Stellenbosch, Table Mountain, and The Black Out

Recent Highlights

- falling down Table Mountain and landing in a bush

- eating springbok while out to dinner in the black-out

- making a modest yet delicious contribution of rosemary carrots to a potluck dinner

On Tuesday, a bunch of us left for an overnight trip to Stellenbosch, one of South Africa's oldest European settlements located about a half-hour drive from Cape Town. Having explored Cape Town for the past couple of weeks, Stellenbosch seemed like a whole different country, or at least a different era.  It was a bit of an apartheid throwback.  The whole town was very segregated, old-fashioned, and quiet in an unsettling way.  Compared to the diversity of Capetownians, the people of Stellenbosch (to completely generalize) were pretty homogeneously upper-class Afrikaaners.  

Of course, we didn't visit Stellenbosch for the time travel; we went for the wine.  On Wednesday morning, we began our tour of the vineyards.  Because we are cheap (or maybe just because we would rather spend the money on wine), we decided to take the unguided hiking/wine tasting tour (not the classiest combination but definitely rewarding.)  The first winery was J.C. Le Roux which specialized in sparkling wine.  For just twenty rand (less than $3) we each got five glasses of wine, a video presentation on how to make sparkling wine, and a tour of the cellar.  What a deal!  After sipping the wine and spitting it out (apparently the proper way to wine taste) most of us decided it was much too good to waste.  My favorites were La Chanson and Le Domains, the dessert wines of course.

After returning from Stellenbosch, I had a pretty low-key day.  I did, however, go on a run with the UCT Athletics Club, aka the running team.  There were a few women, but they were all doing a track workout.  Preferring hills and trails tot he track, I stuck it out with the guys.  After our 6k warmup, we did repeats son a really, really steep hill.  The hard-core guys did 15 x 60 seconds hard up and down the hill; most of the guys did 10 and I called it a day at 6.  Dion, the crazy coach, is determined to get me, Evan, and Cam (other interstudy guys) to do a 56k before we leave South Africa. Ha.

Already aching from the hill workout, we then climbed Table Mountain on Friday.  The pictures should speak for themselves, with the one exception of my epic fall, unfortunately not captured on film.  Feeling strong and determined (in other words dehydrated and lightheaded) after our four hour hike up the mountain, I was ready for the descent.  I was chatting with Craig, one of the many South African tour-guides and we were leading the pack at a pace that seemed dangerous only when I looked down.  Everyone had a couple of slips, so when I slid on one rock I figured I could pull off some impressive twist or turn and recover.  Nope.  Instead, I actually tumbled down the rocks fora  few yards before clutching a prickly bush to stop myself from falling.  Bart and Jeremy, my two friends behind me, said that all they caught was the rustling of the bushes and then suddenly finding me turned upside down in the bush.  So, with just a few scratches and bruises, I am proud to say that I survived my fall down the mountain.

After returning from the day's hike, we were all exhausted and ready to eat.  Just as we were about to head to dinner though, Eskom decided that Friday night would be a good time to cut back on power.  Hungry and determined, we called Boogie Steve (our favorite cab driver) and headed down to Obs for dinner anyways.  That was a fun ride.  While Boogie Steve usually can take 15 or so in his van, he only had his five seater last night.  We impressively fit 10, two girls and four guys in the back seat, another guy and girl in the front, Boogie Steve, and his son Roman.  After piling out of the cab, we had a charming candlelight dinner where I tried my first springbok.  To our surprise, the electricity didn't come back until long after we came home and went to bed.