Winetasting and Whalewatching

            After a long wait, we finally made it to a winetasting.  Though we had been hearing about the incredible wine culture around Cape Town (and, of course, sampling the wines on our own), this was the first time we had gone to a vineyard and actually done an official tour and tasting. 

            On this beautiful, warm Saturday, we left our house bright and early at 9am and made the drive out to Paarl, a region of Stellenbosch, to a little vineyard called Nelson.  We began our morning with a tour of the vines and winery, learning about how the grapes were grown, processed, and turned into different types of wine. 

            After the tour, we were escorted to the tasting, where we were situated around giant round wooden tables and each given our own wooden board with cheese, crackers, and a glass.  For the next hour, our guide (who also happened to be the daughter of the founder of the vineyard) talked us through five of the vineyard’s wines, teaching us how to correctly taste, appreciate, and differentiate between the different types.  I quickly chose my favorite, a crisp, light Rosé, and as soon as the tasting ended I bought two bottles to take home with me.

            After the tasting, we were led out to our picnic lunch by the pool, where we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by a local caterer and watched while a wedding ceremony was being set-up nearby.   We lazed in the sun for a few hours until finally, pleasantly numbed by the food, wine, and sun, we climbed back into the bus, sleepy and content.  Overall, the winetasting was one of my favorite experiences so far, and left me eager to try more. 

           

            The following weekend, we woke up early after a night of relaxing at a backyard Braii with our neighboring house to the delicious smell of baked apple French toast, which Danni whipped up to lure us out of bed in time for our 7am departure.  Once we had eaten our fill, we loaded into the van, pleasantly sleepy and satisfied, and headed to Hermanus for their annual Whale festival.  Every year, this charming little coastal town hosts a huge festival in honor of their yearly visitors, the Right Southern Whales.  We spent the day exploring the town and enjoying the festivities, which included several parades, a car show, tons of stands selling food and African crafts, and even some carnival games and rides.  After lunch at Cuban restaurant near the water, we took a walk along a scenic trail on the coastline.  Here, we had the opportunity to take in the gorgeous views and catch some glimpses of the whales! 

            At the end of the day, we piled back into the car to head home, taking the scenic coastal route where we got to see even more of the beautiful coastline.  Never having seen a whale before except in Free Willy, this day was definitely one I will never forget.  

Spring Break 2010

            This week six service-learners, Kato, Erin, Lauren, Noah, Danni, and I, celebrated spring vacation with a trip across the Garden Route on the Baz backpacker’s bus.  With only our backpacks and a loose idea of where we were going and what we would do when we got there, we set off early Saturday morning ready for anything.

            Our first stop was the Crags, a rural area near Plettenberg bay.  We stayed at a hostel (called a backpacker in SA) aptly named Wild Spirit, as it had a definite hippie-vibe.  On our first full day, we started off with a bang with the group attempting the world’s highest bungee jump off a nearby bridge.  Four of the group-members decided to do the jump (Erin and I opted to save our money and satisfy our survival instinct by watching from the pub which overlooked the jump and serving as the designated photographers).  Amazingly enough, nobody backed out, and all four jumpers came back smiling, satisfied, and adrenaline-filled, each with a DVD to document the event. 

Spring-themed party and dinner of Potjie stew at Wild Spirit- this explains my nature-inspired headpiece

the jumpers! the extra is Adrien, a french guy staying at Wild Spirit who came along for the jump

            That night, we headed to nearby Jeffrey’s Bay, a small surfing town.  For the next two days, we hung out by the beach, wandering around the quiet town and soaking up the mellow surfer-vibes.  It was a little cold to sunbathe, but being near the water felt great.

            From Jeffrey’s Bay we went to Port Elizabeth, where we stayed at a cozy little hostel.  We decided to use our one full day in P.E. splurging on a safari.  The day started at 8 am, when we were picked up and taken on a driving tour of Addo Elephant Park.  Driving through the park, we saw tons of elephants, some coming right up to the van! We then enjoyed a nice lunch at Addo before heading to Scotia Game Reserve for our afternoon safari. 

            At Scotia, we all piled into an open-air landrover, equipped with wool blankets to wrap up in with, of course, our cameras in-hand.  For the rest of the afternoon, we rode around the park, seeing some unbelievable animals up-close and personal.  Highlights included the giraffes (my favorite!) and zebras.  Later in the afternoon, following a tea and coffee break, I got to ride on the tracker’s seat, a little bench perched on the hood of the landrover (the only condition was, according to our guide Peter, that I had to get back inside the vehicle when we found a rhino).  For close to an hour, I got to ride around in this seat, clinging on with both hands during the rough ride and soaking up the animals, scenery, and beautiful African sunset.  Finally we did spot a rhino, and Peter quickly pulled over in the bush for me to climb back in.  We then drove over to the rhinos, who came right up tous. Suddenly, one of them charged at the front of our truck! Apparently we did something to make him mad- thankfully I had vacated my special seat, or the day might not have ended so well for me. 

setting off to safari

I managed to capture the moment when the rhino charged at the van! 

            Once the sun had gone down, we headed to a bungalow on the reserve for a delicious African home-cooked dinner of stewed kudu, chicken, rice, potatoes, pureed squash, green beans, mushroom sauce, and fresh-baked African bread.  Paired with a glass of wine and a slice of Malva pudding with custard for dessert (the best way to describe malva is a slice of thick syrup-soaked pancake cake- AMAZING), it was the perfect way to end an incredible day.  Finally, as if this wasn’t enough, we piled back into the landrover for the final highlight of the experience- venturing out to observe the nocturnal lion hunt.  Though we saw a few lions earlier in the day, this was nothing compared to what we saw once the sun went down.  Driving out into the open grass, we got within 3 feet of TONS of lions.  Though this was supposed to be their hunting hour, most didn’t seem in the mood- instead seemingly preferring to lay around in the grass.  Lucky for us, this provided the perfect opportunity to see them up-close and take a million pictures.  Overall, the day was an undeniable high-point of the trip, and an experience I will never forget. 

picture's a little dark- but check out his pose.

            For our final spring-break stop, we stayed our last night in Knysna, a sweet little sea town.  With a picturesque waterfront, lots of shops and restaurants, and a slow-paced charm, it was a nice opportunity to explore and unwind after a hectic week.  When we finally piled back on the Baz bus on Friday for the long drive back to Cape Town, we were exhausted, happy, and full of stories and pictures to record our memorable week.  

Devil’s Peak Hike, Baxter Dance Festival, and Langa Homestay

Finally back with many long-overdue updates on life in South Africa!

           

            Last month, following a late night out with the housemates in Observatory, we decided to de-tox with a hike up to Devil’s Peak (arguably the highest point on Table Mountain? I’m not entirely sure…).  The hike ended up being much more intense than I anticipated, but ultimately the struggle paid off with a spectacular sweeping view of Cape Town.  The peak was so windy I thought I was going to blow away, bracing myself to stay rooted to the mountain.  Luckily, someone had managed to get a couch up there (how, I can’t even begin to imagine, as the climb up required both hands and feet), so we were able to have a little rest before heading back down.  We finally stumbled back into the house six hours later, exhausted but feeling accomplished.  Needless to say, we all slept like babies that night.

resting at the peak on the mysterious couch... check out that view

            Erin, Danni, and I also recently had our first artistic experience at the Baxter Theater, checking out the Baxter Dance Festival.  The theater, which is a two-minute walk from our house, is gorgeous, and the show was spectacular.  I was blown away by the variety, talent, and creativity demonstrated by all of the dancers.  Showcasing everything from African modern to Contemporary theater/dance to Flamenco, they easily held my rapt attention throughout the two-plus hour performance. 

            Another recent adventure was our homestay in Langa, one of Cape Town’s townships.  We stayed in pairs with local host families, and the weekend included checking out local bars and taverns, sampling the local food, getting a tour of Langa, and attending an African-style Roman Catholic church service on Sunday morning.  Overall, the weekend was a definite learning experience, with lots of surprises which undoubtedly left me with a much deeper understanding of the culture of township life. 

Me with my host family

on the tour of Langa

Me with a chicken head- we got to see the entire process, from cage to killing to plucking to cooking.  Honestly, a little more than I wanted to know.