When in Cape Town...

WE HAD ARRIVED! The long anticipated visit to Cape Town was finally upon us. Now, don't get my wrong, I'd had the time of my life travelling down the coast but this was the big one, the place where we were to spend our Christmas and New Year and where all the volunteers would come together and have one big party!

Our first two nights were spent at the Capetown Backpackers but after some negotiating with Longstreet Backpackers we managed to get ourselves booked in there for the rest of our stay. It was where all the other vols would be staying and right in the centre of everything, so it was definitely the place to be. On our first morning, Michael and I, took a walk to check out Long Street (the party central of Cape Town) and to meet my neighbours from back in good old Philpstoun who were spending christmas in South Africa. My family had given them a christmas present to give to me, meaning I would have something to open on Christmas day, which is really nice. Lovely to see some familiar faces from back home! Later on in the day we took a wonder round the District 6 museum, where they tell you all about the uprooting of thousands of family's from an area, called District 6, in Cape Town during the apartheid, when the government decided to make it a “White Area”. Really interesting to learn about how the apartheid had an effect on specific places. That evening was our first night out on Long Street, which included a trip to an Irish Pub named “The Dubliner” and an early morning trip to McDonald's which was conveniently placed at the top of the street!

The next day was our first trip down to the Waterfront. After moving into Longstreet Backpackers (which I will refer to as LSB from now on) we met two SA vols, Tilly and Sally, and so spent the day with them, wondering around the waterfront and doing a spot of shopping (well browsing because it was very upmarket down there!). When trying to get a taxi back to LSB we unintentionally started a fight between two taxi drivers after pointing out to our driver that the other had stolen his “taxi” sign. A quick exit from that taxi into another one, leaving the two drivers fighting it out. Oops!

And before you know it, it was Christmas Eve! Many of the vols that were going to be there for Christmas weren't arriving till later that evening so it was left to those of us who had already arrived to buy in all the food for out Christmas Day Braai! A trip to Pick N Pay and soon enough we were fully prepared for feeding everyone on Christmas day. In the evening we spent time chilling on the LSB balcony which over-looked the whole street, having a few drinks and getting to know each other. At around 7pm the Lady Grey vols turned up and, knowing that the others wouldn't arrive till around 11pm, we headed out to a cocktail bar and had the most amazing cocktail. “Sex on the Beach”. After this, news arrived that the 6 girls had finally made it and so it was back to LSB to see them all! The place erupted when we all reunited and before you know it we were all out on Long Street once more. This turned into a brilliant night. A trip to “The Dubliner”(the prices for a drink are extortionate in there) where I somehow managed to get hold of the microphone and shout “Project Trust” across the whole pub. Classic PT banter.

Christmas 2011 was a very strange but fantastic day. I didn't wake up at a ridiculously early time through excitement but instead slept till the unheard of time of 9am (after a rather late return the night before). For breakfast a few of us headed to McDonald's where we wanted the breakfast but missed it by 10 minutes and so instead I resorted to a 6 piece McNugget's meal...as you do on Christmas morning! It was then back to LSB, where everyone spent time opening their presents and chatting to family on the phone and skype. In my Christmas package I had socks (classic), a t-shirt from H&M which was exciting, a magazine, some chocolate coins, “make your own” Christmas party hats and party blowers. Not your average Christmas! I also had lovely letters from my sister and friend and a USB with new music (something I'd been missing out on while in Swaziland)! In the afternoon we all chipped in to begin preparing our Christmas day braai. As always happens, we didn't have all the food we needed and so I, armed with a shopping list, made about 6 separate trips to the only open food shop on Long Street to get everything we needed! To add to this very untraditional Christmas we had the most untraditional Christmas lunch imaginable, but it was GOOD! Braai meat, rolls, salad, vegetables, potato salad, crisps and immaculately prepared eggs (thank you Robyn). Some of the traditions were still kept up though; Christmas crackers and eating ourselves sick! In the evening all of us hopped in taxi's and took a trip to Camps Bay to sit on the beach and watch the sunset. The perfect way to end a very successful Christmas and something that felt special to all of us. Camps Bay is really beautiful, with the sand and crystal blue water and then Table Mountain dominating the background. And then what better way to end Christmas day than another trip to McDonald's to eat some cake!

On Boxing day a group us spent the day on the City Sigh-Seeing Open Top Bus so as we could explore Cape Town. They are the exact same buses as you find driving around Edinburgh and London. First stop on the bus was the South African Museum and it was HUGE! We spent a good hour exploring only a fraction of what the museum had to offer before deciding to make the most of our bus tickets and get back on a go somewhere else. On driving to our next destination we passed the actual deserted land that was District 6, and got to see some of the new houses that were being developed in the area. The next place we got off at was The Castle of Good Hope, but compared to what you find in Scotland it was not a castle at all and more like a fort! Still interesting to wonder around though, visiting the Torture Chamber which is always a highlight and then watching a man set off an actual canon from quite close. From the top of the “castle” you got a really good view of Table Mountain and the immediate city. It was then time to get on the big red bus again and this time we decided to stay on all the way to the waterfront. Our trip on the bus took us right up to the beginning of the Cable Cart that goes up Table Mountain, passed the Town Hall where Nelson Mandela made his speech when he was released from Robben Island and through all the posh holiday homes along the waterfront. We then made it to the V&A Waterfront, as it's called, and chilled out there for a while, had a smoothie then walked back to LSB (a walk that we were told would take 15 minutes and ended up taking 45!) That evening we treated ourselves to a meal out at Spurs. On a Monday they have a “2 for the price of 1” on burgers (see, still thinking about the money) and so it seemed like a reasonable enough excuse to go eat a good burger and not the usual pasta and instant noodles we had been living off! That evening was also the creation of what is now know as “Journal Club”; a group of us who will all sit together and write in our journals, otherwise we all know it would be put off and soon we would forget what actually happened each day!

Tuesday and it was time for a well-deserved day on the beach. After an extremely lazy morning, in which most of us did nothing and then a trip to Pick N Pay to buy enough food supplies to last me the rest of my time in Cape Town, we headed down to Clifton Beach (right next to Camps Bay). It was a lovely, if not a little over-crowded, beach. The water was FREEZING! I'm talking colder than in Scotland cold. You had to just wait until your whole body went numb before you could actually enjoy being in the water. It was because we were on the west side of Cape Town, which looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean, and because of the current movement the water is colder in summer than in winter. Strange. So the entire day was basically spent there, lazing in the sun and then cooling off (or more like freezing off) in the ocean. As it started to get late some people headed back to LSB but a couple of us stayed behind so as we could watch the sunset again. We wondered over to another beach and found a perfect spot on top of a rock, the waves threatening to come too high and splash us the whole time. Even though it was blowing an absolute gale and it was pretty chilly it was the perfect way to end the day. The sunset was as beautiful as ever and it was really nice to just sit with the group and chat about everything and anything as the sun slowly disappeared. After this lovely moment it was time for us to also head back to LSB. That evening we didn't head out but instead sat round the table and just chatted. Don't as me how it came about, but at one point we then proceeded to rub yoghurt into our eyes. It actually feels really nice! You should all try it at some point.

The next day another vol, Sarah, and I were up early to try make a plan for that day. It ended up we just spent the day wondering around the museums and having a picnic in the Company Gardens, which was actually really nice. Even though I was the first person up that morning, I still managed to sit around all morning, doing absolutely nothing, and ended up being one of the last to have breakfast and get changed. LAZY! That evening it was Michael's birthday and his mum (who had come over to visit him) kindly invited Robyn, Martin and I to join them for birthday drinks. We met them at the most amazing restaurant, situated on a beach. It was called “The Grand” (and it definitely was grand) and in the posh part of town, so it made a nice change to all the usual places we had been out to eat when we are on a budget. Some drinks, a lovely conversation with Michael's mum and some desert made for a very sophisticated evening. The four of us then headed back to Long Street, where everyone else had just completed a game of “100 shots in 100 minutes” where you have to take a shot of beer every minute for 100 minutes, so as you can imagine they were all rather drunk when we met them in Bob's Bar. Now, Bob's Bar became quite a hit with all us PT-ers. Not only did it make the most amazing pizza's during the day time but it also had an extensive list of shots for only R10 (around 90p). BOB'S BAR-Home of the R10 Shot! Wednesday evening ended up being another memorable night out, where we all ended up in a bar called “Baghdad Cafe”, which was tiny but had an amazing atmosphere so we spent the majority of the night dancing there. It was then another early morning call to McDonlad's. Lethal having a 24 hour McDonald's so close to us but oh well!

Now, Thursday was wine tour time! A big group of us were up early and off to the winelands for a day of wine and cheese tasting. A nice sleep on the bus there got rid of the hangovers and set us all up for the day ahead. The wine lands is an astonishing place of beauty. Rolling hills in the background and then hundreds of vine yards stretching for miles! On our first wine taste, at a vine yard called “Spice”, we also got a chance to look round the cellar where all the wine is made. I never realised it was such a long process to make wine! It was on our first wine taste that we learned the proper way to test wine:

1.      Tilt the glass towards a white background to inspect the colour of the wine

2.      Gently swirl the wine around in the glass (circular motion) to release the flavours and smell

3.      Stick your nose right in the glass and smell all the different tastes

4.      Take a small bit of wine into your mouth then suck in air between your teeth. This helps to give you the full flavour

5.      Then, either swallow the wine or spit it into the buckets provided if you don't want to swallow it.

By the end of the day we were all spitting the wine into the buckets; there is only so much wine one person can take in a day! At our second vine yard, called “Delheim”, we tasted the best rose wine I have ever tasted in my life! It was a really strong wine, that you would only be able to enjoy a glass of with a meal, but it was lovely! At our last vine yard, “Fairview”, we were treated to a wine AND cheese tasting. Fair to say we all took full advantage of the cheese! With our stickers that gave us unlimited access to the cheese tasting counter, we all went round with our little cocktail sticks AT LEAST three times, taking lots of pieces of cheese from the plates at a time. Eventually though, we were all too stuffed with cheese and wine and it was time to head back to Cape Town. I think everyone slept on the bus back home. And just to top it all off, Ellie and I had cheesy pasta for dinner. Cheese overload! That night we all went to the cinema (somewhere I hadn't been in months!) to see a late night showing of “New Years Eve”. Loaded with popcorn, chocolate and slush puppies, we headed into the cinema and enjoyed watching your typical “feel-good” American hollywood, festive, film. It did almost have all the Scottish people in tears at the end though as they sang “Auld Lang Sang”!

On Friday we headed on the Baz Bus for the last time as we went on the Baz Bus Cape Peninsula Tour. This tour was to take us from Cape Town all the way down to Cape Point and The Cape of Good Hope. First stop on our day out was Hout Bay where we went on a short boat trip out to a small island where there were seals. The boat ride itself was the highlight of this as it fought against the waves and felt as though it was flying out the water and landing back in the water the entire way there and back! After Hout Bay we went a drive along Chapman's Peak, which is a road that follows the coastline along a cliff-edge. On one side of us we had a sheer drop into the ocean and on the other a sheer cliff face with nets all along to stop loose rocks and boulders landing on the road and causing an accident. Soon, we crossed the Cape Peninsula to the other side, where the Indian Ocean is. We made it to Simon's Town and Boulders beach, where we saw the African Penguins! Weird seeing penguins where there isn't any snow! On the streets you could find warning signs with pictures of penguins to warn drivers of penguin on the road. It was then time to head into the actual Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where the bus pulled over, we got out and cycled for 5km to the area we would be having lunch. It was a nice, leisurely cycle where we got to experience the landscape out in the open. As we were cycling I went along shouting “absorb it” to everyone, so as they would take in all the plants and vegetation around them. It's the only place you would find some of these species you know! It was then lunch at one of the visitors centres before we had a short drive to the bottom of the lighthouse. The walk up to the lighthouse was steep but the view from up there more than made up for it! You could see out to the ocean for as far as the eye went, and the two different oceans on either side of us. In the far, far distance you could make out Table Mountain and when you looked down you had a wonderful view of the cliffs and beaches below. On one beach someone had wrote “Kimi, will you marry me?” in the sand. How romantic!?! After spending quite a while here we headed onto The Cape of Good Hope and the most south-westerly point of the African continent. Obviously we had our photo taken at the sign! And that was the end of our trip and, as we had done every other time we had been on the bus for any length of time, we all fell asleep on the way back to LSB. These days out really were jam-packed and tiring! In the evening the majority of us decided to stay in and have an early night in preparation for what the next day was to bring. We had journal club in the dorm, and this evening it moved up in the world when we made a sign, song and video! A tad sad? I think not! We also took a walk over to the local “Mr Pickwicks Cafe” for some pudding and a milkshake.

And before we knew it, it was NEWS YEARS EVE. A.k.a The last day of 2011. So it was up Table Mountain we went! We headed off around lunchtime and took the Skeleton Gorge route up the mountain, which we soon found out appeared to be the hardest but, as they say, “go hard or go home!”. It was a very steep trek up the mountain side, which included climbing up ladders and an actual climb up rocks to reach the top of the gorge. Even from here the view down over the city was AMAZING and it only spurred us on to keep going and reach the top so as we could take in the view from there. As is expected when 20 odd people are walking together up a mountain, it was a slow process to reach the top, with people always wanting to stop a different time, but we were determined to all stick together. Around 3 hours into the walk I remember I had my iPod and speaker in my bag, so I got it out and started playing lots of Scottish songs to get everyone going. It was such a good laugh and at one point we all stopped on top of a rock (ALMOST at the top by this point) and had a sing and dance to “Waka Waka”. Amazing feeling. After momentarily getting lost and a little panic because it was starting to get late, we eventually made it to the top of Table Mountain and it was just a half hour walk to reach the cable cart and visitors centre. Suddenly though, the notorious “Table Cloth” (a sheet of cloud that covers the top of the mountain) was upon us, so it was a quick march along the top to reach the visitors centre and safety. “Waka Waka” was again played as we made the final stretch to the end and then those who had brought champagne in celebration popped it open and we all celebrated! It had taken us 5 hours though, and we still had have dinner, get ready and celebrate new year, so it was soon time to head back down to the bottom. A few us were keen to walk down again but were advised against it because of the wind so instead had to get the cable cart, which did end up giving us a fantastic 360 degrees view of Cape Town. Once we were back at LSB everyone was busy having showers etc and getting ready for the night. The majority of us then headed next door to Nandos for our last meal of the year! We brought in the new year at the backpackers, as that was the best way for everyone to be together. We all sat around  table and played some drinking games before heading out to the balcony, where we could see out onto Long Street and it was extremely busy, and counting down into the new year! “The Flower of Scotland” and “Auld Lang Sang” was blared out by almost everyone (even though some people were English) and then we made our way down to join the street party! The rest of the night (and early hours of the morning) were spent in Zula Sound Bar which was a really good club AND I managed to somehow get myself in for free which was an added bonus. And what better way to start the new year than with a 5am trip to Mcdonald's (that place NEVER closes) with everyone. It was 7am on New Years Day before I got to bed. A very good new year!

As you can imagine, not much happened once everyone had finally dragged themselves out of bed at around lunchtime. Tiredness and hangovers made for a very lazy day just spent chilling in the backpackers. If I remember correctly, I ate a ridiculous amount of instant noodle that day. I have no idea why. I also got to speak to my family on skype for a little while, all be it with a bad connection. It was then that they told me they will be coming out in June to visit for a while which made my day! Really excited for them to come out and see what I'm doing out here! The following day many of us, including Robyn and I, were leaving and so that evening we attempted to go out for one last time but, after a trip to Bob's Bar, most of us ended up heading back early,  completely shattered!

Monday was our last day in Cape Town as that evening we would be leaving on a coach that would take us to Bloemfontein overnight. In the morning though, it was time to say goodbye to Michael and Martin, as they were heading on a coach to Jo'Burg, where they would be heading back to Botswana from. Really sad having to say goodbye to them after the month we had spent travelling with them! I'm sure we'll see them again though at some point. It was then time for another lazy day, everyone still catching up on sleep from new years eve. For lunch, though, we did all head to spurs as the time had come again for their “2 for 1” on burgers. Delicious as ever! I returned from the restaurant to a text from SA Roadlink (the bus company we were travelling with) saying our coach had been delayed by 3 hours, so we wouldn't be leaving till 9pm now! This extra time gave me the chance to upload 135 photos to facebook (something completely unheard of in Swaziland)! Soon enough though it was time to say goodbye to everyone, which was very emotional, and head off to the bus station. The SA Roadlink coach was luxury compared to the other modes of transport we'd been taking. I settled myself down, plugged in my iPod and, as we headed out of Cape Town, I fell asleep thinking about all of the amazing times I'd just had!

Next stop Bloemfontein, where we would be making our way into Lesotho for a couple days. My adventures in this wonderfully mountainous country are in my next blog!