June 19th 15:17

I am above Lynchburg, Virginia. 35,000 feet above it to be exact. In about an hour I will have landed and my trip will be over, along with this journal. So here we go with the end...

Feeling a bit bored with the fan park at the beach I decided I would go back to the race track to hang out with the girls. It should have been about a 15 minute drive but I got lost so it was more like an hour. I had both Jess and Bev (on a pre-paid cell phone that Bev let me borrow) giving me directions but I still got messed up. I was pretty frustrated but relieved when I finally arrived. It was a South Africa match coming on as soon as I arrived so the place was packed out. Jess and Nicola were both too busy to chat so I just watched the match... It was not good. Poor South Africa, that might have been the nail on the coffin for them.

Once it was over the race track cleared out mostly and Jess got cut. Nicola had to stay a bit longer though so Jess and I drove down to Florida road to kill time. We had a beer at a bar called "Booty". It was crowded but not a very good vibe. Funny enough tough, the drunk girls we gave a ride to the night before were there. I'm pretty sure the one who had been crying didn't even remember us. It didn't take long for Nicola to call and say she was off work so Jess and I went and got her and we drove both cars to a club called "Burn". It was a really weird place. It sort of reminded me of the masquerade in Atlanta. Total grungy rock bar. We played pool and had some super cheap drinks but eventually decided it was too dead and boring plus we were all hungry and tired, so of course the obvious solution was to hit up Johny's Rottis again! We took the monstrosity home, split it three ways, and went to bed.

The next morning I got up and packed up my stuff. Nicola left early and aid goodbye and after a quick breakfast I did the same. It was sad saying goodbye to the Poulos family. I felt like we really connected and everyone was so over the top hospitable. I am so lucky to have Cassy as a friend. She really went the extra mile to ensure I had a great trip and I cannot thank her enough.

So I loaded up the car and made the long trip back to Johannesburg. It was a pleasant and beauiful drive. At one gas station a local boy saw my american flag on the car and had a million questions for me. I ended up giving him a 1 euro coin from Spain and a US quarter from Mississippi. It was like Christmas for him. I felt good about doing that for him.

As I got into Jo'Burg area it got really smoky with wild fires on the plains. I saw one fire directly in the center of a township slum. It made me sad to see it, as if those people don't have hard enough lives as it is.

I got into Jo'Burg and after a slight missed turn confusion, found my way back to Ryan's apartment. We thought about going to a concert at that club "Gin" but we were both too tired so instead chose to go to the movies. The place Ryan drove us to was a casino so naturally I liked it. We walked through the casino floor but I was pretty much out of money so I did no gambling. The movie choices were weak and we eventually settled on some art film called "The Limits of Control". It was awful. Maybe the slowest film I have ever seen. When we left there were two different people dead asleep in their chairs!

After the movie we went back home and called it an early night.

The next morning we got an early start and my goal was to pick up some last minute gifts with my final 200 rand. I got some black label beer, and some sweet chili sauce, and some biltong! Yum! Hopefully customs will not say anything about it since it is meat. It's not like they ever actually check your stuff at customs anyway.

I also really wanted 2 vuvuzelas which ended up being almost a 2 hour journey since they were all either sold out or way overpriced. I was successful at the last minute though. Ryan followed me to the airport and parked while I dropped off the rental car. We at at KFC in the airport and got my boarding passes and stuff. Then we found a television and watched the second half of the U.S.A. vs. Slovenia match. It was intense! USA was down 0-2 and ended up catching 2 goals to tie it up in the last 15 minutes of the match. There was actually a 3rd goal which should have made it a victory but the ref called a bogus foul. We got robbed big time. So once again a draw for USA. The match ran a bit late so I had to say a quick goodbye to Ryan and rush to catch my flight just as it was boarding.

The 10 hours form Johannesburg to Frankfurt was another overnight on a 747. Somehow by the grace of God I ended up on an exit row, which on a 747 means you can stretch your legs out all the way without hitting anything. The guy next to me, Adil, was joking that we were the luckiest people on the plane.

The two of us got along quite well. He was from Belgium and just returning home from a business trip in Durban. He works for H.P as a lead engineer.

After the flight he invited me to join him in the Lufthansa elite members lounge but when we got there I wasn't allowed in. Apparently they recently changed the rules to "no guests". So I just hung out with Adil until his flight to Brussels boarded since I had 6 hours to kill anyway. Once I was alone I went to a cafe and pad an exorbitant amount to get wifi on my iPhone for an hour. Then slept on a row of benches until boarding time. As I was boarding my flight to Atlanta I was hit with culture shock. Americans everywhere! To be honest I resented them all. It may be that it was an indicator that my adventure is ending, or maybe because it is a reflection of my own culture which is weird, or maybe I liked being unique and a foreigner, then suddenly I was just like everyone else again. Either way it was a bad feeling.

I go a lucky seat again as I was at the front of the row so I have a little more leg room and a wall instead of a seat in front of me. This was a newer plane too so I could watch movies and television on demand on y own personal screen. The Lufthansa 747's don't have that.

All in all the return trip was way less brutal. Now 10 hours later I'm watching the ground creep ever closer... now the runway... touchdown! well, that is it I guess. I hope you liked my story.

June 16th 18:40

I should be able to hear the sound of crashing waves but this part of the Durban shoreline is so tranquil today that I could be laying in the water and allowing the Indian Ocean to roll over me and still I would only hear slight ripples. On the darkness of the beach I see teenagers flirting and goofing off in the sand, the light from their cell phones flickering in dissonance with the flashing green and red lights of the pier and the swooping gleam of two far off light houses. Before me on the promenade more young people kick a soccer ball around, dodging the heavy foot traffic. I sit at a cafe table watching this scene, midway between the long pier and the fan park. The all brick pathway is about half a mile long, lined with palm trees, the beach on one side, bars and hotels on the other. The orange glow of the city branching out to sea down the peninsula blends along the horizon with the lights of cargo ships heading into the harbor. From every direction is the cacophony of World Cup fever in South Africa on a night where in two hours South Africa will take on Paraguay. So let me catch you up on the last two days...

So my first morning in Durban I woke up around 11:00am. Pretty late but I probably needed the sleep. Jess and Bev were already up and dressed so I hurried and showered up because I knew they wanted to go get lunch and were waiting on me. When I got out of the shower, Bev had my clothes dried and folded for me. The three of us headed over to a little Italian cafe where I managed to get an internet connection on my iPhone, so I could check some e-mail.

After lunch we drove over to the Gateway Mall. This place is crazy. Jess and I walked over to the still wave while Bev did her own thing. The wave is crazy cool, it is like indoor surfing. There is also an awesome skate park that made me wish I was 16 again and a huge rock wall. Bev eventually left the mall on her own and Jess and I met up with Nicola, who is the youngest Poulos sister. Nicola was just getting back in town from staying at a friend's house after watching the Germany/Australia match live... lucky! We hung out for a little bit at the mall and Nicola ate McDonalds which is some sort of luxury for them... I'll never get it. Maybe it is sort of like Americans and Ikea...

After the mall we drove in the girls' car back home and relaxed for a bit. The weather was windy and a bit chilly but we chose to go out to the beach front anyway. The beach is called Ushaka and is the same place I write this from now.

We spent a few hours just walking on the promenade and checking out the place. There is a big water park and a little carnival. We entered the fan park and watched the end of a match and then walked back to the car to go home. On the way to and from the beachfront I got a good tour of Durban. The stadium is really cool looking. Back at the house, Bev had prepared a cheesy pasta dinner for us that was quite yummy. We opened that bottle of wine I had given them and then made it an early night.

The next morning I woke up around 10:00am and once again everyone else was already up, but this time in PJ's. We lounged around for a long time and ate cereal and watched T.V.

After a bit we all four went to the same Italian place and the post office. On the way back into the neighborhood we saw a little patch of land teeming with male and female impala as well as monkeys. The girls had to go to work as beer pourers at a fan park located inside a horse race park. I had no plans so I drove them to work and hung out. This fan park is a little out of the way and poorly advertised so it was dead slow. I pretty much hung out all day drinking beer (and not paying for most of it!) and watching matches. I did crossword puzzles with Nicola to pass the time and Jess and I bet on a horse race. We lost. It was really cold and miserable most of the time At one point I left and found an internet cafe on the main strip in that area called Florida Road.

I made it back to the horse track in time for Jess and Nicola to be getting off work and we decided to go out to this place that is way off the grid but it has a party called Good Music Tuesday (GMT). The place was packed with trendy kids. I felt very old since most were between the ages of 18-21. The kids there were cool though and all very keen to talk to me being that I'm a foreigner and all. I really don't like dancing but after a few beers I can fake it enough to not feel too miserable and awkward. We ended up hanging out and dancing until like 3am. Jess was the sober one so she got to drive. On the way out we saw two girls on a bench, wasted, and one was crying. Nikki and I asked what was wrong and got some unclear story about apartheid, best friends, and them aid's daughter attempting suicide. Also they had no ride home and were going to "sleep on the bench". Oooooh drunk girls... So we gave them a lift home. The car ride was quite entertaining though and probably a good deed in the end. So after that we stopped by Johnny's Rottis. That is a late night spot that sells these sort of burrito things filled with almost anything. Ours had french fries and cheese (chips & triple cheese). The place is really jsut for take out and has no tables so we got our huge rotti (3 people can share 1) and took it home. We scarfed it down, said our goodnights, and asleep we went. Not before Nicola drunkenly blew a vuvuzela in the house though which almost certainly woke up Bev. Then again I doubt Bev was ever fully asleep anyway since she is clearly the type of good mom who won't fully sleep until she knows her children are safely home. She reminds me of my own mom in that way.

So the next morning I woke up around 11:30am. Less then 8 hours considering I didn't get to bed until 4am. Once again I was the last one up and the girls were hard at work making breakfast/lunch. Ciabatta with butter and sweet chili sauce, and amazing scrambled eggs courtesy of Nicola.

After that the girls got ready for work and I for the day. After Jess and Nicola left I headed out and back to the beach front for some solo time. I sat in crazy traffic because there was a match in Durban and the highways here are really not equipped to handle it. I didn't mind though because the weather was beautiful.

I finally made it to Ushaka and went straight to the beach. The weather was nice but a bit windy and it was already about 2:30pm and the sun was past its pinnacle. I chose to keep my regular clothes on for warmth, but did lay out a blanket and read for a couple hours. At 4pm I walked to the fan park and watched the Span vs. Switzerland match. Spain lost 0-1 and I wondered if back in America Lindsey was watching in dismay as her love, Sergio Ramos, walked off the field in defeat. Spain is the #1 ranked team in the world so it was a big upset.

After the match I headed back down the promenade and found a cafe to have a beer and write in this journal. Only one more day left before the long trip home... more to come.

June 13th 23:19

Well it has been quite some time since my last update. I have been cut off from the internet for about 4 days and my schedule has been pretty nonstop so I haven't had much of an opportunity to hit an internet cafe or even write in my journal until now. So I am writing this from a bed that judging by the artifacts in this room must belong to a 10j-12 year old boy. It is nice though! This house is huge and super fancy. The weather is mild and breezy although a bit humid. I have the windows open and there is no screen. I need to be careful not to let any monkey's jump in. Apparently they usually only enter kitchen windows to steal bananas though. I'm being serious.
So let me tell you how I got from Cape Town waterfront to an upper class home in Durban belonging to someone I have never met...

After finishing my last journal entry in Cape Town I was bored and not ready to return to Buzzy's place alone so early so I called my friend Joanna from a pay phone. She is the one who picked me up from the airport. Her and a friend, a girl doing YWAM stuff in S.A. as well, met me and we drove to Long Street, which is where Buzzy and I first had beers on day 1. It was mayhem! Only 2 days until World Cup start so the city was packed with foreigners. Being missionaries, I don't think the girls were too keen to party hard so we went to a yummy burger place and then walked around and enjoyed the parade of drunken fools go crazy in the streets. Everywhere you go the sound of vuvuzelas from every direction. Imagine everyone having a trumpet that makes just 1 note. It is quite the racket but certainly sends good vibes when the time is right. Apparently for most South Africans the time is always right. All day and night. After Long street the girls dropped me off and I scooted home. This time not in the rain, thank God.
When I got to Buzzy's house it was a bit odd being there alone. To be honest the place was pretty creepy. I took a muscle relaxer to help me sleep, plus my neck hurt anyway. The place is an abandoned mental asylum... you would be freaked out too.
The next morning I packed everything up, showered, and locked up the apartment. The guy next door was outside and I left the keys with him as per Buzzy's instructions. The guy was weeeird. I'm glad I only met him on the way out or else I would have been even more freaked out! The scooter lady arrived at 10am just on time and drove me to the airport. She was so kind and generous. I couldn't believe she offered a ride like that but I was glad to avoid a cab fare.
At the airport things were getting crazy. Mexican's everywhere! They were flying to Johannesburg for the World Cup opening match of Mexico vs. South Africa. On the plane they were all yelling in Spanish for the entire 2 hour flight. During landing they blew their vuvuzelas and pissed off the flight attendants who threatened to arrest them all.
When I landed I got my luggage and then found the car rental on my own. Careful not to let anyone steal any more money from me like the last time when I asked for directions! The car I got is a tiny little Chevy car. Not a model seen in U.S.A. One of those British looking little round things. Slow, but great on gas. Driving from the right side of the car, in the left lane, and using a stick shift with my left hand was pretty nerve racking at first. It is not too difficult, just really awkward the first couple of days.
I had written directions to Ryan's house. He is another friend of Cassy that I hooked up with on facebook. Somehow I got the directions perfect and mad it straight there. Ryan lives in a suburb of Johannesburg that is pretty cool. Trendy type place it seems. Sort of like living in Buckhead but not as expensive and less bourgie. When I arrived nobody was home, which stressed me out a bit. I wasn't sure what to do so I drove to the gas station down the street and used a pay phone to dial Ryan's cell. I got the voicemail so I hung up. After further contemplation I decided I should have left a message so I called again and this time, thank you Jesus, he answered. It was 4pm so he was still at work but said he could leave early so like ten minutes later he was already home to meet me. We hit it off instantly. He works freelance as a sort of client relations person for the South African music industry. Mostly pop punk bands so he has been on warped tour in the U.S. a bunch of times so he seemed to be glad to hang out with awn American since he misses it. We hung out and chatted a bit at his house. Listened to music, had a drink, then decided to go get some food. We ate at a sort of dive but it serves traditional South African food. I had a lamb stew and drank Black Label (PBR of Africa). Ryan was really excited to show me the local's side of Johannesburg. We took a drive through the city but not to the bad parts. He was always very cautious to keep all doors locked and no valuables or bags in eyesight on seats or anything. He says break ins occur pretty often and many times when people are still in the car. One time he and his friend had both windows smashed at a stop light and they were beat in the face by two guys with hammers. All for a bag or cell phone or something probably. So needless to say... he was cautious. It sounds bad but really a little awareness and avoiding bad parts of town and Johannesburg is actually a pretty cool city. We drove to some cool neighborhoods that probably only the locals know. We looked at some amazing graffiti and then drove around the attractions like this big bridge and downtown etc... Then we went to get a drink closer to his neighborhood.
We got to a bar and immediately started a conversation with guy named Shoshi. He was funny. The bar got busier and busier as the night went on. EVERYONE is so excited for World Cup. Most of these people probably didn't care about soccer prior to this but I think it is more about national pride and unity then it is sports. In the U.S. after September 11th every house and car had an American flag proudly waving it seemed. Multiply that by 10 and that is the current state of South Africa. Rich and poor, white and black, men, women, children. Everyone is proud to be South African right now and flaunting it proudly to the world. Even Ryan was saying how shocked he is at how excited and pumped up he is by the whole thing. Keep in mind that South Africa is a rugby nation, not a soccer nation.
So anyway Ryan, Shoshi, and I drank for a few hours and some friends of Ryan showed up who were cool. Later we all walked to this bar called Gin. I wasn't too into it since it was a super crowded hipster dance club and that is just not my style. It reminded me of MJQ in Atlanta. I ended up having fun though and we didn't leave until about 3am. When we left Shoshi was "entertaining" an older lady... maybe a cougar? We left him to his own fate and upon arriving home I promptly crashed on the futon.
The next day Ryan and I slept in nice and late. His roommate was asleep when we got in the night before and gone when I woke up so I still had not met him. I was originally planning on driving to Rustenburg that morning and already had accommodations paid for but Ryan convinced me to stay another night because I would have more fun sticking with him and his friends to enjoy the opening World Cup match in Jo'burg. It didn't take very much convincing.
We ate some eggs and toast and watched a bit of television before showering up and getting ready for the day. We needed some Bafana Bafana gear (That is the name of the South African soccer team). So we went to the mall but it was all sold out or too expensive. We ended up just using some stuff Ryan already had swiped from his office that was promotional stuff.
He had a huge South African flag and a construction helmet that had been carved out to be this insane looking soccer player kicking a ball and it says "Bafana Bafana" and there are vuvuzelas on it. It is really funny. I just had a big yellow hat shaped like a soccer ball. I know it sounds ridiculous but honestly not wearing it would have made me stick out worse on that day. We went to a fan park at a ritzy outdoor mall to meet up with Ryan’s friends and watch the match. Fan Parks are where non ticket holders go to watch matches on huge screens. It is like a festival. Bands play, give aways, food vendors, the whole 9 yards. Free admission. I have never felt energy like that. South Africa scored the first goal, a huge underdog to Mexico since they are ranked 89th in the world and only qualified because they are the host nation. When that goal went in the place exploded. It was so much fun. People shaking their beer in the air, people jumping and hugging, horns resounding across the whole country all at once. Just crazy. The match ended up being a tie, but everyone was still jubilant at the end. The parking garage was a nightmare and took an hour to get out of. I had some suggestions as to how the property management could have handled the event parking better, but I kept it to myself 
So next Ryan and I went to some exclusive club where MTV was hosting a party and Ryan had us on the list. He used to work for MTV, and still has a lot of friends there. I felt very out of place the whole time. It was mostly “ballers” just dancing and showing off their money. We left after 2 hours and I felt it was 2 hours too late. Ryan wasn’t feeling it either but he seemed glad to talk to his friends. We were hungry so we bought junk food at the gas station and watched television before crashing.
The next morning I slept in way too late. The USA vs. England match was at 8:30pm and I needed to be in Rustenburg for it. Seeing as it was a Saturday and I had an extra bed at my accommodation, Ryan decided to accompany me. Ryan decided to go for England so we bought a USA and an England flag that attach to the windows and fly above the car. His above his side and mine above mine. At every intersection there are tons of these guys selling flags and other fan gear. They can be pretty pushy but easy to negotiate with. I also bought a huge American flag to wave in the air or wrap around myself.
The drive to Rustenburg was about 2 hours. We passed a few shanty towns which were sad. Huge communities of people living in tiny hand made dwellings with no electricity or running water. Total poverty. Trash everywhere. Very stinky.
We got a little lost on the way but Ryan’s blackberry saved the day and by around 3pm we made it to our camp. My accommodation is this little camping resort that has some tents with beds and electricity inside. You could call it comfortable camping. Certainly not the “luxury tents” advertised on the website but good enough. There was a pool but we didn’t get in. The camp has a little shop and restaurant and bar too. The place was deserted because everyone had already headed to the stadium. We ate disgustingly greasy food at the restaurant before heading to the fan park. When we arrived it was very sparsely populated. I don’t think many USA or England fans came to Rustenburg without first getting match tickets. Oh well… Ryan found some English people to tag along with and I joined the American camp. Mostly really annoying peace corps workers living nearby. Hippies. Except the couple from Portland… They were cool and loved my Zelda hoody.
When the USA national anthem came on we sang and I waved my big flag. I was probably the only person with a flag that big there so naturally I ended up with three television cameras complete with bright lights on me. It was very awkward but I’m pretty sure I was on television somewhere haha. The match was fun. England scored in the first 3 minutes… it was like a punch in the gut. About 15 minutes later USA scored when Dempsey (USA player) shot for goal and it was stopped by Green (England goal keeper) but he accidentally dropped the ball and it rolled in. A pretty ugly and cheap way to score a goal but it still counted and we still celebrated jubilantly. When we were all done celebrating all the beers that were sitting on the ground had been knocked over… but it was well worth it. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
In an attempt to avoid having to give my facebook info to the hippies, I grabbed Ryan and we left quickly. We went back to camp and played pool at the bar then drank a lot of beer with these crazy English guys. It was pretty fun. We must have not gotten to sleep until 4am. It was cold when we went to sleep but sweltering the next morning when the sun beat down on our tent. We forgot soap and shampoo and the showers sprayed water so hard that it hurt to stand in. It felt like I was in prison.
We loaded up on snacks at the shop and then took a faster and much more scenic route back to Jo’burg. We took a pit stop at a little strip mall next to some famous lake with an extremely long Afrikaans name which I can’t remember or pronounce. I tried some biltong which is like beef jerky only 1,000 times better. We gotta get this stuff in the USA. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We got back to Jo’burg and took proper showers. I packed up my stuff and said goodbye to Ryan. Funnily enough, his roommate came home as I was leaving. After three days we never actually met.
So anyway, I loaded up the car and headed out toward Durban. I had spoken to Bev, Cassie’s mom, on Ryan’s cell earlier. We arranged to meet at a mall near her place then I could follow her from there. It was a really nice drive. 6 hours, but I love road trips. Still, after 8 hours total driving for the day I was pooped when I got there finally. I listened to World Cup matches on the radio the whole way, with my own music in between. I had loaded up a flash drive with music from both Buzzy and Ryan and luckily the car stereo has a USB input.
The trip cost me about R350 in gas and R150 in tolls. That is about $65… or $130 round trip. I could have flown for that price but I liked the drive so no big deal.
I called Bev from a pay phone at the mall and she came and met me. Nicest lady ever! She gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and said she was so happy I was here. We drove back to the house and I was shocked at how nice it was. It turns out the family just moved back from the U.S.A. (long story) and currently has no home so they are house sitting for a family on vacation in Australia. Hence the reason I’m using the room of a 10-12 year old boy. The neighborhood is heavily secured and so coming and going will require me obtaining a new access code each time, but at least it is super safe. There is wild game bucks here (impala) apparently as well as… monkeys!
Just after Bev and I got home, Jess got home. She is one of Cassy’s younger sisters (age 22). We watched the last 10 minutes of Germany’s 4-0 slaughter of Australia and I gave them some gifts Cassy had me bring over as well as some German chocolate and a bottle of wine from me as a thank you. Bev started a load of laundry for me, just like a good mom!
It turns out that the home owners locked the office so no internet access! I will have to make it a priority tomorrow to figure it out so I can touch base with everyone and also update this blog. That is all for now. Goodnight world!

06/09/2010 - 18:30

I am sitting on the chilly and breezy patio of a cafe called San Marco on the Cape Town waterfront which has become my sort of base of operations as of late. This place is crazy with all walks of life. Each group that walks by is enthusiastic and decked out in colors and symbols of their own country. Each speaking their own language. An overwhelming culture clash. So anyway... where did I leave off?
So I got back to the scooter after the wine tasting tour and it was parked right where I left it at the Southern Sun hotel. I spent a while in the parking garage studying the map before finally deciding on a route. As I exited two things became apparent. 1 is that I was exiting into a different one way road then I entered on and 2, it was raining pretty hard. Me being always the optimist, I didn't bring any rain jacket with me when I left the house, although I do have one in my bag, so I just grit my teeth and hit the road. I took what I thought to be a right onto Strand street and which ended up being an on ramp onto a highway. I immediately took the first exit and decided to just find a populated place that might have a pay phone. To my luck I saw a huge mall on the waterfront, thriving with life, and about a million scooters parked on the side. I joined them. The waterfront is probably the nicest spot in Cape Town. It is the home of the new soccer stadium as well as the focal point for all maritime activity. It is a fully functioning harbor but also lined with shops, restaurants, and activities. you do not feel like you are in Africa here, it feels more like Seattle or maybe some European harbor city. So when I arrived I went inside and found an internet cafe. It took a while because the mall is HUGE. After the internet I called Buzzy and told him I was not able to wander around looking for my way home at night in the rain. So he agreed to meet me. We ended up having dinner at a fish restaurant. I had a local fresh fish and squid and he had prawns and squid. We shared one of my bottles of wine, the Tin Mine, and only had to pay a 25 rand ($3) corking fee. In fact, the total fee for a seafood meal for two at a very nice waterfront restaurant was only about $200 rand ($25).
After dinner we realized it wasn't just raining, it was pouring. cats and dogs. we discussed the options but at the end of the day I knew I had to just suck it up and get wet. I wanted to take back roads but Buzzy was insistent on the fact that it would take too long, so I followed him onto the highway. Big mistake. The wind was a gale and the road slick. even at a low speed I was terrified of being blown over and then run over. The rain stung my knuckles and my clothes were entirely soaked through. we finally made it home safe but I had to request a towel and undress at the front door like Lindsey and I used to have to do after playing in the rain.
The rest of the night was pretty chill. Buzzy and I finished what was left of the Tin Mine bottle and opened another, the Sauvignon Blanc. He played some really great African music for me which I will be bringing home for sure.
The next morning I was once again up at 7:30 am, but at 8:30 Buzzy got a call saying my shark tour was canceled and rescheduled for the next day due to extremely high winds. I was pretty bummed out. Buzzy went to work and I drove back to the water front around 9am to try and reach Alba and Tara via email. I got no response at first so I left and decided to buy a ticket to the 11:0 am Robben Island ferry ride and tour. I got my tickets and returned to the internet cafe to find Alba had responded. She said that they would meet me at 11 so we could all do the Robben Island tour together. I walked around and people watched until 11 when I met the girls. It turns out they couldn't get tickets though because it was sold out. So I went alone and we agreed to meet in the same spot at 2:30. The ferry ride was pretty neat because it gave you a beautiful view of the cape and the mountains behind it. The water was super choppy though and I'm sure some people were getting sea sick. Not me though. I can see why my shark tour was canceled though. For a minute I thought my 3 hour tour would turn into Gilligan's Island! When we landed on the island everyone was split up into 3 buses. each one was its own individual tour. For those who don't know, Robben Island has a long history of sadness. originally it was a prison for pirates and criminals against the Dutch-India Trading Company. Later it was used as a leper colony and eventually it was a maximum security prison. From the 1960's - 1980's it was specifically used for political prisoners. It housed Nelson Mandela for 17 years along with many other anti-apartheid sympathizers and leaders of the ANC. Many of the prisoners are the same people who now run South African government including the current president.
Our tour guide was Yesie Muhommad. He was not a prisoner but has an amazing story and was a member of the ANC. He is personal friends with Mandela and all South African politics. He had an incredible knowledge of history and was very entertaining. Someone asked him why the tour guides, who are all either former inmates or at least were part of the underground anti-apartheid movement, would work in this prison with all of the bad memories. he responded by saying that the nation has a 60% unemployment rate and for many of them it is the only job they can find.
The tour included the leper graveyard, the prison worker's housing community, the penguin beach (no penguins this time of year though), the various flora and fauna of the island, the limestone quarry that Nelson Mandela worked in, and finally the prisoner's quarters. We had a different tour guide for the prion walk through. He was arrested in the 80's as a young man for helping to smuggle guns into South Africa from Namibia. He spent 7 years on Robben Island. He showed us his quarters as well as Nelson Mandala's cell.
After the tour we took the ferry back. The tour is a must do for a Cape Town visitor. It really opened my eyes to a lot and it has helped me reflect in a new way on the racial situation in my own country. I realize now for the first time just how extraordinary and incredible a person Nelson Mandela is. I respect him more then maybe any other living human. he is almost 92 years old and when he finally dies, it will be an extremely sad day.
So I met up with the girls and we took pictures of the seal that was goofing off on a nearby dock. Then we took a cab to Camps Bay which is sort of like a Malibu type place. We walked on the beach and had a late lunch at a cafe. Feeling tired of the poshy posh, we cabbed it to Long street for drinks and an intense game of rummy at a bar. I won of course. We called Buzzy and he picked us up in his truck (bucky as the South Africans say) and I had to ride in the water filled back, squatting the whole way. We drove to a steak restaurant that he likes. It was really great. I had a kudu steak and Alba had a Springbok steal. Tara and Buzzy went with boring old cow. The springbok is the South African national animal, sort of like an elk. It is the name of their famous rugby team as well. funny that they eat it. That would be like me eating a bald eagle.
After dinner Buzzy dropped the girls back off then took me to my scooter at the waterfront. He followed me home but insisted that I lead the way otherwise I would never learn. It was not raining this time and I got us home just fine. we finished the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from he nigth before and listened to more African music before bed.

The next morning I woke up at 8:30am and at 9:00am Buzzy got a call saying the shark tour was canceled. They were sorry and said they would refund me the money. I was a little devastated since that was my whole point in coming to Cape Town, but life is a little like that. In winter these waters are considered to be the most treacherous on earth. I guess I had bad timing. I am glad I came to Cape Town though because of out of all my international travels, I find this to be the most livable city. Not necessarily my favorite city, but I think I would like living here the best. Cape Town is awesome.
Buzzy left for the airport around 10am, and I'm now on my own. He is going to visit family near Durban. I knew the girls were going to Robben Island at 3:00pm, so I decided to head back to the waterfront to try and email them and possibly make some plans. I got no response so I asked an information kiosk person what I should do. They recommened the hop on/ hope off city bus. so I did it.
This is a British style double decker bus with an open roof. They give you headphones which plug into a narrator that tells you all about the city around you. You can get off at any of the stop and get on any of the next buses all day. They come very 15 minutes. I rode around and learned all about Cape Town. Saw historic buildings, statues, downtown, and district 6 (if you don't know what that is, Google it). The bus took me up to Table Mountain which is a famous mountain that overlooks Cape Town. It rises up quick! If you look at a picture of Cape Town you will see what I mean. From the base I took a cable car to the top. you can hike it but it takes like 2.5 hours and I didn't feel like doing that. It was cold and windy on top but the 360 degree view is remarkable. The clouds pour in from the north and blast the top of the mountain then dissipate immediately. It is crazy to stand in the middle of those clouds as that happens. It is hard to explain but very unusual to have something like that in nature. I walked around the top for about an hour before taking the cable car back down and jumping back on the bus. The tour then went through Camps Bay, Cape Point, and then back to the waterfront where I started off. I returned to the internet cafe to see if Alba responded which she had, but then no response again... I got on facebook and skype with Amy a bit. Finally I walked around and people watched a bit before finally settling here at Cafe San Marco for some wine and journal time. More to come...

06/07/2010 - 17:20

I am in Cape Town riding in a bus with 7 new friends. so it goes with my style of traveling and let me recount how I got here...
My flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg was brutal. I had a window seat (did not get into business class) but I sat next to a HUGE (as in tall) German man who is part of a group that is kicking a soccer ball from Munich to Johannesburg. his particular group is doing the Durban to Johannesburg leg. There was about 20 of them on the plane in matching jackets.
The flight was nearly 12 hours long and I was once again unable to get a good sleep. I dozed in and out of consciousness and was really beginning to need a shower. When I finally touched down in Johannesburg I was so travel zombied out that I was really unable to do much but shuffle around and try to sleep wherever I could.
The Johannesburg airport was alive with World Cup fever. Signs and banners all over the place, flags flying, and they even had special immigration lines for FIFA delegates and athletes. I passed immigration easily though and took my bag from the carousel, which took a long time and I was starting to freak out because I thought maybe my bag was lost... turns out it was just last. When I exited customs, the scene was crazy. People everywhere! I could only see an exit and arrival info but saw nowhere that would lead me to the ticketing counter which is where I needed to be so I could get onto my flight to Cape Town. A man must have saw my obvious lack of direction, his shirt said "porter" but he very well may have been a homeless guy. I really didn't want to be bothered but I asked him where ticketing was anyway and he grabbed my bag and said to follow him. When I got there I gave him a 1 euro coin and he said "I can't take this, the currency exchange won't accept coins, please give me a paper bill." This is where I should have said "too bad" and been on my way, but instead, like an idiot, asked him if he could give me change for a 5 euro bill. He said he could and when I pulled it out he snatched it from my hand and ran off. I was pretty annoyed with my own naivety and resolved to be more cautious from now on.
I got my boarding pass and went to the gate realizing that I had 3 hours before my flight. I slept on some chairs but they were oddly shaped and it was cold and I had no jacket. I was hungry so I decided to get a bite to eat at a little burger place called "Wimpys". The food wasn't amazing and the ketchup in all of South Africa is called tomato paste and is too sweet. gross. The real problem was that i had no Rand (South African currency). The waitress said I could pay in dollars but she couldn't give me change. My bill was converted and came out to $9. I gave her $15 because I didn't want to tip just $1, and all I had was a $10 and a $5. She was very pleased with her tip, I thought she was gonna hug me haha. It turns out in South Africa a 10% tip is normal so the lone $10 would have actually been just fine... but at least I made her day.
Finally my flight departed and the 2 hours in the air were the most difficult of all my flights. I was so fatigued from being awake for almost 36 hours straight and from traveling that my stomach constantly hurt. no position was comfortable. My legs were cramped and sore. I faded in and out until finally arriving in Cape Town.
When I got to the baggage area I converted all my cash to Rand, which I should have done in Johannesburg. My bag was once again one of the last ones out. I got it though and proceeded to the exit where I was greeted by an old YWAM friend, Joanna. It was so nice to see an old familiar face after all that traveling. She drove me to Buzzy's house after a little confusion with the directions. Buzzy is a friend of my friend Cassy and was very kind to let me stay with him. I said thanks and goodbye to Joanna and was then officially at the start of my adventure.
Buzzy and I hung out for a bit and got acquainted. He is a screenplay writer and his apartment is an old converted mental asylum that has been turned into an artists community. It is pretty cool and not at all as scary as it sounds. Buzzy drove me down to Long street which is sort of the Bourbon st. of Cape Town. We sat in an Irish pub and I had a couple Guinness. It only cost about $3.50 each (26 rand), which is the cheapest Guinness I've ever had. All food and drink here seems to be about 30% cheaper then it is in the USA.
When we left the pub I had my first encounter with a car guard. They are usually homeless people in yellow vests. They will come out after you return from your car and insist on payment for "watching your car", which was parked in a free space on the street. Cassy suggested I just pay them a bit to get them off my case, but Buzzy is pretty insistent about not paying them. It's pretty funny, he just jumps in the car and drives off with them still standing there blank faced.
When we got back to the apartment I was pretty tired to say the least. Buzzy heated me up a curry dish known as "bunny chow". I went to sleep on the couch shortly after.
The next morning I was up at 7:30am and Buzzy was off to work. I have a scooter which was dropped off for me from a rental company. Buzzy gave me directions from his house to the hotel where the wine tour was to pick me up but I was pretty nervous about getting lost as well as driving on the left side of the road. I had to be picked up at 9:00am and the hotel was only like 20 minutes away so I left at 8:00am just to be safe. The left side driving wasn't so bad. I remember it being really difficult when Ed and I rented scooters in Thailand, but now for some reason it is easier. I did get lost though. I exited the highway too early (yes, I've been driving the scooter on the highway here, apparently it is normal in South Africa to do that), and ended up all turned around. I wandered the streets of Cape Town, studying the map and asking directions several times. Finally I made it, frustrated and angry, and 15 minutes late. I asked the concierge if a tour group had been through and he said they had but that they already left. I used the front desk phone to call the tour guide and he turned around to pick me up. I felt bad but really didn't want to miss the tour.
The tour guide was friendly enough and the other 9 passengers were quiet at first but eventually we all got along really well. A brother and sister from Brooklyn, 3 friends from San Francisco, a father and son from Brazil, and two friends - one from Germany and one from Switzerland.
We drove out of Cape Town about 30 minutes into the wine country town of Stellenbosch. our first winery was Zevenwacht. It is a whole estate that has guest houses and hosts many functions like weddings. The winery gave us a tour and we got to see how the wine is made and processed. We then had a tasting of 4 wines and 4 cheeses. It was all really good. The best of the whole tour actually. The guy who did the tasting was this really theatrical and flamboyant British man. Very knowledgeable but we all agreed he was slightly over the top.
I purchased a wine called "The Tin Mine" which is part Sauvignon Blanc, part Chardonnay, and part Viognier. I also purchased a bottle of Syrah. There were also two girls, Tara and Alba, who were on a different tour but doing the same tasting as us. They are twin sisters from London and we ended up chatting a bit. They were at the next winery too so we continued the conversation there. This second winery was a more African themed estate called Saxenburg. They had zebras, peacocks, springboks, llamas, and ostriches in the fields surrounding as well as large flower gardens. The wine tasting was rushed and really not very informative. I still liked some of the wines though and ended up leaving with a Pinotage and a Cabernet Sauvignon. When we left we parted with Alba and Tara but I got Alba's email address because she keeps her Blackberry on at all times since her work will pay the bill anyway (crazy!). So we agreed I would email them to meet up on Wednesday or Tuesday after my shark diving tour.
We left that winery and drove into the actual town of Stellenbosch. It was pretty quaint and had a little bazaar where one could purchase small knick knacks and hand carved animals and rugs and paintings and stuff. I'm not really into those places because it is usually cheap, mass produced junk that is being pawned off as "hand made" and authentic. I've been to enough markets in Istanbul and Bangkok to know the deal. After about 30 minutes we loaded back up, except the Brazilians who got on a different bus which went back to Cape Town since they only booked a half day tour. The rest of us drove further into wine country and stopped at the town of Paarl, which means pearl in Afrikaans. We at lunch at a "French" restaurant although there was nothing French about it at all. The menu included gemsbok steaks as well as Ostrich sandwiches. I sort of regret not ordering one of those. I settled on the bobotti, which is a delicious South African dish of lamb curry with sweet spices like cinnamon and raisins over yellow rice. We all shared a couple bottles of wine that the San Francisco guys bought at Zevenwacht and had some beer, so we were all pretty chatty on the way to our final tasting.
We stopped at the Fairview winery in Paarl, which is famous for it's "Goats Do Roam" brand of wine. The estate had 3 large goats that were very friendly and entertaining. They also had a wide range of products from wine to cheese to bread and pastries to olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We did a full tasting which included 6 wines and 12 cheeses. Here I also picked up a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a bottle of Sweet Red, which is a dessert wine made with brandy. So 6 bottles in all for the day!
The scenery in wine country is amazing. It was cloudy all day and even rained a bit but still the mountains were very cool. Sharp peaks that seem to rise up out of nowhere. Bare peaks with scattered African trees that have tall trunks with umbrella like leaf formations on top. The hillsides are lined with vineyards as far as the eye can see.
On the way back everyone was a lot more sleepy and less talkative. Here I am now, and I think I might get a few winks in before I'm dropped off at the hotel and have to figure out how to get back to Buzzy's house without getting lost. More to come...

06/06/2010 - 20:00

It is a beautiful day in Frankfurt, or so it seems through the thick glass panes separating me from any real state-level society. I am in the slightly warm, yet still climate controlled terminal 1, gate C14. I am only half way through my initial arrival into South Africa and already I have blisters on my feet, dirty clothes, and bad breath. I have long since lost all concept of time and space. I am... somewhere and it is... sometime. That is really all I know. Only those that have experienced budgeted international travel can know what this feels like. it is somewhere around the 20th hour of never existing outside of an airport or airplane that one really starts to become what I can only describe as a travel zombie. Shaking limbs, tingles all over, if you stare at one spot for two long your vision beings to vertigo. you are both tired of sitting and standing but laying down on the hard marble floor or those four adjacent armrest-less chair s just seems impossible after hour after restless hour of attempting to sleep that way. The frustration is compounded by the fact that I have had bad neck pain recently and it is worsened with stress. This will surly be something that will plague my trip, and my pain killer supply is thinning...
I'll start off the story at the Atlanta airport; just after I passed through security because that is when a trip really begins. My flight was slightly delayed due to thunderstorms but that was good because I had some last minute phone calls to make and e-mail arrangements that I had procrastinated on. In fact, those tasks took all the way until the plane was fully boarded and I had to hop up quickly to be the last one on. Lufthansa is a pretty nice airline I suppose... I had a good seat in the back of the plane with no seat behind me so I didn't have anyone kicking my chair. The girl who sat next to me didn't speak very much English so I didn't talk to her too much. She did give me her cheese at dinner though, I guess she saw me eyeballing it when she dug into her brownie desert before every touching it. I'm a sucker for Tillamook cheddar.
The flight was much shorter then I thought it would be. I was thinking 12 hours, but I think I was remembering my past Asian flights. Now that I remember it, 6-8 hours is normal for most places in Western Europe from Atlanta. Mine was roughly 7.5 hours. The flight left around 7:30pm Atlanta time and arrived at 9:30am Germany time. The good news is that Germany shares a time zone with South Africa so I can already begin the adjustment without worrying about another big time change. On the plane I did a crossword and read. I watched the movie Invictus on demand at my seat as well as listened to the Gorillaz and Four Tet on demand. Other then that and my dinner and breakfast I just tried to sleep. I was very uncomfortable most of the time though and very thrown off by the experience of watching the sun set at 8pm and then seeing it rise again at 8am and having only 5 hours pass in between..
When I landed I already had my boarding pass for my next flight but I had 12 hours to kill. My original plan was to go out and explore Frankfurt but I was so tired I could barely walk straight. I wondered the airport at a sluggish pace. Disoriented by being suddenly thrust into a place where the shocking lack of English encompasses your whole reality. I began to make friends with the information desk people and kiosks with maps and information. I killed a few hours by finding the restroom, exchanging some dollars into Euro's (rape!) and exploring the airport. I kept considering leaving and finding something to do but I was already a travel zombie at that point... finally, with hurting feet and a dizzy head I collapsed onto a secluded row of chairs at an abandoned gate. It was only me, save for the German news reporter on the screen above me. I woke up almost five hours later, laying across four chairs, most definitely snoring, at a new busy gate. Crying babies and rushed businessmen all around me. Mostly Chinese. Apparently I had awoken to the beginning of an Air China boarding for a flight destined for Hong Kong. The first thing I noticed was that my sparkling apple juice was gone. I had only taken like two sips. Maybe a janitor picked it up? Maybe a child stole it/ Either way... who takes a sleeping man's drink? I felt pretty self conscious about sleeping so rudely in a busy gate so I got up and moved on. Feeling refreshed slightly I decided to go ahead and clear customs and immigration so I could at the very least obtain a Germany stamp on my new passport. My old one was stolen along with 11 unique stamps including Germany. I hope to one day recollect them all. This is #1. I never actually left the airport. I spent forever tracking down this elusive casino that I had read existed in the Frankfurt airport. I was so sad to find it was merely a small booth with some slot machines and a roulette table. Not more then a truck stop game room. I decided that the exchange rate alone screwed me enough, no point in donating more Euros to this airport, they are obviously out to get me... even my apple juice.
Having quenched my desire to locate the casino, the journey being the only important thing, I set out to find some German food and German beer without having to go too far since I was still extremely tired and zombie-like. When you have a full day to kill at an airport the smallest task becomes a well calculated adventure. The objective is to accomplish the task in the most amount of time possible without getting too exhausted or bored. I eventually settled on a little restaurant/cafe that sold me a frankfurter in curry sauce and two large beers. They were both unique and yummy and extremely German in flavor. I felt satisfied. I consumed slow and read my book some more. Made a little idle conversation with the waitress but for some reason German people always seem very adverse to small talk. There were Croatians speaking in broken English behind me and some Turks across the way but they spoke too fast for me to decipher the words. I paid and re-entered the terminal. The immigration official laughed and said "short trip!"
I stopped by the duty free shop and bought some gifts for the people who are hosting me in South Africa. I won't say what it is but it is edible, sweet, and I hope it doesn't melt in my bag.
I finally made it to my gate about 2 hours prior to departure, which seems a reasonable time to wait. I am surrounded by the whole world here. International terminals are cool like that. Lufthansa, El Al, Air Indonesia, Emirates Air, U.S. Airways, Safi Airways, Air Namibia, Air Canada, just to name the ones within eye site of me currently. My plane just rolled in and it is a Boeing 747. This will be my first time on this plane, the biggest one used commercially I believe. I am already exhausted thinking about the looooooong flight I have ahead of me. I think I'll go see if I can bump up to business class... doubtful but I'll try.