Opening of the World Cup Stadium: Okay, so this was an organized, group activity, but so cool. We saw a game between Ajax and Santos, two local teams, and even though I wouldn’t call myself an avid soccer fan, I love any live sporting event and it was amazing to see the spirit and passion of all the South Africans. The stadium was built specifically for this, and the pride for the stadium was amazing. The one downfall of the stadium was the fact that they not only allowed but gave away noisemakers called Vuvuzelas (essentially a horn that makes the worst noise in the world). Despite the annoying noise, they embody the spirit and excitement for the World Cup.
The New Cape Town Stadium
Minibus-taxis: Transportation may not seem like an activity, but the taxis here are truly an experience in themselves. In an effort to see local markets (see below), we decided to take these illusive minibus-taxis, which we had only seen and heard about, but never actually experienced. These minibus-taxis are extremely sketchy: they drive down Main Road yelling out their destination (“Cape Town” or “Wynberg” are the two most popular routes near us). If you choose to use this form of transportation, you squeeze in to an already-full van and pay anywhere from 3 to 8 rand to go to a destination, or at least as close as possible if your destination is not on Main Road. Each taxi has a driver who honks no less than 40 times a minute and a man who sit in the back yelling out the destination and collecting money. We completely underestimated the taxi. Within a minute, we were passing cars, grazing pedestrians, rolling over curbs, as well as stopping in a second for anyone who as much as blinks an eye at the driver or his assistant. Luckily we made it out alive, and even continue to take them.
Green Market Square and Long Street: Two of my roommates and I decided to visit this famous market and Long Street, a street famous for cute shops during the day and fun clubs at night. Having already experienced the nightlife, we decided to see it in daylight. The market was fun, with tons of vendors selling everything from keychains to bowls to paintings. Everything was so cool and colorful, I could have spent much more time (and money) than I did. But I’m sure we’ll be back.
Green Market Square
Old Biscuit Mill: We just discovered this Saturday food/clothing market and plan on returning every Saturday. Originally a biscuit mill, every Saturday, about 50 food vendors gather for a market. Part of it is an expanded farmer’s market, where they sell every kind of pesto and olive and cheese, and many stands make food in front of you. They have a stand that makes an amazing chicken sandwich and the smoothies were also great. There’s a tent full of little vendors with jewelry and cute, trendy clothes.
Vendors at the Old Biscuit Mill Market
Rugby Game: We went to a rugby game between the Cape Town Stormers and the Australian Waratahs. Our program director sent us an email reminding us to wear black to support the home team. I put on a black tank top and a black cardigan (I felt color on color was appropriate if I was rooting for the home team) only to discover the Stormers’ colors are navy and another color that isn’t black. As if we don’t look foreign enough, a mob of American exchange students is sitting at a rugby game and everyone is wearing black. Before the game, I felt like I was fairly knowledgeable about rugby from having a team at my high school and college, but I learned that was not the case. I knew a try was the word for touchdown, and the circle all the guys get in is a scrum, but the game moved much faster than I was expecting. All of a sudden, the crowd would erupt in cheers, and we would sit there confused, trying to mimic their enthusiasm. The game turned out to be very exciting, the Cape Town team won 27-6.
Raquel, me, and Christina at the Rugby Game
Muizenberg: Because of the great weather, we decided to explore the beaches. One day, thinking we had the afternoon free, 5 of us went to Muizenberg, a beach about 45 minutes away. We took a cab there, only to find it overcast, windy, and cold. First attempt: fail. A week later, we returned, this time by train, and this time, it was beautiful. The water was a little cold, but the sun was shining and we were able to see and appreciate the cute beach town. Second attempt: success.
Colorful Huts at Muizenberg
Peninsula Tour: We took a bus tour organized by the overseas office, where we saw parts of Cape Town we hadn’t seen. The beaches were beautiful and we got to see penguins (even though they were smaller than the emperor penguins)! However, the best part was going to Cape Point and hiking down to the Cape of Good Hope. The hike was along a cliff above the water, and we stopped about every 10 feet to take a picture. When we got to the Cape of Good Hope, we were typical tourists and took pictures with the sign. Some people claim this is where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, but this is widely disputed. It’s better known as the most southwestern point on the African continent.
Hannah and me at the Cape of Good Hope
V & A Waterfront: The waterfront is an upscale shopping area next to the water that is a hotspot for tourists. Most hotels are there (as well as one the one I stayed at a few years ago when I came here with my family), along with a huge mall, tons of restaurants, and a few craft markets. Always looking to do a craft, my friend and I explored the craft market and picked up some string and bracelets to make bracelets. We also went to the aquarium and saw the different exhibits. They had a penguin exhibit and a huge tank with sharks, turtles, and eels. They also had a tank of clown fish with a cylinder that we could stand in and pretend we were in the tank. It was probably made for people half our age but it was still fun.
The V & A Waterfront, courtesy of Google Images
Kirstenbosch Gardens: On Valentine’s Day, we went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for their weekly Sunday Summer Concert. The band was the winner of “South African Idol,” and mostly sang covers of songs by people like Shania Twain that were once semi-popular in America. The gardens were amazing with so many trees and flowers and a perfect view of table mountain behind the stage.
Our Picnic at Kirstenbosch
p.s. thanks Raquel for (most of) the pictures!
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