Good Hope

"Believe in a better world."

In Cape Town I made myself a little home out of the Cat and Moose Hostel which sits unobtrusively at the end of Long Street, the local center of nightlife and shopping. The rooms surround a courtyard with benches and a little dipping pool. This is where I met a few backpackers with whom I shared the next few days of adventures. Sebastian and Sebastian, a Canadian and German who had met the day before invited me to join them on a Cape Peninsula Tour the next day. I eagerly agreed and found myself thoroughly enjoying the company of these two strangers within minutes. I woke up (with much difficulty after a night of overindulgence) and found that German Sebastian had already rented the car and was waiting in the courtyard. After a quick stop for some much needed nourishment and coffee we began driving one of the most beautiful roads I have ever been on. The M65/ M4 wind around steep mountains with cliffs that drop right down into either white sand beaches or directly into the ocean. Our first stop was at Boulder Beach, just a few kilometers south of Simons Town. The boulders make the beach more like a child's playground forcing people to climb over, under and between them to get to the interspersed sandy spots. The main attraction though is the other beach guests. Hundreds of African Penguins (once called jack-ass penguins) share the space with bronzed/ burned tourists. I can't imagine there are many places in the world where you can see a human family playing right next to a penguin family. Both seem to enjoy the beach equally. After a few hours there we decided to head further south to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa's most southeastern point. T

African Penguins at Boulder Beach

Cape of Good Hope

The Sebastians and I hiked around the Cape for a while and eventually climbed on top of a boulder from which we were nearly completely surrounded by ocean. From there it was easy to get lost in thoughts of the days of exploration. The first European to reach the cape over 500 years earlier was Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in search for a way to India. Now the Dias Cross and Da Gama Cross stand as navigational points and monuments to the early explorers. We couldn't just look at the ocean without spending some time in it so we found a little path taking us down the mountainside to the beach below. Signs warned against swimming due to strong currents but we found a little alcove and enjoyed the surf for a while only leaving with enough time to exit the park before it closed. On the way back we stopped for seafood dinner: oysters, clams, calamari, prawns went down smoothly with beer and wine. It was the perfect way to wrap up a perfect day.

The next day we all got breakfast before German Sebastian headed home. The Canadian and I made plans to pack a picnic and hike Table Mountain for sunset and take the world class cable car down. Good plans but the execution went terribly wrong. The taxi driver took us to the mountain and pointed out a trail that he told us would take us up the mountain. A few kms in we realized that it was leading far past the peak we wanted to be at so decided to take a more direct looking side trail. The trail zigzagged up the steep mountain and it was often difficult to tell whether we were actually on a man made trail or just following a river bed. We hiked for nearly three hours up a pretty sketchy trail. We jumped over streams, climbed rock faces, avoided overgrown pricker bushes and reached the peak but somehow lost all signs of a trail when we were up there. The sun was setting and we were in the clouds, exhausted and hungry. Eventually, in a small clearing of clouds, we saw the cable car that we had intended to reach. It sat on the adjacent peak with two huge insurmountable cliffs standing in the way. Going down the way we came up wasn't an option so we walked around for a while before we eventually found a trail. We took it at a run and found ourselves climbing ladders that seemed to lead in the right direction. We finally reached the Table Mountain peak and got to the cable car just in time for the very last ride down. So much for the picnic but I were so thankful that we didn't have to spend the night on the mountain. The wine and cheese were equally enjoyable in the safety of our hostel.

The city itself has a lot to offer. Not long ago it was a place of black and white and signs of the apartheid are still very prominent.Surrounded by poor black townships, and rich white suburbs the inner city has become a much more agreeable pallet of colors over the past two decades. As slaves were only aloud to wear drab colors, after gaining freedom they reacted by painting homes brightly and wearing a multitude of patterns and colors. While some areas boast vibrant houses and close community others still suffer greatly. The area of District Six is one of them. In 1966 the government named this a "whites only area" and forcibly removed over 60,000 residents. Although many have since returned, the scars of the apartheid run deep there.

It was from the balcony of a clock tower in this city that Nelson Mandela made his famous speech after being released from captivity in 1990:

"Friends, Comrades and Fellow South Africans, I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people.

Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.

..."I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have carried the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Finally made it to the top of Table Mountain

I could have spent much longer in Cape Town but my departure date quickly caught up with me. After saying my goodbyes and leaving Cameron's Indian Jones hat (which I'd been minding since he left it on the bus a week earlier) at the hostel reception, I made my way to the airport to cross hemispheres and seasons. Next stop Munich, Germany!

Waka Waka

I just landed in Munich but had some interesting dreams on the flight. In one, I was driving a van full of TLs but was too tired to actually turn the wheel. We almost crashed into a tree and I shouted 'oh my god!' That’s when I woke up and realized I’d also woken up the people around me. Aparently the shouting was not just in my dream.

So, I almost feel a little bit guilty about the utter neglect that has been my blog. I should also note that on this strange German kezboard, the z button is where the y should be. I’m just going to go with it. Don’t mind the tzpos!

I departed JFK on November 29th and got to Frankfurt early the next morning. 8.5 hour layover! Rather than waste a day in the airport, I opted to take the train into the city for a few hours of exploration. Highlights included

• Occupy Frankfurt- I didn’t realize it was a global movement, but I guess I’d been living in the American bubble
• American Peepshow- happening place in what I assumed to be the local red light district. I put in an application in case my more reputable job falls through.
• Christmas stands - Oh my sweet Weinerschnitzel.... enough said I believe
• McDonalds- I can’t believe I stooped so low on my first day of travel but the McCafe is no joke and I needed some serious caffeine.

Another red-eye flight stood between me and Jo’burg. It was smooth sailing with some entertaining movies and delicious meals to help me pass the hours. From the airport I took the brand new Gautrain to a shopping center near Mibb’s house where she picked me up. It was cool to meet the girl who I’d heard so much about over the past few years. I spent the next 4 days with the Marsh family at their house outside of the city. They helped me get on my feet and figure out some sort of plan for the rest of the trip.

Miss Ashley Hodge graced us with her presence over the weekend. She's been living in the bush chasing jackles for a better part of the year. She showed up in a ghetto little truck (bucky) that is reminiscent of something that Fred Flinstone would have driven. We visited the Lion Park where we got to play with lion clubs. They were actually more like teenagers and I think they would have been quite capable of tearing my arm off if they decided it would please them. Luckily, I still have all my limbs and some great photos too. We also went to a market where Mibbs's brother Les sells his artwork.

The Baz Bus turned out to be the answer to any questions I may have had. This tourist based bus system travels from Jo’burg to Cape Town stopping at loads of hostels along the way. I literally spent two weeks jumping on and off wherever my heart desired. It was quite refreshing to have nobody to answer to and no plans to make.

In the Northern Drakensburg I layed low at the hostel, but the place was incredible. There was a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, bar... the whole 9. This is where I met a number of fellow travelers who I wound up seeing off and on over the next few weeks.

Umtentweni was the home of an intimate little hostel that seemed to attract some strange characters. There was a little Brazilian guy who barely spoke English but didn’t stop talking. He thought everything I said was "reallly really really awesome." There was also a big feminine guy who sold crystals at a local market and gave me a lesson on the meaning of life.

Coffee Bay. There is so much I could say about this place, but in the end it's a place that has to be experienced. It was like a Mecca for backpackers but somehow maintained its small town charm. The Coffee Shack was an ideal base to experience the area from. Guided hikes through the mountains and villages, afternoons at the beach, and surf lessons were sandwiched between nights of good food and abundant drinks at the hostel.

On one of my lazier days, I decided to hit the beach with Cam, an Aussie who I'd met at the first hostel and had been generally on the same route since. We must have smelled like kibbles and bits because two of the local dogs decided to tag along with us. One of them we named Hermes (or H-dog/ H-dizzle when I had my way). He became our guard dog of sorts, chasing down men, children or other dogs he deemed threatening, sitting by our belongings and leading us to our destinations.

In the late afternoon while sitting on the beach a group of kids started sneaking up close to us then running away when I looked at them. After about ten minutes of this, one of the more daring kids came up and sat in front of me. We started talking and before I knew it I was surrounded by about 8 little girls. Somehow Cam managed to stay clear of the group. I got a lesson in Xosa, the language of the local tribes. It's quite unique because they have 3 clicking sounds which are pretty difficult to pronounce if you're a newbee. Eventually one of the girls touched my hair and the rest of them looked shocked. I told them it was ok if they wanted to touch my hair and before I could blink they had surrounded me, pulled out my ponytail, and started to braid three big chunks of hair. It was hard to hide the grimace on my face as they nearly pulled my scalp off my head but in the end I had a stylish new do (that I took out at soon as they were out of sight).

It was a sad day when my time at Coffee Bay was finished but there were a few more places that I wanted to visit. Wild Spirit Hostel in The Crags turned out to be a tonic for the soul. Situated high in the mountains yet remarkably near some of the most beautiful beaches in the country this hostel is a peaceful refuge from the party/ tourist atmosphere which seemed inescapable along the coastal route. A big log cabin full of different instruments, yoga room, recycle center, gardens, horses and waterfalls were all scattered around the property. I joined a few other people on a 12k hike to the beach. We passed a troop of curious baboons in the forest, climbed along steep rock faces and along a river. It was spectacular. Another success story in beautiful South Africa. Next on the agenda was Cape Town which is now one of my favorite cities in the world. As my fingers grow tired, I'll have to leave those stories for another day.