Cape Town and beyond--Installment 3

Just because I knew you'd want to see the less than 1/4 inch accumulation of snow in Jo'burg:

Wednesday was the first time that many of my friends had ever seen snow--and boy, were they cold! It hadn't snowed in Jo'burg since 1982, apparently! No, I wasn't born then. Yes, it seems like yesterday, even so. You old people are too predictable.

Now, to continue on with the holiday update!

After the market, we got into our cute little rental car and headed for the Cape of Good Hope by way of Boulders Beach. You may remember that the last time I went to Cape Town I went to these places. The drive to the Cape takes a little over an hour, so it's nice to break it up by getting out to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. Not that we would have missed that, of course. Unfortunately, it was a little cold and it's breeding season, so most of the penguins were in their little burrows. But it was really cute to see them there! Who knew penguins burrowed?! Anyway, here are some pictures:

I PROMISE I told her it was cold first. She just never believes a word I say. It's not my fault this time.

Penguin eggs!

Then it was off to the Cape of Good Hope. As we drove in, we saw some beautiful landscape:

And we saw where the wildfire that I saw last time I was there had destroyed a good portion of the park. Sad.

Looks like a moonscape, hey? Once we arrived at Cape Point, we went to lunch at the Two Oceans restaurant at the Cape of Good Hope (where the two oceans meet). We met these pesky little birds who wanted to steal Katie's food: They're pretty, all the same. Red-winged Starlings for those of you who care. After defending her food, Katie decided she wanted to fit in--look! A monkey!I should know better by now than to think that she won't take my dares. And then we began our ascent.

This plaque points to all the nearest cities. I like this place--the nearest cities are nowhere to be found!

Katie, just four words...I told you so. After we enjoyed Cape Point to its full extent, we traveled back down the mountain to the actual Cape of Good Hope.

Yes, the BSC shirts were on purpose. I wasn't an admissions personnel for nothing...The protea, SA's national flower.

This is a great picture of the fynbos plants, a type of plant which grows only in SA. On our way back, we took the famous Chapman's Peak Drive which is much like California Highway 1, along the water. It was sunset as we drove, and oh, what a view!Pictures at Chapman's Peak:

Apparently they allow spear fishing. It seemed odd that the fish would be smiling about this...A good day had by all.

The next morning, we headed to the Cape Town Aquarium which is quite impressive. It only rained that one day--and we were inside! What luck. We then flew back to Jo'burg to leave for Kruger National Park in the morning.

Ok, folks, this has taken me almost an hour to complete due to all of the pictures. So, you'll get the Kruger update later. Hope you're well! I'm spending my weekend doing research and going to Rotary functions...story of my life! I did happen to check my mail today and I had four notes in my old mailbox--one from Grandmommy, one from Natalie, one from Carrie, and an extra special wedding invitation from Farley and Owen. Thanks to all of you for the thoughts! I love you all.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

I knew you people would never believe me without a picture.

A post for my nerdy friends

Dear friends,

My sister often tells me that I'm a loser. I would be concerned about this, except that it usually involves my love of National Public Radio. I have no problem with this, really. She can make fun all she wants, but NPR makes my life. So it would be no surprise to you that living outside the US has been difficult for my morning commute, my early Saturday morning, and my Sunday morning/afternoon. And it has been! My internet connection is simply not fast enough to sustain streaming WBHM, and that's a challenge for sure.

But no more darkness, friends. I have come upon a beautiful addition to my life. NPR Podcasts. They're free! They're wonderful! They're easy to upload to your iPod! I'm currently listening to Peter Segel on my favorite show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! the NPR quizshow. I think next I'll turn to Car Talk and then to Fresh Air. I haven't found Tales from Lake Woebegone, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. My life is now complete.

I must, however, thank the lovely people at Acura and Grey Goose Vodka for sponsoring such a wonderful service to humankind! I can take care of supporting Grey Goose on my own with some friends, but I'm going to need your help in supporting Acura. Your options are these: 1. buy an Acura, 2. Buy ME an Acura.

Love,
Your nerdy friend Lisa

Strike update

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/africa/6238370.stm

A little strike update from BBC.

Installment number 2

After our time in Storms River, we drove to Plettenberg Bay to a park called Monkeyland. Now, generally we're not a shameless tourist attraction sort of family, but I figured this might be the best way to see monkeys, so I went for it. And what a good decision! We were guided around a 12 hectare park with many varieties of monkey, all of whom had been taken from captivity somewhere else and released into this quasi-wild experience. I say quasi-wild because food is set out every day and the monkeys are kept within a fence. They are, however, not dealt with otherwise for the most part. We saw monkeys from all over the world (as usual, the lemurs were my favorite), and enjoyed our extremely knowledgeable guide. We even made friends with a couple from Mossel Bay who insisted that if we were in the neighborhood, we come by to use their washing machine and have a meal! How kind. Sadly, we were not going to be in the neighborhood.

We had lunch that day in Knysna at a beautiful oysterhouse on the bay. It was really lovely, though a little chilly. We then drove on to George to spend the night. Dida asked who drove--and yes, the answer is yours truly. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I was the only one confident/crazy enough to brave driving on the other side of the road as well as the kombi system! We made it, and that's all that counts.

The next day was a trip up to Oudtshoorn, an ostrich-farming community, to visit the Cango Caves. We opted out on the ostrich farm because by the time we got to the caves, we had seen so many ostriches, we felt like we knew them intimately! The caves were interesting, though our guide was a bit dorky. If you're in the Murfreesboro area, ask Katie to give her impression. All the same, it was a lot of fun. We then drove through the Klein Karoo (Afrikaans for small desert) to Swellendam. On our way, we happened to stop in for directions at the Blue Cow, a local milk supplier and cafe at one of the tiny towns on our way. The lady just happened to be good friends with the owner of a restaurant in Swellendam, to which she directed us with firm instructions that her friend Herrrrrman must give us the downlow on life in Swellendam. What luck! It was a delicious dinner, and Herrrrrman had a lot to share! We then retired to a cute little backpackers for an overnight.

The next morning, we drove on to Cape Town. After some serious traffic, we picked up my friend (and fellow Rotary Scholar) Elliot and went to lunch at the Waterfront. We then embarked on a trip to Kirstenbosch Gardens. Yes, Mommy, it really is that big. She was incredulous at a garden which is the entire side of a mountain. It just seems to go on forever. Next, we drove up to Signal Hill to see all of Cape Town and our first good glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean. Mommy and Katie retired early and I went to a birthday party for another Rotary Scholar's birthday--Laser Tag! Happy 25, Emily!! You'll all be so proud to know that I won, hands down! Furthermore, if you know Jon David, you'll be glad to know that I totally kicked his butt!

The next day was our time at the market. While we were a bit overwhelmed at first, Katie quickly learned how to bargain and got herself some really good deals. The only point she had to get over was that if someone asks you where you're from, you DO NOT say "the US" unless you really want a mark-up on your price! Mommy took a little more training, but she didn't do so badly, either.

After our purchases were finished, we set out for the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach. I'll save those for the next post. Katie, do you have pictures of any of these events? I don't.

I'm off to do some paper marking and research. Sala hantle!

Holiday--Celebrate!

(You're supposed to sing the title to the tune of the 80s song of the same name...)

I promised an account of the Glenn women trip, and here it is. Better late than never, right??

So, the Glenn women got to Jo'burg on May 25 and came to dinner with myself and my friend Ursula. Katie had a rough trip and when she got off of the plane was about the same colour as her green track suit. After some prawn and chorizo risotto, she perked up just enough to go to bed. The next morning, we headed over to Lynne and Peter's house to join in a bit of a Rotary party at Heia Safari Ranch which is a show area just outside Jo'burg which does a traditional South African meal (pap and wors), has game wandering through the park, and then presents dances from groups around SA. We were so pleased to join with Lynne, Peter, Mike, Alice, Dinty, Tamlynn, Charles, and his daughter and her friend. We had a great meal and then commenced to the dances. We were sure at this point that it was best Carl had stayed home, because all of the female dancers were largely topless other than a fringe worn just above the breasts. We listened to Charles and the girls laugh about the script of the show and make comments in Sotho and Zulu which was amazing to Katie and Mommy. Charles only speaks a paltry 7 languages! It was quite a treat, followed by dinner with Lynne and Peter.

The next morning, we headed out to Soweto with my friend Desiree. Our Rotaract Club has developed a relationship with a daycare facility for AIDS orphans/vulnerable children in the Kliptown area of Soweto, a very poor area. We drove out to Kliptown to deliver some knit sweaters and blankets which had been donated by Rotary clubs. When we arrived, we were met by Themba, one of the organizers of the daycare, who offered to walk around the area with us. We walked between houses made of aluminum sheets and car parts separated by razor wire in many cases and stepped over sewage in the street. Themba described the renewal efforts, HIV/AIDS issues, drug and sex abuse, and his hopes for the area. We were so grateful to him for his insight and time and for the opportunity for Katie and Mommy to see this aspect of South Africa instead of just hearing about it. We then went to the famous tourist trap in Soweto, Wandie's Restaurant and had another traditional South African meal (more pap, more wors, samp and beans).

I don't have pictures of those two days...Katie has some. I'll see what I can do.

The next day, we flew to Port Elizabeth which is on the Southern Coast of SA, almost directly south of Jo'burg. We then picked up our rental car and began the great adventure down the N2, the famed Garden Route. We drove to Storms River and checked in at the Tube 'N' Axe Backpackers, a cute little bungalow in the middle of an indigenous forest. The next morning, we traveled to Tsitsikamma National Park to have a look around. I can't really describe everything, but here are some pictures to do the job:

The ocean and rocks; A baboon print in the sand.

Aloe is one of the most beautiful things about South Africa, I think, and they're everywhere in Tsitsikamma. Not much is better than aloe next to ocean and rocks (ocean and rocks being one of those strange things I love).

While at TNP, we walked to their suspension bridge, which was the longest 1km I've ever walked. I think they lied, plus they added about 3 (read 47,000) stairs along the way. Katie didn't think that my 3 euphemism was funny. But it was a beautiful view once we got there:

The little guy in the above left picture is a dassie (if you can see him--he's in the middle--looks like a groundhog). You prounounce dassie DUH-see for whatever reason. My special sister decided that you call the dassies (who don't make noise, mind you), by yelling kee-kee. She and Ellen Degeneres are equally crazy.

The afternoon of this day was taken up with a "Canopy Tour" which is code for HUGE, GINORMOUS zipline. It had come highly recommended to me by my friends from Cape Town, so I thought we'd try it out. It was a huge hit with all of us. The zipline is situated amidst the indigenous yellowwood forest and is constructed by tension so that there is not a single nail in a tree! Our guides were very knowledgeable and fun, and we really enjoyed the day.

That's all the time I have for today, folks! More after I return from the Pilanesberg Game Park with Katy on Sunday!

Special notes for today: Happy birthday to Carrie and Happy Father's Day to Daddy! You both deserve a better congrats than that, but you will get it when I return. Love to you all!