Breakfast of Champions: Chocolate & Wine!

A trip to the picturesque wine country in the Western Cape made for a lovely two days of not only wine tasting, but also chocolate and olive sampling. As we drove into Stellenbosch, we made an unplanned stop at the Blaauwklippen winery, as it just called our names as we drove by. For five delicious wine tastings we only paid 35Rand ($4.60). The tasting room was cozy with a fire and natural lighting. I tasted my favorite wine of the trip here...a full-bodied Malbec. After the tasting, we checked in at our hotel, Stellenbosch Protea hotel, right across the street from the vineyard...how convenient! The second winery, Delheim, is known for its olives, wine, and luscious wine estate and vineyards. The tasting room is located in a dark, wooden cellar where you would expect some good intellectual conversations to infiltrate the candles dripping wax on the floor. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful breakfast buffet at the hotel, including ready made omelets and fresh fruit. This was only the first course in the breakfast of champions, as for the second course we experienced a heavenly wine and chocolate tasting at the Zevenwacht wine estate. This winery is known for its delectable homemade chocolate: a lemon milk chocolate, apricot milk chocolate, and a coffee dark chocolate. The chocolate/wine pairings (32Rand=$4.30) were thoughtfully planned out. Surprisingly, the pairing I enjoyed most involved the taste of coffee. I do not drink coffee, as I have never acquired a taste for it. But, the coffee flavored dark chocolate coupled with a full-bodied red brought out the subtlest taste of coffee, not too overpowering, but just enough to give you that nice aroma of roasted coffee beans settling deep in to your nasal passage. Very nice! Some people think that chocolate and wine do not belong together, I think it is a match made in heaven! Delightful!

Old Biscuit Mill

The next Saturday you are in Cape Town, grab a taxi and head to the Old Biscuit Mill market in the Woodstock neighborhood. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Mill comes alive with relaxed people enjoying the weekend and the wonderful sights, sounds, and aromas of food from the local international community. Take your pick of delicious foods: Belgium waffles, Thai, Indian "bunny chow", English breakfast with baked beans, sushi, the largest vat of paella, French crepes, Italian flat bread pizza, "biltong" (South African beef jerky), fine cheeses, and fresh breads and pastries. Don't forget to grab yourself a little "bubbly" (champagne) with pomegranate seeds, mojito, bloody Mary, or a few wine tastings to wash down the good food. I was fortunate enough to visit Old Biscuit Mill four Saturday's in a row and if I lived there you better believe you would find me there every Saturday.

Lion's Head: A 360 degree view of Cape Town

Nestled in between Table Mountain and Signal Hill, Lion’s Head proudly sits at 2,195 feet overlooking the entire Cape. The distinguishing feature of Lion’s Head: the trail wraps around the nape of the neck, eventually meandering up to the crown of the head, allowing for 360 views of the Cape. Incredible! The exposed trail makes you feel like you may fall off the side of the mountain. To add adventure to the exposed hike, there are ladders to climb steep rock faces, chains to hold on to, and an option to rappel UP a chain. We decided against rappelling up, but we did have white knuckles as we walked across a very exposed portion of the trail. As we were hiking down a para glider swooped right over our heads and peacefully glided through the sky, circling Camps Bay.

South African Concert

The last night of the study abroad program, we (Scott and I) accompanied a large group of UGA students to see the local favorite, Goldfish, at the Assembly concert hall in Cape Town. We literally danced for 4 hours straight...lots of sweat, great music, and good South African vibes. Goldfish puts on an amazing live show! Sorry, no photos. The Nikon stayed at home.

Last Night in the Township!

The days of service-learning have come to an end. The last night in the township was filled with music, mad-skill dancin', and even a few emotional moments. The idea was to have a talent show wherein the UGA students and the families perform little routines. As the audience of over 200 people settled in, the UGA students started the show with a lip-sync performance that would have made Justin Bieber proud. The children went crazy...they love Justin Bieber and know all of the words to his songs...too funny! Then, one of the children did an amazing rendition of Michael Jackson, including the hat-toss and crotch-grab. Baton-twirling, singing, and lots of dancing followed, until a mad dance-off shut down the show. I am still trying to make sense of it all...but the UGA students certainly made an impact on the children and families in Sir Lowry's Pass. The love and energy in the room was a true testament to how service can impact both the people serving and the people being served through love, affection, laughing, and playing (not simply money and material goods). It is evident, through all of those papers I am grading, that the UGA students learned a great deal and took a step back to look at their own identities and life. I only hope that the long-term impact on the community is positive and uplifting, in a non-ethnocentric manner. Yet, I have come to the realization that I will never truly know the answer to that. Despite a stolen backpack, that was eventually recovered with the epic community justice of the soup mothers, the evening was a hit for all!

Mornin' Sunshine: Yoga on the Beach!

I taught a yoga class on the beach for a group of students and staff of the study abroad program. We had a group of 11 yoginis, with a few neophytes. I wish I could teach all of my classes under the warm African sunshine and the sounds of ocean waves. Namaste.

Cape Peninsula: One of the Southern Most Points of Africa

Penguins, Baboons, and Ostrich, oh my! We took a trip down the Cape and who knew we would see so much wildlife. But, before almost being attacked by the aggressive baboons, we drove from Noordhoek to Hout Bay via the Chapman's Peak coastal toll road. What a scenic drive along the rocky coastline! There are 114 curves on the road. As we took our time driving the switchbacks nestled against the coastline, we stopped often. One stop resulted in a nice chat with two local retirees who were biking the peak. They invited us to join them for a hike the next day...ah, South African hospitality at its finest. The rest of the day only got better with more beauty, including Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, and the excitement of close-up wildlife experiences. Imagine an ostrich within arms-length reach; I felt like we were on the discovery channel. Watch out for the baboons...they are little terrors and will jump into your car if given the opportunity.

Up! Relentlessly Up!

The Platteklip Gorge trail description states, "Up! Relentlessly up!", but fails to mention the brutal downhill. Yes, I hiked Table Mountain AGAIN, but this time with two new faces. My father decided to test out his 66 year old body on one of the "hardest hikes" of his life (that was straight from his mouth). Brian, another faculty member of the study abroad program, who used to be an outdoor guide, also joined us. During the 1 hour 45 minute hike up my father said, "I do not understand why my legs feel so heavy." We call that "BONKING!" Uh-oh. I know this because it has happened to me numerous times while training for triathlons, marathons, etc. So, we fed him a granola bar and before you knew it the sugar kicked in and he was trailblazing again. No joke...the gorge trail is up, up, up...with a few switchbacks and large rocks that you scramble up the entire length of the trail. The up-hill felt great, with no pain! When we arrived at the top...we could see all the way to the Cape of Good Hope and Robben Island, as we sipped on cold beers and cider. I bought a ticket (85Rand) for my amazingly athletic father to take the tram down the mountain, as Brian and I hurried back to the trail head for a downhill adventure before sunset. My clock read 4:47 p.m. and we both began scrambling down the rocky trail. I guess that was when I finally realized how straight up/down the trail was. About 30 minutes into the hike my legs were shaking, my ankles had rolled a few times, but the smile was still on my face. I love this type of "body slam"! And, I realized I had not done something this grueling for a few years. My yoga fitness worked well for the uphill, but my body was not at all prepared for the pain of the downhill. My quads were barking...and at 5:53 p.m. we hit the bottom of the trail head. HIGH-FIVE! With my shaky legs, I drove the car (on the left side of the road) one mile to pick up dad at the bottom of the tram. Sunset. Ahhhhhhhhhh...four days later my quads are still in need of a massage.

Signal Hill & Camps Bay

It is winter in South Africa, but from the looks of the pictures you would think it was spring and/or summer. A leisurely afternoon drive resulted in breathtaking overlooks, tasty ice cream, and beautiful ocean scenery. Our first stop was Signal Hill where you can look out over the entire Cape. This is also where we bought a 10Rand ice cream cone stacked high with the favorite mint chocolate flavor from a dude in a VW van. He was making a killing that afternoon! Just as the sun was setting we drove down the hill to the posh Camps Bay where trendy bars and restaurants line the palm-tree lined beach. A great afternoon.

Milnerton Flea Market

The largest flea market in Cape Town, Milnerton Flea Market, is about a 10 minute walk from the Lagoon Beach apartments. Knowing my father and his love for flea markets, I added it to our Sunday morning itinerary. The brick-brack was plentiful (lotsa crap) and so was the sunshine. We wondered up and down the aisles of treasure while mostly enjoying the colorful characters. Our sole purchase was a bowl of curry (30Rand) and a few samosas (5 Rand). Delicious.