If you are still reading, thank you. Computer troubles and business have led me astray from posting. Bear with me now as I try to recall over 2 weeks of adventures. This will not be as in depth as I would like but I will cover all of the major events.
-Final Dinner in Pretoria: Danny and Josh graduated from the program, and we had dinner at Duncan Yard, the same restaurant we ate at upon arrival in Pretoria. Isn't it ironical how these things always come full circle? Anyways, the night was marked by a Philip Deutsch rap and a speech from Spencer reminiscing on his previous blackouts ha. For the final night we ventured to? Where else than Hatfield Square. One of the more memorable nights, everyone came out and partied! I spent time that night talking with Vanty, about better cities in the U.S., Seattle or San Diego. The argument actually stirred up quite a debate, who would know this was the beginning of a friendship.
-We all piled into Sedick's bus the following morning headed to Cape Town. The drive was very uneventful, the first leg lasting 8 hrs. We began to grow weary of Steers the SA fast food joint and being crammed in such close quarters. We stopped in Colesburg for the night, a sheep herding town halfway between Pretoria and Stellenbosch. The South African countryside is vast, most of the land can't be irrigated and is used for livestock. We arrived into Stellenbosch late but still managed to go out on the town.
-The first day in Stellenbosch I was taken aback at its beauty, with large mountains and lush green valleys it was quite a sight. We visited KWV winery today, and the power went out. We continued viewing the ancient barrels some over 12 feet in height. At the end of the tour there was some wine tasting, mmmmmm. This was a struggle, not because of the taste of the wine but our palates were still recovering from copious amounts of alcohol the night before. My two favorite drinks were the KWV 10 year brandy and the Shiraz, I purchased both. Next it was up to a Stellenbosch monument on top of a hill (sorry for the poor description). From the top we were able to peer all the way to Table Mt. and into the wine valleys of Stellenbosch, very picturesque.
Dinner was in Cape Town at the Green Dolphin, the seafood chowder was especially delicious. This was the night we all watched Ghana, Africa's last hope fall to the Uruguayans in epic fashion. A deliberate handball in front of the goal in the final minute gave Ghana a penalty kick. A sure win which was squandered when it bounced off the cross bar. Uruguay advanced. The waterfront at night lit up and made for a beautiful night.
-Went into town today and got lunch at an asian restaurant, couldn't help to notice the predominantly dutch architecture around town. The buildings were white and colonial, the place seemed to protect its heritage very well over the centuries since it was colonized. Class was still going on, our classrooms were in a church across the street. In Stellenbosch I decided to change my waking up techniques, I now brought ipod speakers into the bedrooms to wake everyone up, funny for me not so much for others.
That afternoon we ventured to Cape Town and the V&A waterfront for the Germany Argentina match. We were hard pressed to find a place to eat, the shear amounts of people at the waterfront was insane. Managed to find a buffet place with a good group of people to witness the face kicking of Argentina via the Germans, a 4-0 beating. For dinner I had a rainbow roll with salmon eggs, palatable. After this I was privileged to accompany Vanty on a walk around the waterfront, past the crowds we watched the sun set over the bay and took photos. After the stroll we went up into the Ferris wheel, the views from the top were amazing. What a day to remember.
-Our 4th of July Celebration was two-fold. On the night of the third we ventured to the a local pub and took it over. With our flags, raucous chants and heavy drinking we chanted, God Bless America, Born in the USA and USA USA USA chants. The bar was happy to accommodate such cheery Americans and played hits such as Piano man and Bruce Springsteen all night! Yesss.
The morning of the 4th we hiked up the famous Table Mountain. Zach, Nick, Pat W., Patty Mac, Mike and I made the hike up and the others took the cable car up. The views as we ascended became more breathtaking. The hike took us 1:45 to the top, the terrain was rocky but attainable. Our view started with a view of down town CT and the water, it expanded to Robben Island and at the very top even the Cape of Good Hope. At the top I enjoyed a cold one at the restaurant with mike and Pat W. soaking up our accomplishment.
We took the cable car down the Mt. to save time and made it back to the bus before it left for Robben Island. It was rather ironic how we were visiting Nelson Mandela's jail, the man largely responsible for the deliverance of SA from racial tyranny to democratic freedom, on the day of Americas independence. The Island is a 45 minute boat ride from the harbor, upon arrival we went to the barracks and rock quarry where the prisoners worked. We viewed the living quarters where Mandela lived for 7 out of his 27 years of imprisonment. A meager cell no bigger than a bathroom, the perseverance of Mandela and fellow ANC members was truly remarkable, much respect to all of them.
-Our trip to see the Penguins and the Cape of Good Hope was fun. The penguins waddle everywhere and funny little animals to observe. They are a monogamous society, which is a great example for us humans. We ate lunch in Simons town and I had the Ribs/Queen Prawns/Calamari platter, delicious. The prawns were so fresh their heads were attached, the calamari was also very fresh. To wash it down I enjoyed a lime smoothie, probably one of the best meals I had on the trip. The Cape was an hour away upon our arrival we walked down a boardwalk to the very edge of some gigantic rock faces. These rocks were remarkable, each carved by the waves of the ocean in different ways. The sun was breaking through the clouds for some epic pictures. Staring out into the ocean you can see a faint line where the ocean meets the sky, and the slight curvature of the glove, epic. The Indian ocean waves on the shore could be heard from the top of the rock. We followed the path down to Dias beach which was set in between two big boulders. A few of the Columbians decided to throw away the clothes and take a dip, crazy b/c the water was still very cold. On the ride home our bus stopped to allow a group of mountain baboons to cross with their young, it was a very cool trip.
That night was equally as fun, I convinced Sedick to charter the bus to the infamous Long Street in Cape Town. Another memorable night awaited us. We very quickly realized that we couldn't get 20+ people to agree on one place so we split up. We chose different bars along the strip and some elected for a brothel, yep very risque. Vanty, Kelly, Nick, Fred, Hooker, Mike, Fred, Whitney and I traveled to various bars before we settled on Zula a second story bar/dance floor. The meeting point was at 2 am and the boys from the brothel didn't make it back till almost three. What a night.
- The next day was rather chill, as we recovered and went to the in class review for the final test tomorrow. I ventured with two others to the market to get some last minute gifts for others. I'm not very good at bartering so I let Todd (the jew) do most of my buying lol. Dinner was enjoyed at "The Big Easy" in Stellenbosch this is the restaurant of the golfer Ernie Els a native of South Africa. I had a 70 rand (10 dollar) bottle of Shiraz aged since 2003, best bottle I've ever enjoyed. My sirloin burger was equally as good. The restaurant was very sleek and the service was great. The Nederlands advanced to the final over the Uruguayans. The test the next day was a breeze, I stayed up most of the night reviewing the material.
-So the final dinner was also a viewing of the Spain vs. Germany semi-final, we received our diplomas gave speeches and grimiced when the Spaniards advanced. It was the ending to something very special a unique adventure, which will bond all of us to each other for as long as we are alive. The night was spent out at Nu-bar dancing and drinking, what Forum-Nexus does best right?? I swear I made that night last as long as possible, I want to live in that moment forever.
The trip to the airport was hard for me as I said goodbye to everyone. "Its not goodbye, its more like a see you later," says Vanty. Even so I was holding back some strong feelings, the bonds that I made were deep and I couldn't have asked for more.
The next post will shed light on the madness which Fred, Spencer and I endured in the Cape Town Hostel Stay tuned!!!
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