Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Arrived Safely in Cape Town!
Marion and I arrived safely in Cape Town this afternoon and settled into our hostel. If you take the shuttle, it can cost around R180, but we took the bus and it cost us R55 and the gentlemen helped us with our bags! WIN!
The homeless/beggars seem to be in abundance on the street, and even a young boy asked us for money, as did a mother with a young daughter. But the trick is to say no. Other girls in our class came to Cape Town and ended up buying food for one of the guys, who went into the store with them and made them buy more than they had originally agreed upon. The next day, they were so high that they didn't even remember the kind gesture and others saw the girl buy for the man and come begging, expecting the same. So we have been quite careful to avoid them completely.
We went for all-you-can-eat sushi tonight and it was okay, but not half as good as 1001 Sushi Islands on Carling Avenue at home! And the gratuity was included in the bill here, which was new for us in South Africa.
The city is covered in a fog/mist and we haven't seen the top of Table Mountain yet. We have to wait for a clear day to climb it, but this is the month with the most rainfall, so we're waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store. I am looking at going shark diving (unfortunately, Khadija couldn't come), but Marion isn't interested, so I may just go alone. It's a full day excursion, as it takes 2 hours to drive to Gansbaai.
Also, it seems that everything is closed here on Sundays, and we're staying on the busy tourist strip, so we'll find something to get up to I'm sure!
Now it's time to nap! We have the alarm set for 11:30pm to see if we want to go and see what jolling (partying) in Cape Town on a Saturday night is like! We're in a 6-woman dorm with a lady from Brazil who ran the comrades race in Durban last week. It's an 87-km race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. She did it in 10.5 hours! Impressive!
Ciao!
The homeless/beggars seem to be in abundance on the street, and even a young boy asked us for money, as did a mother with a young daughter. But the trick is to say no. Other girls in our class came to Cape Town and ended up buying food for one of the guys, who went into the store with them and made them buy more than they had originally agreed upon. The next day, they were so high that they didn't even remember the kind gesture and others saw the girl buy for the man and come begging, expecting the same. So we have been quite careful to avoid them completely.
We went for all-you-can-eat sushi tonight and it was okay, but not half as good as 1001 Sushi Islands on Carling Avenue at home! And the gratuity was included in the bill here, which was new for us in South Africa.
The city is covered in a fog/mist and we haven't seen the top of Table Mountain yet. We have to wait for a clear day to climb it, but this is the month with the most rainfall, so we're waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store. I am looking at going shark diving (unfortunately, Khadija couldn't come), but Marion isn't interested, so I may just go alone. It's a full day excursion, as it takes 2 hours to drive to Gansbaai.
Also, it seems that everything is closed here on Sundays, and we're staying on the busy tourist strip, so we'll find something to get up to I'm sure!
Now it's time to nap! We have the alarm set for 11:30pm to see if we want to go and see what jolling (partying) in Cape Town on a Saturday night is like! We're in a 6-woman dorm with a lady from Brazil who ran the comrades race in Durban last week. It's an 87-km race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. She did it in 10.5 hours! Impressive!
Ciao!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Cold Winter in Durban
As many of you know, I am constantly cold, and I am a sucker for the heat. Well, the locals are saying that this is a very cold winter so far and I couldn't agree more! I just used a hair dryer to heat up the room lol. While the afternoons are usually quite beautiful, we did a reality tour today of Ikhaya Lobomi AIDS Centre in Hillcrest and indoors it was FREEZING. Outdoors in the sun was bearable, but in the cement building it was so cold that feet were turning blue. Our prof even asked if they don't have the heat on or even if they have the air conditioning on for a reason. Patience, in charge of the centre replied that it was cold to inhibit the spread of germs and bacteria, but I have a hard time imagining frail, ill patients who can withstand that temperature. On the other hand, the centre has been closed down since last March due to a lack of funding, so maybe it gets warmer with several patients inside and the washer and dryers going and the kitchen ovens turned on.
http://www.durbaninvest.co.za/index.php/local-business-news/3603-welcome-to-winter-cold-weather-descends-on-sa
In any case, the tour was nice and we got to meet two amazing ladies who are HIV+ and one of them has TB as well and 5 boys at home to raise as a single mother. She just finished her high school and is awaiting her final scores so that she may further her education, which is incredibly admirable. Her boys were all born healthy and none have HIV so far. What an experience!
Then I finally went for a run solo around the neighbourhood surrounding the hostel (and brought my cell phone and Andrea's pepper spray), and it felt INCREDIBLE! It was also a great way to shake the chill from the cold AIDS centre. It was completely safe and everyone was walking home from work (including a few white people). I had to be careful in choosing my route, though, because the hills can be very steep!
For dinner we went to Moyo at the uShaka beachfront, which specialized in African specialties. I ordered sprinkbok for an appetizer (also had THE BEST SAMOSAS...spelled "samoosas" here...but they were pricey!) and then I had a Tanzanian fish curry which was good and very filling! This was our final group dinner, which will be paid for out of the Dean's money, so that was a great way to end the evening. Again, it was not insulated and we were freezing lol. Then on the way out, we ran into two girls we met on the trip to Leotho a few weeks back! They're staying at the Happy Hippo on the beachfront downtown and said it was the only place open! Small world!
Tomorrow we have another reality tour and a final lecture with Patrick Bond via Skype, so I had better get to bed so that I can stay awake through it! Good night!
http://www.durbaninvest.co.za/index.php/local-business-news/3603-welcome-to-winter-cold-weather-descends-on-sa
In any case, the tour was nice and we got to meet two amazing ladies who are HIV+ and one of them has TB as well and 5 boys at home to raise as a single mother. She just finished her high school and is awaiting her final scores so that she may further her education, which is incredibly admirable. Her boys were all born healthy and none have HIV so far. What an experience!
Then I finally went for a run solo around the neighbourhood surrounding the hostel (and brought my cell phone and Andrea's pepper spray), and it felt INCREDIBLE! It was also a great way to shake the chill from the cold AIDS centre. It was completely safe and everyone was walking home from work (including a few white people). I had to be careful in choosing my route, though, because the hills can be very steep!
For dinner we went to Moyo at the uShaka beachfront, which specialized in African specialties. I ordered sprinkbok for an appetizer (also had THE BEST SAMOSAS...spelled "samoosas" here...but they were pricey!) and then I had a Tanzanian fish curry which was good and very filling! This was our final group dinner, which will be paid for out of the Dean's money, so that was a great way to end the evening. Again, it was not insulated and we were freezing lol. Then on the way out, we ran into two girls we met on the trip to Leotho a few weeks back! They're staying at the Happy Hippo on the beachfront downtown and said it was the only place open! Small world!
Tomorrow we have another reality tour and a final lecture with Patrick Bond via Skype, so I had better get to bed so that I can stay awake through it! Good night!
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