Weekend Adventures

I’m exhausted and a little sunburned, but this has been my favorite weekend in South Africa so far.

After class on Friday, we hiked up Lion’s Head, which has a wonderful view of the surrounding mountain range, Cape Town, and the ocean. We watched the sun set on one side as we hiked up, and watched the moon rise from on top. Full moon nights are the most popular time to do this hike, and we were surrounded by people from all over the world, eating picnic dinners and drinking wine (a somewhat dangerous but completely legal tradition). The hike was both gorgeous and surreal:

Incidentally, U2 was playing at Cape Town Stadium that night, and a group of locals managed to climb up with a boom box. We could see the stadium from the mountain, so we watched the light show below and listened to the live broadcast on the radio. I don’t really care about U2, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. We could hear snatches of the actual concert as we climbed down in the moonlight.

Saturday, we went to Old Biscuit Mill, which is a combination farmer’s market and outdoor shopping mall. There isn’t a lot by way of produce, but there are hundreds of food vendors selling all sorts of things set up inside an old warehouse. Some of the best meals I’ve eaten so far have been at Biscuit Mill (usually involving large amounts of fresh baked bread and fancy pesto). There’s also shops selling art, jewelry, clothes, you name it. It’s an interesting mix of upper-middle class locals and tourists, and definitely a fun Saturday ritual.

After lunch, we hopped in a kombi and went to Camps Bay for some much-needed beach time. Kombis are a little terrifying if you think about them too much, but they’re basically minivan taxis that get you where you need to go for dirt cheap. It’s how the locals get around, and it’s far more convenient than a metered cab or the train.

Camps Bay is pretty close to paradise...it’s where billionaires vacation. Sitting on the beach, you can look up at Table Mountain on one side, and out into the Atlantic ocean. The water is FREEZING cold, so I haven’t done much ocean swimming (I’m homesick for the Gulf of Mexico), but it’s a great place to lay out and relax. Before heading home, we stopped at a swanky beachside restaurant and I splurged on mouth-watering salmon and crab cakes. Eating delicious food and listening to the waves is about as good as it gets.

Sunday, we hiked Table Mountain. We climbed for a good four hours, up long and windy paved roads and trails, and then climbed down a steep river gorge for about an hour. It was grueling at times, but absolutely beautiful. Pictures could never come close to doing it justice, but here’s a few:

Throughout the weekend, however, the townships and economic disparities of Cape Town were always in the back of my mind. This city is truly two different worlds. My weekend’s adventures were an affluent luxury, while today I’ll meet (and attempt to counsel?) young dancers who have lived in a kind of poverty that I can’t begin to imagine. My life alternates between tourist, student, and social worker in this eternally complex city, and I'm privileged to see every side.