Blog 16

We got back to the ship around 6 PM on the third day that the ship had been docked in Cape Town. We were exhausted but also ready to seize the day… or what was left of it. Getting back on the ship was a pain in the ass because they always check everyone's bags especially thoroughly when overnight trips return. One kid I was with, filled up a water bottle full of vodka and they sniffed that right out. He was right in front of me in line and you should see the security guards faces light up like a Christmas tree when they see some action. After the 45 minute line, I set up a Skype date with my parents and found some wireless internet somewhere in a mall, it was a space on a bench that I could barely get a signal but it seemed to serve its purpose. It was great to catch up with the parents and see what was new in the states. After, I showered, changed, and met back up with some friends to head out to the notorious party spot known as Long Street. There had been flyers handed out all over the ship earlier that day that were advertising a club that all the SASers got free entry to. So after exploring the waterfront for a little longer, seeing street performers dance, and finding a place for some beer and calamari (an English fish and chips joint), the gorgeous sun was setting on Cape Town and we made our way down town. The place that was hosting the SAS party was called Ivy League and it was very fun for a while, but later, a group of us set out to explore new places and meet new people. That night I talked with many strangers and enjoyed plenty of rounds of Castle beer. They were very confused when I tried to order a pitcher; all the foreigners when asking me about America, are fascinated by the concept of renting kegs of beer and a drinking age of 21.

The next morning, I got a late start. I woke up around 10AM and decided to go without breakfast that morning, I didn't have any particular plan in mind since the rugby match was a no-go. One of our inter-port lectures for South Africa assured us that there was a rugby game on the 4^th day but when we asked around about it, we were told that it wasn't even in Cape town, but another province of South Africa. It was a huge disappointment. I found a group on the ship which comprised of my friend Matt, Yudai, a girl named Emily, and a girl named Dominique. Matt is a fun guy who I pretty much just know from fun times out at the bar ports, Yudai is our Japanese mascot, Emily is a Jewish hottie who sounds like she's been smoking since she was 6, and Dominique is rich, Spanish-speaking Daddy's girl from Miami. We decided to go up to table mountain, which is a huge flat mountain that sits above Cape Town and we heard the view was stunning. We got up to where the cable car takes you up, and it had begun to get cloudy so that you could no longer see the top. A ticket for the cable car was about 20 bucks so we decided against going to the top, but took some good picture from where we were at, which was still high above Cape Town, with great views. There was even a rainbow that made an appearance shortly after we arrived and we were able to work it into the picture. After this disappointment and a 10 dollar cab ride, we settled on a visit to Long Street during the day to visit something called the Green Market. The Green Market was like a flea Market that was set up everyday just off of Longstreet which had reletively cheap little knick-knacks or memorabilia of South Africa. I saw everything from authentic tribal masks to paintings of townships to jerseys and jewelry. We walked around the green market until it closed around 4PM and everyone seemed to be satisfied with our shopping. I got a South African flag, a rugby Jersey, and a wooden tobacco pipe that I'm lucky I got on the ship. After a bit of shopping we walked towards Long street once more. Apparently, it had some good day shopping as well, but a bit pricier. We found however, that all these shops were closed too; everything was closed early because of the Easter weekend.

Long Street was a very interesting street during the day, it was lined with shops and bars and most every building had a balcony that customers could enjoy lounging on. The feel was extremely reminiscent of New Orleans with it's French architectural influence. I was very disappointed when topless girls were screaming for beads. The group, at this point, decided to part while the girls and Yudai went back to the ship, and Matt and I went to one of these balcony restaurants. Our first thought was to follow our instincts to a place called MEXICANO with Mexican colors painted tackily on the side and pictures of big fat burritos and margaritas in the window; but after looking at the menu, Matt told me he knew of a place with great nachos and it had a balcony too. We decided to go to the place with the balcony and the atmosphere was that of a casual Saturday afternoon in Cape Town, the weather was perfect, I had another Castle beer, and I could watch hot girls walk by from a distance without them knowing.

After some delicious nachos, which had a curious red spicy powder in them, we paid the bill and departed the balcony restaurant, shortly after, we saw a sign for astonishingly cheap drinks and followed our nose. We were led to a hostel called Abantu Backpack Hostel, which coincidentally was also a bar. We asked about their hours and how long the drink special ran and we were delighted to hear it was a 24/7 deal. I took this opportunity to do a little work for my global studies project and asked the nice girl at the front desk/bartender some questions about water consumption. She was very nice and her name was Nicky. It was actually some incredibly long African name but she told us to call her Nicky. We planned to return later that evening. The sun was beginning to set once more and it was our last night in Cape Town (or so we thought). Matt and I found a ride back to the ship and I went down to the beach to take some pictures of the sunset, it was pretty astonishing, fire red that faded the African sky into a pastel yellow and then finally burnt out. I went back to the same internet spot in the mall to check my bank account…. I don't wanna talk about it. I got back to the ship and met up with the crew to go out, Matt was waiting on some beezie to get back from her safari so we could go out, and once again, the whole ship was in a balls-to-the-wall party mode for the last night. We waited for this girl and of course, her set of friends, to set out for the evening. We went to get some food at a nearby waterfront restaurant and the night began.

We went to a place that was it's own microbrewery and I ended up just getting appetizers or "bar snacks". I got fish and chips and forgot what I ordered until I got fish and French fries and then I asked for ketchup and they looked at me confused until I said Tomato sauce. We were with a group of girls, which… to be honest I don't remember all of their names, but I do know we were with my ship neighbors Melissa and Megan; and the crew of us promised that no matter what happened that night, we were going to get up early and go to the Cape of Good Hope(the southern most part of Africa). The night was fun and we actually did get up at 7:30AM. We hurried outside and found a cab. Our cab agreed to take us to the Cape and show us the sights. We had about an hour drive where we stopped at a few markets and beaches until we neared the southern tip. Just before we got there, we went to a penguin beach and watched these little creatures wobble around while we took pictures. I decided that I wasn't amused enough, so I took a video of me getting too close to the penguin and then it biting me. Who else can say they've been bit by a penguin? We loaded up in the car and kept moving, we got to the cape where there was a light house which took quite a hike to get to. The view up there was amazing and worth every step. On the way back, we stopped by an ostrich farm which I was sooooooo close to jumping the fence and jumping on for an ostrich ride, but the girls kept getting mad at me. I settled for buying feed and then letting the ostrich nibble at it, out of my hand. It was after that point that I could say that I had been bitten by an ostrich as well. Now I can say; who has been bitten by an ostrich and a penguin in the same day? The day was winding up and it was time to start heading back to the ship to make on-ship-time at 6PM. We hurried back, but not before driving through a township. A township is a place where all the underprivileged African's live in South Africa. It's an entirely black community and each structure is a one room fortress made from random odds and ends. They are all made with wood, tin, metal, even street sign and pieces of board. They are made with whatever the builder could find and they all look like they are about to fall apart. There are kids playing in the streets next to drug dealers and activity and people everywhere you look. It's amazing to see the contrast in the community.

We finally made it back to the ship, and I considered grabbing all my belongings and staying in South Africa. Who needs a transcript? South Africa was most definitely my favorite port.