Spring Break in October, wtf?

Looks like the internet is going to let me actually post a blog, but sorry if you want pictures you'll have to wait. So, last week was Spring Break for students attending NMMU and most if not all International Students took the time to travel and experience other places other than boring PE/Eastern Cape.  For me, I wanted to get out to the Western Cape, in particular Stellenbosch and Cape Town. 

I left Thursday night Sept. 25, the week before Spring Break, and took the bus with about 6 or 7 other friends to Stellenbosch, the 2nd oldest town in South Africa and the largest wine producing city in the entire country.  The bus ride was 12 hours and we took it over night. So, the bus was an experience all in its own; big black women with their little children eating fried chicken which stunk up the whole bus with the addition of Arnold Swartzanager 90s movie Eraser and some other random 90s movie that was extremely boring and hard to follow. So if that doesn't specify that I did not sleep at all, then yeah, I didn't sleep more than 2 hours on the bus and upon arrival in Stellenbosch it was raining.  It wasn't that bad though BECAUSE after getting off the bus we ran into a women who obviously knew we were internationals and asked us if we wanted a ride to our accommodations. It was awesome!! A lifesaver at the most! And on top of it she was driving a nice ass BMW! 

So we eventually made it to the backpacker, Stumble Inn, convieniently named because of the wine tours they hold equate to drunkin' stumbling students.  That Friday I just walked around town, taking in the periodic sites and surrounds whenever the rain would stop and the clouds would clear. It was extremely beautiful and breath taking. I love Stellenbosch, the people (well not the women, fucking Afrikaans bitches) and the locals and just the atmosphere.  So that night the group decided instead of eating out, we would have a huge braai at the backpacker.  It was awesome!! I love to braai and for some reason I am always the one designated the position. Maybe its because I love to BBQ or maybe because no one else likes to take on the position of standing over hot flaming fire and smelling like cooked meat the following morning but anyhow, I was given all the props after the meal was consumed of which I received hardly little. Oh well, thats what you get when you cook for a large drunken group! 

The Next day we set out on the wine tour. We went to four different wineries, all of prominent distinction in the Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschoek area. It was so much fun, especially since we went three wineries I had anticipated on getting to. Simonsig, Fairview, Boschondel, and Diou Donne.  Simonsig is globally renowned, well for those who care about the wines here in SA. They have a beautiful blend of red wines, many Shiraz and Pinotage which they have some international awards for their blends of Pinotage and Merlot ( Tiarra 2000 & 2001) as well as their Frans Malan Reserve (Pinotage Cab and merlot) a wine which I greatly enjoyed. As for the others, more subtle but also some excellent reds and whites for the everyday dinner occassion. Boschondel makes a fabulous Shiraz, try the 2001 if you can get your hands on this limited supply of bottles or the 2004, which I managed to buy and hopefully bring back to the states for a little more maturity and aging.  Any how, the tour was so much fun; everyone was drunk by the time we got back, 530, except for Jo and I so we decided the night needed just a bit more adventure. Oh and did we find ourselves an adventure! We ended up at a local student hang out drinking the locally brewed cervesa for R5 = .60cents. From there we stumbled over to this other little pub of which the name neither of us can remember to find the local students dressed in costumes and the South African overalls dancing and singing. We were warmly welcomed by a few of the students and introduced to the local favorite drink, double cane and cream soda. I don't think I have had a tastier cheap drink in my life, but the night went on and we continued to our drink extravaganza! We made it back to the hostel around 3 or so, broke and debilitated. Waking the next morning was the only hardship of the entire trip but we managed to make it out of the hostel around 11 and off to some more wineries. We managed to make it out to two on foot, both of which were spectacular wineries, Nethingsholf and Asara.  Nethingsholf is one winery I truly love, and am very happy I was able to make it out there. The 350 hectare farm is one of the largest in Stelenbosch, and one of the newer more acclaimed families making some rave reviews here in SA as well  as internationally. The 2001 Cab Sav was phenomenal! Jo and I split a bottle which we plan to drink sometime soon with a huge Kudu or Ostrich steak! Asara was seeming okay, with the Chardonnay Reserve winning our hearts.  

That night we took it easy and ate out at a Sosati Restaurant, sosati meaning kebab in for Southern Africans.  We tried some crocodile, kudu, eland, springbok and some other kinds of antelope. I also tried an exceptional potjies, another traditional south african dish which in corperates the Indian and Asian style of cooking with traditional African flavours and meat. Tired from the night before, we just went back and hit the hay early.

The following day, we jumped onto the train for Cape Town, 1st class baby!! 

We arrived their in a down pour of rain and thunder storm action. We walked to the backpackers which the rest of the group was planning on staying at for I was to meet up with the CEA group because Cape Town was to be our final paid excursion.  The backpackers the others stayed in was situated on Long St., a famous, friendly and Haight st. like atmosphere located in the Central part of Cape Town in the City Bowl so named because of its position central to the surrounding granite Table Mountain range. Their are venders all along the street corners, shops selling clothing of all kinds, health food stores, coffee shop after coffee shop, and cooll places to just hang out and have a beer. Oh and not to mention the immensity of Nite Club after Nite Club after Nite Club!! I walked around checking out the different shops, finding myself more at home with this type of South Africa.  Later that night I met up with CEA group in Sea Point.  We were about a mile from the new football stadium being built in Cape Town, which is so big! So the major things we did on our excursion included going up Table Mountain which was breath taking. I ran into a very nice guy from New Mexico who just got his degree in Geology which meant the guy was in South Africa heaven.  After we ventured to Hout Bay and took a boat out to a small island just around the point which is largely inhabited by Cape Fur Seals. Man the smelt but it was super nice being out on the ocean again. I miss it so much! We ate lunch in Hout Bay and were able to make it to a few museums that day which exemplified the Cape Colony established 1652 and the different tribes that made a living off the land prior to the arrival of white man. It was a really fun time and that night I met back up with Jo and Jenn for a little pool action and R10 beers.  We played pool for a few hours, and after downing a few shots we made our way to Rouge Room. We had just missed the band headlining that night but were just in time for more shots!! Hahaha... and I think that is all that needs to be said about that night!

Next day was a lovely hang over cure in the Botanical Gardens of Kirstenbosch and a trip to Cape Point, South Western most point of Africa. That night we meet up with the huge group at a night club and were pleased to see they actually had Corona!! Danced a bit that night and headed off to bed, marginally early. We spent the next day in Stellenbosch, Franshoek, and Paarl, a second round for me which I enjoyed greatly. That night we ate amazing pizza and talked with a super cool guy from Colombia. The next day we set off back to PE, sadly.  We stopped for lunch in this little town in the middle of who-knows-where only to find the tube circulating coolant was leaking and in the aftermath my bottle of Frans Malan was lost. I was pissed but was able to get the dumb-ass bus driver to pay me back for the bottle. Hopefully I can find it again in PE or else I am going to be pissed! Anyhow, thats the summation of my time over the past week. Hopefully everyone was enjoying their time doing whatever it was they did or didnt do. All I can say is that I want school to be over NOW!!! I want to continue the traveling especially now that the dollar has elevated to 9% on the rand.  That and PE is so boring that even sleeping sounds amazing. Oh well. I look forward to finishing exams in a little under 2 months and look to travel up through the Wild Coast and Maputaland for three weeks! Cheers! 

Hey!!! I am back from Spring Break! I hope everyone had as much fun as me; oh! wait you're all back in school or working or volunteering. Haha..sorry to rub it in but its true. Anyways, over the past 10 days I have traveled throughout the western region of the Western Cape of South Africa -- from Cape Town to Stellenbosch to Cape of Good Hope and through the Garden Route. I really want to tell you all about it but I don't have much time to talk now because I am using someone else's computer and I don't want to use up their 1 GB that each person is allocated per month so I am just going to show you some of the pictures that I was able to capture on my trip, and tomorrow I will tell you all about my adventures. Cheers for now!!

Sharp!


Ok!!!! F'! So, the uploader isn't working and this person's computer is going to die... I guess the pictures are going to have to wait until my computer is able to pick a fucking connection to the stupid internet. Anyways, let me throw a recap to you all just to let you know what happened:

Walking tour of Stellenbosch, Wine Tour - Simonsig, Fairview, Boschendel, Diou Donne - Most beautiful weather we've had ever since arriving plus two more wine tastings at Nethlingshof and Asara, Train to Cape Town, City Bowl, Long St, never ending rain and clouds and wind to wake the next morning to a beautiful day atop table mountain, Hout Bay, Seal Island, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, Penguin Colony, Planetarium, Cape Castle, mass of children playing soccer along the N2 highway. Well that seems fitting...can't wait to hear more? Well check it out tomorrow and there will be more. Cheers!

Bananas, toast, and jam

So I know I continually mention throughout my blogs how amazing the weather is in this country... well, I just have to say it again, I love it!! Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine!! Anyhow, I would just like to congratulate Southwest on a great season!!! Our football team has made it in the top eight of the CFL, so looks like we are going to playoffs. First game is October 11.  All the teams are drawn so the match ups have not yet been decided. We ended the season in fashion, beating the team we lost to in a tournament earlier in the season 6-0, with leading goal scorer Taffy scoring 4 of those goals.  Sunday we were awarded 3 aggregate points because the team we were to play did not show and thus forfeited the match. 

The weather is getting nicer and nicer each day, making it a lot harder to stay focused on school (obviously).  This week has been the slowest so far and I am quit certain its because I'm so excited to be heading to the Western Cape for Spring Break.  Stellenbosch is going to be amazing, which reminds me I need to call them and make sure they have kept my spot in the hostel. Saturday is a wine tour through three major regions - Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschoek. Monday I will be in Cape Town taking in the sites of the second largest city in South Africa.  From what I have heard, its a crazy, ambitious, and outgoing city!! I can't wait!! Cheers!

Two Wins and a Braai

Que ficho!?! How's everyone?

So this past weekend we had two largely important games of football for the Campus League.  Saturday was 85 or 90 F no one really knows how hot it actually gets or whether or not you can trust the thermometers here. Any how, its fucking hot and we had a game at 130, the hottest part of the day! It was a brutal game... we  took the lead early on with a penalty kick only to have the other team strick back with an amazing goal outside the 18 yard  box. Oh I didn't mention the fact that we were playing only 10 men the entire first half!!

By the second half we thought we might end up losing the game; the other team was just pounding us; but two extra players eventually showed up and came into the game and helped considerable on defense and the midfield.  We ended up winning the game 3-1 with two goals coming in the last five minutes of the game.  

On Sunday, the weather was half as bad, windy as usual but not too hot. We dominated the whole game with our main striker Taffy scoring 5 goals!!! We won 6-3, the opposition's goals being free rewards from the referees. Any how, these wins help keep our hopes alive for play-offs. 

Saturday night I hung out with my friends from Angola. We cooked a huge feast and watched some videos of the previous weekend, Valdeman's 25th.  The pictures were so funny, and the videos later in the night being even funnier. It was nice to hang with the guys, picking up a few words in Portuguese here and there.  Any how, hope all is well with everyone; only 10 more days till Spring Break Stellenbosch/Cape Town here I come!!! 

Cheers!

Beautiful Days have arrived!!

Hey --

The weather has een so amazing the past few days that I feel like I have to write something on my blog!

Yesterday, Friday, Joachim, Jenn, Cicilia and I walked down to Pick n Pay, the local grocery market here in PE, so that we could pick up our tickets to Stellenbosch from the MTN store.  Oh thats right!!! So a group of us are planning on going to Stellenbosch, the main wine region here in South Africa, which is about 100km outside of Cape Town, situated in the mountainous area beyond Table Mountain.  Its supposedly one of the most beautiful places in South Africa, and on top of that they have over 100 hundred wineries within a distance of some 20 - 40 mile range. We are all super stocked and excited! We are leaving the weekend leading into our Spring Break!!! Ya!!! So for Spring Break, CEA is taking our group around Cape Town, from Table Mountain to Robbin Island and the Cape Of Good Hope (the southern most point of Africa).  I can't wait!! I am a bit bummed that I won't be able to get out and see the Great White Sharks that breach here in Southern Africa. Hopefully some of the people going out from Mussel Bay will take some amazing photos that I can share with you all. 

Any how, yesterday we all just hung out on the beach enjoying a few drinks and just soaking up the sun!! Hopefully the weather stays consistent till the end of the month when Spring Break starts!

Today its about 1130 in the morning and its already 80 F! I love this weather! I have a soccer game at a quarter to 1:00 and its a must win. We haven't won a game in weeks, and many of the guys on the team think its because the league is dominated by local Southern Africans who are very adamant about foreigners. The referees having been cheating us every game and last week we lost to the first place team, our biggest rivals 1-0. It was a devastating lose but we plan on bouncing back by winning our next 4 games and sticking in the top eight for playoffs. 

Everyone here in Annie's Cove have left for Port Alfred because there are supposedly some big rowing races going on, that and besides its beautiful weather to get drunk and hang out at the beach! I am staying behind because I am trying to save money for the Stellenbosch trip and because I would prefer to play soccer and go out after we kick some ass!!!!!!!

Anways, hope everyone is having a fantastic time back home!! Feel free to write me messages or email I'd love to hear from you all, or anyone who is reading my blog! 

Cheers!

In The Herald

So quick post ---

I don' know if anyone read the full length post last time, but I attended a football match between SA and Nigeria. 

Well come to find out, most of us international students who attended the game made front headlines in the local newspaper the Herald on Monday!!! Yeah, full frontal and everything will all us internationals cheering on the South African National Team, Bufana Bufana!! Its super awesome. Anyways, hope everyone is having a great time at home, cheers!

I know... its been a while

Hello again, I know its been a while since I last posted a blog of any kind.  I've been relatively busy, having gone on a few trips over the past few weeks and having exams and papers due as term 3 came to end last week.  So let me recap the past few weeks in short, Mexican Night, Karoo and Graaf Reinet, Exams, Township, Addo and Schotia, South Africa v. Nigeria, and massive rain storm!! I can't remember the last time I wrote on my blog but I know it was somewhere in the mid of August just before the week of Mexican night.  Wow this was about 3 weeks ago i think, I can't believe how fast the time is going by here. 

I am trying to get out and do as much as possible, paying as little as possible and trying not to get lost in between.  Anyhow, Mexican Night, or should I say the white washed version from Minnesota, was a blast!  The ladies from St. Cloud Univeristy decided to host a Mexican Fiesta Night, which included lots of tacos, burritos, fajitas, cerveza, and the likes!! Everyone thru-ought  Annie's contributed to the massive eating and drinking extravaganza.  My contribution was unfortunately the beans.  Now, this may seem the easiest job in the world, especially if you have pre-made canned beans.  But here in South Africa, there is no such thing as black beans or pinto beans, unless you cook them yourself from scratch.  Soo... I was stuck cooking 4 kilos of beans (approx. 8lb.)  I filled more than four pots 

full of beans which took forever to cook.  I mean how hard can it be? Steam  and boil for a few hours until soft and juicy.  Well let me tell you, with stove top burners its an all day event with sepping pills of beans and juice and dog food smelling yumminess spewing  out of the pots all over the counter... lets just say it was a pain in the ass.  However!!! They turned out just right and with my special touch of spices and garlic, they tasted fantastic. Well, that and I still have a whole container still in my freezer.

 This was about mid August, and that following weekend, the CEA group and I had our second excursion all planned out.  We were heading off to the Greater Karoo for a small town called Graaf-Reinet.  The weather was actually quit nice even though it was raining. The town is about 3 hours north of Port Elizabeth, and was established by Reinet, a Dutch trekboer from the Cape who settled in the north e

astern frontier in search of fertile land and a equal liberation from British control.  His house and farm still stand in the center of the town, along with a large church built after his time.  Trekboers, or pastoralists farmers who moved away from the colonies, were Dutch descendent farmers who moved across southern Africa and settled along the orange river regions that were most profitable and livable.  Many of these farmers came into conflict with the Nguni tribes living in the southern and northern parts of south africa; this was the beginning of the Boer Wars.  We toured around the town, visiting the Reinet house which featured different sections and displays life on the farm during those times  (early 1800s -1910).

The house is the sight of the original vine of the Wit Hant or White Dog, an alcohol made from fermented grapes, much like a cognac.  It is said to have healing powers and was used by the doctor who lived on the farm to help with sick patients.  Alcohol was always a curing agent, and I'm pretty sure it still is...hah. Anyways, the house featured some amazing pieces of furniture and old wagons and horse trollies. The house was so old, the floor boards were spreading apart and you could feel the cold wind flowing up through the cra

cks.  Following the Reinet House, we ventured up the slopes to witness the Valley of Desolation, a small passage way in the mountains surrounding Graaf Reinet.  It was breath taki

ng, just check out the pictures.  The wind w

as blowing at about 40 mph but it was still nice.  From there we visited a local game farm which had many different types of animals.  We were able to see springbok, grysbok, kudu, and other antelope as well as plenty of ostrich. 

Saturday night that weekend, we took accommodation on a small farm half way between Nieu Bethesda and Graaf Reinet.  The farm was quit large, with some 4, 000 or so acres. We walked around the farm and to the local village.  We ate that night with the owners of the farm who were extremely nice.

  we did however come in

to contact with the side of the typical Afrikaner nationalis

tic poitn of view, or the white perspective of south africa.   It was an experience I will not forget.  That night the temperature outside reached about -10 C and for some reason the other group members decided to jump into the pool they had in the back of the barn. I guess 

this was our way of celebrating the semi lunar ecllipse.  Anyways, the following day we drove to Nieu Bethesda and toured the Owl House, which belonged to a woman named Helen Martins.  For some, she was a crazy old woman who never left her house and basically turned it in to her living piece of artwork.

Her house is covered with glass decorations, sculptures and the like.  It was a haunting experience at best but also a very different experience, one you would not expect to participate in while in South Africa.  From there, we went on a tour of the local river, which contains an abundance of artifacts and fossils from prehistoric creatures that came before the dinosaurs as well as artifacts of the San and Bushmen people that inhabited the region years ago.  For me the weekend was a good get away from city life and a chance to experience more rural, farmland South Africa.  Most people think when you get to Africa your going to be living in a bush with a gun hunting lion or something but truly thats not the case. Farming and cattle, sheep, goat and other game raising is a huge profitable market here in South Africa, as it was when the first settlers arrived in 1652.  

 In any case, it was an overall fulfilling weekend.  The coming weeks were not so active as I had two assignments due for my classes and the following week was exams.  The only thing memerable from those two weeks was the huge storm we had come through.  Nothing comparable to Ike or Gustav or Hanna but winds here reached up to 70 mph.  I had to walk out to the gate to let a friend in and it took me almost 5 minutes when it should have taken no more than 1.  Haha.. it was something!

This past weekend I traveled with a few friends to Addo Elephant National Park and Schotia Game Reserve.  Addo is a National Park and is kept in great shape by the government where as Schotia is a privately owned Game Reserve.  We left Friday morning and started at Addo and were able to catch some great photos and glimpses of animals and the amazing wildlife that live at the Park.  And as its called Addo Elephant national Park, we got to see a large herd of Elephants resting at one of the many water holes situated on the park.   It was really amazing. We left park after having lunch and made it Schotia around 3 or so.  At Schotia we went on a guided tour were as at Addo it we drove ourselves through. It was much more informing with the guided tour and we learned quit a bit about the different animals.  I am amazed by how many survival techniques these animals have, from different striations in fur color to eating and grazing patterns.  But the most memorable part of the tour was the sunset with one of the lions on the park.  Yes, thats right, we actually sat in the vechicle of course, about 5 feet away from a 3 year old male lion with the sun setting in the background. It was unbelievable.  We were so close to the animal and it was frightening to hear the animal call out to its sisters.  The power the animal has it just a single roar is breath taking.  We were also able to witness one of the female lions from afar.  It was the first time anyone came into contact with her and her cubs; our guide pointed out that we were the first to confirm that she was pr

egnant on here arrival and that she successful had the cubs on her own.  Fucking awesome in my opinion! That night we had a huge dinner, an intermixture of Xhosan and Afrikaner food. The guide told us about his life and that we should come back to see the rhinos they are to acquire within the next few weeks. Saturday was freakin' awesome as well, I got to go see South Africa play against Nigeria in an African Cup of Nations qualification game here in Port Elizabeth. I think almost all the international students I know went to the game.  I have to say, we must incorporate the style of fan support they have here in Africa with that of the US because from the minute I walked into the Stadium I was singing who knows what and yelling and dancing.  Ah man it was so much fun! It was disappointing to see South Africa lose but the experience was intense.  The 

food was incredible fat filling and good and the people were all so nice.  I think almost everyone bought a South African flag.  That night I attended my friend Valdeman's 25th birthday party at the Omega Lodge. And ended the weekend in bed!! Haha.. So thats about the best recap I give for the past month.  I expect to be getting out to Port Alfred, Coffee Bay, and Stellenbosch by the end of the month so check back in for some more pictures and stories. Thanks ya'll! Cheers!