South Africa 2

The next day we woke up (I stayed with one of Philip’s friends named Kellen, so don't you worry) and went with his really fun Norwegian friends, Sigurd and Kristian, to a Saturday market. We had Greek gyros and empanadas and beer and enjoyed all the local goods/samples. p.s. In SA, the beer has very few ingredients and mostly all taste the same. Popular ones include: Carling, Castle, and Black Label. I can't remember which one I had that day. Anyway, afterward the four of us went to a wine tasting at a very quaint winery (I came to realize that wineries are basically on every corner and the biggest attraction to this part of South Africa). We tried many different wines, and I didn’t realize you can pour one out if you don’t want to finish it. So I drank all 7 or however-many samples they gave us. Of course, this resulted in slight tipsiness and extreme fascination with all the animals inhabiting the farm around the winery. There was a black pig, wallabies, little deer, a big turtle, a wiener dog named Pinot and a Great Dane named after another wine, and lots of chickens, geese, and ducks. Actually, I probably have this fascination anyway. That night we had some INCREDIBLE pizza (covered with avocado slices and sweet chili sauce on the side) at a bar called Bohemia and talked for a long time, enjoying the chilly evening. While eating, a little black kid asked us repeatedly for money in Afrikaans. We didn't oblige. The next day we went to a nature reserve called Jonkershoek - which was uphill biking there, but downhill the whole way home - and ended up at a lovely waterfall.





We ate that night at a place called Basic Bistro, and I got a greek salad, which consisted of a few tomatoes, some fresh mozzarella, and some basil leaves. Not totally filling, but Philip’s and Ryan’s pastas were amazing. The next was Philip’s birthday, so I made us an omelet, and he studied the whole day for his final that night. I went and got cake ingredients, including a Dunkin Hines mix, sweet and condensed milk, and Butterfinger bars. It was an expensive cake, but pretty good. Philip took his final, which completed his second semester of junior year, and we went out that night to a fancy restaurant with a bunch of friends (philip got a medium-rare rump steak, and I got a chicken, sun-dried tomato, and pineapple burger...it was one of the best meals during the trip), ordered good wine, then went to smoke hookah, and finally went out to a club for lots of dancing. We had cake that night. It was really good at 3 in the morning. I gave Philip his collage of pictures and other random presents the next day. That week we did a lot of hanging out because it rained constantly, going out at night, watching movies (a weird one and Where The Wild Things Are), and eating out at cool restaurants. We went to a few wineries, one called Spier that had cheetahs)...




We also went to an incredible brandy distillery called Van Ryn’s one day and left feeling guilty for ever having cheap brandy and coke. They taught us how to drink it like classy people…or “neat”, with specific chocolates on our tongue depending on the kind of brandy we’re drinking. We tried a 12 year old, 15 year old, and 20 year old brandy. They made me like brandy. The next day, Wednesday, I went with Philip to Kayamandi where he has volunteered with kids all semester, and I loved it. They served us dinner, and we talked about politics throughout dinner with a guy from Cuba and Philip’s other Kayamandi volunteers. I helped Philip pick out souvenirs for his family at the local market, which is full of “TRUE African gifts”. I also got some earrings for me. That weekend we went to Cape Town and stayed with two really cool couch surfers—Wim and Hanlie. They took us to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in their little 1960s Beatle, dropped us off, and Philip and I climbed Table Mountain. It was gorgeous. At the top we met a very old gentleman who had on what looked like a homemade blue sweater, sleeves too short, a white button down shirt underneath, and a fishing hat. He said he had climbed Table Mountain 1016 times, and I believed him. He looked like the man of the mountain. His skin was tan and leathery, and I really hope more people than just me and Philip know about this guy. Hopefully they do.



We hiked down to Cape's Bay - the beach - on the other side of Table Mountain and met up with three of Philip's friends, as well as Hanlie and Wim. They took me and Philip back to their house and served us bobotie for dinner, a traditional South African dish, which I now want to make for my roommates in Swansea. Philip and Hanlie got into a religious discussion over whiskey and wine. We left their lovely home the next day, and I really hope we get to see them again some day. I have decided that I have to come back to Africa soon. Next time I want to go to Victoria Falls, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and more parts of South Africa. The next day we went to the beach with Sophia and Joanna, 2 of Philip’s friends. Sophia has a car, and the trains decided to go on strike, and it was a perfect day for the beach. Side note: in Africa, the sun is so so so much hotter and so much brighter than other places. I managed to get a little tan.




That night Philip and I went to a delicious Lebanese restaurant for our last night together before I would leave the next day. We got gelato - orange chocolate was the best flavor - and walked back to his apt. The next day he borrowed the Norwegian guys' car and took me to Cape Town to the airport. I was so sad to leave, partly because I had a final the next day that I hadn’t studied for at all. The flight home was uneventful, and I watched It’s Complicated, Away We Go, and An Education on the way. All fantastic. Away We Go is one of my favorites. I arrived back to Swansea in one piece, exhausted. It is not possible to sleep more than two hours on a plane.