Reminsce

So here's my more frivolous blog post about Cape Town. I will be upfront and proudly say that I didn't rough it. In retrospect, I probably should have taken myself out of my comfort zone, but after nearly two months away from home, I definitely needed a heaping dosage of good-ole 'Murrika. I also need to write this before into getting to Mauritius after almost not getting here (but that's a story for the next blog post).

First of all, we were docked right next to the V&A Waterfront, a ritzy area with a mall full of international designer boutiques, world-class restaurants, and all the amenities that make you feel like you're in any other sterilized Disney-esque environment. I know for a fact that our proximity to the Waterfront deterred us from straying too far away because we were in such awe of the glamour of it all. C'mon, I ate pizza and fries far too often while I was there. I went to the supermarket and bought a whole bunch of groceries that I've been craving for a while (Nutella, Diet Coke, and Lay's Potato Chips). I frequented the bar that every other SAS-er went to nightly.

But I can still say that I had a handful of quintessentially South African experiences. For my Popular Music in World Cultures class, I was able to meet a whole bunch of musicians. On the first day, I met Dat, a hilarious character who entertained us in his garage in Gugulethu. He then took us to a community center where we stumbled upon a rehearsal for Hip Hip KasLam, a rap show Dat organized himself which showcases the talent of up and coming new artists. We met some girls who were background dancers and a few other rappers who taught us some Xhosa, the click language spoken widely around the area which I have learned to love.

On the second night, I went on a "jazz safari" where I got to meet an extremely eclectic experimental jazz musician and illustrator, Hilton Schilder, who claimed that anything could be an instrument and drew the trippiest things I've ever seen. I was also graced by the beautiful pipes of Zomi, a cheerful contestant on Idols (the South African equivalent of American Idol) with a heart of gold and a voice to match. It was such an uplifting experience talking to musicians and artists from the other side of the world who are just as passionate and dedicated to their craft. It really comes to show the universality of the arts, and if you know me at all, that makes me a happy ethnomusichoreologist.

By far my most memorable accomplishment is hiking Table Mountain. If you've seen any photos of Cape Town, you'd see that the downtown area is cradled by a set of mountains, one of which is a long, flat-topped marvel. Paul Vergara was on top of those mountains. To make that story even better, my group of friends and I kinda accidentally hiked up the treacherously long back way. Most people who make the hike take a route right near the cable car which goes directly up to the summit. This path takes roughly two hours, and that was what I was preparing for. We all know that I'm a city slicker, and my version of a hike is walking down Broadway between the Urban Outfitters and the H&M.

What ended up happening was that we started at the Botanical Gardens at Kirstenbosch which is on the opposite side of the mountain from downtown. Expecting the hike to be a comparable two hours like our taxi driver told us, we found out from the tourist center at the foot that it would take "four and a half hours for the physically and mentally capable." I began to panic because I am neither of those two. To make it worse, I was already getting hungry, and I only had one bottle of water and a single Clif Bar to sustain me. This was going to be fun.

Of course, I decided to hike in my Toms, which ended up being a very good decision because they were very light and allowed for more gripping of the ground with my feet. To pass the time, we shared life stories which opened our eyes into each other's perspectives on the world we live in. It's moments like these which I cherish. We also met a bunch of people coming down the mountain as we made our way up; they shared their advice, even if we didn't have a common language, and assured us that we were getting closer.

To sum up the path, it can be divided into roughly three parts. The first was a lush, green, and shady forest area in which, in order to get out, we had to climb up a steep set of ladders and a bunch of rocks with a stream running through it. After that was a desert-like area which showcases the unique South African flora, or fynbos, that can only be found in this area. Upon reaching the top of Table, we realized that we were on the opposite side of the cable car we needed to ride to get down. At this point, I was quite faint, but I had to pull through. I mustered up the last of my energy and walked along the edge of the mountain on a path that was about a foot wide. One wrong step, and you'd be tumbling down into the city below. A total of four hours from the start, we made it to the end of the path where I celebrated by chugging an overpriced bottle of water and devouring a huge ice cream cone.

At the end of the whole ordeal, I was able to look up at Table Mountain and smile at the fact that I walked all the way across it. I will always be able to do that. It is by far one of my most memorable accomplishments.

Other than that, I had an overall refreshing time in Cape Town. I went down Long Street several times, both during the day and night, to take advantage of good shopping, great food, and amazing nightlife. I went into the scenic wine country and sampled some of the best wines in the country (paired with some of the best cheese I've ever tasted). I lurked at the ever-so-typical gay bar and went down to Camps Bay to party like the locals do (and even got to see a concert by an amazing band called Goldfish).

I can only look back fondly at my time in Cape Town, but I'll always regret that I didn't do more. I guess that's more of a reason for me to return to this city (and to this country because there's so much more past this one town) to learn and experience more. We'll see if that happens. I hope it will be very soon. In the meantime, I'll sip on my rooibos tea and reminisce.