parents see the township life, and I think they were really affected by it.

Later, we went to Signal Hill for views of Table Mountain and the city, and trekked to Camps Bay to watch the sunset and for dinner at a posh restaurant.

Thursday morning, we were one of the first to take the Cable Car up Table Mountain. I hadn’t been up Table Mountain yet, and was in awe of how cool it was and the amazing views of Cape Town.

We spent almost three hours up there walking around and taking everything in.

When we got down, we went shopping for souvenirs one last time before heading to the waterfront for our trip to Robben Island. I was disappointed with the Robben Island tour, as we found it a bit boring and much less compelling than I had anticipated. The upside was seeing Cape Town from the water for the first time, which was of course amazing, and seeing the sun set on the ferry ride back. (A common theme here is how amazingly beautiful Cape Town is.)

On Friday morning, we did a quick tour of Rhodes Memorial and UCT before I bid my parents farewell. I was really sad to see them go (and to leave the air-conditioned hotel). We had a truly amazing trip, and I was so happy that my parents loved South Africa so much. My Mom even said it was better for me to be abroad here than Paris (which is a big deal.) Now I finally feel like someone from home truly understands the amazingness that is Cape Town.

African Adventures

So I have been crazy busy this past week and didn't have time to give a full update about my trip to Johannesburg. Instead, I will document the weekend in pictures!

political prison in Johannesburg, the only prison to hold two Nobel Peace Prize winners (Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi)

"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones - and South Africa treated its imprisoned African citizens like animals." - Nelson Mandela

Constitutional Court, the highest court in SA, written in SA's eleven official languages

the inside of the Constitutional Court - the entire room was built with such purpose, for instance the windows on the right look outside to represent transparency, the original stairs of the prison were left to remind justices of the past.

traditional gumboots dance at Umoja Africa, a play we saw that traced the history of SA through song and dance, a really fun and lively show!

the Apartheid Museum - the best museum I have been to since being in SA, I learned so much and the exhibits were so powerful and interesting.

Mandela exhibit at the Apartheid Museum, all his names and their meanings

1994 election memorabilia

soccer city! - where the first World Cup match will be played. the excitement for the world cup is everywhere, people have such high hopes that it will increase tourism and bring more wealth to South Africa, I hope it does too. South Africans are so proud that the first World Cup on the African continent will be played in their country.

Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto

entertainment during halftime of the soccer game we went to in Soweto, we were literally the only white people in the entire stadium, such an experience!

new friends at the soccer game, aka everyone in South Africa loves jumping into your pictures

~~~~

Tomorrow morning, I am leaving for Livingstone, Zambia to meet my parents and see Victoria Falls from both the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides. We are spending three days at the gorgeous falls where we will be hiking, bartering at local markets, and maybe even bungee jumping for the second time! Then we will be making our way back to South Africa to the famous Kruger National Park for a safari. We will hopefully be seeing the big 5 (elephants, cheetahs, lions, rhinos, and water buffaloes)!!! I am so excited to explore more of this continent and hang with my parents, who are making the trek all the way from New York to share the experience with me. When we return from our adventures next Sunday, we will be spending the week together in Cape Town where I will be acting as the official tour guide. I am so excited to be able to share this amazing city with someone from home, because words just don't do it justice.

Off on some more African Adventures...

Homestay Weekend

I spent this past weekend living with a family in a township called Ocean View, and it was a great experience. Ocean View is unlike the other townships I have visited in that it consists of mostly permanent dwellings, actual houses, as opposed to shanty shacks that can be assembled and disassembled easily. Ocean View is generally better off than townships like Imizamu Yethu, the township I visited on a field trip. I stayed in a woman named Leslie’s house with 5 other CIEE kids. I think that we were all supposed to have split up into her children’s homes, but we ended up all staying together in her house with her three sons, Jason (27). Levon (17), and Chesiree (14). Leslie is in her mid-50’s and has 5 children ages 35 to 14 and 3 grandchildren. Her husband works in shipping and is away for months at a time, so we didn’t get to meet him. The weekend consisted of good food, meeting tons and tons of relatives, and generally having a good time. There seems to be a rotating cast of characters in Leslie’s life, as her sons-in-law, grandchildren, and neighbors were a constant presence throughout the weekend.

When we arrived on Friday, we were assigned tables with our family for the weekend and the CIEE kids. I had met a few of them before, but I wasn’t close with any of the other homestay kids, so it was really cool to have this new experience together. We had dinner with our family and watched a performance by different kids in the township. They sang, danced, and acted extremely well, and they were very proud of their talents. After dinner, we walked to Leslie’s house, and sat around talking and drinking Savanna’s while her family members came over to meet us. It was so interesting to talk to them and hear about their lives, their family history, the forced removal from Simon’s Town during apartheid that created the community of ocean view, and just generally getting to know them.

Saturday, we woke up to a delicious breakfast of French toast, bacon, and roasted tomatoes prepared by Leslie. She certainly spoiled us with food. We went down to the high school to watch out host brother Chesiree play soccer and hung out with some of the locals who were watching the various matches. Afterwards, Leslie had gone to the mall, so we were stranded outside her house. We saw a barber working out of a tent on a corner, and one of the American students I was staying with decided to take a chance and sat down in his barber chair. It was hysterical to see his blonde hair mixed in with all the dark black hair that had been cut before him. He paid a grand total of 20 Rand, and it looked pretty good. After, Leslie’s son-in-law Neil drove us around the area in the back of his pickup truck. We saw the entire township, gorgeous views of the surrounding area, and even stopped at a deserted gorgeous beach. When we returned, Leslie had the BEST macaroni and cheese waiting for us that I had ever tasted. It was sooo good, and then we all took naps from the heat and our food comas. When we woke up, we decided to walk to a farm nearby that has wine tasting, cheese, and even camel rides. When we got there, everything had close down but we relaxed there for a bit and it was cool to walk through a different part of Ocean View. We came back and the same rotating cast of characters came by as we sat around talking and drinking. We even had a gatsby sandwich, a monstrous sub with steak, salad, and French fries all in it. It was massive, even sharing amongst 3 people. It is famous amongst colored people, and since many colored people live in Ocean View, we were able to try this delicacy.

Sunday, it was brutally hot, but we still managed to eat extremely well and have a great end to our trip. We all hung out in Leslie’s room by the fan watching TV because it was truly too hot to do anything. She made us a farewell feast with roasted chicken and potatoes, two kinds of squash, an Indian inspired chicken dish with rice, and cheesy cauliflower. It was delicious and we were all stuffed. We took some family pictures and said our farewells. I hope to go back with the other CIEE kids that stayed with me and visit them.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I got to meet new people on my program and got to experience South African township life firsthand. It was such a great experience and I’m really happy I participated in it.

This weekend, I am heading to Johannesburg with CIEE, which should be a lot of fun and really exciting. We are staying in Soweto, which stands for South Western Townships, a large suburb of Joburg. We will be doing lots of fun touristy things, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Pictures of the township to come soon when I can steal them from other people.

Best Week Ever

(I wrote this post on Monday, but I have been delayed in actually putting it up)

So I am happy to say that I think this has been the best week ever. The more things I do here, the more I love this city. It is unique in so many ways. The fact that mountains and beach are ten minutes away from the center of the city is still awe inspiring to me (see Sunday’s activities.) The balance between the first and third world is so striking. I visited a township a week ago and volunteered at a school where township youth attend (more info on this below) and in the same city I saw an insanely expensive Ferrari and drove past exclusive beachfront property. It is such an interesting place, I never want to leave. Here is a recap of my great week from Monday to Monday:

• Kalk Bay, Monday – After class a friend and me hopped on the train to Kalk Bay, a beach town about an hour away. We had lunch at a great local restaurant called Olympia Café, and walked around the hippie-ish town. I came away with the coolest vintage bag from an antique store with springbok fur on it. I was a very happy camper despite the slow and hot train ride.
• Volunteering, Tuesday and Thursday – I started my volunteering commitment on these two afternoons. During orientation, CIEE presented many opportunities to volunteer from going to orphanages to visiting youth in prison. I chose to work with the LEAP Maths and Science School for grades 9-12. It is about a 20-minute drive from the UCT campus. The students that attend LEAP mostly live in townships, some even travel over an hour each way to attend the school. LEAP is almost like a charter school, the students have to apply and even pay a small stipend of about 200 Rand (approximately $30 USD) to demonstrate their commitment to the school. They go from 8:15 to 5:15 and even have half days every Saturday. It is a very rigorous academic environment and LEAP expects a lot from its students. They work very hard an all aspire to do well for themselves. I chose to volunteer at LEAP because I felt that I could make more of an impact on an educated conscientious student, someone I could relate to on one level. We mostly did logistical stuff on Tuesday but on Thursday, my friend and I were assigned a group of 6 girls that we would be mentoring. We will be helping them with science and math that they are struggling with, and also just being there for them. On Thursday afternoon, the LEAP kids participate in cultural activities, from drama, to choir, to African dance and drumming, and even hip-hop. All the kids were so talented, it was truly amazing. I’m still getting all the girls’ names down, and it will be difficult because they are all in Xhosa, but they all seem really excited to be working with us and we are certainly excited to be working with them as well.
• Amazing nightlife, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – I had an awesome time going out this week. We discovered Ivy League on Wednesday, a bar with all locals on Long Street. We talked to some awesome Cape Tonians about cool places to go, music festivals, and what to do. Thursday my entire house trekked to Hemisphere, a club on the top of a skyscraper with 180-degree views of the city. Our RA’s got us on the list so we didn’t have to pay cover, and we had a great time with a great view of the city. Friday, on the recommendation of someone we met on Wednesday, we went to Assembly, a cool venue to hear an awesome DJ. We danced up a storm, also a blast.
• Braai, Friday – on Friday my house got together and had a Braai, a South African barbeque. Our security guard, Andrew, volunteered to come in early and cook for us, and let me tell you he is a grill master. We had a feast of all kinds of meat, corn and other sides. All of our American and South African friends came over for a generally good and delicious time.
• Wine Tasting, Saturday – CIEE took us to Stellenbosch to the Spier Winery for a wine tasting festival. We tried all different kinds of wine, hung out with friends, and had good food. It was so relaxing and tons of fun. My favorite was the Shiraz Rose and the Pinotage, a grape that is only grown in South Africa.
• Soweto Gospel Choir concert, Saturday – as soon as we came back from wine tasting we grabbed some picnic supplies and headed to Kirstenbosch for another outdoor concert. This time we saw the Soweto Gospel Choir, a Grammy-award winning group who sung amazing songs and did amazing African dance in multiple languages. All the singers were unbelievable; they could have each had their own record deal. It was so amazing to see and hear this awesome group that is uniquely South African.

• Camps Bay Beach and hiking Lion’s Head, Sunday – to top off my amazing week, I had a very eventful Sunday. Some friends and I headed to the beach in Camps Bay to catch some sun. It was so relaxing to be back at the beach and enjoying the hot weather. We dried off, had some snacks and hopped into a cab to Lion’s Head, a mountain with 360-degree views of the city. We hiked for a little over an hour to reach the summit while the sun was setting. It was so amazing to see the sunset in the West while the full moon was rising in the East over Table Mountain. The views of Cape Town were unparalleled and it was so amazing to see. The hike down was a bit treacherous because it was in the dark, but the full moon lit the way for the most part.

Lion's Head
at the summit
sunset
shadow of Lion's Head, moon rise, city of Cape Town, Table Mountain

• Bo’Kaap, Monday – as per the past few weeks, we did a fun Monday activity. Some friends and I hopped on a minibus and headed into the city to walk around Bo’Kaap, the Muslim area of Cape Town. This section of the city is so unique because of the brightly colored buildings that are so much fun to look at. We just walked around in awe of all the beautiful colors, mosques, and ethnic feel of the neighborhood. And even though we weren’t that hungry, we saw a Cape Malay restaurant that we had wanted to try and sat down for a delicious meal. The mutton curry was superb, as were the samosas.

I am finally starting to have real schoolwork here. In the next few weeks, I have a test and multiple papers. It’s going to be so hard to sit down and actually concentrate on work. in the mean time, this weekend we will be staying overnight with families in a township called Ocean View. It will certainly be an interesting experience and I am excited/nervous to see how it will all turn out!

Environmental Studies Nerd

So although South Africa is certainly behind the US in terms of recycling, and encouraging a green lifestyle, like using water bottles, I was in awe to learn in my Sustainability and Environment class that they have an environment section under their Bill of Rights.

24. Environment
Everyone has the right
a. to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and

b. to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that

i. prevent pollution and ecological degradation;

ii. promote conservation; and

iii. secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.

The fact that they were so progressive in their lawmaking is truly unbelievable to me.
Let’s get on that United States.

Biiiig update to come later.

Settled In

I am officially in my third week of classes at UCT and that I have been in Cape Town for over a month. It’s strange to get into a routine and have real responsibility as opposed to the three-week vacation that I was on before classes started.

My classes at UCT all seem interesting and manageable. The classes are only 45 minutes, the perfect amount of time to hold my attention. The classes meet far more often than at Wash U, giving me more class overall, but definitely less work. I am lucky enough to have Monday and Thursday afternoons free and most of Friday off as well, so that I can still have time to explore the city and do fun things. Here are some pictures of the beautiful UCT campus:

Its certainly hard to balance going to school and going out as much as I did in the beginning, but I am still managing to do my work and have an awesome time going to Long Street, Obs, Claremont, and Newlands. Unfortunately, my camera is gone temporarily so I don’t have new pictures of my own, but I have stolen from some friends to give an idea of where I’m living right now. Here are some pictures of my house:

As per usual, here are highlights of what I have done over the past two-ish weeks:

• Big Bash – a huge party during UCT orientation that all freshman attend, think WILD but on crack

• Green Point market and Sea Point – another fun market with African goods and souvenirs, and walked around the town of Sea Point with its millions of sushi places and eclectic feel
• Old Biscuit Mill Market – an awesome yuppie-ish market in Woodstock with amazing gourmet foods of all kinds and awesome unique fashion, I absolutely loved it

• Concert at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens – CIEE paid for our tickets to see the Destiny’s Child of South Africa, not necessarily my first choice of artist but it was a blast. We picnicked with wine and cheese and it was a beautiful afternoon.
• Military procession with Jacob Zuma – we were lured downtown by the promise of seeing Nelson Mandela in the military procession for the opening of parliament, but he was a no show. We instead saw the really cool military procession with all different types of soldiers and even the President of SA, Jacob Zuma (through a car).
• Field Trip to Imizamo Yethu - for my Sustainability and Environment class, we went on a field trip to a township in Hout Bay, it was so interesting to see the poverty but real community of the township.
  
• Holocaust Museum – two friends and me trekked downtown to the Holocaust museum, it was nice and interesting to see how many people immigrated to South Africa.
• Women’s Show – a friend and I kept seeing signs for the Women’s Show, and we didn’t have any idea what it was, but I got free tickets in a magazine that I bought so I decided to go downtown and try it. It was altogether not what I expected, and certainly hard to explain, but it was a bunch of booths, some advertising lifestyle magazines, clothing, spas, and other things. Definitely an experience.
• Rugby Game – CIEE took us to a rugby game, the Cape Town team vs. an Australian team, it was so awesome to see a professional rugby match, we got super into it.
• Rhodes Memorial – at the base of Table Mountain, just above the UCT campus sits Rhodes Memorial, dedicated to Cecil Rhodes, the first Prime Minister of Cape Colony. There is a gorgeous view of Cape Town and it is only a 30 minute walk from my house.
• Kalk Bay – after class today, a friend and I took the train to Kalk Bay, a quaint beach town an hour away with a hippie vibe. We had an awesome lunch at a restaurant with all locals, and walked around the town.

Overall, I am continuing to have an amazing time, it still feels surreal at times, and we are already freaking out about leaving this amazing place. There are so many exciting things coming up including a house barbeque, wine tasting, and many more crazy nights out!!

The Garden Route

I have just come back from a blissful trip on the Garden Route. The Garden Route is an area on the Eastern Cape of South Africa, stretching roughly from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth. All the towns are small beachy or fishing villages, each with their own charm and attractions. I rented a car with three of my housemates and we started on our four-day journey.

Here is a little taste of what we did:

• KLOOFING – what is kloofing, I still couldn’t really tell you. It is a cross between hiking and rock climbing and swimming. We started on a hike into a gorge and from there our guide simply told us to follow him. We climbed over boulders, swam in the river, jumped off cliffs, and everything in between. It was exhausting but a blast.

• Mitchell’s Brewery Tour – this local brewery doesn’t use preservatives in their beer, so it is always fresh. The beer was great and we felt like champions because we did the tour at 10:30 am.
• Knysna Elephant Park – we got to feed, touch, and watch elephants, they were adorable, I wanted to take one home!

• MonkeyLand – we walked around this monkey sanctuary where there are 9 different species of monkeys, this was my least favorite activity that we did, it wasn’t very interesting and you didn’t interact with the monkeys at all

• Bungee Jumping – the highest bungee jump in the world – this was by far my favorite activity of the trip. It was so scary but awesome at the same time. To get to the jump, you have to walk under the bridge in a wire cage. It was terrifying but good preparation for the jump. When you are at the jump station, they blast loud music to get you pumped up and all the people who work there are dancing and having a blast. They call out your jumper number and you mentally prepare to go. They make it impossible for you to chicken out. They bring you to the edge of the bridge and say, 5-4-3-2-1 BUNGEEE, and you just jump. It was an awesome sensation to free fall, and then the recoil was great too. It was so silent and peaceful hanging there, I loved it. I was on such a high after that happened.

• Jemima’s restaurant in Oudtshoorn – an awesome restaurant where we tried ostrich. It really was like a red-meat chicken. It was delicious, the best meal of the trip
• Cango Caves – caves outside of Oudtshoorn, they weren’t my cup of tea but interesting nonetheless
• Safari Ostrich Farm – we got to see and sit on ostriches, stand on their eggs, and I even got to ride one. Ostriches are just fascinating creatures, they don’t seem like they’re anatomically possible but they are. Riding the ostrich was hysterical, they go so fast! I had a blast here.

The trip was tons of fun, but I was ready to come back to Cape Town by the end. It was great to drive on the other side of the road, experience different places on the Cape, and have a vacation within our vacation.

On Friday, we had our first day of classes, kind of. At UCT, they have a day before classes start where you attend the class and they deal with administrative stuff like giving out the syllabus. I have to rearrange my classes a bit, but most of them seem interesting and fun. My Sustainability and the Environment Class particularly sounds awesome. I was so excited about it when I left that I felt like such a nerd. I’m excited to start classes for real on Monday and get into a routine. For now, I am going to savor my last weekend of vacation.