My outdoor pursuits

Well I had a great week in Cape Town in the company of Marcel and Bram, two more volunteers. The bus took 12 hrs but we had lots of stops and dvds playing so it was really fine. I did all the tourist things: Table Mountain, District Six Museum, Company Gardens, Cape of Good Hope and Camps Bay. But I really have to tell you about Mamma Africa’s. It’s a restaurant that serves traditional African food, including ostrich, kudu, springbok and crocodile. And I tried it all haha! Ostrich is the leanest red meat you can eat by the way! And it doesn’t hurt that it tastes delicious! Mum you will be so proud of my broadened gastronomic tastes! On top of the great food and friendly staff was a fantastic live band playing instruments. It was just pure African culture it was amazing! Even though it has become a tourist haven, it doesn’t have that touristy feeling, just some home-style charm! Now you probably noticed that missing from my list of excursions is Robben Island. Due to bad weather our trip was cancelled and the next available sailing was two days after I headed back to P.E. So I didn’t see Mandela’s cell. But I did drive by the maximum security prison he was held in first! Not quite the same though!
I can’t even describe Cape Town the city. It’s not like any other city I’ve ever seen! It’s surrounded by nature in the form of two oceans and a mountain range. It’s a totally eclectic mix of cultures and architecture with influences from Holland, Britain, the East as well as traditional African vibes. And I heard great things about the Irish there, seems we really are popular all over the world! All I can say is it’s a really great city, so vibrant and multicultural, and making considerable moves towards being very well integrated which is amazing to see, especially since most of my African experiences have been in totally coloured townships.
After getting back from Cape Town, myself and two other girls decided to go on an adventure weekend. We set out on Saturday afternoon and without getting lost once, arrived in the middle of nowhere 40min later. Our cabin had no electricity and consisted of log walls and a corrugated steal roof and a gap all the way round the joining….very outdoors! The view was spectacular, complete with game and a bass-filled dam and trees as far as the eye could see. Outside the cabin was a deck with table and benches and a braai (bbq) just waiting for a fire. Inside was a giant spider sitting over the door. Panic ensued! So now picture three girls standing outside in the back of beyonds squeeling and freaking out! Luckily for us a group on quads went by and we hailed them down with shouts of “Help! Help!” now obviously the guy thought something terrible had happened and was fairly amused to find the problem had 8 legs and fit in his hand. No doubt the whole outdoors company heard about it by the time we arrived the next day for our quad drive! But after the rocky start we did very well for ourselves. We watched the match at the local, then came back and lit a beautiful fire on which we cooked a lovely dinner and relaxed with a few drinks. Headed to bed early and spent and hour lying in the dark trying not to think about all the horrible creatures making their way into the cabin, or the prospect of driving a quad over 4x4 terrain the next day! But I did manage 6hrs sleep which I’m pretty proud of!
So this afternoon we had our quad ride which was such good fun! I had to start off pretty slow what with all my engine experience coming in the shape of an outboard! But I got the hang of it and we had a really great time. Unfortunately I hadn’t realised that driving a quad is done completely with your hands…which quickly led to my wrists giving out! So I had to sit out the second session which was gonna be tougher and fast as my whole arm was already dead. But it was still a great weekend!
And now I’m home and just finished packing, as tomorrow I move to my new house up the road and meet the volunteers for my new project! Really feeling quite apprehensive about it now, especially after saying goodbye to all the previous volunteers. A part of me is thinking I could be home now. But the bigger part of me is interested to start a new project and see another side of township life. I think the next few days will be challenging until I find my feet but then it will be great. So once I get settled I will write again, but until then I’ll say goodbye!
xxx

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